My first "Active" "SQ'ish" build attempt.

[ThxOne Premium Member]

I did some pre-install wire trickery. Did the Kenwood Parking Brake Wire Bypass. It's nice and secure.

 

[ThxOne Premium Member]

I got the head unit in with no issues and fired it up, connected my phone to do the android auto... guess what I didn't install? Yup, the Kenwood mic. Well, off to do it all again lol.

 

[ThxOne Premium Member]

MIC installed, Android Auto works perfectly.

 

[ThxOne Premium Member]

So I for sure found out your phone still has to have direct view of the sky for satellites. I got a cheap magnetic mount for the phone so it sits way up on the dash with a clear view of the sky. The Mic seems to work great and I can navigate 100% hands free.

 

[ThxOne Premium Member]

I really REALLY want to simplify this stereo. I will be saving up for new amplifiers. I have been toying around with the thought of ALL Rockford Fosgate components... Speakers, Amps, Subs. Ehhh, who knows. I still need to find the right install for my Image Dynamics components that have been sitting on for a couple of years now.

Right now these Alpine tweeters I am using are sort of on axis and they are brutal now that my hearing is back to that of a normal human. The further back I put my head, making the tweeters more off axis, the better they sound. I may move them back to the stock locations in the doors. I also have a set of Massive Audio aluminum tweeters just sitting around... what to do, what to do.

I have a backup camera coming so I can see what is going on behind me when I am backing up... this G6 is hard to see out of.

All I know is I am tired of the Pontiac. As soon as I can I will be getting a Subaru Outback (2000 - 2004). 6 1/2" in its doors, tweeter in the A-Pillar at the top of the doors, Double DIN head unit, 250a Alternator is available all day, Open cargo area like an SUV, Room for boom!! If that don't work then the same years Subaru Forester. BAM!!!

 

[Slo_Ride 5,000+ posts]

Not a ******* Subaru.

 

[ThxOne Premium Member]

Not a ******* Subaru.

The only thing that would come in third is a 1993 - 2001 Jeep Cherokee with the straight six. American cars just ain't got it. My job takes me off the beaten path from time to time so all wheel drive is a plus. Reliability is a must as well. An engine not turned sideways is also a major plus.

 

[ThxOne Premium Member]

So I have been sitting here and thinking about the stereo. I have a DSP. I am running active. It's not a bad stereo. It is loud... sounds clean to me and the imaging isn't bad... again, to me. I don't think it is what I want. I don't need 3 way active front stage. I don't need a DSP when my head unit will do active. Soooooooo......

I am going to run a 4ohm 6.5" and a 4ohm tweeter in each door. (Active).
I am going to run two 10" subs at 1ohm. (Active)
I am going to run a 4 channel Punch P600X4 (Mids and Tweets)
I am going to run a mono Punch P1000X1BD (Subs)
I am going to run the Kenwood HU until I get the Pioneer W4500NEX
I want to run the Punch Pro 6.5" mids
I want to run the RF T2T-S Tweeters
I want to run two Punch P3D4 10" Subs

It should still have decent clarity but it should get louder than it does now. The tweeters have a 90db sensitivity and the mids are 92.5db so throwing Punch's "75wrms" (129w per channel dynamic) at them should get pretty freaking loud.

Should be simple to crossover:
Subs - 80hz @??db
Mids - 80hz - 3.5K - 4K @??db
Tweets - 3.5k - 4K @??db "Off Axis"

It's simple and I have ALL the wiring already run. All I have to do is swap out some components, remove the DSP, set my HU to Active and I should be good to go. I do have to swap out my Krystal RCA cables for my Stinger 8000 RCA's. I will **** myself if it sounds better than it does now.

Thoughts?

 

[ThxOne Premium Member]

Wouldn't you know it... I think my 2.75" DD midrange speaker in my passenger door has **** the bed. I checked each speaker with my ear right next to them, the Alpines, the DD's and the Silverflutes. That ONE speakers is crackling while playing.

