And decided to start looking for acoustics? Or do you just want to replace your old tape recorder with a more modern, stylish and convenient one? In this article I will tell you how to choose the acoustics for your car.
There are a large number of manufacturers that produce both cheap and expensive acoustics for cars. It will be difficult for a simple layman to understand all the intricacies associated with car sound, design, setting up all this technology in his car and decide which acoustics is better for the car.
Many car owners believe that the high price and the resounding name of the manufacturer will be the guarantor of the quality of the chosen speaker system.
Whatever it is! Good sound is not achieved by this at all: it is influenced by the correct installation of acoustics in the bowels of the car.
It may be that, having bought a system that is “fancy” and “cool” by all standards, you find with disappointment that the sound is coming from a barrel. It becomes a pity both for myself and for the money spent.
Super sound: rules for choosing good acoustics in a car
First of all, you need pay attention to the firm which makes loudspeakers. Some of the most reliable are:
- Focal,
- Infinity,
- hertz,
- Alpine,
- Morel,
- Magnat and others.
Of course, now you ask, what about the famous Panasonic, Kenwood, Pioneer and so on?
Yes. Among them there is also good acoustics in the car, but, as a rule, this happens very, very rarely. Although, for example, acoustics Pioneer in the car is purchased very often and by many.
- , keep in mind that their suspension should not be made of cloth, but rubber.
- In front of the car, there should be spaced-apart acoustics with separate tweeters (in the common people - tweeters). By the way, it is better to choose these silk ones, and then you will get a soft and even sound.
- Install the speakers at the back with a size of 6 by 9 inches (17-20 cm).
- If space permits, then it is better to purchase a set of acoustics for a large-diameter car.
- Some radio tape recorders are "finicky": they play great with some speakers, but they do not perceive others at all.
One of the important factors when choosing acoustics in a car is the complexity of the system you want to buy into the car, that is, what is it for at all.
Based on this point, we will consider all these systems in more detail.
Speaker Levels: Easy to Hard
The simplest audio acoustics
It is inexpensive and suitable for people who are not going to amaze passengers and people passing by with the level and quality of sound.
In this case, you can buy inexpensive speakers from not the most famous brands.
- Both spaced and coaxial acoustics can be installed in front.
- Behind - the usual acoustic speakers ("pancakes"). All together can cost from 1500 to 3000 native rubles.
Medium system
Prefer something more powerful?
Then, ahead you need to put the spaced system with silk tweeters-tweeters, and also put all this "wealth" in special podiums.
Again, you can install "pancakes" behind, since the main sound comes from the front speakers, so you can save a little on the rear ones.
On such acoustics will have to fork out for about 4500 of our Russian. Yes, front speakers will cost more.
High level sound
The choice of such a system requires a responsible and serious approach.
Ahead should be a divorced system, and, moreover, rather expensive (as far as available funds allow). Such speakers must have both excellent sound quality and sufficient power to withstand the "pressure" of the amplifier. For speakers, a podium is required, and for doors - sound insulation.
The choice of rear speakers depends on one factor: if they play directly from the radio, then you should not give up all available funds for them, ordinary "modest" speakers are enough. But if they are from an amplifier, then, yes, you need to take better and more expensive.
Among other things, it is better to take the rear speakers with silk tweeters - this will provide high-quality and clear sound for both passengers in the front and those in the back. After all, perhaps even an amateur knows that the rear speakers add lows, and the front ones are aimed at reproducing high and middle frequencies.
The highest and highest quality system is "competitive"
This system is striking in both quality and price. It will already consist of several components. The choice of such a system should be entrusted to professionals or, at least, people who know and understand this "musical" issue.
Choosing acoustics in a car, you must first of all rely on your own preferences.
Someone likes the natural strength of the sound, so that the treble and bass are at about the same level. For such connoisseurs, DLC, Morel, Hertz, Focal acoustics with silk tweeters are perfect.
Some people like to raise the low end to thump in the head of those sitting in the car and scare the surrounding cats. For such purposes, it is worth purchasing JBL, Lightning Audio, Boston Acoustic from incomparable USA.
Basically, the second option is preferred by young people who like to show themselves and their car, and the first system is chosen by advanced motorists who understand both technology and music for her.
And further. Car acoustics: prices may or may not bite - this rule is also worth remembering.
Useful video
Watch an interesting video, rules for choosing acoustics in a car, tips for beginners:
Video on the topic of how to choose the speakers in the car.
We will assume that a radio tape recorder and four speakers are already installed in your car. De facto, a car "with music" in the overwhelming majority of cases presents the following portrait: An imported radio tape recorder with an output power of 4 x 20 - 4 x 50 W (according to the inscription on the front panel).
Frontal acoustics - coaxial 2 - 3-way speakers with a diameter of 13 - 16 cm. Installed in the front doors or in the regular places of the dashboard.
Rear acoustics - elliptical coaxial 2 - 4-way speakers ("pancakes" 6 x 9), less often - round coaxials 13 - 16 cm, embedded in the rear shelf or (less often) installed in the regular rear seats.
