Equalizers - Youre input

[GoVrtcL]

Equalizers - Waht do you guys think about them? Are they worth $100 to put into my system to make it sound really good? I want a really nice system and I think I am on my way. If it is a nice piece to have, what are some good brand names or ones specifically? Thanks.


-diL

[Slamd_S_Dyme]

IMO an eq is a worthy investment. Alot of people dont find them neccissary but if you want to enjoy the full capability of your system an eq is great. Ive only dealt with Audio Control and Precision Power EQs and theyre both excellent choices. The only downfall to these brands is the price. Im not sure who else makes good Eqs but im sure there are some that are cheaper that will perform good,

[bigroy80]

yea im with dustin , you can tune the music to how you want it much more than you can with just turnin bass/treble up and down. it really expands the sound and youll deffinatly appreciate it if your going with a full blown system

[mnchvgs79]

Waste of money for sure, all they do is introduce extra noise into your stereo by adding another device that the signal has to travel through.

PLUS! If your stereo is worth a ****, all your settings should be flat... Bass 0, treble 0, you should not have to boost or turn down anything, the only kind of external sound controller you should have IMO is a bass knob, and you dont even need that.

[Slamd_S_Dyme]

Not tryin to sound like an ass but if you know anything about stereos you know that the crossovers built into a head unit and an amplifier arent worth 2 cents. You almost have to have an external EQ or crossover to fully appreciate your system. As far as systems being worth a **** i added an audio control DQX to a $4000 system and all it did was improve my over all quality if that means anything.

[Slamd_S_Dyme]

Sound travelling from a head unit through an amplifier is not gonna sound anywhere close to the systems full potential no matter how good your system is.

[mnchvgs79]

Not tryin to sound like an ass but if you know anything about stereos you know that the crossovers built into a head unit and an amplifier arent worth 2 cents. You almost have to have an external EQ or crossover to fully appreciate your system. As far as systems being worth a **** i added an audio control DQX to a $4000 system and all it did was improve my over all quality if that means anything.
whos talking about crossovers? the subject here is equalizers, which I'm sure he is talking about those things that people mounted in thier dashes in the 80's and 90's with the slide switches on them not something like an Audio Control truck mount EQ. A good trunk mount set it once and leave it EQ, is a whole different story, those can be very helpful in balancing out your stereo system.

[Slamd_S_Dyme]

I agree fully that the 7 band dash mounted eqs are worthless. I wasnt tryin to start an arguement or anything my idea of an EQ was just a little different. I wouldnt waste my money on a dash mounted Kenwood or something but a PPI 24 band EQ is a totally different story those things only improve anything wired to them.

[GoVrtcL]

I was talking about something along the lines of this right here:


would hooking something like that type of equilizer help my system at all?

[mnchvgs79]

I was talking about something along the lines of this right here:


would hooking something like that type of equilizer help my system at all?

I say no, all that would do is tempt you to make on the fly adjustments, you shouldnt have to make any changes once your stereo is set correctly. The problem with me answering your questions though, is I am an audio purist, I hate unbalanced music, I want to hear my music EXACTLY as the artist recorded it.

[rhenry01]

Yep, you put a pink noise CD in the deck, set the EQ by LOOKING at the sound inside the car with a spectrum analyzer, use the EQ to tune the band flat and then you forget the EQ exists. It's not a play toy.

[FI_Showboat]

Man unless u know each and every frequency going through ure speakers then i dont think you need one most decent head units have enough of a EQ to do what u need to do... i agree with adam also it will add more noise possibly by adding another device... but i mean they do have there ups and downs if u know exactly what u are doing thats just my :2cents:

[Slamd_S_Dyme]

I think this will solve his problem? What kind of system do you have? If we all know what components you have we will be able to tell you what ya need.

[GoVrtcL]

I think this will solve his problem? What kind of system do you have? If we all know what components you have we will be able to tell you what ya need.


