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Everything posted by altoncustomtech
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Okay, we were finally able to get the vehicle that will be replacing the van as our daily driver. I found a nice 2010 Traverse AWD with everything the wife wanted in it and a little more with decent miles on it and I even got a decent deal on it. Now, the wife realized before we even got serious about shopping for one that we should probably tone down the size of the install in the new vehicle. While she was/is still wanting some good sounding speakers and some bump going to the the size and extent of the build in the van was more than we need for this one. One of the biggest reasons for that was simply because of the damage the Q's caused the van. Before I installed them it was QUIET, not one interior panel rattled or made noise, not hardly a hint of sheet metal rattling could be heard. At this point now not only is there a great deal of noise coming from the interior panels (particularly in the rear) but the Q's even managed to tear a spot welded seam in the floor of the van loose. We simply don't want to repeat that in the new one. For this build we're looking at something smaller, possibly along the lines of a pair of 10's if the space is right, single 12, etc. Something like the DCON, GCON or ICON come to mind, SSD's, possibly even IA or something else I've not got a chance to try yet as well. We'll be running 1,000 to 1,500 watts on the subs and no more than that at all. What goes in will depend completely upon the space available and which sub choice will work best with that space. I'm going to try to keep the rear of the vehicle as usable as possible so I'm probably going to be building an enclosure with the subs firing downward and the port to the side. The enclosure will likely consume all the space available on the width and depth behind the 3rd row seat and my limiting factor will be that we're trying to keep the enclosure height to about half the total height of the 3rd row seat. The wife wants another Kenwood HU so we'll likely be ordering a DDX491HD and a Maestro RR integration unit this weekend for the source and to keep all the factory wheel functions and such. I'm looking to use a PPI P900.4 for the highs and a similarly sized subwoofer amp to run the subs and those will be tucked away in the storage compartment under the floor in the rear with added ventilation if necessary. That brings me to my biggest frustration with this build, lol. Before we got serious about shopping for a vehicle the wife was COMPLETELY on board for me doing whatever was necessary to install the Bravox 603's. Fiberglassed custom door panels were in the plans for whatever that vehicle was going to be, uh, well, right up until we picked up the Travy. Now it's, "You aren't really going to cut it up and put holes in the doors are you?" and "There's already places for tweeters, you can just use those right?" then finally "You can just use the factory places for now, I want it to have a good sounding stereo but not know it until you hear it, as in can't see nothin'." So, there goes anything remotely close to what I was wanting to do. I thought if the Bravox's wouldn't work out I might do a dedicated full range/midbass setup, or maybe even the equivalent of the Arc Audio Black 6.2 speakers in the SB Acoustic's mid and tweeter that Arc is using, or something really and truly worth a damn to do. Nope. She gave me a pretty much open budget for speakers but I don't see the point in spending any kind of good money on a set of components that cannot be optimally installed. So I'm not completely sure where I'm going to go with the highs. I have found a hell of a deal (<$250)on a new set of Kicker QS65.2 components which I'm leaning toward but I have to verify if there's any possibility of getting that tweeter behind the A pillar. I've also looked at the MB Quart QC216 set which has a nice looking large format tweeter but since Maxxsonics has their nasty hands in MBQ now I'm kind of shying away from them as well. As soon as I can figure out what the hell to do (still need to verify some measurements) I'll pull the trigger on equipment and get it coming. Although the Travy is pretty quiet from the factory I'm still going to be ordering some SDS to treat the doors and all of the rear to start with. I'll work on the floor and roof after we've had it a little while. It has the sun roofs so I'm not in a real hurry to tear all that interior off the roof, nor am I in a hurry to figure out how to tear all the seats, center console, and carpeting out to treat those areas just yet. I also have to pull the door panels off to see what kind of baffles I'll need to construct for it. Luckily with the lower power I'm looking at running and the 170A factory alternator I shouldn't be looking at having to do anything too major on the electrical side of things. Probably just the BIG 3 in 1/0 with Knu Kolossus. So, that's the, um, kind of the plan, for what little plan there is. The more I can verify as far as fit in this thing the better the direction for what/where it will go is going to look. I hope to have all that figured out and to be ordering equipment and supplies this weekend. Here's a quick shot of the Travy. I just grabbed it to show to a co-worker. Any input is welcome, especially from anyone who's done some install work in one of these as the entire Lambda platform is completely new to me.
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Woohoo @porkchop !!!!!!!!
