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mike_oxlong
P Plater
23 Posts
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 Posted - 26 May 2006 : 11:31:17 PM
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gday all. i curently have a 15 inch explode sub given to me by a mate in return for a favour. i have put a false floor in my vn with a piece of perspex in da centre showin my amp. i am looking at purchasing another sub (the 1 i gots looks lonely) but am having trouble figuring out how to install the two subs in da boot.
also i have a feeling dat it may stuff my battery up. how do i overcome this. i have heard people talk bout a 'dry battery' or sumtin like dat.
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 26 May 2006 : 11:54:23 PM
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Firstly, it shouldn't cause your battery any grief, unless of course you have a really small battery that's really old. Of course it depends on the amp that your running, and any other sound gear you have hanging on it as well. There are guys with more than 1000wrms of sound gear in their cars and they only threw a larger battery (520CCA) into it and it's fine. If you were going to be putting a battery in the boot then a gel-cell battery would be the way to go, but there's really no need for it unless you're going to do a full competition setup.
Okay, putting the subs into the boot. There's a million and one ways to do it, but by far the most common, and the one which generally gives the best sound quality, is to make a box for the subs which goes across behind the back seat, with the subs facing into the boot. If you feel like throwing your money away get an 'off the shelf' sub box, for the best results though, get busy with a few bits of 18mm MDF and make up your own sub box. This saves money and means that you can make it the exact size you need for the subs, and you can customise the shape a bit to fit in a little easier. It also allows you to decide on the very important ported/sealed box question.
Then you can fork out the extra money for sound deadening (well worth it) to stop all the rattles that you're going to have with two 15" subs bouncing in your boot. |
Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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mike_oxlong
P Plater
23 Posts
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Posted - 27 May 2006 : 5:27:47 PM
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the sound system i currently have is fairly well on its way out. so i am goin to replace it all at once. i got 2 6 inch splits in the front doors 2 6x9 beneath the front of the backseat and 2 6x9 on the back shelf. thats how i bought it. what is the best way to setup ur sound system.
also i want the voices to be deep cause at the moment the louder you make it the more it starts to ring in your ears. and its annoying. i tried screwing round with all the treble and all that but cant make it any deeper. |
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 27 May 2006 : 6:00:43 PM
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If you're looking to redo your entire system it's going to get expensive if you want good gear. If you just want bang for your buck, go shopping at Jaycar, their amps are okay, and priced well to boot.
For my money, 6" splits in the front are the way to go, 6" coaxials in the rear parcel shelf (don't waste your time getting new 6x9's to put in if you're going to have subs), and of course the two subs in the boot. That's all you'll need. A 4ch amp to drive the speakers, and then a nice little 2ch or a single chanel D-class amp for the subs. Best way to do it.
also, the rear parcel shelf...build your own. Take the old one out and trace the shape onto some 12 or 18mm MDF, cover it with carpet and away you go. It's a hell of a lot stiffer than the crap that came with the car and therefore the power you pump into the speakers goes into sound rather than vibrating the crap out of the parcel shelf.
Most importantly what head unit are you going to install? Next most important factor to think about is, are you going to do the install yourself, or are you going to pay someone to do it all for you?
When you get the gear installed, if it's a resonable amp then you can tune it how you like it, and yeah...you can make the voices a little deeper. Keep in mind though that depending on what you're listening to you may be driving your speakers to clipping at the moment, or it could just be a crap recording. |
Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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mike_oxlong
P Plater
23 Posts
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Posted - 27 May 2006 : 7:11:30 PM
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that sounds prety smart realy. im thinkin of stickin with sony. using the same brand would look better.
with the head unit i was lookin a purchasing a dvd head unit thatll play all my burnt cd/dvd mp3 the lot. living in country west australia i need sumtin to watch whilst i get sum1 else to drive... that sum1 i dont no.
the installation i will probly get a mate to do. (hes an auto electrician)
on another line would it better porting ur sub boxs or not??? |
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 27 May 2006 : 10:53:30 PM
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Going for looks is a really quick way to end up with a **** sound system. There's enough people out there saying that Sony make **** car audio gear and I'm willing to believe them. It's a reasonable budget brand, but said and done you can do much better for your dollars. If all you're after is looks then sure, go and blow your money on a Sony amp. If you want something that will work, and sound much better than the Sony amp, but may not look as fancy, then the Jaycar Response amps are cheap and good.