There are no additional devices that affect the sound quality.
The nature of the sound with slight deviations ("louder - quieter", "vertebrae - muffler", "with a strong coloration - with a slight coloration") is the same type - the sound fills the entire interior, plays louder from behind. As a rule, one listens with loudness compensation (LOUD), bass reinforcement (D-bass) turned on, or with the high and low frequencies twisted completely. The sound turns out to be "pouting", the bass is smeared and loose. At high volume, the speakers wheeze, or the panels "sing along" to them, the radio illumination winks to the beat of the music. Attempts to use the fader to drag the sound even slightly forward and restore the timbre balance (timbres - by zeros) lead to a significant decrease in the level of high and especially low frequencies ("pancakes" - those that are behind, fade away), the sound becomes completely uninteresting, the music plays dull from under the dashboard. The picture is sad, and more often than not, after such attempts, everything returns to square one with the comment "it's better this way."
Repeatedly conducted an experiment: I transplanted the owner of the just described audio system into a car with a more or less normally set sound (with almost the same set of components).
There are two types of reactions:
First: "How can I do the same?"
Second: “And I'm used to playing from behind” (options: “Everyone plays like that - and nothing,” “For the background, it will do”).
Those who lean towards the second group of answers need not read further. Tastes, of course, do not argue, but even in order to avoid a dispute about taste, you must at least have it. But for those who are capable of the "first type" reaction, I give recommendations, each of which I have personally verified, on a VAZ-2109 car. There is nothing complicated here, large capital investments are not required, and the described work can be carried out both in a complex way, and in parts, in any sequence.
Connecting the power supply of the radio. With a "free" installation of the radio in the places of its purchase or with your own hand connection, as a rule, the cigarette lighter wires are used for power supply, less often one of the circuits connected to the ignition switch. The criterion for this choice is simplicity. The result is a limitation of the power of the radio tape recorder at load peaks. At the same time, the backlight of the radio tape recorder at high volume can wink in time with the music, the bass loses its elasticity, the high ones are blurred.
When connecting the radio "smartly", you should use a copper wire with a conductor cross-section of at least 4 square meters. mm, preferably with insulation with increased mechanical strength. It is necessary to connect the constant power wire of the radio tape recorder directly to the battery terminal. The wire must be equipped with a 10 - 20 A fuse at a distance of no more than 45 cm from the terminal. The negative wire can be connected to ground at a minimum distance from the radio, while ensuring reliable contact. It is very helpful to include a buffer capacity in the power circuit of the radio tape recorder - an electrolytic capacitor with a nominal value of about 80,000 μF for an operating voltage of 25 V. You can, of course, use two 40,000 μF capacitors or four - 20,000 each. They must be connected in parallel, observing the polarity. In the VAZ-2109, there is a secluded place on the floor behind the radio tape recorder, as if specially for capacitors. If the operation of your machine involves disconnecting the mass during parking, then before connecting the mass, in order to avoid high currents and sparks, it is necessary to charge the capacitors with a low current. To do this, I advise you to use a 12 V, 21 W lamp with two soldered wires. One wiring must be fixed permanently under the nut of the ground harness on the inner side of the left wing, and the second wiring must be closed to the negative terminal before closing the ground circuit. In this case, the lamp will light up, and the capacitors will start charging. After a couple of seconds, the light will go out, the capacitors will be charged, you can turn on the ground breaker.
The power wires should be made in one piece, without intermediate adhesions and twists, neatly laid and fixed in the passenger compartment and engine compartment. It is better to spend an extra half hour on this than to suffer later, trying to find the place of damage. For the passage of the wire from the engine compartment to the passenger compartment, the most convenient place is a hole with a rubber seal, where the tubes of the headlight hydrocorrector pass. When fixing the wires, it is necessary to exclude contact with moving parts: hood hinges, pedals, steering shaft, etc. Separately, I will note the importance of one hundred percent reliable contact throughout the entire circuit: at the battery terminal, at the fuse, capacitor and radio tape recorder. The length of the wires should be minimal - no loops for growth. Looking ahead, I will answer a reasonable question: "why pull thick wires from the battery, if the wires on the block of the radio itself are much thinner?" The fact is that the thin wires of the radio power supply pads are ten times shorter than the wires to the battery, and the resistance, as you know, is proportional to the length. Therefore, the proposed option for organizing the power supply of the radio in comparison with the basic "free" will provide an order of magnitude less fluctuations in the supply voltage at power peaks.
The effect of the work done will be noticeable to the "naked ear" already when the radio is turned on for the first time. The improvement in sound at higher volumes will be especially striking. The bass will become denser ("meat" will appear), the high frequencies against the background of heavy beats, such as a big drum, will stop "smearing". With "light music" - the winking of the display and the backlight of the radio, it will be done. Speaker wires are now the main obstacle to power.
