how does this system sound ?

[nugget666]

hey all,


Trying to build a stereo for my dual cab hilux, There is not alot of room in the rear so im going for a slimline sub. I basicly listen to all kinds of mustic dance/rap/rock/metal. I want it to have good SQ but will go hard when turned up. I dont know too much about car audio electrics matching amps and what not. But hopefully i have this somewhat right. budget is basicly around the grand mark would be nice.




I will be replacing the front speakers/headunit, Putting in a 12 or 10" sub and amping and the front speakers of a 4 channel amp. If i can find one that will suit both. Here is what ive been tossing up with so far


H/U =jvc KD-R616 http://www.jvc-australia.com/JVC/client/c_products_details.jsp?catID=27&prodID=596 ( already purchased this at 158$ )
sub = 12 or 10" COMPVT slime line sub in box http://www.kicker.com/compvt_subboxes
Speakers = 6 or 6 1/2 coaxils so i dont have to mess around with mounting splits. maybe alpine type R's or Focals, I'll go listen to some and make a choice.
amp = also unsure would any of the jay car amps work for me ? http://jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=AA0458&CATID=24&form=CAT&SUBCATID=595 http://jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=AA0456&CATID=24&form=CAT&SUBCATID=595
'

[GaDgeT-CRX]

Its a bit tricky to tell how the final install will sound with just a kit list..

As far as SQ goes, not bad choice with the gear, would maybe recommended these as the front speakers http://caraudiomag.com/articles/jl-audio-c3-650-speaker-review

SQ systems always get better results when you can raise the stage height, by placing the tweeters on the dash, a-pillars or doors. Gives you the option of installing them as 2-ways in the doors, then can remove the tweeter at a later stage and mess around with different positions. Also having passive xovers, with loads of different settings means u can tinker with the end result.

Would go with the 4ch amp (had one of those jaycar amps before, good bang for your buck), and slim sub seems to be the only option with limited install space behind the seats..

Also consider sound deadening your doors, to stop any annoying rattles from the midbass driver, and make up or buy some mdf spacers to attach to.

Will also need to run a fused power cable from the battery to amp, and same gauge earthing point in the car. Give it a crack, let us know how it sounds :)

[arverson]

do you really want 'good sound quality'? are you concerned about stage imaging? guessing not if you dont wanna experiment with speaker positioning & angling, then spend even more time tuning it. sounds like you want more of 'drop in & forget about it' system. and every system will 'go hard' when turned up.

point is, we're working with a budget of 1G.. which must include coaxils for the fronts.. and a entry-level slimline sub.. and a HU that doesnt really have the processing capabilities for a pure SQ system.. so you've gotta expect a compromise in 'sq'.. as long as you're fine with that then basically get any entry-level gear to simply cater for the budget.

out of the 2 jaycar amps you showed, get the 4x100 one.

[nugget666]

do you really want 'good sound quality'? are you concerned about stage imaging? guessing not if you dont wanna experiment with speaker positioning & angling, then spend even more time tuning it. sounds like you want more of 'drop in & forget about it' system. and every system will 'go hard' when turned up.

point is, we're working with a budget of 1G.. which must include coaxils for the fronts.. and a entry-level slimline sub.. and a HU that doesnt really have the processing capabilities for a pure SQ system.. so you've gotta expect a compromise in 'sq'.. as long as you're fine with that then basically get any entry-level gear to simply cater for the budget.

out of the 2 jaycar amps you showed, get the 4x100 one.


Well I know what sounds good and does not sound good. But i am not a audio nut that really tinkers with the staging etc, Just basicly tune it get it sounding right and leave it as is. I still like crisp sounds etc but not going into high end quality i guess. Plus with my budget compromises have to be made.
Although i may get some splits and basic mount them with double sided or something along those lines.

[nugget666]

Its a bit tricky to tell how the final install will sound with just a kit list..

As far as SQ goes, not bad choice with the gear, would maybe recommended these as the front speakers http://caraudiomag.com/articles/jl-audio-c3-650-speaker-review

SQ systems always get better results when you can raise the stage height, by placing the tweeters on the dash, a-pillars or doors. Gives you the option of installing them as 2-ways in the doors, then can remove the tweeter at a later stage and mess around with different positions. Also having passive xovers, with loads of different settings means u can tinker with the end result.

Would go with the 4ch amp (had one of those jaycar amps before, good bang for your buck), and slim sub seems to be the only option with limited install space behind the seats..

Also consider sound deadening your doors, to stop any annoying rattles from the midbass driver, and make up or buy some mdf spacers to attach to.

Will also need to run a fused power cable from the battery to amp, and same gauge earthing point in the car. Give it a crack, let us know how it sounds :)


I will deaden the doors but down the track, Also i forgot to mention cabling would 4 gauge wiring kit be suffice ?. as i said in my other post i might consider splits if i can find a easy way to mount them with out making holes etc if i take them out down the track.

