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I'm planning on buying a new midsize sedan in two to three months, and I really like the '14 Mazda6. The only problem I have, though, is that every model with automatic transmission comes with a poorly reviewed GPS / infotainment display. I'm a pretty big audiophile, so I'm planning to spend around $1500 on speakers, subs, amp, head unit, etc. My question is: If I swap out the stock GPS / display unit for another unit (either a different infotainment display or a "standard" deck) will I lose partial functionality (car information readouts)? If so, is it feasible to keep the standard head unit and still get good audio quality out of my speakers / subs? I don't know a whole lot about car audio, but would the standard unit still allow for high pass filter and good audio? If not, is there a way around this?
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May 26, 2013 06:01
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JackRabbitStorm posted:I picked up an 03 Explorer today and put in my AVH-P4200DVD in it.
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May 26, 2013 06:28
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ryan_woody posted:My question is: If I swap out the stock GPS / display unit for another unit (either a different infotainment display or a "standard" deck) will I lose partial functionality (car information readouts)? If so, is it feasible to keep the standard head unit and still get good audio quality out of my speakers / subs? I don't know a whole lot about car audio, but would the standard unit still allow for high pass filter and good audio? If not, is there a way around this?
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May 26, 2013 06:31
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I've narrowed my head unit choices down to three. I'd appreciate some advice. I could get the Alpine CDE-HD148BT, which has all the features I want, and a low-res display:  Or, for $50 more, I could get the CDE-HD149BT, which is identical except for having a fold-down faceplate, a higher-resolution, easier to use and better looking display, and an aux port in the back instead of the front:  But if I'm gonna spring for that, I could get a Pioneer DEH-80PRS for the same price. It's a fancy audiophile receiver and has more DSP and sound setup options than the Alpines, but it doesn't have HD Radio. I'm not sure how much I'll use HD Radio, but it'd be nice to have the option.  Anyone here owned any of these three?
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May 26, 2013 09:58
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atomicthumbs posted:Anyone have a recommendation for a head unit that's not a total pain to browse an iPod or flash drive with? Preferably, it'd have a non-segmented, readable display that I can set to green to match the rest of the lights in my car. Not sure what you mean about being a pain to browse, so I have no idea what will work for you. I have a Kenwood Excelon KDC-X995 (not sure what the current version is, as this one is discontinued), and it's browsing seems fairly typical to me - you click one button to select 'music', then can choose from Albums, Artists, Playlists, Genre, etc. You then scroll through the items available, and select it, and it then drops to the next level (from Artist -> Album -> Song). I think my previous Alpine was a little better ergonomically from the head unit, but the Kenwood is very easy with the remote, and both Kenwood and Alpine head units allow you to change color of the display (hell, probably all of the non-Kmart specials do now). You can also set up specific speaker to listening position distances, so the head puts in delays to make your 'spot' the center of the listening environment, very much like a good modern home receiver, just without the automatic via microphone detection. I got this unit specifically because of the level of adjustment in the EQ/DSP stuff, but once I upgraded all the speakers and sub to quality units, I ended up running it very close to 'flat' anyway, which seems to be true of most higher-end units I've ever had. Once you no longer have to compensate for the terrible factory speakers response curves, you only need to tune to the environment. I would still get a unit with the speaker distance setting ability though, it's so much better than a simple fader/balance setup in my opinion, and you can set the distance of the sub also. Edit: You posted again with your narrowed selection while I was typing that.  Personally, I don't like front aux - I'd rather run a cable to my glove box, where I can put the Ipod or thumb drive and have them out of sight. So I'd go with whichever of the rear-aux units you like better. They both have a pretty great feature set, and all of the adjustments you could ask for it looks like. The Pioneer even steps up to auto-adjustment with an included microphone, which, if it works as good as the Onkyo home units I've had, is a pretty awesome feature for setting up your baseline EQ and speaker distances. The Locator fucked around with this message at 19:00 on May 26, 2013 |
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May 26, 2013 18:54
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Whenever I plug my phone or iPod into my headunit (3.5mm), I get interference from the ignition (crackling with my iPod, engine buzz with my phone). Would just rewiring my cigarette lighter straight to the battery fix it? I can't think of a much better way to avoid weird grounding issues, which is what I'm assuming the problem is. Doing that would also solve the other annoying problem of it being ignition-switched, which drives me insane.
