# Golden Ear's 2011 Ford Ranger simple budget build



## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Hi all. I've been on here for a couple years now, learning and envying people who could do their own work. I've had two builds done by the amazing JT Audio and Accessories, and tuned by the amazing BigRed, but this one isn't "master fabricator" or "master tuner" worthy. I'm doing a simple 2-way plus sub. I've heard a lot of really good sounding gear over the last couple years and I'd love to really go all-out but this truck isn't worthy. It's a bone stock work truck that I'll be driving for a while to save gas. My F250 gets 10mpg and this ranger gets 20, it's a no-brainer. I had originally bought it for an employee but he left to pursue his passion for welding. Until I find another employee that I can have drive the truck I'll use it for the foreseeable future. So if I'm going to be driving this truck around its gotta sound good. I'm not doing any fiberglassing or pillar work so that's the only reason I'm DIYing this one. I think I have some really nice gear so if I can do a decent install and good tune it should be a great sounding truck when it's done. Pics of the truck and gear to follow. Actual build starts tomorrow, Lord willing


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

Subscribed.


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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

If you need some of the best MLV, let me know, or at least half of roll. Trucks need it on the rear wall too.


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## Darth SQ (Sep 17, 2010)

In for the duration. 


Bret
PPI-ART COLLECTOR


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## XSIV SPL (Jun 24, 2014)

Dom- get in or get out!  Lord willing!

Subscribed!


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Alrojoca said:


> If you need some of the best MLV, let me know, or at least half of roll. Trucks need it on the rear wall too.



Thanks Al. I might have to get some from you as I don't have any. I'll let you know.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

XSIV SPL said:


> Dom- get in or get out!  Lord willing!
> 
> Subscribed!



Lol!


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Ok so here's the truck...





































Hand crank windows, manual door locks, it's like a blast from the past.

I replaced the head unit as soon as I bought the truck because I have to communicate with my employees a lot and I like to have Bluetooth in the vehicles. Here's a pic of the Pioneer hu that I installed a few months ago. It works pretty well. My main gripe is with Pandora connectivity. Any time I do anything on my phone while it's connected to the hu it'll ask me to "Allow the hu to connect to Pandora" and many times it'll say "No Network" and won't reconnect. I'll then have to close and reopen Pandora and/or unplug the phone for it to start back up








Pioneer DEH-X6700BT

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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

The gear: 
First, the heart (or brains) of the system. An Alpine h800/c800 combo bought used from another member. I'm running an h800 in my f250 and one in my Tahoe. Although I haven't done much tuning myself I like the fact that you can tune with the controller and don't have to plug in a laptop. I know I could have gotten away with a 4to6v8 or similar but, again, I like the controller.










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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

The power: Pioneer GM-D9605. I told you it was a budget build I picked this unit up from Amazon for $229.80 shipped. It'll do 75x4 & 350x1 @ 4ohms. I know it's not going to give me a ton of headroom but you can't beat the price for the power and its cea2006 compliant with 90 amps worth of fusing so I'm confident it'll do what I need it to.










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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Tweeters: Alpine DLX-F30T
I heard them in Papasin's Civic and fell in love. Iirc, they are made by Scanspeak and they're a 30mm ring radiator. I'll surface mount them to the sail panels on the doors. They're rated for 40 watts rms so I'm sure 75 will be plenty. I bought these from a member here bnib for $212 shipped. 










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## Brian_smith06 (Jan 31, 2008)

budget build with an h800?

In for this.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Mids: Image Dynamics X-57

This truck comes with 5x7/6x8" openings in the doors and since I'm not going crazy on this build I'm going to reuse those openings for my mids. I asked BigRed what he recommended and these were his first response. I've never heard them but I can't wait to. I bought these from Woofers Etc thru Amazon for $218 shipped. 
























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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Now for my favorite part...
Bass!: Gladen SQX 10

I sourced this beauty thru Jacob at Orca. He let me try it out in my f250 and I really liked it. I was originally going to pick up an Alpine Type R 8 for this truck, because it's so small, but I found the perfect size enclosure and it was for a 10. Fortunately I still had this SQX 10 so I didn't have to buy another sub. Bonus!























The enclosure I found was this Qbomb qbtruck110. It actually came in a pair for just under $60 shipped. It's sprayed in truck bed liner instead of carpet so that too was a good fit for this truck. I'll have to do something about the terminal being right behind the sub magnet, though, and the opening for the sub needs to be made bigger for the sub to fit. 










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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Brian_smith06 said:


> budget build with an h800?
> 
> In for this.


I'm not sure what dollar amount actually constitutes "budget build" so since this is my least expensive build to date I decided to call it that:laugh:


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## shinjohn (Feb 8, 2006)

Nice Dom! Looks like it will be a fun and nice system.
You gonna soundproof/deaden everything as well? Can't wait to see/hear the end result! GL!


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## damonryoung (Mar 23, 2012)

I'm in... are you done yet?


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## SQ Audi (Dec 21, 2010)

Sooo, so you are going to build a blow through, or are you placing that box in the passenger foot well?


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

shinjohn said:


> Nice Dom! Looks like it will be a fun and nice system.
> You gonna soundproof/deaden everything as well? Can't wait to see/hear the end result! GL!



Thanks SJ! I have some Kno Knoise Kolossus that I'm going to use but I don't think I'm going to soundproof/deaden as much as I should. It'll probably never compete so it just needs to sound good, not amazing 










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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

DRTHJTA said:


> I'm in... are you done yet?



Almost. Yea right!


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

SQ Audi said:


> Sooo, so you are going to build a blow through, or are you placing that box in the passenger foot well?



I was thinking about doing the passenger footwell because it's such a great place for the sub in an sq build but I would have had to fiberglass an enclosure to fit in that location because of all the angles and I don't posses that skill yet. The sub will go behind the passenger seat, which is nice because it'll be a little more hidden that way.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

So my amp and h800 are going to be this close together and I don't want a bunch of extra cable. I'd like to find some RCAs that don't cost an arm and a leg (budget build). I found some on Amazon for $24/pair which would be $72 for 3 6-inch cables, yikes. Anyone know where I can find them for less? I only need 5 channels worth of 6 inch long cables. 











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## vivmike (May 24, 2013)

OP,

That's a pretty bold user name...


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## lashlee (Aug 16, 2007)

What about making yourself a few sets? I've done it for years and all it takes is a little patience and some soldering skills.


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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

I have a few pairs of new 12 foot stinger hpm3 RCA's gray snake blue Alum connectors. Should work good for under the seat or to the back in a single cab truck. 

$29.00 but since you may need MLV I can do $25.00 WCA special


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## stills (Apr 13, 2008)

Nice!
I'm always in for a regular cab truck build


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## shinjohn (Feb 8, 2006)

Golden Ear said:


> Anyone know where I can find them for less? I only need 5 channels worth of 6 inch long cables.


Yo bro, this is DIY mobile audio..... 

Low Cost DIY Interconnect Details, a How To Photo Gallery by shinjohn at pbase.com


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

shinjohn said:


> Yo bro, this is DIY mobile audio.....
> 
> 
> 
> Low Cost DIY Interconnect Details, a How To Photo Gallery by shinjohn at pbase.com



Lol I know but I don't want to make them I'd like to just buy some and put them in. Pm me how much you'd charge me to make me some. Hahaha


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

vivmike said:


> OP,
> 
> 
> 
> That's a pretty bold user name...



I'm a pretty bold guy


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

lashlee said:


> What about making yourself a few sets? I've done it for years and all it takes is a little patience and some soldering skills.



I lack skill and have no patience lol


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## cobb2819 (Jan 13, 2011)

Hey look, my sub!!


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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

You can make great cables, if you can find cable at a very cheap price, and cheap quality connectors, too.

The only minor issue is room, a car cable has one wire that splits in 2 for right and left channels, home made cables are 2 wires that take a bit of extra room, and when you have 6 channels, hey that's 6 wires versus 3.


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## Justin Zazzi (May 28, 2012)

Golden Ear said:


> So my amp and h800 are going to be this close together and I don't want a bunch of extra cable. I'd like to find some RCAs that don't cost an arm and a leg (budget build). I found some on Amazon for $24/pair which would be $72 for 3 6-inch cables, yikes. Anyone know where I can find them for less? I only need 5 channels worth of 6 inch long cables.


I could happily make you some.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Jazzi said:


> I could happily make you some.



Sweet! Message me on here or fb so we can work out out the deets. Thanx


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

cobb2819 said:


> Hey look, my sub!!



I can't wait to hear it in this tiny truck. It's gonna pound yet sound good.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Working on the sub enclosure. The opening was too small for the sub to fit so I used my trusty Dewalt router and makita Palm sander to open it up. It's not perfect but it'll seal. I had to knock down the rhino lining on the surface where the sub mounts with my sander because it's so rough I don't think the sub would have sealed air tight.










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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

For some dumb reason Ford decided that they should put these speaker housings behind the seats








Not only were there no speakers in them, there was no where to install a speaker








No problem because they had to go anyway








Now there's room for the sub, processor, and amp

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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

I'm not sure if it's 1/4 coverage or not but I can definitely hear the difference when I knock on the metal


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

Budget you say? 

With an H800+C800 combo and those tweeters? You and I have different definitions of "budget," my friend.  

If the HU continues to give you trouble, check out the Alpine CDE-HD149/148BT. Genny has been really happy with the CDE-147BT. 

Done by the end of the weekend? I look forward to checking this one out!

Oh, and are you sure you don't want to cut a hole for a blow through while your back there? I know where you can score a W15GTi.


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## DLO13 (Oct 24, 2010)

Golden Ear said:


> Tweeters: Alpine DLX-F30T
> I heard them in Papasin's Civic and fell in love. Iirc, they are made by Scanspeak and they're a 30mm ring radiator. I'll surface mount them to the sail panels on the doors. They're rated for 40 watts rms so I'm sure 75 will be plenty. I bought these from a member here bnib for $212 shipped.
> 
> 
> ...


what an effing steal!


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## DLO13 (Oct 24, 2010)

Golden Ear said:


> So my amp and h800 are going to be this close together and I don't want a bunch of extra cable. I'd like to find some RCAs that don't cost an arm and a leg (budget build). I found some on Amazon for $24/pair which would be $72 for 3 6-inch cables, yikes. Anyone know where I can find them for less? I only need 5 channels worth of 6 inch long cables.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


monoprice.


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## capea4 (Sep 2, 2010)

Snap av


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

DLO13 said:


> what an effing steal!



I agree

I checked monoprice but they don't have them either. It's ok tho, looks like Jazzi is gonna make me some. 


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

capea4 said:


> Snap av



Thanks! Never heard of it. Looks like I'm covered now but I'll check there if I need anything else.


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

Hopefully Jazzi can help you out with the RCAs. If not, these are the shortest I have seen (about 10") at a reasonable price. I have no idea how well they are built. 

NVX XIV2025 0.25m (0.82 ft) 2-Channel RCA Audio Interconnect Cable

NVX XIX2025 0.25m (0.82 ft) 2-Channel RCA Audio Interconnect Cable


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

rton20s said:


> Budget you say?
> 
> With an H800+C800 combo and those tweeters? You and I have different definitions of "budget," my friend.
> Lol! I know, I couldn't help myself. I almost bought a set of 15Ms but decided against it
> ...






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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

rton20s said:


> Hopefully Jazzi can help you out with the RCAs. If not, these are the shortest I have seen (about 10") at a reasonable price. I have no idea how well they are built.
> 
> NVX XIV2025 0.25m (0.82 ft) 2-Channel RCA Audio Interconnect Cable
> 
> NVX XIX2025 0.25m (0.82 ft) 2-Channel RCA Audio Interconnect Cable



Those would have worked. Where were you 6 hours ago?!
I'm sure Jazzi's will be sweet so I'll go thru him as long as he's willing to make em.


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## eling23 (Oct 13, 2014)

nice choice of equipement for a "budget" build. lol. Do those tweets come w the pods already?


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## Justin Zazzi (May 28, 2012)

Golden Ear said:


> Those would have worked. Where were you 6 hours ago?!
> I'm sure Jazzi's will be sweet so I'll go thru him as long as he's willing to make em.


Psshhhh those are twisted pair crap. I'll be mailing you some nice shielded stuff with premium jackets


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

^ because we can hear the difference in the cables, right? 

I guess I'm in.

So can I listen to it yet?


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

I say GTG time out on the Monterey Peninsula once the Ranger is done! I know my wife will be on board.


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

eling23 said:


> Do those tweets come w the pods already?



Yes, and one of the main reasons why I use them.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Jazzi, those are sweet! I can't wait to get them.

Richard, I still have a lot of work to do and a few things to figure out

Dustin, definitely!!!


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

papasin said:


> Yes, and one of the main reasons why I use them.



And one of the main reasons I got them too


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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

I guess when it comes to short cables, no choice but to make them. Mono price used to have smaller ones and a bunch of Y female, male combinations and many connectors but they no longer carry them.

I will keep Justin in mind to make some for me too if I ever get a DSP


The only budget I see about this system is the pioneer amp, and that is a nice looking amplifier.  great choice for a 5 ch with good power, it would be my choice for a single amp install too.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Alrojoca said:


> The only budget I see about this system is the pioneer amp, and that is a nice looking amplifier.  great choice for a 5 ch with good power, it would be my choice for a single amp install too.



What about the pioneer hu? It was only $100!
Thanx, I think the amp was a good find and hopefully works well and has low floor noise.


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## win1 (Sep 27, 2008)

I'm in love those mid bass xs57 have those going into my Titan and using audiomobile 10 for mid bass when I get some more time lol


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## jtaudioacc (Apr 6, 2010)

Golden Ear said:


> Thanks SJ! I have some Kno Knoise Kolossus that I'm going to use but I don't think I'm going to soundproof/deaden as much as I should. It'll probably never compete so it just needs to sound good, not amazing
> 
> 
> 
> ...


oh my favorite...NOT! :laugh::laugh:


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

win1 said:


> I'm in love those mid bass xs57 have those going into my Titan and using audiomobile 10 for mid bass when I get some more time lol



I'm looking forward to hearing these. I'm hoping I can get them to play nicely down to 80 but idk if my doors will play nice.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

jtaudioacc said:


> oh my favorite...NOT! :laugh::laugh:



Haha! I know. I put some on yesterday and dang that stuff is messy! 


