MS-8 Installed!

And it only took 3 hours!

I installed my Mr. Marv box and 8" Alpine Type-R sub this weekend. I was pressed for time, so I haven't taken care of the aesthetics yet, otherwise I would have included pics. Due to the fact that I would be installing my MS-8 shortly after the sub install I didn't run new RCA's from the HU, as they wouldn't be needed once the MS-8 was in. I allowed the amp to sum the info from channels 1-4 to create my sub channel and the results were less than impressive. Discouraged, I decided to come straight home from work yesterday and attempt to install the MS-8 before my wife got home. I failed, but only by about an hour. Running power was easy, and running signal wasn't too bad as the MS-8 physically replaced the crossovers under the passenger seat.

Initial impressions: My main desire was to improve imaging, and the MS-8 is somewhat successful. The stock tweeter location truly does suck, and I was hoping that the MS-8 could be a band-aid of sorts that would keep me from having to relocate the tweeters. No such luck at this point. My next order of business is to replace the rear speakers (haven't been running any), and add them to the MS-8 to see if that helps. Most MS-8 users report a positive improvement in center image with rear speakers, so I will give that a try.

I had to do some trickery to get the volume levels right. This involved cutting the gain on all channels on my amp during setup. Once done I had to manually up the gain until I was happy with the levels. Otherwise I was maxing out the volume (with the MS-8 at -6) just to get a conversational volume level.

I am also unhappy that I will have to use a workaround to get my bluetooth functionality back, but once done it shouldn't be much of an issue.

Hopefully with some tuning the results will improve enough to merit the $700 they charge for it (or at least the $300 I paid.) All in all I am impressed, but not yet blown away. Hopefully with some tuning that will change.

 

Safe to assume you found the threads on DIYMA about getting it set up and working, and for asking Andy questions?

Looking forward to your future updates on this.

 

I've said it before and I'll say it again....the MS8 does some things VERY VERY well. So well that you don't realize that some things are missing. But when you do....brix....shat

If you need any help or just want to bounce ideas off someone shoot me a PM and I'll give you my phone number. I spent WEEKS in the damn truck trying to get it right.

*And I'm not responsible for any past rants of mine you may find when searching for MS8 help threads*

 

LOL. You going to blame it on Domo?

He only has $300 bucks in it, so he is already way ahead of where you were (or where I was...)

 

I did read all of the threads at DIYMA (ok, not all of them, I don't have that kind of time) and they were very helpful. As of right now, my complaints would be lack of powerful midbass and that my tweets are almost too mellow, though that beats being too harsh as they were before the MS-8 was installed. I am running the tweets off of the MS-8's internal amp, so I think I just need to do some fiddling with the eq.

I don't plan to compete, and I don't expect a whole lot out of my car stereo, so hopefully this will be all I ever need. I appreciate the offer for help, I may take you up on that later, once I get everything else buttoned up and can actually work on tuning.

Like Matt said, for $300 this thing is amazing!

 

I believe I was quoted as saying, "Clock radio-esque" in another thread. No highs and no lows. And if you're listening to a vocals track everything sounds pretty damn good. Switch to a "full" sounding track and you'll figure out what you're missing VERY quickly.

And yes for $300 that's a steal.

 

Domo is a gentleman and a scholar. He's also an acoustic genius.

 

Ok Steven/Matt, I may need some help. I have tried a few things, and I cannot get around the "clock radio" sound. The imaging is great, I can't believe what I can do automatically with such crappy speaker placement. But the midbass feels soft, the midrange is a little muted and the highs sound muted as well. It isn't as bad as all of that sounds, but if I "a/b" it with the processing on and off it sounds so dynamic with the processing off as compared to on. It sounds out of control and fatiguing as well, but so dynamic.

I want to start working with the EQ, but I have no idea where to start. Any ideas. I don't even know what an ideal "dynamic" EQ would look like.