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May 26, 2013 19:00
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atomicthumbs posted:I've narrowed my head unit choices down to three. I'd appreciate some advice. Not one of the three but my Kenwood KDC-X597 has fantastic bluetooth compatibility and a front aux port. Very pleased with it + the ipod surfing capability.
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May 26, 2013 19:02
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Hypnolobster posted:Whenever I plug my phone or iPod into my headunit (3.5mm), I get interference from the ignition (crackling with my iPod, engine buzz with my phone). Would just rewiring my cigarette lighter straight to the battery fix it? I can't think of a much better way to avoid weird grounding issues, which is what I'm assuming the problem is. Fix the ground on the stereo, and get a better cable for the iPod connection.
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May 27, 2013 16:09
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Pyle PL573BL 5-Inch x 7-Inch and 6-Inch x 8-Inch 300 Watt Three-Way Speakers for $22.(normally $64) Are Pyle speakers any good? I've heard to avoid their head units, but the reviews on the speakers are good. Do I need more than 50w to push these, or should they be fine just off the head unit? Edit: is there a debate between crimping and soldering? RodShaft fucked around with this message at 18:55 on May 27, 2013 |
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May 27, 2013 17:27
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RodShaft posted:Pyle PL573BL 5-Inch x 7-Inch and 6-Inch x 8-Inch 300 Watt Three-Way Speakers for $22.(normally $64) Pyle seems to be on the same level as BOSS Audio. poo poo. I'm sure they are better than stock, and for $22 might be worth it, but don't expect anything special.
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May 27, 2013 20:17
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Geirskogul posted:Fix the ground on the stereo, and get a better cable for the iPod connection. It's the same cable, actually. Just 3.5mm. No bad sounds at all unless I plug into the respective power cables.
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May 27, 2013 20:24
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JackRabbitStorm posted:Pyle seems to be on the same level as BOSS Audio. poo poo. My Focus has 4 6x8 speakers (one in each door) should I go for matching speakers in all four doors, or is there a better kind for the front vs. the back?
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May 27, 2013 21:27
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RodShaft posted:So if I'm going for best bang for the buck looks like I should spend a little more and get Sony or Pioneer? I've always matched them, but I'm anal about poo poo like that. I would suggest going for Pioneer, Sony or some other mid range speakers.
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May 27, 2013 21:37
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Nobody's ever regretted a solid set of Pioneers. I'd put Pyle/Pyramid crap in my old beat-up truck that's noisy as poo poo anyways, but not in anything decent.
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May 27, 2013 21:39
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If you routinely have people in the back (or have money to burn), then I'd match them. Otherwise, if you're on a budget, put good ones up front and ignore the back - most of what you're hearing is from the front anyway. Like Jonny said, nothing wrong with Pioneer. Their stuff is surprisingly cheap for what you get.
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May 27, 2013 21:43
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How about 2-way vs. 3-way vs. 4-way? does this make that much of a difference?
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May 27, 2013 21:55
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 2 way is usually fine for a car, personally I'd spend the money to get components instead of 3 ways. That's just my opinion though..
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May 27, 2013 22:04
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some texas redneck posted:
I can drop 3-ways in and be done. Also they're cheaper. I guess I could fit a 5.25 an a tweeter in the space.
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May 27, 2013 22:17
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Lowclock posted:I would skip the Alpines. They're not even as good as the previous gen Type X's, which weren't very good to begin with, let alone good enough justify their insane price tag. Hiding under that huge frame and giant rubber magnet cover is still a little 117 oz motor and a 2 1/2" voice coil. 1 12" may or may not end up sounding better than 2 10"s, but it's mostly down to install over subs. I usually recommend going with 1 larger sub over 2 smaller ones. - Shared enclosure for the two subs. - Relatively short ports. - Again, poo poo construction. I replaced it with another pre-fab box and saw a pretty huge difference. The sound gets deeper, is more consistent without a noticeable hump (I had to tweak the EQ like crazy before to get a more gradual curve), and overall sounds quite a bit more accurate and clean. The subs themselves have served me pretty well so far but if this didn't work out and the subs were completely to blame, I'd be moving to a single JL 10W7 or 12W7. Or at least something equivalent in quality but cheaper (which I hear is definitely out there). A local shop often has pretty decent prices for these subs. I still consider doing it, but I'm exercising some restraint.
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May 28, 2013 03:30
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atomicthumbs posted:I've narrowed my head unit choices down to three. I'd appreciate some advice... I might be to late and while not exactly the same I have the deh-p99rs in the fiat and it is by far the best car stereo out there. The 80prs is the similar and shares some of the same features like the time alignment and better processing than any of the other units you listed.