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

Golden Ear said:


> Haha! I know. I put some on yesterday and dang that stuff is messy!
> 
> 
> Sent from my mind using telekinesis


Messy, yes. But it works great and it is tough to beat the price. This is a budget build after all.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

rton20s said:


> Messy, yes. But it works great and it is tough to beat the price. This is a budget build after all.



Exactly!


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Since this is a single cab truck, in an effort to save as much room behind the driver seat so I can have it as far back as possible, I picked up a sheet of this maple board that I'll spray with truck bed liner and use to mount the amp and processor but also build the beauty panel out of.
























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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Would there be any problem tying in the power and ground for the processor at the amp? I'll run the remote turn-on lead into the processor first, obviously, but I'd like to avoid having to install a distro block for power and ground.


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

Golden Ear said:


> Would there be any problem tying in the power and ground for the processor at the amp? I'll run the remote turn-on lead into the processor first, obviously, but I'd like to avoid having to install a distro block for power and ground.
> 
> 
> Sent from my mind using telekinesis


When I added my 6to8 I just cut my power cable for my subwoofer and threw one of these guys in line. It was cheap and took very little time. 









Bassik 2 Way 4 Gauge Fuse Distribution Block - Merchandise


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

rton20s said:


> When I added my 6to8 I just cut my power cable for my subwoofer and threw one of these guys in line. It was cheap and took very little time.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Thanks Dustin. I'm really trying to avoid using one because of space and all so I'd like to know if I can pull at least the power by tying in a wire at the amp. I can easily run the ground to the grounding clamp so that shouldn't be an issue. 


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## Justin Zazzi (May 28, 2012)

Golden Ear said:


> Thanks Dustin. I'm really trying to avoid using one because of space and all so I'd like to know if I can pull at least the power by tying in a wire at the amp. I can easily run the ground to the grounding clamp so that shouldn't be an issue.


Should not be a problem. I would add a small fuse to the smaller wire as close to the amp as you can.


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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

Will a relay work better than a small fuse, that way a fan can be added or LED lights


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Jazzi said:


> Should not be a problem. I would add a small fuse to the smaller wire as close to the amp as you can.



That's what I was hoping to hear. I didn't see how it would be a problem as long as I had a fuse on the line but I didn't want to be all ghetto if there was a potential problem with it.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Alrojoca said:


> Will a relay work better than a small fuse, that way a fan can be added or LED lights



Remember Al, "budget build" lol


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## DLO13 (Oct 24, 2010)

jtaudioacc said:


> oh my favorite...NOT! :laugh::laugh:


:laugh::laugh:


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## tjswarbrick (Nov 27, 2013)

Nevermind. Looks like I overlooked 2 pages of posts.

ps - I did discover when swapping amps that a little extra cable length doesn't hurt... (The new never seem to have jacks in the same location as the previous.)

Sub'd regardless.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

tjswarbrick said:


> Nevermind. Looks like I overlooked 2 pages of posts.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I agree. Been thru that a few times myself.

So I got the mounting board done today.








I forgot to take a pic of it painted with the truck bed liner Will get one later.

Got the 4 gauge wire ran from the battery to the 100amp fuse








Found a spot for the ground block to go 
















so I sanded it down to get it ready








And got a little war-wound in the process 










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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

Looking great, that big piece of wood on the wall is a good enough sound barrier, no MLV needed there, ja ja. 

Waiting to see how everything will be mounted on the wall.

Good pictures.


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## Darth SQ (Sep 17, 2010)

Golden Ear said:


> Sent from my mind using telekinesis


Right on schedule.


Bret
PPI-ART COLLECTOR


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Thanks Al!

Bret, it wouldn't be a build without a little bloodshed, right? Lol

What are people using these days to go from an iPhone 6 to optical? I'd like to go directly into the h800 from my phone if it isn't too complicated or expensive. 


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

Golden Ear said:


> What are people using these days to go from an iPhone 6 to optical? I'd like to go directly into the h800 from my phone if it isn't too complicated or expensive.



AMAS-2. You could have skipped the HU and made it even more budget friendly if that is the only source you care about.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Does the amas-2 allow the same sound quality as an optical connection direct from the phone to the processor?

The processor is so close to the driver seat that I can run a 2-3 foot cable from my phone to the h800.


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

You could do a lightning to hdmi to optical switch box to toslink as well.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Ok scrapping that idea I'm not trying to get too complicated on this one. Thanks for the info Richard


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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

Great topic though!


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

Golden Ear said:


> Ok scrapping that idea I'm not trying to get too complicated on this one. Thanks for the info Richard
> 
> 
> Sent from my mind using telekinesis



Either option is actually pretty simple. Be happy to help.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

papasin said:


> Either option is actually pretty simple. Be happy to help.



Thanks brotha! I'll likely hook everything up analog and hear how it sounds first. I'll get yours and Mrs. Papasin's ears on it to get your opinion on whether any more sq can be squeezed out by going digital.


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## capea4 (Sep 2, 2010)

i used, and now have on my bench a rocketfish (best buy) bluetooth reliever with optical out. used it with my Alpine 800. have a 12v to 5v step-down too


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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/rocketf...lack/9976103.p?id=1219459039423&skuId=9976103


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

capea4 said:


> i used, and now have on my bench a rocketfish (best buy) bluetooth reliever with optical out. used it with my Alpine 800. have a 12v to 5v step-down too



How did it work? Was there a noticeable difference in sound quality vs audio thru the hu?


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Goals for today: 
1)finish the sub enclosure
2) finish the amp rack

Sub enclosure:








In an effort to conserve as much space behind the seat I'm relocating the wire terminal to the side of the enclosure. When I bought it the picture had it already on the side, which would have been great, but it didn't show up that way so I have to do it myself. They sprayed the rhino liner all over the hole so I have to clean it off so I can get a good deal on the plug.

Here's the terminal it came with. There's no way it would have sealed properly the way they shipped it!









All cleaned up and ready to be plugged. As you can see I'm no perfectionist










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## capea4 (Sep 2, 2010)

Golden Ear said:


> How did it work? Was there a noticeable difference in sound quality vs audio thru the hu?
> 
> 
> Sent from my mind using telekinesis


there defiantly was, but it was V/S a alpine 420 iPod dock. it was cheap, simple and worked very well. it would turn on with my remote trigger from a dead state and sync right away. the hardest part was swapping a link. i would have to shut my bluetooth off, and then it would open up and allow a passenger to sync.

it just seems smarter, to stay digital all the way to the 800, and let it do the conversion. even if it was compressed files it still had better dynamics


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

capea4 said:


> there defiantly was, but it was V/S a alpine 420 iPod dock. it was cheap, simple and worked very well. it would turn on with my remote trigger from a dead state and sync right away. the hardest part was swapping a link. i would have to shut my bluetooth off, and then it would open up and allow a passenger to sync.
> 
> 
> 
> it just seems smarter, to stay digital all the way to the 800, and let it do the conversion. even if it was compressed files it still had better dynamics



Well now I'm really going to have to consider this. I still want to hear how it's going to sound thru the hu but will keep this in my back pocket in case I can't get the sound I'm looking for. Thanks for sharing!


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

So I got the old terminal hole plugged. I used my trusty router and palm sander to make the two pieces and glued them together.




































Thankfully the enclosure will be up against the back wall of the truck so you guys are the only ones who will know how ugly my plug looks


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

This is the spacer I made to mount the dsp on. It makes the depth of the h800 and amp the same so I can make a beauty panel that covers them evenly










Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Amp and processor FINALLY mounted to the back board. You can see why I needed such short RCAs from h800 to amp, it's only 5" away.


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

Golden Ear said:


> Well now I'm really going to have to consider this. I still want to hear how it's going to sound thru the hu but will keep this in my back pocket in case I can't get the sound I'm looking for. Thanks for sharing!
> 
> 
> Sent from my mind using telekinesis


May want to read or check this thread I started and come up with conclusions you may want to share later, comment or ask questions there. 

http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum...ical-ipod-iphone-cd-playback-differences.html

Looking good, is that bed liner stuff, how did you trace those lines?


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## damonryoung (Mar 23, 2012)

Golden Ear said:


> Amp and processor FINALLY mounted to the back board. You can see why I needed such short RCAs from h800 to amp, it's only 5" away.
> 
> 
> Sent from my mind using telekinesis


If you had RCAs that were a bit too long, you could always go behind and back through to conceal your excess...


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Alrojoca said:


> May want to read or check this thread I started and come up with conclusions you may want to share later, comment or ask questions there.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Thanks Al! I did see that thread and have been following it.

Yea that's the bed liner stuff I found at Home Depot. I set the h800 on top of a piece of the wood I'm using, traced it with a pencil, and cut it out with jigsaw. Sprayed the piece and mounted the h800. I'm no perfectionist so I'm happy with it


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

DRTHJTA said:


> If you had RCAs that were a bit too long, you could always go behind and back through to conceal your excess...



Thanks Damon but I actually don't have any room behind this board. It's pretty much flush mounted to the back wall of the truck with no space in between. The reason is so that I can preserve as much leg room as possible. Fortunately Jazzi hooked it up with these beauties and I'm digging how they look. I'm actually kinda bummed that they'll be covered up










Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## Justin Zazzi (May 28, 2012)

Lookin' sharp!


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

I concur! Thanks again!


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

More goodies showed up today. Got this one from Alrojoca







Thanks Al!
And a nice big box of JTs favorite CLD











Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

I'm not sure if what I'm doing here is creative or ghetto but I took this old closet rod and cut 2" pieces off to make mounting points for the beauty panel. I'll put one in each corner so I can screw the panel onto the backing board.

















Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Got the new hole drilled in the enclosure for the speaker wire to the sub








The hole is just big enough to fit the wire and I'll caulk it to seal it tight. Here's the speaker wires I'll be using. KnuKoncepts 16awg next to the sub wiring. Not sure the gauge on it but I'd guess it's around 10.










Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

So I picked up this barrier strip so I can be like the cool kids but the stupid screw holes for mounting this thing are ridiculously small. I have a TON of screws and I can't find a single one that fits right. I don't want to drive nails into it so I guess I'm going to the hardware store to find screws that fit










Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Question: The d9605 amp has 2 sub inputs, left and right, but I'm only running one sub so I'm only using one output channel of the h800. Do I just use a splitter into the amp?


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

It looks very good!
Those lines look perfect to me, I thought the box already had them. 

Do rubbing the hand on that surface feels rough or like soft smooth rubber? just curious since it looks rough.


One sub or 2, a Y splitter to the amp would be my guess, maybe even 2 cables from the DSP, not familiar with hooking up DSP's between HU's and amps yet. ha ha
I am sure your will get the answer, the sub leads from the amp is always one channel regardless of how many subs you connect.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Thanx Al!

The lines were already on the enclosure, I just drilled the new hole for the speaker wire. The liner that's sprayed on it is very rough, like you could use it to sand down asphalt.

I'm only installing 1 sub.

Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## Justin Zazzi (May 28, 2012)

Golden Ear said:


> Question: The d9605 amp has 2 sub inputs, left and right, but I'm only running one sub so I'm only using one output channel of the h800. Do I just use a splitter into the amp?


You can test this by connecting the sub output from the processor to one input on the amplifier and listening, then connect a y-cable and listen again. If the output level increases when you use the y-cable, then keep it in place. Bummer we overlooked that when I was making the cables for you; I could've made a y-cable too 

Regardless, I'm kind excited about this amplifier's price-to-features ratio and look forward to your review of it and also hearing it sometime.


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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

I have only one sub also and went through a similar issue I can select 2 RCA inputs on the mono amp, or one. Selecting one and using 2 RCA inputs, sounds weak, selecting 2 better with 2 inputs. If I only used one rca cable and select 1 input on the amp I am sure it will sound the same as with 2 inputs, but my amp is different since it has a mixer, as long as I tell it how many and match it, I am OK.

In your case I doubt both ways will sound the same and if they do, then, good luck picking one, I would probably go with the Y


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Jazzi, I didn't even think about it at the time. I was just excited about getting some nice cables from you

Al, I looked for that switch on the amp and it doesn't have one. Tat would have been perfect. 

I actually have a splitter already but it has females on the split end so I ordered a couple male to make couplings to make it work, they should be here tomorrow. Here's the splitter I have, at least it's blue lol 











Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

On another note, the subwoofer enclosure is done and ready for install! I filled it loosely about 50% with black hole stuff and mourned the sub


















Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

You can always go here and get some cheap ones for $4 and if that works better, you can get
J to make a Y nice one to match the ones he made. 

Dynex RCA Y Audio Adapter Black DX-AD115 - Best Buy


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## tjswarbrick (Nov 27, 2013)

Your QBomb is da bomb!

Even though I have just one single-vc sub, my processor wants me to set up both L&R outputs and use a stereo pair of RCA's. So it really depends - probably more on the DSP than anything.
If it turns out you need a shortish pair until you get a matched set built up just let me know:


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Alrojoca said:


> You can always go here and get some cheap ones for $4 and if that works better, you can get
> 
> J to make a Y nice one to match the ones he made.
> 
> ...



Yea I'm gonna try it out to see if I need to plug into both l/r inputs on the amp and if I do I'll see if I can talk Jazzi into making me a matching splitter.


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

tjswarbrick said:


> Your QBomb is da bomb!
> 
> Even though I have just one single-vc sub, my processor wants me to set up both L&R outputs and use a stereo pair of RCA's. So it really depends - probably more on the DSP than anything.
> If it turns out you need a shortish pair until you get a matched set built up just let me know:



Lol Thanx! If it was as pictured in the ad it would have been perfect but I think it turned out pretty nice after my mods.

I'm pretty sure you only use one output for sub signal from the h800 unless you are running stereo subs but I'll have to confirm it.

Thanx for offering the cable, I'll let you know if I can use it.


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## MrsPapasin (May 21, 2013)

Sub'd


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## LBaudio (Jan 9, 2009)

Nice sub box


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

LBaudio said:


> Nice sub box



Thanks, I agree I'm hoping the shallow depth won't hinder the lower frequency output of the sub.


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Wiring time...yay! Not. I picked up this blue copper wire from Home Depot today to run my remote turn-on from the hu to the h800. It's 14awg and was only $.21/foot. It's not super flexible like "car audio" wire but it'll do










Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

Looks thick and stiff  at least it is blue, like remote wires should be, ha ha.

