ok, well im not sure as to wat car yet, but i thought id move on and start thinking gear. now ill tell ya what ive got first, and if some people can tell us if i should change anything etc. any help appreciated.
what i will already have for the new car... (if need be)
SPX-177A's
MRV-F505
MRV-1505
2x 12" JL W3 D4's
Alpine Head Unit 4V 4x60W MP3 (older one, which flip down face, pretty good)
Lanzar 1 Farad Cap
ok now, if i was to get some new parts wat are the best for the following prices
Splits (2 way or 3 way?) - Max ~$600
Subs? - ~$500ea
Headunit - ~$1000
Equaliser - ~$300
and to give you an idea on my type of music...
The Cure
Tool
A Perfect Circle
Deftones
Incubus
Cog
Karnivool
The Butterfly Effect
Shivaree
Smashing Pumpkins
(many more)
any help appreciated guys, thanks for reading.
Trav
Full Version: Help with SQ system...
Well...
I have the X splits and I listen to extremely similar stuff 2 you.
As far as mid bass is concerned it is MORE than covered regarding the X's and I run a single X 12 for bass and it is perfect (for me ofcourse) but considering wat I listen to and how it compares with you, I tihnk your relatively set but once again it completely depends on what YOU want.
I have the X splits and I listen to extremely similar stuff 2 you.
As far as mid bass is concerned it is MORE than covered regarding the X's and I run a single X 12 for bass and it is perfect (for me ofcourse) but considering wat I listen to and how it compares with you, I tihnk your relatively set but once again it completely depends on what YOU want.
What is the total budget you have? For some of the price you list for each item it wouldn't be worth buying new products. For eg: the SPX-177 you have now, even if you were to buy new ones they are $699 for the SPX-177R. I would put most of your money into new splits, instead of getting new everything.
Your amps are fine, subs are ok. For the biggest increase in SQ I would suggest getting high end splits...
Your amps are fine, subs are ok. For the biggest increase in SQ I would suggest getting high end splits...
dont bother replacing your head unit, im guessing its a 9815 that youve got.. in which case $1000 wont be much of an upgrade.. only thing better in that kinda proce range would be a 7998R, unless you dont care about mp3's, then you could get an Nakamichi CD700 or something
exactly what HU is it?
in general, it takes about double the cost to have a worthwhile upgrade. so replacing the type-X splits with $600 splits isn't what i'd call an upgrade; you probably need to look at stuff around $1000~1500.
my thoughts on what may improve things significantly include:
*adding alpine processor to existing HU: PXA-H701 $999 + RUX-C701 controller $499
*changing subamp to good 1ohm-stable monobloc: digital designs M1 ~$900, phoenix gold X1200.1, JL audio 1000/1 (run at 4ohm, same power for all loads between 1.5~4ohm)
*improving installation where applicable: custom subbox, sound deadening, sealing doors up, etc
in general, it takes about double the cost to have a worthwhile upgrade. so replacing the type-X splits with $600 splits isn't what i'd call an upgrade; you probably need to look at stuff around $1000~1500.
my thoughts on what may improve things significantly include:
*adding alpine processor to existing HU: PXA-H701 $999 + RUX-C701 controller $499
*changing subamp to good 1ohm-stable monobloc: digital designs M1 ~$900, phoenix gold X1200.1, JL audio 1000/1 (run at 4ohm, same power for all loads between 1.5~4ohm)
*improving installation where applicable: custom subbox, sound deadening, sealing doors up, etc
yeh cheers for the info guys
the HU is a 7894RB
and yes sound deadening will play a big part in the install this time.
will the 1505 power the two JL W3 D4's alright?
the HU is a 7894RB
and yes sound deadening will play a big part in the install this time.
will the 1505 power the two JL W3 D4's alright?
From my previous experiences with the 1505 it will have no problems powering those subs. It is an extremely gutsy amp, and is more than happy to run at 1 ohm too.
There is a switch on them which you can turn on for running "low" impedances, but i have no idea what it actually does. But it should be good for about 900 watts at 14V.
There is a switch on them which you can turn on for running "low" impedances, but i have no idea what it actually does. But it should be good for about 900 watts at 14V.
