Car Audio Nerds - Show Me What You Got

SloppyJ

WKR
Joined
Feb 24, 2023
Messages
2,142
I've always dabbled with audio stuff for my vehicles but I recently got a newer Tundra and the bug bit me.

A lot has changed these days with dsp amps and running a full active system so catching up with that will be fun.

Planning a setup with a 3way active front and passive 2 way rears. No one makes a quality box for the truck so im going to try my hand at a custom box with MDF top fiberglass bottom and sides to use the underseat storage in the rear. That box is the project I'm most excited about. I love learning new things.

Going for something that I've never done before, prioritizing quality over quantity. I want something that anyone would jump in and say "Wow, I've listened to that song 100 times but never heard that before". Something extremely balanced and impressive which seems doable with a good. DSP.

I'm a cheap ass and will never pay someone to do something that I think I can do better so all of this will be DIY.

Who else is aye up with the bug?
 
I've only done the research online but everything I read says you have to start by getting a new head unit. I watched the video on that and it looked a little complicated. There's tons of info on the Toyota and Tundra forums. Good luck if you do it all yourself
 
Weird_Al_Yankovic_-_In_3-D.jpg

do it right and get this album it sounds incredible it is in 3d which means 3d which is the best. i mean the sound is here and there and over there and over there and it sounds like your ears are tingling. not much bass in polka but that is ok because polka is about the beat not the thump
 
I've only done the research online but everything I read says you have to start by getting a new head unit. I watched the video on that and it looked a little complicated. There's tons of info on the Toyota and Tundra forums. Good luck if you do it all yourself

Don't have to these days with line out converters, DSPs, and amps with high level inputs. Back in the day, that was 100% correct. If you did swap it out you would get rid of all of the BS in the factory signal and start with something much cleaner and potentially eliminate the need for a DSP depending on what your goals were.

My last tundra i did swap the headunit because I wanted to get car play. I'm planning on keeping the factory head unit here because it has all of the "features" i need and all of the tuning will be done through the DSP via a laptop and microphone.

Since vehicles started integrating all sort of features through the head units it's made it harder and harder to get rid of them. In return, the industry seems to have developed ways around that.
 
Weird_Al_Yankovic_-_In_3-D.jpg

do it right and get this album it sounds incredible it is in 3d which means 3d which is the best. i mean the sound is here and there and over there and over there and it sounds like your ears are tingling. not much bass in polka but that is ok because polka is about the beat not the thump

Never heard of using Wierd Al as a metric of how nice your stereo sounds but I like where your head is!
 
Once upon a time having the loudest, clearest, rockingest stereo was my only goal in life. I would gut everything stock and dynamat then all new wires fir the high power amps for everything. As a man with different priorities I replaced the head unit with a high power unit running component speakers, and a self contained amp and subwoofer box. The sub replaced the jump seat under my fold down center console. It rocks. Having all the sub controls in the head unit is a must.
 
I went off the deep end when doing the sound system on my daily driver 74 Satellite last year.

I ended up with a new in box 90s Pioneer cassette deck with loads of features and RCA aux input (which I use for a JLAudio MBT-RX Bluetooth module).
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I used Audio Control’s new(ish) combined DSP/Amplifier to run Morel 6.5 components with passive crossovers in the front, and Audiofrog 6x9s in the rear.

I fit the Morels in the front kicks with an HDPE cutting board on both sides to rigidly mount them.
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The rear shelf got a lot more time and attention. I ended up welding in additional reinforcement to the factory deck to brace it up, and then built a trunk divider and rear package tray out of acrylic sheet, closed cell foam, and mass loaded vinyl, with Second Skin damplifier pro liberally applied around the wheel wells, trunk/rear seat pan, and rear pillars/roof.
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New wiring throughout, including a relay harness to power all the underdash stuff and power distro blocks both underhood and in the trunk, an ammeter bypass/charge wire upgrade, 120A 5.9 Magnum alternator, and relays for the headlights, ignition, and voltage regulator. These are an absolute must when pushing amps with an older Mopar.

End result is phenomenal. I always tune the speakers so that the rears play lower frequencies only with the fronts handling most of the sound stage. The DSP feature made this soooo much easier, and the time delay really makes it sound phenomenal when set up right. The rears are moving some serious mid-bass, and the Morels up front are really nice.

Learned a few things along the way that I’ll be implementing on my 72 this winter, including stepping up to a 6 Channel DSP/Amp with active crossovers for the front.

And now I can choose to either pop in one of my stack of cassettes, or flip over to Bluetooth for the Shoot2Hunt podcast. What’s not to like?
IMG_3700.jpeg
 
Once upon a time having the loudest, clearest, rockingest stereo was my only goal in life. I would gut everything stock and dynamat then all new wires fir the high power amps for everything. As a man with different priorities I replaced the head unit with a high power unit running component speakers, and a self contained amp and subwoofer box. The sub replaced the jump seat under my fold down center console. It rocks. Having all the sub controls in the head unit is a must.

I know me well enough to know that I'd love that at first but want more. Although I've heard some serious output from those tiny boxes and shallow subs. Although that's not my main goal here.

Been modeling a ton of different drivers in WinISD and I'm blown away by the new Wavtech subs. They completely changed typical speaker design and they might be onto something. They're pricey but I'm leaning heavily that way.

I've settled on going sealed. I could port to 32hz and absolutely go crazy with low end frequency but id like to think im out of the SPL game.
 
I went off the deep end when doing the sound system on my daily driver 74 Satellite last year.

I ended up with a new in box 90s Pioneer cassette deck with loads of features and RCA aux input (which I use for a JLAudio MBT-RX Bluetooth module).
View attachment 863535

I used Audio Control’s new(ish) combined DSP/Amplifier to run Morel 6.5 components with passive crossovers in the front, and Audiofrog 6x9s in the rear.

