Anyone into car audio?

[Roscoe]

And Eric w/ Audio Sound in Bedford is the all knowing when it comes to car audio.

2nd this sentiment.... I won't let anyone else sell (or install) anything again.

[ram57ta]

I originally set out to build a fairly complex system into my 98 GMC Sierra but after adding a new Alpine head unit and a single JL Stealthbox 10 under the back seat I decided the system sounded "adequate". Last fall when I sold my Trans Am I transplanted my Boston Acoustics Pro 6.5 components into the factory speaker openings in the doors and left them hooked up to the Alpine head unit for mid/treble. Its not gonna win any awards but its simple and sounds leaps and bounds better than the stock system. Amplifier is a used Linear Power 952iq bridged mono I picked up at a pawn shop for 20 bucks along with an Audiocontrol 2xs crossover (only for the sub).


I believe in hiding equipment so it doesn't attract attention for thieves...so my stereo installs generally aren't flashy..My GN has old school MB Quart Q series 5.25 components up front and temporarily have Pioneer 3 way 200 watt 6x9's in the rear deck...both sets have their own Alpine 30x2 amplifier with built in crossovers...the fronts only get high freq, while the rears get full range. I have an EQL series 2 and a 2xs planned for the Buick once I find someone who can build me a good looking enclosure for the 2 Rockford Power series 10's that I want to install in the upper portion of the trunk..along with a Linear Power 5002iq bridged.


Only have a few pics of the system I had in the Trans Am:

EQL...what you dont see is the 2xs piggybacked on the back of it.

Linear Power 2202IQ..theres an Epicenter hidden from view in there also.

20 dollar used Alpine 3540 for the front speakers..there was another mounted on the other side of the car for the rear speakers.

[LaserSVT]

I always like 8 inch subs, tighter harder hitting bass, instead of booming ghetto bass. But that's just me.

Everything you just said makes no sense. An 8" cone is simply a woofer and can only properly play to 50HZ. Yes some can hit lower but are not musical. There is a lot of musical information below 50hz. Even below 20hz and while we can not hear it the fact that it is there adds to the musical experience.
Tight bass, sloppy bass or ghetto base is all a function of the box and the tuning. That's why any good sub comes with all the Thiele/Small parameters so you can design a box with the optimum Q for your sound desires.
Weather you want the deep and accurate bass of a sealed enclosure, the punch of a tuned ported box or go with something fancy like a 7th order bandpass that pounds like crazy but only from 33-110hz.
Size has nothing to do with. The smoothest and most natural sound I have heard from any speaker ever was a 15 Infinity Beta. Of course it was being driven by a $3000 McIntosh amp and a $5000 Pioneer ODR deck but still, it was amazing.

[91CoupeMike]

Everything you just said makes no sense. An 8" cone is simply a woofer and can only properly play to 50HZ. Yes some can hit lower but are not musical. There is a lot of musical information below 50hz. Even below 20hz and while we can not hear it the fact that it is there adds to the musical experience.
Tight bass, sloppy bass or ghetto base is all a function of the box and the tuning. That's why any good sub comes with all the Thiele/Small parameters so you can design a box with the optimum Q for your sound desires.
Weather you want the deep and accurate bass of a sealed enclosure, the punch of a tuned ported box or go with something fancy like a 7th order bandpass that pounds like crazy but only from 33-110hz.
Size has nothing to do with. The smoothest and most natural sound I have heard from any speaker ever was a 15 Infinity Beta. Of course it was being driven by a $3000 McIntosh amp and a $5000 Pioneer ODR deck but still, it was amazing.

wha? The only way a sealed box is going to get deep is with some type of passive radiator.. Ported boxes will get you the sub sonic deep bass. Sealed are generally more tighter and have punchy bass compared to the deep loud bass from a ported box. If you have an 8inch driver with alot of xmax you could easily get it below 50hz, and even lower depending on if you wanted a ported box, however it wont be loud.

[line-em-up]

wha? The only way a sealed box is going to get deep is with some type of passive radiator.. Ported boxes will get you the sub sonic deep bass. Sealed are generally more tighter and have punchy bass compared to the deep loud bass from a ported box. If you have an 8inch driver with alot of xmax you could easily get it below 50hz, and even lower depending on if you wanted a ported box, however it wont be loud.

The rolloff on a sealed box generally isn't as steep as a ported one. So, really, a sealed box will go as low or lower. They both need to be the correct size for the woofer to get the best performance. A speaker needs a larger box for a ported application than it does for a sealed. Most of the ported boxes I've heard were boomy and loud. My home speakers are sealed, but are rated down to 18HZ.

[BP]

If you have an 8inch driver with alot of xmax you could easily get it below 50hz, and even lower depending on if you wanted a ported box, however it wont be loud.

