Hello there! Here are my questions, what do I need to get, new set of speakers (front and rear) or get an Amplifier?


Want I want is crisp and a little bit louder sound (car is too noisy, road noise). I listen to rock, pop and alternatives music

Okay here's what I got right now.
HU - Alpine CDA - 7875 (60wattsx4)
Sony XS-V1621 6/2 speakers 35watts RMS (front and Rear)

So what do you think? Need your expertise.

Modified by civic91 at 10:37 AM 6/28/2007


Modified by civic91 at 8:29 AM 7/9/2007

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by civic91 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Hello there! Here are my questions, what do I need to get, new set of speakers (front and rear) or get an Amplifier?


Want I want is crispier and a little bit louder sound (car is too noisy, road noise). I listen to rock, pop and alternatives music

Okay here's what I got right now.
HU - Alpine CDA - 7875 (60wattsx4)
Sony XS-V1621 6/2 speakers 35watts RMS (front and Rear)

So what do you think? Need your expertise.</TD></TR></TABLE>

i got the same Alpine deck...i ran a separate wire straight to the battery for the 12V+ constant and it stays a little cooler than if you would've used the factory wiring. you can get away with those speakers if you'd like and get an amp to push them. as long as it's tuned right, then it will be loud and clear and the speakers will hold up. if you have someone tune it improperly, you will end up with a frown on your face. basically if you like the way your speakers already sound and simply want more overall volume then i'd say get your hands on a 4 channel amp (about 40-50 watts per channel at least) with built in x-overs and at least something name brand. if you're paying $100 for a 1000 watt amp, then be very wary of that purchase...it will probably come back to bite you. simply put...get something brand name that won't kill your wallet. you can pick up quite a few decent amps without breaking the bank.

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-ALPINE...wItem
there ya go....mint...small footprint that can mount just about anywhere...just enough power...built in x-overs...and not too much $!

if you want some more OOMPH behind your music over that other little amp for a little more $ then here...

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-ALPINE...wItem



Modified by jz98ctr at 12:41 PM 6/28/2007

 

Could you tell me how you tuned your radio? What is your settings?

 

Definitely the first thing to do is rewire the HUs constant power, run a 12ga-10ga fused lead directly from the batt. to behind the HU and connect the HUs yellow to it, don't forget to cap off the OEM constant power, or if using a harness adapter depin the lead.

You will also need to 12ga-10ga ground from the chassis of the HU to the chassis of the car, keep it as short as possible.

The hardest thing to get in a car is good bass response, and it takes a lot of watts relative to the high-pass, so I would add a sub

I would also have a close look at the speaker install, make sure they are mounted properly, and there is a good airtight seal around the speaker. 94

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by fcm &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Definitely the first thing to do is rewire the HUs constant power, run a 12ga-10ga fused lead directly from the batt. to behind the HU and connect the HUs yellow to it, don't forget to cap off the OEM constant power, or if using a harness adapter ...wrap the unused wires individually with electrical tape </TD></TR></TABLE>

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by civic91 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Could you tell me how you tuned your radio? What is your settings? </TD></TR></TABLE>

i've always started to tune with the head unit's settings at flat
0 treble...0 bass
anytype of sound processor off...even the BBE
gains on the amp/amps all the way down
use a clean, original CD that you are very familiar with...no MP3 burned bullshit, Ipod, Zune garbage
begin to raise the volume on the deck until you begin to hear the speakers start to break up...or in the case with some decks, close to their maximum volume level but never at it!
then begin to raise the gain on the amp slowly until again you begin to hear distortion and then back the gains down slightly.
from there i adjust the crossovers accordingly to the type of music, sound from the speakers, and the overall "sound of the car" itself.
some people choose to use a meter on the amps output and measure to a certain level according to the manufacturers specs.
i like tuning by ear myself if it's not going to be entered into any type of SQ competitions. it's kinda like getting a street tune for your engine...not out for the HIGHEST number...like on a dyno...but a good one nonetheless. a tune with a meter can only sound so good...but you still have to tweak it slightly from there.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jz98ctr &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

i've always started to tune with the head unit's settings at flat
0 treble...0 bass
anytype of sound processor off...even the BBE
gains on the amp/amps all the way down
use a clean, original CD that you are very familiar with...no MP3 burned bullshit, Ipod, Zune garbage
begin to raise the volume on the deck until you begin to hear the speakers start to break up...or in the case with some decks, close to their maximum volume level but never at it!
then begin to raise the gain on the amp slowly until again you begin to hear distortion and then back the gains down slightly.
from there i adjust the crossovers accordingly to the type of music, sound from the speakers, and the overall "sound of the car" itself.
some people choose to use a meter on the amps output and measure to a certain level according to the manufacturers specs.
i like tuning by ear myself if it's not going to be entered into any type of SQ competitions. it's kinda like getting a street tune for your engine...not out for the HIGHEST number...like on a dyno...but a good one nonetheless. a tune with a meter can only sound so good...but you still have to tweak it slightly from there.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I'm sorry I'm noob when it comes to audio stuff.
Let me clarify the step by step procedures:
1. Start with 0 treble...0 bass; anytype of sound processor off...even the BBE
gains on the amp/amps all the way down. What do you mean by gains?
2. Play original CD
3. Raise Volume until I begin to hear distortion speakers. Do I need to leave it to this stage?
4. Then begin to raise the gain on the amp slowly until again you begin to hear distortion and then back the gains down slightly. "Again what is the gain"? Are you refering to Bass and Treble setting? When you say amp, do you mean the deck?
5. Then start to adjust the crossovers. Are you talking about the built in crossover the the deck? This is the HPF (OFF - 80Hz - 120Hz - 160Hz).