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Here it is... http://www.soundsolutionsaudio.com/forum/topic/33898-amplifier-headroom/?tab=comments#comment-590813
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3&4 have the HP setting that can be adjusted down to 15hz which easily gets the crossover out of the way. You’re correct on the mono amp though, just adjust it to the top of it’s adjustment and let the DSP do the work. That sub will probably handle 1500wrms without a problem, however due to the dynamic nature of music it won’t really be a concern. As a matter of fact the extra headroom from the few hundred extra watts on tap will only help prevent distortion. That will help it sound better and be easier on the sub in the long run. Headroom is a good thing as long as you can understand what the limitations are and act accordingly when you believe there could be a problem while it’s playing. I’m currently running a rated 300wrms a channel to a set of components that are rated 125wrms. I have a pair of Fountek FR88EX 3” full range drivers rated 15wrms being powered by 75wrms. I also ran a pair of 10” SSA DCON’s (rated 400wrms) on an Arc Audio XDi2000 that had 2.5x their rated power on tap. The only reason I had an issue with the DCON’s is because the enclosure failed and they were mechanically damaged. Those subs were fine thermally. The components and full range are running great still. The headroom on tap allows me to get incredible clean response from the speakers I’m using but I also don’t get stupid with the volume knob. Don’t get me wrong I do push things hard but I’m VERY alert to what’s going on and I have the crossover and EQ settings dialed in to allow me to get by with that kind of power headroom. For what it’s worth another forum member had the same components with 600wrms on tap for each channel. It’s just a matter of setting things up correctly and knowing you’re not using every bit of that power except on the most dynamic (powerful) musical peaks. There’s a thread on the forum related to headroom and the dynamics of music. It’s a great read to get a firm grasp on the subject. I’ll see if I can find a link.
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Yes, it sure can, and the amp has active capable crossovers so you can control the cutoff frequencies for the tweeters and the mids as well for a truly active setup. The only thing you don’t get in such a setup as you’re looking to do is time alignment, unless your HU has manually adjustable time alignment for each individual output channel. If that’s the case then you’re all set for the best experience of a highs setup you could ask for short of running a DSP.
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Indecision between FI Q Neo and FI BTL Neo
altoncustomtech replied to DoozeyMontana's topic in Subwoofers / Speakers
There should always be a fuse as close to the positive terminal as possible, it doesn’t matter where that wire is going or what it’s feeding, the fuse is protecting the battery and your car/livelihood from burning to a crisp. If you have two batteries you really need to fuse at both of them, why you ask? Because if you only fuse at the front battery and there’s a direct short in the middle of the wire the front fuse will blow and protect that battery but now the rear battery is sitting there still shorted. If you’re lucky the wire will burn and cut the connection before it catches anything else on fire or causes the battery to explode. A fuse is cheap insurance to protect you from ever having to experience such a problem and they definitely happen. As for the amp, I’ve never seen a complaint about the Sundown amps, at least not one that holds any merit. Same goes for the Orion for the most part. The TS amps just seem a little too cheap to me, probably just me and a bad opinion, but it’s why I’ve never considered one in my plans or recommendations. -
Welcome to the forum!!
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Indecision between FI Q Neo and FI BTL Neo
altoncustomtech replied to DoozeyMontana's topic in Subwoofers / Speakers
I have a set of 12” Fi Q’s that have been treating me great for 9 years now. They still work and sound every bit as good as they did when they were brand new. You’re not getting hurt by either one on the quality of the product, however I would imagine that according to the intended design goals of the two drivers the Q will be smoother and better suited to an SQ system than the BTL. Not that a BTL has no business in SQ, jroadtatts ran a single 15” BTL in the Accord he built quite successfully, but that’s not to say it would be the best choice for everyone. -
New to SSA/First time posting on an audio forum
altoncustomtech replied to DoozeyMontana's topic in Newbie Sign IN
Welcome to the forum!! I will readily admit that I’m biased but I think that you have definitely come to the right place in my opinion! -
IMGUR.com is the website to use for now. Photobucket has made the ability to directly link images to a forum post or website a paid feature. Without subscribing to their website with a package that includes that service it doesn’t do any good. I also haven’t found a replacement that’s as easy or easier to use than photobucket was. Imgur works but is much more difficult (at least from my phone) than photobucket ever was.
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Welcome to the forum!!
