Sound upgrade help/build log

such a great feeling but don't stop there!

 

I worked a little bit last night messing around with the DSP some more. I have a lot to learn as far as tuning goes but I worked on getting the levels of the speakers matched and did some initial EQ work to take out some of the really high peaks. It did improve, but more definitely needs done. The tweeters still seem pretty bright and my ears seemed a little fatigued from the 15 minute drive to work. I currently have a HPF on the tweeter at 2000 24db slope and on the midbass a BP filter from 70 to 2000 both 24 db slopes. I'll try and post up some graphs tonight. I want to try and get the time alignment done too.

 

2kHz seems really low for the tweeter, checked distortion? have you tried crossing higher? can the mids handle it before breakup?

also, are you "adding by subracting" ? by that i mean no EQ level goes over 0db.

would love to see some more graphs! so many systems on this forums and so few graphs so back up claims.

 

The tweeter has an Fs of 837. I put a HPF of 1700 and played pink noise. It seemed to naturally roll off at 2K so I used that. But now I cant remember where the Mid was naturaly rolling off when I set it to full range and played pink noise. I want to say it was around 2000 to 3000 HZ. Yes I read when EQ its best to reduce peaks by subtracting at the high point not adding to the low point so that was my method. I know you posted a RTA graph to show that the factory headunit doesn't do any bass processing or limiting. Have you noticed similar shaped response graphs at all volume levels? I would like to run my DSP without the optional remote and just use the head unit volume knob.

 

i still have to test just the head unit max ouput, gotta borrow the RTA for that and i have been lazy. i think i tested at about 40ish on the volume, need to check for max undistorted output with load.

i have a massive dip around 1kHz but i believe that is due to cancellation and my ghetto test crossover. i got my wiring kit in so amp install might happen soon. that will give me much better tools for tuning [trying to do this as cheaply as possible].

i gotta commend you on using home drivers, most here blindly buy the most expensive car audio speakers they can find. i really like those Vifa's, may be swapping out as these tweeters are kinda shitty and sibilant.

 

I'll keep a look out for any updates you have.

I know what you mean by cheaply as possible. That's a big reason why I went the route I did with the drivers. A lot of times for car audio component speakers you pay a good sum for the crossovers in the set. Since I was going active these wouldn't be needed and would have been wasted money. Haha honestly being cheap is the reason I have yet to do any sound deadening. I fully believe that it makes a significant improvement but the fact that its kind of a one time use thing you cant transfer it to a new vehicle like speakers, amps, DSP, and wiring to an extent( I'm probably leaving my wires a few extra feet long to not limit its uses down the road) has kept me from buying any.

 

i scored sound deadening off a co-worker for cheap. manethon has a good group buy going on their shok deadener occasionally. i am doing a tundra with that stuff so i can report on how nice it is after this weekend.

agreed on the one time use for sound deadening, though, it might be a resale + to the right person.

i will make sure i link you my RTA/Oscope adventures. good luck and keep up the good work!

 

So this is with no EQ and only a HPF on the tweets at 2000HZ.

 

where is the mic positioned? it looks like you took each driver measurement separately.

doesn't look too bad though, i wonder why the RS180's measure so differently...distance?

yeah, i may be buying those Vifa's. nice and flat where i need them. any reason for the massive drop after 10kHz?

 

Heres an unEQed graph with the mids with a LPF of 3000HZ and tweets with a 3000hz HPF

 

I took sweeping averages ear to ear. Following this guys How-to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEFwrH2L3Aw. Yes that's each driver seperate. The mic was 90 degrees and I used that calibration.

I'm not sure why the the mids measured differently or the 10kHz drop...more research needs to be done haha.

 

waow, never seen it done that way. how weird.

i just had mine at head height and pointed toward the windshield. next time i will probably have it facing left then right and sum the results. didn't think about having myself in the drivers seat. might try that next time too.

try measuring just the mids @ 0 offset a few inches away. might be a bad driver or something else weird?

 

Spent a few hours tonight EQing the DSP. Must of been a set up error the other day, the tweeters are now rolling off higher now. Sounding really good, still room for improvement though. The biggest difference was doing the time alignment. It really brought everything together. Really wishing I had a sub now!

 

looking really good as far as response. weird the rolloff changed

i bet it's still nice and punchy!

 

I posted this to DIYMA and got a some helpful response but just wanted to see if any of my fellow Tacoma friends have had similar issues.

I had mentioned this is a previous post about my tweeters sounding harsh at higher volumes. It almost sounds as if their distorting. The power ratings of the tweeters/amp match perfectly 50 watts rms I wanted to do some tests to see if anything could help. So the first thing is it is really noticeable when I have my mids muted and just the tweeters are playing. If I bring the mids back they seem less harsh but after 15 minutes of listening my ears feel pretty fatigued. First thing I did was take some measurements of a tweeter on-axis and off-axis and at a medium volume and a high volume where I would hear the harshness.

First graph is on-axis(stuck the mic right up to the tweeter) and second is off-axis. The tweeters are in the stock location off-axis.

Second test was I plugged in my ipod using headphone jack to rcas directly into the DSP. The result was the harshness was worse so I don't think its a issue of the stock headunit.

I then tried adjusting the crossover points from 3k to 4,5 and 6K. Didn't improve.

Last I tried messing with the gain level I had it around half way of its adjustment(HU volume 30/64 when loud). I then tried it at 1/4 turn(HU volume 50/64 when loud) and that didn't help.

Any thing else I should try? Anything you guys see that could be causing issues? Let me know if you need more details too.

 

I didn't read thru this whole thread, so sorry if my response has already been discussed. Has your system been properly gain matched with an oscilloscope?

If not, I'd make sure I understood when the HU and amp clips.

 

I don't have an oscilloscope. It is a possibility that I am getting some clipping. I tried some different settings HU volume high and low and gain knob high and low. Still got the same results. I've read that these tweeters have trouble playing at high volumes and start distorting. So it might just be the tweeters themselves.

 

Well, understanding when HU + AMP clips is very important.. If its tough to go that route, I'd disconnect the tweeters and establish a baseline for the mid's ( a volume level that sounds clean and probably no distortion). Now connect the tweets, if they are sounding not up to par for that volume level, I'd definitely invest in another set of tweets. Good luck.

 

Yup, these tweeters just cant handle the volume level I was asking from them. I have them set so they are clean at max listening levels. They are probably 10db lower than what I would like them at.