[Final Update 6/6] 99 S-10 Blazer Build - Lots of setups

[RedFred]

Also, since the new updates, I can't edit my posts after like 2 minutes of posting...so I don't know how to fix that.

Anyways here's the video of the issue with my mounting:

You can hear how it just doesn't sound right, and then at around 0:18 you can see the woofers jumping around. I would've filmed more, but the neighbor pulled up right around this time.

I really need to get a better camera instead of just using our iPhone 7's to record. They don't like the low notes lol.

Also, do these videos show up super super large on the posts for anyone else? If so, anyone know how to resize them a little?

 

You can see a little bit of interior flex on the low notes, and also my voltage. It stays pretty much over 12.5V which is impressive considering I've got twice the power as before.

The deadener took out all the rattling from the vehicle, and most of the high notes don't flex anymore, but low notes still do some work lol.

[RedFred]

31 minutes ago, Mr DeeBeez said:

Sometimes people feel the bass and exaggerate and say stuff was flying off the walls! lol. 

I would recommend spax screws for the sub. Very beefy screws, and you dont need to pre drill or anything. Have never had a problem with them breaking

Yeah that's what I was wondering. Although I always see people on FB with much smaller setups than mine, say that when they drive past friends' houses and stuff the friends text them complaining.

So maybe there really is some physics stuff going on. Inside the vehicle it doesn't sound loud, but evidently the sound travels pretty far.

My mom used to complain that she could hear us about half a mile away when I had my 2004 Impala with two 12" Pioneers on an 800w amp back in the day lol.

I'll definitely try out those screws if nothing I have on hand works

26 minutes ago, reedal said:

What overlap did you use for your amps?

Did you hot-swap the RCAs when connecting to the DD-1?

Have you made sure your low/mid/high levels are at zero, or did you do the auto-EQ/Time alignment? If you didn't hot-swap the RCAs while tuning, then I'm sure the noise is associated with the fact that your gain level is so high. With my 80prs, everything at zero, I'm clean 62/62, and gains only go up to around 50% (-10dB track for sub amp, -5dB track for mids and highs). I'm not a fan of the auto-EQ and time alignment. I prefer to do it myself, making it sound like what I want to hear.

I used the middle ground settings. So 4 (-5 dB) on the DD-1 for highs/mids and 5 (-5 dB) for the woofer.

I also don't know what "hot-swapping" is, sorry.

The fact that I'm anywhere near 90% gain is very strange. I was expecting based on what I'd read, that each amplifier would need 25% gain or less on a 5V pre-out.

I don't know too much about the 80PRS yet, so I don't know how to check the low/mid/high levels. I just set the EQ to flat and went ahead and tuned it. I'll start doing some more research on it all.

[RedFred]

So I don't know what I was going initially when I set the DD-1, because now that I tested it again it shows the HU is good unclipped to 62/62 which lines up with Reedal's analysis of his 80PRS.

Once I did the gains again but at 62 instead of 52, they went from about 95%, to around 60% (this time set at -15 dB tracks). Hopefully when I start everything up again, the whine will be reduced or removed completely.

Then I took a look at the woofer screws, and the issue was that the screw heads were smaller than the metal ring that's supposed to secure the woofer down. Essentially, the woofers were only really held in by like 50% of the screws they should've been, so no wonder they were jumping everywhere. I don't know if these HDCs have bigger holes than the NVX, or if I just wasn't pushing the old 15s to the same limit, so it didn't matter that they weren't held down securely.

I'm about to make a run for some screws with bigger heads, then try everything again.

[RedFred]

Got the new screws in and the subwoofers should be much happier now.

After readjusting my gains, I now have very minimal whine. I could go back and set the gains again with -10 dB or -5 dB and have even less whine, but I'm pretty satisfied where it is now.

Currently trying to figure out a remote spot where I can go to do a distance test on highs/mids, and also just test out the subwoofers some more.

[reedal]

I do NOT recommend -15dB overlap!! little no music has that much attenuation, and you will very likely send a clipped signal to your subs. Either -5dB, -10dB, or inbetween is what I would go with. Also, using a -10 or -5 overlap will mean you preout voltage will increase, closer to 5v, further decreasing your gain setting and noise level.

Hot-swapping is when you connect or disconnect the RCAs while the HU is powered on. You can't do that at all with pioneer's because they have a pico fuse that will blow, causing a whine/static.

There's a good thread on the 80PRS that has a good tutorial video in it. i'll see if I can find it

 

[reedal]

 

[RedFred]

5 hours ago, reedal said:

I do NOT recommend -15dB overlap!! little no music has that much attenuation, and you will very likely send a clipped signal to your subs. Either -5dB, -10dB, or inbetween is what I would go with. Also, using a -10 or -5 overlap will mean you preout voltage will increase, closer to 5v, further decreasing your gain setting and noise level.

Hot-swapping is when you connect or disconnect the RCAs while the HU is powered on. You can't do that at all with pioneer's because they have a pico fuse that will blow, causing a whine/static.

There's a good thread on the 80PRS that has a good tutorial video in it. i'll see if I can find it

 

With these HDC3's, they start to get smelly in a hurry when I begin clipping, so I think I'll be fine just to set it at -15dB and use my nose as a guide.

I agree that -5 or -10 would lower my noise even more, but right now it's such a miraculous improvement over what I've had for the last 3 years, that I'm not even mad haha.

That 80PRS video is awesome! It's the one I watched in order to set the 3 way active crossovers 

[RedFred]

Got to do a bit more testing today, and this setup definitely moves a lot more air than any of my previous ones (including the "wall"), but I still think it's quiet.

I had a few people in it who had never heard subwoofers before, and they thought it was loud, but not "grasp at your throat for air" or "feel pain in your chest" loud.

So I think I'll try to find someone local with a meter, then probably sell most of it off and plan a new build. No idea where to go from here though, as space behind the rear seats is pretty limited.

[RedFred]

Since I have class from 1pm - 5:30pm most days, by the time I finish school it's already pitch dark out.

I grabbed one of my roommates and a couple friends and we went over to my new demo spot and tested it.

Potato phone quality because it was filmed with a 2002 flip phone, but I can't use my iPhone to film while also playing music from Spotify.

"It's a pleasurable feeling".

You can see her ready with the hand on the door handle lol. And they wouldn't let me go above 70%, so there's still a little to be gained.

Still not sure how I feel about this system. I am definitely 100% in love with the SQ Pro Audio highs/mids, but not sure I like the sub stage so much.

On Friday I don't have class, so I'll get one of my roommates and we'll hopefully get some more videos and during daytime too.

[RedFred]

Went out and did a little bit more demo'ing tonight, trying to find a good song to meter with. Still not really sure where I'm peaking in this box and setup.

I can't say enough how impressed I am with these SQ Pro Audio Highs and Mids though. I ran out of parking lot before I was out of hearing distance lol

 

I think I'm going to sell the 18s and go with 6 HDS212's on the strapped 2200's though. We shall see. I just enjoy switching setups and trying new stuff out.