Right now I have stock speakers in the door and two Rockford 6x9s in boxes in the trunk with a 300 watt AMP hooked up to them. Then I have 2 JL Audio 12" w6v2s with a Planet Audio 850watt AMP and a Rockford 1 farad CAP that I am getting ready to hook up. I am getting ready to replace the 6x9s with JL audio 6x9s and then I am goiung to put a JL component set in the doors. Probably the one with the 6.5" and the 4" speakers with two tweeters.

[mnchvgs79]

No an equalizer would not help you.

IMO you shoud:

Get one good set of door speakers, the JL's should be good, but I personally use nothing but MB Quart
Ditch the 6x9's and the capacitor and use the money toward something more important, like better amps, better speakers or a high powered alternator
Make sure your box is built correctly for your subs, Very important for sound quality
Make sure your amp has enough power for your speakers, just because it says 50 bazillion watts on the outside doesnt mean its a good powerful amplifier (I dont know anything about planet audio)
NEVER EVER, run any speakers off your head unit, I repeat NEVER. I have as much power running to my doors as I do my subs.

[GoVrtcL]

No an equalizer would not help you.

IMO you shoud:

Get one good set of door speakers, the JL's should be good, but I personally use nothing but MB Quart
Ditch the 6x9's and the capacitor and use the money toward something more important, like better amps, better speakers or a high powered alternator
Make sure your box is built correctly for your subs, Very important for sound quality
Make sure your amp has enough power for your speakers, just because it says 50 bazillion watts on the outside doesnt mean its a good powerful amplifier (I dont know anything about planet audio)
NEVER EVER, run any speakers off your head unit, I repeat NEVER. I have as much power running to my doors as I do my subs.


Planet Audio is very good. The amp was like $400. It is 850watts at 1ohm which is what the subs will be wired as. I can't drop the CAP cuz my headlights dim when the subs hit. I personally like JL better then anything else. I have never heard of MB Quart. The box is nice. It's a $100 box I had built by a good audio shop around here. I would like to have some custom door panels built so I can accually fit some 6.5" speakers in there but it is way to expensive. I would like to learn to do some fiberglassing and do my own door panels.

[mnchvgs79]

Planet Audio is very good. The amp was like $400. It is 850watts at 1ohm which is what the subs will be wired as. I can't drop the CAP cuz my headlights dim when the subs hit. I personally like JL better then anything else. I have never heard of MB Quart. The box is nice. It's a $100 box I had built by a good audio shop around here. I would like to have some custom door panels built so I can accually fit some 6.5" speakers in there but it is way to expensive. I would like to learn to do some fiberglassing and do my own door panels.


Assuming the amp is really 850 clean watts it should be fine.
The cap isnt going to keep your headlights from dimming, a stronger charging system and a good battery (optima) will take car of that
MB Quart is in my opinion and many people's I know opinion, the best speaker money can buy for your car, but they are quite pricey. The JL Speakers you have/are buying should be fine though.
As long as the box was built to fit the specifications of your speakers it will be good.
What size are your stock door speaker openings? if they are 5.25" then just put some 5.25's in there, thats what the MB Quarts are that I have in my truck

[BigTomCallahan]

I'll agree with Adam about the MB Quats, I love em.

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but dosent your ground have something to do with the lights dimming. For example if you dont have a good ground, it could be one reason your lights are dimming?? Thats what someone told me a long time ago so I dont know if its right or not.

Also just out of curiousity what guage wire do you have going to the amp?

[lillitnn92]

Yep, you put a pink noise CD in the deck, set the EQ by LOOKING at the sound inside the car with a spectrum analyzer, use the EQ to tune the band flat and then you forget the EQ exists. It's not a play toy.


you got it rhenry, this is the proper way of achieving tonal bliss. it's hard to do though because of all of the varibles, car size, speaker types, box types, placement, sound absorbtion, so so and so on. this method is only for "quality" freaks. i seem to remember car audio magazines calling them "tweaks". when it comes to studio work, you never boost freguencies, it's always cut. boosting generates clipping if taken to loud. your 20hz-20khz spectrum should be a flat 0db. i know when i'm recording my guitar through my mixer, if i have to turn my mid EQ knob a little to get more midrange, i also have to come back on my level coming in. if my lights start dancing over 0db then i could introduce distortion into the mix. with a car EQ, you will be taken a recording of a song that was done at 0db like it should be and then trying to boost frequnecies above the rest of the song. EQ's can be good for some people with problem areas in their overall sound, but for the most part not a totally good idea. even with the pink noise thing, you'll want an EQ with more than seven bands to do a proper job.

