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Just experienced UTOPIA!

Evan Huber
- 37 posts
February 12, 2012 12:13:58 PM PST

sooo Friday night i witnessed my first DJ Show. All you need to know is 64,000watts of the CLEANEST sound and HARDEST bass i've ever heard!

What in-car setup would best replicate, obviously without the amount of power! lol

ie. products and setup...

Is one brand or model particularly better for SQ? Can a simple aftermarket amplified set of components be adequate, or is a 3-way setup much more adequate for this purpose?

Brands im familiar with: Alpine, JL Audio, Pioneer Premiere
Barry Schanz
- 182 posts
February 12, 2012 2:15:40 PM PST

You're going to need a majorly upgraded electrical system, because you're going to need major wattage.

-a larger alternator, possibly more than one

-an array of batteries dedicated to the amplifiers

-multiple drivers, not just multiple subwoofers. 50% of the energy in music comes from your speakers, and to recreate the SPL of live music cleanly you need multiples. A compromise in sound quality but an increase in SPL could come from pro audio drivers. Horns would be something to consider as an alternative as well.

-to replicate single digit bass frequencies that live electronic music incorporates you're going to need sealed subwoofer enclosures. Ported subs will unload well before extending that low, which means damage will occur.

There are many, many brands that will give good sound quality. It's important to start with good sounding speakers, but it's more important how they're used and how the vehicle is prepared, as well as the tuning.
Evan Huber
- 37 posts
February 12, 2012 2:25:59 PM PST

rather keep it as simple as possible. obviously theres a lot that go into live shows that couldnt make it into your car... but you dont need copious amounts of power for the clean sound that im looking for. i'd say less than 2500watts. its just the balance im really looking for. Thankfully i dont need to fill a whole arena with sound... just a vehicle.
Barry Schanz
- 182 posts
February 12, 2012 3:12:59 PM PST

Do you have a lack of loudness with your current setup?

I currently have around 1,400 watts of Class D power in my car on a stock alternator and a stock battery. It gets quite loud, deceptively loud, due to the clarity at maximum volume. I still don't think it's anywhere close to the impact felt at a live rock concert.
Evan Huber
- 37 posts
February 12, 2012 3:18:52 PM PST

Not so much a lack of loudness... It gets plenty loud! I just want loud and clear! I will def be dampening my entire next vehicle, but im curious what equipment individuals have found to be
the best in terms of sq and balance
Brad Stolberg
- 487 posts
February 12, 2012 3:32:13 PM PST

I'd say active 3 ways should do the job, maybe go with some 8" midbass drivers, 5.25" midrange drivers, but a single regular style tweet should be enough...a system I've done in many cars for a certain DJ I can't name have been Hertz SPL show 800L + Mille mid and tweet with a pair of 13w7s, a BitOne, and LRX amps, usually a pair of 4.1ks and a 1.2k total of around 4000w rms...always backed by kinetik's and a giant alternator...it's way over the top for me tho :) my personal Mille 3 ways and 10w7s on a pair of Voce 5.1ks makes me feel like I'm at a club or concert especially with live music recordings going through it
Evan Huber
- 37 posts
February 12, 2012 4:52:52 PM PST

how do twin 13w7's not just drown everything out?! haha has anyone listened to the c5-650 3-ways from JL? I dont know how available Hertz is in Canada. Are factory packaged 3-way systems "better" than a 3-way system pieced together? (ie adding an 8w3 ((for example)) to a 6.5 component set)
Evan Huber
- 37 posts
February 13, 2012 6:25:04 AM PST

out of the following, does anyone have actual listening experience?

JL Audio C5-653 3-way
Hertz Mille MLK 3 PA (or PA 2)
Focal K2 165 KRX3

...looking for a solid 3-way setup for my next ride. Or if anyones put together a 3-way system with individual components that've worked well in the past let me know!
Brad Stolberg
- 487 posts
February 13, 2012 6:27:40 AM PST

The 13s get stupid loud for sure...I like the c5-653s but Hertz Energy 3 ways sound batter for less IMO, there is Hertz in Canada, go to elettromedia's web site and check out the dealer locator...

As far as piecing together a 3 way vs a boxed set, it really doesnt matter but a matched set can't hurt...I've done 8 type r's as midbass with 5.25 type r comp system and it was bitchin, but the 8w3 won't work as a midbass driver in free air
Brad Stolberg
- 487 posts
February 13, 2012 6:42:21 AM PST

I have expirence with all 3 of those and I personally have Mille 3 ways with a single midbass, I've always ran into problems when running dual midbass in a 3 way, I'd say Focal is #2 and the JLs #3, those Focals be crazy expensive tho
Barry Schanz
- 182 posts
February 13, 2012 6:48:13 AM PST

Evan Huber said:
Not so much a lack of loudness... It gets plenty loud! I just want loud and clear! I will def be dampening my entire next vehicle, but im curious what equipment individuals have found to be the best in terms of sq and balance

Ok, so it's loud enough, but it's not clear when you also want it loud? What equipment do you have now? If we can determine if your equipment is a shortcoming then it's time to look into upgrades. However appealing it is to go through the process of getting new shiny stuff, your install could be limiting your clarity.

