Sound systems for cars

[Perfectionist]

Okay, i know that this forum is only for home theater discussions but there must be someone here with a good knowledge on soundsystems for cars.
I´m going to be playing mainly flac music if that helps.

I was wondering how it would come out to set up a normal subwoofer not nessiceraly intended for car use, and what direction it should be facing for best results. I also do not know what cardoor speakers i should get our if it´s a possibility to insert normal speakers in the doors. Lets just say i could pull that one off, that is inserting for an example bose speakers in the doors.
Do you think it would come out okay?

I was also wondering what carwindows i should get for best sound quality.

I hope you can help me

 

[GlocksRock]

What type of vehicle are you looking to put a system in? Subwoofers generally face towards the rear of the car, unless a customer enclosure is made that dictates otherwise. Don't try to use non car audio speakers in the doors, just use some that are made to fit in the opening of your vehicle, unless you want something a bit bigger, then you can have some custom work done to make whatever you want fit. As far as car windows, you don't need to replace those, just leave them alone.

 

[Perfectionist]

I have a mazda 6.

 

[GlocksRock]

Should be pretty easy to do a system in that car, just visit a local stereo shop and they can assist you. Caraudioforum.com is also a great place for car audio.

 

[GranteedEV]

My first and foremost recommendation for car audio is to pick up a JBL MS-8. That thing is the most useful electronic for car audio and is worth what you pay for it IMO. A cheaper but less effective alternative would be the MiniDSP, but it would require tons of manual tuning to come even close to the abilities of the JBL. In a car environment, getting good acoustics is ridiculously tough, and that's what makes the JBL so useful. It's a very versatile processor.

Regarding drivers, mounting depth is often a big deal, so some regular speaker drivers may not work. DIY car audio guys and expert installers can make anything work tbqh, but i'm not sure if you personally wanna go through the hassle. Which drivers to choose is a complex question. A lot has to do with placement, drivers to match with. I don't come from a car audio background so the only suggestion I can really offer is the Zaph ZA5 Autosound kit... it's got a crossover designed by a good designer.

Next the issue with a subwoofer tuned for home use is that it will have deep bass extension. The problem is that in a small room *IE a car* it will have too much gain too early, and sound boomy. I recommend finding a good high F3 driver in a low Q but small sealed box. I can try modeling the peerless that's on sale over at partsexpress if you want.

In car audio you'll also find sound deadening to be vital because of rattling.

 

[highfigh]

Okay, i know that this forum is only for home theater discussions but there must be someone here with a good knowledge on soundsystems for cars.
I´m going to be playing mainly flac music if that helps.

I was wondering how it would come out to set up a normal subwoofer not nessiceraly intended for car use, and what direction it should be facing for best results. I also do not know what cardoor speakers i should get our if it´s a possibility to insert normal speakers in the doors. Lets just say i could pull that one off, that is inserting for an example bose speakers in the doors.
Do you think it would come out okay?

I was also wondering what carwindows i should get for best sound quality.

I hope you can help me

What year is the Mazda?

Don't rely on the satellite speakers to provide any of the deep bass- let the subwoofer do that. A head unit with non-fading subwoofer output helps a lot- that way, if you find that you need to adjust the front-rear fader for some music, you won't lose the sub if it's being fed by the front or rear output. Also, the music you listen to makes a difference when it comes to recommending anything, so you need to let us know about this.

A DSP makes setup easy but still won't necessarily mean it will sound the way you want/like it, so keep that in mind.

A low Q box will work best in a car because it won't be a "One Note Wonder". It will be much easier to manage the system's response if the sub produces a wide bandwidth well, instead of a narrow band, badly.

Don't fall for the theory that a big woofer is the only way to get good deep bass and bass sound quality. It's just not true. Use the car's shape to your advantage.