[GoVrtcL]

I have 4 gauge wire going to my amp and I already have a optima red top battery. I had only one JL w6v2 hooked up and the headlights dimmed so when I add two I know they will even more. The door speaker fittings are 5x7s. It really sucks. And yea the box is a 1.25ft2 box which is what JL reccomends.

[Slamd_S_Dyme]

Yup nothing better than MB Quarts, I agree with Adam. Theyre the best speakers on the market and theyre worth every penny. Ditch the cap and the 6x9s because theyre just takin up space. Any mids or highs in the trunk are just gonna create a horrible image and the cap isnt gonna make much difference (others opinions may vary) but ive used a few different caps and i was dissapointed. Theyre for stiffening hits not fixing your charging system. A high amp alternator would be great. Also if you want a good image in your car, a good rule is to have all the mids and highs an equal distance from the driver or passenger. Having to many in the rear or up front will cause you to think your system is out of whack and make you think and EQ is neccissary. Youve got a good start with JL and the Planet Audio amp isnt a bad choice either.

[mnchvgs79]

I have 4 gauge wire going to my amp and I already have a optima red top battery. I had only one JL w6v2 hooked up and the headlights dimmed so when I add two I know they will even more. The door speaker fittings are 5x7s. It really sucks. And yea the box is a 1.25ft2 box which is what JL reccomends.

The door openings in my truck are 5x7 also, just make adapter plates out of 1/4" plywood and mount a 5.25 and tweeter in them.



Also if you want a good image in your car, a good rule is to have all the mids and highs an equal distance from the driver or passenger. Having to many in the rear or up front will cause you to think your system is out of whack and make you think and EQ is neccissary.

Good points, I never run rear speakers for that reason exactly, it may be louder, but it doesnt sound right. If Q-Logic makes kick panels for your car you may want to check them out, they make for a great front soundstage.

[GoVrtcL]

Good points, I never run rear speakers for that reason exactly, it may be louder, but it doesnt sound right. If Q-Logic makes kick panels for your car you may want to check them out, they make for a great front soundstage.

Yea q-logic does make kick panels for my car. I was looking into them before. But I went to my local sound shop and asked them about them and they said that I should get some custom fiberglass ones because the q-logic ones don't go above 5.25 and that they don't produce much bass. They said they could make me two for $200 and they would fit 6.5s and be enclosed good to produce some nice bass. I think I will get to that after I do my interior. I wanna get that done first.

Also does anyone know where is a good place to buy a high amp alternator? Thanks.

[FI_Showboat]

i think u need to keep the cap it doesnt fix charging problems but it cleans up the bass and rear speakers if you run them right can make a huge difference in sound stage IMO i mean if u run them from an amp tune the amp right and make sure ure deck EQ is good (bass and treble) and if you have a good deck it should have a thing called sound staging its called different think my Sony deck has it and makes it a huge difference all that is just my opinion and id like to find out where to buy a high power altenator and a optima battery *****CHEAP******

[FI_Showboat]

also INFINITY makes some of the best speakers on the market and i dont know about MB quart or whateva but INFINITYS are probably around the same price and DAMN THERE NICE

[GoVrtcL]

Yea I plan on keeping the cap, I know it does clean up the bass. Plus my setup is already setup for the cap to be where it is. Here is a picture to show you what I mean:


That is just the start of it. There are two panels that go on each side to fill the space and then there is lexan that fits over the CAP and AMP. Then there are neons that highlight them:


It will all be covered by blakc vinyl I got the other day. I may and try to get a pony etched into the lexan over the AMP.

