Trent Hari

So your saying take my Pioneer TSD's, cut the tweeter wire, and re install them? :/ . btw The door speakers you see in the photo is only a mid, the tweet is the black circle by the handle. btw I faded all the music to the fronts to test the concept of only front speakers, and lost about 40% of my musics volume and impact. I'm so confused as to how 2 speakers can sound better than 4 properly set up. I'm about ready to give up on SQ, everyone seems to think my setup is terribly broken, but it sounds great . After we get around the concept of rear speakers, in what way could i make my system sound balanced and loud with that "handicap"? 2 speakers will never be louder than 4 and i'm not about to rip my doors apart trying to fit 2 speakers into one door, so i just replaced the stock speakers with new top-line speakers. Would time-adjustment on a prs-80 help create a "surround sound " effect or am i dreaming and should scrap my truck now? Just kidding i guess i'm a little disappointed on the bashing of my perfectly good system, i have a lot of time and money in it. I'm not looking to win a national championship, i'm just looking for great sound. "Surround sound effect" is NOT the point of DTA. DTA is used to time the sound waves from each individual speaker to your ears so that the interaction of the sound waves happens as its intended in the recording. Basically it makes the speakers play as though they're the same DISTANCE away from you on each side. The difference in distance to your ears from one speaker to the other jacks with the stage and imaging. The point behind running just front speakers and front/rears together along with the real concept of SQ is just outside your realm of experience, and that's just fine. Most of the people in the hobby consider SQ to simply mean it's clear with little or no distortion at high volume levels but unfortunately its FAR more complicated than that. I agree with Sean that something is probably not setup right in your current installation if running the fader to the front speakers has that much of an impact on how it sounds. I would also like to point out that simply screwing the new speakers into the factory locations is not properly installing them either. At a MINIMUM the installation should include a regiment of sound deadening and a solid baffle to mount the speaker to instead of the flimsy plastic the factory speaker is in. Something seldom done by anyone and most definitely rarely done by most shops UNLESS specifically asked for by the customer in which they will pay at least double the price to have it done. Please don't be offended or discouraged by the diagnosis, suggestions and recommendations offered up by everyone. There is such a great deal to learn about the HOW, WHY and WHAT of car audio that it simply overwhelms most people, including me, when trying to take it all in at one time. Experience installing, listening and doing it all over again several times over with the guidance of others who have already learned is the only way to learn what really works and the right from the wrong. Even then we'll never know/learn it all. Thanks for the clarification by the way I cannot run the same power to the front speakers as i have running to all 4 speakers in my truck. i would rapidly blow the two Type R components speakers on 400 watts rms whatever the deal is (They're only rated at 110 rms) I'm sure i could go up to 250 rms max but that would still be pushing it. By the way, I always thought that more cone area generally means more volume at the same rms. When i faded the speakers to the front, i also lost about 50% of my output because it was only getting 200 watts instead of 400. (I didn't bridge the amp) (I do have about 14 square feet of sound deadening in my truck) about 3- 4 square feet in each door and 1 square foot on each rear "quarter panel" and 4 square feet on the floor.. The speakers are bolted to the sheet metal. Thanks for understanding im not looking for perfect sq if it involves extensive interior modifications. i'm just trying to do my best while keeping my truck looking stock. That time alignment sounds like a good idea. would i see a benefit from it? i feel like it would help because one speaker is right next to my head while another is 4-5 feet away.

Yeah My box sucks. That's what the person at the store said. There's not enough air volume for the sub to work properly apparently. If you noticed, i said increased SPL OR SQ, not both at the same time. I wasn't sure what a larger box would create for my setup. What do you think about me getting multiple smaller subs for more audio volume? Yes i do know what SPL and SQ mean- I don't use terms that I don't have a clue about and if I do I ask for a definition. My cap has a volt meter on it, i know i'm still getting a hell of a lot of voltage drop at the cap (down to 13 volts sometimes) , maybe because i only have one run of 4 gauge to the battery? (The volt meter on the dash doesn't fluctuate much though) I just don't want to start drilling holes trying to get another battery in my truck, that's why i have a cap, it was the only thing that would fit under that seat. Also i'm powering both amps off of that cap, would it me smarter to just run the PDX-5 directly to the battery? (I'm looking for a more conservative setup, not one where i have 4 batteries and a wall of subs in my truck)

