[Official] Car Audio thread

[vincent]

This thread will serve as neowin's unofficial car audio thread, post your set ups, pics, and questions here :) i'll start:

HU: Pioneer DEH-1300MP

Speakers: 2 Bose 5 1/2 2way Door speakers ( w/factory amps), 2 Pioneer 300watt (160w rms) 3 way 6x9's, 1 10" Kicker Comp 300w (150w rms) Subwoofer

Amplifier(s): 4 Bose factory amps for door speakers and rear shelf ( 1 amp per speaker), 1 Kenwood KAC-5205 350w (150w rms) Amplifier

Enclosure: Sealed

Car: 1997 Cadillac Eldorado ETC w/ 32v NorthStar V8

[vincent]

Ok, issue:

Head unit: Pioneer DEH-1300MP

I have to reconfigure the deck every time i turn the car on, after it's been off for awhile Since adding the 10" Kick sub and Kenwood KAC-5204 Amplifier this past Tuesday.

Here's some pics of my wiring if that helps:

Here's the HU wiring diagram

http://a248.e.akamai.net/pix.crutchfield.com/manuals/130/130deh1300.pdf

i can post pics of my car's wiring if need be

[sc302 Veteran]

Ok 1 why the fk did you do it that way? and 2 that is a complete hack job even though you used the nice barrel connectors. 1st rule in stereo rewiring you don't hack the factory harness. You bought a luxury car expect luxury prices.

I don't think anyone in their right mind would help you without being there at this point. If I were to see this in person I would cringe and be mfing it the whole way through. This is the way my FIL did it and I refused to be apart of it, after he was done he had a few issues that he would live with.

http://www.installer.com/cars/by_car.php?carid=773

If you ask me you fked up the constant hot and the key on hot or somehow you fked up the remote. I have no clue how you have the remote signal wire to the amp hooked up....again crappy hack job all I see are a jumble of wires that mean nothing.

[vincent]

Ok 1 why the fk did you do it that way? and 2 that is a complete hack job even though you used the nice barrel connectors. 1st rule in stereo rewiring you don't hack the factory harness. You bought a luxury car expect luxury prices.

I don't think anyone in their right mind would help you without being there at this point. If I were to see this in person I would cringe and be mfing it the whole way through. This is the way my FIL did it and I refused to be apart of it, after he was done he had a few issues that he would live with.

http://www.installer.com/cars/by_car.php?carid=773

If you ask me you fked up the constant hot and the key on hot or somehow you fked up the remote. I have no clue how you have the remote signal wire to the amp hooked up....again crappy hack job all I see are a jumble of wires that mean nothing.

1st off this job was done by a shop, at least the HU, before i installed the amp and sub, which is what these pictures represent

2nd off, all i did was run the remote wire into the blue remote wire off the back of the deck

3rd off all i did also was connect the constant from the deck into the constant in the wiring harness.

Again this pics are pre sub & amp install, so yea i agree with you they made a mess of a job, but i didn't do what you see in those pics...

[sc302 Veteran]

I am sorry you paid for that.

Try disconnecting the remote, tape up the bare end, disconnect the power to the new amp. See if the issue continues. If it does not reconnect the power and ground to the amp. See if the issue continues. Then finally reconnect the remote wire. I am guessing the remote wire is possibly shorting some where if the main power and the key on power are connected properly.

[revvo]

We don't know if it's the installation the problem, or the stereo itself. But yeah, that installation looks cheap. The company didn't even have a wire harness because I guess it costs a couple of dollars? If you buy a stereo deck from Crutchfield, they basically send you the harness free which you hook up to your stereo. Otherwise, this is what you get, mangled cables that can short each-other out and.... yeah...

I know this doesn't really help, but troubleshooting which of those cables could be the culprit seems messy and time consuming when you could just order a wire harness, and hook it up in a clean and mess-free installation that will work. And if it doesn't, then you know your stereo's the problem.

[sc302 Veteran]

We don't know if it's the installation the problem, or the stereo itself. But yeah, that installation looks cheap. The company didn't even have a wire harness because I guess it costs a couple of dollars? If you buy a stereo deck from Crutchfield, they basically send you the harness free which you hook up to your stereo. Otherwise, this is what you get, mangled cables that can short each-other out and.... yeah...