 

[Whitey80]

Car audio is what led me to building my home systems years later.
You can buy the finest component speakers, cleanest amps, etc. but it comes down to acoustics and the metal and plastic box of your car is terrible as is. First move to sq in a car is damping and isolation. Dynamat has always made great stuff, but finishing out your car will run you a lot of cash. Cheap alternative that works surprisingly well is called Ice Guard. Its a roofing product that is self adhesive on one side and has excellent damping properties, best part is, a 3'x50'roll is about $75.
After that look into your components. Even low level decks these days come with at least 4.5v pre's and front/rear/sub outs. Decent entry level components come in under $200 for your fronts, skip the rear speakers for now. Use a solid, tuned, low Q sub/box (i tend to stick with the infinity kappa since I first heard it back around '98 or so) get either a decent 2x75w or 4 channel for later upgrade of rear speakers amp and some suitable class d mono amp for your sub.

Of course that's just my opinion, but a very good place to start for an impressive sound quality based system with solid front imaging for not much money.

 

[ErnieM]

Unless you plan on DIY, find a good car audio installer in your area. I'm running a JL Audio sub and everything else is Alpine. I would put my car system up against any of the stock stuff offered even by luxury lines. It sounds great!

 

[zumbo]

JL audio subs and amps.
http://mobile.jlaudio.com/

German Maestro high-end components.(Used to be MB Quart) (Original German Made)
http://www.german-maestro.de/US/strada.htm

Alpine, Eclipse, or Pioneer in the dash. Pioneer has come a long way with their in-dash components. Clarion could be considered as well.

 

[zumbo]

If you can't find a German Maestro dealer close enough, Focal is another high quality brand.

http://www.focal-america.com/

 

[Whitey80]

Car audio speakers are just like your home systems, they will all sound very different from each other. Go to the shop and check out some pairs, and see which sound YOU like.

 

[zumbo]

Car audio speakers are just like your home systems, they will all sound very different from each other. Go to the shop and check out some pairs, and see which sound YOU like.

One problem here is that someone may be limited in the local dealers brands. He/she may get caught-up in the moment, and leave with what sounds best from a single dealer.

I believe it's best to know what brands to look for first, so he/she can locate a high-end dealer.

My closest German Maestro dealer is over 2.5 hours away. It's well worth the drive, considering they are the best.(IMO) I have at least ten local shops.

 

[mattsk8]

JL audio subs and amps.
http://mobile.jlaudio.com/

German Maestro high-end components.(Used to be MB Quart) (Original German Made)
http://www.german-maestro.de/US/strada.htm

Alpine, Eclipse, or Pioneer in the dash. Pioneer has come a long way with their in-dash components. Clarion could be considered as well.

While I couldn't agree more, I have MB Quartz older reference components and JL Audio 12w3's in my Saab, JL Audios higher end components are pretty solid too. However, I believe the og poster may have given up. I thought he was heading for trouble when he asked about changing the glass..!

 

[Perfectionist]

While I couldn't agree more, I have MB Quartz older reference components and JL Audio 12w3's in my Saab, JL Audios higher end components are pretty solid too. However, I believe the og poster may have given up. I thought he was heading for trouble when he asked about changing the glass..!

Nope, work in progress
I´ve begun to check out brands that are avaible in my town.
And about the glass, well i just really want the sound the be as amazing as it can get.
I have a good amount of some insurance money that i got for an car accident. And i dont give a damn if i get drowning in debt if i have to.
Call it what you wanna call it i´m a ****** audioholic. haha

 

[zumbo]

While I couldn't agree more, I have MB Quartz older reference components and JL Audio 12w3's in my Saab, JL Audios higher end components are pretty solid too. However, I believe the og poster may have given up. I thought he was heading for trouble when he asked about changing the glass..!

I have a pretty good stash of old German made MB Quart car audio speakers. I did a custom install in my wife's G35 coupe with Quart RVF components, and JL Slash amps. Came out pretty solid. Didn't care too much for the RVF tweeter, but I chose it due to the perfect fit in the factory location. Tweeter was a little laid back for me. Sold car.

