car sound system

[Fish Man]

im no expert on this kind of stuff but the past few days ive been thinking about getting some sort of sound system for my car. i dont know a whole lot about this kind of stuff but i dont think id need a whole lot of bass or whatever because i dont listen to much rap. does anyone who knows more about this stuff than i do have an idea as to what id want to look for...thanks

[Bassboy15]

Hit up LBH, he knows a lot about this stuff.

[fourbizz]

for the kind of music we like a fast clean hitting 10" sub in a sealed box is perfect imo.

i run memphis components in the stock locations in my truck.

[tipptruck1]

I run only jl and will intill they go belly up. I know they cost a little more but you get what you pay for. jl is not the loudest but the best sounding. I have a 12w3 siting in my car right now. it sounds nice just needs a little more power. I use to have two 15in jls before they sounded great. I loved to play slayer on them. I would also check out Boston Acoustics.

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

for the kind of music we like a fast clean hitting 10" sub in a sealed box is perfect imo.

i run memphis components in the stock locations in my truck.

Good advice there. To add more body to your music, add a single 10" sub in a sealed enclosure. These can be made to fit just about anywhere these days. There are also a few companies that have pre-made boxes to "fit" certain vehicles already.

Doesn't take much to add alot to your system, a few hundred watts (you'll need an amp to run the sub) and a single 10" will do it.

The basic, most common way about this is as folllows

-First upgrade the headunit (the stereo in the dash) to one with separate RCA outputs in the back for "front, rear and sub".

-Next upgrade would be to add the sub and amp to that.

-Last upgrade is to replace the original stock speakers in the doors.

By now you'll be addicted to improving your sound and can build from there,lol

Don't stress on brands right now, in these levels, they all make a solid product.  

Good luck, fire away if you have questions

[frogtog]

I need help also!!! and I have new speakers I can sell. Having issues with my suburban. I have what I assume is voltage going to my speakers while the car is off. This killing my battery. I have spent in excess of $1000 on my radio and still don't have no music. I have a amp ordered  as of now ( $687.00 ) to see if this is it. any help?

Didn't mean to jump your thread, just being disgusted.

[Dean]

One of my buddies has dual 12" Pioneer Subs enclosed in a sealed box and a kicker amp, the subs throw out like 1500 watts, each. Whenever we ride in his car, if you turn the volume up to loud the trunk literally is vibrating from the intense pounds haha.

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

I need help also!!! and I have new speakers I can sell. Having issues with my suburban. I have what I assume is voltage going to my speakers while the car is off. This killing my battery. I have spent in excess of $1000 on my radio and still don't have no music. I have a amp ordered as of now ( $687.00 ) to see if this is it. any help?

Didn't mean to jump your thread, just being disgusted.

You need to pull the deck out and rewire it again. You have the orange and red wires crossed (Might be a yellow one instead of red). This gives you constant power "on" as opposed to a triggered power such as "accessory on"

Download the schematic for your trucks stock system and make sure everything matches up. I HIGHLY recommend a wire harness adapter for your exact vehicle. Takes all the guess work out and it very easy to install, just pay attention when u do.

One more thing Frog,...what the heck did you buy for $700??  There may be more there than you need but we can play with that, what is it? (brand/model)

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

One of my buddies has dual 12" Pioneer Subs enclosed in a sealed box and a kicker amp, the subs throw out like 1500 watts, each. Whenever we ride in his car, if you turn the volume up to loud the trunk literally is vibrating from the intense pounds haha.

Tell him to invest in some sound dampening for the trunk (Dynamat, brownbread, B-Quiet,etc),...no one wants to hear that pounding rattle. Don't forget to do the back of the plate especially.

You would be surprised what a single 12 with the right install is capable of, let alone 2. They can break glass, plastic, make you puke, etc. Doesn't mean it sounds good though. My specialty is "sound quality" an actual class in competition. If you're looking to build Db's, I know the basics but I'm not your guy.  If you want it to sound like you're there,...that's me

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

im no expert on this kind of stuff but the past few days ive been thinking about getting some sort of sound system for my car. i dont know a whole lot about this kind of stuff but i dont think id need a whole lot of bass or whatever because i dont listen to much rap. does anyone who knows more about this stuff than i do have an idea as to what id want to look for...thanks

bass has NOTHING to do with rap,....all music has bass. (Well,...Yanni might not, but I'll never know,lol)

It's when you isolate those frequencies and elevate them above all the others (as many young kids do when they want to "thump" their rap) that it sounds like that. Makes me laugh.

A good system addresses all the frequencies and their balance. All music has highs,mids,lows and sub lows.

[ArcticCat500]

One of my buddies has dual 12" Pioneer Subs enclosed in a sealed box and a kicker amp, the subs throw out like 1500 watts, each. Whenever we ride in his car, if you turn the volume up to loud the trunk literally is vibrating from the intense pounds haha.

Tell him to invest in some sound dampening for the trunk (Dynamat, brownbread, B-Quiet,etc),...no one wants to hear that pounding rattle. Don't forget to do the back of the plate especially.