It's gonna look good with the blue RCA cables, the blue speaker wire, and the blue RCA connectors from the HU.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

I agree 

Got some wiring ran today. Power wire, remote wire, RCAs, c800 cable, and speaker wire to the passenger door. Pulled the door cards off, pulled the plastic miniature barriers off and cleaned off the door skins. Looks fresh and clean and ready for deadening. This truck has been nice to work on because there's a ton of room behind the hu and since there's power nothing there aren't a bunch of other wires to contend with.


























































Tomorrow I'll hopefully get the wiring done. That's all, not going to try to expect too much of myself



Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

So I got the wiring ran into the doors for the speakers and to the back of the truck. I used the old coat hanger trick to get the speaker wire into the door








I also got the doors deadened with the Knu Kolossus inside and out






















Sealed up the holes with Sintra plastic board








Shout-out thank you to the Papasins for showing me how to do this properly. If I can get these doors done right I'll hopefully be able to cross the mids at 80hz. If not then at least the sub is so close to the driver that it shouldn't be a problem to cross it higher. 

Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## tjswarbrick (Nov 27, 2013)

If there's one thing I do enjoy it is a good coat hanger ploy.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

tjswarbrick said:


> If there's one thing I do enjoy it is a good coat hanger ploy.



Lol

So here's the board layout before it gets mounted. All other wires are ran to the back of the truck so they'll have to be attached once this is in.










Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

These babies came in today. Ordered them just in case I need to use both sub inputs on the amp


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## shinjohn (Feb 8, 2006)

Gold is best!


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## n2deep3d (Jul 19, 2015)

If I remember right silver is better than gold for current thruput. Gold is widely used based upon its non rust/corrosive properties.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

n2deep3d said:


> If I remember right silver is better than gold for current thruput. Gold is widely used based upon its non rust/corrosive properties.



I've heard that about gold but never heard that silver is better for current. Do you have a source for this info?


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## xxx_busa (May 4, 2009)

Silver is 8% better than most common used. However that increases as time goes on, as copper corrodes its properties degrade. Silvers oxidation is as conductive as the primary body of the connector it is or applied to. I used several different types of silver in my audio system Home & Car, I've found ( Neotech/ohno OCC long grain pure silver & copper) makes the best or finest product for low voltage delivery.

My minimum for copper is 99.9999%, If you need to control some harshness in your system that may be the answer. Ive found to using my best silver between DAC/CD to pre-amp and copper between pre to amp. This has been my finding what I think sounds best. I make all my own interconnects and have of used all the finest in the boutique lines. 



Silver	1.59 Best
Copper	1.72
Gold 2.44
Aluminum	2.84
Zinc 5.8
Platinum	10.0
Steel 10.4
Tin 11.5 Worst


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Great info. Thanks Mark! Mind sharing what pieces you use to make your interconnects? Are there any pre-made interconnects that good?


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## xxx_busa (May 4, 2009)

I use Cardas, Eichmann, & Xhadow, KLE Innovations and when requested Furutech,
RCA's & XLR's

Sonic may have some left from there big sale.
Closeouts, Sonic Craft


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

xxx_busa said:


> I use Cardas, Eichmann, & Xhadow, KLE Innovations and when requested Furutech,
> RCA's & XLR's
> 
> Sonic may have some left from there big sale.
> Closeouts, Sonic Craft



Awesome! Thanks for the info. Looking them up briefly from the link you shared, there are some really nice looking connectors available.

I just received these beauties in the mail today. I wasn't sure how I wanted to connect, and be able to easily disconnect, the wire to the speakers then I saw another user's build log where he was using these and they are perfect.









The rain has slowed me down since I'm doing the work on the truck in the driveway. The next couple of days looks like there'll be clear skies so I will hopefully get the speakers all in and connected, and straighten up the wiring.


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## reath1 (Apr 15, 2014)

Those should suit you well. I used the Dean's connectors as both those and Deans are used in high current RC applications. Work really. 

I also went with Anderson Power Pole connectors on all major power and ground wires. If you're looking for ease of "in and out" of those connections take a look at them. Very pricey but very dependable for the application.


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## BigRed (Aug 12, 2007)

slow poke. lmao!


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

reath1 said:


> Those should suit you well. I used the Dean's connectors as both those and Deans are used in high current RC applications. Work really.
> 
> I also went with Anderson Power Pole connectors on all major power and ground wires. If you're looking for ease of "in and out" of those connections take a look at them. Very pricey but very dependable for the application.



Thanks bro! I'll look into those and see if there's something I need.



BigRed said:


> slow poke. lmao!



Seriously! I'm so anxious to hear this thing and it's driving me nuts when I'm too busy to work on it. You wanna take a trip up north and give me a hand? Everyone loves Monterey.



Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

I did get a few minutes to get a little done tonight, tho. I got the xt60s soldered to some pigtails for the mids and tweets








And got them soldered to the ID X-57s








And shrink wrapped















Believe it or not, this is all stuff I've never done before. Lol
I don't have much experience soldering wire but it just takes a little practice. I watched a YouTube video on how to use the xt60 connectors and that guy made it look a lot easier than it was...he also had better tools for soldering, tho. I should have some time to work on the truck tomorrow. I'm hoping to get the speakers in and hopefully get he wiring straightened up. We shall see...


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

These EC3 ones work as good as those too.

And they are blue to match, ha ha ha


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Alrojoca said:


> These EC3 ones work as good as those too.
> 
> 
> 
> And they are blue to match, ha ha ha



The blue would have been perfect. But they're hidden in the doors anyway so I'm not too bummed out


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## eling23 (Oct 13, 2014)

nice work on the connectors, yeah hurry up man. lol slap it together and lets hear this thing bump some tiesto and avicii! .... ok and some spanish harlem...


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

eling23 said:


> nice work on the connectors, yeah hurry up man. lol slap it together and lets hear this thing bump some tiesto and avicii! .... ok and some spanish harlem...



Thanks! I'm trying to do this install nicely rather than slapping it together like I usually do. Tiesto's A Town Called Paradise will be the first thing I listen to lol

I got the connectors soldered onto the wires in the doors by using this clamp to hold it for me:








And got the baffles cut (I know, they're hideous, but good enough for me)








I sprayed them with truck bed liner but didn't take a pick yet. I'm hoping to get the speakers installed and have this thing playing by the end of the day! I still have to mount the c800 controller, too, but that can be done this weekend or next week.


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Here are the speaker rings sprayed with truck bed liner









I did a little shopping this morning and picked up some black vinyl for the beauty panel









And some Velcro to hold it down









In order to save space behind the seats I'm thinking of making more of a shroud with the vinyl to cover everything rather than a beauty panel board. I'll cut it to size, cut out openings for the amp and processor, and attach it with the Velcro. Has anyone done this before? I don't want it to look all ghetto but if I build it out with wood it'll probably eat up about two inches of seat space which is really valuable in this little truck. Thoughts on this?


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## tjswarbrick (Nov 27, 2013)

I'd try a beauty panel on a sheet of 3/16" hardboard. Except I am terrible at vinyl-wrapping and would have Jesse (or JT?) do it.


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

Agreed. I think you'll probably end up with the vinyl looking kind of sloppy if you can't get it to stretch correctly and consistently with the velcro. As mentioned, you can buy some pretty thin hardboard, etc. from Home Depot and Lowe's. Heck, I've got some in my garage I would just give you if you were closer.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

I hear what you guys are saying and agree. If I don't get it right it could look like crap. I think what I'm going to do is try it first to see what it looks like. I have the mounting points on the amp rack that I can use to secure it in 4 places in addition to the surround. If I can't get it to look decent then I'll try attaching it to some backer board and hopefully that'll turn out better. Good plan? If I ruin the piece of vinyl at least it was only $20 and readily available at Beverly's


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

I made a little progress on the drivers side door. I put some of this stuff that Papasin told me about onto the wooden baffles















Got the mid installed







but it stuck out too far and the speaker surround was touching the door card so I had to remove the wooden baffle that I cut and painted, install the foam sealant around the opening,







and then install the mid again









I also got the tweeter installed on the drivers side.





























It's aimed right at my left ear. 
The screws it came with were too long







so the door card wouldn't go back on. I had to remove them and fortunately I had some shorter ones that worked perfectly










Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Got the sub in also and everything wired up





























I'm getting so close I can taste (er, hear) it! 


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## tjswarbrick (Nov 27, 2013)

Snug as a bug in a rug! Looks like you spaced everything out perfectly.

I know Papasin wouldn't steer you wrong, but with a name like Sponge isn't that seal open-cell foam? I might feel better with a closed-cell type in my door, where any moisture that gets in is going to try to stay a while.


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

Uh, I didn't suggest that particular one. This is what I suggest(ed):

http://www.parts-express.com/parts-...source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=pla


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## tjswarbrick (Nov 27, 2013)

papasin said:


> Uh, I didn't suggest that particular one. This is what I suggest(ed):
> 
> Parts Express Speaker Gasketing Tape 1/8" x 1/2" x 50 ft. Roll


Hey! THAT one is closed-cell foam. 
Well whad'ya know...


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

tjswarbrick said:


> Snug as a bug in a rug! Looks like you spaced everything out perfectly.
> 
> 
> 
> I know Papasin wouldn't steer you wrong, but with a name like Sponge isn't that seal open-cell foam? I might feel better with a closed-cell type in my door, where any moisture that gets in is going to try to stay a while.



You might be right, oops! I'll have to read the description further.



papasin said:


> Uh, I didn't suggest that particular one. This is what I suggest(ed):
> 
> http://www.parts-express.com/parts-...source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=pla



Yikes, my bad!. I looked up the stuff you recommended and it looked like this stuff I found at my local Ace. I attribute it to my rookie eye that I didn't realize it might be different. Will the stuff I bought work or should I buy the one from PE?


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

If I knew you were going to need xt connectors, I would have given you 2 pairs of the EC3's and ship them with the cable, oh well. 


I've used this, it's 3/16" thick it compresses quite a bit, it's like rubber, I cut it, it does not leave nasty glue, it can be removed and used again for the purpose of sealing that baffle speaker mounting area.


MD Building Products 1-1/4 in. x 30 ft. Camper Seal Foam Tape-02352 - The Home Depot


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## tjswarbrick (Nov 27, 2013)

Golden Ear said:


> You might be right, oops! I'll have to read the description further.
> 
> 
> 
> ...





Alrojoca said:


> If I knew you were going to need xt connectors, I would have given you 2 pairs of the EC3's and ship them with the cable, oh well.
> 
> 
> I've used this, it's 3/16" thick it compresses quite a bit, it's like rubber, I cut it, it does not leave nasty glue, it can be removed and used again for the purpose of sealing that baffle speaker mounting area.
> ...


That camper-seal stuff is closed-cell foam too.
In my humble, not-remotely-scientifically-supported opinion, the open-cell stuff will work just fine to seal the driver to the door. The troubles come over time as moisture get in. All kinds of nasties can play house in there, and it breaks down fairly quickly. I wouldn't panic and yank it right now, but I'd know that come springtime I'd want to take a look at replacing it. Moreso depending upon the age of the truck, if it's generally stored outside vs garaged, and knowing how damp the air tends to be, and stay, down in your neck of the woods.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Alrojoca said:


> If I knew you were going to need xt connectors, I would have given you 2 pairs of the EC3's and ship them with the cable, oh well.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Thanks anyway, Al! I'll look into that seal foam but Papasin hasn't steered me wrong yet so I'll probably just order the stuff he recommended come springtime.



tjswarbrick said:


> That camper-seal stuff is closed-cell foam too.
> 
> In my humble, not-remotely-scientifically-supported opinion, the open-cell stuff will work just fine to seal the driver to the door. The troubles come over time as moisture get in. All kinds of nasties can play house in there, and it breaks down fairly quickly. I wouldn't panic and yank it right now, but I'd know that come springtime I'd want to take a look at replacing it. Moreso depending upon the age of the truck, if it's generally stored outside vs garaged, and knowing how damp the air tends to be, and stay, down in your neck of the woods.



Great idea! I'll run with the stuff I used until the rains are over and check it out after the April showers It might be time to try out some new mids at that time anyway


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## jtaudioacc (Apr 6, 2010)

Golden Ear said:


> I did a little shopping this morning and picked up some black vinyl for the beauty panel
> 
> 
> 
> ...


you could use a shower pole with rings then you could slide it back and forth when want to work on it, or show the system off. if you need some of that stuff, i know a plumber...:laugh::laugh:


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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

Golden Ear said:


> Thanks anyway, Al! I'll look into that seal foam but Papasin hasn't steered me wrong yet so I'll probably just order the stuff he recommended come springtime


Dom, what you got is PVC foam, it says that on the package, that is a closed cell foam, chemical resistant, water you name it. You won't need to get anything else, it's going to be fine. It's up to you, whatever makes you feel better.
There are like 5 types of CCF and all do the same thing. 
The one I mentioned is flexible and it compresses and expands faster than most CCF's, no benefit or disadvantage, they all will do the same thing, seal the same way and resist moisture.


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## MrsPapasin (May 21, 2013)

jtaudioacc said:


> you could use a shower pole with rings then you could slide it back and forth when want to work on it, or show the system off. if you need some of that stuff, i know a plumber...:laugh::laugh:



Bwah hah hah


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## XSIV SPL (Jun 24, 2014)

jtaudioacc said:


> you could use a shower pole with rings then you could slide it back and forth when want to work on it, or show the system off. if you need some of that stuff, i know a plumber...:laugh::laugh:


This made me snort and gag a bit...

Better yet, you could mount your gear on some stainless handrails scavenged from the handicap-friendly restroom of your choice  (ala Badfish)


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## jtaudioacc (Apr 6, 2010)

XSIV SPL said:


> This made me snort and gag a bit...
> 
> Better yet, you could mount your gear on some stainless handrails scavenged from the handicap-friendly restroom of your choice  (ala Badfish)


"This made me snort and gag a bit..." ditto :laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Wow, you guys are hilarious! I'm not sure which option to go with, they are both so good! I was thinking more of the 'false floor' idea for the wall 
I just keep thinking to myself WWJTD (what would JT do) but my skills are that of a toddler compared to his. 
Again, I'm trying to save money and space on this one so if my shower curtain rod false wall idea doesn't work I may just have to bite the bullet and see if you, JT, can help a brotha out.




Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Alrojoca said:


> Dom, what you got is PVC foam, it says that on the package, that is a closed cell foam, chemical resistant, water you name it. You won't need to get anything else, it's going to be fine. It's up to you, whatever makes you feel better.
> There are like 5 types of CCF and all do the same thing.
> The one I mentioned is flexible and it compresses and expands faster than most CCF's, no benefit or disadvantage, they all will do the same thing, seal the same way and resist moisture.



