Need advice on adding EQ to my factory stereo

[RobFocus]

150hz is not bass its midbass
Trust me, i ran that exact EQ for several years, its a waste of time compared to a good head unit. When you have a good setup, you dont even have to touch an EQ. That particular EQ makes the sound quality worse most of the times. Boosting causes distortion and clipping, meanwhile turning frequencies down completely destroy the sound quality because it skews the frequency response at a very unnatural way. The only way you can get better sound control is from a parametric EQ not a Graphical EQ. Know the difference between the two. The clarion is a graphical EQ. Your knowledge about your stock factory EQ does not apply to actual RTA(real time analyzers) statistics on EQs.

I know 150 Mhz is mid bass, that's what I meant, factory stereos assign all the wrong frequencies to their bass and treble controls.

I put that Clarion as an example, because it's one of the first that comes up when sorting by good customer reviews. I'm not planning on getting one for quite a while anyway. Besides, I was under the impression that streaming audio from Poweramp through Bluetooth only gave me the stream, but today I asked at their forum if there was a way to control at least previous and next track, and turns out there's a setting that allows me to do that. It doesn't display anything on the screen of the car, while if you choose USB connection it does, but it only reads the file and uses the car stereo to play it, so there's no EQ.

So for now, having the ability to equalize the music with my phone, even if it lacks the displaying the performer and title, at least I can enjoy music, even if it's not as much as my older stereo. My next step, whenever I can, is to replace the speakers.

 

[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

Don't replace the speakers until you are ready to amp them. Aftermarket speakers on a factory deck sound worse. I would seal up the doors and prep all the surfaces first. And you still seem to have no idea what EQ is for.

 

[RobFocus]

Don't replace the speakers until you are ready to amp them. Aftermarket speakers on a factory deck sound worse. I would seal up the doors and prep all the surfaces first.

I don't have any intention of spending crazy amounts of money on the car audio system, unless I get a job that pays too much and is too far away, making me spend at least two hours in the car every day. Otherwise it's a waste of money. And I really doubt that a good set of Pioneer speakers would sound worse than the factory speakers.

And you still seem to have no idea what EQ is for.

Look man, perhaps you're a sound engineer and you know all the theory of audio waves and all that, kudos to you. I don't rely on theory, I rely on my ears, and I've used equalizers for about 20 years and they always make the music I listen to sound better than without it. If you are one of those purists that just like the extremely expensive power amps that all they have is a volume knob in the middle, separate power supplies for each channel and a stereo preamp with just input selection, congratulations. I will keep using physical and virtual equalizers because to me, they make my music sound better. Live and let live.

 

[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

I don't have any intention of spending crazy amounts of money on the car audio system, unless I get a job that pays too much and is too far away, making me spend at least two hours in the car every day. Otherwise it's a waste of money. And I really doubt that a good set of Pioneer speakers would sound worse than the factory speakers.


Look man, perhaps you're a sound engineer and you know all the theory of audio waves and all that, kudos to you. I don't rely on theory, I rely on my ears, and I've used equalizers for about 20 years and they always make the music I listen to sound better than without it. If you are one of those purists that just like the extremely expensive power amps that all they have is a volume knob in the middle, separate power supplies for each channel and a stereo preamp with just input selection, congratulations. I will keep using physical and virtual equalizers because to me, they make my music sound better. Live and let live.

I'm trying to save you money so you can get the most from what you do spend. If you deaden and seal up the front doors($50) it will give you more than replacing just the speakers. If you add a processor it will give you more than changing the head unit and speakers. Aftermarket speakers need more power than the 10 watts your deck is giving out. You have a bunch of people that spend way to much time researching and experimenting with this stuff giving you guidance. You might want to listen. Or you can take your 20 years of experience and go waste your money.

 

[RobFocus]

I'm trying to save you money so you can get the most from what you do spend.

LOL seems to me that you're trying to make me spend way too much money. But whatever, you don't seem to understand that I don't want to spend a lot of money on the super system for my new car, I just want something that allows me to enjoy the music, so I'll replace the speakers in a few months, and then if Ford has a certified technician that can install my amp and subwoofer (which I installed myself 7 years ago in my old car, but I'm not so willing to start taking my new car apart), then even better. If there's a way to install an EQ great, because you may think they're pointless, but to many people, myself included, they are great. And if it's not possible to install one with the factory stereo, so be it, unless I start using my car 2 or more hours every day, I'm not going to waste money in that, in any case I would put it into making payments for the car.

 

[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

LOL seems to me that you're trying to make me spend way too much money. But whatever, you don't seem to understand that I don't want to spend a lot of money on the super system for my new car, I just want something that allows me to enjoy the music, so I'll replace the speakers in a few months, and then if Ford has a certified technician that can install my amp and subwoofer (which I installed myself 7 years ago in my old car, but I'm not so willing to start taking my new car apart), then even better. If there's a way to install an EQ great, because you may think they're pointless, but to many people, myself included, they are great. And if it's not possible to install one with the factory stereo, so be it, unless I start using my car 2 or more hours every day, I'm not going to waste money in that, in any case I would put it into making payments for the car.

I don't think they are pointless, I use one but I also know how and have the tools to make it useful. I'm saying spend $50 freaking bucks adding treatment before you buy new speakers that are going to lose ALOT of low end on your factory head unit. Buy time you replace those speakers you could **** near buy that MS-8 and have one of the best DSPs with a built in amp. It will sound 10 times better than anything you have ever heard.