Audio Systems

I was wondering if anyone has a system in their car and how it sounds. Well I have a 94 HB w/ 1 12" Sub and a 250WATT Amp and the system sounds great but it makes my car sound funny. It sounds like I put a sub in a damn tin can. I know these cars werent made for hooking up with amps and things so I didnt expect much.

Inni

Dynomat! That is the only way to get rid of the resonance inherent to the car. The Metro has thin metal and will resonate something terrible. I filled my rear side panels with thick foam and the doors with some dymomat from a guy I knew that bought way too much for his car so I traded some install work for the left-over. There should be some generic brands too but I have not looked.

Also, a 250W amp is pretty weak for a sub, unless its a seriously cheap sub. I've got a 12" Fusion (New Zealand based competition system manufacturer) Subwoofer, with a 1000W Fusion amp. I've covered the floor of the hatch, as well as the inside of the doors with Fusion's FU-D sound deadening material. With my single 12" Powerplant in the confined airspace of a Metro, I've hit 146dB at SPL (sound pressure level) competitions, big enough to bring me within the top 3 among competitors running multiple subs. I generally place in the top few in SQL (sound quality level) competitions too, as I have 4 Fusion 6.5" speakers at all four corners, running of a 450W Kenwood 4 channel amp. This is all driven by a Kenwood KDC-MP525 MP3 Headunit though a Fusion pre-out booster / equalizer. I've compensated for the seriously underpowered charging system with a 1.5F Fusion Digital Capacitor to help smooth out the spikes in current draw.

Sorry if this all sounds like bragging, I didn't mean it that way. Just saying that with the proper attention to detail, a Metro can sound as good as any car.

Sound deadening is key, though. I'd recommend Fusion's stuff because it's what I have access to, and I know it works great and is easy to apply. I hear good things about Dynamat, too. I'd steer clear or 'Brown Bread' though, as it's asphalt based, and pretty raw from what I hear, leaving you with a pretty strong tar smell in your car for quite a while.

Also, a 250W amp is pretty weak for a sub, unless its a seriously cheap sub. I've got a 12" Fusion (New Zealand based competition system manufacturer) Subwoofer, with a 1000W Fusion amp. I've covered the floor of the hatch, as well as the inside of the doors with Fusion's FU-D sound deadening material. With my single 12" Powerplant in the confined airspace of a Metro, I've hit 146dB at SPL (sound pressure level) competitions, big enough to bring me within the top 3 among competitors running multiple subs. I generally place in the top few in SQL (sound quality level) competitions too, as I have 4 Fusion 6.5" speakers at all four corners, running of a 450W Kenwood 4 channel amp. This is all driven by a Kenwood KDC-MP525 MP3 Headunit though a Fusion pre-out booster / equalizer. I've compensated for the seriously underpowered charging system with a 1.5F Fusion Digital Capacitor to help smooth out the spikes in current draw.

Sorry if this all sounds like bragging, I didn't mean it that way. Just saying that with the proper attention to detail, a Metro can sound as good as any car.

Sound deadening is key, though. I'd recommend Fusion's stuff because it's what I have access to, and I know it works great and is easy to apply. I hear good things about Dynamat, too. I'd steer clear or 'Brown Bread' though, as it's asphalt based, and pretty raw from what I hear, leaving you with a pretty strong tar smell in your car for quite a while.


Just stating power means nothing. Hell, he could have an old Earthquake 200.2 amp. They only rated it at 250 watts RMS stereo. When you read the fine print you saw that it was 1/2 ohm stable and the 250watt rating was at 12volts. When you had it bridged to .5 ohm @ 14 volts it would produce over 1500 watts RMS!!!!

Anyway, you will have to dampen the car with something. If you want to waste money, buy Dynomat. If you want to save some cash, just get the rubberized undercoating for under cars. Find the stuff that's as rubber-like as you can get. Spray every inside panel. Be carefull not to plug any drain holes in the doors and other places.

Doing stuff on the cheap is great if it's just as good. But I doubt you'll find a spray on rubber coating that won't reek like the propellant for months after spraying. I've sprayed such products on the floor of vehicles I've done bodywork on before, and they generally stink for a good long time. If you could find a rubber coating that wouldn't smell too bad, then it could be worth it to go cheap, though you'll never get the 1/4 inch thickness of a matting product without doing multiple coats. And at $5-$10 a can, that would probably add up to the cost of a real product pretty quick.

Incidentally, anyone ever tried Plasti-dip? It's a rubber product meant for coating tool handles and such. It's applied with a roller or a brush. I suspect it would work pretty good.

Doing stuff on the cheap is great if it's just as good. But I doubt you'll find a spray on rubber coating that won't reek like the propellant for months after spraying. I've sprayed such products on the floor of vehicles I've done bodywork on before, and they generally stink for a good long time. If you could find a rubber coating that wouldn't smell too bad, then it could be worth it to go cheap, though you'll never get the 1/4 inch thickness of a matting product without doing multiple coats. And at $5-$10 a can, that would probably add up to the cost of a real product pretty quick.

