I'm looking into competing with my car in some SQ comp's this year and I'm wondering if you can use any non-12V gear such as an EQ or a Crossover in a car when competing. REason I ask is that I can get a smokin deal on a Behringer EQ or an Alesis EQ. Both are for DJ/Pro Audio setups but they sound really good.

Any comments? I'd love to be able to use it but if I can't use it, I'll have to look into something else as far as flattening out the response goes.


By the way, I'm a total noob when it comes to competing, I just usualy build systems to **** around with...so Please, be gentle ;)

I hate to burst your bubble but you are not allowed to use any 110 volt devices with a invertor for competition, specifically in IASCA. You can get power supplies for those units to run off 12v if you like, but they aren't cheap either. A power supply would work much better in car. I use all Rane gear in my car converted to 12 volts. The power supplies were like $150 US a peice.

Welcome to the wonderful world of competition car audio [img]smile.gif[/img]

There are many home audio components being used in car audio installs, but as Bryce mentioned above, they are 'converted' by using 12v power supplies. Inverters usually produce a farily 'dirty' 12V signal, and can have negative effects on the SQ. Depending on how good of a deal you get on the EQs, it may still be worth while to convert them.

Another thing you may wish to do is pick up an IASCA rule book before you start building up a system. Theres nothing worse than finishing your install and realizing you are not in conformity with safety rules etc [img]smile.gif[/img]

Good luck with the install!

The 12V Ranes are an IASCA classic, Richard Clark ran them in the early 90s and they are still one of the best setups out there. However, since then a number of top quality processors are available (both new and used). For example, you could pick up a pair of Audio Control EQTs for $300 CDN. That is alot cheaper than Ranes and the are quite comparable in tuning ability and SQ.

I've been in the mist of building a system for a long time to compete with but its been tough. The car is my daily driver and so its hard to set a least week or two to dismantle the entire car and work on it. What makes system building (especially for a competition) difficult is that there is alot of trial and error. Although we are well aware of basic concepts and setups that are being implemented and used in most competition vehicles, we don't know the specifics. For example, we all know that path length differences are minimized when you place your components in kickpanels but we don't know what exact placement will yield the best results.

GL and see you in the lanes... [img]graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]

[ January 17, 2004, 05:36 PM: Message edited by: mqqball ]

Thanks for the info...So if i disect the equipment and turn it into a 12V product, its all good?