Avoid these 5 common Car Audio NOOB Mistakes!
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- čas přidán 31. 05. 2024
- In any hobby there are common mistakes that all newcomers make, what are five common mistakes in car audio? How can we better install our subwoofers, amplifier, radio, speakers and wiring? Avoid these five mistakes!
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Mistake #6: Thinking everyone around me wants to hear my music at every stoplight
You can tell they like it by them inching forward like there’s gonna take the red
Mistake #7 Believing that you will never become a victim of road rage because of Mistake #6
You do
@NonPlayableCitizen , I'm Armed too
You love it
"My stereo is so powerful it dims the headlights! Yeah boy!" - said the unlearned highschool student I used to be.
"My stereo is MORE powerful and DOESN'T dim the headlights. AND sounds FAR superior." Said the elite veteran who you've hopefully now become. :)
Sounds like your amp was starving for more power
It's BOI, not boy. You've still much to learn :)
Someone needs a cap :3
Buy a capasoter can’t spell today lol half faret
I could barely hear you
So I turned up the gain to 100%
lol
WhoWantsToKnow81 😂😂😂
Like those wranglers that have all there doors off and the top but all you hear is bass. Like, do you even have any mids or highs? 🤣🤣🤣
@@E.K.Hernandez1987 I go like this. I take about 1/2 the power of the sub system on top for the mids and highs. So if I got a 1000W Sub Chain, I want about 500W for the Mids and Highs. It's stupid and often not that easy to say that, but that's kind of my guideline.
@@LS3.4DR v. Oii. Oil ioiikikggjgkggg
I subscribed just because he’s so nice. Imagine getting fired by him. You would leave the office feeling like “Wow... maybe this is a step towards the next chapter in my life.”
I busted out laughing reading this. I hit that subscribe too.
Ikr?! I felt like I knew him or seen him before when I found his vid
Yep. He seems like a straight shooter. @@wailingalen
"don't let your friend touch the dial"
*Slaps own wrist*
So I guess he's telling us that even your "special friend" can't touch it, either ;)
lmaoo
My dad left me in the truck alone one day while he was getting groceries, and i touched that dial. ended up setting off the car alarm because it was so loud
Mitchell Mooso A
All around me are familiar faces, worn out places..
As an audio tech by far the most common issue we have with DIY installs coming back to us is either customers not setting gains correctly and blowing gear or from not setting the crossovers appropriately and also blowing gear.
Which was his first point he made...
Is there like a call support system I can call to help walk me thru setting my system up in my car for free
@@hunterdowning9409 youtube videos
@@hunterdowning9409 you are right on it
@@hunterdowning9409Crutchfield
😂 This video is 110% true! 20 years ago my headlights were dimming, amp gain on max, mix match subs, with about 4 tubes of bathroom caulk on my homemade box. can’t forget those red Sony explode 6x9’s on a 50x4 pioneer super tuner from Walmart. Awww the good old days‼️
Bro, yes!! The super tuner III was my fav back in the day. Had it pushing a 10" kicker solo baric (square sub) and a 300w soundstream amp. Good times
Why not add capacitor and good battery
bro , red sony explode !! you just remember my old speaker dang !!
Memories on those xplodes wow. You took me back 😄
I literally just put a”brand new”unused pair of Sony Explodes that I had lying around for years into my OBS Sierra lol!
Run the RCA cables on the opposite side of the power wire from the battery
Less distortion at high volume
Buzzzzzzzz
Hey I had a stereo installed and I hear a buzz at low volume know why?
@@xpert_kid_one730 wrong spark plugs. Does the buzz increase with rpm. Sorry for late response
@@xpert_kid_one730 you have the rcas and power wires, running to the amp,
on the same side. Whichever side your battery is at, leave that side for your power wire and the opposite for rcas. Problem fixed.
Learned that the hard way. Seemed to get louder as the rpm of the car went up. Power down one side, rca and remote down the other, good to go
@@xpert_kid_one730 or get RCAs with a ground attached
buy it nice or buy it twice
+Illest Villain totally true
I learned this lesson when I was 16 years old. I bought some cheap subs from a traveling "super sale". One of those "mega sales" where they charge 3-4 bucks admission. I bought a box with two 12's that didn't last 10 minutes after hooking them up.
