Ask Fryguy: Stereo systems (home, car, theater)

[Fryguy]

[ QUOTE ]
Does anyone use anything other than Termlab meters anymore?

[/ QUOTE ]

audiocontrol meters are still used, especially in local competitions where people running them can't afford the termlab sensor. The sensor is the de facto meter nowdays. I never got into competition at all though; it's also been strictly about musical enjoyment for me.

[Fryguy]

[ QUOTE ]
Fryguy, I own a 2001 f150 supercrew. I am thinking of installing a soundsystem for this truck with a cost of under $1,200. Any suggestions on brands for everything from head units, subs, components, to crossovers? Also, what do you think would be the perfect set up for this truck?

[/ QUOTE ]

1200, I'll try here.

First of all, set aside $200 for wiring and enclosure.

Head unit, I recommend getting nothing but pioneer or alpine . IMO it's not even worth looking at other brands, ever. Generally alpine if you are spending 300 or more, pioneer if less than that. There are exceptions to this rule obviously.

Speakers/subs/amp is quite a large array to choose from. One of the "standard" budget subwoofers that gets a lot of good press is the alpine type-r. If you shop around for boutique brands, people like ascendant have offerings as well. It's hard to go wrong with a pair of type-rs from ebay though. Figure about 225 shipped for a pair of 12s (gets 12s if you can fit them), and figure another $225-250 for a nice but not over the top head unit.

This leaves you for $500 for amp and front speakers. In all cars, ESPECIALLY trucks, you only really need/want front speakers. I don't know who's got best budget amp stuff nowadays. The truth it is doesn't really matter, as long as what you get has the power you want and isn't complete crap. Maybe check out the new precision power stuff (bought by DEI). Speakers is a big toss-up, and really depends on the kind of sound you like. Maybe try JL XRs. Get components if you have a suitable place to put the tweeter. If not just get nice coaxials, like JL xr, or some models of focal.

[Shillx]

Thanks for the quick reply. I was going to get a SI 15" this weekend and wanted to make sure it was what they said it would be.

For home audio, buy MK's if you can find them! [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

[Fryguy]

[ QUOTE ]
Thanks for the quick reply. I was going to get a SI 15" this weekend and wanted to make sure it was what they made it out to be.

For home audio, buy MK's if you can find them! [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

The SI really is nice, but I've become very accustomed to the sound of XBL^2 motors since I've owned my Brahma, hence why I recommended mostly XBL^2 enabled motors (the ascendant stuff, the Resonant Engineering XXX).

[Wynton]

Easy question for you.

I want to hook up my IPOD to my car stereo, which happens to have a non-functioning cassette player (removing one easy option). I don't like the sound of the gadget for tranmisitting through the radio, and would like to connect the IPOD directly.

The stereo came with my Toyota Sienna. I see no jacks in the front or near the glove compartment. Is there a way of hooking up a direct connection with the installed stereo, or do I need to buy a new one?

[z28dreams]

Fryguy,

I have some experience in car audio, but haven't followed it for a long time and could use some suggestions. Overall, I want really good bang-for-the-buck without spending too much .

Situation: 98 grand prix. (5.25" fronts, 6x9 rears)

What I have: Autotek SS 400.4 amp (65x4 @ 4ohms), and some wiring.

What I want:
FRONT SPEAKERS - Having to settle for 5.25 instead of 6.5 sucks ass, but I'm not about to go cutting up my car. Preferred budget: around $200 - most flexible here. I'd like to use CDT's, but they tend to have really deep & wide baskets that don't fit in doors too easily. Other suggestions?

HEAD UNIT - Looking for anything that's super-clean, but would also prefer an easy interface. Must play mp3's. Should have at least 2 rca outputs... maybe a third.. I can't decide. Currently looking at some lower end alpines. Budget: 200ish

SUBS: I don't want a lot here..just a little reinforcement bass. I'm thinking either Image Dynamics IDQ 10" or Adire Brahma 10". Do you recommend a sealed or ported box? I want a tight-clean sound.

Also, can I use my current 4 channel amp to run just the front speakers and bridge 2 of the channels to power the sub? ( I realize that it will still be limited...hence my thought to use a 10" rather than a 12")

[Nomad84]

[ QUOTE ]
As for subwoofer recommendations, take a look at HSU and SVS. Or have me give you the plans for the thing I built [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

http://webpages.charter.net/fryguy/

[/ QUOTE ]



So....are you running an 18" sub and a 13" TV? [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

Seriously, though, who makes that sub? Approx. cost and RMS power rating?

I can't wait to get my own house so I can set up a HT room...

[Nomad84]

[ QUOTE ]
Oh, the porting question:

In general, porting screws up frequency response in cars (it interacts with a cars natural gain function in a very negative way, giving a BIG peak somewhere). With 1500 watts you have PLENTY of power for a brahma, so I highly recommend sealing it. If you are ported now, and you like it, great keep it. If you are looking for a little bit better upper bass response, or you feel that the response is a bit too sloppy, then going sealed is the correct choice. I always default to sealed in designs nowadays, and then port if necessary. Sealed has the best physical properties for sound reproduction in general.