In the "basic version", the speakers are connected to the radio with the help of wires, which the same speakers are equipped with. Everything, it would seem, is logical: there are plugs, and you can't confuse plus and minus. But these wires can be called acoustic only in the first approximation, approximately as a sinusoid in the first approximation is straight. Some firms - manufacturers of acoustics explain that the "complete" wires are intended only to test the performance of the speakers. This is understandable, otherwise the budget will not be met. So, we were convinced of the performance of the speakers with the help of the "complete" wires. Now is the time to discover new speaker capabilities through speaker wires.
The most correct thing is to buy exactly acoustic wires, if, of course, there is where and for what. Expensive speaker wires in an entry-level system are an unjustified luxury. But if you find inexpensive (1 - 2 cu per meter), then it's worth it.
The second option is to make or pick up the wires yourself. The rule is this: the cross-section should be 2 - 4 times the cross-section of the "complete" wire. The wire must be copper, the wire must be stranded, otherwise it’s tricky to invent.
When replacing "complete" wires with more solid ones, the effect will consist in the appearance of previously inaudible nuances in a well-known phonogram. In some cases, the effect is similar to the sensation caused by unclogging the ears. This is with a good choice or manufacture of wires. If unsuccessful, the effect - as if "drove over the ears". In short, this is a delicate matter and the reserves are inexhaustible.
Frontal acoustics In the "basic version" (for the VAZ-2109 with a low panel), the main location of the front speakers is the front door. Variations are the lower front corner or the middle of the door above the armrest. Fastening the speakers - with screws to the door trim. Result: the speakers are not secured.tough or not tough enough. At increased volume, the speakers swing the door trim, overtones are heard. When only the frontal pair is working, the driver mainly hears the sound of “his”, left speaker, the passenger - respectively, of the right one. The sound is tied to the speakers.
As you know, the heads must be rigidly fixed in any case. In the simplest version, a plywood support ring must be installed on the door trim. The outer diameter of the ring is the same as that of the decorative loudspeaker grill, the inner diameter is the same as the diameter of the bore, the thickness is about 20 mm. The ring must be installed from the outside of the upholstery and secured from the inside with screws through metal spacers. Spacers of different lengths (on site) can be made from steel strips 10 mm wide and 1 - 2 mm thick. This will increase the rigidity of the door trim. The speaker is installed externally through a rubber gasket. External design - according to the possibilities and discretion: from oil paint to piano lacquer.
The disadvantage of the simplest way of mounting speakers is the forced orientation of them "face to face", on the same acoustic axis. So it was in the "basic version". But now the speakers at high volume no longer vibrate, the overtones disappear, the effect of the sound binding to the heads decreases, since this effect is partly due to the overtones.
A more laborious way to install frontal acoustics is to make podiums. The podium manufacturing option described below allows you to orient the speakers in space in the required way, and this applies to radiators with a diameter of up to 200 mm, which can be installed without interfering with the manual drive of the power windows. The proof is the already mentioned system in my VAZ-2109.
The main details of the podium are a support ring, similar to the one described above, and the "outsole". The shape of the "sole" can be any, subject to simple rules: the entire plane of the "sole" should adhere to the flat part of the door trim, not go beyond it and not interfere with the window regulator handle.
The "sole" is made of plywood with a thickness of 12 - 20 mm. Having attached it to its place against the door trim, mark the hole that coincides with the speaker hole in the upholstery. Next, you need to determine how the support ring should be positioned in relation to the "sole" in order to ensure the correct orientation of the speaker. The question of orientation is often suggested to be solved empirically. This is not an easy matter, so I recommend a ready-made solution that is acceptable for 90% of cases: try to direct the axes of the speakers towards the ceiling light, or more precisely - the right speaker - "at the head" of the driver, the left - "at the head" of the passenger. For this option, the position of the support ring relative to the "sole" will come out as follows: the ring touches the "sole" with one edge, and the diametrically opposite edge is as far as possible from the "sole". It is allowed and even encouraged for the projection of the ring onto the upholstery plane to protrude beyond the front of the upholstery, that is, so that the speaker, when the door is closed, “drives in” into the passenger compartment, covering the kick-panel. When installing a head with a diameter of more than 165 mm, nothing will work out without this trick, believe me. In any case, this geometry increases the distance to the speakers, in addition, they are better protected from damage.
Having chosen the correct position of the ring, it is fixed with long screws or wooden spacers, the connection is strengthened with epoxy resin with a filler, and the gap is filled with polyurethane foam. From the inside, it is useful to paste over the podium with thin foam rubber or felt, and from the outside - to decorate it to taste and possibilities, this is a separate topic.
When the podium is fixed to the door trim and the speaker is on the podium, this phase of work is over and the effect can be evaluated. It will not be slow to affect: the sound will "get loose" from the speakers, overtones will disappear, low frequencies will be added, and the transparency of the sound will improve.
In the "basic version" on the rear shelf there are 6 x 9 "pancakes". The rear shelf of the VAZ-2108/09 is not designed for heavy speakers. Over time, the shelf sags, cracks appear on the sides. The simplest way to reinforce the shelf is to attach a 12 - 20 mm thick plywood sheet to the entire surface of the non-folding part of the shelf. Taking into account the specific directivity characteristic of oval speakers (wide diagram along the minor axis), in order to equalize the rear sound, it is advisable to rotate them slightly on the plane of the shelf so that the minor axes are directed towards the listener sitting on the opposite side.
