Advice for hearing problems

[jackslap]

Hello everyone, I have been browsing this site today and decided to join because of what looks to be some quality knowledge in the community here.

I have a pretty broad question for you all if you wouldn't mind sharing your thoughts. I have recently noticed that I have some mild form of tinnitus and can only attritubte it to a young adult life of loud music in cars, headphones, concerts, and fireworks.

A few years ago I built a cheapo car stereo system in my van (yeah, the shaggin waggon) and it seemed to do me just fine. A couple of 12 inch subs, a lamo amp, a sony head unit and some sony speakers. Let me just say that this was in no way a professional job. I did everything myself and did not consider any other options besides what the car offered for speaker placement and amp/box placement.

It never really was a QUALITY setup, I got a little bumping going and the sound was much better at louder volumes.

My new problem is that I still want to be able to enjoy music, but at lower volumes. In this current setup that I have, there is almost zero "bump" factor in the subs at lower volumes, and the high frequencys also seem to suffer. The music just sounds dull and flat at lower volumes.

I work with a few doctors who recently purchased a Bose speaker system for a computer at work and it sounds FANTASTIC, even at low volume. It sounds full, balanced, and even "bumps". It sounds like you are in a concert hall even when far away from it. I know that Bose has built its brand around great acoustics and sound quality, but I also know that there are other brands that compete in these areas.

Can this be acheived in a car stereo setup and does it cost an arm and a leg? I've read about factory systems in luxury cars that describe what I'm looking for, but I can't afford a 100,000 dollar sedan to enjoy music. Mainly what I'm asking for is advice on what I might be looking at as far as gears size and brand. I can find my own info on prices based on the suggestions you guys might give. I don't need anyone to come up with a budget for me or anything.

Just an honest opinion on if and how this could be accomplished, and what types of gear would get it done. Thanks in advance to all those who share knowledge. Where would we all be without the internet?

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[Eddie Havok 10+ year member]

get a good set of components and a sq sub and your set. and never use sony stuff again.

 

[IDSkoT 5,000+ posts]

Get a better sub?

 

[jackslap]

umm....good input?

 

[Alpineforever 10+ year member]

If you decide that you will NEVER turn the volume up to it's old level again you can adjust the gain on your sub amp for a lower volume. But if you turn volume on your head unit back up to your usual listening level you might damage equipment and will most likely cause a bit of clipping.