[fi istaylo]

ah...i dont no bout putting plexi over an amp...amps get hot and need air to cool down, if its got plexi over it...it limits the air to cool it down...the only air that it will get is the amp that is under the plexi and in the box...when the amp heats up, itll heat the air up and not be able to cool down...aka...burn the amp out...

im not familiar with caps, but they might do the same thing...

[GoVrtcL]

ah...i dont no bout putting plexi over an amp...amps get hot and need air to cool down, if its got plexi over it...it limits the air to cool it down...the only air that it will get is the amp that is under the plexi and in the box...when the amp heats up, itll heat the air up and not be able to cool down...aka...burn the amp out...

im not familiar with caps, but they might do the same thing...


I've thought of that already. I've got two fans in there and a place in the back for the air to escape. Plus I talked to a guy at Planet Audio and the AMP is supposed to produce barely any heat and the CAP shouldn't put out much if any.

[fi istaylo]

aiight...i was thinkin bout fans...but just didnt type it...lol

[FI_Showboat]

yea the cap can get hott not as hott as the amp but hott but u also have to look at it this way i know u said there is a place for air to escape but my bet is it isnt big enough think about it like this... if its a 110 degress outside and you put your windows down going 60 miles an hour out ure hand out the window its still hott now if u run a tube from the inside of your car to ure trunk then the AC can get in there then your fine but as long as the heat can DISPURSE your fyne but if its contained then its only going to heat up all the air and eleminates ure fans but i could be wrong

[GoVrtcL]

yea the cap can get hott not as hott as the amp but hott but u also have to look at it this way i know u said there is a place for air to escape but my bet is it isnt big enough think about it like this... if its a 110 degress outside and you put your windows down going 60 miles an hour out ure hand out the window its still hott now if u run a tube from the inside of your car to ure trunk then the AC can get in there then your fine but as long as the heat can DISPURSE your fyne but if its contained then its only going to heat up all the air and eleminates ure fans but i could be wrong

Yea I don't know either. When I get it all hooked up finally we'll just see how well it does and I'll pay attention to the temperature in there. If the stupid company would send me my replacement subwoofer I would be good to go.

[fi istaylo]

how big are your holes so air can get in?...if its the length of the box...then you MIGHT be ok...but i doubt it...this might look bad...but if you drilled holes in the plexi, so more air COULD get in...it would be better for the amp/cap...even if the PA guy says it wont get as hot...u still need cooler air to cool it down...because over time, it will get hot...we were gonna run a tube threw my box to the amp and have AC blow through it...but i took everything out, so i never did it...but in a mustang...it would be harder because u have the backseat and everything to go through...best bet, no plexi...

[mnchvgs79]

also INFINITY makes some of the best speakers on the market and i dont know about MB quart or whateva but INFINITYS are probably around the same price and DAMN THERE NICEInfinity does make some nice speakers, but they arent even in the same class as MB Quart, they probably cost a 1/4 of what the quarts do though

[oapy123]

mb quart and infinity arent the only good speakers out there folks! I do agree they both make excellent speakers but there are other brands that have similar quality, and maybe even for a better price.

As for the amp getting hot, you dont need to drill a hole in the plexi, that would just look stupid. Since i cant see the amp rack i dont know what to tell you but think about do a push/pull configuration with your fans so one is sucking air in and one is pushing it out. Mount these on the sides of your amp rack or into the false floor so that they can get fresh air circulating. If you are just blowin around hot air under the false floor things are gonna get hot especially on a 95 degree day. A hole in the back isnt going to ventilate it enough since the trunk is one of the hottest places. You need to have two fans circulating air from the trunk to under the false floor where the amp is.

Your next upgrade should be a higher output alternator. www.alterstart.com or talk to dominic iraggi (search for his email in the forums at www.sounddomain.com). Visit the "Official high output alternator thread" that is stickyed at the top of the electrical explanations forum on sounddomain.com, you can find lots of info about HO alternators and where to get them.