My wife bought me a really nice Pioneer CD unit for Father's Day that I'm gonna put in my '54 Chevy. The thing is this, every stereo I've ever put in myself invariably sounds like crap. I follow the directions, I use decent speakers but it never sounds right or loud enough. I just put some new speakers in my '60 Chevy wagon and they still sound like crap. I know I don't have any door panels in my wagon but I mounted the speakers on a plexi back that's solidly screwed to the doors. Are there any websites about this stuff?
Well... just throwing things out there since I don't know the specific problems... Make sure your speakers are in phase. (ie: all positives hooked to positive and negatives to negatives) Don't crank up the bass and then the volume.... the radio will not have enough power for the speakers and it will distort. Stop playing Liberace. Sound proof the floors and especially doors (if that is where the speakers are) You need an amplifier. I don't know any sites that have tips on them... but I'm sure someone does... someone on here has a screen name of Kustomcaraudio or something like that. Maybe he can help?
I put 2 speakers in my package tray recently and they sound good, i got some of that black mat/material from autozone [$12 or so ], it helped alot with the insulation/sound. My car is loud and I drive with the windows down here in So Cal, so im gonna cut my kick panels and put some 5"ers in there and put that autozone carpet behind them, im also going to put some little tweeters either side just below the dash [ where the parking brake is ]. I dont have an Amp, i know it would be alot louder with one, but if i have 4 speakers front and back and some tweeters then it should be loud enough. Its all about the insulation .................... i think ? L
hide everything in the glove box.... I hate those decks mounted underneath the dash they always look so cheasy
It may help if you define what "sounds like crap" consists of... and I am being serious. Is it just shitty sounding speakers (bass and volume turned up all the way.. crackling, etc), or is it something like engine noise/alternator whine coming through your speakers? What kind and size speakers are you using (example: 6x9 3 way speakers)? Opinions and theories on car audio are as diverse as opinions and theories on radial vs. bias-ply tires, but if there are specific problems you are having, then help can be had. It has been forever since I have had to do any research on this subject, but the last time I did I found my answers here : http://www.the12volt.com/ If I remember correctly, you have to register to use the forums... but these guys know their shit! Hope that helps... ~Bryant
Nads, are you runnung a generator or early alternator? I put a small system in my 66 Chevy II years ago, it kept eating the little 36 amp alternators.
nads i had the exact same problem.. it was really easy for me to fix.. i had my buddy fred install it, it couldnt have been easier! you do need an amp
One basic rule is mount the speaker to a very rigid surface. When the speaker cones move back and forth to push air, they also want to move the outside metal frame of the speaker. If your plexi is flexible, alot of your energy is lost to the plexi flexing.
I had the same problem, but I finally added two nice 6x9's in the package tray to the two 4 in up front in the kick panels. Sounds great.
nads- If you need help just pm with what exactly the problem is (how it sounds like crap) and i can help you out. I do this professionally on the weekends part-time, along with amps, subs, remote starts, alarm systems and anything else remotely linked to 12 volt audio/protection. I would be glad to help.
1: Hooker Big Tubes, crossover pipe and Smithys with a Duntov 30-30 cam. 2: Throw out everything in your collection that says K-Tel, Rhino or Time Life on it. They were all made by some kid in Taiwan from cheap records on his Chinese copy Radio Shack cassette recorder then converted to CD. There's nothing you can do to make them sound good. Once that dead horse starts to stink, a new saddle won't help. (tm) Also all those studio out-take and 80's remakes of 50's songs you find in the bargain bins at Wally World and the truckstops. 3: First thing in a car stereo is to eliminate as much road noise as possible. Road noise drowning out the midrange is what makes them sound cheap and tinny. Mount your speakers where you won't be overwhelmed by 1 speaker near your head drowning out the other channel. 3 way 6X9's in the back shelf and some 6 inchers in the kickpanels or lower door fronts is the minimum. A small amp will really help. Lose the generator. Modern electronics need something a little more stable than plus or minus a few volts, and an alternator lets you run the stereo without your headlights dimming on the guitar licks...
I have an alternator, the speakers are on a plexi plate mounted solidly in the front doors in the only place they would fit without cutting. I have no insulation in the car at all. The sound is tinny and there's a kind of midrange gurgling sound. This is the same stereo I had in my '54 Chevy and it had full door panels and I was running 2 speakers in the doors and 2 on the parcel shelf and the sound wasn't all that good even though the car had a full interior. What do you guys mean when you say an amp? Is this another amplifier you use besides the one in the stereo. I lost the directions on my stereo, how do you know which speaker wires are positive and negative? I'm sorry I sound so dumb but I've never been able to this job right at all. My work van Ford sounds a million times better.