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May 28, 2013 06:31
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I'm thinking about building a fibreglass sub box to fit inside my spare tire. My tires are only 185/65-r15, so the enclosure isn't going to be huge. I already got a good deal on a decent quality amp that is probably way more powerful than I need. I also got a good price on a decent 10" sub, but I am guessing that it would be too big? I guess my question is whether a undersized enclosure will ruin the sound quality even when playing on low volume? A big box in the boot isn't an option. Edit- My maths based no rim size gives me a theoretical max of 21 litres, but I will probably get no more than 12-15 litres. Humbug fucked around with this message at 10:19 on May 31, 2013 |
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May 31, 2013 10:09
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Humbug posted:I'm thinking about building a fibreglass sub box to fit inside my spare tire. My tires are only 185/65-r15, so the enclosure isn't going to be huge. I already got a good deal on a decent quality amp that is probably way more powerful than I need. I also got a good price on a decent 10" sub, but I am guessing that it would be too big? I guess my question is whether a undersized enclosure will ruin the sound quality even when playing on low volume? A big box in the boot isn't an option.
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May 31, 2013 10:27
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Lowclock posted:It's not really ideal, but you should be able to do a pretty nice sealed box in there no problem. Brace it up real well and cram a bunch of polyfill in there and you should be able to make something that sounds great. Thanks. A sealed box was always the plan. I guess a reflex box that small would only sound like a series of farts. There is some space between the top of the spare and the boot floor I could also expand into. As a follow-up, the sub I'm looking at is a dual coil 2*4 ohm unit rated for 400w rms. The amp is rated at 480w rms at 4 ohms, but can apparently handle 2-8 ohms. I am guessing I should wire the coils in series giving 8 ohms rather than in parallel giving 2 ohms, since I don't care to much about absolute power, and the amp being slightly too powerful for the sub? Am I correct in thinking higher resistance gives less heat build-up in the amp?
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May 31, 2013 11:43
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15L would be enough for a pair of the sundown audio sd2-8 subs like I just got to build in the console for the crown vic. The are supposed to be pretty good and the have very shallow depth requirements as well. I hope to install mine this week. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00B3Y4D9Q
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May 31, 2013 11:59
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Holdbrooks posted:15L would be enough for a pair of the sundown audio sd2-8 subs like I just got to build in the console for the crown vic. The are supposed to be pretty good and the have very shallow depth requirements as well. I hope to install mine this week. Thanks for the tip, but I'm in Europe, and shipping/taxes on those will probably double the price. I found the SA-8 for sale here, but its more than $300, witch seems a bit steep compared to the 10" I found for less than $100(usually$250). The web-store selling them also looked super sketchy. I did find some Cadance S2W8 for a reasonable price, but they seem to be all about sound pressure and ported boxes. These are also available at reasonable prices, but mounting depth shouldn't be at that much of a premium. http://www.helixhifi.com/products/product_details.asp?item_id=142203
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May 31, 2013 12:48
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I figured as much with the liters vs cubic foot but I would have though they would have a distributed there since they are made In china anyway. But as to your other question about resistance your amp unless a higher end regulated one will put out more power at 2ohm vs 8ohm I would guess that since it is 480w at 4 it would be more like 600w at 2 and 300w at 8. It should say in the specs.
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May 31, 2013 13:44
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Humbug posted:Thanks. A sealed box was always the plan. I guess a reflex box that small would only sound like a series of farts. There is some space between the top of the spare and the boot floor I could also expand into.
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May 31, 2013 21:07
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Are these MBQuart component speakers likely to be any good?
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Jun 1, 2013 00:32
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atomicthumbs posted:Are these MBQuart component speakers likely to be any good?