Now about the sound coming from behind. Let's ask the musicians to leave the gallery and take their place on the stage, as expected. This will require surgical intervention in the rear speakers to convert them from coaxial to component. The operation is simple and will not take much time. At the end of the magnet, under the proprietary sticker, there is a screw that holds the entire "economy" in the center of the coaxial system. The screw is neatly turned out, the "economy" is removed, while, of course, it is necessary to unsolder the cords-wires. Now you need to stick a cap on the center of the diffuser so that it looks like a "real" component. An excellent blank for a cap is a spherical bottom from an aluminum beer can. You need to drink the beer, and cut off the bottom with a file, removing the chamfer from the protruding ring along the periphery of the bottom. It is necessary to act in this sequence, otherwise the aluminum filings will spoil the beer, and we have a strict budget. After the operation to remove the excess and transplant the desired one, the speaker acquires a respectable appearance, and the gap of the magnetic system is protected from dust.
When assembling the rear shelf with plywood "reinforcement", the gap between the shelf and the plywood must be filled with cotton wool or foam rubber, and the holes for the standard speakers and rear belts must be hermetically sealed - this is the main source of acoustic closure. How much more expressive the low frequencies will sound after such an operation, it will be obvious even to the most skeptical listener.
Do not think of throwing away the units of the MF / HF emitters of the rear “pancakes” that have been freed after the "surgery". They are installed on brackets in the corners of the windshield pillars, are connected, as it was, in parallel with the rear speakers and will now work with frontal tweeters.
The effect of the work done will turn the sound from head to foot (only in the horizontal plane). That is, the musicians, except perhaps the bass player, will move forward. Finally, it will be possible to seriously talk about the sound stage, which, thanks to the mid-range / high-frequency emitters carried far ahead, will rise and move forward. There will be plenty of high frequencies, which means that there will be no desire to "add" them, introducing unnecessary distortions.
Since there are countless radio tape recorders, speakers, material combinations and node geometries, we can say with confidence that the audio system you made according to the recommendations given is unique, another, exactly the same, does not exist in nature. Nevertheless, some features of the soundstage can be predicted. Before the described alterations, no peculiarities were noticeable, since the sound stage as such did not exist. Now it exists, and along with it, the effect of a "black hole" often arises in its center: the sound is normally distributed to the left and right, and there is a dip in the center. This effect can be localized using a phonogram on which a simple musical composition with a vocal part is recorded. After listening to it on a home audio system (not necessarily expensive and complex), you need to remember the location of the instruments and vocals. Vocals are almost always recorded in the center. If, when playing in a car, the voice strongly "leaves" the center, it makes sense to organize the central channel in its simplest form. For the center channel speakers, I have successfully used tweeters from frontal coaxial acoustics. The operation to "separate the Siamese twins" is similar to that described in recommendation # 4, with the difference that the central caps from the beer bottoms will be too big here. We must find something else. For me, for example, the capsules from the "kinder surprise" fit perfectly.
Released from the coaxial structure, the tweeters are attached to the rear-view mirror bracket. The direction of the tweeter axes is towards "their" half of the windshield. In addition to filling the "hole" in the center of the newly acquired soundstage, the center channel tweeters raise the soundstage noticeably above the level of the dashboard. The disadvantage of the central channel in its simplest form is a certain narrowing of the soundstage, but here a compromise is inevitable.
Conclusion
It took me a year and a half to rework the sound in my car from the "basic version" to the one described above. Why so many if everything is so simple? Yes, because the lion's share of the time was spent on experiments, because here I told only about what ended successfully and what I can recommend to others. But it did not work out right away. You now have the opportunity to move forward. Good luck!
It is clear that anything you want can be installed in a car, on order or for an exclusive project. There would be money. I was interested in another question. What production cars have pre-installed advanced music systems? Indeed, in this case, there is no need to "fit" into the car yourself in order to install speakers, a subwoofer, an amplifier and a head unit. All this has already been calculated and done by experts.
As it turned out, there are quite a few models with high-quality "sound", and by no means all of them are super-expensive luxury sedans and sports cars. Well, let's go from relatively affordable models to the most expensive ones. Here are the most, in our opinion, the most advanced cars from a musical point of view.
Even compact hatchbacks can boast of expensive music. For example, . As an option, it is equipped with Fender speakers. The company, famous for its amplifiers and electric guitars, began a partnership with the German automaker in 2010. The car has already been dubbed the "musical beetle". Indeed, the Beetle turns out to be the most musical of the iconic hatchbacks. Neither the Mini, nor the Fiat 500, nor the Suzuki Swift have such advanced music.
The audio system consists of a 10-channel amplifier with 400W output, four Fender Deluxe tweeters, two 20cm Fender Twin speakers at the front and two 16cm Fender speakers at the rear, and a 20cm Fender Bassman subwoofer.