How I shop for women.
Buy once, cry once
Not true I bought crap off eBay as a joke for a friend spent less then 200 shit rattles his whole car and has lasted 4 years
Getting back to basics. Needs to be done every so often. Great content as usual Mark. Great Channel for anyone involved in custom car audio.
+Kirk Abrahamson Thanks! I try to change it up from time to time
Mark is a true professional. His dialogue is calculated, precise and informative and is appealing to a broad spectrum of car audio enthusiasts. Because Mark is so professional that I find the video clips that he inserts to emphasize/illustrate certain points to be very funny, even hilarious at times! Keep the videos coming bro!
i’ve tried hooking up a capacitor without discharging it first. that was exciting
Lol that must have been fun 😂😂😂
😂😂😂😂😂😂
Big oof
*shocking
Now they call you the flash
I hotglued my licence plate to my car to try to stop it from rattling when i was 16 lolo0l
Working on putting a setup together been watching your videos since alot had changed in 15yrs since ive played with stereos. Thank you for your time providing us with professional information. I know these videos take time and its very appreciated hearing it step by step and the theory behind each tip.
right? I can only imagine the potential my setup had, when I had everything all wonky, including my gain all the way up thinking i was getting full power..
Max Watts & Sub sizing were my mistakes. 😅😮😢
I wondered why some of my early builds didn’t sound like I wanted. Then as time went on I realized these errors and built some amazing systems for very little investment. Heck this is still my process and I hope others do build some great systems as well.
Use a tone generator to create a 60 Hz wav/mp3 file. Save to CD or media file and play it while using a basic voltmeter in AC mode to determine when clipping occurs. These voltmeters are typically most accurate at 50 or 60 Hz due to standard electrical frequencies.
i want to try this method. please tell me what happens when clipping occurs, how do i determine it? is it just a change of the voltage? Thx for sharing the tip and help, have a great christmas^^
Great video. I work in the electrical field and I figured I knew it all when it came to car stereo installation. So starting off I probably made all of these mistakes in the past and paid the price for each. I wish I had watched this video years ago. But I think I learn better by trial and error. Though it would have saved me a ton of money doing it right the first time.
Side note: Who in the hell would dislike this video? He's literally helping you save time, money and effort. And for free at that. Just goes to show the mindset of some people.
A lot of times it happens by mistake I think
I had a 90 Pontiac Grand Am with a nice system that I installed and tuned. I had MB 5.25's in the front doors, with ADS 4" and 1" in the dash with a really nice ADS 2 x 10 sealed enclosure in the trunk. When I sold the car, the kid who bought it immediately ripped out the 2x10 box and was flat out beside himself when he couldn't make his 3 x 12 ported box sound as good. He ended up putting the 2 x 10 box back in. I think he learned that his friends were more impressed by the actual sound than the number and size of drivers. I actually put some thought into the interior and trunk volume and the result was a really good match with great extension and even performance through the range.
Didn't look through all, but I've seen more people disregard, hook up, remote wire to aftermarket amp. incorrectly. Just a thought. Good stuff guys! Been a long time, but I was really good at installs a time ago, so rewatching and learning new ideas as well. Never be too smart to learn something new!! Again, Thanks, C.
Amazingly well put. I'm always strugling to explain all this to my customers; many of them need to unlearn many myths. many times when explaining these things they internally are comparing what I say with what "they know".
Absolutely love this channel! Very informative and just relaxing(sounds weird). I learn something new every time! Thank you for your time and effort in putting these videos together.
When dawg said "buying speakers to out do your buddy" 😆
I buy speakers to our do my nemesis
Yep 😁
I need that ghetto bass for the 2 Live, Too Short, NWA and That Heavy Metal and 80's Style!
juárez got some dope subs, thio showed me his when i was younger and they were bad ass, 10 yrs later and now i want the ones he had
I thought I had a weird choice of music cause I listen to death metal but love n.w.a and 2 live crew. 😂
biggest noob mistake for me was underestimating the ability of good door/rear deck speakers. after i dumped about $1600 into my system, my buddy wanted to show off his new pair of 6x9s in his rear deck. i was disappointed in myself when his $200 speakers (with no amp) sounded almost as good as the two 12s in my trunk.......oh, and he still had trunk space.
