Car Audio

[weirdlookinguy]

Apart from reliability and the car being in decent shape, the second most important thing to me in a car is the sound system.

I hate "car bass" though. When I do end up getting my car, I want solid sound that doesn't tire your ears and strong yet subtle bass. None of that license plate rattling, your ears ring when you exit the car stuff. Pretty much the kind of bass you would hear from a subwoofer connected to a home theater system, not the kind of bass you normally hear from cars.

In my possession I have a Bazooka EL bass tube. Old school, made in USA, a little beat up but still in decent shape. It's a paper cone woofer, not like the new plastic/metal woofers, so I think it will give me the kind of bass I'm looking for.

Other than that, I have no idea. Anybody know anything about decent car audio? Remember, I'm not interested in LOUD, I'm interested in easy-to-listen-to. My goal is to get the kind of sound I get from my floor speakers and my h/k receiver at home in my car.

[Player2]

Re: Car Audio

Did you end up doing anything with your sub yet? I would suggest going with a small, modern sub with a decent cone and build a properly-sized sealed box for it. That is going to achieve your goals better if you are looking for something with decent sound that will accent your music and fill out the low end rather than shake the earth. The paper cone does not necessarily mean that it will be quieter, but it will lack the crispness and definition of a decent sub in a sealed box. It's been a while since I've seen a Bazooka tube, but the enclosure is vented, right?

[weirdlookinguy]

Re: Car Audio

...something with decent sound that will accent your music and fill out the low end rather than shake the earth.

Player2, I wish I could give you a medal. That is EXACTLY the kind of sound I want, I just didn't know how to describe it.

I still have the Bazooka, and I also acquired a Kicker 08ZX200.2 Amplifier. It is a 200 watt, AB-class, 2-channel car amp that can be bridged to drive one speaker and has an adjustable crossover. Typical car amp pretty much, the build quality is pretty decent and even the caps aren't too shabby (Su'scon, not the best but it could be far worse)

I gave it 12 volts and hooked up the Bazooka. The Bazooka is indeed ported; I have attached a picture. After messing around with it for a solid hour, I found that having the gain turned down low, the crossover set at around 60hz, and turning the Bass Boost to +9dB on the amplifier's built-in preamp gave me the sound I was looking for. However, I DID notice that the sound could have been more detailed and refined; the sound didn't have as much of a low-end punch as I was hoping for.

Could you elaborate on what size woofer and type of box you would recommend?

[pentium]

Re: Car Audio

I never liked subs IMHO. I always preferred regular speakers with a more broader frequncy range. They used a lot less space as well.

[stj]

Re: Car Audio

good luck with what your after!

i used to do car soundsystems to order.
the "tube" stuff isnt gonna cut it.

you have 2 problems.
the first problem is you need big speakers to move enough air - and they arent always easy to fit.

i used to use a pair of 15" stage drivers mounted on 3/4 ply behind the rear seats going through into the boot.
it cant be done on convertables or cars like the rover p6 that have a fuel-tank behind the seats for obvious reasons.

the second problem is the car - you get resonance unless you start stuffing wadding into all the panel cavity's and bonding lead sheet to the inside of the boot/trunk lid.

the problem will sound like someone banging there fist on the trunk of the car to the beat!

[Player2]

Re: Car Audio

What type of speakers are you pairing the sub with? If you are running stock speakers, I would look into upgrading those before investing in a sub. A set of components with separate mids and tweeters will make a world of difference. As for the sub, a single 8" should be more than sufficient. Some manufacturers offer shallow mount subs now, which will save space in your car. Most manufacturers will provide recommended specs for sealed and ported boxes, you can build your own box out of medium density fiberboard (available at Lowes/Home Depot) pretty cheaply. By building your own box, you can calculate the internal volume of the box exactly and match it to the sub. If you feel that it needs more punch afterwards you can add polyfill inside the box or play with the orientation. For example, you can gain some volume in a hatchback/SUV by firing the sub towards the hatch as it will reflect the sound better. Also, while comparing subs you can look for one that will pair nicely with your existing amp to save money. Just be sure to get a sub which is rated for similar power or lower than your amp. Most speakers are blown not by overpowering them, but by driving them off an amp that is underpowered.

[cadiman]

Re: Car Audio

I agree with player2. The only systems I would ever make would be to reproduce the sound properly. a small sub tuned around 30hz will give you the quality bass you are used to. also eq down the 80to250hz thats the boomy stuff. I would upgrade the factory speakers as said here. most factory stuff can be 10ohms ( 4 ohm better). You should only need an amp for the sub and cross over the car speakers. Its easy to build some 2nd order networks to cut the bass about 6 to 12db out of the top end. you really don`t need alot of power to make good sound. This is not a contest. I always made my sub cabinet with 2 woofers. speakers are cheap You can use a much smaller cabinet this way and then run the amp in stereo. You could even use 6.5 if you don`t have foom for the 8s. I have made great bass out of boss 4" drivers (2) in a ported box about the size of a 6 pack hit down around 30 hz with some eq. If you could make something fit the rear dash (ported cabinet) you could use even smaller drivers. good luck!
Cadiman

[stevo1210]

Re: Car Audio

I honestly cannot be bothered with audio in my Corolla anymore... I was looking for a new deck and subwoofer + speakers earlier this year. But the stock Pioneer speakers and the Toyota Nakamichi branded CD deck still sound so pristine. Deep bass and nice treble from what I can hear. It would be a waste to throw them out...