It is interesting that Fender specialists created the acoustics for Beetle together with another well-known company in the world of music - Panasonic. As a result, the sound turned out such that in the car you feel like in a concert hall.
Another stylish kid, but already playing in the crossover hatchback class, is the Kia Soul, equipped with JBL acoustics. This year the car has gone through. A system with amplifier and subwoofer is included in the Premium package, and it is only available with the 1.6 GDI engine with 136 horsepower.
JBL has tuned every component of the system to match the interior of the car, which significantly reduces sound distortion.
As a result, Soul can be called the most musical representative of the class. In Russia, for sure. Crosshatch is an image car, and, in fact, it has no competitors. The Chinese do not count, and besides, they do not have a premium "sound". Kia, of course, names Hyundai Creta and Renault Kaptur among the opponents. But the "Korean" and "Frenchman" have four-wheel drive and their sizes are larger, so they play in a different league. However, neither the one nor the other crossover can boast of expensive music.
Renault has a long history of partnership with premium audio systems manufacturer Bose. The result of the cooperation was the appearance of special versions of the Bose Edition on various cars of the brand. In particular, the acoustics were installed on Scenic, Megane, Laguna and Koleos. All-wheel drive crossover Koleos could be bought from us. This car is much closer to the people in comparison with the stylish Beetle and Soul, which are more fashion cars, that's why we decided to put the Koleos in the review.Renault and Bose worked together. After Renault engineers calculated the body structure and embodied it in metal, Bose specialists made more than a thousand measurements in order to create a general acoustic model of the Koleos. Even before the start of series production, the best locations for each of the seven speakers were determined. As a result, the sound and timbre of each instrument are clear and crisp.
If the car had not left our market, Koleos could have been awarded the title of the most musical mid-size crossover. Although who knows: maybe he will deserve this title?
Mazda has also had a long-term relationship with Bose. And just like in the case of Renault, all solutions are individual for each model: you cannot buy a speaker and install it yourself.
"Six" - the car with the most expensive audio system in the class. It can only compete with the Kia Optima with a Harman-Kardon system with ten speakers, an amplifier and a subwoofer. Its price is from 1,449,900 rubles. But the Bose brand is still more prestigious.
Lexus is already a real premium. The Japanese brand partners with the American company Mark Levinson, a subsidiary of Harman International Industries. It is interesting that the Americans are responsible not only directly for the audio system in the car, but also for the noise insulation of the passenger compartment.
Advanced music can be ordered for, say, IS and ES sedans (pictured). The Luxury package includes a 12-channel 835W amplifier and 15 speakers with energy-saving GreenEdge technology. The technology can almost double the volume level while maintaining the same power consumption.
Why did we highlight ES? Because it is one of the most affordable and comfortable premium sedans, and is designed for the passenger, not the driver. GS, playing in the same class, is more of a driver's car. Lexus has always aimed to compete with the German premium. And in any case, he looks no worse than the "Germans".
In Russia, it has the status of a cult car, so we could not deprive it of attention. The Land Cruiser 200 is equipped with a JBL Synthesis 7.1 Surround Sound music system, consisting of 14 speakers. In addition, there is an 11-channel 605W amplifier and a 200mm subwoofer. Advanced music comes from Prestige equipment (from 4,736,000 rubles).
Even at the design stage of the car's interior, JBL specialists took measurements and tuned each speaker. The amplifier uses Greenedge technology (which is the same as that of Lexus), and ultra-light materials were used in the production of speakers and other system components. This made it possible to lose those extra pounds of the audio system.
All this gives the right to call the Land Cruiser 200 the most advanced frame SUV from a musical point of view.
If the Land Cruiser is bought all over the country, then the premium British "crooks" are more appreciated by the city dwellers of the central regions of Russia. Therefore, such buyers sometimes have more requirements for comfort, including acoustic ones. accepts this challenge. Optionally, the cars are equipped with a musical system produced by the British Meridian Audio. It has 19 speakers, a 16-channel amplifier and a two-channel subwoofer.
Trifield's proprietary surround technology delivers surround sound. She mixes the channels, and as a result, the sound is very lively - like in a concert. And Meridian Cabin Connection's Sound Field Correction technology adjusts sound to match the geometry of the cabin. The total power of the system is 825 W.
Land Rover / Range Rover has several versions of the Meridian system. The most expensive, the Meridian Signature Reference, is optionally installed on the Range Rover Sport. With it, the car costs from 6,208,000 rubles.
Porsche is a brand that has become a dream. The result of a collaboration between two German companies - one for sports cars and the other for premium sound - is the Burmester High End Surround Sound system found in Porsche Cayenne, Macan and Panamera.
It consists of a 16-channel amplifier with over 1000 watts of power with 16 speakers, including a subwoofer with a 300-watt amplifier. It uses a number of technologies that have come from premium home systems.