Lol! The good old "Headlight dimming" Days XD
I know numerous "professional INstallers" that don't know how to set gain properly. This is why I DIY!
Ross Melton i never go to pro installers. Over priced and i can do everything they do, even better some times.
I’m a diy’er and went ahead and invested in a SM DD1 even though I’ll rarely use it again after I set my new amp up .
Chris Seng i went through a journey searching for the right amp. I tune it by ear, and I've never clipped an amp. Basically what you do is use test tones with the gain turned all the way down. Turn it up until the tone changes either higher or lower, back it down to the right tone, and you'll be good. You can double chrck it, but it works accurately 90% of the time.
Chris Seng I've spent 400$ total for my setup, and i have better spl and sq than most people who spend 1000-2000 at professional shops. But i like to shop at stores for my equipment just to support local businesses.
Ross Melton yaI called some shops in Dallas ,an ft worth. to ask about setting my gains with a dd-1, lol they all said whats that . so I wont be taking it to any of those shops.
Thank you, brother. Im upgrading my sound in my 2017 ilx. I saw your video and knew that you knew what you were talking about. I ordered the exact kits and just got them in the mail. Thanks to you, I know exactly what I'm getting into. Appreciate ya bud.
Got a little rockford 10 inch from my brother in law who worked in audio when I was 16. Its only 350 watts. Amp is only 250 watts, had it for 15 years and it still works like the day I got it. Its perfect 🥰
I want this setup in my truck. Salesman telling me $700 for a good system. I got depressed
@@chulow9024 I have a RFosgate P300-10 in a single cab Silverado that works really well. 300 watt RMS powered 10” sub… it’s enough to give decent low end with the Kicker/Polk mids/highs in the doors and B pillars (no amp on them). I think that RF 10” goes for $250-300 and it fit behind the seat.
I have a custom Ground Zero/ JL Audio install in my E39 touring and your advice is priceless, I shall use it to improve my set-up even further. Thank you.
i watched 1 video about "how to chose speakers" and youtube flooded me with your videos...
No regrets though. You doing awesome job for people like me
Thanks for the vid.. I’ve made all those mistakes.. took my car to a professional.. went a little smaller on the subs, and it hits way harder than when I had two 15’s in two small of an area
Not sure if I would disagree with the amp portion of the video, but for me when I choose an amp, I look solely at the Total Harmonic Distortion (THD). That % tells you how "pure", if you will, those Watts really are. The lower the better... and that will also be reflected in the price of the amp.
I figured someone in the comments would address sound dampening. So here it goes... if you dump a couple grand into a system and all you hear is the trunk and license plate rattling you’ve wasted your money. Budget for good sound dampening and it will sound loads better.
TR Custom Tech yep I agree,
Who said you have to put subs in the trunk ? You don’t have to
This is where having a vert kinda sucks. Dead silence from the plates, trunk, doors etc. The other crap sitting loose for the drop top on the other hand...
TR Custom Tech double sided duct tape for the plate
Cant hear all that if you turn it up loud enough
When I was new to car audio I was about 17 and I had spent all my money on the subwoofer and had to get a really cheap amplifier and wiring I luckily just blew my amp and a fuse but I still got the sub
Man i really enjoy your videos,they are funny and educational,i am just now getting back into the swing of things after a long car audio hiatus,i was really big into it in the 90s,a lot of things have changed but some other things are just the same,thank you for the great info.
My first install was in an older car I had bought for a few hundred bucks just to get home after being stranded 2 states away. It worked great for a few days, then blew the in-line fuse. I had done a lot of research, so I was confident everything was right. I went to an audio shop to get a replacement fuse, and they talked me out of the one I requested. Taking the notion that they are the professionals, I installed the much larger fuse that they recommended. Upon connection, it immediately melted wires under the hood and fried the amplifier. Lessons learned. Had I gotten the fuse I requested, it simply would have blown again and I could have located the issue without all of that damage. It was a bad negative ground for the battery.
