New to car audio

[Huns]

Hey, I'm new to car audio (the actual thing and this forum) and I was wondering how everyone else learned about it here? I don't want to just ask questions and pester people, I'm sure there are plenty of websites that talk about it. Unfortunately, I can't figure out the right keywords for google to bring up some decent results. Anyone know a few sites that explain how everything works?

[benny27]

Originally Posted by Huns

Hey, I'm new to car audio (the actual thing and this forum) and I was wondering how everyone else learned about it here? I don't want to just ask questions and pester people, I'm sure there are plenty of websites that talk about it. Unfortunately, I can't figure out the right keywords for google to bring up some decent results. Anyone know a few sites that explain how everything works?

I leard a lot about car audio form a bood i have called The Car Stero Cookbook.
it full of shit that you would love to know i got it for about $25 it is about 300 pages
here is a link to where you can get it and one of his outher car audio books hope you like them
http://books.mcgraw-hill.com/cgi-bin...l?q=car+stereo

[sr20de4evr]

um
I put my first system together when I was 16
Aiwa mp3 headunit
pioneer 2-ways in the rear on headunit power
stock fronts
2 jl 10w0 in a sealed box
us acoustics 2150

Sounded like utter shit, but it was fun and I was young. Got my new car and sold all the audio, after a couple months the stock system wasn't cutting it anymore so I decided to upgrade. I was going to "do it right" this time, so I researched a bit on www.b15sentra.net (my home forum) and decided with a pair of Infinity Kappa components, Kappa coaxs, Pioneer headunit, and a US Acoustics 4085. That was a big mistake, turns out a month of passive research isn't enough. I didn't have enough bass, so I researched hardcore for about 3 months and finally got my current sub which I love to death. I realized how bad my amp and speakers sucked so I researched for another 2-3 months and got what I have now. Now for the last 8 months or so I've been insanely active on some of the biggest car audio forums there are and I've learned more than I ever cared to know. It was enough to get me to switch my major to electrical engineering and I'm still learning all I can. The best I can do is give you some of the sites that helped me
www.soundillusions.net
www.caraudioforum.com
www.bcae1.com
http://community.caraudiotalk.com/in...showtopic=2384

[PaulD]

I also installed my first car stereo when I was about 16. CD players hadn't been invented yet, so I settled for a Concord cassette player. Switching power supplies in amps had just come out, so the amps were fairly low power by todays standards, and pretty unreliable. Active crossovers were also fairly esoteric (and expensive) at the time, so NO subs. I got the very first car CD player model made about 10 years later. If you are counting, that means I'm an old fart. I wasted more money than you can imagine, trying all kinds of stuff to see what it sounded like. The lesson I learned ......... buy what you really want the first time, even if it takes you a while to put it together.

[Huns]

Thanks a lot for the websites and books. I'll probably go to the bookstore this weekend and skim over those books.

I'm 17 right now, so I'm pretty close to the ages you guys were when you started. I will definately take your advice on getting what you want right away, its not worth spending the money twice just to save some money in the short term.

Thanks again!

[SilverJLEclipse]

best thing to do is go to shops and listen to the types of products out there, like do you like aluminum or silk dome tweeters? poly cones or fiber or a combo.
there is so much out there you have to try to see and hear ass much as you can because unless you compete the only one who needs to like it is you.
also, there is nothing wrong with starting small. some of the best set-ups you will hear are a pair of separates in the front and a single sub.

[xjoeharperx]

PaulD..your showing your age

My first system back in 1987 was an audiovox tape deck and eq. I ran that with two cerwin vega 6x9's for the mids and highs. also attached to that was a pyramid line level convertor feeding a sherwood 60x2 amp.
This amp was the size of two phone books. It had a big nasty ass heatsink on it that left scars on my fingers. I ran the amp to a MTX eliminator (free air sub) in a 6 cubic foot box. Thats when the disease started..all of my money went into buying more equipment. it was nothing to drive by my house and see all the interior parts of my car sitting in the driveway..
I have to say i learned the most when i got a job at the local sound shop building boxes..There was a man there that has forgotten more about car audio than we will ever know. He took me under his wing and tought me all the ins and outs of the business and how everything works. The one thing he tought me that was the most valuable was that "more was not better". When i started working there i was running 8 pyle 12's in an isovent enclosure with 2 alphasonic 2350's (175x2).
He gave me a box design to build, it was for 2 jbl gti 10 woofers in a dual reflex vented bandpass..(took me three tries to get it right). I won the spl challenge with that box..151.3 dB.. That was 5dB higher than the 8 12's i had...and only used half of the power... Well guess im rambling on now....

Dont ever hesitate to ask questions for feel like you are being pesky..those of us with all of this experience are usually more than happy to answer questions you may have..We were not born knowing car audio. we just asked a lot of questions and someone else was there to help us..

[PaulD]

I never had anyone to really help me out, so I just made a lot of dumb mistakes. My first system was more like 1977, and I did spend a lot of money and had a pretty good time with all of it. You guys got it made, we didn't have the internet and mail order sales were not popular. And I do enjoy helping other people out.