When I started planning my sound setup, I did my homework, and settled on a brand that gives me looks that I like, and sound quality that I'm quite happy with. Fusion do some really sweet amps, but are fairly pricey (my 4ch amp cost me $500, and the single chanel mono-block is going to be the same price). Their headunits weren't what I was after and I found a really nice h/u and stacker combo at JVC.
I'm not saying that Fusion is the best gear out there, it's good but it's not the very top shelf stuff, but I am saying that I wouldn't settle for a lower sound quality. That's something you're going to have to work out, do you want your music to be loud or good quality? Both is possible, but it depends on your budget of course.
For a headunit that will do all that check out JVC, the advantage to their DVD/MP3 headunit is that (as far as I know) it can be bolted up to their 12 disc CD/MP3 changer. It doesn't have a built in screen though, so you'd need to add one to it. But think about it, a DVD full of MP3's in the head unit and 12 CD's full of MP3's in the boot. That's going to be enough music to keep you happy. Hell, I got the head unit that only does CD/MP3 (JVC KDG615) and the stacker...I've got more music than I know what to do with.
Also, to make things street legal you need to wire the screen to the handbrake switch so that the screen cuts out when the car is moving. Keep in mind that I said you need to, if you don't then you can watch DVD's while the car is moving *wink wink* of course someone else would be driving LOL!
Porting the boxes or not...that depends entirely on how much space you want to take up with the sub boxes, how carefully you can make them, and what type of music you listen to the most. Given that you've got 15" subs, I'm guessing you don't listen to much metal, probably more RnB with long low bass rumbles rather than rapid drum kicks, in which case a properly sized and ported sub box is the way to go. If you do listen to metal, then don't use the 15" subs, their frequency response patterns means that they can't generate rapid double drum kicks, or bass drops really cleanly, it can really make the bass line muddy if you're not careful. If you were to build the exactly right sized sealed box you may be able to get away with it, but for metal ideally nothing larger than a 12" sub and it should be sealed to give the best sound quality.
For the mix of music I listen to (a little of everything from country all the way through to death metal), I'll end up with two 12" subs in a ported box, it's the best solution for me. If you want to watch movies from DVD's then I'd be saying port the box. But that's just me. |
Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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mike_oxlong
P Plater
23 Posts
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Posted - 03 Jun 2006 : 8:19:03 PM
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sweet. what would a 15 inch sub and a 12 inch sub sound like??? would their bass clash with the 12 inch pumpin out more repitive bass than the 15?????
what is an "off the shelf" sub box???? would it work making a new parcel shelf out of mdf and sticking a sub in there or would it be to big something. |
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 04 Jun 2006 : 09:52:34 AM
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Mixing sub sizes not only looks crapy if you've got one of each, and can sound really dodgy unless you get the tuning perfect.
And off the shelf sub box, is the type typically found at places like autobarn, and jb-hifi. Mass produced, and claim to run a 12" sub or a 15" sub. They come in ported/non-ported. As a given rule, they suck. Well...that's not entirely true, they do a good job for what they are, but you can make it so much better if you build the box yourself to the exact size that your sub requrires.
Mounting subs in the parcel shelf, can be done, but they sound a hell of a lot better in the boot. VN commodores have a massive boot, you can afford to sacrifice a little for a couple of subs. |
Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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mike_oxlong
P Plater
23 Posts
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Posted - 04 Jun 2006 : 11:20:50 PM
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| yeah thats what i was thinkin. well i have made a box for my sub and have installed it in my boot. sounds a hell of a lot better. now all i have to do is get all the speakers tuned in properly. cheers for all the advice. |
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bigcheez
P Plater
24 Posts
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Posted - 05 Jun 2006 : 03:50:21 AM
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On a much less technical note, Mouce seems to have that covered, I'll offer a bit of the obvious.
A vibrating rego plate sounds terrible. Sort that fool out. Though just came to me after seeing a camry with P-Plates, underglow and a terrible system drove past. |
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 05 Jun 2006 : 11:04:48 AM
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LOL! Sorting out all the rattles comes AFTER you get all the sh1t into place. Number plates, boot garnishes, rear bumpers, door trims and that funny little vent behind the spare tyre are all things that need to be 'silenced'.
For the number plate there are a few ways to do it, my prefered method would be a couple of strips of double sided tape behind it.
Sound deadening material will become your new best friend if you really want to get serious about it. |
Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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mike_oxlong
P Plater
23 Posts
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Posted - 06 Jun 2006 : 9:40:40 PM
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| yeah i sorta blew the fuse between the battery and the amp. so i guta wait till i go sumwere to get a new fuse... as for the rattling i shall be investing some time in finding and fixing all the rattles i can. |
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 07 Jun 2006 : 07:54:20 AM
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It's important to remember that fuses blow for a reason, and until you work out what that reason is, you probably shouldn't replace the fuse.