I know this doesn't really help, but troubleshooting which of those cables could be the culprit seems messy and time consuming when you could just order a wire harness, and hook it up in a clean and mess-free installation that will work. And if it doesn't, then you know your stereo's the problem.

I was looking and that was the only site that lists one for his car. Crutchfield does not have one and it is an $80 wiring harness. It is lazyness (don't want to do the proper research, don't want to get the proper parts, don't want to tell the customer they have to wait till they get a part in) mixed in with not wanting to turn a customer away that causes this kind of crap. He will never be able to put in the stock radio again if he wanted to sell the car with a stock radio. Troubleshooting this will not be easy because of the way it was installed.

[vincent]

I am sorry you paid for that.

Try disconnecting the remote, tape up the bare end, disconnect the power to the new amp. See if the issue continues. If it does not reconnect the power and ground to the amp. See if the issue continues. Then finally reconnect the remote wire. I am guessing the remote wire is possibly shorting some where if the main power and the key on power are connected properly.

Resolved it last night, the red (HU) connected to Yellow(harness constant), and the yellow (HU constant) to Red (harness memory), thanks for your input and assistance, i do appreciate it. Heres a pic of the sub and amp in the trunk, i've yet to mount it down, gonna get some port holes drilled out next week.

I actually even tidy'd up the wiring in the HU, got it all taped and organized.

[sc302 Veteran]

Glad you got it fixed :cool:

I can't tell in the jumble of wires how you have your amp hooked up, but I hope you ran it to your battery and have a short ground cable to a screw in your trunk somewhere.

[vincent]

Glad you got it fixed :cool:

I can't tell in the jumble of wires how you have your amp hooked up, but I hope you ran it to your battery and have a short ground cable to a screw in your trunk somewhere.

The amp i have connected to the blue/white cable from the deck which in the manual is listed as "to system control terminal of the power amp or auto-antenna relate control terminal" also it's power is running along the passenger side to the positive terminal on my battery. My ground i have connected to my seat belt bolt ( had to remove the back seat bottom to access it )

[sc302 Veteran]

The remote (blue/white cable) is just there to sense power. That tells the amp to come online when the head unit is on, and go offline when the head unit is off. You could rig a toggle switch to turn on and off that amp if you wanted to. That is all the blue/white is for, and I believe it is low amperage. The ground can go anywhere as long as it is connecting to bare metal at some point.

[vincent]

The remote (blue/white cable) is just there to sense power. That tells the amp to come online when the head unit is on, and go offline when the head unit is off. You could rig a toggle switch to turn on and off that amp if you wanted to. That is all the blue/white is for, and I believe it is low amperage. The ground can go anywhere as long as it is connecting to bare metal at some point.

Thanks for that, i'll research a toggle switch. the ground connection was a recommendation from Crutchfield and Performance Audio here in Kennewick WA, whom i should've gone to in the first place

[remus_lupin]

For the past couple of weeks I have contemplated buying a subwoofer for my car... I didn't want anything HUGE, as I don't it to over-power my speakers, I am just an amateur and want a bit more sound quality. Today, I purchased one!

For starters I got a Panasonic deck (not sure of model) with two MTX audio speakers in the front and two kenwood speakers in the back... I bought those at different times and only when there was a good deal. They perform wonderfully for the price I paid

I just purchased a 500 watt RMS clarion bass with a 500 watt RMS kenwood amp and a custom made box, should arrive within the next week, super stoked to get it all set up...

Here are links to the specific models I purchased:

http://www.clarion.com/ca/en/products/2011/audio/subwoofers/PXW1251/ca-en-product-pf_1259499534022.html

http://www.kenwoodusa.com/Car_Entertainment/Amplifiers/KAC-8105D

I ended up getting a little more power than I wanted, but it shouldn't hurt, as I said the MTX and kenwood speakers I can get to go pretty loud without distortion using just the aftermarket deck...

Once I get my own car I will get a much better audio system and probably leave this in my mom's car

I have enough to buy my own car but I'd rather not pay out the butt for insurance just yet!

I am interested to hear about all your set-ups!! :)

[iamawesomewicked]

I've got stock chevy speakers (which are probably the best stock speakers in a lower model car dealer you can get), with 2 12 inch 1400watt Pioneer subs, and just a little 300w amp, one day i'll upgrade so I can get the full 2800 watts for the 2 subs. It's got lots of kick now as it is though.