Also, the upgraded alternator for my current vehicle is still about $700....more than the entire amp, speakers, subwoofers, wiring, and new headunit (2100 watt RMS system).
A mistake I've seen that blows subs is the bass boost vs the frequency the amp is set too. Bass boost might be 45 hz but the frequency is set to 110 hz. If you have a sub rated to go as low as 50 hz, your gonna blow the sub. Depending on quality it might take longer but never the less. With bass boost at a different level, the amp will be trying to play 2 levels of bass at the same time. Subs are more temperamental. Understand the level you want before buying. I find that between 70 hz and 90 hz gives the best bass. Keep it switched to filter out high frequencies. Vice versa for your 6 ½ speakers. Keep it to filter out the lows. If you have subs you don't need it. Life expectancy goes up. Just make sure numbers line up. Next, if you have a stereo that has a frequency control, it could be 7, 11, 13, 17-band control. Learn what the frequencies mean and how they control the music. Louder isn't always better. Adjusting those frequencies help make your sound better. Presets aren't always the best way to go. It'll sound cleaner, and more crisp. You don't need a 500W amp for your highs. It takes more power to push "lows" then it does your "mids" and "highs".
Baffle em with b.s....
Long ago I had 4 2 channel amps each bridged to a single door speaker. It was loud and good times but never could get the bass to match lol
Such a very true statement I started in car audio in 1985 and over the years I've had many customers come in with blown subwoofers that they decided to adjust their gain controls after they left the shop. used to be an eclipse dealer and they had some of the best head units 5 and 8 volt pre outs of course today some of the better amplifiers do have clip lights on then to let you know the amplifier is clipping but again some customers just don't get it some of them just want bass bass bass and some tweeters LOL it takes a good installer to tune a system front stage rear fill and don't let the bass overwhelm the car keep the work going brother love to channel
I don't know why but "bass bass bass....and some tweeters" got me 😂😂😂
Great video thank you, very informative, will be fitting focal speakers next week and im so psyched!
Cool! I've never made any of the mistakes when making purchases for a car audio build, but... back in the early 2000's I did think that higher watts= better amp. Luckily before any purchases I consulted a friend. Motherboard, capacitors, wiring, power supply, heat sink, its a ton of things that definitely a amplifiers quality. Rms is what most people should look for when thinking about overall wattage output.... and don't forget that even Rms varies depending on Ohms. Great video! Very informative.
Not knowing ohm's law or wire gauge amperage limits. You're gonna have a baaad time. lol
Kyle Vanwinkle nothing is really necessary, ever.
You can always be like my buddy who's a self proclaimed "professional". Who broke every single one of these rules. He's also using a 1500 watt amp with ONE 12'' kicker in a ported box that has extra ports because he cut the box in half, then uses a 10g wire to power it all, and gets pissed that there isn't enough sound or power so he adds an extra battery to his other battery via series. Ignoring alternator and everything else. Lol
kronik kaotik His system must buuump! lol
Except ohms law is broken when you go over 128db.
Ty Brown I am an associate level certified electronic technician. I've never heard of this. Please explain this because it could really help me out. Always looking to learn something new.
Very good video!!! You got the right verbal tempo and flow which makes it very informative and dynamic! Thanks
I had back in the day new alternator, two optima yellow batteries and 2 1m farad capacitors. Made a huge difference.
I agree with the second one, i got a truck and got a couple inches behind my bench seat. I got a 10" kicker with a slim ported box and it sounds great
I’m pretty new to car audio and didn’t know that about the gain. Thanks!
+Xo-1 definitely something to set carefully or leave alone if set properly!
Its no rocket science.
You just turn the gain completely down , then turn up the music to the level you think you never will get over (also listen to your speakers if they're not clipping and give a clear sound).
Then just turn the gain up to the level where it sounds good and not too loud and you're good.
Then when you listen to your music at normal level you never go too loud and prevent clipping.
But the clipping usually happens by using amplifiers that have not enough power.
For example you got a subwoofer that needs 300 watts rms and you hook it up to an amp that only gives 200 rms will clip quite easy because its lack of power.