Finally, a few words about the famous "German troika". Danish brand Bang & Olufsen has partnered with Audi and Mercedes-Benz. Musical solutions of the company can be found on Audi A6, A7, A8 cars, Mercedes S- and E-classes. But we will highlight the SLS AMG sports car as it is a dream car. In an amicable way, such a car does not need a music system. It is replaced by the sound of the motor, itself designed to please the ear. But the Germans decided otherwise and installed the Bang & Olufsen BeoSound AMG system.
As for another representative of the "big German three" - BMW, there is little information on the "Bavarians". The company is known to work with the aforementioned Harman Corporation. The top configurations of the BMW X-series are equipped with a high-end audio system with 16 speakers and a 9-channel amplifier.
I have never written posts, it just so happened, I am a technician, not a writer :) But many people ask in PM how to set up, what to choose, how to deliver. So I decided to try it, maybe someone will be interested. Well, what happens we will see now, according to your estimates, together :)
So let's get started:
Each of us, being in our car, wants to feel comfortable. Comfort is made up of many parameters, aesthetics, driving performance, dynamics, tactile sensations, and of course music. It is she who, for the most part, is the driver's companion. It brightens up loneliness on the road, reflects the emotional state of the driver, and sometimes even cheers up. This is why many people place great emphasis on improving the sound quality and functionality of their iron horse's audio equipment.
I will try to reveal the main points that will help beginners build their systems.
So, it is customary to call an auto sound any sound design of a car using certain devices and various schemes for connecting acoustic systems.
There are not many schemes: a simple one - a radio tape recorder and four coaxial speakers, more complex, using 2-component speakers, external amplifiers and a subwoofer, and of course a high-class one, using 3-component speakers, several amplifiers, subwoofers, sound processors. Let's omit the competitive one, I think for beginners it will be of little interest.
All but the simplest systems are very demanding in terms of vehicle preparation. The very first and most important preparation process is vibration and noise isolation. To prevent metal bounce and sound distortion.
Manufacturing and precise fitting of spacer rings and speaker podiums will also be important preparation points.
What are these or those components for? A radio tape recorder, it is also a GU (head unit) is used as a signal source, external devices, phones, players, and so on can be connected to it. You can laugh a little, it seems like this needs to be explained to children, but it is she who should be given a lot of attention, since she is the primary source of sound, so to speak, the head of everything. If the sound from it is initially not of high quality, then it will no longer be possible to correct it with amplifiers and processors. Well, then an external amplifier, which is used for a better and more powerful signal transmitted to the speakers, acoustics for sound emission, and a subwoofer for bass support.
All system components are selected by experienced installers not only based on the budget and musical preferences of the car owner.
In general, the car is the most terrible place you can imagine for setting up a sound space. Worse, except for motorcycles, it will really be very difficult to find ..
Let's talk about the main points now.
The sound in the car should be emitted from the front, from the rear there can be only a sub-sound, this is due to the perception of sound by a person. At the concert, the orchestra is in front of you. And not divided into those who play in the front and behind. Speaker placement plays a huge role. In simple systems, it is best to use the standard midbass locations in the lower front of the doors. In component acoustics, the midbass is also placed at the bottom, the mid-range speaker (if a 3-component system is used) is placed at chest level, or in the lower part of the windshield pillar, it can also be embedded into the panel with reflection from the windshield and the angle of sound attack in the area of the region throat, but when installed in a panel, it will be necessary to create a closed volume dynamics. HF, they also advise tweeters or tweeters to be installed at the level of the listener's ears.
Place the subwoofer in the trunk, as it is almost impossible to determine the location of the low frequency radiation. For higher sound pressure, use a bass reflex subwoofer. For greater musicality, it is best to choose it in a closed box. This way you will achieve more correct sound shaping. These are of course only the basics, in reality there are much more subtleties, but for many, they will be quite enough.
Several important rules when installing sound in a car:
During vibration and noise isolation, at least 70 percent of the flat metal surfaces where the speaker is installed should be covered, but I recommend covering as much area as possible.
- When final gluing the door, do it well so that the interior space becomes as closed as possible.
- For better pasting, use an industrial hair dryer, heating the adhesive layer of the material before installation.
- At the location of the speaker, inside the door, I advise you to place a sound lens, it will noticeably improve the quality and detail of the sound.
- When installing the spacer rings to the metal of the door, it is better to seal it with wet rubber or sealant, the cracks are unacceptable and distort the sound.
- With the podium and speaker installed, make a ring of foam rubber or other sound-absorbing material, which will cover the screws and will be a seal to the door trim. So that the speaker plays into the interior, and not into the casing.
- Always connect the GU (radio) to the power supply after connecting all the line wires (tulips). Especially often the subwoofer channel burns out if it is pulled out or inserted into a working device.
- Always place a dedicated fuse on the power cable as close to the battery as possible.
- Always lay the power cable on one side of the car, it is more convenient with the one where the battery is located, and the line wires on the opposite side. This will eliminate possible power pickups (humming) when the engine is running.
- Try to make the negative wire as short as possible and fasten it to the body as securely as possible.
- When using a capacitor, if it is without an auto charge, do not forget to charge it through the lamp, otherwise there will be no sense from it.
