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Which DSP for 2014 Entune

Discussion in 'Audio & Video' started by skootx, Apr 21, 2014.

  1. Apr 21, 2014 at 8:09 PM
    #1
    skootx

    skootx [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Just got my 2014 Taco with Entune with nav. As an audiophile I am more than a bit ticked off at the sound quality and lack of preamp outs. But I want to keep the HU. I want to add a 5 channel amp, sub, and new speakers- and I absolutely want manual equalization. I'm after dead flat frequency response, with minor tweaks for my aging ears.

    The LCQ-1 is on top of my list. I also looked at the MS-8, but it seems like overkill. I'm a "set it and forget it" type so I have no use for a display.

    Has anyone installed the LCQ-1 with an Entune HU? Particularly, I want to know if there is any added hiss or noise. Also how good is it at summing the inputs and creating a sub channel?
     
  2. Apr 21, 2014 at 10:02 PM
    #2
    shaneckc

    shaneckc Fyntünd Designs Vendor

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    The LCQ-1 is okay. Personally, I think it's mediocre. We used to install them all the time in our high-end installs at my shop. We'd end up getting pretty good sound out of them most of the time, but compared to the Audison Bit One or Bit Ten.... well, there's hardly a contest. Even for the $200(ish) more than the LCQ-1, I'd still take the Bit Ten any day of the week.
     
  3. Apr 22, 2014 at 5:00 AM
    #3
    ItalynStylion

    ItalynStylion Sounds Gooooood

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    Audison BitTEN, without a doubt. I had an MS8 in the truck for a VERY short time. I hated everything about it. I tried everything to get it to sound right but it simply couldn't cope with part of my system and the auto tune threw things out of whack.

    I bought an Audison Bit 1.1 and it was the best thing to ever happen to me. The Bit TEN is just a little less in the number of channels I think.
     
  4. Apr 22, 2014 at 8:27 AM
    #4
    skootx

    skootx [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Wow. Looks like a very capable unit. No issues with using the Entune Bluetooth for phone calls, or using the Entune/steering wheel master volume?
     
  5. Apr 22, 2014 at 2:23 PM
    #5
    ItalynStylion

    ItalynStylion Sounds Gooooood

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    I would use the Entune for both Bluetooth and volume control. That way the audio is run completely from the Entune unit and you can use all your stock controls. Essentially just using the processor as a pass through for tuning purposes.

    Much like my own setup with the Bit1.1, it came with it's own little screen and volume knob that can be mounted in the car. However, you don't HAVE to use it and I choose not to. I set the volume on the processor fairly high so I can then use the headunit to control the volume. Think of it like setting the Windows Media Player volume slider to max while using the Windows OS volume slider for the real volume control.
     
  6. Apr 22, 2014 at 3:58 PM
    #6
    skootx

    skootx [OP] Well-Known Member

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    I assume the best way to wire this is to keep the leads from the HU as short as possible and the RCA out cables longer, or does it matter? I'd prefer to run the the wires from the HU to the Bit all the way behind the back seats, but I'm worried that much pre-amp wire will create noise.
     
  7. Apr 23, 2014 at 6:11 AM
    #7
    ItalynStylion

    ItalynStylion Sounds Gooooood

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    There's a tradeoff for both but the short story is it won't really matter.

    Longer story is this...the RCA cables you plan to use are shielded (hopefully) and reject noise to some degree. This is good. However the signal level sent through the RCA's is quite low. Maybe 2-4V max. Meaning that any noise picked up is amplified quite a bit. Speaker wires (used as inputs) will carry a much higher voltage through them but are not shielded. So the signal level is higher in relation to any noise that gets in.

    But like I said, both should work. Pure preference really.
     
  8. Apr 23, 2014 at 9:00 AM
    #8
    skootx

    skootx [OP] Well-Known Member

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  9. Apr 23, 2014 at 5:45 PM
    #9
    shaneckc

    shaneckc Fyntünd Designs Vendor

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    I would consider controlling the volume using the Audison DRC with the Audison Bit Ten if I were you. Since you are doing factory integration with your new system, you will likely run into more background noise (hiss, buzz, and other annoyances) once interfacing with your new audio processor. Using the audio processor to control your master volume will keep these to the least noticeable levels. The Audison Bit processors attenuates any signal passing through, so any undesirable noise on the pre-amp side of things gets attenuated as well (assuming that your amplifiers and RCA's between the processor and amplifiers don't pick up any more). Steven and I both use the Audison Bit One in our vehicles, and neither of us have the need to use the DRC to control the volume because we did not integrate with the factory stereo. I pretty much only use my DRC to adjust my sub woofer output level and toggle between presets.
     
  10. Apr 23, 2014 at 6:03 PM
    #10
    skootx

    skootx [OP] Well-Known Member

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    I thought about that. I think I'm going to gamble on trying it without the DRC. It's easy to add later. (I'm considering running conduit from the dash, under the center console and to the rear wall to future proof things.)

    You CA guys have it good, lots of Audison distributors. We have one in the state, I called for a price on the bitTEN, left a message and haven't heard back all day. Not encouraging. I am certainly buying this from an authorized dealer, and there are no authorized internet dealers.
     
  11. Apr 24, 2014 at 4:56 AM
    #11
    deadbird8

    deadbird8 Well-Known Member

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    Just did it and am looking at the Audison now to replace the LCQ-1. The sound at volume sounds really good to me, but there is a hiss that is produced by the Entune head unit. The LCQ-1 makes it much more noticeable and I did a lot of searches and the Audio Control units seem to have issues with the Toyota and Volkswagen head units. AC said they had a 'fix' in units over a certain serial number but my LCQ-1 supposedly has this and the hiss is very bad. You can hear it at low volume, but the worst is when you put a CD on pause.

