Audio Help
#11
i wouldn't normally say this, but sound deadening is mandatory on these rigs. peel n stick, dynamat, whatever... i have never seen so much rattle outside of the beater backup semi at work. my new system is clean till about half volume when the plastic starts slapping around... not sure if the metal is rattling too, cant hear it over the plastic and stereo. i've never even considered the stuff seriously before this rig. i've done over 20 systems and this is the first time i honestly think it would make a necessary difference. it always makes a difference with the windows up at mid level not driving... but windows down, stereo cranked on the highway, which is how i spend 90% of my time listening, you would be hard pressed to make out an audible difference.
but yeah don't waste the insane dollar figures on sound deadening. If you get a good system and do some small things it'll be fine.
#12
TL;DR: When you install system, before you put any body pannels on, play a bunch of music through it at expected volumes and bass levels(if you enjoy ruining the sound of music by oversaturating bass), and if you hear any rattles or vibration, find the source and address it with then. It's a far cheaper and generally more effective strategy to eliminate the source of vibration, rather than put alot of extra mass (see deadening) into a door panel or otherwise, to help mask the vibration that's still happening, and now just not as resonant.
Like I said before, cars and trucks are terrible sound stages acoustically anyways, so trying to get "good" sound and listening experience out of them is still meh, compared to studios and rooms designed for it, with proper speaker placements. Never mind the door that's acting as a speaker enclosure :P
You should find if you remove the vibration sources with clever little tricks, you'll be happy with your system if you also take care of speaker location and direction,as that will have a miles larger effect on clarity and perceived response. It will further help when listening that you use a quality track, not some mp3 garbage or the radio. If your ears are trained well, you will absolutely notice the difference between an mp3, and a CD or lossless file. I literally can't stand using Pandora or Spotify in my truck.
Like I said before, cars and trucks are terrible sound stages acoustically anyways, so trying to get "good" sound and listening experience out of them is still meh, compared to studios and rooms designed for it, with proper speaker placements. Never mind the door that's acting as a speaker enclosure :P
You should find if you remove the vibration sources with clever little tricks, you'll be happy with your system if you also take care of speaker location and direction,as that will have a miles larger effect on clarity and perceived response. It will further help when listening that you use a quality track, not some mp3 garbage or the radio. If your ears are trained well, you will absolutely notice the difference between an mp3, and a CD or lossless file. I literally can't stand using Pandora or Spotify in my truck.
#13
#14
#16
#18
My face when I saw the price tag on that. You could do two full car audio setups for the cost of your head unit. Should be nice though if you're getting it for free! Be super careful when you're modifying your dash bezel to fit that, the plastic can be quite brittle.
#19
Yeah it's pricey, but it's free! I plan on being careful (not my first modification my 08 Ram has the same radio). You should see the price of the speakers!
#20
I have to fundamentally disagree. My brother, the audio engineer, has said sound deadening is just something they sell you on. Most cars vome factory with enough material to deaden, and adding a small bit changes next to nothing. Cars are such poor sound stages anyways. If you have problem with rattle it's usually because things aren't snug, and you don't need to waste time deadening, just inset some thin foam or rubber (3m double sided foam tape works great) to prevent the metal on metal contact or plastic vibration. I have run my system at levels that are technically unsafe for even an hours of listening, and I have no vibration whatsoever save for one specific frequency which may rattle my over head console just slightly because it is not snug and has wiggle room. I have NO sound deadening material in my truck. I did have issues with certain pieces having metal on metal contact vibration and it was easily easily solved by just adding some foam tape around the contact points, before I put any pannels back on. This is very similar to raising your home speakers off of hard surfaces with foam.
but yeah don't waste the insane dollar figures on sound deadening. If you get a good system and do some small things it'll be fine.
but yeah don't waste the insane dollar figures on sound deadening. If you get a good system and do some small things it'll be fine.
also, i'm not a kid listening to rap on deck power with the bass cranked as high as it can go with walmart 6.5's... i enjoy a variety of music pre 2k [post 2k is autotune vomit], running jl c2's, mb quart 440.4, and kenwwod excellon kdc-x798 which i consider a decent entry level deck. not the best system, but i don't have much to worry about if i leave the doors unlocked at the mall and if i can get the rattles sorted out will play satisfactorily on a leisurely outing.
Last edited by brian102; 12-17-2017 at 02:52 AM.