Audiophiles

Discussion in 'Gear' started by GoT, Apr 14, 2012.

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  1. GoT

    GoT Strength and Honor

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    I have also decided to include a Pyramid CAP160DBL 1.6-Farad High-Performance Digital Power Capacitor. I have never used a cap before so this is more of a case study for me than a need. Still should prevent the headlights from dimming in time with Welcome To The Machine

    As any audiophile knows there is as much bullshot as real information out there. Caps do NOT drain batteries, shorts drain batteries. All electricity is produced by the alternator, 95 amps in my Ranger, everything else, I repeat, everything else distributes that 95 amps - including the cap. There is just so much misinformation out there about caps.

    well that is the general outline of what I have planned.

    Kenwood KAC-8405 amp
    MTX - RTS8-04 Sub - going into a ported JL Audio Stealthbox
    Kenwood KFC-C6894PS speakers
    6x8 baffle for the front door - this is a WTF purchase. I am buying hoping it prevents rattles from the door.
    Pyramid CAP160DBL 1.6-Farad High-Performance Digital Power Capacitor

    and the install will be, hopefully, incorporating elements from http://www.sounddeadenershowdown.com/

    I really like this site and as long as the panels are off anyways ...
     
  2. Childress79

    Childress79 Loungefly ®

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    You need a huge woofer

    [​IMG]
     
    • High Five High Five x 1
  3. GoT

    GoT Strength and Honor

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    one last thought about planning a system. The electrical system and the signal wiring are two different animals that should be thought of seperatly and kept away from each other as much as possible.
     
  4. GoT

    GoT Strength and Honor

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    Baffles arrived yesterday - thicker than I would have thought but should definatly help with the door rattle. I will port them without a doubt otherwise the main speakers would lack bass.

    Speakers are out for delivery today and the amp is in Memphis. I expect the amp thursday. The sub is on backorder. Luckily that install is easy and can be delayed. They just better get me a timeframe when I contact them today.

    FWIW I really try and minimize expense. The amp wound up being $1.50 cheaper on Amazon a few days after I ordered it on onlinecarstereo and the speakers wound up being $1.95 cheaper on onlinecarstereo a few days after I ordered them on amazon - lol

    what can you do?
     
  5. GoT

    GoT Strength and Honor

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    speakers arrived, and the garden is planted - well mostly

    amp is in Nashville, still hoping for a thursday delivery

    onlinecarstereo has no eta for the sub and activly encouraged me cancling that portion of my order and getting an equilivent. I am leaning towards the cancellation part but just getting the sub elsewhere. Will sleep on it.

    oh and I had almost no luck finding functional equilient supplies like on sounddeadenershowdown at Lowes. Will have too do some research. Good thing I am an amateur and have no pressing time to get this project done in. I mean if this was a TV show I am sure the regional old truck radio install competition would be saturday night
     
  6. GoT

    GoT Strength and Honor

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    wound up canceling the MTX RTS8-04 from onlinecarstereo and just ordered from SonicElectronix. I have never used them before, but they have free shipping and I am not in a particular hurry so Im giving them a shot.

    http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_32959_MTX-Audio-RTS8-04.html

    This sub should fit nicely and do exactly what I want. I still have not made up my mind about where the LPF should be set but I will probably use 100 hz

    The amp is out for delivery and the cap is in Nashville. Anyone else have that package tracking addiction. I have no idea why I find it so fascinating, but I do.

    I did find a functional equilivent to Dynamat. Dynamat is about $10 a sf. I found Accoustical Barrier at Home Depot for just under $1 a sf. The HD product is designed to be placed on your subfloor while the house is under construction. The best I can tell it is about the same. Now I need too locate some of the other items and do more sounddeadening research so I have a gameplan when I start ripping the interior out of my Ranger
     
  7. GoT

    GoT Strength and Honor

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    I decided too add a toggle switch too the remote sensor wire leading from the head unit too the amp. This will allow me to play the head unit without turning on the amp. Why you might ask would I want too do this? Well the 'rear' speakers in the Ranger are powered by the head unit and with this arrangement I can, if I desire, play just the 'rear' speakers. I would say this would definatly be for casual listening or sports talk ect.


    well all the hardware, the fun stuff, has been ordered. I had an estimate from Hi-Fi Buys at $500 for an amp and front speakers installed or $700 with a sub added into the package. They claimed this would be all new wiring/install ect... Just pointing this out as a reference as this is not a bad quote for an installed system. I am sure they would have totally reused anything that was hidden as long as it was servicable. Anyhow as a reference $700 installed no cap/baffle/switch using what they had in stock.