So its better to have an amp that actually give more power then you need so it wont have a problem to drive your subwoofer.
After that you just use the gain to adjust the output, that way you wont give it too much power that also can kill your subwoofer.
Its just using common sense and your ears.
But if you want to get the maximum out of your system you just let someone do it that uses proper equipment to measure all the power output and clipping / distortion.
But Ive never did that , I just used my ears and never had any problems.
Oh, and pick frequencies that are in the middle of the range... no point doing it right at the crossover frequency where both of the frequencies will be 3dB down (6db on an L/R filter). e.g for subs go for 50Hz (if you are 20-100Hz on subs), mids, say 1kHz (earplugs needed!), highs, well, you shouldn't clip on highs, just ease it back when your ears start bleeding :O
EscapeMCP 8
@@baklap141 more gain, less sound quality, and more damage.
Less gain is the key
Dude, I really appreciate you doing this video
Not sure why this was reccomended to me, but it reminded me of when I was in high school I had a 08 Mustang GT that I splurged on and bought Alpine Type R speakers and sub and got a really nice receiver that had a mic you could use to have it calibrate time delay on each speaker. I understand that's not Focal, but it sounded sooo good to me as a teenager. The intro to Hot for Teacher, or the fast part of Metallicas "One" just made me giggle like a child.
I remember runninging calculations for the Big 3, tweaking gain using a test disk and a multimeter, and just making connections on the voice coils either in series or parallel for different impedence and thinking electricity and sound are so cool. I joined the IBEW after high-school and am now a master electrican who specializes in motor control.
It was nice to revisit this which was so impactful in my life. Maybe I'll rig something up in the F150 now..
Well that makes me happy I managed to put a sub in a bone stock 41 year old car and not have any problems😅
They dont make em like they used to.
I added a cap just as a procaution. I have big 3 and optima yellowtop battery but I added a cap too just to keep the voltage balanced on super hard bass hits. Relying solely on a cap is still gonna put tension in the electrical system but I'd always use a cap before buying a $600 high output alternator. You gotta be pushing over 3000 RMS before a new alternator is necessary. Music is dynamic a deap cell battery with a cap is enough for pretty much any non competition system.
Over working your alternator will cause it to go out prematurely, so when you have a bunch of stuff running off your car battery a high output alternator is a good idea
On my first system when I was clueless, my friend said you can shove your amp power wire into a constant 12V fuse at the fuse box instead of running it through the firewall to the battery. It worked briefly until it melted the plastic around the connection
Perfect advice...capacitor comes last after alt, big 3, and secondary batt
Man, audio file/recording quality is key. That’s the same issue everyone is having with 4k video sources now. Just like music, it doesn’t matter how great your display/drivers are, if the source sucks the output will too.
Gain is a fantastic topic all by itself. There's two key landmarks: how far speakers can get pushed before distortion, and how far an amp can be pushed for a given input before it clips or distorts. One of these will be the weak link, and gain must not go past that. The important diffeentiation of gain vs volume boils down to this: volume is what percentage of signal is used, and gain is a multiplier [input vs output]. One place to see blazing ignorace of this difference is... at a drive through.
I've spend thousands Back in the day to customize my system to play The Return of the Jedi " The Last Duel" and even with all the high end goodies I could never get it right. Now I'm stuck with Bose
Now im more of a general mechanic with the engines themselves. I am not the best with wiring or any of that at all. Im glad i just found this channel because im looking to install an audio system but i wanted to understand how everything works in the first place like the point of having an amplifier and why you cant just play it out of the normal stereo in the dash
mine was installing tweeters in the A-pillars, a bit expensive lesson, but I now know you should always read all included material before cutting holes, lol
You’re a great communicator and you bring good vibes. Thanks for the video!
Great video. I used to install audio for Colin Trickett at Uni-Car in Leeds UK in the noughties. Some of the 'professional' bodges we'd see were unreal. The amount of installation guys I'd see who couldn't use a set of crimpers properly after being in the trade for years. I'd goto many repair jobs and simply tug the supposed crimped wire out by hand. Another was the "turn everything upto 11" crowd. Cringe. Once spoke to a guy who said he can do a trick to get, in his words, 4D sound from an install. He was wiring fronts and rears out of phase. I shit you not. He had got away with it for so long as there was usually a sub which compensated for the cancelled bass from the doors.