Awesome! Thanks so much for filling me in on this. I'm glad to hear that I got the right stuff and it will do what I need it to. 




Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

I got the speakers all hooked up, and the power connected but got no sound. I turned the engine on and I got sound, noise to be exact, nasty noise. The amp was lighting up but h800 was not. I knew something would be wrong because I always have at least one problem at the beginning of an install. This one ended being something really stupid...I forgot to run the ground wire to the processor 

Once I got that ran I fired it up again and presto, music! I got the crossovers set and just doing that alone it sounded pretty darn good. I set the sub from 20-63, mids from 80-2k, and tweets 2k-20k. I started playing with phase and ta and got the image pretty well centered and on the dash. It's not perfect, and I definitely want to get some other ears on it (hint hint Papasins & BigRed) but for my first time actually tuning on the h800 I really enjoyed it and think I did a decent job. I spent about 2 hours on it today and I'm hoping to get some more time this weekend. 

I still need to mount the controller and make the beauty cover. I'm considering the shower curtain rod idea utilizing a handicap bar I'm going to work on those items on Monday. 


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

I forgot to ask you if the yellow wire coming out of the amp' s pos terminal is used to turn the DSP on, looks like I may be right, just learning since I never connected a DSP before and I'm curious just in case I ever decide to install one.

Also, looks like the DSP's gnd is different from the one used by the amp?. It's No big deal using a diferent gnd for the DSP ? Maybe another terminal barrier assuming the ground for the DSP box can be long without any issues?


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

The yellow wire coming out of the amp is the power to the dsp. I might need to reconfigure how I have it because I have some floor noise that I'm not happy with and I'm gonna try a few things to get rid of it.

The dsp is grounded at the same point as the amp, this spot








using one of these








I might try running the hu ground to that point as well to see if it helps with the floor noise. 


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## jtaudioacc (Apr 6, 2010)

Golden Ear said:


> The yellow wire coming out of the amp is the power to the dsp. I might need to reconfigure how I have it because I have some floor noise that I'm not happy with and I'm gonna try a few things to get rid of it.
> 
> 
> I might try running the hu ground to that point as well to see if it helps with the floor noise.
> ...


isn't that the same amp someone had/has all kinds of noise with also? turn the gain down, if it's still there, get used to it. lol


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

jtaudioacc said:


> isn't that the same amp someone had/has all kinds of noise with also? turn the gain down, if it's still there, get used to it. lol



Oh no, is it? Not that I'd be surprised since if was so cheap but it'd be a real bummer. I'll try the gains and hear what happens. Thanks!


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## jtaudioacc (Apr 6, 2010)

Golden Ear said:


> Oh no, is it? Not that I'd be surprised since if was so cheap but it'd be a real bummer. I'll try the gains and hear what happens. Thanks!
> 
> 
> Sent from my mind using telekinesis


http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/technical-advanced-car-audio-discussion/204530-pioneer-class-d-noise-floor-issue-what-do-you-think.html


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Just read that thread and wow that sucks. Thankfully I have until the end of the month to return it thru Amazon. I don't have any pops or distortion just the hissing when the volume is down or music is paused. I'll probably ride around with if for about a week and see if it drives me crazy enough to replace it or not. 

I hate floor noise! Grrr


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

Glad to see to you got it up and running. I'm curious to see how that amp and the floor noise issues work out. I'm pretty sure Mikey has had pretty good luck with the GM-Ds.


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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

Im hopping it's just an installation issue and not a bad amp. 

It would be interesting to do a test even if it's just 2 channels at the time connected to the mid bass, bypassing the DSP, just to see if it can be duplicated.

I assume the HU ground is new, not one from th factory harness.

I assume also that the HU remote should turn the DSP and the DSP remote wire to turn the amp on, not sure if that only prevents pops delaying the signal turning the amps last, or it also prevents the current floor noise.

I always had the perception that, DSP's had to share the same ground and constant power used by the HU, although most seem to be connected with the amps constant power a different ground, and turned on by the HU remote.

There might be some exceptions 

Good luck and keep us posted!


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## XSIV SPL (Jun 24, 2014)

Golden Ear said:


> Just read that thread and wow that sucks. Thankfully I have until the end of the month to return it thru Amazon. I don't have any pops or distortion just the hissing when the volume is down or music is paused. I'll probably ride around with if for about a week and see if it drives me crazy enough to replace it or not.
> 
> I hate floor noise! Grrr
> 
> ...


Don't worry, Dom... High End Amp SQ is a Myth! ?


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

XSIV SPL said:


> Don't worry, Dom... High End Amp SQ is a Myth!



 It's not the amps sq that's in question, it's it's noise floor that might be an issue. 

I might try swapping it out with the V9 thats in my Tahoe to hear if there's any difference. I'm not positive that the V9 is dead silent but I definitely don't have this level of noise in the Tahoe. At least that'll help me figure out if it's the amp or my install. I'm not sure which one I'd rather it be.


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

I tried turning the gains all the way down today and there's still floor noise. It did get quite a bit quieter but it's still audible when the volume is turned all the way down or the music paused. I'm hoping to have some time this evening or tomorrow afternoon to pull the v9 from my Tahoe and try it. Is the fact that the noise decreased when I turned the gain down any indication that it's the amp? I guess if it didn't go away completely it could still be the install, right? 


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

In other news, I got the controller mounted. 








The colors match beautifully!
I took a piece of flat brass that's 3/4" wide by 12" long















And I bent it into the shape of a U, kinda















Then I measured out the holes in the back for the c800 and marked them








Drilled the holes out








They're off-center so that the c800 can fit properly below the hu.
Then I attached the bar to the c800








I used the bar because I wanted to be able to pull the c800 out and tune from the listening position and not have to reach over to it. The bar slides into the pocket that's below the hu and allows enough space for the extra length of cable to fit in there as well.









I know what you're all thinking, "that guy is a freekin genius!"  NOT! 


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## jtaudioacc (Apr 6, 2010)

Golden Ear said:


> I tried turning the gains all the way down today and there's still floor noise. It did get quite a bit quieter but it's still audible when the volume is turned all the way down or the music paused. I'm hoping to have some time this evening or tomorrow afternoon to pull the v9 from my Tahoe and try it. Is the fact that the noise decreased when I turned the gain down any indication that it's the amp? I guess if it didn't go away completely it could still be the install, right?
> 
> 
> Sent from my mind using telekinesis


that's going to be about as good as it gets. open the window, or turn the a/c on low. if you can't hear it then, drive like that. LOL

i'd also jack the SLA up to hopefully feed the H800 more voltage and in turn you're able to lower the gain to an acceptable noise level.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

jtaudioacc said:


> that's going to be about as good as it gets. open the window, or turn the a/c on low. if you can't hear it then, drive like that. LOL
> 
> 
> 
> i'd also jack the SLA up to hopefully feed the H800 more voltage and in turn you're able to lower the gain to an acceptable noise level.



NOOOOOO!!! Say it ain't so! 

I have the SLA jacked up to +4 on the hu, which is the highest it'll go, and the gain on the processor up to +10 and I still have to turn the volume up into the 40s on the hu to get to the listening volume I like Do I need a more powerful amp in order to not have to turn it up so high? I hate having to have everything but the gains on the amp cranked like that. 


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

You need more powah!








ZX-26KD








ZX-200.4


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Hahaha! Don't temp me Dustin, you know I'll do it!

If space wasn't an issue I'd go with a z150.6lx in a heartbeat, but I only have about 14" max width. I'd really like something like the fpd 900.6, which are all gone, or an arc xdi v2 1200.6 but if JT is right then my efforts (and wasted money) are futile. I'm still going to try a V9 to see if it helps and if it does than I'll be in the market for a new amp, and if it doesn't then it means that I still suck at installs


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

Golden Ear said:


> Hahaha! Don't temp me Dustin, you know I'll do it!
> 
> If space wasn't an issue I'd go with a z150.6lx in a heartbeat, but I only have about 14" max width. I'd really like something like the fpd 900.6, which are all gone, or an arc xdi v2 1200.6 but if JT is right then my efforts (and wasted money) are futile. I'm still going to try a V9 to see if it helps and if it does than I'll be in the market for a new amp, and if it doesn't then it means that I still suck at installs
> 
> ...


Let me know if you want to try out an old Eclipse XA5000. I've got one that I was planning on unloading, and I could ship it over to you to test if you're interested. It would probably require rebuilding all those fancy RCAs though. :laugh:


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## DLO13 (Oct 24, 2010)

I have a PDX v9 with a bad chan. I would dump it on you for pretty cheap. 

Message me on facebook if you are interested.


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## XSIV SPL (Jun 24, 2014)

Golden Ear said:


> NOOOOOO!!! Say it ain't so!
> 
> I have the SLA jacked up to +4 on the hu, which is the highest it'll go, and the gain on the processor up to +10 and I still have to turn the volume up into the 40s on the hu to get to the listening volume I like Do I need a more powerful amp in order to not have to turn it up so high? I hate having to have everything but the gains on the amp cranked like that.
> 
> ...


Maybe a line driver would help?


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

rton20s said:


> Let me know if you want to try out an old Eclipse XA5000. I've got one that I was planning on unloading, and I could ship it over to you to test if you're interested. It would probably require rebuilding all those fancy RCAs though. :laugh:



Thanks brotha, I appreciate the offer! I actually have a PG 5 channel on hand but it's too big. I'm definitely considering the beautiful RCAs and overall install if I change amps.



DLO13 said:


> I have a PDX v9 with a bad chan. I would dump it on you for pretty cheap.
> 
> Message me on facebook if you are interested.



Thanks! 



XSIV SPL said:


> Maybe a line driver would help?



I considered that as well. If it's the amp that produces the hiss will a line driver even help? Remember, I can still hear it when the gains are all the way down on the amp.


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

The truck is sounding really good to my ears. I've been tuning it here and there and it's pretty good. The image is centered and on the dash. These tweets are so awesome! They've gotta be one of the best values out there. I really like the ID mids too (thanx for the recommend BigRed), they're smooth and play nice n low. Crossing them at 80hz seems to be working surprisingly well. I don't have any rattles or other issues you get with installing mids in your doors. The sub sounds really nice too. The .8 cube enclosure seems to be just right for it. It digs low and plays loud. I haven't pushed it too hard yet but I'm planning on bumping it tomorrow


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## XSIV SPL (Jun 24, 2014)

Golden Ear said:


> The truck is sounding really good to my ears. I've been tuning it here and there and it's pretty good. The image is centered and on the dash. These tweets are so awesome! They've gotta be one of the best values out there. I really like the ID mids too (thanx for the recommend BigRed), they're smooth and play nice n low. Crossing them at 80hz seems to be working surprisingly well. I don't have any rattles or other issues you get with installing mids in your doors. The sub sounds really nice too. The .8 cube enclosure seems to be just right for it. It digs low and plays loud. I haven't pushed it too hard yet but I'm planning on bumping it tomorrow
> 
> 
> Sent from my mind using telekinesis


Good to hear! Are you bringing two trucks to Hawaiian Gardens?


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## BigRed (Aug 12, 2007)

Just change the amps. nothing is going to fix it. looking forward to hearing it soon.


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

I think there are a couple z150s on sale in the classifieds.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

XSIV SPL said:


> Good to hear! Are you bringing two trucks to Hawaiian Gardens?



I wish. Unfortunately, it looks like I'm not gonna make it down for that one after all



BigRed said:


> Just change the amps. nothing is going to fix it. looking forward to hearing it soon.



I'd really like a Zapco with lots of power that fit or an FDP 6.900 so I might just live with it until one or the other is available. I'm looking forward to you hearing it and maybe tweaking it



papasin said:


> I think there are a couple z150s on sale in the classifieds.



If they'd fit that's what I would be installing but they are prohibitively too large



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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

An interesting (and crappy) think happened today. I was driving the truck noticed a little engine whine from the right side then I noticed my image was no longer centered. I put my ear to the tweet and it wasn't playing. I turned the truck off and turned the key to acc to listen to the stereo and the problem was gone. Anyone know what's going on? Is it the truck? Is it the amp? I just drove it for 5 minutes and it's back to normal.


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

Ooh, intermittent issues? My favorite!

Until you have a consistent problem, I wouldn't touch anything. Once you have a consistent problem, then you can start doing the cable shuffle. RCA swaps, speaker cable swaps, etc. One at a time to determine if it is a specific driver, a specific amp channel, a specific processor channel, or possibly (but doubtful) at the source. Whatever you do, if you start to swap stuff around, document everything so you can keep track! 

I may have had to do this a time or two.


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## Lycancatt (Apr 11, 2010)

I have heard of an h800 losing right channel for a few minutes, only one, but it has happened, might be a weird issue with a small run of them, it hasn't happened again in the install it once did though.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

rton20s said:


> Ooh, intermittent issues? My favorite!
> 
> Until you have a consistent problem, I wouldn't touch anything. Once you have a consistent problem, then you can start doing the cable shuffle. RCA swaps, speaker cable swaps, etc. One at a time to determine if it is a specific driver, a specific amp channel, a specific processor channel, or possibly (but doubtful) at the source. Whatever you do, if you start to swap stuff around, document everything so you can keep track!
> 
> I may have had to do this a time or two.



Thanks for the suggestion. I'm going to wait for it to happen again and then try swapping something out. The amp sounds good, even at high volume, but I can't help but think that I'm leaving something on the table. I really need to swap it out for another one and hear the difference. Maybe it's the price that has me second-guessing it or that other thread about noise issues with them, idk. 



Lycancatt said:


> I have heard of an h800 losing right channel for a few minutes, only one, but it has happened, might be a weird issue with a small run of them, it hasn't happened again in the install it once did though.



I'm using an h800 in two other vehicles with zero problems. Maybe this is one of the bad ones but only time will tell. I did have to mess with one of the RCAs a little because of some noise so we'll see.


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## galacticmonkey (Apr 28, 2010)

Cool build log, I definitely have my eye on it. I have a 1999 Ranger single cab 5spd, and am beginning to try to get some halfway decent sound out of it without spending a ton of money. Not into audio like I was years back, and honestly, Ive never really done a small system that wasnt blowing hair around or flexing glass/metal. 

Ive ran into many of the same issues as you... Crank windows that severely limit creativity when it comes to mounting something nice to the door and making it custom. Looks like I will just be trying to stuff 6.5s in the factory spots with some adapters and doing whatever cutting necessary, and then building out the sail panels for the tweets. 

