Good install question?

[melaza 10+ year member]

i was wondering what is that everybody means when they talk about good installation?

A. is it the quality of the whole system.

B. rca cables and such.

C the way the hu, amps or others are set.

I`m in the middle of doing a Nissan maxima(00) and i will like to get something that will sound good and do not take all my trunk space...anyway i keep on seen that almost 90% of a good sound system have to do with a good install, so fellas what are your thought`s regarding this matter?

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[ravendarat 10+ year member]

A good install consists of but isnt limited to properly ran cables, a properly built box, speakers installed in the proper locations and pointed correctly, the deck being set properly and the amps set up right for that particular system.

 

[SUB_URBAN 10+ year member]

A good install consists of but isnt limited to properly ran cables, a properly built box, speakers installed in the proper locations and pointed correctly, the deck being set properly and the amps set up right for that particular system.

I might just sig that it is very informative.

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

It's what was mentioned above but there is a whole lot more to it as well.

Matching components is where you have to start. I don't mean that they all should come from the same company, far from it in fact. No one manufacturer makes the best of evey component. What I'm talking about is matching processors to HUs and amps to give you the total processing that you need without redundancy. It's knowing when to defeat the built in processing in an amp (be it crossover or EQ) because you have a better one in a different component somewhere upstream. It's matching output and input levels to make sure that you have a low noise floor. You also have to match the front stage to the sub stage. If you want good sound, you can't just have a set of 4" coaxes up front and expect them to keep up with a powerful substage. You also need to know how high the subs can really play and how low the front stage can play and make sure there is not huge gap in the midbass region.

Once you have the components chosen and know how you want to set it up, you have to do the prep work. This means sound deadening. Any speaker that will be mounted to a meal panel, needs to have the area around where it will go sound deadened. Take the time to track down any rattles and suppress them, they will become more noticable once the system is going.

Next is enclosures. It is important to match the sub to its enclosure but even more important IMO to properly enclose the midbass. If you are going with an infinite baffle midbass setup, make sure the mounting area is sealed. If you are going with a sealed pod, make sure it is solid, sealed and solidly mounted. For the sub, the construction is equal to the design in importance.

Now that you have everything chosen and the enclosures taken care of you have to mount everything. The importance of solidly mounting everything should go without saying. This also covers front speaker placement and aiming.

Next you have to wire it up. You don't need to get high priced wiring. There is no reason to do so. What you do have to do is make sure the size of the wire is adequate for the ammount of power that you will be running. Any and all connections in the power chain have to be electrically solid. If it is a high power system you have to consider the quailty of the ground. You can probably get by with a chassis ground in a low power system, but with higher power, chances are that the chassis will prove to have too high a resistance and cause a significant voltage drop. If you find yourself needing a 0ga power wire, you should probably be running your ground back to the battery. While we're talking about grounds, the HU ground is the primary source of noise in a car system. Make sure that the HU is grounded to a bare piece of solid metal. The "big 3" is also a basic part of a good install. Notice I didn't say to route power and signal wires separately. Why? It really doesn't matter. Whatever routing for the wire is the most convenient is most always best.

Now everything is in place. The fabrication and mounting and wiring are all complete and the system works. You're now in the most under appreciated and overlooked portion of a good install and that is tuning. Set your gains properly. Set your crossovers correctly. Make sure your phasing is right. Adjust your time alignment, if you have any. Finally once all the above is correctly set, fix any small problems that remain with EQ. This part will take a lot of trial and error and will take time, but it is the most important time to spend in regards to the overall results of the system. You can do everything else right and still have very disappointing results because you slacked on the tuning. I listed EQ last as it should be the final resort once all other tuning options have been exhausted. Most response issues are a product of cancellation and are much better addressed with time alignment an phase adjustment rather than EQ.

As you can see there is a lot here. Most of it is attention to detail stuff but it is the stuff that will turn a bunch of equipment into a good sounding system.

 

[djfrestyl 10+ year member]

i was wondering what is that everybody means when they talk about good installation?
A. is it the quality of the whole system.

B. rca cables and such.

C the way the hu, amps or others are set.

I`m in the middle of doing a Nissan maxima(00) and i will like to get something that will sound good and do not take all my trunk space...anyway i keep on seen that almost 90% of a good sound system have to do with a good install, so fellas what are your thought`s regarding this matter?

Are you on the Maxima forum?

 

[mickis247 10+ year member]

It's what was mentioned above but there is a whole lot more to it as well.
Matching components is where you have to start. I don't mean that they all should come from the same company, far from it in fact. No one manufacturer makes the best of evey component. What I'm talking about is matching processors to HUs and amps to give you the total processing that you need without redundancy. It's knowing when to defeat the built in processing in an amp (be it crossover or EQ) because you have a better one in a different component somewhere upstream. It's matching output and input levels to make sure that you have a low noise floor. You also have to match the front stage to the sub stage. If you want good sound, you can't just have a set of 4" coaxes up front and expect them to keep up with a powerful substage. You also need to know how high the subs can really play and how low the front stage can play and make sure there is not huge gap in the midbass region.

Once you have the components chosen and know how you want to set it up, you have to do the prep work. This means sound deadening. Any speaker that will be mounted to a meal panel, needs to have the area around where it will go sound deadened. Take the time to track down any rattles and suppress them, they will become more noticable once the system is going.

Next is enclosures. It is important to match the sub to its enclosure but even more important IMO to properly enclose the midbass. If you are going with an infinite baffle midbass setup, make sure the mounting area is sealed. If you are going with a sealed pod, make sure it is solid, sealed and solidly mounted. For the sub, the construction is equal to the design in importance.

Now that you have everything chosen and the enclosures taken care of you have to mount everything. The importance of solidly mounting everything should go without saying. This also covers front speaker placement and aiming.

Next you have to wire it up. You don't need to get high priced wiring. There is no reason to do so. What you do have to do is make sure the size of the wire is adequate for the ammount of power that you will be running. Any and all connections in the power chain have to be electrically solid. If it is a high power system you have to consider the quailty of the ground. You can probably get by with a chassis ground in a low power system, but with higher power, chances are that the chassis will prove to have too high a resistance and cause a significant voltage drop. If you find yourself needing a 0ga power wire, you should probably be running your ground back to the battery. While we're talking about grounds, the HU ground is the primary source of noise in a car system. Make sure that the HU is grounded to a bare piece of solid metal. The "big 3" is also a basic part of a good install. Notice I didn't say to route power and signal wires separately. Why? It really doesn't matter. Whatever routing for the wire is the most convenient is most always best.

Now everything is in place. The fabrication and mounting and wiring are all complete and the system works. You're now in the most under appreciated and overlooked portion of a good install and that is tuning. Set your gains properly. Set your crossovers correctly. Make sure your phasing is right. Adjust your time alignment, if you have any. Finally once all the above is correctly set, fix any small problems that remain with EQ. This part will take a lot of trial and error and will take time, but it is the most important time to spend in regards to the overall results of the system. You can do everything else right and still have very disappointing results because you slacked on the tuning. I listed EQ last as it should be the final resort once all other tuning options have been exhausted. Most response issues are a product of cancellation and are much better addressed with time alignment an phase adjustment rather than EQ.

As you can see there is a lot here. Most of it is attention to detail stuff but it is the stuff that will turn a bunch of equipment into a good sounding system.

Sticky?