[/ QUOTE ]

I disagree with this. For a HT setup, there's probably more of an argument for sealed. For car SQ guys, I'm not sure what is standard. Me? I'm just a guy with a loud street beater that doesn't sound like crap. It isn't perfect, but it sounds better than most sealed setups I've heard. I think ported is definitely worth trying out if you're just looking for more dBs without spending a lot of money. Just be sure to tune low (like 30-32 hz). If you don't like it, change back. Wood is cheap. For a single Brahma 15, you can build a nice box from one or two sheets of MDF, so glue, and some screws. Total cost should be below $60 even if it takes two sheets of wood. Just try it out and see what you think [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

BTW, nice choice on the Brahma. I've yet to hear one, but I've heard great things about them.

[Nomad84]

[ QUOTE ]
Also might want to check out resonant engineering (www.respl.com i think), the XXX is amazing.

[/ QUOTE ]

I've just got HCs, so I can't partake in the XBL^2 goodness, but I can confirm that RE makes some quality subs. I have 6 of them [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] I also run their components, but I don't really have much to compare them to. They sound good to me though.

[ QUOTE ]
Also ascendant audio (the sub I have in the link I posted above is ascendant).

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm guessing you mean the sub you built for your HT? I've been out of the loop on audio stuff for a while, and I've never heard of this company. Just looked them up. Are they like RE, etc., with their pricing? In other words, are the prices listed on their website the actual selling price or an inflated "retail" price that has no meaning if there isn't a dealer nearby? I may have to break out winISD for the first time in over a year and play around a little bit...

Edit: You mentioned that Ascendant uses XBL^2 motors, but I don't see it on their website. Which lines use it? Or has it become so commonplace now that all of their drivers use it? I remember a while back it was a big deal when RE was working on XBL^2 mids, and as far as I knew, Brahmas and XXXs were the only XBL^2 drivers.

[Fryguy]

Wynton:

Stock CD player with no front connection = you are using either fm transmitter or the cassette thingie. You're best option is to purchase a new head unit for your car. Most brands nowadays interface quite well with ipods; I recommend alpine units, or pioneer.

z28:
I'm not about to give exact model suggestions since I haven't been involved in car audio directly. However, for $200 fronts, check out JL XR, focals lower lines (access, polyglass), CDT classics are fine. Worst case is you have to do a small amount of fabbing to make it fit, which even then I doubt. I really suggest you go and listen to speakers. Just because I like the way focals sound doesn't mean you will.

Head unit: Go with pioneer or alpine, nothing else. Get the highest model you can afford that has the features you want.

Subs: Definetely get a 12. You are backwards in your thinking. A 12 is going to give you more output per watt than a 10. As for specific recommendations, I mentioned alpine type-rs above, the IDs you mention are quite good as well. "A little reinforcement" HIGHLY suggests to me that you should be getting a sealed enclosure. A single sealed 12, whether it be an alpine type-r or an ID, should make you very happy.

And yes, you can run the amp like you describe. I did this for a temporary setup I had in between stolen systems, it's quite effective.


Nomad, that TV is just a cable TV, there's nothing connected to it. The audio equipment is connected to my computer at this time (I still live at home so I don't have a place to set up a real theater, so I've been getting pieces one at a time, building up and getting ready to move out). The subwoofer is an Ascendant Audio Avalanche 18" in a 25x25x25 sealed enclosure, flush mounted with frame bracing, stuffed with 3 pounds of polyfill. The enclosure was designed by me, and built by Phil Salisbury (www.woodlawncabinetry.com). It is 3/4" MDF (1.5" front baffle), finished in oak veneer, stained with a black pigment, and then sprayed with a couple of coats of semi-gloss lacquer.

The subwoofer driver is no longer available (they have other models, however I am not very familiar with them). I got my driver for $275, the amplifier is a 1400 watt behringer that I paid $250 for, and the enclosure was quite expensive (custom finish and all). From listening experience, it performs on par with most $3000 subwoofers I've auditioned.


and Nomad's further posts. Yes ascendant is like RE. And most cars transfer functions start around 60-80hz, 12db/octave. Most sealed systems have an f3 of 60-80hz, 12db/octave. Kind of convenient that the slopes line up almost exactly. If you want a highly inflated low-end street beater system that is loud (like I had for many of mine), then yes ported is a wonderful setup.

Ported is much more important in homes for 2 primary reasons:

1. Movies have MUCH more content in the first octave than music does.
2. HT rooms are much bigger than car environments, so their transfer functions start much lower, 40-50hz maybe. This leads to a much smaller low-end boost. This can be helped with corner loading, etc, but it is still an issue. The reason my subwoofer is sealed and not ported is because the design I pursued has an anechoic f3 of 32hz, which matches up quite well with most rooms, and is way overpowered anyway, so worst case when the system gets completely set up is I just EQ down other parts. And my sub is primarily for music, not movies, so I wanted the better group delay and better transition into the 2nd octave.

And ascendant no longer licenses the xbl^2 technology from adire. My avalanche has it, but there were some "issues" between the companies, and they began licensing another technology that is supposed to be very similar. I have no listening experience with it, and to be honest haven't kept up much with the company after my purchase. XBL^2 isn't the only flat-BL technology out there. Orion uses a dual-gap technology in the H2, JL in the w7, and the technology ascendant uses is a modified version of XBL^2 that I THINK was developed by TC sounds. I'm not sure about this last statement.