I fit the Morels in the front kicks with an HDPE cutting board on both sides to rigidly mount them.
View attachment 863541
View attachment 863542

The rear shelf got a lot more time and attention. I ended up welding in additional reinforcement to the factory deck to brace it up, and then built a trunk divider and rear package tray out of acrylic sheet, closed cell foam, and mass loaded vinyl, with Second Skin damplifier pro liberally applied around the wheel wells, trunk/rear seat pan, and rear pillars/roof.
View attachment 863540
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New wiring throughout, including a relay harness to power all the underdash stuff and power distro blocks both underhood and in the trunk, an ammeter bypass/charge wire upgrade, 120A 5.9 Magnum alternator, and relays for the headlights, ignition, and voltage regulator. These are an absolute must when pushing amps with an older Mopar.

End result is phenomenal. I always tune the speakers so that the rears play lower frequencies only with the fronts handling most of the sound stage. The DSP feature made this soooo much easier, and the time delay really makes it sound phenomenal when set up right. The rears are moving some serious mid-bass, and the Morels up front are really nice.

Learned a few things along the way that I’ll be implementing on my 72 this winter, including stepping up to a 6 Channel DSP/Amp with active crossovers for the front.

And now I can choose to either pop in one of my stack of cassettes, or flip over to Bluetooth for the Shoot2Hunt podcast. What’s not to like?
View attachment 863543


Now this is what im talking about! I was on the audio control bus but everything i read says Helix or Arc Audio DSPs are vastly superior. I was and still am drawn to the simplicity of the AC software though. Currently looking at an 8ch DSP amp pushing 75 to 100w per channel. Seems wasteful for the tweeters and midrange speakers but it is what it is. Researching between the Helix V 8, Arc Blackbird, or the Zapco 10ch. I need a RCA out to feed a mono amp for the subs and the Zapco 8 doesn't have that. The Zapco seems similar in simplicity to AC and would allow me to run the truck fully active.

How do you like the Morels? I'm heavily leaning towards those. Only heard them in person once but I recall them being warmer than most and that's what i like. Alternatively, I'm thinking about going with the full Stereo Integrity 3 way setup for the fonts. Seems to be a good middle ground between the low end and high end Morels. Either way, I won't be able to hear either option before I purchase. What model morels did you go with?

Any tips on new products? Last time I did this was around 2018. I've been wondering what kind of new matting or dampening materials are out. Last time I used some cheaper stuff on Amazon and it did a great job.

My favorite part of your setup is that you found a cassette head unit to build this off of. Seems like a vintage car and those personal touches to keep it vintage are always awesome.
 
I have a JBL Charge 4, Bluetooth's with my phone.

Lay it on the dash of whatever chitbox I'm driving around on the farm and rock on.

Isn't that the one the kids are making the memes about playing Fetty Wap or some shit? Didn't know you were so with the times!
 
Now this is what im talking about! I was on the audio control bus but everything i read says Helix or Arc Audio DSPs are vastly superior. I was and still am drawn to the simplicity of the AC software though. Currently looking at an 8ch DSP amp pushing 75 to 100w per channel. Seems wasteful for the tweeters and midrange speakers but it is what it is. Researching between the Helix V 8, Arc Blackbird, or the Zapco 10ch. I need a RCA out to feed a mono amp for the subs and the Zapco 8 doesn't have that. The Zapco seems similar in simplicity to AC and would allow me to run the truck fully active.

How do you like the Morels? I'm heavily leaning towards those. Only heard them in person once but I recall them being warmer than most and that's what i like. Alternatively, I'm thinking about going with the full Stereo Integrity 3 way setup for the fonts. Seems to be a good middle ground between the low end and high end Morels. Either way, I won't be able to hear either option before I purchase. What model morels did you go with?

Any tips on new products? Last time I did this was around 2018. I've been wondering what kind of new matting or dampening materials are out. Last time I used some cheaper stuff on Amazon and it did a great job.

My favorite part of your setup is that you found a cassette head unit to build this off of. Seems like a vintage car and those personal touches to keep it vintage are always awesome.

This is my first dive into DSP, but I found the AC software simple and easy to use, and I really liked that it was an integrated amp with both high and low inputs. I was also hung up on the add-on Bluetooth module, but that ended up being unobtanium. I was originally going to run a shaft mount cassette with the Bluetooth going into the amp, but ended up switching to a slightly newer 1DIN head unit so I could get the aux input.

These were the Morels I used:

I was drawn to them for the shallow mount, but I’m blown away by the sound, especially the warm highs and ample mids. I mostly listen to 60s and 70s music, and these really work well with that era tone. The best thing I have to compare them to is the Infinity Kappa Perfect 6.5” components I did up front in my Squarebody suburban, and I like the Morels significantly better. In a newer car with more door space, I might look for something a little more conventional, but don’t be fooled by the thin profile, these really do have some good mids.

For sound deadening stuff, I’ve always just opened up the Second Skin catalog. There are definitely products available cheaper on Amazon that are just as effective, but I worry about the longevity of their materials in the hot desert Southwest. In my head, I’d like these things to go another 50 years on the road, and I worry about the materials used in some of those cheaper products. Car Audio Fabrication on YouTube has a lot of great stuff on audio installs, sound deadening, tuning, etc. I listened to a lot of his stuff planning this system. Highly recommended, though it may cost you some money if you listen too much!

And yeah, it’s about as vintage as it gets, right down to the 1bbl Slant Six, haha. I wanted good sound in something that doesn’t look out of place, and I think I achieved that pretty nicely.
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