So your saying take my Pioneer TSD's, cut the tweeter wire, and re install them? :/ . btw The door speakers you see in the photo is only a mid, the tweet is the black circle by the handle. btw I faded all the music to the fronts to test the concept of only front speakers, and lost about 40% of my musics volume and impact. I'm so confused as to how 2 speakers can sound better than 4 properly set up. I'm about ready to give up on SQ, everyone seems to think my setup is terribly broken, but it sounds great . After we get around the concept of rear speakers, in what way could i make my system sound balanced and loud with that "handicap"? 2 speakers will never be louder than 4 and i'm not about to rip my doors apart trying to fit 2 speakers into one door, so i just replaced the stock speakers with new top-line speakers. Would time-adjustment on a prs-80 help create a "surround sound " effect or am i dreaming and should scrap my truck now? Just kidding i guess i'm a little disappointed on the bashing of my perfectly good system, i have a lot of time and money in it. I'm not looking to win a national championship, i'm just looking for great sound.

Alright. How would a capacitor hide a problem? I don't ignore my ears obviously because i am complaining about distortion. Maybe I should just sell the SA-12 and get 2 Alpine Type s's (Or 2 sa-8's or....?) I think im trying to get too much output from one woofer and so i'm overpowering it. (what u think?)My speakers are really clear and loud, I just love the chest-thump feeling that sub creates , and it doesn't hurt my ears when i turn it up.. Its the weak point on my system currently. If you look at the pic of my sub box, you can see its a pretty small ported box (1 cu ft). Would a larger box significantly increase SPL or SQ? I really don't want it completely filling my back seat though Btw i think my amp has a protection deal where it will not clip (or something). I had the gain on the amp up 100% and then i turned the deck gain up all the way at a stereo shop to let a employee see if it was clipping . the sub got really loud, but after a point, it didn't get any louder even though i turned the volume up more. There was Still no clipping. not sure what the deal was but just an interesting note. please don't flame me if this sounds dumb, its just an observation.

Alright so the amp will overpower the sub. got it. I got the capacitor back when i didn't know anything and im kinda emotionally attached to it hahaha. Will it hurt my audio performance? If not i don't see any need to get rid of it and it looks cool if nothing else.

NoOkay . so what is the deal? does the amp put out more than its rated power or something?I don't mean literally turn the gain up all the way, just up until the amp is putting out its maximum power. How do you determine when the amp is putting out max power?Exactly. I thought it was just until it started clipping, then turn it down a little. obviously i was wrong. I have never heard any clipping, so i thought i was golden lol Heres some pics of my amp and setup . Let me know if you see something i could improve on

No Okay . so what is the deal? does the amp put out more than its rated power or something? I don't mean literally turn the gain up all the way, just up until the amp is putting out its maximum power.

Okay so i went to a store and they said that the distortion that i was hearing is because i was running too much power to the sub- then they demoed one in the store that was matched to a amp and it made the same distortion when i turned it up . i am sick of this why cant a 1000 watt woofer take 1000 watts? As long as the signal is clean , the woofer should be able to take what it is rated at without distorting. If i have a 1000 watt amp and woofer, should i be able to turn the gain up all the way and as long as the amp isn't clipping, could the woofer take it without distorting or am i missing something?

I have seen that most people do not recommend speakers in the rear but I want to keep my truck looking stock and I like the volume that 4 speakers produce. It seems strange that you recommend only 2 tweets with 4 speakers. Why would I buy a coaxial and disconnect the tweeter? I don't think that would sound good. I thought tweeters are matched to the output of the speaker. Just to avoid any confusion, here is some pics of my setup

Theres NOT 2 tweeters on each side up front theres 4 total tweets, 2 front, 2 rear in the coaxials. I'm not an idiot i had everything professionally installed. I basically replaced all factory speakers with new ones and installed a speaker amp and a subwoofer amp. All it really needs is tuning. I think the time alignment would help me though. It is loud and clear but I feel that it could be better. LOOK at my setup in the origional post.

