audio set-up for beginners [continued]

[Egan101]

I'll just be using the stock HU of the 3. I may be able to get a DLS or Morel by foregoing deadening for now but will they work well without an additional amp?


Thanks guys!

Is it the new Mazda3? I don't know how good the stock HUs of new cars are but the stock HU on my Fiesta Ecoboost and Forester XT are better compared the stock ones on our old cars (including the 2009 City and Jazz).

DLS and Morel speakers will be fine with a bit of juice (15-20 watts from stock HUs) but remember that you're building for a future audio modification. I had a DLS 2-way active setup before (DLS R6A powered by a DLS CA51 amp, plus an RF slim sub) in my old Exalta and I was very happy with it. My other NissanBayan friends have even better setups with DLS Ultimate, Morel Supremo, and Brax setups.

If you want speakers with a bit more sensitivity, you can opt for Focal models. I have heard good things about the newer PS line which they say sounds better than the Access models.

[JohnM]

Is it the new Mazda3? I don't know how good the stock HUs of new cars are but the stock HU on my Fiesta Ecoboost and Forester XT are better compared the stock ones on our old cars (including the 2009 City and Jazz).

DLS and Morel speakers will be fine with a bit of juice (15-20 watts from stock HUs) but remember that you're building for a future audio modification. I had a DLS 2-way active setup before (DLS R6A powered by a DLS CA51 amp, plus an RF slim sub) in my old Exalta and I was very happy with it. My other NissanBayan friends have even better setups with DLS Ultimate, Morel Supremo, and Brax setups.

If you want speakers with a bit more sensitivity, you can opt for Focal models. I have heard good things about the newer PS line which they say sounds better than the Access models.

Yep it's the new Mazda 3. Stock amp max output is 25W according to the service docs. Focals are out of my budget sadly.

[jhnkvn]

1. I wouldn't recommend a LoC; you won't need it.
2. Just get whatever speakers you're satisfied with.
3. Deadening follows the law of diminishing returns. To be honest, anything more than 1 sheet per door is overkill. And on a budget, doing a 50/50 on just one sheet for two doors isn't that bad either.
4. The only thing I like about Ryan is their more expensive speakers which has a certain character to them. Since you're leaning more of warmth, why not try Firland Audio's EV series.

[shadow]

Ano 2 din head unit available na pwede mag mirror ng iPhone?


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[ealdree]

Hehehe, technically your amplifier can't be "overpowered" as an amplifier simply "gives" power to a speaker. The speaker dictates how many watts does it need to gobble up.

What amplifier will depend on your budget

If you're satisfied with your Kinetic: I would recommend "going up" the brand product chain. For example, you could go for the more powerful KD150.4 Kinetic amp.
If you'll switch brands: Look for slightly more expensive but proven China-made brands such as a Sound Magus VS160.4
An upgrade option at around Php10,000-20,000: Go for secondhand DC120.4 amplifiers. Those are well-built with double power supplies and should last a long time. Similarly, a 2008-2014 Powerbass amplifier was also popular back then. If you can purchase some China-rebrand Sonus Enigma amplifiers, those are excellent too.

If the difference is small, go for the higher wattage amplifier. Power is king and an amplifier does exactly that -- it amplifies. Not only does a higher wattage amplifier give you additional decibel headroom but it also plays cleaner than its less powerful siblings (tons of factors but to simplify it: more power = less gain = less overall noise levels) not to mention better built to accommodate the additional power.

Still, there are ways on how you can optimize your system. But one of the first things you need to answer is: "was it level matched well?" followed by "who's your installer?". A good installer will usually cover the basics, a not-so-good installer would probably won't. You'd want your problem to be actually a problem and not because of somebody's botched install.

Thanks a lot jhnkvn. Very informational. My setup was done by a shop in las pinas but have it tuned up by bp1 car audio in binan. Any suggestion on a very good car audio shop here in the south where i can have the installation checked and tuned evaluated?

[ealdree]

Before we give you some options on what to do we need to know the ff:. May I know what exactly you are powering with your existing amplifier? Saan ka nahihinaan, sa output nang seps or subs? Who tuned/installed your system?

currently, my amp is powering both the seps and sub. my setup was done by a car audio shop in las pinas. i was told by the installer that the crossover was set to -3db. i was looking for a more output from the tweeter so i brought my car to bp1 car audio in binan. the guy there told me that we need to put additional wiring because the first installer just used a sort of splitter. so the additional wiring was connected and he made some adjustments in my 5750bt hu and amp. the bass was softened and the sound was a little bit clearer. he advised me to replace my amp with dc 120 x 4 amp because my existing amp is overpowered by my firland ev612 seps that caused my amp to heat fast.

