Should I try to DIY my components? Advice

[nobb 10+ year member]

Hi.

I am a beginner in car audio. Last summer, I made some money and decided to put a carputer in my car and didnt have much money left to spend on audio. My car right now consists of a 4 channel Pioneer amp (gmt-6200f) and the stock speakers. The stock speakers sound really bad and I am waiting for my finals to be over so that I can get a job and upgrade. Right now, I would like to focus on what 5.25 components to get. I think I would like to keep the cost under $200 canadian for the components. Ive done much searching but I still havent gotten a good idea of what components are strongly recommended (only a very general view). Its also hard to find a good place to buy the components in Canada. I then got the idea to maybe DIY my components and to buy everything custom. Maybe from partsexpress.com.

Although I dont know much right now, I will probably read up heavily over the summer on the individual components to decide what may work best. But I would like to know your guy's opinions on whether I should attempt to DIY this. It seems that the most complex part would be on deciding which crossover to use. Would any of these crossovers be a viable option?

http://www.partsexpress.com/webpage.cfm?webpage_id=3&SO=2&DID=7&CATID=29&ObjectGroup_ID=193

There is also alot of choice when it comes to picking out the tweeters and woofers, are there any 5.25 woofers that are highly recommended? What about tweeters? Id like to narrow it down a bit first. Of course since this will be used in a car, I dont think choosing anything with a paper cone would be a good idea. I realize that custom speaker building is more complex then to just slap parts together. Id really like to get it done right in the first place.

I realize that DIYing a system will require alot more work. But maybe the payoff will be better? I'm sure that if properly done, a $200 DIY system may possibly better than a $200 aftermarket solution. I'm not afraid to do some learning. I would just like to get the best possible sound for under $200.

Advice would greatly be appreciated. Thanks!

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[leonsv 10+ year member]

Hi.
I am a beginner in car audio. Last summer, I made some money and decided to put a carputer in my car and didnt have much money left to spend on audio. My car right now consists of a 4 channel Pioneer amp (gmt-6200f) and the stock speakers. The stock speakers sound really bad and I am waiting for my finals to be over so that I can get a job and upgrade. Right now, I would like to focus on what 5.25 components to get. I think I would like to keep the cost under $200 canadian for the components. Ive done much searching but I still havent gotten a good idea of what components are strongly recommended (only a very general view). Its also hard to find a good place to buy the components in Canada. I then got the idea to maybe DIY my components and to buy everything custom. Maybe from partsexpress.com.

Although I dont know much right now, I will probably read up heavily over the summer on the individual components to decide what may work best. But I would like to know your guy's opinions on whether I should attempt to DIY this. It seems that the most complex part would be on deciding which crossover to use. Would any of these crossovers be a viable option?

http://www.partsexpress.com/webpage.cfm?webpage_id=3&SO=2&DID=7&CATID=29&ObjectGroup_ID=193

There is also alot of choice when it comes to picking out the tweeters and woofers, are there any 5.25 woofers that are highly recommended? What about tweeters? Id like to narrow it down a bit first. Of course since this will be used in a car, I dont think choosing anything with a paper cone would be a good idea. I realize that custom speaker building is more complex then to just slap parts together. Id really like to get it done right in the first place.

I realize that DIYing a system will require alot more work. But maybe the payoff will be better? I'm sure that if properly done, a $200 DIY system may possibly better than a $200 aftermarket solution. I'm not afraid to do some learning. I would just like to get the best possible sound for under $200.

Advice would greatly be appreciated. Thanks!

i would go over to diymobileaudio.com and look for some reviews. ask around over there. The thing about paper cone is no problem... most paper cones are treated in one way or another to protect against foreign elements. If you are looking for raw drivers, go to solen.ca they are in canada so you can probably save on shipping.

 

[Tempe 10+ year member]

Why not paper??? Here is a basic generalization on various cone materials:

Aluminum: very detailed although it can get harsh with early breakup compared to other materials

Kevlar: good mix between metal and paper strengths; lots of detail without the breakup of metal cones

Paper: still decent level of detail, extended midrange response, no breakup like metal cones

Poly: smooth response at the expense of detail

This is not the end-all list of attributes; results may vary based off of motor design and other reasons.

T

 

[nobb 10+ year member]

I realize that paper has great qualities which make it ideal as a speaker. However, in the car environment it doesnt seem like a great choice to me. There is so much humidity, cold, heat. Unless the paper was coated in a plastic or polymer, I dont think it would stand up too well to the harsh environment. Of course I will try my best to keep an open mind. If someone has proof otherwise, feel free to prove me wrong.