    I was at a shop yesterday and they went over all of it with a scope. The LCQ-1 sounds good at volume, but the hiss was bad. The guys did a test and disconnected the LCQ-1 and inserted Audison SLI2 LOC in the path and the hiss dropped to a tolerable level much more than half (its still there since its coming from the head unit). So the LCQ-1 was adding to the problem.

    We discussed the Audison Processors, but they couldn't guarantee the hiss could be tuned out.
     
  12. Apr 24, 2014 at 4:57 AM
    #12
    deadbird8

    deadbird8 Well-Known Member

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    Has anyone used an Audison Bit processor with the stock head unit? What were the results?
     
  13. Apr 24, 2014 at 9:34 AM
    #13
    skootx

    skootx [OP] Well-Known Member

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  14. Apr 25, 2014 at 5:12 PM
    #14
    shaneckc

    shaneckc Fyntünd Designs Vendor

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    That guy talking about issues with the bluetooth phone stuff...

    That probably has to do with what was done for his method of integration regarding certain speaker outputs, likely, a factory amplifier mute wire which was not addressed properly. Some careful wire testing and experimenting will be needed to avoid doing this with yours, should you choose to install an Audison Bit processor.
     
  15. Apr 26, 2014 at 2:13 PM
    #15
    shaneckc

    shaneckc Fyntünd Designs Vendor

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    I just heard about the Audison Prima series amplifier / bit processor series. They might be worth looking into for your application.
     
  16. Apr 26, 2014 at 7:49 PM
    #16
    deadbird8

    deadbird8 Well-Known Member

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    I just replaced the AC LCQ-1 with an Audison Bit Ten- absolutely no comparison.
     
  17. Jul 28, 2014 at 5:02 PM
    #17
    skootx

    skootx [OP] Well-Known Member

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    I have an update on this. I took a gamble on a $100 miniDSP, which is actually a VERY capable little piece of hardware. However, I still have massive hiss.

    The miniDSP does some very cool stuff, by no means am I trashing their product. It's cheap, easy to configure with loads of forum/fan support. I'm a nutjob audiophile and for the price this little black box is amazing. The only trouble is, it doesn't do anything for the hiss coming from the head unit.

    The bitTen gets rid of that hiss, right?
     
  18. Jul 28, 2014 at 11:08 PM
    #18
    shaneckc

    shaneckc Fyntünd Designs Vendor

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    Not necessarily. But if you use the DRC for volume control, it will be a large improvement.

    What was your method of integration? Speaker level into the miniDSP to get RCA level out?

    If that's the case, make sure that these connections are being made as close to the source unit as possible. Once this is done, there are a few things that might be worth trying...

    Solder an old, working RCA end to an old pair of earbuds. Since they're sensitive, you can plug them right into your miniDSP to listen for that hiss. If it is present at that point, there will likely be little you can do about it.

    If the hiss is present during the earbud test, experiment with adding resistor loads to your speaker wire connections going into the miniDSP. If you can emulate similar resistance to what the head unit was receiving from the factory speakers, this may remedy the problem.

    If the hiss is not present during the earbud test, consider using some heavily shielded RCA cables. They won't be cheap but they will help with the problem. Check out the EKS RCA Cables from KnuKoncepts. In addition to the heavily shielded RCA's, I would recommend bumping up your output voltage by adding a line driver directly after your miniDSP, before your RCA cable run. This builds off of what Steven said earlier in your thread about RCA levels being amplified along with the annoyances. If you start off with higher voltage before the RCA's pick up that interference from your cable route, the interference should be amplified less, making it less noticeable.

    You can also experiment with using common grounding and power locations with your equipment. Sometimes something as simple as running a wire to connect grounds or power sources of the source unit, audio processors, and amplifiers together can remedy problems like this.

    Take note that these recommendations are based on 'if's' and 'should's.' Troubleshooting and remedying engine noise and hiss with factory integration is almost always a guessing game.

    Happy troubleshooting!
     
  19. Jul 29, 2014 at 8:27 AM
    #19
    skootx

    skootx [OP] Well-Known Member

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    I used a pair of LOC's right at the head unit, then ran shielded RCA's to the back of the truck to the miniDSP, then RCA outs to the amp.

    The hiss is definitely coming from the head unit. I did a variation on the earbud test and ran the LOC RCA outs to an AC stereo amplifier (an older Sony home theater amp) and the hiss was there.

    The amp and miniDSP share a common ground at the rear of the truck. The wires are very short, maybe 6" from each component to ground. I tested this with a DMM and continuity is strong.

    I will try running a ground from the rear of the truck to the head unit ground, but I don't think this is a grounding issue as the hiss is present even without the amp and DSP.

    The resistor idea sounds promising. Would you suggest measuring the factory speakers resistance, then finding the difference between those and the new speakers, and starting with a resistor in that range?
     
  20. Jul 29, 2014 at 11:21 AM
    #20
    shaneckc

    shaneckc Fyntünd Designs Vendor

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    Well, remember that your head unit isn't seeing the resistance from your new speakers since they're being powered by your amplifiers. I would check the factory speakers resistance and try to copy that, but it's still a crapshoot because resistors don't respond to changes in frequencies like speakers do. What kind of LOC's did you use?
     

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