What's new
By:
Filters

Car audio question

ArTi54N said:
hmmm which location? I have had quite a few friends work there off and on through the years.. including in the late 90s.. I used to get lots of equipment there at cost or close to cost..
Click to expand...
Burnet Rd.

Brian Dorsey was the GM. Bob Schumacher was the installation manager.

I could name the key sales guys too.

What’s up now, you brown beret butt licker?
 
*disclaimer - not a pro, only 1 install worth of experience, ignoring the hack jobs we used to do in high school with walmart stereo kits


I think the answer is "it depends." If your factory HU doesn't output weirdness, you can likely be fine as is. Depending on the type of weirdness, you may need an LOC or even a DSP. If it's too weird, it may be a no-go.

I have a '14 Tacoma with nav, non-JBL. I measured the factory outputs with my o-scope and didn't notice volume dependent weirdness. I went with a DSP (JL VX1000/5i), even though many have had success with an LOC like the LC7i. I wanted a completely stock look - the amp control is mounted in the center console and the only external "tell" is if you look carefully through the tweeter grill, you can see "Focal."

It sounds pretty great, but I'm not an audio guy. I would be curious to have it measured/tuned with a real RTA, vice my $20 calibrated mic and phone app (the FFT on my scope may work, but I was about to move across country right after installing and haven't played around with it yet). I'm also still running passive, but my timing is pretty close audibly.

My only gripe right now is the no-input, full volume amplifier hiss. It may be a result of the speaker wire to RCA out of the stock HU, but my suspicion is that it's not. The hiss is very low at 3/4 amp volume you can't hear it at full amp volume with music playing, so if I'm listening to a podcast, I just turn the amp volume down. My other hypothesis is that adjusting input sensitivity may help.

Not sure if any of that helped. I hope Project Twin weighs in so he can correct anything I just said.
 
4RunnerGuy said:
What’s up now, you brown beret butt licker?
Click to expand...

just wondering if I knew you.. had some close friends work there through the years and quite a few installers would join us for billiards..

edit: considering brian ran the congress store till about 95, when they moved him to Burnet.. and Schumacher has always been the top installer (highest MECP rating, etc).. you could have been there anytime between 95-99.. maybe you knew one of my closest friends James "Mud" Weik.. or one of his good buddies Matt "Gorilla".. realizing of course there were a few Matts there at the same time..

are you the dumbass that started the fire?? hahaha
 
Last edited:
ArTi54N said:
I'm sorta glad my avatar offends you.. I made it myself.. it was gonna be the front side of some t-shirts.. its actually very detailed and shows much more of the capital.. might still make em?

edit: you say chocolate as in black?? it is a brown hand, and most people on here already know I'm a Brown Beret.. yet I still choose to have "YouTubeR" under my avatar..
Click to expand...

Well considering the fist is the symbol of Black Power, not Brown anything. Maybe you could make tee-shirts with a faggy brown beret perched jauntily on the capital dome.
 
Roc Doc said:
Well considering the fist is the symbol of Black Power, not Brown anything. Maybe you could make tee-shirts with a faggy brown beret perched jauntily on the capital dome.
Click to expand...

number one, a loan fist or a group of fists means different things in different cultures around the world.. you are super wrong there... and kinda sound like a dumbass.. :)

"stop reading my mind".,. hahahaha

as far as making a brown beret on top of the capital dome.. I have different versions, but I don't like any of them.. did not work on them much, and dropped the idea..
 
ArTi54N said:
hmmm which location? I have had quite a few friends work there off and on through the years.. including in the late 90s.. I used to get lots of equipment there at cost or close to cost..
Click to expand...

I used to use them for some equipment mid 90s. My friend, Dave, owned a shop in G’town.
 
rugger said:
I used to use them for some equipment mid 90s. My friend, Dave, owned a shop in G’town.
Click to expand...

so which shop in Georgetown? is it still there..? I know of a popular shop, that I think I used to know the owner of.., lots of common friends.. and he gave "2 friends I've had for 25 years or so, one was Les Hibler" permission to open up a shop with the same name, but the name Austin added to it.. trying hard to remember the name, maybe I will remember later on.. ya'll know how that is..

I have known people all across Texas, who had different shops.. through the years.. can't really remember most of their names tho.. most of them did not lost long..

I used to travel to sound offs with one of my distant cousins "Everette".. (my dad saw him at a funeral, and we figured out we were cousins).. he had 2 widely recognized records for a while, plus he would win for best install.. he had this show quality binder showing all kinds of details on how the install was done.. he had a close friend who started his own sound-off organization, at least 15 years ago, I still see that guy at some shows here and there.. can't remember the initials/letters..
 
ArTi54N said:
so which shop in Georgetown? is it still there..? I know of a popular shop, that I think I used to know the owner of.., lots of common friends.. and he gave "2 friends I've had for 25 years or so, one was Les Hibler" permission to open up a shop with the same name, but the name Austin added to it.. trying hard to remember the name, maybe I will remember later on.. ya'll know how that is..

I have known people all across Texas, who had different shops.. through the years.. can't really remember most of their names tho.. most of them did not lost long..

I used to travel to sound offs with one of my distant cousins "Everette".. (my dad saw him at a funeral, and we figured out we were cousins).. he had 2 widely recognized records for a while, plus he would win for best install.. he had this show quality binder showing all kinds of details on how the install was done.. he had a close friend who started his own sound-off organization, at least 15 years ago, I still see that guy at some shows here and there.. can't remember the initials/letters..
Click to expand...