Your lack of sound deadening is holding you back. As an aside, most people who do sound deadening are doing it wrong, because of incorrect knowledge coming from both manufacturers and enthusiasts/installers.
Evan Huber
- 37 posts
February 13, 2012 6:56:14 AM PST

alpine cda-9886 h/u (will be replacing for next vehicle)
jl audio c3-650 components (front)
jl audio c2-690 coax (rear)
jl audio 300/.4v2 (speakers)
jl audio 12w3v3-4 woofer (i have two...currently building one sealed box and one ported box, for when i want a different sound)
jl audio 500/1v2 (substage)

currently in a '92 Accord ex-r. will be going into my next vehicle by end of year. hopefully a mid-size SUV. Will definitely dampen new vehicle. Accord's goin to my cousin.
Evan Huber
- 37 posts
February 13, 2012 7:16:27 AM PST

how are the Mille's compared to the Energy's? Hoping to keep under $1000 for the setup
Brad Stolberg
- 487 posts
February 13, 2012 7:51:37 AM PST

Milles are the shit, i don't know how I can describe the difference but its pretty severe, the Mille tweeters are my favorite ever, and they have tons of midbass, and are just so crisp and accurate especially with a good class A/B amp on them and ran active
Evan Huber
- 37 posts
February 20, 2012 3:20:32 PM PST

do you think my current setup would suffice if i changed out the W3's to 2 10" W6's? Sealed... dont know if i'd have the space for ported unless i rear decked it through my factory 6x9 locations...
Brad Stolberg
- 487 posts
February 20, 2012 3:39:26 PM PST

http://www.jlaudio.com/header/Support/Tutorials/Why+a+13.5-inch+Driver%3F/There's+no+Replacement+for+Displacement!/563162

that gives you a way to "guage" JL subs' output

the way I'm reading it is for the 13w3 it take 2x 10w6s and 1.5 12w3s...so according to this the 12w3's have a higher output, which i would agree with generally technically speaking

This post was edited by Brad Stolberg at February 20, 2012 3:40:07 PM PST
Evan Huber
- 37 posts
February 20, 2012 3:42:04 PM PST

in terms of SQ though the w6 is superior no?
Brad Stolberg
- 487 posts
February 20, 2012 3:55:16 PM PST

those 10s will hight tighter than 12s but thats almost negligible, I like the w6 WAY WAY more than a w3 but some people don't think its worth the money, I actually have a 10w6 in my C5 vette on a PDX1.1000 and it sounds bitchin' super SQ sub
Evan Huber
- 37 posts
February 25, 2012 10:17:25 AM PST

has anyone come across a headunit with wicked eq options? i've been looking at a bitone, but it seems soooo complicated! since i know i'll be replacing my h/u sooner than later, what standalone units provide a good eq? i know alpine you can buy the pxh-100 for Imprint sound...but is there anything else available? Possibly Pioneer?
Evan Huber
- 37 posts
February 26, 2012 8:30:56 AM PST

many many questions... rather than overhaul i've simply chosen to modify. I think i'll be buying a new deck (alpines cde-117) and adding the IMPRINT module. Also will be obtaining some Dynamat for the doors and trunk. So here are my questions:

Is IMPRINT as effective as Alpine leads one to believe?

How user friendly is IMPRINT?

By bridging my amp and only running my front components, does that effect the tuning of IMPRINT?

How would i best bridge my amp to power only my front components? (bridge front and bridge rear? how does that affect fade/balance etc)

How much deadener should be applied to doors to effectively dampen and seal?
Brad Stolberg
- 487 posts
February 26, 2012 10:14:33 AM PST

I'd say to go for the new Pioneer DEH-80PRS over the cda-117 and imprint, I ordered one to try out in my Chevelle, should be here in a few weeks

Bridging a 4 channel amp means making it a 2 channel...there's only one way to do it

You should ditch your rears and run your fronts active! Then you'd have almost the exact same system that's in my Chevelle except I'm running some kenwood X600f and x1200m amps and Ive got 13w3's sealed
Evan Huber
- 37 posts
February 26, 2012 10:42:24 AM PST

so by running my fronts active, i would simply wire my tweeters to seperate channels and my 6.5's to seperate channels? Would that not be excessive power to my tweets? I have C3-650's up front and they'd be running off my 300/4v2. Any wiring diagrams would be SUPER helpful!

And overall it would sound better? 6x9's do produce decent bass fill...
Brad Stolberg
- 487 posts
February 26, 2012 1:20:12 PM PST

Your exactly right...your amp makes 75w x4, I'm running at 100w x4 so your good on the tweeters.

I used to have 6x9s in the rear deck of my Chevelle and now it sounds better and it's not even ran active yet

I have no wiring diagrams to send you
Evan Huber
- 37 posts
March 12, 2012 12:11:19 PM PDT

When running active, do the woofers require a LPF? Or would they still be running HPF with a lower freq filter? Amp tuning options can be seen here: http://www.jlaudio.com/300-4v2-car-audio-slash-v2-amplifiers-98083

Also, by tuning the amp, should i bother using my 9886's tuning functions? (its not IMPRINT yet)