[ralph_tran]

Pretty nice for a first system OP... I've got a Kenwood KDC-x993 head unit, a pair of Rainbow SLX265 6.5" components, all hooked up to a MBQuart DSC480 amp. Sorta looking for a sub.... but sounds pretty good for what it is.

If you wanna get more into SQ, check out diyma.com ...most of these guys' systems are worth $1000's :)

[remus_lupin]

I've got stock chevy speakers (which are probably the best stock speakers in a lower model car dealer you can get), with 2 12 inch 1400watt Pioneer subs, and just a little 300w amp, one day i'll upgrade so I can get the full 2800 watts for the 2 subs. It's got lots of kick now as it is though.

Nice! That would be too much for me, at least right now with the speakers I am using

Pretty nice for a first system OP... I've got a Kenwood KDC-x993 head unit, a pair of Rainbow SLX265 6.5" components, all hooked up to a MBQuart DSC480 amp. Sorta looking for a sub.... but sounds pretty good for what it is.

If you wanna get more into SQ, check out diyma.com ...most of these guys' systems are worth $1000's :)

Thanks for the link, looks like you have a pretty great set-up right now, congrats!

[nfiniti9]

For the past couple of weeks I have contemplated buying a subwoofer for my car... I didn't want anything HUGE, as I don't it to over-power my speakers, I am just an amateur and want a bit more sound quality.

Not to pick on your purchase but your setup will be a typical boomer with very little sound quality. The sub you bought is for SPL not quality. The amp is fine but way more power than you need for a "didn't want anything huge". Your door panels and roof will be rattling bad in about 3-4 months. Just buying brand name aftermarket will usually blow away most factory stereos since they almost universally suck. They are getting better but very few use decent drivers. Anyway, your system will boom a lot. Try to play with the position of the sub, facing the trunk, facing the side, facing the seat, etc to get the best sound. Just aiming it at your back my not be the best sound you can get. It all depends on the type of bass you play, how far from the sub you are, the size of the trunk etc.

IMO stay away from anything Kenwood, they are kinda like the Ultra of car stereo.

Oh, my setup, Alpine 10, Eclipse headunit, pioneer elite 4channel, infinity 5.25. I was a custom installer for 3-4 years, pretty much used every brand out there in the 3 shops I worked for.

Oh, one question, did you get a ported or bandpass enclosure?

[NoLiMiT06]

Here is my setup if you are interested and I love it and it's not crazy loud either :)

Head Unit: http://www.alpine-usa.com/product/view/ida-x305s/ (I have the model before this but is almost identical)

Sub: http://www.alpine-usa.com/product/view/swr-1223d/ (used to have 2 of these in a sealed box but my one alpine sounds better :p http://mobile.jlaudio.com/products_subs.php?series_id=16 )

Amplifier: http://mobile.jlaudio.com/products_amps.php?amp_id=439

Speakers: Stock (2008 Hyundia Elantra) best damn stock speakers I have ever heard, sounds better than my dad's Charger that came with Boston Acoustics.

Down the road I will be upgrading everything but I think I am going to wait until my car is paid off next year sometime. ;)

IMO Alpine and JL Audio is the best stuff you can buy when it comes to car audio when you are looking at sound quality, Memphis Audio is a great beginner brand to get you going and should be within almost everybody's price range :) In car audio the more you spend the better the quality :cool:

[nfiniti9]

IMO Alpine and JL Audio is the best stuff you can buy when it comes to car audio when you are looking at sound quality, Memphis Audio is a great beginner brand to get you going and should be within almost everybody's price range :) In car audio the more you spend the better the quality :cool:

Not a bad setup. Sadly Alpine and JL Audio are among the best now. Most of the big names are no more in the car audio world (diamond, mb quart, ads etc). They still make some of those brands but they are just the name now, not the quality. Honestly the average quality is lower now than 10 years ago. They are charging alot for some crappy equipment. Especially amps, I personally dont like class D, even for subs. I have used that JL amp tho and its decent for sure.

[remixedcat]

Pioneer makes solid car audio gear. I got a unit from them and it's great. They make nice speakers as well. Can't go wrong with Pioneer it's also quite affordable as well. Sound quality is excellent.

Crutchfield is where I got it.... they got TONS of car audio gear...

