Discuss this why did this car score the highest in SQC

[SR]

Honda S2000 convertable

Premier 690 Head Unit
DLS RS6a components with the DLS passive xovers
DLS RW12" subwoofer in a 1.25 custom made sealed enclosure
DLS CA31 3 channel amplifier
Db drive signal cables
Db drive power cables
Optima honda yellow top battery

other than the custom work in the trunk the vehicle was built in 10 hrs
installation was a standard install nothing special was done no damping etc
no time alignment no additional processing other than whats on the head unit and the amp

the scores
Tonality
Sub bass 17 the comment was too mcuh sub bass on track 5
Mid bass 18
Midrange 19
High freq 18
spectral balance 18

Sound stage
Listening position 11
Width 14
Height 12
Depth 12
Ambience 9

Imaging
Left 8
Left of centre 7
Centre 8
Right of centre 8
Right 8

Sound Linearity
soft volume 8
mod volume 8
high volume 8

Absence of noise
turn on/off 5
floor noise 5
ext mech 5
alternator noise 5
ergonomics 5

total sound score 236



this was a simple install nothing fancy jsut the standard everyday install
the left tweeter wasnt even properly mounted but just resting there due a "cleaning" accident in the morning


so why did this system score better than the rest of the competition

as this install goes against so many of the discussions that have been made on this forum thruout the entire year

from time alignment to phasing to damping to passive xovers to signal drive to amplifiers to speakers

[silent_riot]

A couple questions:

Where were the midranges installed?
Was the phase control used on the amp?

[altec]

tweeter placement, absence of noise

[pimptacular]

A couple questions:

Where were the midranges installed?
Was the phase control used on the amp?

x2

i wanted to get a look at the car but it left before i cuda sneek a peek

[pimptacular]

actually i did knock out in meh car fuh 10mins n when i got up it was gone
an i didnt reach my 200point goal 2sad

but i am really eager to know the tips and secrets behind this install

[fuzz_174]

I didnt get to hear any of the cars, only when i sat in for judging in "uncle's" fielder..

Would like to get a listen to the S2000 and a few other systems when i get a chance

[nigel1977]

Because the installer/tuner has over 18 years of experience building and tuning competition sound quality vehicles.

[SR]

A couple questions:

Where were the midranges installed?
Was the phase control used on the amp?

there is nothing really special on how this install was done as this is how we do all our installs for customers
the mid bass was installed in the stock speaker location mounted on 5/8" mdf ring and decoupled from the metal
sheet metal screws were used to secure it
advantage on the door is that it being a 2 door vehicle the door has a larger internal volume than most other vehicles as well as it being a sports car the door also has a solid rib on the inner skin for safety thus keeping the door skin rigid
the tweeter was surface mounted on the dash taking advantage of shape of the windscreen to assist in the dispersion of sound
no dash mat was used to absorb reflective waves

due to gauges install on the centre of the dash after the install was completed this may have affected the the left of centre image


there is a slight phase shift on the sub due to the orientation of how the sub was mounted and the location as well as it being a convertable the sub bass was lagging the mid bass slightly
the phase adjustment on the amp was used to correct this
a simple check for this in any car is to listen to some good old techno

the subwoofer enclosure is bolted to the vehicle structure using 2 1/2" 1/4" bolts

now also keep in mind this car does not have a rigid hood but a rag top



the point of this install was to show that you dont need to spend tons of money to compete in soundq nor do you need to use the most expensive equipment

DLS RS6a $1600
DLS RW12" $1600
DLS CA31 $2800
Pioneer 690 $2000
Wiring $1000

these are basically average priced equipment the key thing to keep in mind is that the install was done properly
hell we even used the stock speaker wires going to the doors




the bottom line on this is
there is no given set of rules to follow when building car audio only different principles to apply
what may work for one may not work for another
soundq doesnt have to cost a lot
i have always asked how much is too much when it comes to sound damping
keep a broader mind when building your car........
and use the KISS code
Keep It Simple Stupid the simpler the install the less things there are to go wrong



and of course here's my shamless plug
I have always said the DLS rs6a's are the best speakers to buy in its price range for sound q and can compete against speakers in higher price range brackets
speakers are in stock



