What is SQ?

[LuNaTiC 10+ year member]

What exactly does SQ sound like?? I mean I installed a PA Mofo ported in my friends car and I can't tell that it sounds terrible. I've never heard a system that I dind't think sounded good. Even a comp system doing 150+ with 1 15 playing music sounded awesome to me. Maybe I just like loud noises but, Is there anyway to explain to me what you feel when you hear a strictly SQ system? I'm sure it's one of those things you HAVE to hear to understand.

One friend has apline speakers powered by the H/U, Another, Stock lexus speakers powered by an amp. Yet I CAN'T tell much of a difference.

And while I'm struggling with this subject... How is a SQ competition judged? Is there any type of metering involved or is it just the judges that go by what they think sounds best?

Please help the ignorant.

Click to read more...

 

[noob with an RS 10+ year member]

you haven't lived until you've heard a properly setup system with superb imaging and dynamics.

 

[djman37 5,000+ posts]

First, go listen to your favorite music on a nice set of over-the-ear headsets. Second, using that as a benchmark, SQ for car audio is accurately re-creating the original smooth, balanced, clear sound from a CD, in a car.

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

Go in to the closest "hi fi" home audio dealer, pretend you have lots and lots of money, and ask to do a side-by-side comparison of a higher end system and a somewhat lower end system.

Close your eyes and pop in some real music (not rap, hip-hop or R&B....but some real music)

Differences should be readily apparent to you. And that'll be the best explaination you could receive.

 

[eisenhower 10+ year member]

Go in to the closest "hi fi" home audio dealer, pretend you have lots and lots of money, and ask to do a side-by-side comparison of a higher end system and a somewhat lower end system.
Close your eyes and pop in some real music (not rap, hip-hop or R&B....but some real music)

Differences should be readily apparent to you. And that'll be the best explaination you could receive.

r&b has some of the best productions available. Id rather have him listen to r&b than some punk or jazz band that recorded their stuff poorly.

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

r&b has some of the best productions available. Id rather have him listen to r&b than some punk or jazz band that recorded their stuff poorly.

I wouldn't consider any recording that was "recorded poorly" to be of much use here, regardless of genre.

Snatch up something from Sheffield Labs, Autosound 2K or the IASCA competition CD. Those are the types of recordings I was referring to.

 

[Polecat 5,000+ posts]

exactly, I agree ^^^^

if you really want to test a system for Q, I would make sure the CD used is accurate, and produced well...IASCA CD is a great one, and hate to say it, but Aliens ate my Buick is one great CD...

 

[tplaya07 10+ year member]

Here is a link to how SQ is judged:

http://www.teamaudionutz.com/enter.htm

Just click on Tutorials, and its the second one down.

 

[LuNaTiC 10+ year member]

Here is a link to how SQ is judged:http://www.teamaudionutz.com/enter.htm

Just click on Tutorials, and its the second one down.

Awesome, Thank you.

And thanls for all the replies guys.

 

[Cris 10+ year member]

Building a real SQ system is the art of re-creating what happened in the studio when the artists played their music in front of microphones.

Ultimately, this means that you want to represent every and all frequencies as evenly, smoothly, and accurately as possible. Things like vibration, echoes, and outside noises hinder this. So do awkward & uneven placement of speakers. So do innacurate drivers who "color" music (effectively create a peaks and valleys in what should be a completely flat frequency response.)

It is a hobby that is time consuming, expensive, but ultimately.. in my opinion.. really, really rewarding. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

Hope that made sense!

-cris

 

[LuNaTiC 10+ year member]

Building a real SQ system is the art of re-creating what happened in the studio when the artists played their music in front of microphones.
Ultimately, this means that you want to represent every and all frequencies as evenly, smoothly, and accurately as possible. Things like vibration, echoes, and outside noises hinder this. So do awkward & uneven placement of speakers. So do innacurate drivers who "color" music (effectively create a peaks and valleys in what should be a completely flat frequency response.)

It is a hobby that is time consuming, expensive, but ultimately.. in my opinion.. really, really rewarding. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

Hope that made sense!

-cris

It didn't but thanks for trying!

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/tongue.gif.6130eb82179565f6db8d26d6001dcd24.gif

 

[Cris 10+ year member]

It didn't but thanks for trying!
//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/tongue.gif.6130eb82179565f6db8d26d6001dcd24.gif

hehe.. well, look at it this way. The point of orienting a system toward SQ is to try to reproduce (err.. to make it sound like) the same way it sounded when the artist (say.. i dont know, radiohead) played it in the studio.

Now, imagine the artist in the studio. Do you think that they have well-balanced, clear, good-sound being played.... or do you think you can barely hear the artist's voiced, the S-sounds in music come through harsh, and the bass is up so loud that the whole studio is shaking?

A system that makes your eyes rattle (generally) is an spl system. Those that try to sound as clear, beautiful, and accurate as a live performance in the studio, are SQ oriented systems.

-cris

 

[Raven 10+ year member]

SQ + vehicle = difficult.

 

[mikechec9 10+ year member]

SQ + vehicle = difficult.

i think that challenge adds to the love of the art/hobby. for me anyway.

 

[Raven 10+ year member]

Just trying to simplify what I would call an otherwise complex thread. =)