One last thing is you can quickly check if a manufacturer is honest with thier wattage specs with this quick trick. Say they claim 1000 Watts output (and you can't find or don't trust thier RMS claims), look at the fuses on the amp. If there are only say, 20amp or 40amp fuses, you can say the manufacturer claims are BS. Ohms law, there are lots of easy online calculator tools. 1000w / 14.4v = 69.4 amps this amp will require to output its claimed power. So in reality you should see 80amps of fusing on your amp, or thereabouts. Hope this helps someone.
Colin Trickett sounds cool .. LOL
Yeah I made the too big speaker mistake when I was a kid. Had two Rockford 18’s crammed into my ‘84 Firebird where the backseat was supposed to be. Performance was sub-par to say the least.
I have a audio system in my car that i bought for $150 sounds great to me. The equipment might be garbage idk but it makes smile just listening to some bass while cruising
Definitely guilty of falling for the Max power rating with my first system. And I still haven't done a big 3 upgrade in any of the vehicles I've owned since then.
I dont pay attention to my college classes but i do pay attention to this
I made every mistake and more when I first started. Easy to do harder to correct.
Great videos newbies so pay attention to this man's advise.
I enjoy your videos. I have learned so many things from you. I appreciate you. Thanks for your great work!
I twist tied everything under the carpet and all. No fuse. Ran the power wire across the air cleaner and through the door jamb because I was 15.
It was hilarious when it burned down.
Lmao
Lmao
Lmao
Lmao
Lmao
Great video man. The biggest mistakes I’ve made were with the box, subs and their amp. Making the bass blend with the rest so it’s a reproduction of the music not just a bunch of bass isn’t easy. A box with the proper air space for the sub is paramount for good bass.
Yes! This… I just bought a 2020 Honda CRV EX-L and I’m beyond disappointed in the audio. No bass response and the rear speakers don’t sound like they’re working. I want balanced sound profile not a huge kicker box like it’s 1996. It was fun back in the day, but I need all the room in my CRV. I downgraded from 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee Altitude. The stock sound system was fantastic on that, unfortunately 15/mpg and Jeep’s electrical issues weren’t worth it. Any ideas to get it to sound like a 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee Altitude edition?
@@greg6162 trade it in for a Jeep 🤷♂️
@@greg6162 I traded my 2017 civic coupe ex-Turbo in for a 2024 Hyundai Kona. My civic had the premium audio system, but the sub was hit or miss. The speakers themselves though were way better and I'm trying to figure out how to upgrade my speakers again since now I just have the basic speakers
06:15 My entire collection was 96-320kbps VBR with an ABR of 160kbps. So it never really dropped bellow the 160kbps but peaked at 320 when needed. Downloading I ONLY download 320kbps MP3's. But YT has got better these days with audio clarity.
I just ordered the Pioneer TS-WX1210A along with an 8 awg wiring kit and can't wait to hook it up ! I've needed a bass boost for a long time. Interesting fact about the gain....I honestly had no idea what it did.
every single one of my friends use the gain as a volume knob even when i have the SMD DD-1 to set the gains. They'll learn haha
You can never correct fools that doesnt care to learn. :)
I've been in car audio for 33 years with most of those years doing custom enclosures ...this youtube channel ...is very very good..the only problem I see is glue and clamps on boxes ...the glue holds it in the end but the waiting til its dry would kill me lol...simple nail gun..at correct pressure dosent sqeeze glue out and you can build faster. But thats ticky tack crap...you have more time than me..over all 👍👍👍👍👍...watch and learn ...absorb info..
screws over nails any day. if glue was to ever fail, a screw will hold much longer than a nail under all that pressure and vibration
Loud Elvis I use screws and glue
Velcro FTW. It's waaay easier to change out my blown speakers.
James Zawacki this is true. I just don't have an air nailer,or enough clamps, and don't want to hammer on MDF.