Yup another amp OTHER then what the stereo puts out. You can pick them up cheap enough........ xxx Brandy
$100 you should be able to score a little amp, put it under your seat or under the package tray. http://images.google.com/images?q=car amp&hl=en&lr=&client=safari&rls=en-us&sa=N&tab=wi L
Simple enough. If your head unit is weak, definitely get an amp...but not just any ordinary one. Has to have built in crossovers. Your speakers need to be good, period. You can skimp on the head unit, even get a cheaper amp, but you gotta have good drivers. Not only that, whever you mount then needs to be insulated accordingly, or else you'll be listening to coffee-can reverb. Finally, a sub is really important, and not just for your Sir Mix-a-lot sessions...bass makes music sound like it's suppose to. When I put A/C in my '53 (yeah, give me shit--I ain't sweatin ma balls off no mo!), I had to cut my glovebox in half, which meant my head unit had to go. Got a crazy idea to run my iPod directly into my amp under my seat (which I had to switch-on with the radio gone). It works good! No individual tuning abilities, but it's convenient and simple!
The speaker wires should be green, purple, white and grey. The grounds will be the same color but with a black stripe. Check these guys out for stuff. They have killer tech support and good prices. <LI class=first>www.crutchfield.com
Clearly you have a LOT to learn about car audio! Your "head unit" (deck) has a little amp in it just so it will play; some mfr's call it "high power" but it isn't. You need a second amplifier. Also you need good quality speakers. Don't cheap out here. Anything with paper cones or marked "Audiovox" will sound like shit; pure and simple. The power output for speakers and I think amps is measured in watts; the higher the number the more powerful. There are two power ratings; Peak and RMS. Peak is the higher number and is meant to attract the unknowledgable; RMS is the more important number and describes how much continuous power output the amp can deliver and the speakers can handle without distortion. Quality brands are conservative with their ratings; cheaper brands push it if not outright lie. I always have pros install my car audio; they have all the right tools and can make good quality connections. They have wiring harnesses with the right connectors to hook up your head unit to your amp without cutting and twisting or soldering wires together. Have a good audio store hook you up with good quality name-brand speakers and an amp and install it all. Don't cheap out here either. A Ghetto discount shop will do ghetto discount work and it'll sound like shit. There's a lot to learn about car audio. Do some research on the web, all the magazines are written in jargon and describe super-expensive stuff. You don't have to spend $1000 to get good sound, but you do need to recognize good quality when you see and hear it before you lay down the money.
Is a built-in crossover really a good idea with full range speakers? I'd suggest a small 4 channel amp. That will give you power to 2 front and 2 rear speakers and you still will be able to control balance and fade. Try and match amp output in RMS wattage to speaker wattage... or get it close. You could probably get away with an amp that is 45 watts by 4 channels. Keep the low frequencies at a mediocre level and you should be ok. Mike
To further expand on themes already presented, based on my somewhat limited experience: The stereo in my pickup was improved dramatically by two steps: 1. Enclose the speakers so you only get sound from the front side. If the back is not fully enclosed, it will make the sound muddy. 2. I insulated the cab with that aluminum-covered bubblewrap stuff. It was actually to make it so the A/C could keep up, but it made another huge improvement in the sound. Currently, the setup has OK sound, but the next step will be an amplifier. The issues noted above will make a dramatic difference, though.
For newer cars maybe...you ever see an installation kit for a '54 Chevy? It's called power and ground. And you don't need to spend a hundred bucks on a Monster Cable kit, either...go buy the lengths you need from a stereo shop. Run big ass power leads and grounds, and that crappy wire that comes with the speakers, tie your cat's balls up with it. If you don't already have a modern-style fuse panel in your '54, you'll need to have inline fuses (a MaxiFuse is recommended for the lead) so you don't start cookin things. It's not a bad idea to have a pro shop install the equipment, but expect to pay about $45 an hour min.
eh up nads what i do is unscrew the 6 bolts just outside the bottom of the doors which hold the header caps on then start the engine no need to wire any amps in or owt cause you carnt here nowt not even the missus lol! not very helpful but worksto blank out the crap noise mi stereo makes lol!
The mid range gurgle sound bothers me. Have the speakers in the door been wet from rain dripping on them from the door glass? I've seen that kill a set of midrange speakers more than once. The paper gets wet and softens when it vibrates. Makes them kinda muffled and gurgled. The little part (tweeter) still produces the highs but you lose the base and midrange. Another thing is number of speakers. If you're useing 2 speakers on a stereo that's set up for the impedance of 4 speakers it'll sound weak on base/midrange and lean towards the high range. That'll make it sound a little cheap and tinny. As for the speakers just make sure they're all wired the same. Colored wire on the left, ground on the right or whatever. They're not supposed to be directional, it's just a coil and a magnet, but get one different and you'll notice.
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