Need 2 redesign my sound system, need sum help

[funkymonkey]

I've got:

Nakamichi 12" 1000W subbie

JVC 170W 2 way cox (rears)

Alpine 200W splits

7" TFT screen

DVD/VCD/TV Tuner Decoder

PS1

MP3/CD Headunit

Rockford Fosgate 200.4 Punch series Amp

Esoteric Audio USA 1/2 Farhad Capacitor

How should I wire this up for optimal sound?

Keep in mind I'm not after doof doof, just clear clean sound staging. (Altho when a doof doof boy rocks up next to me, I do wanna hear my own music instead of his).

How would youse configure this system?

[XCUZME]

the av stuff has nothing to do with the sound quality first off obviously.

wire up the deck, hoping it has at least 2 sets of rcas, run to amp.

run splits off 2 channels of amp, run sub off 2 channels bridged off amp.

run coaxials in the back off the head unit.

does your head unit have av/line in's? you'll need them to get sound from the dvd player to the stereo, otherwise you have to find some special adapators.

need an inverter for the ps1 to run off 12v.

cap is obviously going to be wired in line with the amp, running a cap wont be the best for spl but good for quality which is what ur after.

have i forgotten anything?

[funkymonkey]

sweet that means less work for me, coz atm the front and the sub are wired like u told me. The JVC are sittin in the box coz I cbf removing the parcel shelf (its such a pain in an R32), so all I have to do is run em off the headunit...

The headunit has RCA Line in's which the DVD player outputs and the LCD has an SVideo input which the DVD has an output for. It also has an AV in, and the Screen takes 2 inputs as well... I'm trying to figure out which would be better to plug the PS1 into. Sound output from the PS1 "should" go intot he headunit, but since the DVD player has taken up that connector I'll have to daisy chain it off the DVD... this might drop the quality somewhat tho.

As for the cap... how do I wire it in? jus positive to negative in line from the battery to the amp?

Will the car be able to handle 3 units running off its stereo 12V output?

I might take apart the PS1 (well the power module of it anyway), and try to wire a resistor or sumfin in there, coz the way I think it works is, 240V AC becomes 3 or 6V DC (whatever the smaller PS1 takes) so all I need to do is convert 12V DC into 3V DC... altho i do need to protect from spikes. I jus think its inefficient goin from 12VDC to 240V only to convert it back to 6V inside the machine...

[predator]

yeah there was talk somewhere about wiring direct to the ps1 in another forum (was it www.austech.info ? forget).. not as easy as you first might think. Bit of wiring involved, but if you are familiar with electronics and can solder probably not a big problem.

[funkymonkey]

/me charges at ps1 wielding a 25W soldering iron

yeah I sorta know my electronics... sorta... but i'm goot witht he soldering iron. If I have a circuit diagram I can make it.

[Guest SPOOLIN]

Errr....I think cap's wire paralelle to the amp not in series.

Lee

[riggaP]

Originally posted by funkymonkey  

I jus think its inefficient goin from 12VDC to 240V only to convert it back to 6V inside the machine...

Yeah, but can you really be stuffed?? And how often are you gonna use it for inefficiency to be a problem? Like predator666 said, its a little more involved. You can buy voltage converters to hook the ps1 up from Jaycar I think. I dunno how much tho.

One other thing, if you're after high quality sound amp the rears...

[funkymonkey]

the rears are just for fill in sound, not after clarity there, that's why I didn't go for a better brand like alpine or nakamichi, its only there to stop it seem like the bass is comin from the back and the trele from the front.

[riggaP]

Trust me, you'll hear the naggin (yet faint) distortion when you crank it.

[funkymonkey]

if I hooked it up to the amp it'd distort more than if it was running straight off the head unit. They're a pair of shitty JVC 170W PMPO's. Basically with the rest runnign off the amp and the back speakers running off the headunit, the volume of the rears are always gonna be proportionally less (maybe about 50% the amplified volume) of the front n sub, even when i crank it, so I doubt it'd clip.

I dunno, what do u reckon?

[riggaP]

Well a few mates have tried running the rears off the deck. One in particular has spent over $3k on equipment. When the volume is cranked right up (yes, it sounds amazing but...) the rears have to be faded to the point where they're almost turned off because they distort too much. The distortion is very subtle compared to everything else, but its so bloody annoying!

I think I'm a bit fussy when it comes sound clarity. I would rather listen to a quiet high quality sound than an ordinary loud one. If its going to be loud it has to be crystal clear and perfectly balanced for me to enjoy it. I guess I'm a bit of a perfectionist.

[funkymonkey]

i guess it depends on the headunit too...

[riggaP]

I spose... but an amp will alwasys sound better....

[funkymonkey]

tru

[predator]

yeah, amps rock...

Thing is make sure u get a good one or the amp can let down the overall quality of the system - so don't skimp on that if you want to put one in, its just not worth it. My Sony one is not a bad unit and the only thing i'm transferring from my old car - although its a few years old now.

Face unit amps are ok up to a certain volume then they start to distort and sound bad, and people often mistake the speakers when its really the face-unit amp thats only so good. If you're driving with the windows open, or along the freeway, amp is a good investment.

If you've got a good amp and good speakers, clarity at high or low volumes is easy

[ultim8DTM5]

I want your Sub!

Apparantly A-Z is not bringing them into Aus anymore, so if you're ever selling it, let me know...

[funkymonkey]

naw!!!! my nak 12" stays with me... perhaps if I go the dual coil way which is doubt coz I'm not a doof doof head.. then maybe I might sell it.

Amp, well I reckon sony downright sucks... well their XPlod Series anyways. I've got a rockford fosgate, which does a pretty good job IMHO

[riggaP]

Originally posted by funkymonkey

Amp, well I reckon sony downright sucks... well their XPlod Series anyways.

I'll second that! The speaker cones are made out of some cheap, cheap plastic. That red colour even looks shit!

Judging your equipment, you should have a pretty decent sound once its set up.

[predator]

Amp, well I reckon sony downright sucks... well their XPlod Series anyways. I've got a rockford fosgate, which does a pretty good job IMHO

I third that! Most people I've spoken to reckon the xplod series sucks... its more about flash than substance. My amp was before the xplod stuff came out...but i think overall its not too bad compared to some bad ones I've heard. My Sony 200W rears have started to give up over 3 years use too - I'd expect more and I don't always have it cranking either. No more sony for me.. Sony in the rest of my house, but no sony for my car.

Actually I speak lie ...I'm gonna recycle it for using it to power a subby or something but thats it.