My audio setup
3/17/05, 09:30 PM
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I just wanted to post a few pics of my system and get some feedback. I did all the work myself. The system consists of:
Alipine MP3 Head Unit
Kenwood 5 Band EQ
Alipine 4 Channel Amp for the Fornt and Rear (30 watts RMS per channel)
Pioneer 2 Channel Amp for Subs (200 watts RMS per channel)
Stock Front Speakers (Door subs are currently not being used)
Pioneer 6x8 3 way coaxias in Rear
2 JL Audio 10W0's in a custom box
I hope to wire up the Stock subs in the doors or replace them with some aftermarket ones in the near future.
Everything sounds excellent so far..but there's always room for improvement.
Here are the pics. Let me know what you guys think.
Alipine MP3 Head Unit
Kenwood 5 Band EQ
Alipine 4 Channel Amp for the Fornt and Rear (30 watts RMS per channel)
Pioneer 2 Channel Amp for Subs (200 watts RMS per channel)
Stock Front Speakers (Door subs are currently not being used)
Pioneer 6x8 3 way coaxias in Rear
2 JL Audio 10W0's in a custom box
I hope to wire up the Stock subs in the doors or replace them with some aftermarket ones in the near future.
Everything sounds excellent so far..but there's always room for improvement.
Here are the pics. Let me know what you guys think.
3/18/05, 03:41 AM
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Looks loud, but needs some inerior decorating. you should try and dress the cables around the amps so they look organized, or are not seen at all. sorry if im being picky, but when I see a "System" Im looking at the whole package.
3/18/05, 07:37 AM
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Yes, both subs are currently facing forward behing the rear seat.
The subs would sound better facing the rear, but thye rattle the trunk pretty bad. I'll leave them facing forward until I can Dynamat the trunk.
I agree the the wires could be hidden better, but it's the best I could do for now. It looks alot better than it did when I had first hooked everything up. I was originally going to build a false wall so i could route all the wires behind it, but I ran out of time.
3/18/05, 02:38 PM
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That is exactly what I plan to do with my subs.... face them in so when I want serious bass, I will fold down the seats, and have them firing at my back. 
Did you build the box yourself? and do you think I could make the same setup as you but with dual 12" subs instead? Is your box sealed or ported?
Did you build the box yourself? and do you think I could make the same setup as you but with dual 12" subs instead? Is your box sealed or ported?
3/19/05, 09:44 AM
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2 12's would probably fit, but I would have to check clearance between the bottom of the rear deck and the truck floor to be sure. It would be tight for sure becuase the box is around 13" high and squeezes in tight under the rear deck. I built the box myself and it is sealed. I played around with a ported box thati bought before i built this one, but it wasn't as tight. It was laouder though, and rattled the trunk pretty bad.
3/25/05, 12:09 AM
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Some tips.. 1) the cables HAVE TO GO, that's unsafe and ugly - sorry, call it like I see it. 2) lose the Kenwood EQ - all it does is add noise (read up on the subject) if you really still want an eq get one that is outboard and all digital domain, or worst case a high quality outboard analog one that has clean circuits. Those little jobbies are notorious for adding noise, robbing power from the signal (voltage). Finally - just a suggestion on this one 3) lose the pio amp and replace with another V12. You'd be moving up in power quality and have a matching set for looks. You can see why that's optional 
good call on the JL sub - I am not sure about your choice of orientation though. With the seat back up, is that sub firing into a 'closed' cavity? if so, you're chocking the sub and slowly destroying the voice coil. Not to mention the sound is being muffled.
Please don't take this as pissy stabs - rather suggestions from a school of hard knocks 12v install guy. No matter what you do - enjoy doing it and keep playing! it only gets better!
My last car had 12 drivers, 2x10 subs, all a/d/s speakers except for some Focal mids and a/d/s P series amps. All EQ was done by a Sony ES digital ESP EQ (I hate sony, but that was the only game in town in 1995 for under $3k). God I miss that system!
Cheers!
peet
good call on the JL sub - I am not sure about your choice of orientation though. With the seat back up, is that sub firing into a 'closed' cavity? if so, you're chocking the sub and slowly destroying the voice coil. Not to mention the sound is being muffled.
Please don't take this as pissy stabs - rather suggestions from a school of hard knocks 12v install guy. No matter what you do - enjoy doing it and keep playing! it only gets better!
My last car had 12 drivers, 2x10 subs, all a/d/s speakers except for some Focal mids and a/d/s P series amps. All EQ was done by a Sony ES digital ESP EQ (I hate sony, but that was the only game in town in 1995 for under $3k). God I miss that system!
Cheers!
peet
3/25/05, 07:14 AM
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Thanks Peet for your suggestions...
I already took out the Kenwood EQ....I had it from a previous system so I decided to give it a try...but now it's gone. I have an electronic crossover that I'm using to tune the bass for the time being.
