mjmarovi

I am sorry for your loss chop.

got a few friends who love loud obnoxious stuff, they use earthquake mids and sellenium horns like crazy. personally I'm not a fan, but I'm just not into all that loud obnoxious crap. if done right, horns can be great for SQ, just not sure how the selleniums would fair.

hey Chop, you should try some polyfill in your WMD2 setup. that will give you an idea of what just a larger box will do.

hey chop, yup did as you requested, I am now watching your build log let me know what you decide on the box. I read/skimmed through the log, did you say what numbers this is putting up? BTW: I notice you said no mids/highs yet. Great budget 2-way active setup is Mach5 MLI-65's paired with seas prestige tweets. the tweets are like 25 bucks a piece from madisound. mach5's can be found here in the SSA store. there are other choices, but per dollar that setup is tough to beat, and of course paired with a sundown 4-channel If you decide on doing something for mids/highs then do tell.

which woofer is it? the WMD2 from Pierce Audio? I see that in your sig...but I know sometimes ppl upgrade/change without changing sig. if it still that PA WMD2 then I would say it is your gain setting. that sub should be able to handle everything from the 1500d. Unless you are running a 16v system....I don't personally have the program, but I have worked with Mr. Atwell before on figuring out what tuning I want, or what space I have and what tuning is optimal for size box I could fit. I see ppl all the time try to tune a smaller box to 30hz or lower and it is just a waste. They don't understand then how it still can't hit the lows, and somehow is even louder in the mid 40 hz range....I do see your tuning is awfully high, 35 hz? I mean awfully High for me, I like to stay around 30 hz. If it was me I would tune that woofer down to 31 hz and add a half cube to the box.. Man i would love to see everything the 1500d can do at say 18volts .5 ohm....I would bet 3kw. anyway was just thinking out loud there.

Yeah I think the 3.5ft^3 will probably suit it better, but the tuning is something you have to decide on what you want to lose or give up or comprimise. For example: 27-30Hz (great lows, ok output) 31-35Hz (good lows and good output) 36hz or higher (ok lows and great output) After all this Im thinking I may rise my tuning to 30Hz and no higher (but 29Hz isnt that far off so it is still a toss up), we will see by the time it comes to build a box for it. keep in mind box size has just as much to do with hitting the lows as the tuning does. You can lose 2-3 db's on the low notes if box is just 1 cube too small to efficiently reproduce the lows. so if you tune lower, but don't increase box size or even decrease box size you may say opposite effect you are looking for. If you are really trying to bang the lows, I would recommend something in the 4cuft range. My favorite setup thus far is my single 15" Q in 4.8cuft after port and displacement tuned to 28hz. That thing was ridiculous, especially for only one sub, I have some vids of that build up on youtube. Never had the chance to make vid of my other setups. Once I get the SA-12's in there will def. be a vid though.

two 18" BL's, and a 3000 watt amp....or some SSA Xcons, either is a more musical woofer, really depends on budget, you can put more power on Xcons or lvl4's or BTL's or something. need more info. I think I understand what your goals are, the same as most, but what kind of budget are we working with?

SPL wise the DC would probably be the loudest. the Xcon would most likely perform similar to the MX, but for a lot less money. The Xcon is a great daily ground pounder, and the SPL difference will only be seen on a meter, not audibly.

Ohio Gen will be expensive but very nice, I just spoke with Dave earlier from DC, I ordered through Rob, but easiest just to talk to them on the phone. apparently they are having a sale right now...

excessive is good, from what I hear better than iraggi. I will tell you same as I told another person. I recently just purchased one from DC Power. Them and Ohio Generator are the only two companies I found that offer more than just the OEM casing, and also wind their own alternators. I do hear good things about mechman, but to my understanding they use similar parts as everyone else. Again, I do not have real world experience with every company out there, but after my research, the best two companies I would recommend who do thier own custom builds is DC power and Ohio Generator.

don't worry about rear fill, and it a lower soundstage, even if you do run into that, is still better than it sounding like speakers are in your left ear or right ear. If you want to try some high-end speakers, then go for it, it is really up to you. Just don't feel like you wasted your money, which goes both ways, don't buy something cheaper, then later want to upgrade and those initial spent funds on the less expensive speakers turn into a waste. (I did this and sucks) But hey that's car audio!

I know most people from the Team don't know me, but I plan on changing that this season. I will have a fully operational system the entire year! w00t! anyway feel free to PM me about it, don't know what plans will be, usually a couple friends like to come with me since it is Daytona.

