SQ adjustments to an aftermarket car audio system

dbzeag

Wants to kiss you where it stinks
Jun 9, 2006
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Does anyone know where to start adjusting car audio equipment to tune the sound?

I have finally got my system installed (after 4 months):

MB Quart PCE 216 Component front
DAYTON RSS265HF-4 sub
Clarion EQS744 EQ
Kicker KX650.4 amp
Powered by a custom head unit :shifty:

What should I set the EQ and other bits to first when starting off tuning? What adjustments should I make? Hold my hand?
 
April23 said:
What kind of car are you putting this in?
Not that it matters much, a POS Mazda Protege. The system is sized, however, to be transplanted into my next car, Mazda3.
 
Sarcasmo said:
GAY MEN DON'T DIY
You are right. I had someone else do it for me. Well, I did the wiring, and some of the installation. The sub/amp box build and front mounting was done by someone else.
 
dbzeag said:
Not that it matters much, a POS Mazda Protege. The system is sized, however, to be transplanted into my next car, Mazda3.


No it doesn't matter, I was just gauging the level of Miata in this thread before I got involved.
 
dbzeag said:
Does anyone know where to start adjusting car audio equipment to tune the sound?

I have finally got my system installed (after 4 months):

MB Quart PCE 216 Component front
DAYTON RSS265HF-4 sub
Clarion EQS744 EQ
Kicker KX650.4 amp
Powered by a custom head unit :shifty:

What should I set the EQ and other bits to first when starting off tuning? What adjustments should I make? Hold my hand?
What kind of music do you listen to? What are you trying to accomplish?

Unless you have some form of measurement mic and frequency analysis tools, you can only tune it to what you think sounds good. Start by playing a long CD of music you typically listen to. Get the balance front to back correct first, then the balance between the left and right. Then start with each frequncy band at 0. Adjust an individual band until you think its perfect. Wait a few minutes and listen. Let your ears adjust to the change you made. Then move on to the next band. Adjust, wait, repeat till your done. You are now close to perfect. Save these settings. Then drive around. You'll probably find you have to make minor adjustments to account for road noise. I'd probably take the average setting between the levels you set while the car wasn't moving and the levels you set while the car was moving to give you the best overall sound at any driving condition.

If you want to be real fancy, you can set multiple EQ curves and have then crossfade between each other as a function of your speed. Increasing speed = increasing road noise, but that noise isn't all equal in every frequency band. Its much more prominent on the low end. Since you have a carputer, this is possible. In fact, since you have a carputer, I don't understand why you have the EQ since that can all be done through software. But that's another thread.
 
theacoustician said:
What kind of music do you listen to? What are you trying to accomplish?

Unless you have some form of measurement mic and frequency analysis tools, you can only tune it to what you think sounds good. Start by playing a long CD of music you typically listen to. Get the balance front to back correct first, then the balance between the left and right. Then start with each frequncy band at 0. Adjust an individual band until you think its perfect. Wait a few minutes and listen. Let your ears adjust to the change you made. Then move on to the next band. Adjust, wait, repeat till your done. You are now close to perfect. Save these settings. Then drive around. You'll probably find you have to make minor adjustments to account for road noise. I'd probably take the average setting between the levels you set while the car wasn't moving and the levels you set while the car was moving to give you the best overall sound at any driving condition.

If you want to be real fancy, you can set multiple EQ curves and have then crossfade between each other as a function of your speed. Increasing speed = increasing road noise, but that noise isn't all equal in every frequency band. Its much more prominent on the low end. Since you have a carputer, this is possible. In fact, since you have a carputer, I don't understand why you have the EQ since that can all be done through software. But that's another thread.

Awesome information, thank you very much.

The music I listen to is trance (of course), heavy metal, maybe some hip hop. Basically stuff with tight quick bass.

The EQ is to boost the sound output from the carputer. The signal strength from the sound card I am using is quite low, so the EQ not only tweaks the sound, but is also a preamp signal booster, giving me up to 7V to go into the amp. I can successfully turn down my gains on my amp because of the strong input signal I can generate.

And the card I am using has crap drivers. There is no EQ control on the sound card itself. There are EQ settings in Winamp, but even those are of little use.
 
You're not one of those guys that rocks out to the "Thong song" by Sisqo 6 years after the fact are you?
 
KNYTE said:
You're not one of those guys that rocks out to the "Thong song" by Sisqo 6 years after the fact are you?
No. What's in my playlist now is Threat Signal, Protest the Hero, Mnemic, Dj Tiesto, Arash.
 
Just Turn it up till your ears bleed, thats what I do. My system is worth more than my car now because it depreciated so dam much. WTF is up with that shit
 
BeeRad said:
Just Turn it up till your ears bleed, thats what I do. My system is worth more than my car now because it depreciated so dam much. WTF is up with that shit
Did you reallly expect resale value for a used Yugo?
 
Valve1138 said:
Set the EQ flat and put on music you dont like. Then tune the EQ.

That way you're not going to be under the haze of "how you thinkthe song should sound"
If you put on music you don't like, you aren't familiar with it, and you have no idea what it's supposed to sound like in the first place. The whole idea is to tune it to "how you think it should sound" because there is no way to deliver a neutral sum effect EQ from the system without measuring equipment.