Going full active with my Alpine PXA-H800 DSP

[JohnKuthe]

I have all the equipent in my sig file currently wired probably not optimally to work with my Alpine PXA-H800 DSP and am thinking I maybe should go ahead and go full active EQ at this point. I asked previously but it got buried in a while lot of meretricious piffle:

"I'm thinking if I have to do a bunch of rewiring I may just go full active EQ and use the 8 outputs of both amps to power the four 6x9s on the PDX amp and the PDRs outputs will be to the two 5.25" and their associated tweeters. Subwoofer still off the PDX just not under DSP control, at least directly. Does that sound like a feasible plan? Does to me! With the DSP I should be able to control each driver separately except the sub. Will that work? I know the one or two outputs from the DSP say they are for subwoofers, but can I use them for full range as well?"

Thanks, John Kuthe...

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[trumpet 5,000+ posts]

Run the components passively, route it all through the DSP. Best of both worlds.

 

[Flipper245]

Why not run the sub through the dsp? If it was my system I would try it with no rear door speakers. Tweeters, mids, front speakers and sub all on their own separate channels of amplification. Do you have two four channel Amps? If so, bridge the sub to it. Those dash speakers will reflect and you should be able to hear them clearly in the rear if that's what you're after. Rear speakers will just mess up your imaging. If you insist on running rears, try from head unit. You won't want much power going to them anyway. The most important thing is to get as much power as possible to those highs. That's where you're sound quality will come from. A dsp won't correct everything.

 

[JohnKuthe]

Run the components passively, route it all through the DSP. Best of both worlds.

This is what I'm strategizing to do initially, but if I have to rewire, I'm gonna rewire for full active. 8 amp channels for 8 drivers, and the sub off the PDX-V9 amp for 500W to the sub. Everything IS going through the DSP from the HU RCA outs. Alpine CDE-153BT only puts out 18W to speakers I think. Good for what it is, but I have much more power in either amp I have.

John Kuthe...

 

[JohnKuthe]

Why not run the sub through the dsp? If it was my system I would try it with no rear door speakers. Tweeters, mids, front speakers and sub all on their own separate channels of amplification. Do you have two four channel Amps? If so, bridge the sub to it. Those dash speakers will reflect and you should be able to hear them clearly in the rear if that's what you're after. Rear speakers will just mess up your imaging. If you insist on running rears, try from head unit. You won't want much power going to them anyway. The most important thing is to get as much power as possible to those highs. That's where you're sound quality will come from. A dsp won't correct everything.

Thanks but everyone here wants to redesign my entire system, and I'm trying to RETAIN my system's main components. I "could" do many different systems, and maybe I "should" but I am choosing stock speaker locations mostly and running the DSP and amps I have. Yes the PDX-V9 is my main 4+1 amp and the PDR-V75 is my secondary 4+1 amp as I say. I'm using the 500W subwoofer output off the PDX-V9 and the other 4 100W channels to the 6x9s, and only the front two PHD speakers and their tweeters off the 75W per four channels of the PDR-V75 amp. And I'm running my two rear 6x9s at full volume because I want to. May have need for that someday! It's been working great for me over the stock speaker wires before we cut over to the new 12AWG speaker wires. Also when I had the Alpine SPR-50s up on the dash, which were actually a little too loud and bright and obfuscated the 6x9s pretty much. I' looking for much more control over the individual speakers via the DSP. Time correction is a nice bonus!

John Kuthe...

 

[trumpet 5,000+ posts]

This is what I'm strategizing to do initially, but if I have to rewire, I'm gonna rewire for full active. 8 amp channels for 8 drivers, and the sub off the PDX-V9 amp for 500W to the sub. Everything IS going through the DSP from the HU RCA outs. Alpine CDE-153BT only puts out 18W to speakers I think. Good for what it is, but I have much more power in either amp I have.
John Kuthe...

No, John, you don't have enough channels to run 9 channels through a PXA-H800. Timing of signals is critical if you care about good sound, and it will be synchronized in your setup only if the full spectrum of sound, however you choose to divide it, is originating from your DSP. Bass is easy, they say, but it's going to be better if you do it this way and your tune is done well.

 

[Flipper245]

I think I know what's wrong. The fusing on your power wire is causing too much resistance. You should probably just remove it. And the coating on your power wire, probably causing your wire and Amps to overheat. You should just strip all that coating off. That should take care of any of your problems.

 

[JohnKuthe]

I think I know what's wrong. The fusing on your power wire is causing too much resistance. You should probably just remove it. And the coating on your power wire, probably causing your wire and Amps to overheat. You should just strip all that coating off. That should take care of any of your problems.

A wild guess, and a LOT of d a m n work to stip off WHAT coating exacty? Insulation? NO!

Thanks though.

John Kuthe...

 

[JohnKuthe]

No, John, you don't have enough channels to run 9 channels through a PXA-H800. Timing of signals is critical if you care about good sound, and it will be synchronized in your setup only if the full spectrum of sound, however you choose to divide it, is originating from your DSP. Bass is easy, they say, but it's going to be better if you do it this way and your tune is done well.

I would be running 8 amp channels as far as the DSP can see, The Sub output's off the PDX-V9. Full spectrum into both amps, and both amps have a separate sub output but I'd only be using the 500W off the PDX-V9 to drive the subwoofer driver. Unless both the PDX-V9 and PDR-V75 are lying to me about basically having 4 full range channels each which is entirely possible. And the PXA-H800 DSP has eight RCA channels out to amps, although I was drooling over an Alpine H900 I heard about:

John Kuthe...

 

[Flipper245]

A wild guess, and a LOT of d a m n work to stip off WHAT coating exacty? Insulation? NO!
Thanks though.

John Kuthe...

But drive to the middle of the desert first. On a hot day. Then do those mods.

 

[Flipper245]

And since you're rewiring, make sure you run a wire from the negative speaker terminal to the body of your car. Most people miss this important ground.

 

[trumpet 5,000+ posts]

I would be running 8 amp channels as far as the DSP can see, The Sub output's off the PDX-V9. Full spectrum into both amps, and both amps have a separate sub output but I'd only be using the 500W off the PDX-V9 to drive the subwoofer driver. Unless both the PDX-V9 and PDR-V75 are lying to me about basically having 4 full range channels each which is entirely possible. And the PXA-H800 DSP has eight RCA channels out to amps, although I was drooling over an Alpine H900 I heard about:

John Kuthe...

John, you're taking this conversion in reverse gear. It's not the number of available amplifier channels at hand, it's

The Signal Processing

Vs

Maximizing the sound quality of all these speakers.

I would rather have the bulk of the DSP standard capabilities - delays, crossovers, and EQ, utilized for the left side of the frequency spectrum. If it cannot possibly satisfy you after you have tried it this way then switch it up to do it your way. Or don't.

 

[JohnKuthe]

And since you're rewiring, make sure you run a wire from the negative speaker terminal to the body of your car. Most people miss this important ground.

Um, yeah RIGHT! ;-) Even I am not that stupid!

John Kuthe...

 

[staan]

Um, yeah RIGHT! ;-) Even I am not that stupid!
John Kuthe...

yeah quit trying to troll, this guy aint no dummy. Its not like he bought 2 5 channel amps, or cant get a dsp working.

 

[Hertz Mafia]

John u seem to have an answer for everything... u ask peoples opinions and then say well I could do that but I don't want to and I'm gunna do it my own way.... THEN WHY THE FVCK ARE YOU ASKING US FOR HELP IF YOUR JUST GOING TO DO IT YOUR OWN WAY .