Definitely going to take your lead on the stock speaker panel in the rear and figure out a way to remove it. I do know that I have speakers behind mine. 

Just gotta get creative to fit a ported 10" behind the passenger seat, and mount a 4ch under the seat since I need the area behind my seat clear, as Im 6'5. 

Nice build, I especially like those tweets. Never heard them, but if they sound half as good as they look, you might be onto something!


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!



galacticmonkey said:


> Cool build log, I definitely have my eye on it. I have a 1999 Ranger single cab 5spd, and am beginning to try to get some halfway decent sound out of it without spending a ton of money. Not into audio like I was years back, and honestly, Ive never really done a small system that wasnt blowing hair around or flexing glass/metal.
> 
> Ive ran into many of the same issues as you... Crank windows that severely limit creativity when it comes to mounting something nice to the door and making it custom. Looks like I will just be trying to stuff 6.5s in the factory spots with some adapters and doing whatever cutting necessary, and then building out the sail panels for the tweets.
> 
> ...



Thanks Monkey! Looking forward to seeing your build log 
I think you'll be able to fit some 6.5s pretty easily in the doors, I know I could have. Depending on which ones you go with you might not even have to do any cutting.
The sails are definitely the best location for the tweets. My buddy Papasin runs the same tweets in his world championship winning Civic, that's where I first heard them. I think they're an incredible value not only for the way they sound but also the mounting cups they come with. 
It'll be interesting to see what you come up with to get a ported 10 behind the passenger seat. You'll probably end up with very little leg room for your passenger, but if you don't ever have passengers it doesn't matter. I almost took the whole seat out so I could run a 12 but found this perfect enclosure that fit a 10 and since I already had the 10...
I just measured under my seats this morning and there's very little room under both. I'd have to get some really small amps or mod the area under the seats.
Good luck with your build! Keep us posted on the progress. 


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

So I did some testing this morning to try to isolate the source of the floor noise. First I disconnected the RCAs from the inputs to the processor and this happened














. Fortunately I was able to put it back together without any ill effects, that I could tell. The floor noise was still there with the inputs disconnected so then I disconnected the RCAs from the processor to the amp and the floor noise didn't change. I left the inputs disconnected and played with the gains on the amp. The noise didn't change from the lowest gain setting to the midway point but increased as I went passed the mid way. I put the mic on my phone right up to the grill of the tweeter and checked the volume of the noise, it increased by 10dbs when I hit the max gain setting! At this point I was certain it's the amp so I checked the floor noise in my Tahoe for comparison. I've never heard it before because every time I get in it the family is with me and it's never quiet. I did the same thing as in my truck, I turned the volume all the way down on the hu and put my phone right up to the tweeter and the noise is just as loud there as it was in the Ranger with the gain all the way up. So now my question is this, was JT right all along? Is this as good as it gets no matter what amp I use? I'm thinking that it's probably so noticeable in the Ranger because the tweeter is less than 30" from my ear and on axis. Seeing that both vehicles have a Pio hu and h800 processor I dont think pulling the v9 and trying it in the ranger is going to do any good. Is this problem just endemic to American vehicles? My Ford F-250 has a crazy amount of noise too. 
At this point I think I'll just keep the system as is and get the beauty panel made up. Still not sure how that's going to turn out but if it doesn't look good at least it only cost me $35 in vinyl and Velcro


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

That's why I went optical with the H800. Regardless of volume, floor noise is negligible whether volume is low or you crank it when you're running optical (unlike analog).

Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving!


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

papasin said:


> That's why I went optical with the H800. Regardless of volume, floor noise is negligible whether volume is low or you crank it when you're running optical (unlike analog).
> 
> Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving!



True, but I have the noise even with the hu not connected to the processor. I'm guessing it's entering the system thru the power or ground. Is that possible? Should I try grounding to the battery or chassis of the truck? Replace the battery or alt? If I had hair I'd be pulling it out




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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

Directional RCA cables? was the arrow pointing towards the amp or DSP instead of the HU? 

One of these is handy to plug and unplug after unscrewing the barrel, just to make sure they are not super tight


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

The arrows are pointed towards the dsp, same direction as the signal. I unscrewed the end to loosen it up and it still pulled the end off of the connection on the dsp


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## jtaudioacc (Apr 6, 2010)

i've pulled out the RCA thing before. they are pressure fit, which is the one thing i think is lame on the H800. just push it back in.


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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

Golden Ear said:


> The arrows are pointed towards the dsp, same direction as the signal. I unscrewed the end to loosen it up and it still pulled the end off of the connection on the dsp
> 
> 
> Sent from my mind using telekinesis


I know, sometimes they are either too loose or still tight after adjusting them, it may take some extra twisting and bending a bit to get them right.

Maybe before pulling them, a little twist may work?.

Will some silicon or dielectric grease on a qtip and just barely apply it on the female silver area of the connector help?

I may do that next time to mine, I did that to the wire connected to the in line fuse near the battery, it will help to prevent corrosion.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

jtaudioacc said:


> i've pulled out the RCA thing before. they are pressure fit, which is the one thing i think is lame on the H800. just push it back in.



Yea I was worried when it fell apart and hoped I could just put it back together, thankfully it worked.



Alrojoca said:


> I know, sometimes they are either too loose or still tight after adjusting them, it may take some extra twisting and bending a bit to get them right.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I did try twisting it to remove it but that sucker was TIGHT! I bought the h800 used so it may have happened to the previous owner, idk. The grease is a good idea, I may look into that.


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

jtaudioacc said:


> i've pulled out the RCA thing before. they are pressure fit, which is the one thing i think is lame on the H800. just push it back in.


I just had the same exact issue on the NINe.2 I pulled out of my wife's car. Fans Knu RCAs.  Popped right back in.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

I need some suggestions... Do I mess with the ground to try to get rid of the noise? Do I mess with the power wire, battery, or alternator? Do I try a different amp? I'm not going to pull the V9 from my Tahoe so is there a small enough amp (or two) to fit my install that has ZERO noise floor? I have even been looking at amps that aren't meant to be stackable but are small enough to stack in the same location I have the current amp. I've been looking at some of the Zapco offerings, since I'm on the team, and some of the Mosconi offerings, like the One line. I have to admit that this is kinda fun trying to troubleshoot this issue and looking at different amps. I want at least 100x4 and 400x1 all at 4ohms. Thoughts?


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

If it is a short enough run, it certainly wouldn't hurt to run the grounds back to the battery. Not that I think it will completely eliminate the floor noise you've got.


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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

Any speaker wires running next to the main power wire?


Maybe if you remove the amp and install it again, it will work, shake it up, move the dials, clean it with a rag to remove the static, or spray a rag and wipe it.

Maybe the vertical position is creating the issue, try it off the board horizontally after you connect it again. Sometimes those noises come and go just like that, I had one that appeared to be the amp, it was, but it was gone after moving things. 

Maybe try a 0 or 2 gauge ground, instead of 4.

I know it is a pain and you need to spend an hour troubleshooting or moving things.

The ideal thing would be to try that amp in another car.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Thanks for the suggestions guys but as suspected it was definitely the amp. I removed it Saturday morning and shipped it back the same day. It was the last day I could return it for a refund. 

I just left Papasin's house with a bnib PDX-V9., we worked out a trade + cash deal. He was kind enough to let me hook up an F4 he had laying around and sure enough there was almost no noise. I had to put my ear right up to the tweeter to hear the faintest hiss. That's exactly what I'm looking for! I'll have to reconfigure the wiring a bit but that's no big deal, I'm just glad I hadn't built the beauty panel. 

As far as power goes, I'll be gaining 37wpc to the mids and highs, and 156 watts to the sub. That's exciting! 


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

Golden Ear said:


> He was kind enough to let me hook up an F4 he had laying around and sure enough there was almost no noise. I had to put my ear right up to the tweeter to hear the faintest hiss. That's exactly what I'm looking for! I'll have to reconfigure the wiring a bit but that's no big deal, I'm just glad I hadn't built the beauty panel.
> 
> As far as power goes, I'll be gaining 37wpc to the mids and highs, and 156 watts to the sub. That's exciting!


Yeah, after seeing first hand the space you had to work with, it's too bad you couldn't fit a couple of Z-150.2s in there as I think it would have been sweet to mimic your blue truck.  Glad to help...but it was actually one of MrsPapasin's spare F4s. She would probably be quite upset with me (and possibly you too) if you walked away with her F4 so glad we were able to work something out. 

From my experience in various installs, the gen 2 PDX amps are pretty darn quiet in terms of noise floor. I know some have encountered issues with turn on pop, but that seems to be on certain cars and looks to be hit or miss as our van doesn't have it, your Tahoe doesn't seem to either, and based on our testing on your white truck it seemed fine. I'm really looking forward to hearing your truck next time!


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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

Wow, great ! I'm glad it'a all good now.

Too bad about the pioneer amp because that one seemed like a good deal.


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## eling23 (Oct 13, 2014)

More power!!! woo woo! Though tuning is a large part of the set up, your updated equipment list is looking really good! I've sat in a few cars with those PDX amps and I agree they are very very quiet. I don't know if this will qualify as a budget build at the end of the journey to some. lol. Hope to see and listen to it in person soon!


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

^ lol. Yeah, maybe it started *with* a budget. Looking back at the first page of my build log, uh, yeah.


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## XSIV SPL (Jun 24, 2014)

papasin said:


> ^ lol. Yeah, maybe it started *with* a budget. Looking back at the first page of my build log, uh, yeah.


I started my build with a budget too...


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Alrojoca said:


> Wow, great ! I'm glad it'a all good now.
> 
> 
> 
> Too bad about the pioneer amp because that one seemed like a good deal.



Thanks! 

I agree, it's too bad about the Pio amp because if that thing was a lot quieter on the floor noise it would have been a really good deal. It sounded just as good as any Sinfoni, Audison, or Mosconi amp


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## XSIV SPL (Jun 24, 2014)

Golden Ear said:


> Thanks!
> 
> I agree, it's too bad about the Pio amp because if that thing was a lot quieter on the floor noise it would have been a really good deal. It sounded just as good as any Sinfoni, Audison, or Mosconi amp
> 
> ...


I kinda doubt that... and so do you, Dom...


----------



## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

eling23 said:


> More power!!! woo woo! Though tuning is a large part of the set up, your updated equipment list is looking really good! I've sat in a few cars with those PDX amps and I agree they are very very quiet. I don't know if this will qualify as a budget build at the end of the journey to some. lol. Hope to see and listen to it in person soon!






papasin said:


> ^ lol. Yeah, maybe it started *with* a budget. Looking back at the first page of my build log, uh, yeah.






XSIV SPL said:


> I started my build with a budget too...



 Yea yea, it's not a "budget build" anymore I don't believe I've listed exact prices on every piece of gear that's gone into the build but if you must know I'm a touch under $2k total. For some that constitutes a budget build and for others it doesn't. I know some of you have spent more than that on just amps, or just subs, or definitely speakers. 

I've also ordered on of these for the power because I need to extend the power wire for it to reach the input on the PDX so I figured I'd do it right and tie the h800 in properly.








Unfortunately, it doesn't get here till next Monday


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

I'm glad you got it worked out. It is nice to see that Papasin Mobile Audio had what you needed in stock and were able to take care of you "same day." That place has everything.


----------



## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

rton20s said:


> I'm glad you got it worked out. It is nice to see that Papasin Mobile Audio had what you needed in stock and were able to take care of you "same day." That place has everything.



Lmao. Dom didn't ask about the distro block though. Might have been able to help with that.


----------



## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

rton20s said:


> I'm glad you got it worked out. It is nice to see that Papasin Mobile Audio had what you needed in stock and were able to take care of you "same day." That place has everything.



They sure do, don't they! Fair prices and friendly service. What more could you ask for?



papasin said:


> Lmao. Dom didn't ask about the distro block though. Might have been able to help with that.



I'm sure you could have. I didn't think about it till last nite tho


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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

papasin said:


> From my experience in various installs, the gen 2 PDX amps are pretty darn quiet in terms of noise floor. I know some have encountered issues with turn on pop, but that seems to be on certain cars and looks to be hit or miss as our van doesn't have it, your Tahoe doesn't seem to either, and based on our testing on your white truck it seemed fine. I'm really looking forward to hearing your truck next time!


Is there a year or specific date, we can check on the amp or box, to know what generation PDX they are? 

Thanks


----------



## Brian_smith06 (Jan 31, 2008)

Alrojoca said:


> Is there a year or specific date, we can check on the amp or box, to know what generation PDX they are?
> 
> Thanks


I think it is aesthetics. like the 4.150 vs the f6 and 4.100 vs the f4. I'm sure internals are pretty different too? never used either so couldn't tell ya there.


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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

Brian_smith06 said:


> I think it is aesthetics. like the 4.150 vs the f6 and 4.100 vs the f4. I'm sure internals are pretty different too? never used either so couldn't tell ya there.




I thought, it meant more like there was a first generation of PDX V9 amps or all PDX ones, that popped or made noise, then they fixed it with a new generation keeping the same model number, being the same amp and just had the noise issue corrected. That's why I was asking if there was a way to know or identify the newer ones.


----------



## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

1st gen.








2nd gen.










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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

Ha! I'm sure I could tell difference between a 5 and a 9 besides the different look. 

Thanks 

Again, I thought some isuues were fixed , having the same amp maybe just a variation of the current version.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

I don't believe there were any revisions within the second generation of the PDXs, but I could be wrong


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

Revisions, that was the key word :thumbsup:


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## BigRed (Aug 12, 2007)

2 Z150's here waiting for you......done! lol


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

BigRed said:


> 2 Z150's here waiting for you......done! lol



I wish I could fit them. I don't have room in any of my vehicles 


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

I just picked up one of these to go directly from my iPhone into the processor KabelDirekt (3 feet) 3.5mm Male to 2 x RCA Male Stereo Audio Cable - PRO Series https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DI89MSM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_6Uqywb42SCB88
I'm not sure if there will be any difference in the sound by going directly into the h800 and bypassing the hu but I'm going to give it a try. Has anyone else tried this? What were your results?

The distro block arrives tomorrow so I'll be installing the amp Saturday morning. Can't wait! 


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## XSIV SPL (Jun 24, 2014)

But, are you coming to Hawaiian Gardens this weekend?


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

XSIV SPL said:


> But, are you coming to Hawaiian Gardens this weekend?



I wish! Unfortunately, I'm not gonna make it. Too many Christmas festivities going on.


