Noob at SQ, Need Help

[Nesto1000]

I want to completely rebuild my whole car audio system and make it a decent SQ system. I'm not trying to get the most expensive stuff here. I just want clean sounding system for the money.

I know that generally for SQ systems you only want to have a front stage. I don't know what brands and models of speakers, subwoofers and amps to get. The only SQ brand that I know if is Infinity but I'm sure that there's a lot more out there. As for the vehicle that all this is going to go into is a 2003 Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab. I already have a sealed box from my last subs and I want to keep using it. I believe that it is 1.0 Cubic Ft or less. I'd appreciate any and all help that you could give me.

[michigancapri92]

Check out cdt audio great sounding speakers

[Team Bassick - Kimo]

I normally don't advise this but, dip over to diyma and read read read.......

don't start a thread like this until you have read at least a couple builds in a vehicle like yours and two got a basic lay out of equipment you want to use. SQ>SPL as far as attention to details go. Money wise its exactly the same by the time your all said and done. Both can be done on a budget with some used and some old equipment.

[White Lightning]

I normally don't advise this but, dip over to diyma and read read read.......

Wow ... First time I've ever seen a moderator direct someone to another Car Audio forum for advice ...

To the op ...

First thing I would do is to scout out a couple of shows in your area and listen to a few Sound Quality vehicles to get a idea what it should sound like ...

Second I would find you a nice headunit with great equalization and crossover capabilities ... Please remember that installtion is just as important as product ...

If I'm not mistaken, you have 6.5" driver locations in your doors ... Start looking for good replacement drivers and possible tweeter location up high near or on your A- pillars ...

Like MichiganCapri said ... CDT is a good brand, so is Blues Car Audio ... my brand of choice ...

Best of luck with your build Sir ... Please keep us posted !!!

And I have PLENTY of Sound Quality information you can read here on SMD ... I will post what I have if you like ...

Edited May 31, 2012 by Cablguy184

[White Lightning]

I already have a sealed box from my last subs and I want to keep using it. I believe that it is 1.0 Cubic Ft or less.

This enclosure "Fit" in your truck ?? or did it go to another vehicle ??

[Nesto1000]

I did try researching some SQ stuff but I'm bad at googling stuff. Thanks for the tip Kimo!

I'll look that brand michigancapri92

Thanks for the info cablguy184. And I have front 6"x9" and rear 5.25'

Since I'm a bit new to this is there somewhere that i can find out what competitions are in my area?

As for the box, It's made to fit in my truck and I don't really have another place for me to put my subs since they'll take up too much space. Here's how the box looks like.

Also I read one of your other recent posts Cablguy and you said that it's fine to set up a back stage which is what I've decided to do as well since I'm always driving friends around. I guess that i just want a great sounding daily driver.

[Team Bassick - Kimo]

I normally don't advise this but, dip over to diyma and read read read.......

Wow ... First time I've ever seen a moderator direct someone to another Car Audio forum for advice ...

To the op ...

First thing I would do is to scout out a couple of shows in your area and listen to a few Sound Quality vehicles to get a idea what it should sound like ...

Second I would find you a nice headunit with great equalization and crossover capabilities ... Please remember that installtion is just as important as product ...

If I'm not mistaken, you have 6.5" driver locations in your doors ... Start looking for good replacement drivers and possible tweeter location up high near or on your A- pillars ...

Like MichiganCapri said ... CDT is a good brand, so is Blues Car Audio ... my brand of choice ...

Best of luck with your build Sir ... Please keep us posted !!!

And I have PLENTY of Sound Quality information you can read here on SMD ... I will post what I have if you like ...

/\ Number One person to talk to on SMD right there about SQ.

I don't ever send people away from SMD but, sometime you need peek at the grass.

[White Lightning]

Here is you some reading info ... This also is a great concept for Home Audio too ...

Listening to audiophiles go on about the sound quality of their audio systems — from their woofers to their tweeters — can sound a lot like oenophiles going on and on about the qualities of wine. To understand such talk, start by understanding the four basics of sound quality:

• Clarity
  

• Dynamic range
  

• Frequency response
  

• Tonal balance
  

Clarity

Clarity is the ability of a system to produce the original signal as intended, without distortion. Distortion can be caused by numerous things — from a head unit that's not level-matched with an amplifier to an amplifier that's clipping, or being overdriven and sending a distorted signal to the speakers. And distortion can come from any component in a system.

A good test is to listen to cymbals, which can have a brassy and off-putting sound when distorted. High-pitched female vocals are also difficult to reproduce and can reveal distortion rather easily.

Achieving clarity and therefore avoiding distortion is all about proper system design and tuning. It's making sure components are of sufficient quality and compatible with one another and that signal levels are well matched between electronics. It also involves using a component as it was intended and not pushing it past its design limits.

Dynamic range

Dynamic range refers to the ability of a system to reproduce loud and soft passages in music with the same level of detail. When you're at a live concert, a singer may wail and then whisper or a drummer may hit a drum head with brute force and then back off a bit. Each extreme is an important part of the performance.

If the performance is recorded and reproduced by an audio system, the loud and soft parts should be delivered with the same detail and accuracy. But often a system tends to suppress soft parts and emphasize loud ones, meaning you lose the subtleties of the performance.

A related concept is linearity, which refers to a system's tendency to lose detail when the volume is turned down. A system has great linearity if it can retain the same detail at a low volume that it does when it's cranked up.