[NoLiMiT06]

Not a bad setup. Sadly Alpine and JL Audio are among the best now. Most of the big names are no more in the car audio world (diamond, mb quart, ads etc). They still make some of those brands but they are just the name now, not the quality. Honestly the average quality is lower now than 10 years ago. They are charging alot for some crappy equipment. Especially amps, I personally dont like class D, even for subs. I have used that JL amp tho and its decent for sure.

I used to have a Diamond D9 12" a few years back and it was from when they made good stuff. A lot of the major brands from a few years ago are just crap now, look at Eclipse, they used to make the best head units out there and now they are junk. JL, Alpine, and Memphis are about the best you can get now a days and they are kind of geared towards budgets :p JL is for the high roller, Alpine is the mid range budget and Memphis is low budget but still good quality. As for head units it's pretty much all Alpine or nothing now with the exception of Pioneers Premier line same with there subs and speakers.

Just because a sub or amp says it can do 1000w for around $100 bucks does not mean it's good and that goes for just about anything you buy outside of a authorized dealer/installer. All of Sony's car audio is junk and even Rockford Fosgate has gone down hill.... Something to remember in car audio is almost everything is going to be over rated power wise with the exception of the major brands like I listed, they are usually a little under rated so people don't fry them. :shifty:

A lot of sites that sell car audio are also not authorized to sell it either and you will get a deal but you will also get no warranty unless the site offers one but it will not be repaired by the manufacture. Always buy from a authorized dealer or site to insure you are getting the real deal and the best coverage ;)

[JonathanVP]

I have Alpine all the way including an Alpine Ipod connector. I never listen to the raidio on my Alpine audio car system.

[NoLiMiT06]

I have Alpine all the way including an Alpine Ipod connector. I never listen to the raidio on my Alpine audio car system.

Haven't listened to the radio in years! :whistle:

[remus_lupin]

Not to pick on your purchase but your setup will be a typical boomer with very little sound quality. The sub you bought is for SPL not quality. The amp is fine but way more power than you need for a "didn't want anything huge". Your door panels and roof will be rattling bad in about 3-4 months. Just buying brand name aftermarket will usually blow away most factory stereos since they almost universally suck. They are getting better but very few use decent drivers. Anyway, your system will boom a lot. Try to play with the position of the sub, facing the trunk, facing the side, facing the seat, etc to get the best sound. Just aiming it at your back my not be the best sound you can get. It all depends on the type of bass you play, how far from the sub you are, the size of the trunk etc.

IMO stay away from anything Kenwood, they are kinda like the Ultra of car stereo.

Oh, my setup, Alpine 10, Eclipse headunit, pioneer elite 4channel, infinity 5.25. I was a custom installer for 3-4 years, pretty much used every brand out there in the 3 shops I worked for.

Oh, one question, did you get a ported or bandpass enclosure?

Thanks a lot for your input, but yeah I DIDN'T want anything that would boom, but I failed to mention I got a FANTASTIC deal on the sub/box combo, too good to pass up, $150 for the pair (and free installation which costs about $80 here) - my friend started working at a car-audio place for the summer and he got a great deal on it for me -, so I went with it even though I didn't want something so powerful. And it is a ported box.

I plan on keeping the sub turned down fairly low, I will experiment, and again if it ends up booming too much, oh well, I spent $150, I can resell it for more. When I do look into getting a real car audio system (when I get my own car - as I said I am amateur right now and just starting out) I will be spending a lot more cash and will keep in mind the advice you gave, thank you again :)

[NoLiMiT06]

Thanks a lot for your input, but yeah I DIDN'T want anything that would boom, but I failed to mention I got a FANTASTIC deal on the sub/box combo, too good to pass up, $150 for the pair (and free installation which costs about $80 here) - my friend started working at a car-audio place for the summer and he got a great deal on it for me -, so I went with it even though I didn't want something so powerful. And it is a ported box.

I plan on keeping the sub turned down fairly low, I will experiment, and again if it ends up booming too much, oh well, I spent $150, I can resell it for more. When I do look into getting a real car audio system (when I get my own car - as I said I am amateur right now and just starting out) I will be spending a lot more cash and will keep in mind the advice you gave, thank you again :)

Not to bad but ported is going to be loud as hell :p What kind of music do you listen too? Sealed is better if your into quality and clarity in your sound, I listen to a bunch of metal and rock with very little rap/hip hop and sealed is perfect ;)