Starting New Stereo Build

[knoles]

Car audio from the US is the best way IMHO. The price on some items is almost half what aussie prices. Items get to me in similar times to what they would from east coast, 16 days (11 working days) from order to my door from US on 32kg of subs! should be quicker to nearly everywhere in Australia. I've bought HU, amps, speakers, subs, dynamat, cable and general install accessories from USA and been very happy with the deals. Just buy off reputable sellers.

Warrantys overrated on good quality gear.

[The Jizard]

Alpine Imprint gear is good stuff, Rockford Fosgate have the 360.3 out now which is supposed to be the sh*t in LOC.

http://www.rockfordf...l.aspx?id=12836

Not a huge fan of LOC's but each to their own, just make sure it is earthed securely and have the RCA's well away from the Amp power cables in the hope of not getting the dreaded whine/hiss that is largely associated with LOC's. Would've worked out cheaper going with a killer head unit.

Edited 31/07/12 10:25 AM by Foon

[Shyfrd]

Yep, they should be down the opposite sides, power cable to go through the clutch grommet behind the pedals, and the wires for the LOC to tap into are behind glove box

[Panda Eyes]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3DFBtJoL8A

a bit of 'alpine' this and that propaganda, but the system is killa.

its coming from the us, as did/ is alot of fittings/ cables etc.

ha ha whats gone from a 500- 600 upgrade has/ will become a 2k build (already had a 4 channel amp, & jvc dvd head unit).

my wife is gonna kill me......

oh well I just won a 5 week job..... I can eat for a while at least...

[spinr33]

If you wanted to do a cheap build I would have just brought all option audio gear I did a full car once was a little under 2k including sound deadner and labour went hard for the money

[Panda Eyes]

high cost doesnt necessarily mean better.....

[Panda Eyes]

Rockford Fosgate have the 360.3 out now which is supposed to be the sh*t in LOC.

this looks like it will be an excellent processor, but at 800us it is a bit on the exy side...

remember that these are not just loc's. you can get a basic one for 15 bucks if you just want to convert signal.

these take signals from ALL channels of the factory unit, measure the signals, then get a base line on 256 (at least) bandwidths of equalization,

then send all those frequencies out FLAT, so you start with an accurate, natural signal for the amps to work with.

the benefit of this is that most factory integrated systems have inbuilt 'processes' to enhance (cough cough) the sound. eg: at low volume, the system will increase certain frequencies to make the sound clearer, and at louder volumes it will suppress other ones to reduce distortion.

you dont want these to be involved with your aftermarket system.

I'll elaborate when I get home from work...

Edited 01/08/12 10:49 PM by Panda Eyes

[spinr33]

Hey mate that 2 k was cheap full system including head unit etc full full system everything included even got some sponser ship from option audio themselves free sh*t , I rate their gear for a cheap reasonable system if your budget is bigger their is better I look forward to see what you end up doing

[Panda Eyes]

hey dude, thanks for your input, but tbh a bit of punctuation would help me understand your points a bit better...

[Panda Eyes]

im now in the market for a 3rd amplifier to accommodate an ACTIVE 3 way front stage.

whats the difference between active and passive?

PASSIVE systems use a single channel of signal (eg 1 channel from an ampifier) to power a component or 'split' speaker system (splits).

it takes the signal from that channel into a 'crossover' that then only sends certain frequencies to the mid bass driver, and other frequencies to the tweeter.

the crossover is often set at certain high pass and low pass frequencies that cant be adjusted.

eg: AMPLIFIER CHANNEL-------- 20hz- 20,000kh----------> crossover----------> 80hz-5khz-------> woofer

\

\----------------> 5kh-20khz------->tweeter

note that whatever power is being delivered from the amplifier channel, will be the SAME to both the woofer and the tweeter.

ACTIVE systems dont use external crossovers to filter the frequencies being sent to each speaker.

they use a dedicated channel from an amplified source to power EACH speaker independently.

the frequency filtration comes from the amplifier.

why is it better to use an active system over a passive system? quite simply- control. over the amount of power that each speaker receives. over the precise crossover frequencies that filter the signal to each speaker. and over the time delay (alignment) of each speaker.

for example, you install a 'split' speaker system in your car- the woofers go low in the doors- the tweeters in the sail panel or on the a pillar. the distance from the woofer and the tweeter, and your ears is different. no matter how much you adjust the crossover points, or amplifier gains (power) to the splits, the woofer and tweeter will adjust the same. there is no way to separate the power/ signal that goes to each.

an active system, on the other hand, is infinitely adjustable.

so what? you may say. well it doesnt sound like much, to have a foot or so diff in distance between your ears, but when you get into the finer points of sq (sound quality) in a system, where the sound 'meets'- where the sound frequencies reach their 'fulfillment' or final sound- is the difference between a great sq system, or a crap noise.

that's where an active system shines. the ability to adjust power to EACH speaker- not a pair of them. the ability to delay sound being played from a particular speaker so it reaches a place in your car at exactly the right moment. the ability to choose exactly which frequencies go to each speaker.

listen to a car that has an active system after listening to a passive system, and youll hear what I mean...

Edited 04/08/12 02:04 AM by Panda Eyes