Advice on going active

[handman84 60]

I am saving to upgrade my front stage and was pretty set on a set of hsk 165 xl's but I have been reading about active crossovers and I am interested. Are there any speakers that work better than others on an active setup?

Would I still be able to use these Hertz active down the road? I am looking to keep it in the $600 range but I am also a believer in do it right the first time. Will be placing the new speakers in the front doors of my '96 Accord sedan, powering them with a 300 watt 4 channel alpine and ditching the 6x9's in the back. Any advice or recommendations for a good active setup? I listen to my fair share of hip hop and dub step but when I listen to classical guitar I want to feel like Andres Segovia is in the car playing live!  

[Impious 1,476]

Yes you can use your Hertz active later down the road.....the downside to this approach is that they are much more expensive than well performing DIY options, and you are paying for a passive crossover you won't be using.  On the other hand, a well installed passive setup will sound better than a poorly tuned active setup, so it depends a lot on the skills of the installer/tuner.

 

How much experience do you have with front stages, installing, setting up and tuning them? 

[handman84 60]

I don't have any experience. I have a set of entry level BA components I installed which was my first install.  That is why I love these forums, I learn a ton and what I love about this hobby is figuring things out, learning. I guess I figured going active would give me many more hours of trial and error, more time working and improving my system, and ultimately more knowledge of how to set up tune and improve the quality of a system and enhance the listening experience.

Where would you suggest I begin to find a good set of active components?

[handman84 60]

Will I need special equipment to properly tune an active setup? Is it possible for a newb to tune an active setup by ear? Where can I go to learn more about active setups? I've googled and Youtubed it but can't seem to find any good in depth info out there...

[Impious 1,476]

Can't pick out speakers without details for goals, installation locations and limitations, budget, etc.  Also need to know what you have for processing or what you may need to purchase.

 

If you are going the active route I would highly suggest raw drivers, and probably cheap but good ones to start out with.

 

Active usually involves not just the crossovers but all of the tuning that goes along with it....equalization, time alignment, etc.  Can you set all of that by ear?  Usually not, atleast not well.  If you're willing to spend a small bit of money you can get a mic and preamp for reasonable prices (less than $100) and free computer software to create your own RTA/FFT setup.  The downside is there's also a learning curve to not just how to use the measurement equipment but how to make the most of the measurements and understand and utilize what they are telling you.  It's a steep learning curve....not that it's hard to understand but it can be information overload.

 

Need to run out the door now but can give you a couple links later tonight.

[Impious 1,476]

This should get you started: http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/how-articles-provided-our-members/144399-rta-walkthrough-usage-thread-video.html

[handman84 60]

Thanks a ton your help.  I have fallen in love with car audio but am having to learn everything the hard way, trial and error, hours online researching, etc. I may not be ready to dive into an active setup yet but mainly due to a lack of proper tuning equipment and knowledge to use it properly. My drivers are in their stock door location and tweeters are mounted in the top of the door panels (first install. If I would have known any better I would have put them in the A pillars:)

 

My budget right now is $600 but I can put it off a few more months to save more if need be. All I have is an alpine mrx f30. I would need xover, processor, etc. HU is a pioneer p8400bh. My goal is warm crystal clear highs and nice solid midbass...a solid sq front stage. I listen to a lot of guitar heavy music (buckethead, tommy emanuel) and tight drumming (like primus and tool) and am looking for good clean tight accurate reproduction, thought active may be the way to go and a way for me to further my knowledge and spend many more hours doing something I love.

 

Sub stage is a 12" GCON 2.5 ft^3 tuned to ~33hz powered by an aq 1200d.

 

Thanks for the link and all your help. If you have any other advice help or guidance it is greatly appreciated.

[handman84 60]

and what raw drivers would you suggest? where would I start my search/research? Brands? etc...

[Shogen 325]

and what raw drivers would you suggest? where would I start my search/research? Brands? etc...

 

 

you need to figure out install locations.... as well as how much "work" you're willing to do (modifications) to areas to make drivers fit..... I'm still tackling my active setup.... I went with ease and just used stock door for my "mids" .... my tweeters are installed ghetto like now but provide nice sound..... little pods velcroed to the dash for now aimed at the review mirror ..... but you'll also either need to look into active capable HU .... or external processor....