My preference is QSD. Price is a little high, so I settled on stashing PCE. I have three sets of NIB PCE-216. PSD would be another superb line, but pretty hard to come by NIB. QSD and PSD was the peak of Quart when it was the original company. Rockford Fosgate owned Quart during PCE, but manufacturing remained the same. QSD, PSD, and PCE all use the same tweeter. It's perfection.

I recommend anyone looking to buy original German made MB Quart products from an auction site to be certain they are buying the real thing, and to only buy a NIB item with returns accepted. The model lines I listed(QSD,PSD,PCE) are considered to be the three best lines turned-out by the original company. There are Qsigs, but they are very rare.

If you don't have the ability to do a professional install, or don't have access to a professional willing to install the merchandise, buy new from a dealer.

JL mids and tweets don't do it for me. If limited to a choice between JL and Alpine mids and tweets, I would buy Alpine. But as I mentioned, I would drive a good distance to get my hands on better products.

 

[zumbo]

I have original German made MB Quart in my HT. It is still available today from the dealer I purchased from in 2003. Flat-out good stuff.
http://www.yawaonline.com/speakers.html

 

[mattsk8]

Nope, work in progress
I´ve begun to check out brands that are avaible in my town.
And about the glass, well i just really want the sound the be as amazing as it can get.
I have a good amount of some insurance money that i got for an car accident. And i dont give a damn if i get drowning in debt if i have to.
Call it what you wanna call it i´m a ****** audioholic. haha

Hope that didn't discourage you! We all started somewhere! It was asked earlier too- what year's your Mazda? Knowing that would help huge. Need to figure out if your doing a new head unit or just adding amps and speakers. If no new head unit I recommend JL Audio's cleansweep http://mobile.jlaudio.com/products_cleansweep_pages.php?page_id=94

I know the newer Mazdas can't have a new head unit and this thing works amazing!! Good luck w/ it!

I have a pretty good stash of old German made MB Quart car audio speakers. I did a custom install in my wife's G35 coupe with Quart RVF components, and JL Slash amps. Came out pretty solid. Didn't care too much for the RVF tweeter, but I chose it due to the perfect fit in the factory location. Tweeter was a little laid back for me. Sold car.

My preference is QSD. Price is a little high, so I settled on stashing PCE. I have three sets of NIB PCE-216. PSD would be another superb line, but pretty hard to come by NIB. QSD and PSD was the peak of Quart when it was the original company. Rockford Fosgate owned Quart during PCE, but manufacturing remained the same. QSD, PSD, and PCE all use the same tweeter. It's perfection.

I recommend anyone looking to buy original German made MB Quart products from an auction site to be certain they are buying the real thing, and to only buy a NIB item with returns accepted. The model lines I listed(QSD,PSD,PCE) are considered to be the three best lines turned-out by the original company. There are Qsigs, but they are very rare.

If you don't have the ability to do a professional install, or don't have access to a professional willing to install the merchandise, buy new from a dealer.

JL mids and tweets don't do it for me. If limited to a choice between JL and Alpine mids and tweets, I would buy Alpine. But as I mentioned, I would drive a good distance to get my hands on better products.

Have you heard any of the Focals sold at http://www.zalytron.com/ ? Never heard Focal's car audio and was curious how they sounded...

 

[zumbo]

Have you heard any of the Focals sold at http://www.zalytron.com/ ? Never heard Focal's car audio and was curious how they sounded...

Hard to describe the sound of speakers, especially car audio. Focal is just another high-end company that makes superb components. Their upper-end products sound good. Very good.

I mentioned Focal because they are easier to find than German Maestro, and they are darn good. Crutchfield sells them as well.

Not to get things blown out-of-whack here, but Rainbow would be another. Really hard to find. This German company is reaaaalllllly high-end. US site coming soon.
http://www.rainbowcaraudio.com/

When I get my mid-life-crisis car, it will have Rainbow Audio.

 

[dTor]

The most important question has not been asked yet:

What is your budget?

 

[james7266]

Sound systems for cars Reply to Thread

want a sound system for my Honda Civic. Please suggest which is best.