James Zawacki, Most car audio subwoofer boxes are made of MDF or particle board. True wood expands and contracts in an automotive environment. Even well aged wood. Screws and glue are best in true wooden boxes.
I have a 68 el camino, just ordered a 10" sub last night and a amp. Now I need to order my speakers. Glad I did a little research. I'm hoping the 10" is enough, it's not like I want some loud ass system.
Nice info. As you mentioned I made a big mistake is I installed a local amplifier and I am not at all getting expected output. Thanks for the nice video. (Y)
I'm eagerly waiting for your T-Line Subwoofer sound test.
After dabbling in car audio for 25 years (on and off), I’ve found the best bang for your buck is Alpine Type R for speaks (components and subs). They’re extremely affordable, they can take lots of power, and they sound magnificent. Just my opinion. I even installed a Type R 12 into my home theater because it sounds that good.
Renamed to the R series, they have not changed their speakers design for a few years so if your new tk buying alpine look for old stock in the type R ranges not series R
My pops has had two type R 12s subs for 19 years and I’m the one using them now
Best bet is JL audio, top notch and trustworthy
@@texasboii5539 100%
I come back to this video every so often just cause. And i gotta say still to this day ive never done a big 3 on any of my petsonal builds, even though a few of them have needed it. Including my current build in my mazda 3
Can't wait to get my audio set-up in my Firebird for summer!!! Imma have the T-tops off and blast Van Halen for all to hear
Worst noob mistake, in my opinion, is not starting with your speakers. Look at how your current speakers are installed, more often than not they are installed into a thin bit of sheet metal or a piece of plastic trim and often with air gaps around the sides of the speaker. No speaker will perform great under those conditions. A door speaker might be glued to a flimsy door side, try bolting a piece of wood to the metal frame and fitting the speaker to that instead, maybe add a bit of dampening material to the inside of the outer skin of the door to stop that from flexing and you've already got much better sound. Upgrade the speakers while you're at it helps a ton. Replace the thin hat shelf with a proper piece of wood and instantly you'll get a lot more from your speakers in the rear window. In general beef up anywhere a speaker is mounted, it's cheap and it works.
Any CZcams videos on this please? I can’t find any
Yes. A factory paper speaker with a whiz cone in a door that has been sound deadened will sound better than any Polk Audio Best Buy special in a tin can.
WTF Zuck is on the bass tip now?
D' Zuck from Bassbook.
Yeah his name is also Mark soooo
😂😂😂💀
Awesome intro video to figure out which options to select to in building a new system. I've already installed a new tablet style Pioneer head unit in my 2013 Toyota Avalon (yeah old guy here) and it has made my tunes much better. But what to do next? Watch and learn from many of your videos and then design the system. Not after max bass but a nice crystal clear sound. Goal is to get closer to the sounds coming from the 19 speaker/500W 7.1 surround sound Mark Levinson system found in my Lexus LS460. Doubt I'll get to that point but it's a goal none the less. Avalon for local driving, Lexus for longer drives.
Like alot of people I did this too :( turned the gains all the way up, bass boost to max dB, biggest sub in a ported box with under powered amp with incorrect wiring for subs for ohms, maxed the bass and bass boost on the deck.. and then complain that all I could hear was just bass lol... now I know a whole lot more watching these videos. Thank you
320kbps every time I rip a song. Thank you for setting a standard in car audio all around.
Only reason I go with 192kbps sometimes is to save space since I already have 40gb of music on my phones and they are all 128gb. A lot of my downloaded music is 256 or 320 tho
He's so right anytime you draw more power you have to provide it with the least resistance possible. Which means more output and heavier gauge wires for less resistance. Rule of thumb when wiring, you can usually go larger wire, but never ever go smaller wire....and if you're smart you'll use an inline breaker that will take any power surges....alternators don't produce the cleanest power.
Never heard anyone actually spell out “F - L - A - C” before yet this video still has some good information in it. I’m thinking about buying an Astell & Kern portable music player that can output DSD512 multi-channel audio as well as flac and other lossless formats, but the thing that it making me hesitant is the fact that car audio by its very nature is never going to sound very good. Due to this proximity , positioning, design, and spatial layout between the speakers and inside of the car and listener - not to mention the fact that usually said speakers will be use while you’re driving and there are the motion , speed, window, etc concerns, so other ‘audiophiles’ have made me question how much it’s really worth it to invest in car audio vs my home stereo
I used my gain knob as a volume knob on my first sub. My Kicker Comp C 12" was blown after two days.