It could be given enough voice coil cooling, cone excursion and power driving it. Obviously it won't be as loud as a 10 or 12" woofer given the same criteria but a single 8" woofer can play very loud under the right conditions. Several people have hit 140+ db with a single 8" woofer in competition.

Woofers are like engines. You can build a 400hp 2.0L engine that makes a crap load of power at 8500 rpm and with the right gearing and stall converter it'll haul ass but it's not exactly optimal for every condition. Or you can build a 400hp 5.0L that's obviously bigger but will last longer and be more efficient and perform better under almost every circumstance.

Ports don't make speakers play lower frequencies, they just increase the output in the range they are tuned. Double the power on a sealed enclosure in the same range and it'll play just as loudly. Obviously assuming it's within the performance limits of the speaker. However the sealed woofer will play down to whatever it's designed for where the ported woofer will destroy itself if you try and play below the port tuning and when you are above it the frequency response roll off is very dramatic.

[LaserSVT]

wha? The only way a sealed box is going to get deep is with some type of passive radiator.. Ported boxes will get you the sub sonic deep bass. Sealed are generally more tighter and have punchy bass compared to the deep loud bass from a ported box. If you have an 8inch driver with alot of xmax you could easily get it below 50hz, and even lower depending on if you wanted a ported box, however it wont be loud.

So, so, so, so.... just so many wrongs. First a passive radiators job is to allow for a smaller box.
Ported boxed (by design) generally don't get to subsonic frequencies. The reason why is a subsonic frequency is one that humans cant hear so is generally below 20hz. A ported box (on average but depends on many factors) is usually tuned from 32-47 hz. That is the frequency at which it is the strongest. Every frequency below that falls off at 6db per octave OR MORE depending on the driver.
XMAX, weather you are talking peak to peak or one way is a function of the amount of output any given driver can make, not the frequency in which it hits. That is all due to the voce coil, motor structure and cone design.
I have an 8" sub in my closet that has a 24mm xmax, handles 500 rms and has an efficiency of 87da and I have a 12" that has an 18mm xmax, handles 350rms and has an efficiency of 91db. Guess which one can still be heard at 30hz? Guess which one is louder?

Just as a side note the current record holder for a single sub is 180.5db and its a single 18" in a bandpass box. It does not sound good and it does not play low but at 45 hz it can kill you.


Here is a good discussion on the differences:

http://www.ecoustics.com/electronics/forum/car-audio/8374.html

This little article will dive more into ported vs sealed.

http://community.futureshop.ca/t5/Tech-Blog/The-Great-Debate-Sealed-vs-Ported-Subwoofer-Enclosures/ba-p/351941

[EW]

infrasonic

[Baron Von Crowder]

I like music

[Chili]

This has gotten WAY over my head.

[line-em-up]

Lots of good tidbits of info here.

[GeorgeG.]

This has gotten WAY over my head.

waaaayyyyyyyyy over.....

[BP]

waaaayyyyyyyyy over.....

That's why guys like EW do what they do. You don't need to understand how or why things work. Just tell them what you want, how much you can spend and let the pros figure out the rest. Or head to a big box retailer, buy what the pimple nosed kid recommends and pay someone like EW to fix it later.

[LaserSVT]

Well hell, my speakers still have not shown up and I just discovered 10 square feet of sound deadening material is not enough for two doors so I just ordered an extra 25 square feet. I am gonna deaden the crap out of my doors. LOL

[Roscoe]

So, so, so, so.... just so many wrongs. First a passive radiators job is to allow for a smaller box.
Ported boxed (by design) generally don't get to subsonic frequencies. The reason why is a subsonic frequency is one that humans cant hear so is generally below 20hz. A ported box (on average but depends on many factors) is usually tuned from 32-47 hz. That is the frequency at which it is the strongest. Every frequency below that falls off at 6db per octave OR MORE depending on the driver.
XMAX, weather you are talking peak to peak or one way is a function of the amount of output any given driver can make, not the frequency in which it hits. That is all due to the voce coil, motor structure and cone design.
I have an 8" sub in my closet that has a 24mm xmax, handles 500 rms and has an efficiency of 87da and I have a 12" that has an 18mm xmax, handles 350rms and has an efficiency of 91db. Guess which one can still be heard at 30hz? Guess which one is louder?

Just as a side note the current record holder for a single sub is 180.5db and its a single 18" in a bandpass box. It does not sound good and it does not play low but at 45 hz it can kill you.


Here is a good discussion on the differences:

http://www.ecoustics.com/electronics/forum/car-audio/8374.html

This little article will dive more into ported vs sealed.
http://community.futureshop.ca/t5/Te...es/ba-p/351941

For someone who budgeted $350 for a stereo system, you sure seemed to have picked up a lot of information in a very short time from the ol' google...

Someone who has "installed several thousand" systems should know that $350 will buy you one decent set of mids/highs...