    I got the hardware delivered for ..... $290.08 and that was only %3 off optimal. I sometimes choose slightly higher costs too deal with a familiar company. As a for instance I have my doubts about using onlinecarstereo again. The retail costs of the hardware I ordered/selected was $600.90 making a savings of just north of %50 off retail. Plus I got too pick out the parts myself. Some might see that as a chore but too me planning the system is definatly part of the fun.

    Now its on to gathering the parts for the install. If I can get that stuff for under $100, I think I can, then the whole new system will be under $400.


    I want too take this small ammount of time to give props too Sonic Electronic and Crutchfield. I had not ordered from SE before but their site is amazing, great info all over the place, and their prices are competitive. Crutchfield is an amazing place if you are not certain about what you want. They have one of the best 'does it fit' sites I have ever encoutered plus I was having difficulty finding the specs on the remote wire from the head unit I bought from them in 2009. I tried their online chat, but they suggested I call tech support. Well this is the first time I have ever called their tech support and it took them just about a minute too tell me the specs on that wire. FWIW 12v and 200mA. A typical led uses 20mA so I am golden with the illuminated toggle switch.
     
  8. GoT

    GoT Strength and Honor

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    the world of 'sound deadeaning' is full of as much audio bs as anything else I have ever encountered.

    Best I can tell there are multiple things that need too be dealt with. Vibration of body panels/doors, reduction of road noise & vibration of interior parts. Each thing needs dealt with seperatly IMO.

    vibration of body panels/doors is where Dynamat and like products come into play. These products add mass to the panels/doors making their resonance frequencys lower than audible by humans. Best I can tell science says cover 25% of panels/doors but what everyone does is if 25% is good then 400% must be better! If the goal is too get the panels/doors to resonate at a lower enough frequency so as too be inaudible then I will defer too science instead of youtube video dudes. Also from what I can tell this particular part of sound deadening is as much art as science - concerning placement ect...

    Reduction of road noise is where MLV (mass loaded vinyl) sound barriers come into play. From what I can tell they need placed between road noise and the interior of the ranger. So I will need to cover the floor and as much of the firewall as possible along with the doors and rear of cabin.

    Vibration of interior parts is definatly an art. Double sided tape, packing peanuts ect.. its all fair game in getting the crappy plastic interior to not rattle and clang about.


    Point of thought about car audio vs home audio/theater. In home audio you set up speakers to, IMO, recreate a soundstage/theater environment by placing speakers in optimal locations. In car audio that option is rarely, more like never, an option. In home audio the speakers are generally enclosed and preciesly tuned at the factory. Some are ported but really those are the exceptions. In car audio for all pratical purposes you sit inside the speaker enclosure. Bottom line IMO buy decent equitpment and put just a little effort into it and anyone can set up a competent home audio environment. This degree of prefection is beyond most audio installs.


    Oh and the more I read on sound deadening the less I am leaning towards alternative products from Lowes/HD. Will update when I make up my mind. I know I will be doing sound deadening just cant make up my mind at this time.
     
  9. CRUDS

    CRUDS Moderator Staff

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    Though I'd hardly call that eclectic..
     
  10. GoT

    GoT Strength and Honor

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    Well I made my purchases on the sound deadening.

    Went with 20sf of Dynamat for the damper. I found one that had the box messed up, supposedly, for $70 shipped. Ammazingly that is a good price! I did not go with the alternatives here because the Dyanamat is rubber based while the alternatives have tar. From my reading the tar smell never really goes away.

    Decided to go with an alternative product for the decoupling product. Will be using neoprene too seperate the body panels from the MLV. I bought way more than I need but still the costs was way under the 'official' name brand products. I spent $60 on over 150sf of neoprene and the offical product was $100 before shipping for 112sf all the way up to $325 plus s&h for 67sf. All the neoprene needs too do is keep the MLV away from the body panels. My vast experience of using neoprene too hold beer tells me it will do fine at this.

    Finally I went with a generic Mass Loaded Vinyl MLV. This costs $171 shipped for 100sf from the distributor. MLV is the part that actually blocks the noise from entering the ranger. The official crap costs from $200 for 90sf all the up to $325 for 67sf

    I also picked up a roller for $13. This will be used to apply the Dynamat and the neoprene and MLV.

    I also decided to pick up an 8 gauge amplifer install kit. After looking at the ranger closely I will almost definatly need to have some shorter lengths of wire to complete the install. The cheapest way of getting it is to buy one of these kits for $13.

    Now all I need is some adhesive and tape. I already have scissors and cutting blades.

    Oh and time I need some time to actually do the install. I think that will probably be the hardest part too come up with
     
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