Thanks for the explanation Ahh I see well that could be a problem if you see my setup there are only 4 channels on my amp and 8 speaker components (2 6.5s in the front and rear and also the 4 tweets to go with the speakers) Would i still get a benefit from the pioneers active features or not? A shop told me that i could bridge all 4 channels of the amp to the front components and run the rears off of deck power. i didnt like the idea of running 400 rms to 2 type Rs though

Yes, if you mean the time adjustment and probably run the auto-tune because im not a pro- I would like a little better balance in my music If someone could please tell me what "ACTIVE" means it would be cool. i hear the term thrown around alot but im not 100% on what it means

I was editing it. Try again maybe If not ill rewrite it

Is the Death Row sub good for sq and spl (or just sq or just spl) ? I really want to be sure its optimal before i drop $320 on a sub. I'm also thinking about a PRS-80 to replace my Kenwood KDC 896. Its a very good quality deck, but there's not many audio adjustments and the interface is hard to use while driving. Would the PRS-80 be a considerable upgrade from a SQ and ease of use standpoint? Sorry if this should be on another thread, I just don't feel like filling up the forums with unnecessary threads. Feel free to tell me if im pissing someone off by asking too many questions, That's why im here, to get questions answered by people who know their stuff, not some car-toys idiot trying to sell me the store. Honestly out west here (Salem,OR) there's not any stores like SSA that sell american products that I know of (besides ridiculously priced JL Audio) , and even less people that actually know what their talking about. Heck, when i mention a kinda common brand such as Sundown Audio in any store (oops) all i get is a blank stare, or "never heard of it"

oops yeah i meant death row. my bad i got the names mixed up. So how would a Death Row compare to a Fi x12 in a 1-2 cube ported or sealed enclosure at 1000 rms? For SQ and SPL of course

bumpidy bump bump I'm talking about in a smaller enclosure 1-2 cubes sealed or ported

http://store.ficaraudio.com/x12/ Fi audio x12.. then get the cooling plug, and it should be around 1000rms if I remember right. Its american made, around 200$, and takes a 1.8-2.5 ported. little big for the box, but if you can squeeze it in that's the way to go in my opinion. How does that FI -12 sub compare to a Death Penalty sub for SPL or SQL? I noticed that the Death penalty has slightly more xmax and a little better sensitivity. Its more expensive but is the death penalty significantly better? The reason i ask is it would be nice to buy from SSA again. I also hear "horror stories" of FI subs being damaged in shipping.

I got the 30 hz filter in.. I'm not sure i f I like the results. some of the deep bass is diminished. it probably helps the sub tho. if i put only one filter on, does it still work or do both RCA's need them? I noticed something. if i unplug one Rca end, the sub still plays , just with reduced output. How does that even work?

"fix my setup" Do you mean get a good enclosure? Sorry if im asking too many questions i'm just tryin to learn more so i dont sound like a noob (i do look through the forums a lot too) The sound seems to have diminished finally. it might be a rattle from my truck though. I do have 14 square feet of dynamat extreme and hushmat in it though.

Bump

#6199

I looked at that fi 12. It looks good. I don't think this SA-12 is going to last on 1000 watts from the heat it produces after a few minutes... I dont know what people are doing to get the crazy power handling from this sub but i don't think im doing it. Does anyone think that putting the 30 Hz subsonic filter on it will reduce the likelihood of this sub overheating? BTW i was getting awesome excursion from it like 2.5 in of travel with just that light knocking noise it makes whenever i turn it up a little. its really annoying and im not sure what it is.. the sub never appears to bottom out but it definitely comes from the sub or enclosure and still makes that sound if i plug the areoport to stimulate a 'sealed" enclosure. any help on what causes that noise would be appreciated

I'll probably be getting a perfect sized sub for my setup when I am rich someday ;-) what is the best 1000 RMS sub out of all the brands that would work "the best" in a smaller ported enclosure (1.5-2 cubes) tuned to around 30 hz preferably American made and under $350 , preferably around $200-250

Alright ill keep that in mind. The last thing i want to do is blow another sub. i bought it from ssa which is on the opposite side of the continent from me so any service is going to be slow lol. I hear people running 1200rms+ to these sa-12's so i am hoping it is durable enough if i am smart about it. Re read the last 6 words I'm trying to be smart about it. If not then ill be buyin a true 1000 watt sub maybe a RE SXX (Pretty hard to find an american made one,SSA has a 750 rms sub (GCON) and a 1250 rms sub (ICON) but no 1000) I want something i can just blast and not worry about (somethin about getting a back massage to the beat of music haha) i ran a sine wave to my sa-12 and at about maybe 30-40 hz it was hitting so hard i had a hard time breathing (AWESOME!) and no distortion. (it is probably VERY peaky in a 1cu ported box but it still sounds good to my untrained ear) I'm saving up for a custom box that will do my sub justice.

Could all this tuning be avoided if i use a sealed enclosure? BTW thanks for the article it was very informative What are the chances that i already damaged my sub? (I was using it pretty hard but i didnt hear any crazy distortion) I did get a little VC smell nothing crazy but its a small cab and the port is right behind my seat and its a new sub.