Going Active, not so easy after all..

gstokes

FÜKENGRUVEN
I went from Coaxials to an active system with raw drivers and now going back to my original plan of component set with passive crossover, going active may have it's advantages but convenience and ease of tuning isn't one of them. I just didn't like the delay, the sound was all over the place with highs in front of me and mids beside me and lows behind me and i realized real quickly the only way to make it sound right was with a DSP, before i throw good money after bad i will just start over and go back to my original plan of using a matched component set with passive crossover and save myself a whole bunch of money in the process. It was a fun experiment that i enjoyed and learned quite a bit from, i learned some things are just out of my league and best left to the professionals. I'm not saying that you shouldn't try it, just saying it's not for me..

 
what was hard about it? what was your setup like? I'm planning on going active myself and this is my first time doing anything majoring car audio, my setup before this was a rockford hx2 in a tube box with 4 4x6 alpine speakers (crappiest crap available) but now I'm planing on buying 80PRS, sub for kids and tweeters and piecing my own set(your replying on my "whats your opinion thread)

 
I went from Coaxials to an active system with raw drivers and now going back to my original plan of component set with passive crossover, going active may have it's advantages but convenience and ease of tuning isn't one of them. I just didn't like the delay, the sound was all over the place with highs in front of me and mids beside me and lows behind me and i realized real quickly the only way to make it sound right was with a DSP, before i throw good money after bad i will just start over and go back to my original plan of using a matched component set with passive crossover and save myself a whole bunch of money in the process. It was a fun experiment that i enjoyed and learned quite a bit from, i learned some things are just out of my league and best left to the professionals. I'm not saying that you shouldn't try it, just saying it's not for me..
to be honest, if you wanted to do active, you should have an active capable head unit. Its not just the active crossover functions, but its the time alignment and positioning it does to help blend everything together perfectly. Your current head unit is more suitable to run passive components then going active.

 
tellin ya stokes, SQ head units are the forbidden fruits of life. I'd put my money into one of those before buying a set of components.

Doesnt have to be a 300$ 80 prs.

Clarion CZ702 and alpine 147 bt will both get the job done on a budget.

 
I too am about to crossover into an active setup (no pun intented) Im using a clarion active crossover with a non active capable head unit. am i gonna be fine or should i start looking into sq head units?

 
Sq hu makes it easier when you can eq, time align, and control source levels at each channel, but time alignment is important if you really want tweek the sound stage. My old pioneer had wasnt an sq hu but it had time alignment

 
like everyone else said tuning goodies like T/A is a must, I was nervous when I ditched my crossovers and went active but after about 20 mins of fidding with my 9835 I knew it was worth it already. Like everything in life it takes planning and plenty of time trust me the results are worth it

 
Would you guys recomend the clarion cz702 then? and also, should I still use my clarion mcd360 for tweeters also, or should I maybe use it for my mids, or maybe only run my subwoofer through that? Sorry for all the noob questions.

 
I have tried active one or two times. Like you, I didnt want to do a lot of tuning and didnt have a head unit with T/A. In one car all I did was keep the drivers in the same spots and add an amp for the midbass. It sounded night and day different. The high end was much more controlled. I just started with the same xover point that was in the passive that I ditched. If you went active and it sounds worse, something else is going on. Check phase, x over points, just play with it. You didnt list the equipment but without tuning it should sound as good or better than the passive.

 
Replacing the perfectly working head unit is not an option. Thing is, i was pretty happy with some Pioneer Coaxials until i heard a nice component set and was leaning that way but then i thought i could use home audio drivers for my mobile system and go active, it just went downhill from there. A new head unit with time alignment and most likely some DSP features would fix everything except for my stupidity, but what makes it even harder is the fact i am disabled veteran with no legs below the knees and use wheelchair and this car audio work i am doing to the van is a little too hard on me, having to get down on the floor and rewire the amp and adjust the amp and adjust the radio and get up in the seat and listen and make more adjustments and listen some more.. Screw that nonsense.. A component set with passive crossover is going in and then i am DONE with it, have other things i need to be concentrating on like discrete lighting and some other cosmetic mods..

 
Sounds more like driver placement and level issues. Did you spend any time dialing in mid/tweeter levels so they blended?

Where did you mount the drivers? I wouldn't give up so easily, spend a little time tuning...

 
I too am about to crossover into an active setup (no pun intented) Im using a clarion active crossover with a non active capable head unit. am i gonna be fine or should i start looking into sq head units?
crossover into an active setup, roflmao !!!

THAT WAS TRULY EPIC.

thank-you, i needed a good laugh..

 
Activity
No one is currently typing a reply...
Old Thread: Please note, there have been no replies in this thread for over 3 years!
Content in this thread may no longer be relevant.
Perhaps it would be better to start a new thread instead.

Similar threads

As title. Once i get to about 4/5 max volume my JL HD600/4 amp goes into protection mode on 2 channels, powering my mids. The other 2 channels...
0
148
maybe bad amps. I would purchase a decent amp off of Amazon. They usually arrive in 2 days if you have "Prime." If the problem persists, you can...
11
1K
Now you're annoying me because you are attacking me personally without addressing anything I've said. Show me a single post I've made that's...
20
4K

About this thread

gstokes

FÜKENGRUVEN
Thread starter
gstokes
Joined
Location
Beaverton, Oregon
Start date
Participants
Who Replied
Replies
29
Views
1,685
Last reply date
Last reply from
Jeffdachef
DD451980-D607-41AB-B69C-6745AAE4B848.jpeg

SlugButter

    Mar 28, 2024
  • 0
  • 0
F98C6D78-7734-4659-9FCA-34969BDDC56A.jpeg

SlugButter

    Mar 28, 2024
  • 0
  • 0

Latest topics

Top