Going active? questions for the pros that are "active"

What is the bare minimum required to go active?

-a head unit with time alignment and/or several band equalizer? obviously at least a component set up(2 way: tweeter and midbass, 3 way would be: tweeter, midrange, AND midbass?), does this take into consideration for a dedicated subwoofer?

when would would a processor be needed, meaning, what features or limitations does a head unit have, that one would "need"/warrant a stand alone processor?

my components in mind: pioneer 80prs, and zed leviathan amp, which both have the bandpass crossover points, and the HU has the equalization, and time alignment(I believe). if I am good, with these components, please spell out when one would need another component, etc. my bottleneck at this time is the availability for a dash kit(2012)

thanks in advance

 

You essentially need time alignment on each channel. The benefit of going active is that it allows you to attend to each driver individually so that each one gets the proper time alignment, level attenuation and crossover.

I would absolutely make sure you have a HU that has the active crossover controls/level adjustment/TA for each of the 4 channels (tweeter left and right and midbass left and right). Even though that amp will do a band pass crossover you don't want to tune the system having to run to the trunk every time you want to alter a setting (which will be every 20 seconds).

What speaker drivers are you planning to use? I can help you pick those out if you want.

 

The 80PRS does all of the above and sounds excellent. I would go with that hu.

 

as far as drivers go, I'm waiting for the JL 10tw3s to be released for the low end, and I'm looking for 7"s for the front doors, and tweeters, both raw drivers, and prolly just use the stocks powered by the HU for now in the rear. That is the tentative plan as of now.

Supplementally, I will deaden the doors, and maybe back wall, but that is another can of worms.

 

These would be great places to start IMO....

Tweeter http://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/peerless-woofers-6-7/peerless-830883-exclusive-nomex-7-woofer/
Woofer http://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/peerless-woofers-6-7/peerless-830883-exclusive-nomex-7-woofer/

 

yes, I'm aware of that store, and there were others as well.

I do have a question regarding drivers. typically car audio is 4ohm, amps drivers. if I get a driver that is 8ohm, that would just increase the impedance and halve the power coming from the amp, correct? this is kind of new to me. I understand for subs, you can get different configuration impedances, just as long as the amp powering the setup can match it. but I've never set something up the opposite way, where a 4ohm amp would be powering up an 8ohm load. I;m pretty sure it would work, but just never had any experience with it.

I'll just contact the amp manufacturer

 

Speaking of active, have there been any new products or offerings for external processors? Last notes I made to myself there was the Zapco DSP6, Audison Bit-1 and JBL MS-8. Just wondering if any changes to capabilities/price points have occurred in the recent past. Have considered active myself, but price points weren't that great for me at the time.

 

There are MANY new processing units on the market. I'm not up to date on all of them but I hear the Audison Bit 10 is actually pretty slick. I have a Bit1 and like it. I've owned a JBL MS8 and I hated it with every fiber of my being.

OP, to answer your question about different ohm drivers, the answer is simple...a higher impedance is ALWAYS fine/safe. A lower impedance is sometimes risky.

Think about what's happening like you're riding a fixed gear bicycle (one where the pedals MUST spin if the rear wheel is moving). Pedaling faster when the impedance is low allows you to make good power. However, there comes a point where the impedance is so low that you're spinning out of control and eventually you'll hurt yourself because you simply don't have the ability to pedal that fast. The same happens with the amp, lower impedances yield more power but the amp has very specific power output limitations. If you ask the amp to make more than those limits it will fail.

Running an 8ohm driver will actually make things EASIER for your amp. Yes it will yield half the power but it's not as serious as you think. An 8ohm speaker that is 87db efficient @ 1w/1m will play just as loud off 50 watts as a 4ohm speaker that is 84db efficient @1w/1m getting 100watts. The reason is the general rule that to gain 3db of output you need twice the power.

What's even more interesting is that most 4ohm speakers aren't as efficient as you think. You may see efficiency rated @ 2.83V/1m. 2.83 volts on an 8ohm load is exactly 1 watt of power. So when you see this rating on an 8ohm speaker it means 1w/1m. However, on a 4ohm speaker you're dealing with half the impedance so 2.83V makes 2watts of power....TWICE THE POWER! That's a little trick many manufacturers use to "inflate" the efficiency ratings of 4ohm and 2ohm speakers. On a 2ohm speaker it's really getting 4 watts...put that in your pipe and smoke it!

 

I ran the 80prs passive and active and it does the job wonderfully for what you are looking for. If car audio is one of your main hobbies, I'd probably just save and get the p99 since the itch to upgrade always comes into play eventually (believe me I wish I had done this and kept my wallet a little fatter). I was going to get the bit ten, which is a great unit, but the ease of not needing a laptop and the all in one capability of the p99 is just so convenient. You have everything right there at your finger tips and it's one less step in the chain as compared to adding a headunit + outboard processor and you have everything you need with the 31 band EQ, TA, and the crossover settings. I can tell you upgrading from the 80prs to the p99 was a HUGE difference.

 

Italyn - thanks for the quick lesson/refresher. I'm aware of the rule 2x the power only yields 3db more. I just wasnt quite aware of the effect of an 8ohm driver to an amp, in the car audio sense.

Nico - I would like to keep it simple, and as inexpensive as I can, but I definitely want quality components. I have heard of that p99, but I have other hobbies that I like spending money on. if I can do what I want with the aforementioned components, I'm sure I will be happy. for now, I want more volume than stock and ipod capabability, and going active is a bonus.

 

The 80prs is the perfect head unit for your needs then. It definitely served me well. What are you waiting for? Pull the trigger already! Just post pics ;P

 

I feel I have enough information from this thread to move on. thanks a bunch! I guess I just needed some reassuring, from being out of the game for so long