Frequency response

Every sound you hear, from the low rumble of thunder to the high-pitch wail of a siren, is caused by vibrations in the air that occur at certain frequencies. These vibrations are measured in hertz (Hz), which refers to the number of times per second these vibrations occur.

Humans can hear frequencies roughly from 20 to 20,000 Hz. A car audio system's frequency response represents how much of the audible frequency spectrum it can reproduce. The frequency response of a car audio system can be measured by an instrument known as a real-time analyzer (RTA), which consists of a microphone attached to a processor with a display that has a graph that shows a system's response.

Tonal balance

An ideal car audio system uniformly reproduces the entire audible frequency spectrum from 20 to 20,000 Hz. But no system — at least while playing music — is perfect. Music is dynamic; some parts are loud and some are soft, so a system will naturally have dips and peaks in its frequency response.

Although a system can have these peaks and dips in frequency response, it needs to have good tonal balance — a relatively equal amount of sonic energy across the frequency range — to sound good. Subsequently, system designers and tuners often measure frequency response to gauge which frequencies may need to be boosted or cut as opposed to trying to achieve a flat frequency response. This can be done with an equalizer, although it's best that the system is designed in such a way that it has good tonal balance to begin with.

Although the four basic sound quality concepts (clarity, dynamic range, frequency response, and tonal balance) are the most fundamental to understand before purchasing a new car audio system, there are a few other sound quality attributes that are also important.

Timbre

Timbre (pronounced "TAM-bir") refers to a system's ability to recreate the sound of an instrument as it was originally intended to be heard. An acoustic guitar is usually a good test for this because most people have heard one. Does the sound have that warm, slightly resonant quality that the instrument is known for, or does it merely sound like a low-resolution reproduction of that signature sound?

Tonal accuracy

Tonal accuracy describes how faithful a system is in general to the original recording. It can apply to instruments as well as vocals. The more accurate the system is while playing a good recording, the more you feel as if you are there, listening to a live performance as opposed to a recording.

Tonal accuracy can also apply to the ambiance in a recording, which refers to the space in which a recording is made. Most modern recordings are made in a sort of vacuum, with individual instruments recorded separately or, in the case of some rap music, the individual parts are sampled from other recordings. But many older recordings, some modern ones, and almost all live albums capture the environment in which the performance was recorded. In fact, certain recording studios and performance spaces are known and revered for their sound, which give a recording or performance a specific ambiance.

Think of timbre and tonal accuracy as the reproduction of how close you get to the actual performance or how the producer intended for it to sound. Whether it's the sound of Miles Davis's trumpet, Jimmy Page's guitar, a Dr. Dre beat, or the ambiance of Carnegie Hall, how well a system can reproduce it the way it went down in a studio or concert hall determines the difference between a good system and a great one.

Staging and imaging

Staging and imaging are related concepts that go back to the heyday of stereo, and therefore don't always apply to modern music. The basic idea is that when you're listening to a stereo recording, the system should recreate the illusion of the stage on which the performance occurred, and you should be able to pinpoint the sonic image of the individual performers and instruments within the stage.

Think about the example of a basic rock band that includes a singer, guitarist, bass player, and drummer. You should be able to close your eyes and picture the singer at the center of the stage, the guitarist to the right, the bass player on the left, and the drummer center and behind the singer. Keep in mind that this is an ideal that sound quality systems should approach if not achieve. With rap and many pop-music recordings, the vocalist will be centered, but the concept of a band playing on a stage doesn't exactly apply.

Speaker placement has a dramatic effect on staging and imaging, and hardcore enthusiasts often go to great lengths to position their speakers for the best possible results. This includes rebuilding door panels to better position speakers. Some have even built elaborate mechanisms to mount speakers in or raise them above the dash in order to achieve better staging and imaging.

Finally, no discussion of sound quality would be complete without mentioning interior acoustics. A car's interior, its reflective surfaces (such as glass), and its absorptive materials (upholstery) play a dramatic role in a system's response. And every car interior is different; if you install the exact same components in your Toyota Camry that your friend has in his Chrysler 300C, the systems will sound very different.

[White Lightning]

Since I'm a bit new to this is there somewhere that i can find out what competitions are in my area?

Yes ... try www.bassbattles.com and www.soundoff.org

They have bass (SPL) and Sound Quality competitions in you area ... That I know of ...

Talk to Jenisa ... Tell here the Cablguy sent you ...

Edited June 1, 2012 by Cablguy184

[White Lightning]

Thanks for the info cablguy184. And I have front 6"x9" and rear 5.25'

As for the box, It's made to fit in my truck and I don't really have another place for me to put my subs since they'll take up too much space. Here's how the box looks like.

Also I read one of your other recent posts Cablguy and you said that it's fine to set up a back stage which is what I've decided to do as well since I'm always driving friends around. I guess that i just want a great sounding daily driver.

for the front, you could set up either a 8" driver in the front doors, or a nice 6.5" driver or might even fing you some good and strong 6x9s (might be no need to cut and make fit) ... depending on the depth of you doors, and a nice 5.25 driver in the rear doors ... Should sound really nice as long as you deaden your doors properly ... www.audiotechnix.com ...

Then add some image tweeters up on your A- pillars, and some bass, then for the most part, you shoud be on the right track to a cool sound system ... Theres more we can do to sound even better, but this is a start ...

Edited June 1, 2012 by Cablguy184