How hard to run a constant power from the battery to the HU? What are the benefits of doing this? Again thanks for all the help.

 

If you are going to quote me, do not edit what I said.
I would never recommend "wrap the unused wires individually with electrical tape" taping if depinning can be done, and if dipinning is not an option then I would recommend capping not taping 94

 

depinning is great if you are NEVER going to change that radio again. say someone rips off your radio but leaves the harness. then you have all the wires you need but the one that actually makes the radio work and now you have no wire to attach to for your memory. if you cap with a crimp cap or butt connector they might get snagged on a part of the subdash and then plain rip out of the plug kinda like the original subdash bracket that the factory radio is screwed to...plus taping the unused end gives the harness more room behind the dash so you don't end up with a big ball of connectors. just my personal experience.

the procedure i gave you was for if you have an external amp running your speakers cuz that's what i thought you were talking about. the gains on the amp are basically a volume output of the amp itself. if you just have the radio running your speakers...i tune almost the same way.
bass and treble at 0
but i would turn the BBE on instead...then bring the volume up to where the speakers start to break up...then back the volume off a tad. the way i do this is for the max amount of volume but the least amount of audible distortion.
so if your speakers are beginning to distort at let's say...volume 25...then i'd say put the volume to about 22 or 23 so you have a little headroom left...remember, these are arbitrary numbers because everyone's setup is a little different! leave the volume up at 22 or 23 then start to make your audio adjustments. i usually do the treble first...but that's just me. i bring the treble up to where the highs aren't getting any louder (usually not past +3) and then i repeat the process with the bass. lastly i do the crossovers. you should be able to access them if you already stated to me which points they are. on my car i have the BBE on, the max volume at around 20, and my HP set to 80Hz...and my bass at about +2 at 80Hz as well because there isn't much sub-bass in metal below the kick drum so i have it set so it accenuates the kick drum a little more.
I mostly listen to fast, hard, driving metal...so if you are listening to rock or something else you might wanna have the settings set differently....according to the music you listen, the system's capabilities, and your ears' personal preference.

not too hard at all...but definitely do what fcm and i recommend about running that fused 10 or 12 gauge wire to the battery for your radio's constant power. radio's draw power for their internal amps from the memory wire (99% of the time it's yellow) on the back of the radio. it's basically the same principal as external amps...use thicker wire for more current draw. you don't want to use 8 gauge wire (a little bit thicker in diameter than the average pen) on a 500 watt amp because the thinner wire will not allow the amp to have the current necessary to operate properly. try to imagine being underwater...what would you rather be breathing through....a straw or a snorkel??? catch my drift??? amps have to "breathe" too! i've actually had to redo a few people's installs on the V-drive radio's because either CC or BB simply hooked them up to the stock 16 or 18 gauge wire in the dash and the radio would begin to clip (distort) and get hot . so i just had to run a new, thicker wire to the battery. if you do not have access to thicker wire like 10 or 12 gauge stranded OFC wiring you can use a piece of 14 or 16 gauge speaker wire and double it up and use that as well. if we ran out of 10 or 12 at the shop we used to use 14 gauge, double it up over itself, and "spin" it in a drill...basically doubling the thickness of the wire...but i would say if you can find 10 or 12 guage to use it.

to run the new power wire you just basically have to remove the radio from the dash to access the harness on the back. take a good length of thicker wire as we had stated earlier and run it from near the floor behind the dash....up through the radio hole...i suggest leaving the wire hanging from the radio's hole at least 6 inches so if you need to get behind the radio for future servicing for hooking up RCAs for amps, Ipod connections, etc. you have a little extra to play with instead of try to work in a very cramped space with short wires maybe breaking them and causing frustration and posibbly further problems. i usually tape the wire to the factory harness temporarily so as i run the rest of the wire through the car i don't accidentally pull it back out of the hole i put it into. just tuck the wire under the dash and run it towards the firewall. there are a couple places in hondas to run through the firewall. there is usually an existing rubber grommet on both the drivers side and passenger side under the hood that can clearly be seen...usually between the backside of the shock tower and the firewall, where a group of wrapped wires go through the firewall. decide which side you want to go through (or if you have a shorter piece of wire to work with, use the one that the length will allow) i usually make a tiny slice in the grommet with a razorknife and feed a long ziptie through the slice i just made. if you go to pass something through this hole and it won't go through...that means you've hit something on the other side and you may need to pull it back through and try again. i then tightly wrap electrical tape around the wire i need to go through the firewall to the end under the dash, spray a little dry silicone spray on the taped area attached to the zip tie and then pull from under the hood until the excess under the dash is taken up. make your power connection behind the radio to your new wire and tape off the now unused factory power wire, make your necessary connections under the hood, put a small fuseholder inline to the batterywith a properly sized fuse, tune it and enjoy.

damn i'm long winded sometimes. pictures work way better than typing.

 

Wow, that's what I needed. I will tune my radio this evening after work. Thanks for the instruction on how to do the constant power. Thank you very much.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by civic91 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Wow, that's what I needed. I will tune my radio this evening after work. Thanks for the instruction on how to do the constant power. Thank you very much. </TD></TR></TABLE>

go for it but
remember...take your time...no need to rush it. pay attention to what you're trying to accomplish. nobody likes a sloppy install...tuck them wires in...and away from any moving parts (for example-PEDAL ASSEMBLIES lol don't go wrapping the wire around your brake pedal lever or gas pedal or any pedal for that matter to hold the wires up under the dash just because you ran out of zipties! use a twisty-tie from a loaf of bread or garbage bags at least to affix it to an existing stock harness.