- For a subwoofer, I advise you to use a monoblock, not bridging multichannel amplifiers. This is primarily due to a clearer control of the speaker itself.
- When connecting a subwoofer to a multichannel amplifier in bridged mode, carefully follow the position of the frequency filter switch - HPF - FULL - LPF, it must be set to the LPF position, that is, select only the low-frequency signal. In HPF, your subwoofer will burn out almost instantly and you will see farewell smoke from it.
BUT everything, as usual, starts with a choice and a purchase, and then I read a lot of posts with advice on what to buy and how to install.
What to buy depends on your budget, head units with a price policy of up to 6-7 thousand will be about the same, and differ in the basic design. But there are points worth paying attention to. At least, to have a three-band equalizer, four line outputs and a sub output. This will make your life much easier.
More expensive models will already clearly differ in circuitry, functions and sound quality, and this is a topic for a more detailed consideration. Amplifiers are generally a separate caste, you can write a lot about them, but the main thing is to select them with a power reserve of at least 25 percent. However, you need to understand one thing that most companies write clearly overestimated parameters, and only an experienced person will help you here, since there is a huge amount of choice now. I can only say one thing - a good amplifier is never cheap. The main parameter when choosing an amplifier for you will be the number of channels and their nominal value, the amplifier should be higher than that of the acoustics. Monoblocks (single-channel bass amplifiers) are the same. Of course, the sub will play with a weaker amplifier, but you will not achieve accuracy and correctness of the sound. When choosing an acoustics, you need to look at many parameters, and each of them will play in its own way. There is a budget class, which, as a rule, plays everything averaged but better than standard acoustics, there is a middle class, where you have to choose musicality or assertiveness based on genre preferences, and there are expensive three-way systems, where manufacturers have tried to balance the sound as much as possible.
In conclusion, I will describe only the process of simple system configuration:
We start it with the fact that we reset everything on the radio. All sound settings should be factory default and zero.
Further on the amplifier there are knobs and switches:
Three-contact switch HPF - FULL - LPF, a four-channel amplifier has two of them. For acoustics, it must be set to the HPF position in order to separate very low frequencies that the speakers cannot reproduce in order to avoid distortion, and for a bridged subwoofer, it must be set to LPF so that it plays only the bass part that cannot be pulled by the acoustics in the doors. And also so as not to burn him.
HPF regulator, we set the lower cutoff threshold for the frequency of the speaker systems, that is, we cut off very low bass that distorts the speakers. For example, if the high pass filter is set to 100 Hz, then frequencies below this mark (deep bass) will not get to the acoustics. If there is no tuning experience, then I advise you to set it from 80 to 100 Nz
The LPF regulator is a subwoofer cut. That is, you set the frequency above which the sub will not play. Usually it is set in the 50 to 70 Hz position. If you set more bass, it will already be less accurate and more rolling.
LEVEL is the power of the amplifier. Having turned it down to a minimum, we add the sound on the radio tape recorder until distortion appears, turn it down a little and begin to turn this regulator, add power with the amplifier until distortion appears. Then we turn the regulator back a little. And turn down the volume on the radio. Level matching and setting up the amplifiers are now complete.
It remains to set up the head unit and enjoy the music.
We put on our favorite music. We make it louder And we begin to tune the top so that the sound from the tweeters is not too pronounced, but clearly audible. Then the bass is on the principle “the more, the better” to the level where the speaker distortion does not begin and we slightly reduce it. At the same time, the subwoofer is minimized in the radio tape recorder. Now we start adjusting the level of the front and rear speakers (fader and balance). The overall soundstage in the vehicle should be oriented towards the driver. At zero positions, the soundstage is blurry, we need to direct it in the desired direction. The rear acoustics are always set only for the sound, all the music must come from the front acoustics, otherwise we will not get the right sound stage. shift the fader to the front of about + 20%. All audible sound should come from the front speakers. Next, we put the balance on the opposite side of the driver by about + 10 -15%. When adjusting the balance, we ensure that the sound emanates, as it were, from the windshield of the car. And in the end, we add the level of the subwoofer in the radio tape recorder to the level we need.
Do not forget that we need to make all the settings using a high-quality disc!
I hope this basic knowledge will help you to improve the sound in your car and make your journeys more comfortable.
Most often, the owners of cars of the middle price segment are dissatisfied with the sound of standard audio systems: the cost is from 500,000 to 1 million rubles.
As a rule, all kinds of factory configurations of such machines do not differ in a variety of options for audio preparation: at best, there is a choice of two or three systems. Moreover, they will differ from each other mainly in the number of speakers or the presence of a more functional radio.
In the minimum version, the audio preparation of a "medium-sized foreign car" is four speakers and a radio tape recorder, "at the maximum" - up to 13 speakers. I don’t want to criticize the manufacturers too much, but in the cars of the middle price segment, the audio system is added simply "to be there." And often, even having ordered the most sophisticated audio preparation, the owner is dissatisfied with the sound. There is nothing to be done: we need to improve.