I will bring this vehicle to demo for the next Ice club test and tune

[SR]

Because the installer/tuner has over 18 years of experience building and tuning competition sound quality vehicles.

that too

yuh hada take a listen to it boy
when we first finished it even we were surprised as we didnt think it was gonna sound that good being a convertable and the with trunk so well sealed from the cabin area

even with the top down

however with the top down if you listen carefully you can detect the slight phase shift with the sub bass lagging the mid bass

[roger]

those rs6a's never fail...

and they can take a beating !!!!!


ah does tell them a budget install can sound good, but they doh war hear meh...

sq on the cheap!!!!

[crazybalhead]

SR, forgive meh ignorance, is the rs6a's I have??? Doh remember right now.

Cause yuh hear my review on these already, and similar installation, decoupled with plywood though.

[SR]

yup

[crazybalhead]

Thought so. I honestly think simplicity is often better than too much complicated electronics. The only processing on mine is the old alpine parametric EQ, and most of those dials on flat.

Lovely speakers.

(No... Sr did not pay me for that)

But I often see arguments about time alignment and processing, and I feel it is always better to start as simple as possible first.

[silent_riot]

It was really refreshing to see some new cars in the sound Q lanes.

I hope more new people will take an interest in the competitive aspect of sound Q and not be intimidated by the equipment out there.

[SR]

pretty install doesnt mean its gonna sound good
proper install doesnt have to cost an arm and a leg
common sense is your best guidline
and take a listen to other cars and learn how to form your own refference
retrain your own refference by listening to properly recorded music from original cd's
it does not have to be an iasca test disc
but dont use copies, mp3's or ripped/dowloaded music

[roger]

well spoken...

[jeff]

why did this car score the highest in SQC

cause d car that came second lost a pt for engine noise

ah jokin!! much respect grandfather in d business.., im sory i didnt get to hear it around that time the DJ STARTED MAKIN A SETA NOISE

[rigman00]

seta a noise eh jef....yuh remind me of something last month and u know what i mean

[hydroep]

Interesting.

Honda S2000 convertable

now also keep in mind this car does not have a rigid hood but a rag top

Perhaps this is the key. I'm assuming that the hood was up BTW.

In a regular vehicle you're sometimes able to improve the SQ up front by winding down the front glasses. This allows some of the waves to escape instead of being reflected back into the cabin thereby reducing destructive interference.

The hood may be performing a similar function by acting as a dampener and/or allowing the waves to permeate outside the vehicle...

[pimptacular]

hydroep, then y do sq competition vehicles test with their glass up?

[Lance]

for obvious external noise issues.

Jan bennett uses alot of acoustic foam in her VW, she actually covers entire doors etc to counteract reflections.

[SR]

there are cars locally in the amateur and pro class that sound much better than jan's car

however the install is flawless

[Aimar]

You will get better performance from your system by paying more attention to the installation techniques and driver placement rather than pursuing the use of active crossovers. There is no substitute for proper speaker placement and solid installation.

Quote from BA.

[SR]

how many high end home audiophile systems use active xovers??


2 channel bizness

[nigel1977]

Have you ever found out the prices of "high end audiophile" passive xo's. Makes my 701 look like chump change in comparison.

Lets not spoil this thread comparing active vs passive. We can start a new thread if you want.

[SR]

agreed thats a whole next debate

speaker placement and proper build is what this is about

[roger]

^^tru.

ppl need to find what works for their cars to.

for instance in the lancer i mite get away with an out of the box install in stock locations, whereas in the ranger i had to go a different route to acheive similar sound...

what may work for one car/van, may not for another (as was mentioned already)

[-bushman-]

less equipment = easy to tune

[SR]

less things to go wrong

[evo-STI-k]

so what yuh saying SR is that i sould throw out meh waste of time alpine h701 procesor?