MyNameIsNoob Posted November 10, 2015 Report Share Posted November 10, 2015 This weekend I wll be starting the install in my Hyundai Veloster. Other than some very thorough soundproofing, its a pretty typical, "budget minded" sorta project using factory speaker locations, and keeping the factory HU to keep it all as low key as possible. It has a center channel that seems to really add alot of depth to the factory sound, but idk if that's jus there as a band-aid or if its a good idea to bypass, or upgrade it... I'm putting in Polk MM6.5's. Fr & rear n wondering if I should get a small amp n a set of Polk 3.5's also? So my questions... What are the Pro's & cons of a center channel? What kind of effect does it have on the overall sound quality and if i were to keep/upgrade it what can be done to get the best sound? Jus lookin for some sound advice so I can make a more educated decision... Thx in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Lightning Posted November 10, 2015 Report Share Posted November 10, 2015 If you use the factory head unit equipment, you will have to use the center channel. It is set up for 5.1 surround I would assume. To delete it and still run factory, you would have to jump into time alignment on the processor you are going to need to run your aftermarket amplifiers. There is more to it ... but this will get the thread started anyways. Kenwood / HELIX / Linear Power (For The Love Of Music) / Brutal Sounds / OverKill Electric Co Questions About Sound Quality ?? Try Here ... Sound Quality, What does it REALLY mean ?? SMD SOTM Winner "White Lightning" 1997 GMT400 Chevy Silverado "The Green Dickle" 1994 GMT400 Chevy "Phantom Dually" Randal's 2007 Chevy Avalanche (we haven't named this one yet) Dylan's "Brutal" 17 Chevy Cruze RS Hatch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_paralyzed_ Posted November 10, 2015 Report Share Posted November 10, 2015 Nothing wrong with a center channel.It sounds like you like it with your "adds depth" statement. You're still using the head unit designed to have a center channel...Keep it I say.Add that small amp and 3.5"s.Pics please! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyNameIsNoob Posted November 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2015 Yea i imagine it does have 5.1 bc for an all stock system, you can hear the imaging and stage fairly well... On this one i prefer the factory HU bc I wna fly stealth (plus it has alot of useful features n has a nice signal when my buddy put it on his scope)... I have a hifonics mx1 goin to 4 channels plus my sub, but there's no center channel on it so I'm gna need to get a line converter n a small amp to keep up... So I ordered my center ch speaker last night, will be here Monday, so by the time my soundproofing and wiring is done this weekend it will be right on time. Is there a common frequecy range that is typically prefered or intended? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyNameIsNoob Posted November 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2015 Oh n I have zero experience w time alignment, so Idk where id even begin there. That part is beyond my abilities/ knowledge. I imagine its something id hafta do much research ab before I even attempted it... I always wondered how it would sound good from passenger side if its tuned fr the drivers seat... Hows that affect a center channel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wasteland_Audio Posted November 11, 2015 Report Share Posted November 11, 2015 It really comes down to how you want it staged and how much money you are willing to put into components and amps, i upgraded all my door speakers in my suburban to kicker components but left all the factory tweeters hooked up in the pillars, makes rock music a little harsh but great for rap/hip-hop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyNameIsNoob Posted November 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 18, 2015 I jus want a nice clean and balanced full sound. and I want it to sound good from any seat in the car for my passengers. I dont mind spending a lil money on components, but I don't get wrapped up in brand names so I look for as much bang for my buck as I can... Right now I have a Hifonics MX1, BRZ1700.1D, BRX616.4, Polk MM6501 (Front), MM691 (Rear), DB401 (center) and an Audiopipe TXX-APA15 (Sub)... Still gta figure out where my best crossover points should overlap on my front stage and center channel, but I'm also considering using the tweeters in the pillars to bring the sound up closer to ear level if need be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackPanther Posted November 25, 2015 Report Share Posted November 25, 2015 I say keep. I have a factory center channel in my Pontiac G8GT. It's runs off of my factory HU. Keeps the imaging up front and high. I attempted to replace my center with a after market 3.5 but the installment depth was to shallow. Like you, I kept my HU because of the things interfaced with it. I replaced my front and rear door speakers. Pulled the factory rear subs out of the rear deck. Kept the stock tweeters in the dash that are also run by the factory HU. With the addition of the upgraded front stage ( Infinity Kappa Series ) the sound quality it great for my taste. Our audio environments are different so sound staging will be different. Try and see what works for you. Trail and error is the only way to be sure. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyNameIsNoob Posted November 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2015 You're right. I had some fitment issues w my center channel too (pics coming), but didn't want it to be the weak link so I did some temporary mods to make it fit. So glad I did too bc it made a huge difference even by itself... Only real problem I've ran into is w the output wiring from the factory HU. It has the front stage separated into 4 channels via factory crossover (each midrange and tweeter is on separate channel), but my line level converter only has front, rear and sub. This means I am either running only mids or only highs up front atm. So right now only mid frequencies are coming thru the front components, so I left the factory tweeters alone... buuut they can't really do much justice keepin up w the Polks, so I've had to turn my amp wayyy down jus so you can hear em. I do need another small amp for my center channel anyways, but i believe the tweeters are only 25 watts and the 4" is 45 watts@ 4 ohm so all I can think of is a really small 4 ch amp.. Idk?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyNameIsNoob Posted December 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2015 Ok as I said in my previous post, I've came across a small setback after finding out ab the factory crossovers on each front channel speakers... So basically, i have 2 tweeters and 2 mids in a total of 4 separate channels up front (not including the center ch) and 2 full range channels in the rear doors. So my current line level converter wont work for me at this point, but after some research I've found that audiocontrol has a feature called "channel summing" to make a full range channel out of 2 that have factory crossovers... http://www.audiocontrol.com/car-audio/factory-system-upgrade/dq-61/ So the one thing I'm unsure of is w the wiring scheme... My question is, will I lose 2 of the inputs (for my rear channel) by using this feature or do they both plug into the same front channel terminal? Seems like a pretty popular item, so any knowledge, experience or product reccommendations y'all have is appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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