QUOTE (Tiphareth @ Dec 16 2005, 01:40 PM) 
the HU is a 7894RB
and yes sound deadening will play a big part in the install this time.
will the 1505 power the two JL W3 D4's alright?
and yes sound deadening will play a big part in the install this time.
will the 1505 power the two JL W3 D4's alright?
cool. i'd go with an alpine processor like the PXA-H701+controller. that will set you back around $1300~1400 streetprice, maybe cheaper. this will add a huge amount of tuning ability, including 31-band graphic EQ, and full xovers. you could even go 'active' with the front spltis run off the F505 to add improved dynamics (hard, hitting transients). but only do this is you have the ability to tune the thing properly. this takes a good understanding of what you're aiming to achieve (ie: reference system and knowledge of how music should sound), preferably with access to an RTA (realtime analyser) to help tune the EQ. it'll be complex, but lots of fun and potential, but again, a waste of time if not done properly.
then i'd focus on improving the installation where you think it's required: sound deadener, remounting the speakers, reangling the tweeters, etc.
QUOTE (shiny_car @ Dec 16 2005, 11:39 PM)
cool. i'd go with an alpine processor like the PXA-H701+controller. that will set you back around $1300~1400 streetprice, maybe cheaper. this will add a huge amount of tuning ability, including 31-band graphic EQ, and full xovers. you could even go 'active' with the front spltis run off the F505 to add improved dynamics (hard, hitting transients). but only do this is you have the ability to tune the thing properly. this takes a good understanding of what you're aiming to achieve (ie: reference system and knowledge of how music should sound), preferably with access to an RTA (realtime analyser) to help tune the EQ. it'll be complex, but lots of fun and potential, but again, a waste of time if not done properly.
then i'd focus on improving the installation where you think it's required: sound deadener, remounting the speakers, reangling the tweeters, etc.
then i'd focus on improving the installation where you think it's required: sound deadener, remounting the speakers, reangling the tweeters, etc.
yeh sweet. cheers. um where can i go have it tuned like that? and wat kinda dollars do they charge for this?
also, noob question, can anyone explain the whole 'active' thing?
cheers
Trav
Sorry to hijack,
Can you use the alpine processor like the PXA-H701+controller running off say a Pioneer or Blaupunkt headunit?
If so, will all the functions be avaiable?
Can you use the alpine processor like the PXA-H701+controller running off say a Pioneer or Blaupunkt headunit?
If so, will all the functions be avaiable?
alpine processors work best with alpine HUs. you can use non-alpine HUs but you lose a lot of convenience: instead of using the controls on the HU for volume/fader/balance, etc, you can't do that. instead you use the control face of the processor (the RUX-C701) which looks like the face of a HU, and use that to work the controls. so you would have to mount the RUX somewhere convenient in the dash.
most alpine retailers will do a decent job of tuning it, although most installers are not real SQ buffs, so aren't fantastic at doing it. ideally use an RTA (realtime analyser) to graph the frequency response of the stereo, then you can tune the EQ for a flatter response; not all retailers have an RTA. plus a 'flat' response doesn't always sound best.
so it's a bit of a black art to tune it properly, and it takes a long, long time. you cannot expect to tune it perfectly with one short session. it's something YOU should learn to tweak, as even the best systems are tweaked month after month to optimise things. i've certainly tweaked my system all year for the competition season, even with the help of an RTA.
still, it's fairly easy to do a good job, and only extremely fussy ears would wish to fine tune it further. so depends how fussy you are; if you're really fussy, then you are probably well-positioned to fine tune yourself.
i expect a store would charge standard hourly rate. they may spend an hour working on it, and charge you around $70.
'active' means using a separate channel to run each individual speaker. so with a 2-way set of front splits, you would use 4 channels: one each for the tweeters and woofers. then you use 'active xovers' (hence the term) to set the filters, and do away with the standard passive xover supplied with the splits. so, for example, you could use the processor to HP the woofer at 80Hz and LP at 1.5kHz. this effectively bandpasses the woofer between 80Hz-1.5kHz. then you could use the processor to HP the tweeters at 1.7kHz.
the advantage of going active is that you can set the xovers where YOU want and adjust the volumes of each driver separately. some splits will sound like the treble is too loud; going active means you can set the gain a bit lower to lower the volume of the tweeters.
active also should provide better dynamics: the ability to play instant louds/softs with more accuracy and drive.
again, tuning an active system takes a lot of experience, and adds to the complexity of a stereo. plus it doesn't always sound better, particularly with really high quality splits that include a really high quality passive xover that can be extremely difficult to improve upon.