Edited February 27, 2013 by Shogen

[handman84 60]

I would like to keep the mids in the stock door location and since i have a hole in the door panel already I would like to keep my tweeter there. I figured i'd end up getting an external processor but I am not opposed to a new hu...the R&D stage of my setup is by FAR the most time consuming...

[///M5 2,833]

Tuning will become the most time consuming.  Might take months to dial things in.  That may be a benefit though.

 

Impious's advice at starting cheap is a great one.  Can't tell what you don't like about things until you have something.  Then it is easier to make recommendations.  In the right hands a pair of $20 drivers can outperform a $800 component set as well, so don't let the $$ fool you.

 

You need to determine your mounting constraints and what you will use for processing before shopping for drivers.  ie, what diameter, how deep, where is it aiming etc....and you need to share.  Picking drivers is ALWAYS dependent on install.  WAY more important than the box on the sub even and you know how that goes.

[handman84 60]

I just got my order of deadener from Don last week, that is my weekend project. I will be deadening all 4 doors (CLD, CCF, and MLV) I'm very excited to finally be able to get this done, it's been a long time coming. While I have the doors torn apart I will take detailed measurements and post them. I will also do some research on processing...I am leaning toward an external processor rather than a new HU but we'll see...

any suggestions on specific products or places to start looking? I hear a lot about the 9855 and 9887 for active head units but not sure where to begin looking for a good external processor.

[Impious 1,476]

Again, depends on budget

[handman84 60]

I would like to keep it around $500-$600 range if possible. I like your idea of starting with inexpensive drivers to get a feel for tuning and what sounds good to me in my current setup

[altoncustomtech 773]

A suggestion for an active capable HU is the Clarion CZ702. With 3 way capable crossover controls, time alignment, and a powerful little parametric EQ it's quite the tuner & tinkerers little dream. I got mine for a steal but I've seen them on EBAY for a little over $150 shipped. Hell of a price for so much tweakability. Plus it has some other nice little features.

Just tossing another choice out there for you.

[handman84 60]

Thanks Alton, was just checking out the 80PRS but it is a tad pricy, checking the clarion now...

[handman84 60]

 What else would I need other than the drivers and tweeters to go active with the Clarion? External processor? New amp? 

[Shogen 325]

 What else would I need other than the drivers and tweeters to go active with the Clarion? External processor? New amp? 

nothing... just a basic 4 channel amp.... 

[handman84 60]

Is an external processor preferred to controlling the setup via the HU? 

[Shogen 325]

Is an external processor preferred to controlling the setup via the HU? 

you don't need anything external... all the controls/settings are in the HU.... you can most likely do some of it with the remote it comes with though

[ricksi30 923]

The head unit should be just fine.  

[lithium 358]

check out used alpine 9855, 9853, etc. 

[handman84 60]

came across the JVC arsenal KD-A95BT...anyone have any opinions? Will this perform as well as the C702 or the 9855?

[altoncustomtech 773]

The JVC is pretty decent and has a fair amount of adjustability.  However, it would really only be suited to somone who's using passive components, coax's, etc.  The crossover controls do not have the ability to LPF or passband on the front and rear channels which makes it an unfriendly choice for an active setup.  It also doesn't have a wide enough range of frequencies for the crossovers either, only up to 200hz, which would make it useless on a tweeter.  You need to at least low pass the mid, preferably passband it, in to order to properly actively use the driver.  The EQ doesn't appear to be a Parametric EQ either which means you can't go in and set what frequencies you're adjusting, or the Q or how wide the frequencies are affected from the center frequency.  They make it all pretty user friendly for a novice which is great for a lot of people who are trying to learn some of the finer adjustements, but it's a bit too basic for a more advanced setup like you're wanting to go to using.  The Clarion will do 1000 times the adjustment that's available in this JVC unit.

[///M5 2,833]

Two options for processors.  Ones that you can control and tweak with your headunit and ones that you cannot.  Considering you will be tweaking for months having it up front is very nice.  If you regularly carry a laptop and that is an acceptable way of changing settings there are other options.  For where you are in this process I would lean towards an active capable headunit or at least a mated pair so that you can adjust from the drivers seat right up front.  I'd also have a tendency to buy something used.