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

XSIV SPL said:


> But, are you coming to Hawaiian Gardens this weekend?


"Hawaiian Gardens" huh? That sound beautiful. I bet it is gorgeous this time of year.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

rton20s said:


> "Hawaiian Gardens" huh? That sound beautiful. I bet it is gorgeous this time of year.



I've been to Hawaiian Gardens and didn't see any beauty, or any gardens that look Hawaiian


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Finally got some music going again. The PDX-v9 is so much quieter on the floor noise. I'm having to retune the system quite a bit and reset time alignment but to be perfectly honest I can't hear a big difference in sound quality. The Pio amp put out good power and "sounded good" so if you can deal with the floor noise it'd be a good option. Maybe for a work vehicle or the like. 

I had to order some longer RCA cables because the beautiful ones Jazzi made me are no longer long enough. I picked up 2 sets of 12" RCAs from a seller on eBay. Unfortunately, one of the connectors on one of the cables is so tight that I couldn't push it over any female end I tried. I contacted the seller about it and they sent me another set the next day. They aren't here yet but should be any day now. 

I also picked up these babies in order to make the sub splitter reach










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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Forgot to post pics of the new amp installed.

I'm loving the sound of the truck, now, and the low noise floor. What I can't stand is the Pioneer hu I have in it. It's connectivity to my phone sucks when trying to use Pandora and when I'm listening to iTunes on my phone it cuts every song off to try to "blend" it together with the next one and I can't turn it off even tho I've turned mixtrax off. This little truck is so simple to wire I'd love to find an alpine single din with optical and ai-net. Does anyone know what's the last one alpine made? I don't want one 10 years old if they made on 3 years ago. 

I still need to make the beauty panel. Holidays have been super busy with work and personal so I haven't had any time to work on it. Should have some time in a few weeks. 


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

Actually current with AI-net.

http://www.alpine-europe.com/index.php?id=1339&L=2&href=cd-head-units19/cda-137bti&level_num=product


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

Looking good. When I saw the pics and before I even read your post I was thinking, now all he needs is an Alpine HU. I knew Richard would have your back.  Looks like there are several on ebay, if you want to deal with an international purchase. 

I think Coppertone or chithead might be able to point you to someone here in the states that has one.


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## DLO13 (Oct 24, 2010)

just move the 910 to the truck 


I am checking on the v9 this weekend


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

papasin said:


> Actually current with AI-net.
> 
> http://www.alpine-europe.com/index.php?id=1339&L=2&href=cd-head-units19/cda-137bti&level_num=product



I want one! Does it have optical too?


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

rton20s said:


> Looking good. When I saw the pics and before I even read your post I was thinking, now all he needs is an Alpine HU. I knew Richard would have your back.  Looks like there are several on ebay, if you want to deal with an international purchase.
> 
> 
> 
> I think Coppertone or chithead might be able to point you to someone here in the states that has one.



Thanks Dustin! I'll check eBay to see what they're going for. I have a couple of Christmas dollars to play with


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

DLO13 said:


> just move the 910 to the truck
> 
> 
> I am checking on the v9 this weekend



I sold the 910 a while back because my wife didnt like the fact that it doesn't stream bt audio. The 957 in my f250 is being wasted because I have all kinds of noise problems when I run the optical output to the h800 but I'd need to demolish the dash to get it out. This little Ranger would be the same story and I'd have to relocate the c800 so I'll stick with a single din.


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

The CDA-137bti doesn't have optical. The AI-net signal to the H800 however IMHO is superb. 95% of the time, that is what I am using with the 910 when using my iPhone and you would be hard pressed to tell the difference between it and optical.

If you are looking for the last Alpine single DIN with Ai-net that was released in the US, I believe that was the CDA-117. If you can find one used, that may be a little less $.


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## knever3 (Mar 9, 2009)

Golden Ear said:


> I want one! Does it have optical too?
> 
> 
> Sent from my mind using telekinesis


Not according to Crutchfield's pictures.
Alpine CDE-HD137BT CD receiver at Crutchfield.com


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

knever3 said:


> Not according to Crutchfield's pictures.
> 
> Alpine CDE-HD137BT CD receiver at Crutchfield.com



That's the CDE, not the CDA. Two different units...


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

There's a 137 on eBay from Italy for $390 plus shipping. Hmm....
I'll look for a 117 also. So when it says it has ai-net for a cd changer that means it'll connect to the h800 also?


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Has anyone seen this one??? http://www.alpine-europe.com/index....tions4/iva-d511r_iva-d511rb&level_num=product
Looks like it has ai-net AND optical if I'm reading it right. But it costs about a grand shipped from Europe and I'm not trying to spend that much so it's out. Definitely interested in the 137bti if I can run ai-net to the h800.


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

Sorry for the delayed reply. Had a bday party for you know who. 

Anyway, I think Steve (captainobvious) as well as Paul (quality_sound) may have had that flip out HU you mentioned Dom, or possibly a variant of it. AFAIK, both the 137bti and the CDA-117 will work with the H800 via AI-net provided you set the Norm/EQ-DIV switch to EQ-DIV. Volume control is then handled by the HU, much like the 910.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Thanks Richard. I hope you know who had a great bday

I think I'm going to look into the 137 a little further and probably go that route. I'll be happy with just ai-net and not optical knowing how close they sound. 


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## jtaudioacc (Apr 6, 2010)

ai net is just analog in a blue cable. i'd rather have new features. get a new unit. lol


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

jtaudioacc said:


> ai net is just analog in a blue cable. i'd rather have new features. get a new unit. lol



The 137 is a new unit. What do you recommend for a single din? I don't want an 80prs again and budget is around $400, give or take. 


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## jtaudioacc (Apr 6, 2010)

Golden Ear said:


> The 137 is a new unit. What do you recommend for a single din? I don't want an 80prs again and budget is around $400, give or take.
> 
> 
> Sent from my mind using telekinesis


i don't think it's current anymore. not on the alpine site. i'd wait for a 2016 unit at least.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

jtaudioacc said:


> i don't think it's current anymore. not on the alpine site. i'd wait for a 2016 unit at least.



I'm not sure I can wait that long. This bottom of the barrel pioneer is driving me nuts. Do you know if alpine has anything cool in store for '16 that'd be worth the wait?


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## knever3 (Mar 9, 2009)

papasin said:


> That's the CDE, not the CDA. Two different units...


Ahhhh, I see, but it still doesn't have optical output right? Great looking deck, is it better then the 149bt?


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

Golden Ear said:


> I'm not sure I can wait that long. This bottom of the barrel pioneer is driving me nuts. Do you know if alpine has anything cool in store for '16 that'd be worth the wait?
> 
> 
> Sent from my mind using telekinesis


We should know in about a week. If you are just switching to Alpine, need it now and don't have to have AI-Net, I would get a CDE-HD148BT or CDE-HD149BT. Otherwise, I would wait and see what they have to offer at CES. I think a couple of the people commenting here in your thread might be there.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

rton20s said:


> We should know in about a week. If you are just switching to Alpine, need it now and don't have to have AI-Net, I would get a CDE-HD148BT or CDE-HD149BT. Otherwise, I would wait and see what they have to offer at CES. I think a couple of the people commenting here in your thread might be there.



Ah yes, I forgot about CES. Thank you. I'll wait to find out what there'll be coming out. I do want at least ai-net, optical would just be a bonus but not a must. It appears that they are going away from ai-net all together and optical on single dins so I'd be very surprised if they come out with what I'm looking for. Fingers crossed


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

Alpine tweeters, processor, now amp, next the HU 

That amp rack looks better with the alpine black boxes.

I know the door mids, are above knee level, thank Ford for that and being able to put a 6x8 or 5x7 there, great for 2 way and sub system.

Where did you LP the door woofer at? Any gaps between the tweeter and Woofer ?


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

Golden Ear said:


> Ah yes, I forgot about CES. Thank you. I'll wait to find out what there'll be coming out. I do want at least ai-net, optical would just be a bonus but not a must. It appears that they are going away from ai-net all together and optical on single dins so I'd be very surprised if they come out with what I'm looking for. Fingers crossed
> 
> 
> Sent from my mind using telekinesis


I think you're probably right. I'm not anticipating AI-Net or Optical. But there might be some new options with standard RCA output that could be a better fit for you than the 148/149.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

jtaudioacc said:


> ai net is just analog in a blue cable. i'd rather have new features. get a new unit. lol



Is it a higher voltage analog output? What makes people say it sounds better than RCA out?


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## jtaudioacc (Apr 6, 2010)

Golden Ear said:


> Is it a higher voltage analog output? What makes people say it sounds better than RCA out?
> 
> 
> Sent from my mind using telekinesis


they do? pakalolo? i don't know.


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

Some info here (from the artist formerly known as bikinpunk  ): http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/1320795-post16.html


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

jtaudioacc said:


> they do? pakalolo? i don't know.


I just had to google pakalolo.


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## jtaudioacc (Apr 6, 2010)

papasin said:


> Some info here (from the artist formerly known as bikinpunk  ): http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/1320795-post16.html


that's one radio.


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

jtaudioacc said:


> that's one radio.



Yep, I know.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

jtaudioacc said:


> they do? pakalolo? i don't know.



Hahaha! I've read a few people, with different HUs, say it sounds better. ^^ Mr P up there being one of them


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

Dom, knowing your intentions, if your goal is to get the best possible signal with the lowest noise from your iPhone to your H800, why bother with a HU at all? Why not go optical via an Apple lightning to HDMI adapter, then to an HDMI toslink box and optical to the H800? Would save some $ too.


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## SSSnake (Mar 8, 2007)

> Is it a higher voltage analog output? What makes people say it sounds better than RCA out?


Isolated signal ground but the output voltage is lower than most modern units so it is a wash.

BTW - I use those pioneers in my boat with no noise issues. I am currently building a system in my boat toter with them as well. I hope I don't run in to noise issues. I'll keep you posted.


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

Golden Ear said:


> Hahaha! I've read a few people, with different HUs, say it sounds better. ^^ Mr P up there being one of them
> 
> 
> Sent from my mind using telekinesis



I actually never said "it sounds better". All I said was between optical and AI-net on my setup you would be hard pressed to hear the difference.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

papasin said:


> Dom, knowing your intentions, if your goal is to get the best possible signal with the lowest noise from your iPhone to your H800, why bother with a HU at all? Why not go optical via an Apple lightning to HDMI adapter, then to an HDMI toslink box and optical to be H800? Would save some $ too.



Sounds complicated I'm just a simpleton lol. A hu swap is something I can easily handle and it's simple. I like to listen to the radio also and charge my phone while listening to Pandora, Spotify, or whatever. 


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

Golden Ear said:


> Sounds complicated I'm just a simpleton lol. A hu swap is something I can easily handle and it's simple. I like to listen to the radio also and charge my phone while listening to Pandora, Spotify, or whatever.
> 
> 
> Sent from my mind using telekinesis



We could do it in an afternoon pretty easily. Swing on by.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

SSSnake said:


> Isolated signal ground but the output voltage is lower than most modern units so it is a wash.
> 
> BTW - I use those pioneers in my boat with no noise issues. I am currently building a system in my boat toter with them as well. I hope I don't run in to noise issues. I'll keep you posted.



I hope you don't have any noise issues with them as well. Maybe my vehicle or install exacerbated the issue but I read the thread JT posted about others with the noise and once I swapped it for the v9 I knew it was the amp for one reason or another.



papasin said:


> I actually never said "it sounds better". All I said was between optical and AI-net on my setup you would be hard pressed to hear the difference.



My bad for the misquote 


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

papasin said:


> We could do it in an afternoon pretty easily. Swing on by.



Hmm... Very tempting. I'll buy lunch!


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## jtaudioacc (Apr 6, 2010)

my guess what the test shows is, the output thru ai-net with a processor is more direct. not going thru some junk in the radio. hence the eq switch thing. so, the signal to noise ratio is closer to the original cd.

what i don't remember is, if all ai-net head units work the same with the processors. do they all have that eq switch?

i think you should just ditch the head unit and i have a DVD changer you can buy and go optical. lol


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

jtaudioacc said:


> my guess what the test shows is, the output thru ai-net with a processor is more direct. not going thru some junk in the radio. hence the eq switch thing. so, the signal to noise ratio is closer to the original cd.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



No room for a changer in this little truck. Plus, I only listen to bluray disks lol


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

jtaudioacc said:


> that's one radio.





papasin said:


> Yep, I know.


----------



## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Alrojoca said:


> Alpine tweeters, processor, now amp, next the HU
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Thanks Al. I'm digging the alpine gear. 

Im still playing with the crossovers as I continue to tune but right now I have the mids playing from 80-2k, tweets 2.2k-20k, and sub from 71hz down. It sounds pretty good to me so these might be the final settings but with continued eq tweaks. 


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## tjswarbrick (Nov 27, 2013)

In case you can't wait for CES, I'll just leave this here...

Alpine DVA 7996 Car DVD Player 093276710940 | eBay

Alpine DVA-7996 DVD/CD/MP3 Receiver with Ai-NET Changer Controls at Crutchfield.com

Best of luck in your search!


----------



## jtaudioacc (Apr 6, 2010)

tjswarbrick said:


> In case you can't wait for CES, I'll just leave this here...
> 
> Alpine DVA 7996 Car DVD Player 093276710940 | eBay
> 
> ...


that's only DVD, he says he only plays BluRay. :laugh::laugh:


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

^ lol. Does that DVA interface with an iPod/iPhone?


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

And it has to be thx certified lol 


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

Golden Ear said:


> And it has to be thx certified lol
> 
> 
> Sent from my mind using telekinesis


We're literally hours away from 2016. Time to insist on Dolby Atmos.


----------



## BP1Fanatic (Jan 10, 2010)

Nice build! I had a pioneer 4v deck in my 96 ranger supercab and never had any noise problem.


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## jtaudioacc (Apr 6, 2010)

rton20s said:


> We're literally hours away from 2016. Time to insist on Dolby Atmos.


how about DTS Neural Surround?


----------



## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

jtaudioacc said:


> how about DTS Neural Surround?


I bet Andy has that covered.


----------



## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

BP1Fanatic said:


> Nice build! I had a pioneer 4v deck in my 96 ranger supercab and never had any noise problem.



Thanks! Nice sub enclosure. 

