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Post by V6 on Aug 12, 2016 21:46:19 GMT
Ninja skills getting away with it!
Onto my audio for a mo...
I've been looking at speaker specs with regards to my plan of not running a sub (to save precious weight). I want a lovely smooth treble and a mid bass which can dig deep enough to at least sound fine.
Usually Dynaudio would be near the top of my list. However when you run them passive the crossover limits the low end to 55hz. Ok, but not amazing. If you were running a sub this would not make any odds of course.
Next up Morel Elates drop to around 30hz. This is exceptional for component speakers. I've run them before and they are very smooth too. The only downside is the cost. Maybe OTT in a noisy 5!
CDT ES or HD also match the low end. The treble is pretty damn good, but not the best of this select group so a minor point. Also import tax and shipping from the USA is a killer.
DLS Gothia match the 30Hz low end, plus have the same reputation for having a very smooth top end. Plus I can get them a tad cheaper in Europe. They also have killer build quality. Downsides are ugly grills, which I can change. These are at the top of my list for now.
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Post by V6 on Sept 10, 2016 14:33:56 GMT
Nothing to report, as this project is at the bottom of my priorities. Only to say...
I have definitely decided to keep the weight as low as possible. That means selling off some bits which add excess mass with no real benefit, such as blingy distribution blocks, chunky earth blocks, etc. I may even go down a size in cables too. All terminations will be direct. I will definitely only have the one amp with an inline fuse. I may even mount it with no end caps. Weight is now my enemy!
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Post by wannabe on Sept 10, 2016 17:17:59 GMT
*interested to hear the results when complete*
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Post by myothercarsa2cv on Sept 11, 2016 12:02:13 GMT
You need my little amp. All wiring is from the head unit wiring so skinny  |
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Post by V6 on Sept 11, 2016 12:27:47 GMT
I decided to sell my over the top 4 gauge cable which I had laying around, as it was so thick and heavy. I switched to 8 gauge, which is about half as thick and roughly a quarter of the weight. It is more than good enough for what I'll need and what RF recommend anyway. I also ordered an inline fuse breaker rather than a large brass distribution block (which is more for multi amp systems anyway). So I think I can cut the weight of the wiring and accessories down by roughly 75% with no difference in quality. I don't want to go too small on the amp or I'll lose power and control. There is a minimum weight and size I can go to, as I am keeping it era correct: 90s old school! Once I have finished messing with the car... wait, that's never going to happen! Try again, when my car has had the absolute basics finished, I'll get back on the audio. Hopefully this winter. I need more money and time! |
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Post by Meerkat on Sept 12, 2016 13:49:23 GMT
My autumn / winter project will be revisiting the audio in my car. Planning to mount some woofers in the rear parcel shelf with tweeters mounted on the seatbelt turrets or possibly in the headrests. It will be a bit of an experiment but hopefully should give better results than the rather unsatisfactory sound from the door speakers.
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Post by V6 on Sept 15, 2016 8:42:34 GMT
In any other car I'd say that would sound odd. In a noisy five with the top down it might make a lot of sense. There's only one way to find out! I don't mind it being harder to hear the tunes with the top down at high speed, if it means I can get a better soundstage at low speed cruising. It is all about compromise |
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Post by Meerkat on Sept 15, 2016 9:02:04 GMT
Yeah I agree. Pehaps the solution would be to have some sort of control panel under the radio where I can adjust how much sound is going to the headrest speakers, depending on wind noise. Hmmmm....
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Post by V6 on Sept 15, 2016 9:24:42 GMT
I actually have something which will do that, all from a single two channel amplifier. It is an old school gizmo made by Infinity. It mixes between two sets of speakers: front and back. You simply hook up the speakers and tweak it to suit. Mine is new in the box, made by Infinity. If you want it I can let it go for less than half what it owes me, feel free to PM |
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Post by Meerkat on Sept 15, 2016 9:29:35 GMT
Thanks mate! Gonna do a bit of a scoping session in the next few weeks - work out where I'm going to run cables and fit speakers etc, but that sounds like it might be a good solution. I'll keep you posted and let you know asap if I'm going to need it. |
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Post by V6 on Sept 15, 2016 12:33:59 GMT
I've got other useful rare old school things too, like Tri-Mode (or Mixed Mono, as some call it) passive crossovers. These allow you to run a sub and stereo speakers from one two channel amp. I have another one which can run front stereo, rear stereo, plus a sub, all from one two channel amp. Back in the day this saved cost, weight, plus space.
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Post by Meerkat on Sept 15, 2016 13:01:48 GMT
I've got other useful rare old school things too, like Tri-Mode (or Mixed Mono, as some call it) passive crossovers. These allow you to run a sub and stereo speakers from one two channel amp. I have another one which can run front stereo, rear stereo, plus a sub, all from one two channel amp. Back in the day this saved cost, weight, plus space. That might be worth looking into as well. I'm planning to keep the door speakers but only run a reduced feed to them to "fill in" the sound a bit, with the main sound going to the rears. I was planning to wire my 2 channel amp to the rears and wire the doors speakers direct to the headunit, then use the Fade control to adjust the volume accordingly. But a crossover would be another way to achieve it. Looks like I'm going to need to do some research... |
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Post by V6 on Sept 15, 2016 13:24:33 GMT
The best stereo plus sub solutions in Tri-Mode was either a Soundstream PC100 (ultra rare), Infinity KPX-2 (rare), or Phoenix Gold XVR (rare). There were others, but there three were head and shoulders the best quality above all else. I've owned all of these and still have examples brand new in their original boxes.
If you want front and rear fade, plus the option (but not essential) of adding a sub too, the Infinity KPX-2 was the very best. Not the most blingy, but very well made. They cost £120 new back when that was worth a lot more than now. Very unusually there is one Ebay now, but I can offer a new one even cheaper at mates rates if you want to go that route. Cheap enough that you could sell it on for more if you change your mind anyway.
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Post by Meerkat on Sept 15, 2016 13:47:35 GMT
CHeers bud, that's really useful. I might well take you up on that |
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Post by V6 on Sept 15, 2016 13:51:55 GMT
No worries. It's always good to play with different approaches. Every car is different and everyones aims are different Thinking back to my old school 106 GTi days, when I had a pair of 6x9 on the rear shelf. In an Mx5 that might actually make some sense for top down fast driving. Maybe not the ultimate in Hi-Fi goals, but it may be pretty damn practical. At least you'll be able to hear it! |
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le sigh