Incidentally, anyone ever tried Plasti-dip? It's a rubber product meant for coating tool handles and such. It's applied with a roller or a brush. I suspect it would work pretty good.
It doesn't need to be 1/4" thick to work effectively. Yes, there is a "paint" smell for a little while but with the doors open for a day, it is usually OK. I use it on many "street" vehicles. On rod and custom cars I do like to use Dynomat's competitors stuff but only when there's a need. Yes, I have used plasti-dip but it is expensive too.

Ok guys thanx for all the good advice. I might try those when I get my 04 CTS next month. But There is something wrong with the audio in my Geo now. Ok, Well I switched my car audio around it it sounds ok. I put my 12 in my back seat and my amp in the trunk. Well i went to go get rid of my amp and go back to the way I had it. I noticed that no speakers worked unless I hooked them up to my amp. I took out the CD Player and re-wired all the wires, checked all of the wires around the car, checked the fuses and I still get nothing, just static. But if I hook up my speakers to my amp they work good but I get no treble, just bass. What do you think the problem could be?

Check continuity from deck to speakers on the speaker wires, if they're not broken, then chances are the amp in the CD player that drives your speakers is dead. Hooking the speakers up to an external amp is a good place to start, now check wires and, by process of elimination, you'll get the answer.

I have 2 JBL 10" subs powered by a JBL 180.2 360watt amp. I also installed an Audiobahn 0.5 Farad capacitor to help take some of the stress off the alternator. In my rear trim panels I installed a pair of 6X9 JBL 2-way speakers, and I still don't have a set for the front, since my 94' Hatchback doesnt have speaker panels in the doors (it's a 2dr). I had a pair of 4" JBL 2-way speakers for under the dash (in the stock speaker holes), but they were too deep (they have really big magnets for 4" speakers), and the drivers side one wouldnt fit.
Up front I have a JVC Kameleon head unit. So far I dont have any damping material in the car, although I'm planning on getting some cheaper dynamat (i forget the other company's name), and using that at least from the rear seat (and side panels) back to the trunk.

Ok Sean, process of elimination never failed me before.

OK, heres an update. I checked all my wires to the DD player (fine), I took my speakers inside my house (worked fine), rewired all the old speaker wires I added (still nothing). So today Im going to buy another CD player and if doesnt work, Oh well. Ill whistle while I drive to school and work lol. I believe it is the amp in the CD player that i f*ed up. Thanx for the help.

Most likely. Depending on the deck, it mightn't have had any sort of protection built in, and if, while fiddling with it, you managed to short the wires on the speakers together, it could quite easily burn out the amp. I know that kenwood decks have built in short protection, and will shut off the amp if a short is detected. I presume that most or all quality decks have the same protection, but if the deck is old, or of dubious province, then it mightn't.

Well the one that blew was a $55 ESA p.o.s.

99 Chevy Metro 2DR 3cyl 1.0 here, audio system as follows:

-1 Pioneer HU at 200 watts
-4 stock 6 1/2" speakers (they might be 5 1/4" been a long time since I looked, they'll get changed eventually)
-2 JBL 10" 1000 watt subs
-1 JBL mono block amp 300 watts
-2 JBL 6x9 300 watt 2 way speakers
-1 Rockford Fostgate 600 watt 2 channel amp

Cheap ways to make things sound good/better:

If it's fuzz and engine type noise you have a problem with there is alot of basic tips too follow. Power cord should be run all by itself as far away from speakers, speaker wires, rcas, remotes as possible. Mine is run under my car on the left then into the trunk. Rcas, remotes, and speaker wires should be kept away from all other powered items, this means wires and your car's CPU avoid the tranny area too. Mine are run under the carpet down the center of the passenger seat. Last, your remote may need to be grounded.

Distortion noise can come from people not knowing how to tune their amps, most audio shops will help you out for free, but a rule of thumb is, your amps' gains should never be turned up over 3/4. Turning up higher is a sure way to get distortion and to ruin your amps.

Car vibration noises, well first make sure you put all those screws and plastic pop rivets back in each time you take your car apart. Second make sure your amps and speakers are secure, if yours are in the trunk area like mine you will notice that standard cardborad stuff shakes like mad when you get going (mine actually just bent/broke). Next, buy some of that cheap insulation tape thats meant for the side of your house windows, put it wherever two hard services meat, this stops alot of noise. Then after all that, start looking at stuff like dynamat, although not sure it's worth your cash to dynamat a geo.

for sound dampining try rubber roofing. u can buy it at any roofing suplier. u roll it on and its vary thick and kind of cheep ( $30 for gallon but ask for a sample pint FREE ).