The cheap pio hu I have in here now is only 2v. I don't have a big noise issue now that I've replaced the amp but I'm confident that a better hu will help even more. Since I'm replacing it I want to get one with ai-net and/or optical but with a lot of the new connectivity features. I'm going for the cda-137bti that Papasin linked earlier. The more I look at it the more I like it. I've contacted a couple people in the uk about a price with shipping thru different fb groups. I'm just waiting to hear back from one more guy and also from a website that had the best price. Can't wait!


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## knever3 (Mar 9, 2009)

You also could add optical output of a newer Alpine CDA if you wanted to control the volume with your H800 face, if you really want it. A few people have done it with less than $40 in materials it sounds like.

This is one

https://robinwainwright.wordpress.com/2010/03/23/adding-optical-output-to-an-alpine-cda-9813/


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

knever3 said:


> You also could add optical output of a newer Alpine CDA if you wanted to control the volume with your H800 face, if you really want it. A few people have done it with less than $40 in materials it sounds like.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



That's a cool idea but I don't have the skill set to perform that kind of operation. Papasin has offered to help me run a digital connection to go directly from my iPhone to the h800 so I might take him up on his offer depending on how the new hu works via ai-net. 

I ordered the 137bti today from a seller in the UK so I expect I'll receive it within a couple weeks. I put out a couple WTB posts in different fb groups and worked out a deal with a guy. He offered the best price which came out to $393 shipped. I sold the w910 I had in my Tahoe for $450 so I'm still doing pretty good on the budget I can't wait to get this Pio out of here and try out my first Alpine single din.


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Still haven't received the new hu yet but I have another issue. 

I haven't been very happy with the bass response from the sub. I heard it in Cobb's car and it sounded great so why didn't it sound that great in my truck? I was thinking about the enclosure I have and did a little mental math. I realized that there's no way my enclosure can be .86 cubes. I calculated it out and it turns out that I only have .58 cubes. Makes sense now why I didn't feel like I was getting the bass response I was looking for. So instead of buying a new sub for the current enclosure, which is only 20" wide, 11" tall, top depth of 5.5", and bottom depth of 8", I'm going to get an enclosure that's 2" deeper and 1" taller. It'll also be big enough to fit the 10w6v2 I already have sitting around collecting dust, so I'll be able to try it out as well.


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

Oops. 

So are you going to keep the Gladen and try it in the new enclosure?


----------



## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

rton20s said:


> Oops.
> 
> So are you going to keep the Gladen and try it in the new enclosure?



I should have calc'ed the enclosure myself before buying it but live and learn, right?

I'm going to try the gladen and the 10w6 in the new enclosure and hear which one I like better. It'll be around .8 cubes (for real this time) so I think it'll be good for either sub and almost any other 10.


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


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## tjswarbrick (Nov 27, 2013)

Those pesky interior dimensions, huh?
Glad you're able to fit a larger enclosure.
Otherwise, you'll need to shell out for a Carbon c10 for the smaller one...


----------



## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

tjswarbrick said:


> Those pesky interior dimensions, huh?
> 
> Glad you're able to fit a larger enclosure.
> 
> Otherwise, you'll need to shell out for a Carbon c10 for the smaller one...



Pesky false advertising is more like it! Lol

I seriously considered the c10 and even the possibility of the c12 but the big ol magnet on the front wasn't helping me get the clearance I needed and decent airspace. 

I'm looking forward to having an enclosure of the right size in the the truck. I came up with 20" wide by 12" tall by 7" top depth and 10" bottom depth. It'll be made out of 5/8" mdf, to save space, so I'll have .84 cubes, if my math is right. 


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## damonryoung (Mar 23, 2012)

That's what my math tells me too!


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

DRTHJTA said:


> That's what my math tells me too!



Perfect. Thanks for double-checking me!


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

My new Alpine hu is supposed to arrive tomorrow afternoon according to ups. I'll be going down to LA for the weekend so I contacted JT about building an enclosure for me. He's already building one for a w15gti that's going in my f250 so I asked if he could build one for this truck also. I'll be picking up the new sub enclosure from JT on Monday so it looks like there'll be a few changes to the setup next week. Very exciting! 

Can someone tell me which ai-net cable I'll need to go from the 137bti to the h800? The model number would be great so I can find one because I don't believe the hu comes with one.


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

Golden Ear said:


> He's already building one for a w15gti that's going in my f250 so I asked if he could build one for this truck also.


You should have had him build it for two W15GTis. Then you could could pick up a second from me on your way to or from.


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## teldzc1 (Oct 9, 2009)

jtaudioacc said:


> they do? pakalolo? i don't know.


Lolz! Probably only the Hawaiians know what you just said.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

rton20s said:


> You should have had him build it for two W15GTis. Then you could could pick up a second from me on your way to or from.



I already own 2 I just didn't want to take up 2 seats in the back of my truck. This enclosure will take the rear middle seat so I'll still be able to fit the five of us in the truck and have the 15 in. 


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Golden Ear said:


> Can someone tell me which ai-net cable I'll need to go from the 137bti to the h800? The model number would be great so I can find one because I don't believe the hu comes with one.
> 
> 
> Sent from my mind using telekinesis



Scratch this. I was texting with Papasin and he BASICALLY said "are you sure you don't have an ai-net cable? You have 3 h800s and they come with one." So I checked my boxes and sure enough I have a bnib cable. I love it. Thanks Richard! 


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

Golden Ear said:


> I already own 2 I just didn't want to take up 2 seats in the back of my truck. This enclosure will take the rear middle seat so I'll still be able to fit the five of us in the truck and have the 15 in.
> 
> 
> Sent from my mind using telekinesis


Oh, I thought you only had one. In that case... you should do THREE W51GTIs in a blow through. Work truck, indeed!



Golden Ear said:


> Scratch this. I was texting with Papasin and he BASICALLY said "are you sure you don't have an ai-net cable? You have 3 h800s and they come with one." So I checked my boxes and sure enough I have a bnib cable. I love it. Thanks Richard!
> 
> 
> Sent from my mind using telekinesis


I'm telling you, Papasin sees all. :laugh:


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

So this beauty arrived while I was gone for the weekend...








Hopefully I get some time this week to put it in.
Also picked up a beautiful black carpeted sub enclosure built by JT. I would have made it myself but I have no table saw and I'm terrible at cutting straight lines with a skill or jig saw
















I had him use 3/4" mdf on the front instead of 5/8" so I calculate the internal airspace to be .83. This should be good for most 10s to play low and loud. 


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

And it was still on your porch when you got home?

If only I'd known when it would be delivered.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

rton20s said:


> And it was still on your porch when you got home?
> 
> If only I'd known when it would be delivered.



Lol Heck no! I had my neighbor grab it for me. Just got it from him tonight when I got home. I had to pay an additional $24 to ups when it showed up. Is that for duties or what? I was a little surprised at the extra charge. 


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

Golden Ear said:


> Lol Heck no! I had my neighbor grab it for me. Just got it from him tonight when I got home. I had to pay an additional $24 to ups when it showed up. Is that for duties or what? I was a little surprised at the extra charge.
> 
> 
> Sent from my mind using telekinesis


I believe so. The joys of ordering product from overseas. Guys have been complaining about the same issue in the MiniDSP C-DSP 6x8 thread.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

rton20s said:


> I believe so. The joys of ordering product from overseas. Guys have been complaining about the same issue in the MiniDSP C-DSP 6x8 thread.



Got it. So I ended up paying $417 for the unit. I hope it's worth it


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

I'm hoping to get the new hu and sub enclosure in tomorrow and finish on Friday if necessary. I'll be running the ai-net cable from he 137 to the h800. Do I need to connect the RCAs from the hu to the h800 also? They're already ran so it isn't any more work but if they will cause any issues then I won't connect them.


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Nope. All low-level signals will pass through Ai-Net. 


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

quality_sound said:


> Nope. All low-level signals will pass through Ai-Net.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Excellent. Thank you!


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Wow, 3 switches to switch when using an external dsp!


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## SSSnake (Mar 8, 2007)

> Originally Posted by SSSnake View Post
> Isolated signal ground but the output voltage is lower than most modern units so it is a wash.
> 
> BTW - I use those pioneers in my boat with no noise issues. I am currently building a system in my boat toter with them as well. I hope I don't run in to noise issues. I'll keep you posted.
> ...



I have had it installed for almost a month now. No noise. It is on midbasses so that could be the reason but it works very well in my application. Carry on and good luck with the build.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

SSSnake said:


> I have had it installed for almost a month now. No noise. It is on midbasses so that could be the reason but it works very well in my application. Carry on and good luck with the build.



I'm glad to hear that. I'm not sure why it was such an issue in my install. Could have been a bad unit or maybe it just didn't agree with my truck. Either way, the v9 is being really good to me and now I'm excited to get a higher end hu in here rather than the low end pioneer. 


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

It's love at first sight! This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. 


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Ai-net cable ran and the hu is in. In case anyone was wondering, the fm radio works perfectly. I tried a couple of my favorite stations and they work well.

I'm waiting for a couple binding posts to come in from pe for the sub enclosure. JT put a couple on the box for the 15 and if I would have know how they were going to turn out I would have had him put some on this enclosure too. They should be here any day now.


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## SSSnake (Mar 8, 2007)

looks good!


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

SSSnake said:


> looks good!



Thank you sir.

USPS says binding posts will arrive this afternoon so I'm hoping to have the sub in by the end of the day 


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## lurch (Jan 20, 2014)

you have me wondering if i should give my cda-117 another try. 
those displays are just beautiful, it is the one thing i hate about the pioneer prs80. 
the alpines just look SO much better. 
your install = very handsome. 

i just can't go back to the 117 after hearing the difference between that and the prs80. 
the 117 was too flat sounding for my taste. 
sure do miss that pretty display though …


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

I've been a pioneer guy since I bought my first hu back in 1999. My first non-pioneer hu was the w910 I bought about 1&1/2 years ago and subsequently a 957hd. I like the 80prs for its tuning capabilities but a few things I don't like about it are its looks, and the fact that you have to turn it up to around 50 to get any volume out of it. 

I've barely played with this 137bti and I'm already loving it. IMHO, it looks similar to the 80prs yet better. Ai-net is awesome. It takes over volume and sub control from the c800 and it gets pretty loud at around 15 on the dial. I honestly can't comment on the difference in sound quality between the 137 and the pio I had in here previously. I'm not sure how people are able to when there's a dsp in the system. If I didn't have a dsp I'm sure I'd be able to tell which is better but all I can tell is that they're different.

My system isn't dead silent but you do have to put your ear right up to the tweeter to hear the tiny amount of floor noise. Gains are at about 1/3 on the v9 so I don't think it's any of the gear. I'm content with it tho. 


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## lurch (Jan 20, 2014)

if i ever come across a hx800 i will definately go back to the alpine. 
i did have it linked to a hx100 but that wasn't much of an improvement imo. 
the eq didn't have enough bands or enough db level on those bands. 
i was a mechanic for many years and have lost much of my high frequencey hearing. 
the pioneer eq is + or - 12db's while the alpine is + or - 6 and i noticed that. 
i do like the T/A alpine uses much better, it is never vague, easily discernable. 

as others have said before :
mix the prs80 and the alpines together and we would have a true winner.


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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

Golden Ear said:


> I I honestly can't comment on the difference in sound quality between the 137 and the pio I had in here previously. I'm not sure how people are able to when there's a dsp in the system. If I didn't have a dsp I'm sure I'd be able to tell which is better but all I can tell is that they're different.
> 
> 
> Sent from my mind using telekinesis


Maybe some lossless tracks will reveal those differences with the DSP and HU optical output, according to some posts I read lossless files provide better stage. , I'm still wondering if the difference I hear from my iPod and a simple USB drive is justified. I can't say it's better, it's just different. A cd and a flash drive skips the DA from the phone or iPod leaving just the HU DA converter, with the optical from the HU, it goes without conversion to the DSP, I hope, and it should be better even if it does not sound better, less conversion maybe it's always better


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

lurch said:


> as others have said before :
> mix the prs80 and the alpines together and we would have a true winner.



I concur.



Alrojoca said:


> Maybe some lossless tracks will reveal those differences with the DSP and HU optical output, according to some posts I read lossless files provide better stage. , I'm still wondering if the difference I hear from my iPod and a simple USB drive is justified. I can't say it's better, it's just different. A cd and a flash drive skips the DA from the phone or iPod leaving just the HU DA converter, with the optical from the HU, it goes without conversion to the DSP, I hope, and it should be better even if it does not sound better, less conversion maybe it's always better



I do still need to do some critical listening with the Chesky and MECA disks. So far I've only listened to the radio and my iPhone.





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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

I got the new sub enclosure with the JL Audio 10W6v2 installed. I cleared all the eq I had on the sub channel and this thing POUNDS! The enclosure volume came out to .83 cubes sealed and I filled it about half full with Focal Blackhole Stuff.























JT installed some of these on another enclosure for me so I ordered some up and installed them myself:


















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## XSIV SPL (Jun 24, 2014)

This thing is looking more and more like an SQ car than a simple budget build... Will you be bringing it to Tulare?


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

XSIV SPL said:


> This thing is looking more and more like an SQ car than a simple budget build... Will you be bringing it to Tulare?



If I can get a good tune on it I'll bring it to Tulare. The main reason is to see how my install and tuning capabilities stack up in the lanes. I'm pretty excited about it. I don't have any allusions that it will be a championship vehicle but I really enjoy listening and tuning it and I'd like to get the feedback on the scoresheet and opinions/suggestions from fellow competitors and enthusiasts. One thing I really enjoy about the competitions is that most people want to help you improve your vehicle rather than not help because they see you as the competition. And that's a big emphasis on 'most people'


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## XSIV SPL (Jun 24, 2014)

Golden Ear said:


> If I can get a good tune on it I'll bring it to Tulare. The main reason is to see how my install and tuning capabilities stack up in the lanes. I'm pretty excited about it. I don't have any allusions that it will be a championship vehicle but I really enjoy listening and tuning it and I'd like to get the feedback on the scoresheet and opinions/suggestions from fellow competitors and enthusiasts. One thing I really enjoy about the competitions is that most people want to help you improve your vehicle rather than not help because they see you as the competition. And that's a big emphasis on 'most people'
> 
> 
> Sent from my mind using telekinesis


I love good audio, period. I'm looking forward to hearing what you've put together, Dom.

At my last meet, there was a 1st-2nd spread of 82.75 down to 68.

I like winning, but not by nearly 15 points. LOL

Bring it out! I'd love to hear it!


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

XSIV SPL said:


> I love good audio, period. I'm looking forward to hearing what you've put together, Dom.
> 
> At my last meet, there was a 1st-2nd spread of 82.75 down to 68.
> 
> ...