I'm a bit of a audio noob when mixing and matching items so they work well together,

[GaDgeT-CRX]

4GA should to the trick, just make sure its fused <30cms from the battery, behind the firewall.

As far as tweeter mounting for components, have found the easiest method is to grab some pvc end caps from bunnings @ $2 each
http://images.meproducts.net/PEC-50.jpg

Then you can velcoe / bluetak them to different positions in the car, until you get the angling / staging to your tastes / optimal SQ for the system

SQ audio can be an expensive / time-consuming experience, but it all starts with the willingness to DIY and trial and error with different gear and mounting positions. good luck bro, keep us posted with your progress :)

[nugget666]

I went into Wow today to check out some gear, for roughly 1100$ can get including 4 gauge wiring and a distribution block

http://www.polkaudio...dex.php#pa330_2 2 channel amp to run the front speakers
http://www.polkaudio...ex.php?s=db6501 these fronts
http://www.kicker.com/zx_amplifiers this amp for the sub ZX300.1
http://www.kicker.com/compvt_subboxes this sub


they didnt seem to have any 4 channel amps that would run more then 180ish rms to the sub. so not sure if i should stick with these speakers ( they sounded good to me ) and sub and just go the jaycar? he mention it would be working the amp way to hard trying to power the sub of a 4 channel.

[JJprelude]

Sound stream tarantula's are very good bang for buck speakers, especially when amped. A 4 channel would also be more then enough to power a sub and two speakers just bridge channel 3 and 4 for the sub. I'd also run tweeters off the head unit.


he mention it would be working the amp way to hard trying to power the sub of a 4 channel.

If you buy a quality brand then a 4 channel wont have any problems at all.

[GaDgeT-CRX]

not advised to run the tweeters from the HU and amp for the mids + sub.. better off using the provided cross overs

15Wrms from HU to tweeters, 100Wrms front mids, 200Wrms amp.. system will have major peaks and troughs through inconstant power

The front speakers you listed dont seem to have any settings for the mids / tweeters via the xovers.. if you really want a 'good sq system' you need to have some kind of options for changing the output to the front stage.

bridged mono channel (ch 3+4) from the 4x100w amp will be fine, sales guy doesnt know wat he is talking about :(

[JJprelude]

The built in crossovers in the headunit are fine for tweeters.(Depending on the head unit you have)

But of course if your chasing sq then your absolutely correct. But if I was on a budget I wouldn't bother.

[arverson]

doubt it. normally the cheap basic HU's only have HPF options of 80, 100 & 120 hz. use those and say bye to your tweeters.

nugget, good to know your open to splits now. how bout this budget breakup:
HU - already purchased
splits - <$200 for a pair of morel maximos. or $250ish for a pair of crescendo opus 1's
dunno how much your kicker sub+box is but lets round it up to $2-300ish
that jaycar 4x100 $300
$100 door pack of sound deadening
$100 4-gauge wiring kit, fuses, 4channel rcas.

and unless you plan to add a monoblock down the track, you dont need a distro block at this point cus itll be a one amp system. a single 4chan amp should be fine for you.

[nugget666]

doubt it. normally the cheap basic HU's only have HPF options of 80, 100 & 120 hz. use those and say bye to your tweeters.

nugget, good to know your open to splits now. how bout this budget breakup:
HU - already purchased
splits - <$200 for a pair of morel maximos. or $250ish for a pair of crescendo opus 1's
dunno how much your kicker sub+box is but lets round it up to $2-300ish
that jaycar 4x100 $300
$100 door pack of sound deadening
$100 4-gauge wiring kit, fuses, 4channel rcas.

and unless you plan to add a monoblock down the track, you dont need a distro block at this point cus itll be a one amp system. a single 4chan amp should be fine for you.




that sounds pretty good and right on the money, i did like the sound of the polks, but im unsure about cross over adjustments, The polks were 199$ from and sub is 299$ got around 80$ of them combined

I found this on a quick google " The tweeters are very bright and sharp -- almost too sharp. Fortunately, there is a switch on each crossover to adjust the tweeters. The default is +0, but you can bump it down to -3dB or up to +3dB. I found 0 to be a bit much, so I clicked the button to -3dB. This sounded much better. I was blown away with the clarity of both male AND female vocals, which is again very difficult to get right. The theory of a component system was again showing itself to be dead-on and very true." is that what you were refeering too ?

[GaDgeT-CRX]

big difference to how a speaker sound in the store vs how they sound in your car... as soon as you add sound reflections, rattles, delays etc to the equation, changes everything.. best to have a few post install options for tuning, to do your best at catering for all the sq loss you get in a car.