Do i need an equalizer??

[mysilver02alty 10+ year member]

I have an Alpine head unit 9813

I have a RE XXX 15 inch sub in a snailshell box. MB Quart components and MB Quart 6 X9's in back. Right now i have an Orion 1200D sub amp and a Power Acoustik 100 X 4 highs amp but im about to upgrade both of those. My electrical system is upgraded too.

Question, will an eq do anything to improve the sound on my system or does the eq on this head unit make getting a seperate eq an overkill. I dont really feel like throwing away money but if there is something out there that will noticeably improve what i have, im all for it.

Also, can you reccomend any eq brands or models.

Thanks

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[mysilver02alty 10+ year member]

any help?

 

[BassAddictJ 5,000+ posts]

probly wont notice much of a differance. i mena you COULD get some crazy nice 32 band EQ but itll be a ***** to tune, and probly wont be worth the money....

tell you what i had teh same xxx15 on a 1200d before and moving up to a better amp made all teh differance. get urself a good 1800w amp and tune it to like 1600w to leave a lile head room and you'll hear a good differance, sell the orion and put that little extra money towards a better amp, thatd be the best spending IMO....

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

The only way an EQ is going to help you is if you have the knowledge and ability to properly tune it, and take the time to do so. Otherwise, it's going to do more harm than good.

How much you need is going to depend on how critical you want to get with it. In all likelyhood, for just a "good sounding" daily driver....the EQ in that headunit is adequate.

 

[Boulderguy 10+ year member]

There's an expression that if you need an EQ you've got a fundamental problem with your system that an EQ probably won't solve.

That's not entirely realistic, but until you've identified a specific problem that an EQ WILL solve I wouldn't go adding pieces to the system.

First step would be to have the car RTA's by a shop. That'll tell you if an EQ is even needed.

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

I don't know of any car audio system that didn't need some form of equalization.

 

[Boulderguy 10+ year member]

I'd go a step further & say I've never seen a car that didn't need some EQ'ing. But without an RTA you're just throwing darts in the dark.

 

[Team Hammer 10+ year member]

Only If you understand Passive and Active networks, Crossovers and Parametric EQ can you make any real use of them. Not to mention Q factors which should always be fixed.

You need to know the speakers responce slopes, etc...

This is where someone with direct experance with the speakers or Unit you are using or buying can really help.

When I first started out I bought some MB Q's, not knowing they were for voice level not loud playing. They almost burned up be for I understood this. Got some P series to replace them.

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

I'd go a step further & say I've never seen a car that didn't need some EQ'ing. But without an RTA you're just throwing darts in the dark.

Meh...with a small band EQ it's not hard to tune by ear with some familiar music for a daily driving setup (which is already built into his headunit). In all likelyhood he's not going for competition quality, just something that pleases his ear.

 

[T3mpest 10+ year member]

Even with an RTA you'll end up tuning a couple of bands by ear anyway, unless you have a world class install with no cancellation nodes. Most systems that are flat on an RTA won't sound good, mostly due to cancellation, partly due to a bit of "imbellishment" that people enjoy.

 

[mysilver02alty 10+ year member]

Only If you understand Passive and Active networks, Crossovers and Parametric EQ can you make any real use of them. Not to mention Q factors which should always be fixed.
You need to know the speakers responce slopes, etc...

This is where someone with direct experance with the speakers or Unit you are using or buying can really help.

When I first started out I bought some MB Q's, not knowing they were for voice level not loud playing. They almost burned up be for I understood this. Got some P series to replace them.

That makes alot of sense. My first system about 10 years ago had a 75 watt X 4 amp going into a pair of 55 dollar kenwood coax up front and a pair of 80 dollar sony coax in the rear. Now i have "high quality" MB Quart components up front and Quart 6X9's in the rear powered by a 4X 100 watt amp.

To be honest, i liked the way the highs on my first system sounded. Maybe the "quality" wasnt as good but it was ear bleeding loud and thats how i like it.

Im gonna get an Orion 8004 amp. Any suggestions on some front & rear speakers that will get that ear bleeding loudness effect?

By the way, thanks for all the replies guys. I guess i dont really need an EQ after listening to all of your comments. Im gonna upgrade both amps and the 4 speakers in the cabin possibly.

 

[mysilver02alty 10+ year member]

probly wont notice much of a differance. i mena you COULD get some crazy nice 32 band EQ but itll be a ***** to tune, and probly wont be worth the money....
tell you what i had teh same xxx15 on a 1200d before and moving up to a better amp made all teh differance. get urself a good 1800w amp and tune it to like 1600w to leave a lile head room and you'll hear a good differance, sell the orion and put that little extra money towards a better amp, thatd be the best spending IMO....

Hmmm, you know, ive been considering the Orion 275g4 amp that puts out about 1200 watts but supposedly will put out 1400. Maybe i'll look into the Orion 2100HCCA which is rated at 1600 watts - 2000 watts.

This isnt gonna kill my sub is it? Also, this bad boy is like 550 bucks. Is there anything with the same or better quality for less money that you know of with somewhere in the neighborhood of 1600 - 1800 watts?

 

[nauc 10+ year member]

for $50-60 online, its pretty nice... http://www.clarion.com/us/en/products/2006/audio/processors/EQS746/us-en-product-pf_1134643389018.html

 

[Boulderguy 10+ year member]

Is there anything with the same or better quality for less money that you know of with somewhere in the neighborhood of 1600 - 1800 watts?

My God man, you're gonna have to pay something...//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/laugh.gif.48439b2acf2cfca21620f01e7f77d1e4.gif

SPL components, next to nothing $$.

 

[mysilver02alty 10+ year member]

My God man, you're gonna have to pay something...//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/laugh.gif.48439b2acf2cfca21620f01e7f77d1e4.gif
SPL components, next to nothing $$.

i know man but 550.00 is kind of steep for a used Orion 2100(maybe 5 or 6 years old you know) and thats about the best price ive seen. I'd rather get something as good quality wise for the same price brand new if anyone knows of something or less $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Also, those components, were you saying i should try them? Do you have any experience with those components?