 

[Tempe 10+ year member]

Most modern paper cones are coated be they home or car speakers.

 

[oga_yellow 10+ year member]

I realize that paper has great qualities which make it ideal as a speaker. However, in the car environment it doesnt seem like a great choice to me. There is so much humidity, cold, heat. Unless the paper was coated in a plastic or polymer, I dont think it would stand up too well to the harsh environment. Of course I will try my best to keep an open mind. If someone has proof otherwise, feel free to prove me wrong.

Aren't most stock speakers paper? My car had 15 yr old paper cones (cloth surrounds) and they are still in good condition.

 

[bass_lover1 10+ year member]

Since you already have the carputer, I'm sure there is some type of programming that you can use as an active crossover, or you could buy an external active crossover, the Audoicontrol DXS comes to mind.

Piecing together a component system using pre built x-overs isn't bad but remember that the crossover is designed around a certain impedance and other variables, know that if the speaker isn't similar to how the x-over was designed it will change the crossover frequency and slope.

With that said, running active while a bit more time consuming and in your case a bit more expensive, will yield better results, because you are no longer limited to off the shelf components or buying drivers to work w/ your pre-built crossover, you can pick the crossover frequency you desire and the slope as well.

Like mentioned earlier in this thread, read up over on diymobileaudio.com, I frequented that board quite a bit, still do, prior to making my decision to run active, and am very glad that I did. There are a bunch of knowledgeable people on that board that will gladly help you setup your DIY front stage.

I suggest looking at solen.ca madisound.com and even partsexpress, all of which sell great drivers that you can use to piece together a good front stage.

Do a bit of research, but brands that you'll want to look into are: Peerless, Seas, Vifa, Dayton, Scan-Speak, LPG, I'm sure there are a few more that those sites sell, but can't recall off hand, either way take a look around and don't be afraid to ask for help and ask for people's opinions on certain drivers.

Hope this helps //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[nobb 10+ year member]

Thanks for your suggestions, and I really like that diymobileaudio site you suggested.

Active x-over with my carputer? Sounds too complex for me. I am still using a headunit for my main device which handles all the audio. I just came across this tutorial on building crossovers and it looks pretty simple.

http://www.partsexpress.com/resources/xover.html

Just look up the values on the table, buy the inductors/capacitors/resistors, solder it and its done. I think my main concern so far is the fact that since this is a car environment, the speakers wont be enclosed and sealed in a box like at home, so I am not sure how much this will affect how it sounds. I do plan on dampening my doors as much as I can of course, so maybe that will absorb alot of the backwave from the speakers. It also seems a bit weary to go off and buy the midbass and tweeters based on reviews. It isnt exactly possible to listen to the setup first.

 

[Tempe 10+ year member]

Look at the frequency response graphs, the t/s parameters, and waterfall plots. A GREAT website to go to is http://www.zaphaudio.com. Look at the 6.5-7" comparison and the tweeter mismash. That's a great starting point!!!

T

 

[bass_lover1 10+ year member]

Thanks for your suggestions, and I really like that diymobileaudio site you suggested.
Active x-over with my carputer? Sounds too complex for me. I am still using a headunit for my main device which handles all the audio. I just came across this tutorial on building crossovers and it looks pretty simple.

http://www.partsexpress.com/resources/xover.html

Just look up the values on the table, buy the inductors/capacitors/resistors, solder it and its done. I think my main concern so far is the fact that since this is a car environment, the speakers wont be enclosed and sealed in a box like at home, so I am not sure how much this will affect how it sounds. I do plan on dampening my doors as much as I can of course, so maybe that will absorb alot of the backwave from the speakers. It also seems a bit weary to go off and buy the midbass and tweeters based on reviews. It isnt exactly possible to listen to the setup first.

It's not complex, but it is a bit different than install and go, takes some tuning, but I think it's more fun that way //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

The table looks helpful, I just never was good w/ a soldering iron so I try to keep away from having to do that as much as possible.

Good concern you have there, your best bet is to seal the doors as much as possible, while it wont be perfect but it can greatly impact the performance of your drivers. Go back over to diymobileaudio.com and check in the tutorials section, and look for the simple cheap effective door treatment post, it has a lot of useful information in it about sealing and deadening doors.

I see your point about buying drivers you've never heard, but sometimes it's just a risk you'll have to take, I did it on my Peerless mids, and LPG tweeters, never heard them but then again I know a bit about the respective companies, and knew I wasn't getting a bad product.

 

[Thieroff 10+ year member]

If you need any help designing xovers I have software and I can help you out.

I can also build them for you if you like.

CT