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DSP's
altoncustomtech replied to ncc74656's topic in Amplifiers / Head Units / Processors / Electrical
Definitely second this! -
DSP's
altoncustomtech replied to ncc74656's topic in Amplifiers / Head Units / Processors / Electrical
I’m not sure what you mean about cookie cutter? It’s capable of using Linkwitz-Riley as well as Butterworth crossovers adjustable from -6dB up to-48dB depending on the type you choose. JL built a fair bit of power into the unit but there are quite a number of features and functions that are either limited or not accessible unless the user level is on advanced or expert. -
It’s not Qts, the figure that determines a drivers enclosure characteristic is the EBP (efficiency bandwidth product). The EBP is calculated by dividing the Fs by the Qes. As the books generally go, 0-50 is sealed enclosure territory, 50-100 is okay for either and over 100 is strictly ported. edit: Well leave it to M5 to jump in whilst I was held up finishing my post to make me look foolish...
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DSP's
altoncustomtech replied to ncc74656's topic in Amplifiers / Head Units / Processors / Electrical
The Helix Pro would be my goto if the price wasn’t so high. I have my own and have helped install/setup several of the JL TWK88 DSP’s. I think they’re about impossible to beat for the money. Not quite as powerful as the Helix Pro but much easier to use and more reliable than cheaper units or units like the BitOne and 360.3. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a less expensive alternative to the Helix Pro that doesn’t need all the power it has either. -
Here’s the ported enclosures I built for the 6.5” woofers in my Bravox 3 way components. They’re .5cuft and tuned to 65hz but have solid output down a little below 50hz.
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Here’s Jared’s doors too...
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There’s a great set of videos by a guy who builds some AWESOME sealed enclosures for some 8’s that would be great to draw some inspiration from. I’ll try to get them posted here...
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blew 3 amps. same issue. help please
altoncustomtech replied to tenaciousNoob's topic in Amplifiers / Head Units / Processors / Electrical
The second point is very likely, the first will surprise me. Of course it all depends on the company but there’s plenty of them who probably don’t even have that information because they don’t actually repair anything in house. Others that do want people to send in the defective equipment to their authorized service center. By keeping that information private they can afford to maintain the service center. Either way it sure doesn’t hurt to ask, and if they do have the information available and they’re willing to share it you’ll definitely be in business and finishing the repair will be highly likely. -
blew 3 amps. same issue. help please
altoncustomtech replied to tenaciousNoob's topic in Amplifiers / Head Units / Processors / Electrical
Ooooo, got the full picture now. You’re definitely going to need to test it further. Chances are those output fets took something with them when they lit off. An oscilloscope would help, knowing what voltages and signals you should see at specific locations would be much more helpful. Unfortunately without a troubleshooting spec or at least design specs that information is probably not available. Without knowing what it should have and where it’s going to be really hard to troubleshoot much further. Perhaps borrowing a working one to compare it to would help but I doubt you have one available. Good luck, I know how it feels to put time and/or money into something and not get successful results. -
blew 3 amps. same issue. help please
altoncustomtech replied to tenaciousNoob's topic in Amplifiers / Head Units / Processors / Electrical
Verify the sub wiring as well and make sure he doesn’t have it wired to .25 ohms or something like that. -
Welcome to the forum and the SSA family!! That’s a hell of a set of subs you got coming!
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Benefits of multiple runs of power front to back
altoncustomtech replied to ManzKea's topic in SPL & SQ / Fabrication
Lots of great information here. I couldn’t agree more with anything said. -
Sundown sae1500d's and sa15's output
altoncustomtech replied to Redneck/until/Sundown's topic in Newbie Sign IN
My other worry, as you also stated, is about the amplifiers seeming to not handle the loads like they used to. The SAE line was never designed to be as robust as the SAZ line in the first place. More of a budget friendly option while still very solidly built was the goal I believe. You’ve been running them below their minimum rated impedance and while you have some upgraded electrical I am not certain it’s enough to properly feed those under that kind of load. I’m afraid that you’ve been running it on the ragged edge long enough that there are damaged MOSFETs in the amps and you are close to an imminent failure. I could be wrong, but every time resistance (impedance) in an electrical circuit the current load will double, its ohms law. The amplifiers when wired to 1/2 ohm are going to attempt to flow double the current used at 1 ohm. Sure there’s a change in impedance as the frequency changes but that will also technically be half of what is seen at 1 ohm. Trying to run double the current it’s designed for without very stable voltage input (low voltage also increases current draw) is a recipe for disaster and equipment failure. Like I said, I could easily be wrong but the information suggests at least warranting a look at the amps themselves. At least for the protection issue, there’s also a slight possibility they were already damaged from when they were strapped. Technically speaking if everything is designed and installed correctly the amps should never go into protection when running normally. That’s just my worthless .02 -
GCON replacement ETA?
altoncustomtech replied to Grendel0501's topic in Sound Solutions Audio (SSA®)
I don’t think you could have explained it any better. It’s pretty easy to see where everything is going and what you’re trying to accomplish. Thank you for sharing all this information!!