Re: Upgrading current system
Quote:
Originally Posted by
BassJunkie23
I currently have a system in my truck that's been pieced together. It surprisingly sounds pretty good. What I'm currently running is 2 12 inch subs. Ones JL audio, the other's a kicker in a sealed box, for the amp I have a pioneer 900 watt (max) with I believe 8 gauge wire. For the head unit I have a double din power acoustik.
I'm looking to upgrade the entire system. I've been been thinking about a Rockford Fosgate amp and subs. I've been looking at 2 12 inch p2s. Already in a box, the amp I'm looking at is a mono 1200 watt.
I'm open for any suggestions on different combos. Also I'm having a difficult time finding a head unit I like. I'd prefer it to be a double din, Sirius ready, and be touchscreen, and have various sound settings..
Any suggestions on anything is much appreciated.
Any feedback on the amp/sub combo I want is also appreciated
The winning company of the spl competitions is a company called sundown audio (for subwoofers.), and they make really good subwoofers although I'm sure somebody else will chime in. They are also very sq.
An amplifier is an amplifier if rms and max ratings are matched respectively, and you could go a little over on the rms/max so long as you don't set your gains too high. (If you set them low you limit the output of the amplifier.) This would give you the ability to add even more subwoofers in the future. Especially if you wire for 4ohm. I suggest setting your gains with a pink noise 0db sweep and various tones to double check.
However some amplifiers are slightly better, and there is total garbage on the market, although usually for a decent amplifier it's a slight difference. It is money better spent on speakers which will make all the difference.
With your current set up I would suggest picking one of those subwoofers to cover midbass, as playing two different subwoofers isn't sq at all. (as you technically have two different kinds of waves regardless of what you do.) All you would have to do is set the frequencies one of them plays differently.
I was recommended the following touch screen: https://www.crutchfield.com/S-k4XSbM...-DDX6904S.html It has apple carplay, android auto, 24bit processing for HD music, oem integration as an upgrade option so you can monitor things that an oem touch screen would have, and it also hd radio so you get more radio stations. 5v preamps. And two rear usb ports. It also has sirius radio I believe as a cheap upgrade around $50. Too hook up the radio you can order the appropriate gauge crimps or you can solder and heat shrink it together after ordering a wiring harness dependent on vehicle. As far as various sound settings it does have some capability although you could get allot more by purchasing a digital sound processor, and that would be dependent on how many channels you need running to amplifiers.
For amplifiers I would suggest a monoblock and make sure it has an appropriate rms rating, boss and a few others do not, for the subs and a 4 channel for midrange/tweeters. I suggest purchasing components and a really great component two way (tweeters and midrange) is the morel maximo 6. It comes in a few sizes and will likely fit. You will likely need co-axials for the rears as they more than likely don't have an oem way to place a tweeter in the rear so you need a tweeter inside of the middle of the midrange speaker. However to get the absolute best sound quality you would need to go with a 3-way up front, digital sound processor and a head unit capable of 24bit. A 2-way component system will sound really great though. And the morel maximo 2-way will likely fit however if you have a 6x9 speaker placement up front with a tweeter location you can integrate a 3-way into the oem system. The morel maximo 6 however does have a 6x9 option as a 2-way. The morel maximo has been compared to other component systems (mid range/tweeter pair with a block for wiring the two together from one set of speaker leads. Anyway the maximo is comparable to speakers 4 times it's cost from hertz and other brands. And blows other companies such as kenwood or sony far away. It also doesn't have a bright tweeter so you'll be able to listen at larger volumes compared to other brands.
A sealed subwoofer box will give you the absolute best sound quality while it only drops by 3db typically in sound level, and it'll be half the size of a ported enclosure. I would suggest trying to avoid sound nulls in your car if you want a pair of subwoofers by placing one on the left side and one on the right side of your vehicle, while avoiding them on the edges of your vehicle. And have them firing towards the front. And a monoblock is appropriate to wire them.
If you know about speaker sensitivity ratings then know that it must be sacrificed due to Iron Hoffman's law for subwoofers and other low playing speakers. And sundown really does make some amazing subwoofers, although be careful and pick your model appropriately and call sundown if you have any queries about your model. A guy called Marv on the forum makes really great subwoofer boxes and he can even make stealth boxes.
I really would recommend a 4 channel and component speakers, and co-axials for the rear if that's what your car must have, however consider the 3-way option if it's possible which is usually a 6.5", a 4", and a tweeter and usually has crossovers so you could still use a 4 channel with them, however running a car "active" is better and I would be sure to protect your speakers in-line from the amplifier if you do with appropriate wiring, you can even use the capacitor.
