# Carputer any good for SQ setups?



## crash813 (Aug 23, 2005)

I've been getting more and more interested in trying my hands at one of these, if for nothing else but to tinker some more. My question is how good of a SQ setup can you get if you're running one of these? Would you relay on some kind of sw processing or all external?

I currently have a Pioneer 860 and really like it, especially the flexibility of Pro mode. I'm just not sure if I'll regret getting rid of it for some bastard hybrib of a pentium.

Maybe I should just rephrase this thread to ask for general opinions from car audio guys on carputers. 


thanks


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## cam2Xrunner (Apr 30, 2005)

Check out this thread, might answer some questions. 

http://www.elitecaraudio.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=111975

You'll notice Kev7909 is very familiar with Carputer setups. 

I'd maybe look into using the Alpine H701 and the C701 Controller too, straight from the optical out on the motherboard.


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## cotdt (Oct 3, 2005)

The external DACs work really well for carputers, if you have a place to put them. Apogee MiniDAC highly recommended!!!


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## WeDgE (Oct 25, 2005)

I'm using a carpc with a full size PCI soundcard ---> optical out ---> Alpine H700.

Needless to say it rocks and I don't see myself going back to a regular headunit anytime soon...


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## crash813 (Aug 23, 2005)

Don't think my budget would allow for $1000 to build the pc and then another $500 for the alpine unit and controller.

For that, I might as well just build the pc and keep my current headunit and just use the pc and an analog input. Atleast, it might be easier that way too.


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## epifant (Jul 26, 2005)

Buy a Mac Mini. It`s exactly as expencive/cheap as a similar Mini-ITX setup who has all the same features, and you dont have to build it as it works right out of the box! (unlike many Via-carputers...).

+ No KMixer (doesnt matter if youre running ASIO or Kernel Streaming)
+ Wakes from sleep in 2 secs! (try doing that on a Windows-pc...)
+++ no bugs, viruses or spyware 

- No good GPS/nav solutions yet.

Get a Mini, a CarNetix P1900 PSU, a Lilliput/Xenarc and maybe an external HDD, and you are good to go. The P1900 supports sleep mode and can power the external HDD.

My impression that the carputer-people dont care for SQ, its more the whole concept of having a PC in their car. They put down a lot of work in building the thing, getting the drivers to work, getting the right .dll`s, and seems to be more geeky then SQ-enthusiasts.. A pitty really, a carputer really has good SQ potential. How about getting a large external HDD, ripping all your cds to lossless and never have to change another cd? HDD playback are a lot less jitter-free as well.

If you take the WinXP route, there is always AXCO


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## ATB (Aug 30, 2005)

I have been waiting for a decent replacement for my empeg for years now. Nothing has yet managed to come close.


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## cotdt (Oct 3, 2005)

Carputers with external DACs blow away any headunit in terms of sound quality. Nothing really even comes close. It's like a night and day difference. This is my experience from listening to the popular headunits from alpine, kenwood, and eclipse, I'm assuming there's no super-good headunit that I've never heard about.


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## FocusInCali (Jul 3, 2005)

cotdt said:


> I'm assuming there's no super-good headunit that I've never heard about.


Wonder how it compares to these? 

Denon Z1
Denonford RFX-8250
Clarion DRX9255
Clarion DRZ9255
McIntosh MX406
McIntosh MX4000 with MDA4000 DAC
Alpine 7990 / 9990 with H900 / H990 / C990


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## WeDgE (Oct 25, 2005)

epifant said:


> My impression that the carputer-people dont care for SQ, its more the whole concept of having a PC in their car. They put down a lot of work in building the thing, getting the drivers to work, getting the right .dll`s, and seems to be more geeky then SQ-enthusiasts.. A pitty really, a carputer really has good SQ potential. How about getting a large external HDD, ripping all your cds to lossless and never have to change another cd? HDD playback are a lot less jitter-free as well.



You've picked up the wrong impression, then. I care about SQ AND I use a CarPC.

It's just like another computer, nothing special about it. I don't know what all this talk about getting the right .dll's is about?

SQ enthusiats are quite geeky as well, there's no denying it..


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## cam2Xrunner (Apr 30, 2005)

I am definitely planning a carputer setup in the future, but I will also utilize my DRX9255 into it. 

Going to use the new 10.2" Xenarc 1020TSV 

Should be a fairly easy fit into my dash  I'll mount the DRZ right below it.


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## epifant (Jul 26, 2005)

WeDgE said:


> SQ enthusiats are quite geeky as well, there's no denying it..


I have absolutely NO idea of what you are talking about *starts to hum and look in another direction*


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## crash813 (Aug 23, 2005)

Reading through all the various threads (here, ECA, mp3car, etc), I have yet to see a SQ oriented carputer w/o a DAC. At that point, all the carputer is, is a cd player. Is there an application that I can run a 3-way active front with rca's out, w/ time alignment, eq, phase shift, etc that does not include a DAC?
I don't want to sell my 860, just to go and buy external hw processing. It doesn't make sense.

Am I missing something?


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## WeDgE (Oct 25, 2005)

The point of the carpc is not to simplify things (external DACs, processing, etc.), rather, it consolidates your multimedia.


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## epifant (Jul 26, 2005)

Crash: do a Google search for AXCO, and get a good 5.1 soundcard. Most likely to be a external card, as many the VIA-cards doesn`t have PCI-slots AFAIK.


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## epifant (Jul 26, 2005)

Woops, I meant ACXO


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## WeDgE (Oct 25, 2005)

My VIA mini-itx has 5.1 onboard sound and a PCI slot...


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## Ocelaris (Jun 23, 2005)

The thing that turned me off to a Carputer is the interface... mouse or keyboard are not an option. touch screens are not what i would consider a user friendly interface when coupled with a windows/MAC/Linux operating system... those things were meant to be controlled with mouse + keyboard... 

I'm sure you can toss in a huge hard drive, and have all your music sound great... but the interface is the downfall... only reason I see to go with a headunit. 

I have seen people mod an xbox or something and use the game controller to control like winamp, and I think a controller with limited buttons would be the most functional, but at the moment, a headunit, or processor with digital in + H701 really seems to be the most "useable" and sound quality.


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## cam2Xrunner (Apr 30, 2005)

Ocelaris said:


> The thing that turned me off to a Carputer is the interface... mouse or keyboard are not an option. touch screens are not what i would consider a user friendly interface when coupled with a windows/MAC/Linux operating system... those things were meant to be controlled with mouse + keyboard...
> 
> I'm sure you can toss in a huge hard drive, and have all your music sound great... but the interface is the downfall... only reason I see to go with a headunit.
> 
> I have seen people mod an xbox or something and use the game controller to control like winamp, and I think a controller with limited buttons would be the most functional, but at the moment, a headunit, or processor with digital in + H701 really seems to be the most "useable" and sound quality.


I feel the same way you do, that is why I would go with something like the DRZ9255 or the PXA-H701 with the carputer via Optical Input. Look at the carputer as an accessory to your processor


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## WeDgE (Oct 25, 2005)

Ocelaris said:


> The thing that turned me off to a Carputer is the interface... mouse or keyboard are not an option. touch screens are not what i would consider a user friendly interface when coupled with a windows/MAC/Linux operating system... those things were meant to be controlled with mouse + keyboard...


The interface loads on boot up and all you have to do is touch the screen...seems pretty user friendly to me, lol.

Sorry I just think it's funny when people shoot things down they've never actually used/built before.


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