Yes I have had dynamat fall off several times, I live in extreme heat, where vehicles temperature reach excess of 120* on a daily basis with ease for a large portion of the year. I don't know what to tell you, the dynamat fell off, and the raamat in same areas is still holding after about 1 1/2 years. I am also not the only person that has had this experience. The FACT IS that it did happen to me, and it did peel off. So telling me that's a false statement because of something I experienced? Where do YOU get off with a statement like that? There have only been two real issues that you and impious seem to disagree with me on. 1.) multiple layers- I already stated I understand and agree that a single layer of "better" mat is more efficient. I also stated how those mats are also thicker and harder to work with. multiple layers from real world experience does and has proved to be very effective. I would gladly lay down 2-3 layers of something that is easy to work worth through bends. 2.) you are telling me that ensolite is not a good sound absorber. THAT MY FRIEND is a completely false staement. I already explained how it works, which is the same as any insulator in the world. If this statement was false, and you somehow can prove how closed cell insulators do not work as good sound absorbers, then maybe you would share to enlighten the world on a better way? (you could make millions) and no one still addressed BigC how what happened to HAT?

None of my above statements are false, and neither of you have come up with any hard evidence to prove otherwise. you have either quoted me and simply said I was wrong, or said I was wrong and then your argument almost goes hand in hand with exactly what I had said. my ears are always open to learn new things, but so far on this entire thread, I have yet to hear anything of any value and truth that would counteract my learnings. Did you read Rudy's response ? Did you read the response on sound absorbtion ? I have a very hard time believing you have done more research or testing in the realm of acoustics than 2 of the people posting in this thread. You say you are open to learn new things but so far you have been stuck on the " I know best attitude and whatever anybody says, I still know best". How do you expect to learn with that attitude ? You are very dense my friend. Density is mass / volume. Mass does not measure density. Deadener and barriers are 2 very different things, with a different purpose. I know what the equation is, and mass is involved, therefore it is used to measure density. I didn't say mass measures density, I said it is USED to measure density, quite obviously a common knowledge statement. yes deadener and barriers are completely different, I did not bring barriers, only addressed it when I believe M5 was the one who brought it up. Actually, I have learned quite a bit on this forum, especially I feel I have a much better understanding of inter-workings of an amplifier, and also understand large electrical setups much better thanks to several very intelligent posters. I have learned a lot of other things as well, just being honest with this thread.

I recently purchased a new alternator myself. I have done some research, and DC and Ohio both offered alty's with the best idle amperage. I hear a ton of good things about mechman as well though. all I'm saying for my two cents is that idle amperage is the most important, so a 200 amp alt from ebay will probably be still be a complete failure compared to say...my new DC 150amp. re-spun alty's put out less amperage at idle then their original OEM. best alty's are one's that are custom built from ground up. just my .02 cents.

Doors have many problems that kickpanels address and improve upon. Don't use your performance from a door to indicate performance in kickpanels. Also, "low" is a relative term. Good kickpanels will still allow for a soundstage above the dash. Good kickpanels with intelligent use of processing will allow just as high a soundstage as anything else. There are several problems with separating the tweeters. It can take more advanced processing and skill to obtain good results due to a few different reasons, and as M5 pointed out there are issues with reflective surfaces. thanks impious, glad to see we agree on this. kick panels FTW! and about power dean, well you can run a 20 watt and sound just fine, more power just gives you more volume, and more power on tap that is unused allows less work for amplifier and generally speaking cleaner signal since amp is nowhere near it's higher output. although signal-to-noise increases at higher volume.

I am wondering the same thing.... as for the deadening, I base all my statements from real world experience and testing. I have had dynamat fall off from extreme heat countless times. I used it on my trunk lid and roof of my car, and both places it fell and had to torn off and replaced with raamat. I live in one of the hottest parts of the country, so pretty sure I understand tough conditions for sound dampening. yes you are right, each layer dampens the layer below it. when any object is touching another object, sound waves and vibrations are both transfered. so if not all vibrations and resonances are "deadened" by one layer, further layers will definitely help. this is simply real world experience. I agree that thicker dampener is more efficient at getting the job done, but it is harder to work with, I don't see why I need to explain why something thinner is easier to maneuver over odd shapes over a thicker material, that should be pretty blatant. now you are accusing me of saying mass is opposite of density? where did I say this? and as Rudy half-heartedly admitted, it is true that density blocks sound or works as a barrier, not mass. yes mass is used to measure density, but the point remains that is not the causing factor of blocking sound. you could argue that of any material you can simply add more and more of that material to block sound from a source to a receptor, but the fact is the most efficient way to do is by using a much thinner or smaller object this far more dense. i am thinking of this in terms of a wall seperating two rooms. simple way of thinking of this is how concrete floors in a two story building block that much more sound between the two levels over wood truss floors with insulation. concrete is far denser therefore blocks much more of the sounds. yes it has more mass, but that is consequence of a larger volume of a denser material. It still does hold true that adding mass to something lowers vibrations and resonances. it takes more force to vibrate something that has a larger mass, therefore adding mass will help. now what material you use to do it definitely changes the effectiveness, but if you were for example to use any sort of spray adhesive, and spray that on the metal, do that a hundred times so that there is a thick layer of adhesive (hypothetical of course I expect no one to actually try this) then it will still work as a deadener. was it most efficient? no, that's why so companies market their sound deadener. I will and do gladly lay down 2-3 layers of raamat rather than a single layer of dynamat, I don't have to worry about it peeling off from the heat, and from my experience it has proven to be just as effective or more effective by doing it this why. I of course am not the only person that does this. ensolite, like any insulator or carpet, etc. will do great and does do great to absorb sound. of course you probably have never tested this in a room inside a house with a microphone, but I wouldn't expect you to. any material that has air pockets will capture sound waves in those air pockets. sound waves move slowest in air, and faster in solids, the more air pockets it has to travel through, the more it slowed down and dissipated to nothing. why do you think they hang carpets and foam on walls of large rooms, gymnasiums, concert halls, etc. ? BTW I'm glad ya'll can read the "research" done by phatmatt, damplifier, and all the other companies. in the end they all use almost the same exact technology, but use different adhesives and thicknesses. None of my above statements are false, and neither of you have come up with any hard evidence to prove otherwise. you have either quoted me and simply said I was wrong, or said I was wrong and then your argument almost goes hand in hand with exactly what I had said. my ears are always open to learn new things, but so far on this entire thread, I have yet to hear anything of any value and truth that would counteract my learnings.