A digital sound processor is expensive, minidsp makes a pretty good one the 8x12, and it's something you could always use in the future as an upgrade. It will allow you to smooth the frequencies of the speakers giving you a larger sound stage and process delay (timing of the speakers.) And they are very fun. You do need a computer to tune a digital sound processor though, preferably a laptop.
Sundown makes some subwoofers than can cover midbass frequencies as well and as much as it's argued that it will pull the sound stage away from the dashboard (look up a few tuning articles for regards to sound stage.) It is nice. And will allow your door speakers to be crossed over at a higher frequency which will be better because it takes strain away from the door speakers thus letting them play louder and cleaner. These are mostly there smaller subwoofers, Which still have a lot of spl although a smaller sub will play better and can be better used in a stealth box. And they are very spl/sq. (sound pressure level, sound quality.)
For wiring I suggest running one wire from the battery to the amplifiers and using a fuse block to split the wire just before the amplifiers, another option is using a capacitor and rockville makes the rxc50d which will allow you to split the wire into three 4 gauge wires. And three 4 gauge grounds. (Which is fine for a 0gauge amplifier.) The rockville is also very cheap just be careful when hooking one up and use the resistor to charge them and discharge them appropriately or you risk a serious electrical discharge which can weld your wedding ring to the car!
If you want to use awg ofc wire, then I highly suggest buying tinned oxygen free copper wire as it won't corrode as ofc is known to do. Ofc is really used to allow an amplifier to run on a little less power due to the voltage increase which is usually a 0.1 drop from the battery. And it means you would set your gains a little lower which is a good thing, placing less strain on the amplifier and usually a cleaner less thd signal. And why 6v rca lead connections are better. However if you want to use copper clad wire just make sure it's safe for the watts your amplifiers will be using at it's lowest ohm load.
I'm unsure what amplifiers to suggest unfortunately, I hope somebody else has a recommendation.
Also if you enjoy music I suggest a spotify or other streaming service such as apple music so you can listen to literally everything, and if your a college student it's $5 a month. It's better than sirius as you can listen to music if you have apple music as it's coming out on albums. Sirius is limiting in what they play over and over although much better than the regular radio, and you would be the dj for a change with a streaming service that lets you download the song/album/discography or just stream them with radio and suggestions usually.
If you want to build your own box I highly suggest watching caraudiofabrication on youtube, he has a video series about building a box with limited power tools. Although he also gets so in depth into where you could be in a very classy build that you might think about custom panels for your vehicle and you would need a router, and various other power tools.
A note on custom panels here is to be careful as if somebody poked there head into the vehicle they will know right away that you have audio to be stolen, otherwise it could all be tucked away and hidden and he'd be none the wiser except the head unit while he's stealing your change to fund his habit. It really is something to consider however.
One thing to be noted about custom panels though is that you can usually get the speakers to be on axis (facing you) which sounds so much better! However 90 degrees/60 degrees of axis is no biggie which most cars have.
Re: Upgrading current system
Most times, especially for the DIYer, an incremental approach is best. Don't change everything all at once. Start by mapping out your goals. Meaning specific, attainable goals. What do you want from your system? What is your budget for improvements?
Re: Upgrading current system
Quote:
Originally Posted by
BassJunkie23
I currently have a system in my truck that's been pieced together. It surprisingly sounds pretty good. What I'm currently running is 2 12 inch subs. Ones JL audio, the other's a kicker in a sealed box, for the amp I have a pioneer 900 watt (max) with I believe 8 gauge wire. For the head unit I have a double din power acoustik.
I'm looking to upgrade the entire system. I've been been thinking about a Rockford Fosgate amp and subs. I've been looking at 2 12 inch p2s. Already in a box, the amp I'm looking at is a mono 1200 watt.
I'm open for any suggestions on different combos. Also I'm having a difficult time finding a head unit I like. I'd prefer it to be a double din, Sirius ready, and be touchscreen, and have various sound settings..
Any suggestions on anything is much appreciated.
Any feedback on the amp/sub combo I want is also appreciated
If you're looking at the Rockford P2-2X12 box and R1200-1D amplifier, they will work well together. You'll need to upgrade the power wire to 4 gauge and such. As far as double DIN headunits go, if you don't need CarPlay/Android Auto, a Kenwood DDX395 fits your description. (or you might like the WebLink feature on the DDX595)