Thanks Chet! I'm doing my best to have it ready in time.


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

Nice to see this thing coming along so well for you Dom. Pretty typical evolution for a DIYMA SQ build. You just went through the evolutionary process a lot quicker than most. 

So, between the original Pioneer and the new CDA-137BTi, did you make any adjustments on the tuning in the H800? (I assume you're running everything "flat" in both head units?) And if you didn't make any adjustments, could you hear any difference? (Excluding the changes you needed to make for the subwoofer, of course.) 

I ask, because I am considering pulling my DEH-80PRS and swapping in an Alpine CDE-147BT. The 80, might be better served in the wife's GLI. Even if she doesn't like the interface as much.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

rton20s said:


> Nice to see this thing coming along so well for you Dom. Pretty typical evolution for a DIYMA SQ build. You just went through the evolutionary process a lot quicker than most.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Thanks Dustin, it has been a fun little project. I agree, I did arrive at the end of the equipment selection and replacement process rather quickly and I attribute that to my good friends and teammates that I've been able to glean so much good information and knowledge from. I can't thank Papasin and BigRed enough for helping me chose equipment. 

I have not made any adjustments to the eq on the h800 (except for the subwoofer channel), both hu eqs flat, the two HUs definitely sound different. I can't say if the alpine is better until I change the eq for it but I can definitely say they are a little different. I think I'm going to have much better results with the alpine because of the better dac in it and the fact that I'm running ai-net to the processor vs. RCAs. 

If you're going to run a dsp in your car I would definitely switch out your 80prs for a top-of-the-line alpine. I'm already very happy with the change and I'm confident that you'll be too. I would only ever run an 80prs again if I didn't have a separate dsp. 

I do have to say, tho, that I'm having a hard time connecting to the 137 via Bluetooth from my iPhone 6. It's connected a couple days ago but it didn't want to today. I may just need to reset my phone tho, idk.


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

Thanks for the feedback. Hopefully you get the BT issues worked out.


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

Soooo....? 

All I can say is, 200.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

papasin said:


> Soooo....?
> 
> All I can say is, 200.


:laugh: Thanks for the help today! I know there are a few things that need work. I'm grateful you took the time to listen to it and make some tweaks. I can't wait for the Tulare comp to see how the system compares.


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

Don't sell yourself short. I didn't really do much. I didn't touch the eq, that was all you! For a "simple budget build", I think it sounds pretty darn good.


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

I look forward to hearing this thing! Am I going to get some competition in Street?


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## Lycancatt (Apr 11, 2010)

so what did you end up doing with that fifteen? jt built you a box..but for which car/home/whatever? sorry, too many pages!


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

rton20s said:


> I look forward to hearing this thing! Am I going to get some competition in Street?



Should be a few competitive cars in the class. Glad I'm not judging.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

papasin said:


> Don't sell yourself short. I didn't really do much. I didn't touch the eq, that was all you! For a "simple budget build", I think it sounds pretty darn good.



Thanks Richard! I really enjoy tuning and hopefully it's something I'll continue to get better at.



rton20s said:


> I look forward to hearing this thing! Am I going to get some competition in Street?



It's definitely no match for the state championship winning Scion but it might be good for a second or third place



Lycancatt said:


> so what did you end up doing with that fifteen? jt built you a box..but for which car/home/whatever? sorry, too many pages!



It's in my garage ready for me to mount the sub and install it in my f250. I ant wait to hear this thing pounding in my truck. I might have to compete in bobos now lol



papasin said:


> Should be a few competitive cars in the class. Glad I'm not judging.



I have no expectations that it'll place in any particular spot. I'm just excited to compete a vehicle I build and tuned mostly myself. I'm really looking forward to feedback from the scoresheet but also my peers. Can't wait!



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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Update: 
I had a feeling there was a problem with the battery. After only a couple minutes of listening with the motor off the truck had a real hard time starting. It was the original Motorcraft battery in the truck so the time frame was about right. I started a thread about the Bosch Platinum batteries and got some good feedback about a few different batteries. I was leaning towards the Exide Edge that RTon20s mentioned (especially since it's good looking too) that's on Amazon for $189 prime, but Alrojoca told me about the Duralast Platinum so I called my local Vatozone and they had them in stock for $169 out the door with core exchange. I went to Vatozone and figured I'd have them confirm that my battery was bad. They clamped it and sure enough it came up as bad. The original battery was a group 59 and i wasn't able to find any AGMs in that size so I went for a 34. I looked at a sizing chart I found online and the measurements were almost the same. Well that turned out to be false as the new battery is about an inch longer I put it in anyway so I could drive away, knowing I'd have to play with the battery tray.
















This morning I pulled the battery out, got out my dremel, and got to cutting. There are two layers of metal on the left/front side of the tray so I cut thru the inner layer and bent the outer layer out so that the battery would fit. I flattened it out at first but there was some space for the battery to move so I bent it back up a little so that the battery will sit still. 








I reversed the clamp that holds the battery in place, because the new one is a little narrower, and it's solid. I try to shake the battery and the whole truck moves.
















As I was removing the battery the 4awg power wire came out of the ring terminal I was using. This gave me the opportunity to use a copper solder-on terminal that holds a lot better. 








So she's all done and back in business.









The difference in the sound quality of the system now is unbelievable! The lows are lower, the highs sparkle, the mids are crisp and clear, the stage is deeper and wider...NOT!!! It sounds the same, I just get to listen longer with the engine off


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## Justin Zazzi (May 28, 2012)

Golden Ear said:


> The difference in the sound quality of the system now is unbelievable! The lows are lower, the highs sparkle, the mids are crisp and clear, the stage is deeper and wider...NOT!!! It sounds the same, I just get to listen longer with the engine off


I bet you could get results like that with a capacitor somewhere in the mix :laugh:


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Jazzi said:


> I bet you could get results like that with a capacitor somewhere in the mix :laugh:



Bahahaha! Should I go with a 5 farad or 10?


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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

That's a good one, it seems that in the last few years, they have increased the CC for those AGM batteries.

I remember the same size battery and brand, a few years back, it had a maximum CCA of 800 and now it's 925 CCA, I guess the price increase of $30 is justified with those extra Cranking amps.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

I took the truck to the Tulare comp last weekend and it did what I was hoping it would. I didn't take first or second place (took third out of 3) but I was hoping to score at least a 70 and it did just that, even with the wrong preset. I'm not sure what happened before Linda got in it to judge it but there was no preset selected and it still scored a 71 and some change. I was disappointed that it didn't get judged on the right tune so I asked if she'd give it another listen after the comp and tell me what she thinks. She was kind enough to oblige me and said it would have score a couple points higher. Thanks goes to Papasin (Richard, that is) for helping me tweak some crossovers and levels to clean things up! 

I think the truck has a lot of potential and there's definitely some more points that can be eeked out of it. I've found that tuning is difficult and time consuming and I have a lot to learn but I'm enjoying the journey non the less. I'm not trying to win a state championship or anything, just want it to sound as good as possible. 


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## BP1Fanatic (Jan 10, 2010)

At least you scored better than you expected.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

BP1Fanatic said:


> At least you scored better than you expected.



Thank you. Exactly. I did what I set out to do and now I WANT TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD!! HAHAHAHA 
But seriously, I don't think I could have done it without Papasins 15 minutes of tweaking, and that goes to show me how close I am to doing it one my own. Now as far as getting the rest of the potential out of it, we shall see. 


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

Thanks for bringing the truck down! My short demo of the truck tells me it could definitely be a contender in Street. I look forward to seeing it at future comps and hearing how it progresses.


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

We should schedule a full tuning day (with a ramen lunch break or bbq) and I imagine with the help of my better half we can get the L/R eq a bit better balanced which is what I needed more time on.

But for a 2-way in the stock locations, one of the nice things about this build is the stable stage height. It's pretty consistent all the way across the horizon, something that in some two-ways are hampered by a bit of rain bowing.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

papasin said:


> We should schedule a full tuning day (with a ramen lunch break or bbq) and I imagine with the help of my better half we can get the L/R eq a bit better balanced which is what I needed more time on.
> 
> I would love that. Let me know when you're both available and I'll make myself available. Lunch will be on me, of course!
> 
> But for a 2-way in the stock locations, one of the nice things about this build is the stable stage height. It's pretty consistent all the way across the horizon, something that in some two-ways are hampered by a bit of rain bowing.



I'm glad to hear your confirmation of what I thought I heard as well. The mids are nice and high in the doors, which is what I believe helps accomplish this. 

Do you believe any gear changes would help anything?


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## quickaudi07 (May 19, 2010)

I say stick with what you have and do more tuning... 

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

quickaudi07 said:


> I say stick with what you have and do more tuning...
> 
> Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk



Agree with this.


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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

Congratulations, 70 plus with a 2 way shows good effort on your part.

Judges are always nice and help with some details like turning lights and fans off even during the competition, my last one had a related assistance when I forgot to turn some things off.


Happy tuning epper::rockon:


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## quickaudi07 (May 19, 2010)

Hope I could meet some of you folks on the next event just upgraded my full front stage so it should be interesting. It will be my first time I compete

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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Alrojoca said:


> Congratulations, 70 plus with a 2 way shows good effort on your part.
> 
> Judges are always nice and help with some details like turning lights and fans off even during the competition, my last one had a related assistance when I forgot to turn some things off.
> 
> ...



Thanks Al! 
I agree about the judges. I really appreciate the fact that some give you really good feedback and suggestions on ways to improve the sound in your vehicle.



quickaudi07 said:


> Hope I could meet some of you folks on the next event just upgraded my full front stage so it should be interesting. It will be my first time I compete
> 
> Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk



It would be great to meet you, hang out, and listen to your car. Are you in Cali or planning a trip out here? I usually make it to about half of the shows since family events are always happening.



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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Update: 
Working on the beauty panel now...finally. I mocked up the panel with cardboard















Then I transferred it to the 1/4" plywood I'm using and cut it out








Still need to cut the top off so it will be two separate pieces with the vinyl connecting them. My question is what's the best way to attach the vinyl to the plywood? Just glue it on? Any particular type of glue if that's the best way?


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## lostthumb (Dec 16, 2005)

Golden Ear said:


> Update:
> Working on the beauty panel now...finally. I mocked up the panel with cardboard
> 
> 
> ...


I generally use contact cement for attaching vinyl to wood. I would spray both sides, wait for the tackiness to go away, and then lay the vinyl onto the wood panel. I would staple the edges once you wrap around the edge. It looks like the wood isn't cut too straight. If that was the case, I would use carpet. It hides more.


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## tjswarbrick (Nov 27, 2013)

lostthumb said:


> I generally use contact cement for attaching vinyl to wood. I would spray both sides, wait for the tackiness to go away, and then lay the vinyl onto the wood panel. I would staple the edges once you wrap around the edge. It looks like the wood isn't cut too straight. If that was the case, I would use carpet. It hides more.


I used the above method for carpet with good results.
My first attempt with vinyl was still a bit lumpy and saggy - and you're right - it doesn't hide blemishes as well.
I know a guy who's really good at vinyl wrapping stuff - you may want to see if he'll share his secrets.


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## reath1 (Apr 15, 2014)

If you're going to glue it, this is what you need.http://http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/271191027327?lpid=82&chn=ps&ul_noapp=true


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## quickaudi07 (May 19, 2010)

Hmm I wonder if there is anything in spray can

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## tjswarbrick (Nov 27, 2013)

reath1 said:


> If you're going to glue it, this is what you need.http://http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/271191027327?lpid=82&chn=ps&ul_noapp=true





quickaudi07 said:


> Hmm I wonder if there is anything in spray can
> 
> Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk


Weldwood Contact Cement Spray Adhesive - DAP

Also 3M, either 77 or 90.
I've used the 77:

  3M™ Super 77™ Multipurpose Spray Adhesive, Net Wt 16.75 oz, 12 per case


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## reath1 (Apr 15, 2014)

quickaudi07 said:


> Hmm I wonder if there is anything in spray can
> 
> Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk


There are several, but none hold as well as the one I linked. It can easily be brushed on as well.


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## quickaudi07 (May 19, 2010)

Thank you for the info 

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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

Thanks guys. Reath, you're right, the lines aren't the straightest but I'm planning to have a little overhang on the vinyl that I will use Velcro to attach it to the plastic panels to hide the holes on the sides better. I'm new to this sort of diy project so I'm trying to stay close to my skill set and fiberglassing isn't one of them. And since this is a work truck it doesn't have to be perfect, just perfect enough lol. They sell spray adhesive at my plumbing supply house so I was going to try that. I'm going to make a template of the panel so if I screw it up I can simply cut another and use different glue. I'm sure that DAP glue works well but it's $47 and I wouldn't even use a 10th of that can. I'll see if they sell it in a smaller size tho.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted anything for this project. I never did get around to installing a beauty panel, just kept it all-naturale. The only thing that's changed is the subwoofer, four times to be exact. Not because the JL didn't sound good, because it did, but because there wasn't enough legroom for passengers. I replaced it with an Alpine Type R 8" which gained me about 2" of legroom because I can push the seat back farther. The 8 sounds decent but is no comparison the the 10w6v2. I also ran a 10" Raven in the same enclosure JT Audio built for the JL and that thing sounded glorious. I only ran the Raven in this truck in order to break it in so that it was ready to drop into Big Blue (which I never got around to doing.) And now, just this past weekend I installed this!







an Alpine SWR-12D4 in an Alpine spec ported enclosure. First, the backstory. Last year at the MECA comp in Seaside, CA I competed this little truck in the Dueling Demos category because this truck gets loud. So loud, in fact, that I won. I beat two competitors that were in my class. It was so much fun that I decided I wanted to get even louder and try it again. And next weekend I will. So if you're reading this, and want to hear this little truck bang, come to Marina Auto Stereo in Seaside, CA on August 5 from 10am-5pm and check it out. 


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

Cool! This was really fun last year. 

https://www.facebook.com/events/1042269072475748/permalink/1073862449316410/


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

Awesome Dom! I look forward to seeing you and the little Ranger that could next weekend.


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

papasin said:


> Cool! This was really fun last year.
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/events/1042269072475748/permalink/1073862449316410/


Yea, that was a really fun event. Can't wait to do it again!



rton20s said:


> Awesome Dom! I look forward to seeing you and the little Ranger that could next weekend.


I'm so glad you're coming! Hopefully there's a good turnout, and some people to duel with



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