[mtrunz]

Want some advice from another old fart? I've been at this for over 25 years and had my own car stereo sales and custom install business before anyone in my are was doing it. I was one of the first "kids" to have a component stereo setup back in the 70's. It consisted of two Pioneer GM120 amps, a component tuner/cassette and EQ with four 8 ohm speakers. Back then everything was based on power boosters rather than todays power amps. The "booster" would boost or increase the head unit's 2 watt per channel built in amp. Unfortunately it also amplified the distortion rather quickly too. Anyway, the old Pioneer component system was the lastest thing back then because the head unit had no internal power at all. It got all of it's power from a seperate amp or in my case, amps. Today, that type of system is old news and the head units offer a nice built in amp section that can kick pretty good if you don't want to go with seperates. Enough about the origins of the modern day car audio system. I will concur with a previous member who suggested getting what you want the first time and will elaborate. It is imperitive that you understand a few things before you start auditioning equipment. First, keep in mind that distortion is the enemy. Do not over drive your equipment or you will toast speakers and smoke amps. Learn how to tell when enough is enough to keep your music "clean" and distortion free. I set my amp gains so that if some idiot turns the volume up all the way, it's not going to fry the system.
Start learning by auditioning equipment often. Bring a few CD's of different types of music that you listen to. Don't rush the process. Buying amps is fairly simple as there are so many quality pieces to choose from if you stick with reliable brand names like Alpine, Orion, Sony etc. Don't buy a Pyramid amp or some other cheapo at the local Wal Mart. There are many options regarding power & whether you want 2 channel or multi channel amps etc. Go to your local stereo shop often. That's how I learned and trained my ear to know what "clean" sound was. The most critical purchase will be your speakers and subs. You really need to spend some time listening to speakers and switching back and forth between your favorites to decide which set is right for you. An example; you have it narrowed down to a pair of Infinity's and a pair of Boston Acoustics (BA's). These are both high end speakers but sound very different. At first, the Infinity's tend to grab most people's attention because of the bright sounding tweeters and quite honestly, that sells most people. The people who rush the process and buy the Infinity's without listening more closely miss that the BA's have a much richer and open mid range and a smoother and more realistic sounding tweeter that will remain a pleasure to listen to for years. The majority of Infinity owners will be just as happy but the more discerning tastes of some will change and they'll find that same "bright" sounding tweeter annoying after awhile and will find themselves going back for the BA's. Spend the time to really listen carefully to all of the subtle sounds. It will take you some time to be able to pick up all of these subtleties but that's what makes it necessary to start listening months ahead of time and it's fun. Keep in mind that most rock music is muddy sounding in the mid-ranges so it's not always the best for demo's. I try to bring music that I know has nice horns or percussion. Acoustic guitars can sound great as well. That's why you want to bring a few CD's along. If you want some suggestions on demo recommendations, let me know.

At 43, I've had a blast with this stuff and will continue to for some time. My current system consists of 9 speakers, 3 amps and two 12" subs. The power is awesome but it's cleaner than any system I've ever had. I still have people tell me it's one of the best sounding systems around because when I crank it, the sound just opens right up. The point is, it's easy to get carried away with numbers. It's OK to start with a pair of 6x9's and a 4 channel amp. You can add the front speakers later to fill up the 2 unused channels without having to do a complete install. After that, you can buy another amp and subs. Just go out and build a system with quaility components you can crank and not have to hurt your ears listening to. You'll appreciate it one hell of a lot more and you'll get a lot of compliments. Good Luck!!!

[xjoeharperx]

The most decent site for car audi that I have seen is carstero.com
There is some good information on there and several resources to help you out..

[Huns]

Just out of curiosity, I haven't really visited a website yet that talked a lot about placement of speakers and stuff. Where do you put a subwoofer usually (backseat maybe)? How about amplifiers, where do they fit? I know where my front speakers fit (in side doors) and the back speakers which are 6x9. Also, what do you do with tweeters? Let them sit on your dash and fall over when you take a turn?

[xjoeharperx]

a god place to start would be a copy of "car audio and electronics" it shows many quality systems and placement of speakers and other componets. This will give you an idea of what you can do with your equipment..

[sr20de4evr]

Originally Posted by Huns

Just out of curiosity, I haven't really visited a website yet that talked a lot about placement of speakers and stuff. Where do you put a subwoofer usually (backseat maybe)? How about amplifiers, where do they fit? I know where my front speakers fit (in side doors) and the back speakers which are 6x9. Also, what do you do with tweeters? Let them sit on your dash and fall over when you take a turn?

subs - In a car they go in the trunk generally. They can have special fiberglass enclosures so they hide in the spare tire well, or in the corner of the trunk, or wherever, or you can just have a normal wooden enclosure sitting in the middle of the trunk. You can also run them infinite baffle (no box) in the rear deck (with the 6x9s), but this takes quite a bit of custom work. In a truck they'll go behind the seat back, or under the rear seats normally.

amps - They can be anywhere really, some people put them under the seats, but most people put them in the trunk, either mounted to the backs of the seats, mounted to the trunk floor, or mounted onto the sub box itself.

tweeters - You find a place to mount them, and you put them there. Normally people put them in the door panels, they just drill a hole in the door panel and mount them in there. You can also put them in the a-pillar, in the dash, in kickpanels, basically anywhere you can fit them and still get good sound.

[droptop94]

http://www.rockfordfosgate.com/home/
http://www.jlaudio.com/
wow my first install was a under dash fm tuner which played through your am radio. their was not am fm radios then and we only had mono. one speaker. then we moved up in our next car and got a am fm radio with 8 track and two speakers. boy did everyone envy us.