Crazy 8s Drums

I have dropped in to read and experience some of the members super awesome builds. I've also been staying tuned to SMD's youtube vids. From a philosophical aspect, what Meade and other US makers, as well as the enthusiasts that are still hookin' up their whips with the beat down, it is really important. The United States created all of this big bass. We made it a 'thing'. It is a distinct culture that exists almost no where else, but so much of the actual gear is now made elsewhere. How meaningful is it when one waves a US flag on the 4th of July when that flag is made in China? Not very. The bass-head phenomena is a unique US culture and all of you are part of that. Just something to think about for the OGs and also the newer enthusiasts.

Check to see if it the hiss is out of the coaxials or the components or both...fade back and front. I might blame the amp, but you said you are on the second one and both had the hiss. Perhaps the x-over for the components is having troubles? It is hard to know without the car being in front of us.

Just reducing the variables here. BCBrassard asked the next logical step, your amp gains being set. You stated that you had check RCAs, did you do this by switching to a different set? Are your RCA cables shielded? If a power cable is run through your car alongside unshielded RCAs the power cable can induce noise into the RCAs. This would most likely show up with the hiss changing with volume changes but could perhaps not. The next step would be the amp grounds...make sure they are clean...and at least as girthy as the positive going in the amp. 4g in should have atleast 4 ga out, for example. The connection needs to be tight and corrosion-free. I am guessing you have done 'the big three' too, check those connections for corrosion...just to eliminate potentials. With the HU at 0 volume, check again to hear if amplifier gain change alters the hiss volume. Eliminating variables...

You suggested that the hiss was not volume dependent. Does that mean that when the HU volume is at 0 the hiss is fully audible?

If you are using the ground in the Scion's harness, you shouldn't. Ground it to the chassis. I can't say that it is the problem but it sure could be... https://www.scionlife.com/forums/general-tech-diy-1821/noise-free-audio-tips-47336/

Does the hiss get louder with HU volume? If so, look to the ground from the HU, maybe add another one or improve where it is grounded. The car's wiring harness may not be sufficient ground so you should ground the HU to the chassis and as near to the HU as you can.

I got a XS battery from Showtime and it got sent in the XS single box with a shipping label stuck on it. It was in good shape when I got it but I remember scoffing at it's chintzy packaging considering how volatile a battery can be.

Looks like Kenwood Excelon's are calibrated to not exceed 1% thd at full volume....at the RCAs. The internal amp, not so much... 5 stars suggestion it is the cleanest radio so far is a false claim though. It only suggests that Kenwood calibrated it properly to be at 1% thd at full volume. I am certain that the Pioneer PRS80 and the Sony RSX-GS9 are cleaner overall.

you cant post anymore bmwking..you just hit 666 posts and now you are fully evil. lol

You play the HU at max clean volume, playing track 4 on the disc the DD-1 came with, then adjust gain on the amp up until the distortion light comes on..then back it down just a tad. Then do it with track 6.

Something that may help you tune your sub xovers is knowing that CD, .wav, and mpeg (and most other compressed media formats) have everything below 20 hz already filtered out...and also everything above 20khz. Setting the infrasonic filter to off will likely be the best setting for most music. FLAC, and some other lossless formats, can have lower and higher frequencies in them so if you plan to regularly use lossless media types you may try to dial them in.

Start with frequency all the way up, and with gains all the way down.

You should set HU eq to flat. I know that on most Pioneer HUs, the factory volume max is set very close to where it distorts. Your HU may be like that too.

OpenOffice is free and works very well. Not buggy or prone to viruses etc... https://www.openoffice.org/download/index.html

If you need to finance your soundproofing material you are doing it wrong. Just saying...

When working for MTX, I scored an awesome deal on a scratch & dent Xtant x603. It sounded so awesome and Xtant deserves to be on that list. https://www.mtx.com/x603-car-audio-amplifier

That is a beautiful install and very creative. I absolutely love it! OG at it's finest!

If this car doesn't get driven anywhere except to the comp, then so be it. If you drive it anywhere else, consider showing the other speakers some love, homey! Speakers are intended to play music. Every competitor on this forum has a capable system that sounds great for music AND pounds out the big bass.

