I'm still not happy with my system..looking for suggestions.
12-11-2007, 08:04 PM
#1
I'm still not happy with my system..looking for suggestions.
After a year and around 1500$ spent in total, I'm still not satisfied with the sound I'm getting. Right now I'm listening to a few songs I usually listen to in my car with my Logitech 5.1 system. The midbass, hi's and lows (especially the lows) sound great.
In my car, the lows dont play like I'd like them too. I dont know how to explain it, it dosnt play the notes as tight as I'd like them too, instead of being able to distinguish the difference between every note, you can only pick out a few. Am I right to say that this is the result of having a ported box? How do my subwoofers contribute to midbass compared to my front components?
How does tweeter placement affect sound? Right now Ive got my tweeters mounted in my door panels, right above the door handle, would it sound better if I were to put them in the stock spot? I'm also looking for new SQ components right now, its time to upgrade from the 100$ special I got from the flea market. What do you guys recommend for around 300$? Would I have to upgrade my JBL cs60.4 to something a bit beefier if I were to get better components?
I know i'm asking a lot, so If you have got this far I'd like to thank you for reading.
In my car, the lows dont play like I'd like them too. I dont know how to explain it, it dosnt play the notes as tight as I'd like them too, instead of being able to distinguish the difference between every note, you can only pick out a few. Am I right to say that this is the result of having a ported box? How do my subwoofers contribute to midbass compared to my front components?
How does tweeter placement affect sound? Right now Ive got my tweeters mounted in my door panels, right above the door handle, would it sound better if I were to put them in the stock spot? I'm also looking for new SQ components right now, its time to upgrade from the 100$ special I got from the flea market. What do you guys recommend for around 300$? Would I have to upgrade my JBL cs60.4 to something a bit beefier if I were to get better components?
I know i'm asking a lot, so If you have got this far I'd like to thank you for reading.
12-11-2007, 09:26 PM
#2
0 Watt CAFz'r
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 42
Ported box will allow your woofer to drop lower, but if you don't have the power to drive it, you will either burn the voice coil or it just won't do anything.
A sealed box on the other hand, will give you a more solid bass tone, an almost "punch" like sound. But the woofer will not be able to reproduce low tones (<25hz). If you want to have the painful, ear bleeding, car vibrating bass, you should have a sealed box.
Wave Relationship
Velocity = Wavelength x Frequency
(Velocity of sound at sea level = 340.29 m / s)
High frequency sounds travel short distances because of the reduced wavelength. Therefore tweeters should always be placed in a straight line from your ears (ideal scenario, not easily done in a car)
Low frequencies have really long wavelengths eg,(using the above equation) a bass tone of 35Hz will result in a wavelength of 10meters. You will not hear the full "dynamic" of a 10 meter sound wave in a car cabin of only 4meters.
In your house, the volume of air available is much larger. This gives your ears a chance to hear the larger wavelengths.
The point i'm trying to make is Car Audio is never as good as Home Audio, when it comes to low tones because car cabins are too small to contain a full "low" bass tone.
A sealed box on the other hand, will give you a more solid bass tone, an almost "punch" like sound. But the woofer will not be able to reproduce low tones (<25hz). If you want to have the painful, ear bleeding, car vibrating bass, you should have a sealed box.
Wave Relationship
Velocity = Wavelength x Frequency
(Velocity of sound at sea level = 340.29 m / s)
High frequency sounds travel short distances because of the reduced wavelength. Therefore tweeters should always be placed in a straight line from your ears (ideal scenario, not easily done in a car)
Low frequencies have really long wavelengths eg,(using the above equation) a bass tone of 35Hz will result in a wavelength of 10meters. You will not hear the full "dynamic" of a 10 meter sound wave in a car cabin of only 4meters.
In your house, the volume of air available is much larger. This gives your ears a chance to hear the larger wavelengths.
The point i'm trying to make is Car Audio is never as good as Home Audio, when it comes to low tones because car cabins are too small to contain a full "low" bass tone.
Last edited by cruiseoveride; 12-11-2007 at 09:29 PM.
12-11-2007, 09:28 PM
#3
Tell us more about the install, do you have your doors deadened? how are the mids mounted? where is the stock location for the tweets and why did you put them where they are now?
what is your sub crossed over at?
theres a bunch that can be tried before you need to spend any money on new equipment.
The sub should be playing such a small spectrum of sound that it shouldn't be blamed for any poor sounding system. it's the least important of them all as far as I'm concerned.
You asked how much the sub has to do with midbass, very very little to none.
I think if you concentrate your time, effort and money into your doors, install and tuning you'll be much happier than doing anything to your sub.
after you answer on how your doors are treated, next question is going to be can you fit anything bigger than a 5.25 in there?
what is your sub crossed over at?
theres a bunch that can be tried before you need to spend any money on new equipment.