As far as the 2 JL 10's go....until I have time to play with their placement, they are facing forward, but I keep the driver's side back seat folded down 99% of the time. Eventually I plan to turn them around to face the rear.
The Pioneer amp is OK, but not the greatest but easy on my wallet back when I bought it 2 years ago...I'll keep it until I can afford something better. The V12 amp wasn't working properly, so I replaced it with an older RF Punch 60 Amp I had from a previous system. So far, so good. I hope to get a new matching set of amps someday too.
Any suggestions on hiding the wires would be appreciated. I want to build a thin wall, so I can hide most of the wires behind it, and just pop them through to make the connections.
I already took out the Kenwood EQ....I had it from a previous system so I decided to give it a try...but now it's gone. I have an electronic crossover that I'm using to tune the bass for the time being.
As far as the 2 JL 10's go....until I have time to play with their placement, they are facing forward, but I keep the driver's side back seat folded down 99% of the time. Eventually I plan to turn them around to face the rear.
The Pioneer amp is OK, but not the greatest but easy on my wallet back when I bought it 2 years ago...I'll keep it until I can afford something better. The V12 amp wasn't working properly, so I replaced it with an older RF Punch 60 Amp I had from a previous system. So far, so good. I hope to get a new matching set of amps someday too.
Any suggestions on hiding the wires would be appreciated. I want to build a thin wall, so I can hide most of the wires behind it, and just pop them through to make the connections.
3/25/05, 09:24 AM
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I like the setup, although the subs would sound better facing backwards.
Are the amps mounted on the back of the box? :nono:
The vibrations from the sub will loosen internal parts of the amp over time, and will probably cause serious (and expensive) damage. The pros don't do this and neither should you.
Don't worry about the cables - just make sure they don't get tangled in something. Screw aesthetics - it's all about how the car SOUNDS. If you're competing in a car show, then aesthetics count, but other than that, who really cares if you have a few wires showing in your trunk? Even if there is somebody who cares, do you care what they think?
This is for everyone - THERE ARE SUBS MADE FOR SEALED BOXES AND SUBS MADE FOR PORTED BOXES BUT NO SUBS MADE FOR BOTH (at least not very many)!! Very few speakers will do well in both. All of those crazy numbers that you don't understand (i.e. Qts, Vas, etc.) indicate whether a speaker is designed for a ported box OR a sealed box. Additionally, the ports in a ported box have to be tuned specifically for a speaker/box, which means that there is a 100% chance that that box you bought at Best Buy makes your speaker sound a lot crappier than it really is.
Buying or making a custom box that matches your subs characteristics is critical. Expect to spend half of your entire sub setup on the box.
Are the amps mounted on the back of the box? :nono:
The vibrations from the sub will loosen internal parts of the amp over time, and will probably cause serious (and expensive) damage. The pros don't do this and neither should you.
Don't worry about the cables - just make sure they don't get tangled in something. Screw aesthetics - it's all about how the car SOUNDS. If you're competing in a car show, then aesthetics count, but other than that, who really cares if you have a few wires showing in your trunk? Even if there is somebody who cares, do you care what they think?
This is for everyone - THERE ARE SUBS MADE FOR SEALED BOXES AND SUBS MADE FOR PORTED BOXES BUT NO SUBS MADE FOR BOTH (at least not very many)!! Very few speakers will do well in both. All of those crazy numbers that you don't understand (i.e. Qts, Vas, etc.) indicate whether a speaker is designed for a ported box OR a sealed box. Additionally, the ports in a ported box have to be tuned specifically for a speaker/box, which means that there is a 100% chance that that box you bought at Best Buy makes your speaker sound a lot crappier than it really is.
Buying or making a custom box that matches your subs characteristics is critical. Expect to spend half of your entire sub setup on the box.
3/25/05, 11:28 PM
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dallas, I must disagree on one point - the wires. There are asthetics, there are show grade installs and then there's unsafe. Having wires laying about like that is bad in that a) during hi-g cornering and accel (our cars dont do that right ) they slap back and forth stressing on the amps and speakers. B) groceries, small furry animals and other trunk flotsam can snag on those and pull them out damaging the install, and worst of all c) something can fray one and cause a short and a nice little trunk fire.
As far as tips... simplest thing you can do quickly is to go to home depot and buy yourself some 2" shop vac hose. Slice it lengthwise (sort of making a large diameter wire loom) and put everything inside that. attach the hose to your box and you're done. Down the road, a good box install will put the amp on top of the box (all respects again to dallas, but in a trunk acting as a giant box there are enough vibes present regardless of position on box or in compartment), the cables behind the box and between the seats - but mounted nicely in looms, and the subs either locked in the box with ports or shooting into the trunk - depending on driver like dallas said. it is important to find out what type of JL driver you have there. That should determine the box design and everything else.
Enjoy it and keep playing. That's how I learned my basics many moons ago.