What amp/fuse/cable you running? |
Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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mike_oxlong
P Plater
23 Posts
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Posted - 15 Jun 2006 : 10:23:02 AM
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| yeah thats wat i done. im running a 1000 watt amp with an 8 gauge power cable with a 60a fuse. thats wat was recommended wen i purchased the equipment. |
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mike_oxlong
P Plater
23 Posts
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Posted - 15 Jun 2006 : 8:05:15 PM
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| bugger it. i finally finnished making my sub box and checking all the wiring in the amp and everything and i pluged it all in and turned it on to find that the sub distorts like ****. can dust cause a sub to distort??? cause i have only hed it sitting in my lounge room with a blanket over it. i cant understand y it has done this... :-( :( :'( im not happy... |
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 15 Jun 2006 : 10:25:18 PM
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First up, find out the RMS output of the amp, and the RMS figure for the sub. Second thing you need to do is go and get a good length of 4 gauge cable, and ditch that 8ga piece of crap. Trust me...8ga ain't going to be enough to do it safely.
Acoustic distortion happens because the amp isn't set up properly. Physical distortion would be happening if it's a sealed box that is too small for the sub. I can give you step by step on how to tune the amp properly if you need it, but before that happens, upgrade the power cable.
While you're at it, upgrade the earth-strap from the battery to the body of the car (have a look at the negative terminal on the battery, there's a short lead that bolts straight to the quarter panel of the car, replace it). Don't forget to upgrade the earth from the amp to the body of the car too. |
Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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mike_oxlong
P Plater
23 Posts
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Posted - 16 Jun 2006 : 02:08:44 AM
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so is a 4 gauge cable bigger than an 8 gauge cable??? wat sorta wire do i replace to earth wire with??? and should i use a 4 gauge wire for the amp earth??
i may need the step by step once i have got my cables sorted. |
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 16 Jun 2006 : 10:46:41 AM
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Yeah...4ga is thicker than 8ga. If you make the power cable 4ga, then the earth from amp to body should be 4ga, and the earth strap from body to battery should be upgraded to 4ga as well.
Get a length of the red 4ga (red being positive) for the power, and only a meter or two of black 4ga (black being negative) to use for the earth.
Also...depending on the amp that you're running, 60A fuse may be too small at max power (if you ever get it there). A good guide to go on is the fuse that the amp itself has. For example, one of my amps has 3x20A fuses. So for that one amp I'd need a 60A fuse, add to that my other amp, the inverter, and all the other stuff that's going to end up in the boot and I'm looking at needing a 150A fuse. |
Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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GrnMchne
P Plater
29 Posts
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Posted - 12 Mar 2007 : 10:41:19 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by mouce
Okay, putting the subs into the boot. There's a million and one ways to do it, but by far the most common, and the one which generally gives the best sound quality, is to make a box for the subs which goes across behind the back seat, with the subs facing into the boot. If you feel like throwing your money away get an 'off the shelf' sub box, for the best results though, get busy with a few bits of 18mm MDF and make up your own sub box. This saves money and means that you can make it the exact size you need for the subs, and you can customise the shape a bit to fit in a little easier. It also allows you to decide on the very important ported/sealed box question.
Then you can fork out the extra money for sound deadening (well worth it) to stop all the rattles that you're going to have with two 15" subs bouncing in your boot.
Just some thoughts. If you make your own box and dont get the measurements right for what volume of room it would take to make those subs work best, then it might sound awful.
And no matter how much sound deadening i have put in my car. i still gots them rattles. I think some VN'S are just like that. |
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vn_maniac_16
Fully Licenced
139 Posts
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Posted - 23 Mar 2007 : 1:53:23 PM
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i cbf reading this whole thread so im just gonna say what might have already been said.
im doing as mi brother did with my sub and having it already in a box and using L brackts to mount onto the metal on the roof of the boot right by the back seat 'door'. so when the door is open the sub is right there! http://shop.sailnet.com/images/lilly/503.jpg << something similar to that! get the idea??
This also helps in security, would take more than a big tug to remove it!
Thats the best way if u have a lot of treble in ur speakers to get full effect of ur sub i rekon! And u can always just unscrew the brackets and re-position.
Hope that helps some1 out there! |
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