Biggest mistake ever is plastering stickers from the product you just spent your hard earned money on. Letting thieves know what’s in the box.
All knobs to the right! And speaker wiring impedance!
Good information. Thanks for sharing.
Very informative. Thank you!!
Worst noob mistake of ALL is to not fuse your power wire at the battery. Either it's because of laziness, or being cheap, or because thinking that the fuse on the amp is sufficient protection. The fuse at the battery isn't to protect the amp, it's to protect the vehicle from burning to the ground!! I have personally seen two cars burn COMPLETELY to the ground for this exact reason.
Scott Haydin or some ppl don't want to use a fuse cuz u "loose some or it power out put thru the fuse"! It's so min it's sooo not worht the risk! I too have see a few ppl car burning to the cast
so true
Exactly, the fuse should be there for the protection of power cable to your amp and should be sized properly to the amp rating of the cable.
Personally, I run the lowest amperage fuse that allows the equipment to run without blowing the fuse. 1x4ch & 1x2ch, both good brands, and being fed from a 20 amp fuse at the battery with 4-8 gauge wire (can't remember what I'm using), the gains are set ~50%, and the RMS matches the speakers. No problems, here.
I like circuit breakers. costs $0 to reset.
I used to hookup 3 or 4 speakers in parallel and put them into the same channel on the amp lol
For anyone who is worried about streaming music, there is less data there, but it is almost unnoticeable on high end headphones through high end dacs and amps, so stream your music you wont be able to notice anything missing if its close to cd quality (most modern streaming services are) and it isnt really worthi it to have anything above cd quality unless you have a proper wudiophile setup be it headphones or a full speaker setup.
Mine was the electrical system. Needed to upgrade the alternator then the battery but definitely the big 3. Excellent information here for noobs such as myself 😂
Noob here, thank God I saw you. Vid before I started my new project
I never just jump into projects or impulse buy anything anymore. Doing your research on everything you purchase and spending a bit more or special ordering a hard to find but better product always pays off. The internet is a great tool to make your dollar go further and quality go up.
When I installed my first system, (two 12's and a 750 watt ampp from a yardsale) I didn't even consider upgrading the electrical system. Alternator went first. Then the battery. Oops.
Ditto. Your alternator and battery were already shot.
Eric Simpson precisely!
@@juliusboy001 Your van's alternator is probably going to have a higher amperage than some 4 banger. It all depends on the car.
excellent Mark. along with wiring should go, routing your cables. also great advice on using the CAP only as a last resort, putting a cap on to over come too big of a draw will smoke more than your audio system! I used to be an auto tech and people would come in with their vehicles complaining of components not working properly like windows and defrost ect. when i lift the hood up and see a monster cable running through the fire wall, yep lets see what your driven with that cable, ! needless to say i have disconnected alot of monster cables. i even had to peel a monster cable from that melted down the floor of a vehicle, the ground was 12 gauge wire! thanks
Very nice video. Excellent information..
Many thanks
i dont know how an amp works i just hooked it up and it works great idk i have lots of great bass on my 2.two twelves
What I've learned after putting $3500 into my SUV.
I appreciate sq and sound tuning but realized that I didn't particularly like sound coming from right in front of me "like a concert". It's SUPPOSED to be that way I get it, with the bass above the dash where one can hear it but not know where it's coming from. All tuned by a sound competition judge.
Having another go at it in my Ford F-250 I might not go that route again.
I like "surround sound" I think better than above the dash sound. I know that not how one hears it at a concert but it's what I like.
I used to think the same until I really got into time alignment. Sound staging is everything and makes a world of difference.
Ive made all of those noob moves at one time or another, and more than once. Its been 20 years since I have really been into systems.
Just put my first sub and amp in my vehicle. I think only problem I made addresses in this video was the gain. Gonna go take a look at that and spend some extra time adjusting things.