It was David Stephens. We spent a lot of time on his Mastercraft. Damn thing sounded badass.
 
rugger said:
No. I used a guy out on Lakeland.
Click to expand...

Do you remember if he was the guy that used to be with Hooper's out at Metro. That guy helped me out a lot and gave me some great deals but I don't remember where he went.

mama wood was kunt. they didn't want to try to help

my memory sux as it is and that was fucking almost 30 years ago, damn
 
Paragon said:
Do you remember if he was the guy that used to be with Hooper's out at Metro. That guy helped me out a lot and gave me some great deals but I don't remember where he went.

mama wood was kunt. they didn't want to try to help

my memory sux as it is and that was fucking almost 30 years ago, damn
Click to expand...

Damn, yer fawkin old. You and SDCJ carry the stone tablets together? :laughing:
 
Paragon said:
Do you remember if he was the guy that used to be with Hooper's out at Metro. That guy helped me out a lot and gave me some great deals but I don't remember where he went.

mama wood was kunt. they didn't want to try to help

my memory sux as it is and that was fucking almost 30 years ago, damn
Click to expand...

His name is Rick and owns Street Smart. He is a top notch person and installer.
 
That lcq-1 will do everything you're after. An add on dsp unit is a whole lot more than just a signal converter and you'll need a whole host of new equipment to take full advantage of it's abilities.
 
Well, I pulled an ActionFab/ CG and didn't buy what people suggested.

I ended up winning an eBay auction for a new JL Fix-86 for cheaper than the audio control loc

Got it in the mail this week and put together a simple bracket/ tray for it and the amp.

I'm not much of a fabricator so I'm happy with how it came out. It fits under the rear seat of my extended cab, and I can even get the jack and tools out.

Now all that's left is painting the bracket, installing speakers, running wires, and tuning everything. So everything.
IMG_20200814_151407_1.jpg


IMG_20200814_151444_3.jpg
 
granitestatedestroyer said:
Well, I pulled an ActionFab/ CG and didn't buy what people suggested.

I ended up winning an eBay auction for a new JL Fix-86 for cheaper than the audio control loc

Got it in the mail this week and put together a simple bracket/ tray for it and the amp.

I'm not much of a fabricator so I'm happy with how it came out. It fits under the rear seat of my extended cab, and I can even get the jack and tools out.

Now all that's left is painting the bracket, installing speakers, running wires, and tuning everything. So everything.


Click to expand...

Are you going to get a TWK or other processor to go with it or just use the crossovers in the amps and skip time alignment and EQ?
 
ProjectTwin said:
Are you going to get a TWK or other processor to go with it or just use the crossovers in the amps and skip time alignment and EQ?
Click to expand...

Apparently I am in over my head, because I dont know what you mean about a TWK. :laughing::laughing:

I was under the impression that the Fix 86 did time correction and EQ itself.

Plan was to just wire it up, play the CD as per the instructions, and then adjust the amp as neccesary.

My goal was to use as much as I already had sitting around as possible, namely the amp, speakers, sub, and wires, ending up with much better sound than stock.
 
granitestatedestroyer said:
Apparently I am in over my head, because I dont know what you mean about a TWK. :laughing::laughing:

I was under the impression that the Fix 86 did time correction and EQ itself.

Plan was to just wire it up, play the CD as per the instructions, and then adjust the amp as neccesary.

My goal was to use as much as I already had sitting around as possible, namely the amp, speakers, sub, and wires, ending up with much better sound than stock.
Click to expand...

:laughing:

No.

It "fixes" any processing that has been done in the factory system to give you a clean, flat signal with no filtering or time alignment in the output signal. It removes any processing in the factory audio system.

You would take the signal from the Fix and send that into a JL TWK or other processor to get individual crossover, output level, EQ, and time alignment adjustments.

Fix manual
 
Last edited:
ProjectTwin

More amateur hour questions, haha.

What do you use to cleanly run speaker wire to doors? Surely you don't just use factory wiring?

My amp is only 50 watts per channel, but the factory ford wires are tiny and I don't think they are sufficient. Especially if I upgrade equipment later.

I read a thread somewhere where a guy just drilled a hole through the factory connector and ran the wire through that hole.

While that seems better than just drilling a hole through the door, it still seems hackish and fucks the integrity of the connector.

I'm just going to run the fix for now. And probably get TWK in the future after I find a deal or flip a car or something.


Edit to add: I'm not afraid of drilling holes, just would rather do it nicely and correctly.
 
Last edited:
granitestatedestroyer said:
ProjectTwin

More amateur hour questions, haha.

What do you use to cleanly run speaker wire to doors? Surely you don't just use factory wiring?

My amp is only 50 watts per channel, but the factory ford wires are tiny and I don't think they are sufficient. Especially if I upgrade equipment later.

I read a thread somewhere where a guy just drilled a hole through the factory connector and ran the wire through that hole.

While that seems better than just drilling a hole through the door, it still seems hackish and fucks the integrity of the connector.

I'm just going to run the fix for now. And probably get TWK in the future after I find a deal or flip a car or something.


Edit to add: I'm not afraid of drilling holes, just would rather do it nicely and correctly.
Click to expand...

16AWG is fine for the power your door speakers are seeing. Your lights never dim listening to mids and tweets. Those frequencies don't cause the current consumption sub freqs do...which means that the power consumption isn't there...which means smaller gauge wire/cable is fine.

See here: https://www.audiofrog.com/community/...get-150-watts/
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Back Refresh