You would be surprised what a single 12 with the right install is capable of, let alone 2. They can break glass, plastic, make you puke, etc. Doesn't mean it sounds good though. My specialty is "sound quality" an actual class in competition. If you're looking to build Db's, I know the basics but I'm not your guy. If you want it to sound like you're there,...that's me

I lol'd at puke, it must be my age but theres a young guy at work that has some big money tied into the system in his Ford Ranger, and when he drives by me in the lot, I can feel the bass through out my entire body, and yes it makes me feel like Im going to puke.

Im at the age now where I like my music crystal clear,crisp, and clean. www.aperionaudio.com

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

One of my buddies has dual 12" Pioneer Subs enclosed in a sealed box and a kicker amp, the subs throw out like 1500 watts, each. Whenever we ride in his car, if you turn the volume up to loud the trunk literally is vibrating from the intense pounds haha.

Tell him to invest in some sound dampening for the trunk (Dynamat, brownbread, B-Quiet,etc),...no one wants to hear that pounding rattle. Don't forget to do the back of the plate especially.

You would be surprised what a single 12 with the right install is capable of, let alone 2. They can break glass, plastic, make you puke, etc. Doesn't mean it sounds good though. My specialty is "sound quality" an actual class in competition. If you're looking to build Db's, I know the basics but I'm not your guy. If you want it to sound like you're there,...that's me

I lol'd at puke, it must be my age but theres a young guy at work that has some big money tied into the system in his Ford Ranger, and when he drives by me in the lot, I can feel the bass through out my entire body, and yes it makes me feel like Im going to puke.

Im at the age now where I like my music crystal clear,crisp, and clean. www.aperionaudio.com

Aperion's are beautiful. There is a whole different level in car audio that speaks to the audiophile like Aperion does to the home owner but it's extremely costly. Again, install is everything. Brands like Focal, Rainbow, Brax,ARC audio, etc, are only as good as their installation.

Most would not tell the difference between many of these ultra high end products and the regular high end stuff from companies like JL,Pioneer, Alpine, etc

As for throwing up,...it's very easy. You need to build a box with a specific sweetspot. I forget the exact freq. You don't even need it loud. This is something the military has played with also but it's not easy to build a wave in the wide open as opposed to inundated a small chamber with it (like a car)

there are other frequencies for "other" things also,lol. Things only adults should know so we'll move on... :-?

[1inStripes]

I need help also!!! and I have new speakers I can sell. Having issues with my suburban. I have what I assume is voltage going to my speakers while the car is off. This killing my battery. I have spent in excess of $1000 on my radio and still don't have no music. I have a amp ordered as of now ( $687.00 ) to see if this is it. any help?

Didn't mean to jump your thread, just being disgusted.

LBH is probably right that you have a wire crossed, if the problem is happening while you have your vehicle off, but just to make sure, you are not having problems with the lights dimming as you are driving are you?    If so, you may need a capacitor.

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

I need help also!!! and I have new speakers I can sell. Having issues with my suburban. I have what I assume is voltage going to my speakers while the car is off. This killing my battery. I have spent in excess of $1000 on my radio and still don't have no music. I have a amp ordered as of now ( $687.00 ) to see if this is it. any help?

Didn't mean to jump your thread, just being disgusted.

LBH is probably right that you have a wire crossed, if the problem is happening while you have your vehicle off, but just to make sure, you are not having problems with the lights dimming as you are driving are you? If so, you may need a capacitor.

Protocol for dimming lights would be to first upgrade the "big 3"

if you still have dimming, add a cap.

Gen rule for caps- 1/2 or (.5) farad per 500 watts MINIMUM. More is better here.

ex: I have a 7200 watt system (if I push everything in the car which I don't), I run a 10 farad block

[frogtog]

I will reply with my story tomorrow, It didn't happen all at once.

[cart7t]

30 years ago I took a break from TV repair and installed car stereo's for 1 1/2 years for a company called CMC stereo.

Back then, I was still installing some 8 track stereos though most everyone wanted cassettes.   ;D

Alpine was the newest player in the market.  Good stuff.

The best amp was a Fosgate (pre-Rockwell) punch.  40 watts per channel (measured real 40 watts, not the hokey way they measure wattage today) with distortion as good as quite a few of the home stereo's on the sales floor.

3 way 6x9's were the way to go.  

The best system I ever installed had Pioneer 3 way 6x9's in the back deck, 6 1/2" Pioneer 3 ways in the door.  An Alpine indash with a Fosgate Punch 240 amp.

You could hook this same system up today and it would still sound incredible sans getting rid of the cassette and having a CD player of course.  

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

Cart, This should bring you back,...my first "real" deck.

Tap into a pair of Jensen 6x9's and you're rolllin' large,lol

Back then, modifying house speakers was the big thing. Funny.

Cart, you would REALLY enjoy sitting in one of todays top end sound quality show cars.  It would blow your mind to hear how far sound has come in the digital age.  I know where you are coming from, speaker technology hasn't changed much and power will always be power, but the difference these days is signal strength (new amps can be fed up to 17 volts!!) and signal processing. (THX, Dolby 5.1,6.1, etc)