P
) they slap back and forth stressing on the amps and speakers. B) groceries, small furry animals and other trunk flotsam can snag on those and pull them out damaging the install, and worst of all c) something can fray one and cause a short and a nice little trunk fire.As far as tips... simplest thing you can do quickly is to go to home depot and buy yourself some 2" shop vac hose. Slice it lengthwise (sort of making a large diameter wire loom) and put everything inside that. attach the hose to your box and you're done. Down the road, a good box install will put the amp on top of the box (all respects again to dallas, but in a trunk acting as a giant box there are enough vibes present regardless of position on box or in compartment), the cables behind the box and between the seats - but mounted nicely in looms, and the subs either locked in the box with ports or shooting into the trunk - depending on driver like dallas said. it is important to find out what type of JL driver you have there. That should determine the box design and everything else.
Enjoy it and keep playing. That's how I learned my basics many moons ago.
P
3/26/05, 08:16 AM
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Peet - making sure that the cables don't get stressed or snagged was what I meant when I said "Don't worry about the cables - just make sure they don't get tangled in something." You're absolutely right - improper/loose wiring isn't something to leave to chance when dealing with high current wiring.
I stand by my original statement on keeping the sub mounted separately. While it seems like EVERYTHING vibrates a lot when you have some major bass going on, the vibrations from the box itself are significantly more powerful and constant than any other surface on the box. In fact the "high" notes from a sub (that don't really vibrate everything else in the car) cause a lot of vibrations on the outside surface of the box, but not anywhere else. Generally speaking this problem will occur over longer periods of time, so it's not critical, but given the choice, it's always better to mount on something else.
I stand by my original statement on keeping the sub mounted separately. While it seems like EVERYTHING vibrates a lot when you have some major bass going on, the vibrations from the box itself are significantly more powerful and constant than any other surface on the box. In fact the "high" notes from a sub (that don't really vibrate everything else in the car) cause a lot of vibrations on the outside surface of the box, but not anywhere else. Generally speaking this problem will occur over longer periods of time, so it's not critical, but given the choice, it's always better to mount on something else.
3/28/05, 06:23 PM
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peet and dallas..... I have a question.
My plan was to face my dual 12" subs foward like these and keep the seats down most of the time. My only reason was because my friend has dual subs in his pickup truck that are in the extended cab facing the back of the driver and passenger seats and it REALLY hits hard. I thought that the subs facing back in the trunk would hit very hard and would be muffled, so I figured face em foward, and fold down the seats when I want seriuos bass. I was looking at dual 12" cerwin vega VMAX subs in a sealed box. Do you think I would be better off facing them back or fowards? and will they still have a lot of thump facing back?
I havent heard many systems, and this will be my first, so any help will be very much appreciated.
My plan was to face my dual 12" subs foward like these and keep the seats down most of the time. My only reason was because my friend has dual subs in his pickup truck that are in the extended cab facing the back of the driver and passenger seats and it REALLY hits hard. I thought that the subs facing back in the trunk would hit very hard and would be muffled, so I figured face em foward, and fold down the seats when I want seriuos bass. I was looking at dual 12" cerwin vega VMAX subs in a sealed box. Do you think I would be better off facing them back or fowards? and will they still have a lot of thump facing back?
I havent heard many systems, and this will be my first, so any help will be very much appreciated.
3/28/05, 07:07 PM
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You can't have your cake and eat it too.
Two 12's with the seats down will sound the best, but won't sound as good as facing them backwards with the seats up. It seems counter-intuitive to face them backwards, but it really makes a difference.
Putting the seats down will sound louder, but it won't be a tremendous difference from facing them backwards since those subs are pretty efficient. Facing them backwards might be your best bet for all-around listening.
Two 12's with the seats down will sound the best, but won't sound as good as facing them backwards with the seats up. It seems counter-intuitive to face them backwards, but it really makes a difference.
Putting the seats down will sound louder, but it won't be a tremendous difference from facing them backwards since those subs are pretty efficient. Facing them backwards might be your best bet for all-around listening.
3/28/05, 07:13 PM
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If you're looking for sheer sound volume, any way is fine; but if you favor sound quality over volume, face them backwards and leave them in the trunk.
Good comments on securing wiring! The install has to be heavy-duty on this pony! I think once my system is permanently placed I'll house my wiring in electrical conduit. Should do the trick and might even look decent.
Good comments on securing wiring! The install has to be heavy-duty on this pony! I think once my system is permanently placed I'll house my wiring in electrical conduit. Should do the trick and might even look decent.
3/28/05, 09:09 PM
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Originally posted by Eric@March 28, 2005, 7:16 PM
If you're looking for sheer sound volume, any way is fine; but if you favor sound quality over volume, face them backwards and leave them in the trunk.
If you're looking for sheer sound volume, any way is fine; but if you favor sound quality over volume, face them backwards and leave them in the trunk.