SQ audio build \ lessons learned

15900 Views 95 Replies 4 Participants Last post by Nightmistx22, Aug 23, 2017

Nightmistx22

Discussion Starter · Apr 12, 2017 (Edited)

After reading through all the posts for the SQ how to and v2, I am looking at doing a similar build in my 2012 cruze.

First I would like to thank XtremeRevolution for putting those threads together. I feel like I have learned more about audio reproduction in the past week than I have in the past 20 years.

The point of this thread is two fold. First to discuss my build plan and get tips and suggestions while being on a fairly tight budget. Second to get and document any lessons learned from those that have installed a similar build in their cars.

My Build plan:

Tweeters: Vifa ( now peerless )

Woofers: Silver Flute

Sub: JBL P1022 (because I already own it)

Amps:
JBL GT5-A604 60Wx4 @4ohm (own)
Power Acoustik BAMF2000/1d 600Wx1 @4ohm (own)

miniDSP

Deadening:
CLD,CCF,MLV from sounddeadeningshowdown

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41 - 60 of 96 Posts

Nightmistx22

Discussion Starter · #41 · May 10, 2017 (Edited)

So... my impatience is getting the better of me and I am taking a serious look at the Dayton RS-180. However on paper it would appear that the Silver Flute would be worth waiting for it is not only cheaper but has a stronger motor(BL: SF 7.31 vs RS 4.71) nearly equal cone mass (SF 17.4g RS 17.8g) and lower qts (SF 0.24 vs RS 0.46) which makes me think the Silver Flute would be better at handling transients all else being equal. The RS-180P (paper cone) brings things a little closer.

Please feel free to educate me if I am off base here.

JerryGash

· #42 · May 10, 2017 (Edited)

Nightmistx22 said:
So... my impatience is getting the better of me and I am taking a serious look at the Dayton RS-180. However on paper it would appear that the Silver Flute would be worth waiting for it is not only cheaper but has a stronger motor(BL: SF 7.31 vs RS 4.71) nearly equal cone mass (SF 17.4g RS 17.8g) and lower qts (SF 0.24 vs RS 0.46) which makes me think the Silver Flute would be better at handling transients all else being equal. The RS-180P (paper cone) brings things a little closer.

Please feel free to educate me if I am off base here.

Even if you get the Daytons your going to need ring adapters. I'm a total novice to SQ builds but those plastic adapters don't look like anything I would want to use. I am going to try and remain patient and wait for the Silver Flutes to come back in stock and XR to offer some mdf rings for sale.

Usually, with projects like these I'm in a total rush to get things installed so I can hear the finished project. For some reason with this project I am more than happy to keep reading and learning as I wait for components to become available.

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Nightmistx22

Discussion Starter · #43 · May 11, 2017

Jerry,

After looking at the Daytons I feel they just arn't worth nearly doubling the amount spent on woofers. I will wait for the Silver Flutes and bide my time by re reading XR's threads. Want to make sure I'm not missing anything.

JerryGash

· #44 · May 11, 2017

Nightmistx22 said:
Jerry,

After looking at the Daytons I feel they just arn't worth nearly doubling the amount spent on woofers. I will wait for the Silver Flutes and bide my time by re reading XR's threads. Want to make sure I'm not missing anything.

Save your money for the dual 18's. Lol

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Nightmistx22

Discussion Starter · #45 · May 11, 2017

I'll be saving my pennies for a while on that one... I have several expensive hobbies(mostly computer related not gaming).... and thanks to XR a new one building my own home speakers.

I do plan to upgrade my sub in the near future with something more flush mounted. I am liking the driver side pocket location so I can minimize loss of trunk space but still get solid bass.

XtremeRevolution

· #46 · May 11, 2017

Just stick with the Silver Flutes and wait till they're back in stock. They're well worth it.

Nightmistx22

Discussion Starter · #47 · May 11, 2017

XtremeRevolution said:
Just stick with the Silver Flutes and wait till they're back in stock. They're well worth it.

That's the plan as I really can't justify spending that much more for the RS-180 for what I can see on paper would be a similar performing product. I know they are a highly rated woofer but for this application the price to performance of the Silver Flute just can't be beat.

JerryGash

· #48 · May 11, 2017

Nightmistx22 said:
I'll be saving my pennies for a while on that one... I have several expensive hobbies(mostly computer related not gaming).... and thanks to XR a new one building my own home speakers.

I do plan to upgrade my sub in the near future with something more flush mounted. I am liking the driver side pocket location so I can minimize loss of trunk space but still get solid bass.

I hear ya on expensive hobbies. I'd love to get into building home speakers but I just don't have the right house for that. I've actually moved my home theater outdoors.

200" inflatable screen
3 JBL 515xt's
2 Cerwin Vega 18" folded horns
2 8" 2 way for rears
Emotiva UMC preamp
Optoma TH1060P 4500 lumen projector
Running around 4500 watts of 5.1 surround

Probably going to be buying another minidsp for this setup so I can properly crossover my subs.

Sorry for the hijack.

Sent from my SM-G900R4 using Tapatalk

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Nightmistx22

Discussion Starter · #49 · May 11, 2017

That's really awesome. Neighborhood movie nights.

Are you saying a mini-dsp for your outdoor h/t or for your cruze? I recall a few posts on one of XR threads talking about a second mini-dsp for sub use in the cruze and it was determined unnecessary as most amps do a good enough job for low pass for this type of system. XR please feel free to correct me if im off base here.

