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Car Audio Gurus wanted


The History Kid

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^ :lol::D

In other news...car audio is something I slip up on. I feel like there might be more to it than just what you find in home due to acoustics and road noise. I think someone mentioned sensitivity...does anyone have any other advice when it comes to selecting car audio parts? Any resources I could check out too?

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^ :lol::D

In other news...car audio is something I slip up on. I feel like there might be more to it than just what you find in home due to acoustics and road noise. I think someone mentioned sensitivity...does anyone have any other advice when it comes to selecting car audio parts? Any resources I could check out too?

MLO sounds like one of the "Go-To" guys for that.

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I didn't read any reviews, but I have had good luck with Kicker.  I have had the 6" KS600 I believe, in my jeep for about 7 years.  I ran an MTX thunder 4 channel amp at 45 watts rms.  I have pushed them pretty hard, they sound great and take a beating. 

 

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_20641D6934/Kicker-41DSC6934.html?tp=91&awkw=75640793065&awat=pla&awnw=g&awcr=47645369785&awdv=c

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^ :lol: :DIn other news...car audio is something I slip up on. I feel like there might be more to it than just what you find in home due to acoustics and road noise. I think someone mentioned sensitivity...does anyone have any other advice when it comes to selecting car audio parts? Any resources I could check out too?

Something to consider, if you like to crank it, maybe try to put some capacitors in-line with the speakers. The problem with head units nowadays is that the "amp" is literally a $2 mosfet chip the size of your fingernail. It can't handle bass very well and will clip easily if you try. Good chance that's why your mom blew her speakers.

Generally speaking though, yes good car audio is hard but it's just different because some things are easier. Imaging is hardest because you can't sit symmetrical in the middle of the speakers. Also lots of people get the midbass wrong, either loading up the rear with midbass drivers or just letting the subs handle those frequencies. A good sounding car will have midbass 100% coming from up front, drums will sound like they're coming out of your dash. To this day this drives me crazy, people having subs crossed over high, behind them. Not supposed to be like that.

Also with cars there usually isn't much room up high in the front for woofers, so most people end up with coaxials firing into their ankles or otherwise having the tweeter pointed in a non-optimal direction. You can make huge improvements just by going with separates, which typically also comes with a high quality external crossover. Finding good affordable ones is harder though.

Edited by MetropolisLakeOutfitters
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What sucks nowadays is that the more affordable stuff is always targeted at 16 year old punks. Speakers with neon cones, chrome dust caps, lightweight polymer subs, it's all Chinese junk. This crap started right after everybody moved manufacturing to China. 15 years ago much of it was still made here, much of it right here in western kentucky at the Credence factory a few miles away from me, friends of mine worked there. Suddenly everybody started importing everything from china. My friends were unemployed and a bunch of toys started showing up on shelves. This is why I would like to start swapping some of my gear out to American made stuff. Acoustic elegance, speakerpower, etc.

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What you have mentioned is why I prefer the sound in my Fusion over the Taurus. The Fusion has a little less bass but has the drivers separate. That's also why I am looking into getting the rear top speakers added.

Do you think subs are a must have though? I always think of space in my car.

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If you want great sound, typically yeah, but if the budget doesn't allow then that's another story. I'm in the same boat with our jeep. Most anything will affect precious "trunk" space. We even have a factory sub but it sucks. Enclosure might as well be made out of cardboard. Lots of resonances. Probably going to eventually put a single 15 in there in a shallow wedge against the seat.

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I didn't want to read all those recommendations, so I might be repeating, or perhaps someone has found something even better, however...  I'm very satisfied with my Infinity Kappa speakers that were $75 a pair.  They rock, and they are the little round ones... 6", I think (if that's the standard on door speakers for mid-size sedan cars.

 

Anyway, I'd imagine the 6 x 9 versions of those really rock.

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I didn't want to read all those recommendations, so I might be repeating, or perhaps someone has found something even better, however...  I'm very satisfied with my Infinity Kappa speakers that were $75 a pair.  They rock, and they are the little round ones... 6", I think (if that's the standard on door speakers for mid-size sedan cars.

 

Anyway, I'd imagine the 6 x 9 versions of those really rock.

 

I had 4 6x9 Kappa 3 ways in my van with 2 Kappa perfect subs, they do sound nice.

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I didn't read any reviews, but I have had good luck with Kicker.  I have had the 6" KS600 I believe, in my jeep for about 7 years.

Kicker was one of the big ones that got shipped off to China. They used to be made right here, a little west of Paducah KY in Ballard County. The Credence guys retained the rights to the solobarik and square design and continued to make the exact same drivers, both subs and everything else. They didn't have that recognizable name brand though. Everybody wanted a Chinese speaker that said Kicker on it. Nobody wanted an American made Credence that was the exact same thing as the Kickers before they left, and even more affordable since it was manufacturer direct. Makes me sad in the pants. After the big brands all left I was buying name brand American made subs for like $25 each straight from the factory, ones that retailed for over $250. They couldn't give them away, had pallets full of the things.

At least we still have Hawley here in town. They make all the cones for all the JBL pro stuff, some of the paper coned Acoustic Elegance, and supposedly lots of others but won't say which ones. Lots of popular paper coned pro audio style drivers are being cranked out just a few miles from here.

Edited by MetropolisLakeOutfitters
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What sucks nowadays is that the more affordable stuff is always targeted at 16 year old punks. Speakers with neon cones, chrome dust caps, lightweight polymer subs, it's all Chinese junk. This crap started right after everybody moved manufacturing to China. 15 years ago much of it was still made here, much of it right here in western kentucky at the Credence factory a few miles away from me, friends of mine worked there. Suddenly everybody started importing everything from china. My friends were unemployed and a bunch of toys started showing up on shelves. This is why I would like to start swapping some of my gear out to American made stuff. Acoustic elegance, speakerpower, etc.

Yep!  The days of Orion XTR-100/200 NT100/200 Dual Mono block competition amps and HiFonics Series VIII Platinum High Current amps are long gone.  a/d/s speakers etc. all bought out and replaced with Chinese crap that sounds like 10 men beating on a rubber raft when cars go down the street.  Real shame.  If I were to build a system it would be components from the golden heyday of car audio.  I used home audio Morel MW166 6" woofers, Dynaudio MD-100 tweeters with custom networks in my '94 Camaro with the Alpine 7939, with the 400 series Ai-Net processor with a couple of Atomic HPW-1094 10" subwoofers in a custom Montana Pro bandpass sub box.  It sounded incredible and won me a couple IASCA sanctioned SQ competitions.  I gave up on car audio about 7 years ago, got tired from doing complete installs everytime I changed vehicles.

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Totally feel the American purchasing push. I've been trying to change things where possible. Unfortunately, it's harder than it should be. :(

On the sub note, I suppose I could see an 8 or two (maybe even a 10) embedded in the shallow wings in the trunk near the rear. Would have to be shallow for sure, but I'm betting if the boxes are built right, it'd work out still?

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On the sub note, I suppose I could see an 8 or two (maybe even a 10) embedded in the shallow wings in the trunk near the rear. Would have to be shallow for sure, but I'm betting if the boxes are built right, it'd work out still?

They make subs now that are flat as a pancake, literally the cone is flat and they are very shallow. A couple of those in a false floor or flat up against the seat wouldn't take up hardly any room at all. Ford Fusions have about the biggest trunk I've seen, I can't imagine missing any space from a small box.

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