Are you seriously using your head unit for mids and highs? Damn.... You been chasing that 150 for all these years and in all those years you didnt think to make your gear do anything more than shake your car to pieces? Damn... You need to start paying attention and stop fighting those who are trying to help you.

I used these terminals... https://www.amazon.com/InstallGear-Tinned-Copper-Terminals-Connectors/dp/B071WKXN5P/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1526601122&sr=8-8&keywords=1%2F0+terminal+ring I should have gotten a crimper like this one (but went with something different that made me realize I should have gotten the hydraulic one.) https://www.amazon.com/BETOOLL-Hydraulic-Terminal-Crimper-Crimping/dp/B01I31AX9U/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1526601089&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=hydraulic+crimper&psc=1 The distribution blocks that bcbrassard used are SMD products that you can buy through Steve Meade's site. They are not the least expensive route but they are a bulletproof design that will last a lifetime and deliver top-class performance. If you get a different car later you can reuse them. A good investment. There are other brands you can go with, just be careful with the quality. My personal set up is much simpler and smaller than yours so I went with different gear.

You don't have to mimic his stuff. Just note how he has everything connected and what it is connected to; like the fuse blocks and the ring terminals and the blocks on the batteries, that kind of thing. He has overbuilt his wiring set up, to build a rock solid foundation with room to grow. ( I don't know if that was what he was thinking really, I am just postulating. It is a smart move.) The actual cable you currently have will likely be just fine but you'll need to use new terminals, which aren't terribly expensive but will need a crimper appropriate for the size. You can buy them for about $40 on amazon. Having such tools will help you over the long haul too. Owning your own tools is always a smart investment. Take care of them too. I personally went with 1/0 100% copper welding wire. It cost a little bit less, but is a bit stiffer and doesn't come in a variety of colors...just red or black....which is fine because I put colored PET sleeving over it and it looks killer now! For performance, it delivers big time! By all accounts, it's performance is the best. Invest in proper fusing too. It isn't very expensive and you can't have too many fuses in the system. All of it will be much less expensive than replacing a charred Acura and a bunch of crispy gear, for sure. Start taking measurements of your trunk and your gear and start thinking about how you might arrange things to be most efficient for you. Draw stuff out on paper and keep planning it out until you settle on what you would like the most. Definitely check out some of the other folks builds here on the forum. There is a whole section dedicated to it. You will surely get great ideas from them. I sure did!

While there are quite a few fellows here with great expertise in installing, RCBrassard hs been recently reworking his killer Lancer and has put up some excellent images of his work. I would say that his work is a great representation of quality practices and you can use it as a reference for your own build. His set up has many similarities to what you are doing with your Acura. You are, after all, driving an Acura which was a beautiful car to begin with and styled very handsomely. Do it some justice by putting in some effort in making your audio system on-par with the Acura quality. Basically, show it some love and it will show you some love back. This channel at Youtube, 'Car Audio Fabrication', goes over a variety of subjects and Mark demonstrates some of the best-practice techniques to produce amazing systems. He has a huge set of tools to work with, but you won't need all of those tools to do your job right and safely. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4FiN46mPTtkJxzRXJY21lQ

Not saying this to sound like a jerk or a pompous a-hole, but it is my opinion that you need to redo a whole lot of your install and do it right...for safety and performance. You are going to need to pull all of it out anyway to do soundproofing so this will be the best time to redesign your install. Use the right gear too...use proper distribution blocks / terminals...use proper crimping technique...(buy a $40 hydro crimper and proper terminals, heatshrink, techflex sleeving etc..). This will provide a much better foundation from which you can then work those amplifiers to their fullest capabilities. The install and cabling can, and will, make or break the system's performance. Invest in it properly. I can link to some Youtube channels that you can reference for best-practices techniques if you wish. Again, this is not intended as an insult. I aim to help you be safe and achieve your goals...and this will make your gear sound a lot better. Your stuff is a fire waiting to happen.

You are at the right forum to help you get louder though. Check out some of the member builds for ideas on how to do it. Lots of heavy hitters chillin up in this beotch!