What's the most difficult aspect of SQ to achieve?

[grampi 10+ year member]

Of the many car audio systems I've had over the last 20 years or so, I would have to say proper imaging is the most difficult to achieve. In fact, I've never been able to achieve it. All of my systems have had clarity, plenty of bass, and pretty much all of the frequencies throughout the spectrum (though some of the mid bass freqs can be difficult to reproduce). Is this a function of the placement of the speakers, or your seated position in relation to the speaker locations? Could it be that the small, enclosed space of a vehicle's interior is just not condusive to sound reproduction? I'm hoping the new HU I'm getting (Alpine CDA-9887) and the IMPRINT device will finally allow me to achive what I've never been able to for all these years.

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[DejaWiz 5,000+ posts]

I'd say the hardest aspect of SQ to achieve is getting the imaging and blending to your own liking. It's a never ending parade of tinkering....

 

[elementxero 10+ year member]

Of the many car audio systems I've had over the last 20 years or so, I would have to say proper imaging is the most difficult to achieve. In fact, I've never been able to achieve it. All of my systems have had clarity, plenty of bass, and pretty much all of the frequencies throughout the spectrum (though some of the mid bass freqs can be difficult to reproduce). Is this a function of the placement of the speakers, or your seated position in relation to the speaker locations? Could it be that the small, enclosed space of a vehicle's interior is just not condusive to sound reproduction? I'm hoping the new HU I'm getting (Alpine CDA-9887) and the IMPRINT device will finally allow me to achive what I've never been able to for all these years.

A car is probably the worst imaginable setup to create an good soundstage. It's uneven, full of weird angles and curves, condusive to road noise and vibrations of all kinds. It's really just retarded that we even try at all //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/laugh.gif.48439b2acf2cfca21620f01e7f77d1e4.gif

 

[DejaWiz 5,000+ posts]

A car is probably the worst imaginable setup to create an good soundstage. It's uneven, full of weird angles and curves, condusive to road noise and vibrations of all kinds. It's really just retarded that we even try at all //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/laugh.gif.48439b2acf2cfca21620f01e7f77d1e4.gif

'Tis true.... but then I wonder why people like to risk their lives by climbing sheer rock cliffs to reach the summit of Mt Everest.

 

[mlstrass 5,000+ posts]

For most people it seems achieving nirvana is the most difficult. I'm 99% happy with how my set up sounds, and won't be changing anything other than some minor EQ'ing now and then, just to feel like I'm doing something....

 

[mobeious 10+ year member]

id say depth is the hardest for me... getting the sound to sound like its comming from the hood of the vehicle

 

[twisztdauthorit 10+ year member]

id say depth is the hardest for me... getting the sound to sound like its comming from the hood of the vehicle

put horns underneath your hood like that one guy about 1-2 months back?

 

[young_gun 10+ year member]

id say depth is the hardest for me... getting the sound to sound like its comming from the hood of the vehicle

Thats difficult for me, but Im in a single cab w/kick pods, lmao. I cant get it much further than the windshield. For me my hardest thing is EQ'in. I can get the stage pretty centered, but getting everything to remain flat though the spectrum is tricky

 

[IamDeMan 5,000+ posts]

I'd say the hardest aspect of SQ to achieve is getting the imaging and blending to your own liking. It's a never ending parade of tinkering....

x2 on teh imaging.

 

[req 5,000+ posts]

sound stage is the hardest.

basically you have these aspects.

Soundstage: A listening term that refers to the placement of a stereo image in a fashion that replicates the original performance. A realistic soundstage has proportional width, depth and height. It should be as wide if not wider than the side mirrors, should be eye level, and it should sound like its further out than the windshield. Not to mention place the insturments in their correct placement.

Spectral balance- Balance across the entire frequency spectrum of the audio range. (ie, RTA, not too much bass, not too much treble - ect ect.)

SPL - must be able to reproduce music the same way from low volume all the way to max volume. there should be no variation to the above items when volume is up\down. also - it must be able to achieve a certain SPL score for the judging prortion.

Silence - there must be no noise, induced or otherwise in the system with volume at max playing a track of digital silence.

Phase- drivers must be in the correct phase, otherwise the music (mainly vocals) will sound incoherant, hollow, and may loose low frequency respone.

there are more things, but these are all main points that are quite hard. IMO - the sound stage is the hardest. all about speaker placement, reflections, phase, and time correction.

 

[Rich B 5,000+ posts]

I think the most difficult aspect is affording the right equipment to make the best SQ a possibility.

 

[Trey803 5,000+ posts]

can someone write up a sticky on all of the aspects of sound quality and how to achieve/tune each aspect

 

[Tonyguy 10+ year member]

****, i should just quit now. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/frown.gif.a3531fa0534503350665a1e957861287.gif jp, IMO thats whats makes sq so fun, is that constant chase of audio perfection. Any jackass can throw some 15's in a crx and get loud, but trying to reach audio nirvana takes so much more. Just my .02

 

[2kchevy06civic 5,000+ posts]

oh so wise req

 

[James Bang 5,000+ posts]

for me... stage height.