JerryGash

· #50 · May 11, 2017

Nightmistx22 said:
That's really awesome. Neighborhood movie nights.

Are you saying a mini-dsp for your outdoor h/t or for your cruze? I recall a few posts on one of XR threads talking about a second mini-dsp for sub use in the cruze and it was determined unnecessary as most amps do a good enough job for low pass for this type of system. XR please feel free to correct me if im off base here.

Sorry, yes for the outdoor theater subs. I'm basically just wanting to add a HPF to protect them from frequency's lower than they can handle.

Anyway, back to car audio....

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Nightmistx22

Discussion Starter · #51 · May 11, 2017

This applies more to anything dealing with amps but I found it to be very useful as I never really messed with it before.

Gain on the amp is a lot more important than I thought. And here I have been treating it as a +11 knob. You may already have more respect for the gain dial than I do and know about this... still a good read and anything worth reading once is worth reading a second or third time.

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JerryGash

· #52 · May 11, 2017

Nightmistx22 said:
This applies more to anything dealing with amps but I found it to be very useful as I never really messed with it before.

Gain on the amp is a lot more important than I thought. And here I have been treating it as a +11 knob. You may already have more respect for the gain dial than I do and know about this... still a good read and anything worth reading once is worth reading a second or third time.

Haha! Yeah I used to think that about the gain level too until a few years ago. Gain overlap is a new concept to me though.

I actually have an old oscilloscope laying around I've been wanting to use for something besides collecting dust.

Nightmistx22

Discussion Starter · #53 · May 11, 2017

JerryGash said:
Haha! Yeah I used to think that about the gain level too until a few years ago. Gain overlap is a new concept to me though.

I actually have an old oscilloscope laying around I've been wanting to use for something besides collecting dust.

New use for your old toy. You can really dial in your amps gain to get the most spl while minimizing distortion.

Right now I am trying to figure out if I want to wire my JBL 1022 sub to present a 4 ohm or 1 ohm load to my BAMF2000/1D mono-block.

Nightmistx22

Discussion Starter · #54 · May 12, 2017 (Edited)

Got an email from SDS. My order has shipped. This is by far the most expensive part of my build.

Cost so far...

mini DSP + Isolater: $122
Vifa BC25SC06 tweeter : $27
KnuKoncept Kables + fused distribution box: $68
SDS Sound deadening : $234

Total: $451

Expected remaining costs:

Silver Flute Woofers: $75
XRs Speaker Baffles: $65?

Final expected project total: $591

Lessons learned (thus far):
1) Don't forget to calculate shipping costs.
2) Not all equipment can be reused. In my case 8+ year old amp power wires with substantial corrosion.

I think this weekend I will start mounting amps and running wires. Once I get my Silver Flutes and the Baffles I will do the rest of the install.

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XtremeRevolution

· #55 · May 12, 2017

Nightmistx22 said:
Got an email from SDS. My order has shipped. This is by far the most expensive part of my build.

Cost so far...

mini DSP + Isolater: $122
Vifa BC25SC06 tweeter : $27
KnuKoncept Kables + fused distribution box: $68
SDS Sound deadening : $234

Total: $451

Expected remaining costs:

Silver Flute Woofers: $75
XRs Speaker Baffles: $65?

Final expected project total: $591

Lessons learned (thus far):
1) Don't forget to calculate shipping costs.
2) Not all equipment can be reused. In my case 8+ year old amp power wires with substantial corrosion.

I think this weekend I will start mounting amps and running wires. Once I get my Silver Flutes and the Baffles I will do the rest of the install.

It's worth noting, the first install I put in the Cruze used two coustic power logic amps for the front stage. They were made in 1992, which at the time made them 20 years old. They sounded great.

Nightmistx22

Discussion Starter · #56 · May 12, 2017

XtremeRevolution said:
It's worth noting, the first install I put in the Cruze used two coustic power logic amps for the front stage. They were made in 1992, which at the time made them 20 years old. They sounded great.

My amps are in great condition. The wires to power them... not so much...

I presume you will have a bit of time after the Lordstown meet to make some baffles. Can't wait to see and hear this in my own car.

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MB2014LT2

· #57 · May 12, 2017

Nightmist and Jerry....where are you guys located?...it seems to me the both of you are headed towards audio bliss and I would love to be able to compare our systems someday if it is at all possible. I have been silently following this thread from the start and can't wait for the finish!

JerryGash

· #58 · May 13, 2017

MB2014LT2 said:
Nightmist and Jerry....where are you guys located?...it seems to me the both of you are headed towards audio bliss and I would love to be able to compare our systems someday if it is at all possible. I have been silently following this thread from the start and can't wait for the finish!

I'm in NE Iowa in between the corn field and the hog barn.

Reactions: 1

Nightmistx22

Discussion Starter · #59 · May 14, 2017

MB2014LT2 said:
Nightmist and Jerry....where are you guys located?...it seems to me the both of you are headed towards audio bliss and I would love to be able to compare our systems someday if it is at all possible. I have been silently following this thread from the start and can't wait for the finish!

I am in Omaha, Nebraska.

MB, are you saying you have done this type of install? If so could you please answer my questionnaire(post #2)... would love you get your insight and any lessons learned from it.

Nightmistx22

Discussion Starter · #60 · May 15, 2017

Unfortunately I was not able to do anything this past weekend. However, my SDS shipment should be coming in tomorrow

.

I have been debating for a little while on whether or not I want to put together a How-To thread for the install itself. I have seen a few members start a thread for this type of build but they seem to not follow through with posting the entire install.

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