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Jun 1, 2013 00:46
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atomicthumbs posted:Are these MBQuart component speakers likely to be any good? I had the 6.5" version of those (ONX216) in my Altima. They're okay, but MB Quart quality has really gone down since they moved production to China, customer service has gone to the shitter since MaxxSonics (owner of Hifonics and Crunch) got ahold of them. The tweeters were also painfully bright, even on the lowest setting on the crossover, and prone to crackling. Don't believe the "German engineering" claim either, most of Maxx's stuff is either US or Chinese designed, and almost all of their brands are manufactured in China now. They used to be fantastic when MB Quart was still a German company. That said, they're not terrible for the price, but I'd probably lean more toward Infinity's Reference components (and that's the direction I'll probably take on my current car). Lowclock posted:MB Quart really loves their titanium tweeters and have been known to be really bright, but nothing that the -3 or -6 pads or a little treble adjustment can't fix. The Onyx line uses poly. randomidiot fucked around with this message at 05:34 on Jun 1, 2013 |
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Jun 1, 2013 05:30
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atomicthumbs posted:Are these MBQuart component speakers likely to be any good? For $30 more, I really like these in my car. They don't include the adjustable crossover, instead they have integrated crossovers so you don't have to worry about where to stick the extra piece. I have plenty of tuning in my head unit so the lack of the adjustment in the crossover wasn't an issue for me. They also have better power handling, if that's an issue for you (50 watts rms vs 35). If the cost difference is a big deal, you can step down to the Prime series - Found here. Specs are closer to (but still slightly better than) the MB Quartz, for $5 less. I do think the Rockford's are a deeper profile though, so check fitment first.
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Jun 1, 2013 05:50
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some texas redneck posted:The Onyx line uses poly.
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Jun 1, 2013 09:26
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I did a search and couldn't find what I was looking for, so I'll ask away. I have an '07 Honda S2000 and I'm looking to upgrade the head unit from the lovely Pioneer unit that has Bluetooth voice features but not audio streaming. I won't be upgrading the speakers or adding subwoofers/amps right now, but it's very possible in the future. My specific goals are, in descending order: (1) Maximizing sound quality from my iPhone streaming via Bluetooth to the head unit (1a) Having it be Bluetooth Audio-enabled (2) Having several outputs available for the ability to add amps, sub(s), etc. in the future (3) Having RDS available I'm a budding audiophile so all the songs on my phone are 320 kbps++, and I don't believe there would be degradation going via Bluetooth to the head unit. Virtuall all head units I saw on Crutchfield had the DAC bypass feature already if that's applicable. I tried to do some research on the quality of the sound cards in head units to try to find the most optimal one but it didn't amount to much. A friend confirms my Crutchfield.com search as the Kenwood Excelon KDC-X997 being my ideal purchase, but I wanted to run it by you guys first.
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Jun 1, 2013 16:35
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Lowclock posted:Yes, for the woofers. The tweeters are "titanium". Who cares, either way they're going to have a really strong high end. How'd I manage to poke a hole in the tweeters from my set then?  It was very much some form of plastic.
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Jun 2, 2013 01:29
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some texas redneck posted:How'd I manage to poke a hole in the tweeters from my set then?
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Jun 2, 2013 06:49
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Does anyone know of a Ford OEM head unit that will make a good replacement for an 02 Thunderbird? It's a double din 6 disk changer unit. It's for a family member that just wants to replace their broken unit with an OEM style unit.
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Jun 2, 2013 19:28
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hassan posted:A friend confirms my Crutchfield.com search as the Kenwood Excelon KDC-X997 being my ideal purchase, but I wanted to run it by you guys first. I can't speak to that exact head unit but I've run Kenwood Excelon head units since about 2004 (I've had 3 of them in various cars) and I've been pleased overall with the sound quality, durability, and features. I only play MP3s from a hard wired player.
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Jun 5, 2013 20:17
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A buddy got a deal on 3 used Phoenix Gold Tantrum 12" subs for cheap. Anyone know where to get the T/S parameters of these ? If I can get measurements I'd like to build a slot ported box for them. If not, I'll do a sealed enclosure. In a sealed enclosure is it better to have each sub in it's individual compartment or can all 3 share the airspace ? They're be powered by a Alpine monoblock that does 1000w rms @ 2 ohms. I believe these are 8 ohm drivers, so 3 of them would make for a 3 ohm load correct ?
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Jun 7, 2013 21:46
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jonathan posted:In a sealed enclosure is it better to have each sub in it's individual compartment or can all 3 share the airspace ? They're be powered by a Alpine monoblock that does 1000w rms @ 2 ohms. I believe these are 8 ohm drivers, so 3 of them would make for a 3 ohm load correct ? If they're dual voice coil, 8/6=1.33. If they're single, 8/3=2.66. Either way, you'll want to parallel all the coils.
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Jun 7, 2013 22:11
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As for specs - they're long removed from Phoenix Gold's website (the Tantrum line is from.. 2001 or so, I think?), but I bet their tech support still has that info. From their website: support@phoenixgold.com 888.228.5560 randomidiot fucked around with this message at 00:12 on Jun 8, 2013 |
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Jun 8, 2013 00:09
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