DavidRam

Sure thing. I am using a MiniDSP that has 8 channels of output which obviously means each driver has it's own channel, with one channel to spare (2 tweeters, 2 midranges, 2 woofers, 1 sub).

For time alignment of the sound bar speakers, I used both pink noise and a polarity pulse. I mute all the other drivers and listen for the sounds to be perfectly centered by themselves, then I test it with songs/vocals I know very well, last I unmute the other drivers and verify that the stage is center. This is a back and forth process and the same process for all the drivers as individual pairs... Though, with the other drivers I get a baseline for delay with measurements that are plugged into this program here (I did not use the measurements procedure for the soundbar speakers): http://tracerite.com/calc.html

Interestingly enough, once I got the T/A right, it is impossible to tell that any sound is coming from the soundbar. You can even lean toward the soundbar and it still sounds like all the sound is coming from the front and it blends perfectly on the dash! I have 200 watts pumping in to that sound bar, too, which is no slouch! Lol.

One of the weird things about overall time alignment in the Jeep is the huge effect the windows have when they are up/down, half up/half down, one down/one up, etc.. I haven't heard this before on another vehicle, at least not to this degree.
I can have the stage centered dead-on, and roll one window half way down and it throws the whole thing off!!

Mattk11

So cool, thanks for the explanation. I assume you've done other systems with the MiniDSP?

I've always wanted to do a fully active system but have whimped out.

The program you use is Tracerite? Is that freeware? Does it also handle choosing crossover points? How did you arrive at the correct crossover points for all the drivers? I assume the MiniDSP will do band pass and not just cut-offs?

Sorry, lots of questions. Thanks again.

DavidRam

I have used the MiniDSP before and I am very familiar with it. It's a great little package and easy to learn...

Tracerite is basically what you saw on that link: you measure the drivers distance to your head, plug those in to the program and it will tell you what to set your delay at in milliseconds. I have always needed to adjust them a little bit by ear on top of that, but it's a great place to start.
IMO, time alignment is the single most dramatic improvement that can be made to a car's sound system, once you hear it you can't live with out it!
The MiniDSP has all kinds of filters and slopes to choose from, anything imaginable... I set the crossover points within the speaker manufacturer's recommendations and then adjust by ear from there.

Here is the MiniDSP manual if you want to take a peak: https://www.minidsp.com/images/docum...r%20Manual.pdf

A fully active system is a lot of work, but the possibilities are amazing, and the potential it has is unmatched in a passive system. I think that anyone who appreciates good car audio, would be fascinated by an active system once they start digging in to it!

Hope that helps!

Now, you tell me a little info about your sub boxes, please!

2014Wrangler

Very nice work. Looks great. Bet it sounds great also.

DavidRam

Thanks a lot! It sounds alright... Lol


I really enjoy the reactions I get when I demo the system. Most people are blown away, not just by the sheer output, but mostly by the how clear and natural it sounds, as if the musicians are actually standing on the dash! The listeners always mention the separation of each instrument and vocals... You can literally point to a location on the windshield were one single instrument is playing, completely separate from the rest of the sounds. It's great fun to listen to!

Mattk11

I want to do a fully active system but probably in a car and not my Jeep. I'm running a Pioneer head unit that does time alignment and crossover points, but info have to adjust manually to make it sound right.

The sub enclosures have come along nicely. I originally visited a few local custom shops to ask them to fabricate them for me, but no one could guarantee I'd get a 10" under each seat and they were quoting anywhere from $400-500 per side plus the cost of the sub. I used to do fiberglassing back in high school for friends that wanted to add subs so I decided to tackle it myself.

My first ones were around .45 cu ft and I was running Rockford Fosgate slim subs which were ok but I thought I could do better.

Second iteration pushed the internal volume up to .5 but they were largely MDF on top of the fiberglass molds but they were big and I had to use spacers on the seats to get them to fit. I also covered them with Carpet.

Current versions are 100% molded fiberglass with fused mounting ring and covered with Line-X. I get a little over .6 cu ft now.



Working on a rear enclosure for the 2 doors that uses the floor storage. Kinda thinking about dual 8" Sundown SD and possibly down firing. Would handle 700-900 watts and has almost as much woofer surface area as a 12". Would not take up any of the rear space. Not sure what I will do with it yet. But it's kinda fun.

DavidRam

Very cool, thanks for the info! What subs are you using in the current enclosures, the Sundown SD3 10"??

Do your boxes fit under both seats on a two door, while allowing the seats to fold forward??

Mattk11

I am using Sundown SD-3 woofers. Previously had SD-2s.

Unfortunately the 2-door Jeeps have very little clearance under the seats so my enclosures won't work. That is why in making one that fits in the back in-floor storage that will far outperform the new stock Alpine sub and the similar JL stealthbox.

DavidRam

Sundown makes some great subs, and those SD-3s are excellent! I have a single Zv4 Rev2 10" DVC 2ohm sub, wired to 1 ohm and being fed 2,000 rms. http://www.sundownaudio.com/index.ph...4-rev-2-series
That one 10" sub is nothing short of violent with the bass it puts out!

That's unfortunate that your enclosures don't fit in the 2 doors... I had this wild idea of putting one under each seat with the SD-3s wired to 2 ohm and 1,000 rms, just to experiment with the stage and sound quality. It would have also be good to have them set up to be able toggle between the different subs depending on the type of music, AND to still have subs if I needed to remove the big sub box in the trunk for a trip or something...

neZZr

I would be VERY interested in that! I've toyed with swapping one of my seat brackets for the four-door version, but nobody is selling those and I don't even want to know what the dealer wants for it.

I hate the idea of losing that little storage cubby, but it would be worth it I think. Seriously, if you end up making any extra, let me know!