And it is best to do this in stages, starting, as they say, small. For it often happens that after you have done one thing, the other is no longer needed.
Changing the speakers
The first thing to start with "processing" the standard audio system into something more pleasant to the ear is replacing the regular speakers with better ones and a class higher.
Then there is minimal audio preparation. Here, in particular, they make a separate preparation of the doors for the installation of speakers, in which cavities are damped and vibrations are eliminated. In this case, the "native" radio tape recorder is left and everything is connected using the factory wiring.
Replacing the standard acoustics and soundproofing in the workshop will not result in such a large amount for the owner - they will ask for everything along with the work
RUB 15,000-25,000 However, the sound of the system will change significantly, and its quality will become noticeably different.
Many people stop there. If the owner does not have any special complaints, and he listens to music in the car "on the fly", then replacing the standard acoustics together with sound insulation is often enough.
We connect the amplifier
If not, then the next step is to install an external, additional amplifier. This is done not so much for the sake of loudness as to improve the clarity of the sound. The bottom line is that the built-in amplifier available in the head unit, when the volume increases, introduces distortion into the audio path of the system along the entire frequency spectrum: the so-called. clipping.
An external amplifier allows you to provide a wide signal swing going to the speakers, good parameters for its rise, etc. In a word, with an external amplifier, the sound is cleaner and better.
However, the problem is that not a single head unit has line outputs to an external amplifier. Such "outputs" have to be obtained artificially.
The easiest way is the so-called. "Passive": when a circuit is assembled on the transformers, which reduces the signal level of the output from the radio to the level required for connection to an external amplifier.
Such a scheme costs a little: 1,000-2,000 rubles. However, all frequency distortions carried by the standard sound path do not disappear anywhere and are transmitted to an external amplifier. The advantage of such a connection scheme is that it is easy to install and minimizes intrusion into the standard head unit.
A more advanced option is the so-called. "Active" circuits that intelligently process the signal. As a rule, these are ready-made devices, which, depending on the manufacturer, cost from 5,000 to 15,000 rubles.
However, the most advanced way is to modify the head unit itself and organize the line outputs in it. To do this, the head unit is disassembled, the connection point to the built-in amplifier is found, and a line-level signal is output. Such works cost from 7,000 rubles.
N.B.
A logical alternative, it would seem, is a simple replacement of the head unit with a new one, which already has line outputs (no need to invent anything - just plug it in), and higher functionality. For the same 7,000-15,000 rubles. you can pick up a device of a very decent level!
However, the main problem that non-standard radio tape recorders bring with them is the interest of criminals in them: to put it simply, theft. Any, even the simplest device attracts thieves like a magnet. It is a typical case to find a broken glass and a smashed panel when approaching a car.
In addition, non-standard devices often require rather complicated and expensive installation into the panel, so many people decide to modify the standard device.
Of course, if you want to have "advanced" functionality in the form of MP3 playback, USB connectors, slots for memory cards, Bluetooth, color LCD display and other things that audio equipment manufacturers are now pampering consumers with, the radio tape recorder will have to be changed.
By the way, the replacement of the radio tape recorder may also be required in order to change the standard acoustics of the car.
In a number of high-end cars (for example, Audi and Mercedes), it is impossible to replace the speakers alone - you need to change the entire audio system. And if the equipment is also "advanced", and the audio is tied to an intelligent control system, then any upgrade is fraught with very serious technical difficulties. In some high-end cars, it is generally impossible to abandon the stock audio system.
We put the subwoofer ...
The third stage is the installation of the subwoofer. Not everyone reaches it: better speakers are already starting to "bass" quite well. Together with an external amplifier, the sound is already very high-quality and clean, which is quite enough for an ordinary user.
However, you often want more, and if the owner listens to modern electronic music, then you can't do without a subwoofer.
By the way, we will warn readers against teenage nonsense and wasted money. Namely: from buying a ready-made "subwoofer" with a built-in amplifier and connecting it to a standard audio system.
On sale now there are a lot of all kinds of "boxes" and "barrels" at affordable prices, which you can connect even yourself, even for a little money in the "garage" service. Only nothing good will come of such an "installation"! Almost certainly there will be an indistinct boom and hum that does not agree with anything.
In order for the subwoofer to sound correctly and truly complement the sound picture beautifully, it must be built to match the existing speaker system, taking into account the space of the car. And only so!
For the price, together with the installed "sub", the modified audio system will cost about 50,000-90,000 rubles.
... and a new radio.
How much has run up in total?
Well, the last stage is the replacement of the radio. As we have already said, this is done both for the sake of the new functionality and the sound of the device itself. By the way, many high-end devices provide only Spartan capabilities: their "direct purpose" is to spin discs, and an equally ascetic design.
If you do not take Hi-End class components, but simply install high-quality elements from well-known manufacturers, then you will have to pay 50,000-170,000 rubles for replacing the standard acoustics, installing a subwoofer and a playback device. For a car bought for 1 million rubles, probably not so much. Although, is it possible at all to measure the pleasure one gets from good music with anything? ..