Much to learn about deadening? Care to back that up? You seem to enjoy discrediting me, so why don't you tell me how anything I stated above about sound deadening is wrong? BTW: mass has nothing to do with a barrier, density does. by that statement you are telling me you don't understand how sound waves move. as far as i can tell I know a lot more about sound deadening than you do. best way to sound deaden is to add multiple layers of a deadener to all surfaces, this adds mass to the surfaces, and reduces vibration immensely, next to nothing which take away resonances and interference with the sound sound waves. to actually absorb sound, you need some sort of insulator. for vehicles the best to use is some form of ensolite. this keeps sound from bouncing off of the surfaces, in same way as carpet. this again reduces resonances. I know nothing about sound deadening? Hilarious....

forget about mounting/installing any speakers accept for in front of you.no need for speakers in rear doors. remember, whole idea in SQ is to create a stage in front of you, as deep and wide as possible with correct height. achieving true high quality SQ in a vehicle is much harder than home audio. really for SQ recommendations, need to know what budget is, and who is doing the installation along with what their install capabilities are. that makes a good start. also, people tend to like whatever they come across, what are your first instincts for what SQ equipment you like? you already mentioned two on my top ten, dynaudio and scanspeak.

X2 LOL

all sound deadener really does is add mass to whatever you put on it. it does absorb vibration, but it does so by adding mass. I like it cause because it is easy to work with and can withstand high temperatures therefore is extremely durable in a vehicle. besides IMO there is no such thing as just enough sound deadening, it is more like the more you use the better.

dude c'mon did you even look at the picture you took? how about some real pics of the casing, and an internals pic.

completely brain farted on the 505, lol yeh no need for the controller. i think you are on the right track. dynamat is difficult to work with. I use raamat, and love it. much more flexible and easier to lay down. also is tested and certified for much higher temperature than dynamat and many other companies. it is slightly thinner to be more flexible, but I just use multiple layers where needed

h-701 is an outstanding processor that has been widely used by many SQ competitors.the DQXS is great too, but I personally like the 701's features and abilities, plus the rux controller is pretty sweet if you are going with that processor, you will be able to build one helluva 3-way active system. I think in your case a 3-way active sounds like it will be best. dynamat and build a nice strong baffle for the mid-bass in the doors. mount mids in the dash, up closer to the windshield, not closer to you, and closer to the sides, ~5-6 inches from left pillar, and right speakers about same from right pillar. the sorry to be more specific, ~8 inches from center of mid to pillar, doesn't have to be exact, just giving you an idea. then tweeters facing each other on the lower end of the pillars. this will make for quite a nice stage. again, the tuning and install job will be the determining factor. I would recommend some midranges that will play as low as possible, such as sub 200 hz so that all vocals will be staged from the dash rather than the doors. mid-bass ~50-60hz up to ~150 is OK for the doors. that is my recommendation, and what I would personally do in your situation. now for drivers, well I already recommended my personal favorite, but obviously there are tons of choices. here's some of my fav. companies... hybrid audio morel focal (love the k2 or k3 mids, not the tweets and mid-bass are just OK) mids are awesome though eton DLS dynaudio scanspeak zapco rainbow genesis (had to edit can't believe i forgot genesis, IMO probably the best SQ amp on the market today as well) there are many more, but that's what is at the top of my head right now.