QUOTE (Tiphareth @ Dec 19 2005, 04:01 PM)
yeh sweet. cheers. um where can i go have it tuned like that? and wat kinda dollars do they charge for this?
most alpine retailers will do a decent job of tuning it, although most installers are not real SQ buffs, so aren't fantastic at doing it. ideally use an RTA (realtime analyser) to graph the frequency response of the stereo, then you can tune the EQ for a flatter response; not all retailers have an RTA. plus a 'flat' response doesn't always sound best.
so it's a bit of a black art to tune it properly, and it takes a long, long time. you cannot expect to tune it perfectly with one short session. it's something YOU should learn to tweak, as even the best systems are tweaked month after month to optimise things. i've certainly tweaked my system all year for the competition season, even with the help of an RTA.
still, it's fairly easy to do a good job, and only extremely fussy ears would wish to fine tune it further. so depends how fussy you are; if you're really fussy, then you are probably well-positioned to fine tune yourself.
i expect a store would charge standard hourly rate. they may spend an hour working on it, and charge you around $70.
QUOTE
also, noob question, can anyone explain the whole 'active' thing?
'active' means using a separate channel to run each individual speaker. so with a 2-way set of front splits, you would use 4 channels: one each for the tweeters and woofers. then you use 'active xovers' (hence the term) to set the filters, and do away with the standard passive xover supplied with the splits. so, for example, you could use the processor to HP the woofer at 80Hz and LP at 1.5kHz. this effectively bandpasses the woofer between 80Hz-1.5kHz. then you could use the processor to HP the tweeters at 1.7kHz.
the advantage of going active is that you can set the xovers where YOU want and adjust the volumes of each driver separately. some splits will sound like the treble is too loud; going active means you can set the gain a bit lower to lower the volume of the tweeters.
active also should provide better dynamics: the ability to play instant louds/softs with more accuracy and drive.
again, tuning an active system takes a lot of experience, and adds to the complexity of a stereo. plus it doesn't always sound better, particularly with really high quality splits that include a really high quality passive xover that can be extremely difficult to improve upon.
There is no problem with mixing any headunits with PXA and yes you still can have all the features working... i'm using Denon DCT1 unit with PXA and it works ok...
I am not too sure what is the price list for audio gears in Australia. However, rather than adding PXA+RUX 701 I prefer to go for Pioneer P9RS. It has a similar features with multimedia manager but you have a 24bit BurrBrown advantage. And Again, i don't know how much they cost. In my country, P9RS is around AUD2K and if i wasn't wrong PXA+RUX 701 is around AUD1K... cheap yeah...
I am not too sure what is the price list for audio gears in Australia. However, rather than adding PXA+RUX 701 I prefer to go for Pioneer P9RS. It has a similar features with multimedia manager but you have a 24bit BurrBrown advantage. And Again, i don't know how much they cost. In my country, P9RS is around AUD2K and if i wasn't wrong PXA+RUX 701 is around AUD1K... cheap yeah...
trav the system components are fine
if you would like to up grade the only thing i would personally do to your system is to run fully active (amp channel per speaker, 5 channels which i believe you have now) via a new head unit with (like alpines bass engine pro equiped headunits). The alpine pxa-h700/701 processor is a nice choice but do you really need 8channels. I think 6 channel bass engine pro alpine headunit would be enough and its a lot lot cheaper than the outboard processor. Alpine right now has specials on their headunits with up to 30% off rrp. The top of the range headunit is the 9855 $759 and the other bass engine pro headunit is the 9853 $699
the new alpine type x splits are no better than what you have. The midrange is the same the only difference is that the new set comes with a different tweeter and im not convinced that this new tweeter is any better than what you have now
the best small tweeter ive heard is the scanspeak 2904/600001 series. if you have room for a bigger tweeter then a morel supremo, dynaudio md130, scanspeak 2904/700000 or 710000 are very very good choices.
if you would like to up grade the only thing i would personally do to your system is to run fully active (amp channel per speaker, 5 channels which i believe you have now) via a new head unit with (like alpines bass engine pro equiped headunits). The alpine pxa-h700/701 processor is a nice choice but do you really need 8channels. I think 6 channel bass engine pro alpine headunit would be enough and its a lot lot cheaper than the outboard processor. Alpine right now has specials on their headunits with up to 30% off rrp. The top of the range headunit is the 9855 $759 and the other bass engine pro headunit is the 9853 $699
the new alpine type x splits are no better than what you have. The midrange is the same the only difference is that the new set comes with a different tweeter and im not convinced that this new tweeter is any better than what you have now
the best small tweeter ive heard is the scanspeak 2904/600001 series. if you have room for a bigger tweeter then a morel supremo, dynaudio md130, scanspeak 2904/700000 or 710000 are very very good choices.
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