 

[ThxOne Premium Member]

In between rain cycles I took the DD's 2.75" mids out of the equation and the front stage is back to a 2-way set-up. I extended the crossovers for the 6.5" Silverflutes to 90 - 3.5K @12db and the Alpine tweeters 3.5K @12db.

I also used the DSP to find the max volume of the head unit... finally. It goes to 40 but the 3Sixty.3 says max undistorted volume using their "level set" track is 36 out of 40. I also added some gain by ear to the mids and highs listening to music. Barely moved the gains but it helped.

I went into the DSP and fiddled with the EQ for a while. Sounds good. Those Alpines though... the better my ears get and the more I can hear clearly, the less I like these Alpine tweeters. I can't put my fingers on it.

 

[ThxOne Premium Member]

Removed the Alpine tweeters from the doors. Had to destroy them to do it. Installed the MA tweeters and proceeded to time align and EQ. They sound better than the Alpines in the sail panel pods. I will be removing them as well.

 

[ThxOne Premium Member]

So when I installed the Massive tweeters I removed these DD 2.75" mids. I originally unhooked them because I though I blew one. Well, I tested the voice coils and BOTH settle dead on 3.9ohms. When I gently push the cones in by the dust cap until they stop moving, the impedance's rise at the same rate as the other speaker. I have to assume that one is not blown and they are both just fine. Are there other test I could do?

 

[ThxOne Premium Member]

I went out to the car, disconnected all the speaker wires from the amp and labeled them. I took out my DMM and turned my gains down all the way. I used a 1khz -5db tone and set the gains on the amp for the mids to eventually 18v (18.2v actual) - should be 80w approximately at that setting on a -5db signwave. I then set the gains for the tweeters... again this DMM wanted to say 9. blah blah volts... wtf???? So I found my CHEAP red harbor freight DMM and tried that. YAHTZEE!! Ok, now I was able to set the voltages for the signwaves. Mids to 18.2v and the Tweets to 15.5v (15.6 actual) on a -5db 4khz tone - should be 60w approximately on that signwave.

I also had to reset the EQ in the DSP for the sub as it had been boosted above 0db in a few frequencies. So now nothing in the DSP is above 0db. The tweets levels -7db and mids are 0db in the DSP. Volume on the head unit is 36 of 40 (per suggestion of the DSP). All EQ's flat in the DSP (EQ set in the HU.) The sub is crossed over at 90hz 24db. The mids are crossed over at 90hz - 4Khz 24db. The tweets are crossed at 4Khz 24db. Distances for time alignment reset for the tweets, untouched for all other speakers.

Now! The system sounds so ridiculously clear when listening to specific songs that show off the clarity of a system. All of this at MAX volume. Kick drum is snappy as f**k, bass guitar is clear, vocals don't sound hollow, cymbals are crisp and not over powering. The problem... it is not loud. Ok, It's loud but not to the point it will overcome road and wind noise at 45-70mph. I can hear it at those speeds with the windows down but it is softer and less detailed then when driving under 45mph or with the windows up. Pretty sure this is normal but my ears need the extra DB's for sure when the windows are down and winds are making noise.

One more issue. Now that the distances are again set for each individual speaker... the left side of the cars speakers sound close where as the right side sounds properly far right. Center image is slightly to the right of the steering wheel. How do I push the left speakers out to the left more... like, a lot more??? I have distances and levels to play with for each speaker.

 

[ThxOne Premium Member]

Yehaw!! I found a set of correct tweeters for my Kenwood eXcelon components that originally blew a tweeter when my amp started acting funny. Now I have one more complete component set.

 

[ThxOne Premium Member]

I got my new sub enclosure today. Now I gotta swap the sub into this box. It is a 3rd again longer than my current sub enclosure. Came with some nice Dayton Audio speaker terminals too.