[markygy]

currently, my amp is powering both the seps and sub. my setup was done by a car audio shop in las pinas. i was told by the installer that the crossover was set to -3db. i was looking for a more output from the tweeter so i brought my car to bp1 car audio in binan. the guy there told me that we need to put additional wiring because the first installer just used a sort of splitter. so the additional wiring was connected and he made some adjustments in my 5750bt hu and amp. the bass was softened and the sound was a little bit clearer. he advised me to replace my amp with dc 120 x 4 amp because my existing amp is overpowered by my firland ev612 seps that caused my amp to heat fast.

Baliw naman pala ang 1st installer mo. Based on what you mentioned, it seems he only used one RCA cable and used a Y-connector to split the front signal of your HU for the seps and subs. The 2nd installer added another RCA cable so the front signal goes to the seps and hopefully the sub-out signal for the subs. Would you check if you can control the volume levelof your subs using the sub level control on your HU. Paki confirm muna bro before I continue. Let's see if we could do something 1st with the install before you spend for a new amp.

[ealdree]

Baliw naman pala ang 1st installer mo. Based on what you mentioned, it seems he only used one RCA cable and used a Y-connector to split the front signal of your HU for the seps and subs. The 2nd installer added another RCA cable so the front signal goes to the seps and hopefully the sub-out signal for the subs. Would you check if you can control the volume levelof your subs using the sub level control on your HU. Paki confirm muna bro before I continue. Let's see if we could do something 1st with the install before you spend for a new amp.

Thanks a lot bro. Yes. I can now control the level of my sub thru my hu after the adjustment by the 2nd installer.

[jhnkvn]

*ealdree

If I were to recommend an installer in Laguna, look for Reo at 2MC Audio (2MC Audio | Facebook). I'm not too sure if he still remembers me though

I cannot comment on your installation since it maybe alright but it may also still be in tatters. Why I usually recommend more well-known installers is because although they're more pricey in their services, you get that assurance that they get the basics correctly. At the very least, I have not heard a well-known installer have a project car go up in flames *cough* shots fired *cough*.

If you're changing an amplifier to a higher wattage one just because of heat, that's utterly wrong logic. The higher wattage you go, the more heat it emits as a byproduct of power conversion. Case to point: a 100W incandescent bulb emits more heat than a 50W incandescent.

What your installer is probably subtly telling you is that you need more power because of your subwoofer. If you're pushing it too hard, you might also be clipping the amplifier accidentally and this is bad for your speakers (it's the #1 speaker killer). Also partially because he wants to push you to a sale (it's their business after all, no harm in that). If I were to recommend, purchase a mono amplifier and make sure it's Class D in topology.

Brief Lesson:
Class AB -> 50-60% efficient -> aka, feed it 100W, 50-40W of energy is emitted as heat
Class D -> 90+% efficient -> aka, I am always cool to touch

Your Firland speakers do not need more power. In fact, feed it 50W and a lot of speakers are already happy. I usually tell enthusiasts that exceeding more than 100W is kind-of pointless.

Because of two reasons:
(1) Again, power is exponential. To make 50W sound TWICE as loud, you need 500W of power.
(2) Most speaker components cannot handle high power. Their voice coil might burn out (mechanical stress) and distortion increases dramatically the hotter you go (because heat affects magnetism)

[ealdree]

*ealdree

If I were to recommend an installer in Laguna, look for Reo at 2MC Audio (2MC Audio | Facebook). I'm not too sure if he still remembers me though

I cannot comment on your installation since it maybe alright but it may also still be in tatters. Why I usually recommend more well-known installers is because although they're more pricey in their services, you get that assurance that they get the basics correctly. At the very least, I have not heard a well-known installer have a project car go up in flames *cough* shots fired *cough*.

If you're changing an amplifier to a higher wattage one just because of heat, that's utterly wrong logic. The higher wattage you go, the more heat it emits as a byproduct of power conversion. Case to point: a 100W incandescent bulb emits more heat than a 50W incandescent.

What your installer is probably subtly telling you is that you need more power because of your subwoofer. If you're pushing it too hard, you might also be clipping the amplifier accidentally and this is bad for your speakers (it's the #1 speaker killer). Also partially because he wants to push you to a sale (it's their business after all, no harm in that). If I were to recommend, purchase a mono amplifier and make sure it's Class D in topology.

Brief Lesson:
Class AB -> 50-60% efficient -> aka, feed it 100W, 50-40W of energy is emitted as heat
Class D -> 90+% efficient -> aka, I am always cool to touch

Your Firland speakers do not need more power. In fact, feed it 50W and a lot of speakers are already happy. I usually tell enthusiasts that exceeding more than 100W is kind-of pointless.

Because of two reasons:
(1) Again, power is exponential. To make 50W sound TWICE as loud, you need 500W of power.
(2) Most speaker components cannot handle high power. Their voice coil might burn out (mechanical stress) and distortion increases dramatically the hotter you go (because heat affects magnetism)

thanks again jhnkvn. i am learning a lot from you bro. if i am to purchase class d mono amp, will this replace my existing kd80.4 amp? or the mono amp for my sub and my kd80.4 for my seps?