# Car audio heads.. great sound without a sub?



## dona83 (Jun 26, 2005)

In the next two months I'm gonna upgrade my car speakers. I want to do all this without resorting to a subwoofer. I'm just basically gonna do this in two stages, the first is to replace my front 4" JBL GTO coaxials with Hertz 1" tweeters, 4" mid-range woofer, and 6 1/2" woofer all brought together on a three way crossover. ( http://www.hertzaudiovideo.com/ ) These are awesome speakers from Italy, my friend got her car fixed up with these and they sound absolutely amazing even from deck power. However I'm likely gonna throw an amplifier into the mix just to make full use of the power the speakers can handle. On the back I have Earthquake 5 1/4" coaxials which I'll probably keep for now as they are still a very, very decent pair of speakers and just get them on the amp as well. Vexel told me last night on ehmac chat that if I want sub-bass I need a subwoofer. The woofer I'm looking at can handle frequencies down to 40Hz, not quite as low as the 20Hz most subs are rated at but pretty close. 

On a Ford Fusion I rented awhile back on business the sound system in there was absolutely spectacular without a subwoofer, like it was just totally bumpin. I'm thinking three factors, great speakers, a great amplifier, and plenty of insulation. My car being a 91 Toyota Corolla I'm missing plenty of insulation. Would that Dynomat stuff help? I just don't want a sub, I don't need to annoy the entire block or neighbourhood to enjoy my music, and my trunk is already reeeeally tiny and it's already a struggle getting my hockey goalie gear in there without a sub taking up at least a cubic foot of space in there. Thoughts?


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## monokitty (Jan 26, 2002)

I've seen some Mazda3 club members insulate their cars, and it's a lot of work, including pulling the inner frame of the vehicle apart to do it. Is that something you _really_ need done? (Just curious.. I have nothing against it.)

If someone complains about the sound coming from your car, just tell 'em to screw off.


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## rgray (Feb 15, 2005)

Lars said:


> Is that something you _really_ need done? (Just curious.. I have nothing against it.)


I have nothing against anyone doing whatever to their vehicles - in fact, I applaud it it - in a mass-produced world, it is refreshing to see subtle (and not so subtle) mods. 

However, a car is, in audio terms, a hostile environment. It is never going to be Massey Hall. If you are searching for ultimate sound *quality*, forget it. If you are just going for volume.... well, start learning ASL because your ears have limits.. above which damage occurs, both in the short term and the long term..... Sitting inside a(n acoustically insulated) tin can pumping sound at upper dB levels is stupid and will be paid for when you are prematurely *DEAF*.

EDIT: I am currently running a '96 Accord wagon with an Alpine iDA-X001 through stock speakers and it is clean plenty loud enough (recently tested - 11hrs Fred'ton - M'ville). There are negatives to sound insulation not the least of which is that you are less able to hear anything going on outside the cabin such as motor or tyre issues (you know, the kind of noises that make the difference between a $100 and a $2000 repair bill)......... or the 'bump' of pedestrians or cyclists hitting your fenders (the kind of noises that make the difference between a conviction and a lawsuit)....


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## dona83 (Jun 26, 2005)

I already know ASL to talk to my three deaf friends thanks.  Got so much ear wax anyway lol, TMI? 

I don't listen to music that loud anyway, I get a headache after a few minutes, I often tone down the ear ringing treble because if I can hear it a bit I'm fine. Fine percussions and strings get distorted at a high volume anyway. I just want just enough bass so I can hear and feel it over road noise and vibration. If I insulate the car a bit, wouldn't it allow me to turn down the volume and still hear the music clear? I just want clear -- not loud -- sound.

Nice deck btw, do you have the iPod connector with that? Actually I want Sirius satelite radio more than anything, there's way too much stuff out there I'd be spending thousands a month at the iTunes store just to try to keep up. $14.99/mo is a better deal... and my iPod is for my personal collection for the stuff I do buy.


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## rgray (Feb 15, 2005)

dona83 said:


> Nice deck btw, do you have the iPod connector with that?.


Yeah! and it is pretty good. People have a couple of complaints (jog wheel v. click wheel, enter v. centre button) but I find it really easy to use. I don't like headphones for various reasons, not the least of which is (was) a very deaf father... - this is the only use my iPod gets - but I love having access to my whole music collection when I am on the road.


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## dona83 (Jun 26, 2005)

Just to update everyone I indeed got my Hertz ESK-163S 3 way components... I installed the two tweeters and two mid ranges right off the bat and I just finished installing one of the woofers and the other still has its enclosure under construction but almost done. Took me three hours of labour or so to build the first one, then I bought a cheap $20 power jigsaw at Canadian Tire and wow did that ever make a difference. So far it sounds really wonderful. Coupled with my new Pioneer DEH 1900 deck (because I lost my old deck's faceplate and just could not find it) it just sounds so much better even before the upgrade due to the better amp. (4x50W MOS-FET, compared to the 4x40W that was in my Panasonic before). Not only does hip hop music sound great, I'm really starting to appreciate contemporary vocal and jazz music for my drives. And I haven't even installed the final woofer yet.

My 91 Corolla's totally pimpin now, in near mint condition in and out and now with a wicked 8 speaker sound system. Haha. The car still has a lot of years left out of it so I figured if I improve its creature comforts a bit, it'll lessen my urge to buy a brand new car.


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