JL CleanSweep (etc) vs. Aftermarket HU

Hello all,

Please forgive me if this question or post has already been asked/started but I scoured the search results and am not finding exactly what I'm wondering.

I'd love to keep the stock look for my audio upgrades (which include a 10" sub behind the rear seats of my 2013 DCLB, 6.5" components up front, 6.5" coaxes in the rear, and a 5-channel amp to run them all) and a certain degree of reversibility (if that's a word?) for the changes I'm making. I actually like the look and functionality of the factory head unit and the steering wheel controls but truthfully, since I don't have NAV, there isn't all THAT much functionality tied into the stock HU that I couldn't replace with an aftermarket.

Now considering the CleanSweep or JBL's MS-8 are approaching the cost of a decent aftermarket double-din HU, am I really wasting my time with these options? If you suggest a new head unit, double-din suggestions from users appreciated, preferably with a NAV option since if I'm swapping, I might as well upgrade.

 

I'm currently running the Rockford fosgate 3sixty.3 of my stock 2012 radio.and I love it.it's worth evry penny .the new stereos pretty much come wit everything you need.do you wana just add amps?

 

What else are you running with your system?

No.

 

I can't speak from experiance but many have mentioned a pronounced hiss at low volumes using an LOC... That is one of the reasons I decided to go with an aftermarket HU.

 

There are signal processors that do a better job than the LOC, but there are ways to defeat low hissing noise as well.

 

It also depends Wat loc you get.because before the 3sixty.3 I had the 3sixty.2 and the 3sixty which was a loc.and I never had any problems wit it .it all dependes on the quality of the products and signal cables.I currently have the 3sixty.3 feeding signal to one t600-4 for my t3 component set running active .and a pbr300-2 runing my back fill power 6.5s and a t1500 bd for subs although my subs aren't in yet.evrything is fosgate.except my subs are sundown audio.sd8s

 

I was actually looking at it the other day, it allows for 6 channel outputs, IMHO, to be a better setup than any. When using a regular LOC it doesn't help much for the subs.

 

I'm running the clean sweep out of the factory head unit to a XD700/5 hooked to two sets of c3 650 components and JL stealthbox single 10tw3. It sounds amazing on some songs and type of music but on anything with low bass like rap and some dance/trance it sounds bad. Almost like the clean sweep is converting the low end frequency signals wrong and then amplifying them. I have my EQ set flat as well since I listen to everything out there

 

It's important to note that there is a pretty big difference between products like the CleanSweep, 3Sixty.3, MS-8, Bit-One etc. vs. a "Line Output Converter".

Signal Processors are designed to compensate for unusual or irregular frequency response curves from amplified and non amplified signals...many of the current headunits in OEM applications add specific eq curves and unusual crossover points to the outputs. The DSP's in the signal processors are designed to take all of that and output a clean, unprocessed signal to your amplifiers and then let you tweak equalization as you see fit.

A line output converter is simply that - a device designed to take a high level speaker signal and down convert to a low level RCA type signal.

Fortunately for all but the JBL systems our radios are pretty simple - what you put in is what you get out...meaning; the signal you put into the radio is what comes out of the speaker leads on the back. Unless you want the capability to tweak your system at a very fine level of detail you will get fantastic performance from a quality line output converter device. Do some research however...many of the common high quality multichannel amplifiers on the market today can accept high level signals directly on the RCA line level inputs, which means, you can wire RCA leads directly to the speaker outputs and into the RCA line inputs on the amps. The higher end JL amplifiers will absolutely do this for sure. With the availability of sub level controllers on most multichannel amplifiers the need for a 6 channel loc or processor simply is overkill and unused or unneeded.

 

Interesting. Have you or anyone you know used the factory head unit without a separate signal processor? Seems to me that with any decent speakers, and the addition of a sub/amp, some eq adjustments would be a necessity and the stock head unit just isn't capable in this regard.

 

I was talking about the 3sixty which is an actual hi low converter.not to be confused with the 3sixty.2 or.3 .it was a nice converter tho worth the 70bucks.but it you want a nice sound quality a sound processor is the way to go.you can set cross overs and equalize to get the most out of your system .

 

I haven't personally - I replaced my stock headunit with an aftermarket unit I had from a previous car - only because it has bluetooth and direct iPod integration. If I had a newer truck with a stock radio that had those features I definitely would have kept it. * As to the comment about the necessity of eq with amps and speakers...you'd be surprised how good tonally the system can sound if quality components are used and gain structure is set up properly - not to say that every system wouldn't benefit from a quality 1/3 octave eq but that boils down to how specific you want to be about your listening preferences. Great sound can be achieved with just the speakers and amps!*
I recall reading in these forums (from a reputable source) that the stock headunits have been bench tested to have flat response so it can be assumed the units are perfectly suitable for line output conversion.
As far as the line out is concerned - I have used personally the Audio Control LC6 device and I highly recommend it. Zero eq capability but it functioned as I wanted it to. Sounds like the Rockford Fosgate piece is a good device as well.