Hey , SQueer face...

[sqhertz 5,000+ posts]

as suggested by another member , heres another SQ related thread.

i can hook up speakers , amps and head units no problem, but there is obviously more to a great sounding system than that. speaker placement , EQing , T/A'ing with Shakira , etc. but i am a complete noob (not the james bang noob type) when it comes to this stuff. i am determined on getting a great sounding system in my next vehicle and want to learn about as much as i can now , so i dont run into common mistakes (if there is any) when the time comes to install.

where do you start first? what is your order of operation?

component selection? why would i want to go with raw drivers and an active HU instead of 2/3 way components with a passive crossover? arnt they supposed to be optimized for those specific speakers? is there certain things to look for in raw drivers? is the frequency response spec. all that is needed?

speaker placement? how do you determine when to put tweeters on or off axis? up on the pillars or in the kicks? i would imagine this will have to play a huge role in imaging.

trial and error? lots of double sided tape? clues in the oh-so-confusing parameters?

EQing? starting with everything flat , do you work up from the lower freq's or down from the higher? when you have a peak , do you tone it down , or raise everything else to 'blend' (dumb question but i thought id ask)? i know the goal is for the music to sound natural , but music natrually has peaks. how do you figure when you have too many or too little?

i have no idea about time alignment , but shakira's tits and ass are getting my attention in mr. bangs T/A thread. this may need another thread for discussion , or links to previous threads since i know they can go on forever on this topic.

i know i will have plenty more to ask , but this is all i can think of.

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/confused.gif.e820e0216602db4765798ac39d28caa9.gif//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif

Click to read more...

 

[FJF 10+ year member]

I would begin with the most important factor of all - your ears. Aural acuity is not a transitive property. Meaning, we all don't hear the same thing. Critical listening is a learned skill. There may be others, but this is the only resource that I know of that teaches one what to listen for:

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-High-End-Audio/dp/0964084945

Once you know what to listen for, everything else falls into place. You'll be able to hear a system and quickly identify the problem areas. Similarly, you'll know how to fix them. There's really no substitute for experience. If you decide to get the book and spend a considerable amount of time going through it, correlated with listening, you'll know more about audio than 99.99% of the folks attempting to put together and tune a SQ system.

 

[AVSTANG02]

SQueer face!! HAHAHA that's awesome.

You aren't an audiophile you're a SQUEER!!!

 

[sqhertz 5,000+ posts]

I would begin with the most important factor of all - your ears. Aural acuity is not a transitive property. Meaning, we all don't hear the same thing. Critical listening is a learned skill. There may be others, but this is the only resource that I know of that teaches one what to listen for:
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-High-End-Audio/dp/0964084945

Once you know what to listen for, everything else falls into place. You'll be able to hear a system and quickly identify the problem areas. Similarly, you'll know how to fix them. There's really no substitute for experience. If you decide to get the book and spend a considerable amount of time going through it, correlated with listening, you'll know more about audio than 99.99% of the folks attempting to put together and tune a SQ system.

thanks for the link.

but what about SQ events? if it is so subjective , how do they judge? if judge A likes brighter highs , judge B likes a more present midbass , and judge C something else. how do they conclude who won?

Practical techniques for improving the acoustics of existing stereos

what about putting one together?

 

[DEdwards 10+ year member]

When I judge a vehicle I judge the car vs. the music not vehicle vs. vehicle.....I listen for EVERYTHING...dynamics,tonal signature, realism, you name it....I like it when the vehicle dissapears and it is just you and the music...

 

[FJF 10+ year member]

thanks for the link.but what about SQ events? if it is so subjective , how do they judge?

Beats me; I only care about listening to music. This said, it's not all subjective, at least relative to high-quality audio. For example, it's easy to tell which system is more resolving and more transparent. BUT, you need to know what to listen for, as well as having a sonic reference of value.

what about putting one together?

LOL, Moi? The first sentence would read, "Car audio is ****. If you care about listening to music, try a better sounding alternative." //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/laugh.gif.48439b2acf2cfca21620f01e7f77d1e4.gif

 

[sqhertz 5,000+ posts]

Beats me; I only care about listening to music. This said, it's not all subjective, at least relative to high-quality audio. For example, it's easy to tell which system is more resolving and more transparent. BUT, you need to know what to listen for, as well as having a sonic reference of value.


LOL, Moi? The first sentence would read, "Car audio is ****. If you care about listening to music, try a better sounding alternative." //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/laugh.gif.48439b2acf2cfca21620f01e7f77d1e4.gif

lol.

all i care about is listening to my music. i dont compete at all or 'show off' my audio. i just want it to sound as good as i can get it.

you , i , and almost anyone else , can tell a good quality sound from a bad. of course everything comes from experience , but you have to start somewhere. thats where im at , step 1.

 

[sqhertz 5,000+ posts]

When I judge a vehicle I judge the car vs. the music not vehicle vs. vehicle.....I listen for EVERYTHING...dynamics,tonal signature, realism, you name it....I like it when the vehicle dissapears and it is just you and the music...

i understand that. but that does come with experience. you will have to have heard the material , or at least know what youre listening to actually sounds like to be able to tell what you want and dont want in the sound.

what im getting at , is what makes you decide to do what when youre installing everything? you already know your music in and out , and you want to reproduce that in your car...

 

[FJF 10+ year member]

but you have to start somewhere. thats where im at , step 1.

Fair enough. You seem genuinely interested and I want to help, but I don't really know how. Without a two-pronged attack - lots of listening time combined with an active study of the subject - there aren't any options left. I could answer some questions in the original post, like it's better to cut with an EQ than to boost, but that's not a real solution. Your personal aural acuity needs to be there in order to discern the goodness, if you will, of the result driven by those changes. To start, besides reading, I'd suggest putting together a system that'll give you a fighting chance. What gear do you have now and how is it setup?

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

you , i , and almost anyone else , can tell a good quality sound from a bad.

You'd be very surprised //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[sqhertz 5,000+ posts]

Fair enough. You seem genuinely interested and I want to help, but I don't really know how. Without a two-pronged attack - lots of listening time combined with an active study of the subject - there aren't any options left. I could answer some questions in the original post, like it's better to cut with an EQ than to boost, but that's not a real solution. Your personal aural acuity needs to be there in order to discern the goodness, if you will, of the result driven by those changes. To start, besides reading, I'd suggest putting together a system that'll give you a fighting chance. What gear do you have now and how is it setup?

i appreciate it.

i should of added a few things in the firts post. i actually dont have a vehicle at the time. lost my job , no money at the moment, and im moving to NC with my fiance is the cliffs of the story.

the only thing i have now is a lanzar opdi 4x400d. everything else is up in the air right now. im not looking to spend a thousand dollars on equipment and install when the time comes. im not concerned with a sub right now , just focused on putting together my front stage when im ready.

i do know ill be running 2 way with 6.5"s and a tweet. probably passive at first , but eventually active.

from what im seeing alot of people do , mids in the kicks and tweets up high then t/a to help center. is this a personal preferance as opposed to mounting in the doors?

and the tweets - it seems putting them at ear level pointed opposite (driver side pointing to passanger) would keep things level for the most part , but what about pointing towards eachother or the windsheild?

 

[sqhertz 5,000+ posts]

the more i read and type about this subject , all of it seems to come by trial , error and experience. i guess ill continue my study on SQ and apply what ive read to my install and see what works.