The sub should be playing such a small spectrum of sound that it shouldn't be blamed for any poor sounding system. it's the least important of them all as far as I'm concerned.
You asked how much the sub has to do with midbass, very very little to none.
I think if you concentrate your time, effort and money into your doors, install and tuning you'll be much happier than doing anything to your sub.
after you answer on how your doors are treated, next question is going to be can you fit anything bigger than a 5.25 in there?
12-11-2007, 10:48 PM
#5
what sub, how much power, and what is the volume and tunning of the box ? (or is it a prefab ported box; or something some shop built ? )
If your sub box has some whacked out alignment your response and group delay curves may be totally f'd up...
If your sub box has some whacked out alignment your response and group delay curves may be totally f'd up...
12-12-2007, 11:21 AM
#6
0 Watt CAFz'r
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 39
Good quality front components would make a big improvement. Also, if you haven't already, have them crossed over so the frequencies going to the sub aren't also going to the fronts. I'm about to install dynamat on my front doors to deaden them. How carried away do you want to get?
Traditional tweeter placement for best staging is closer to the speaker it's mated with rather than farther. Others have said to experiment with your tweeters by taping them in various locations and listening for what sounds best. Each car is different.
I concur with the sealed box for punchy bass theory. The above comment on 25 hz being as low as a sealed box can go may not be a bad thing. 25 is pretty low, it depends on what you listen to.
Traditional tweeter placement for best staging is closer to the speaker it's mated with rather than farther. Others have said to experiment with your tweeters by taping them in various locations and listening for what sounds best. Each car is different.
I concur with the sealed box for punchy bass theory. The above comment on 25 hz being as low as a sealed box can go may not be a bad thing. 25 is pretty low, it depends on what you listen to.
Last edited by sharkman; 12-12-2007 at 11:25 AM.
12-13-2007, 05:45 AM
#7
Tell us more about the install, do you have your doors deadened? how are the mids mounted? where is the stock location for the tweets and why did you put them where they are now?
what is your sub crossed over at?
theres a bunch that can be tried before you need to spend any money on new equipment.
The sub should be playing such a small spectrum of sound that it shouldn't be blamed for any poor sounding system. it's the least important of them all as far as I'm concerned.
You asked how much the sub has to do with midbass, very very little to none.
I think if you concentrate your time, effort and money into your doors, install and tuning you'll be much happier than doing anything to your sub.
after you answer on how your doors are treated, next question is going to be can you fit anything bigger than a 5.25 in there?
what is your sub crossed over at?
theres a bunch that can be tried before you need to spend any money on new equipment.
The sub should be playing such a small spectrum of sound that it shouldn't be blamed for any poor sounding system. it's the least important of them all as far as I'm concerned.
You asked how much the sub has to do with midbass, very very little to none.
I think if you concentrate your time, effort and money into your doors, install and tuning you'll be much happier than doing anything to your sub.
after you answer on how your doors are treated, next question is going to be can you fit anything bigger than a 5.25 in there?
I dont have my doors deadened, just my trunk. Ive got my 6x9's mounted on the rear dash and Ive got my fronts in the doors. I Mounted the tweeters in the door panel because it was easier to do. The stock location is located across from the mirror.
I think I could fit bigger front speakers if I do some modification and maybe play with some fiber glass. I dont know what my sub is crossed over at, its a rotary **** on my 501bd.
Just so everyone knows Ive got 2 kicker cvr's in the box for 10's.
12-13-2007, 05:52 AM
#8
just my opinion of course but I found that most of the "kick" that people are looking for from the sub should actually be coming from the mid (or at least start and end there). I think that deadening and doing what you can to seal off the doors will go a long way in improving the kick region of your bass. That's where I'd start.
12-13-2007, 05:53 AM
#9
just my opinion of course but I found that most of the "kick" that people are looking for from the sub should actually be coming from the mid (or at least start and end there). I think that deadening and doing what you can to seal off the doors will go a long way in improving the kick region of your bass. That's where I'd start.
12-14-2007, 01:38 AM
#10
50 Watt CAFz'r
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 148
Almost every midbass related problem in a car has less to do with the speaker than it does with how the speaker has been installed.
Sound deadning would do you way more benifit than just upin the size of the speakers would.
When explaining to a customer I use this as an example $300 set of speakers with $300 worth of install IE sufficent sound deadning, solid mounting, proper tweeter location, ect ect are gonna sound waaaay better than a $600 set of speakers aimlessly tossed in the same location.
Sound quality is all in the details and not just the details of speaker build but just as importantly the details in the install.
Sound deadning would do you way more benifit than just upin the size of the speakers would.
When explaining to a customer I use this as an example $300 set of speakers with $300 worth of install IE sufficent sound deadning, solid mounting, proper tweeter location, ect ect are gonna sound waaaay better than a $600 set of speakers aimlessly tossed in the same location.
Sound quality is all in the details and not just the details of speaker build but just as importantly the details in the install.
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