Re: how to build sound system?(LONG)

["Matthew Chase" <mattchase1@home.com>]

Scott, If your looking for quality sound, I will say that the quality, type,
and capability of speakers that you choose is the most important element.
I would suggest "separates" that is.. separate high mid and low frequency
drivers.
There are tons of different mid/high packages on the market i.e. 6.25" mid
drivers with separate 1" tweeters.
Which ones you buy is really a matter of which ones sound good to YOU. Every
human hears sound a little bit differently, so when choosing make sure they
sound good to YOU and not just some sales guy. However from a technical
perspective you will want a speaker that will accurately reproduce sound
throughout the range it is designed for (Lows, Mids or Highs).
I would also consider a mid driver around 6" (or even 5" if necessary) you
will find that you have more flexibility in placement and there will be an
insignificant difference (between 8") if you have a subwoofer that is
crossed-over properly.

Placement: I think everyone has finally accepted the fact that a car is a
really shitty place to try and get music to sound as it was intended
(recorded).
With that being said...you'll probably find that the lower door panel is
going to be about the only place you can mount your mid drivers. Highs are a
different story, you have some options, I.I. top of the door panels or
pillar mounts.
Placement of the highs is often more important than the mids, try to get
them as far apart and as high up as possible (not higher than your ears) But
also keep them relatively close to the mids.

Speaking of Subwoofers..you will be astounded at the low frequency punch
that a single 10" or dual 8" subs can produce.
There are two ways to approach subs "Open Air" or "Sealed Enclosure" there
are benefits and downfalls to each. The sealed is easier to tune and
produces tighter bass, but they require more power and take up more room.
while the open sub has a "smoother" (less boomy) sound, require less power
and you can get really creative when mounting them but they are harder to
get tuned properly.
Where the low freq.'s are crossed-over is critical in achieving a smooth
even transition from lows to highs and visa versa. You don't want any gaps
or too much overlap.

Power: Power is really important as well. You really need to properly match
your amp with the speakers it will be driving. for example: If you have a
set of separates that are rated at 10W min 40W nominal and 80W max, it would
be better to drive the speakers with a 200W amp than a 40W amp.As an amp
reaches its power limits the quality of the signal it is reproducing goes
down, exponentially.
As a general rule of thumb the smaller the speaker the less power it
requires to reach a specific decibel level. (Tweeters require little power
to drive while woofers require much more, (to obtain the same output
levels))
Generally the best setups are head units with "Pre Outs" or Pre-Amplified
Outputs. This allows you to snag the music program (signal) before it runs
through the head units (sometimes) cheesy little amp, and run it directly
into the amp of your choice. This feature on a head unit is good.
Some head units are Pre out only, which means they have no internal amp,
others are internal amp with no pre-outs, but now days most have both and
this is probably what you would want. Also make sure the HU has separate
Front and Rear pre-outs, this gives you a lot more flexibility.

Optionally: you can get a Parametric EQ. The Idea here is to Equalize the
audio levels at all frequencies at specific levels. Essentially you "tune"
the system to the acoustic characteristics of the inside of your car. It's a
"Set it and Forget it deal. This really helps out tremendously, It is
definitely not necessary but I highly recommend it. It can really bring all
of your newly installed equipment to life!

Other Q's  most HIGH end HU's have some type of AUX input but in general no.
and I have not seen a headphone jack on an average car stereo in a long
time. (certainly doesn't mean they aren't out there!!)
If you want CD and Tape most people buy a HU with a tape deck in it and add
a CD changer.
As far as MP3 support, There are a lot of cool toys around these days.. but
with the prices of PC based CD-R's and RW's where they are, It would
probably be cheaper to get one for your computer and burn your own audio
CD's from MP3's.

I had an 86 16V a few years back and installed the following system:
Alpine single CD HU (Pre-out Only)
Boston acoustics Pro series separates (6.25" / 1") front and rear.
Nakamichi 10" sub with level control. Free air.
ADC 6 channel amp 60W X 4) & (120W X 1) channel 5&6 bridged to mono for the
sub Xover @ 96Hz
AudioControl EQX parametric EQ

This was really a simple setup and it sounded excellent. It was also fairly
stealth.

If you have any other questions or need help with an install I would be
happy to help

Just send me an e-mail with your phone number and I will give you a call.




----- Original Message -----
From: "Scott F. Williams" <sfwilliams@home.com>
To: <scirocco-l@scirocco.org>
Sent: Saturday, May 19, 2001 1:53 PM
Subject: OT: how to build sound system?


> Folks, Until now I haven't given much thought to car audio. However, I've
> finally said "enough is
> enough; I want some sound!" :^) Especially if I make it out to Duan's, I
> want to cruise with some tunes. Anyway, I'm hoping that the audiophiles
can
> help me with this.
>
> The goal is a full system that offers tight bass, is relatively *compact
and
> light*, and will comfortably fit  within a $1k budget. When I say "full",
I
> mean a balanced system with a decent sound stage. I have no interest in
> rocking the whole  neighborhood with boomy bass. Sound clarity and decent
> interior volume is all I want.
>
> I'm thinking that I might want: cd-player, 8" drivers in a full-range
ported
> enclosure, a modest subwoofer(?), etc.
>
> And here are some specific concerns:
> a) are head units available with a jack output for headphones or input for
> adding other devices like casette decks, etc?
>
> b) MP3 support?
>
> c) where do you place the front speakers (mid-range or otherwise) and how
> about tweeters? Or, do I even need to get this elaborate? Thanks, guys!
> --
> Scott F. Williams
> NJ Scirocco nut
> SCCA ProRally driver
> Hotrod Rabbit GTi
>
> Check out our rally team's website!
> http://www.usrallyteam.com
>
>
> --
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>


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