equalizer?

paras211 · 14th February 2009, 13:26

ok i ve got some money to blow and thought about an ICE upgrade. i ve got a corolla with the stock 6 cd player and blaupunkt speakers and amp and bass tube(its pretty basic nothing high end

bass tube has dissapointed me, happy with the rest.
local music guy has some lil used jbl twin coil sub lying with him selling for 4k. but he suggests instead of putting that sub i should get an equalizer first because i havent got a sub out in my current head unit and its just got a 2-ch equalizer inbuilt.

so equalizer really going to do wonders for me? he sounded very convincing about it telling me i ll be happy with my current setup ifi just add the equalizer and think about the sub later

abhinav.gupta88 · 14th February 2009, 13:30

It should but not to a great extent.
My Suggestion is go for a HU upgrade and a better sub.
in the low budget range you have subs like

JBL , GZ , Pioneer etc.

DjNik · 14th February 2009, 13:35

Equalizer wont be of much help if the ouput from the HU is of low quality.Hence get a better HU with a 3 band or 7 band digital equalizer.

paras211 · 14th February 2009, 13:43

hmmm i was wary of changing the head unit since the stock one looks the best .I dont really like lots of lights flashing and most other units would seem out of place. there is a slight curve on the dashboard too and unit continues the flow.
may be i ll look at something, can u guys suggest some hu that dont have bright lights flashing??

DjNik · 14th February 2009, 14:10

The Pioneer 6050UB is a good HU and isnt very flash either.

abhinav.gupta88 · 14th February 2009, 19:19

Do have a look at some Alpines too.
Not at all flashy in my opinion.

paras211 · 14th February 2009, 21:57

would you suggest some alpine 2 din models on the cheaper side 10-12k ish? i am not too keen on pioneer jvc and sony. donno about jbl.

abhinav.gupta88 · 14th February 2009, 22:36

JBL does not make HUs.
Alpine is good however you wont find one in the double din from Alpine in that range.

valhallen.282 · 15th February 2009, 10:53

as far as possible bass tubes can be avoided. instead please first try getting that sub installed into a sealed enclosure that should give you some tighter bass. pm people like ramie or gunbir for help

paras211 · 15th February 2009, 13:47

you mean i should get the sub out of the tube and put it in a sealed box? you talking about a completely different sub .

@abhinav what price range should i be looking at for a 2 din alpine? does i din fint in theprice range may be i ll settle for a single din .

@everyone suggestions please.

abhinav.gupta88 · 15th February 2009, 19:09

You can get a 1 Din Alpine for that range.
Dunno the model number though.

DerAlte · 16th February 2009, 14:26

Equalizer *can* help, but only to a limited extent. Looks like your system is not tuned well, since a bass tube with an amp is unlikely to be bad. Even changing from a tube to a sealed box is unlikely to help if the tuning is not done properly.

What is it about the bass tube that does not satisfy your expectations? Loudness? Integration with the rest of the music? 'Boom'iness?

Don't 'throw' money expecting that money alone will buy you satisfaction. There is nothing wrong with your HU - it is possible to bring out a separate RCA output from the HU even if it doesn't have one (use speaker to RCA level converters - search the forum for pictures and references; use a Y cable for separate outputs). Then, you can use your sub amp to tailor the response to your liking - one anyway recommends the HU controls to be kept flat.

paras211 · 16th February 2009, 23:35

the tube is boomy not punchy. i think i ve got the converters for the speakers but i am not sure.i thought a dedicated sub out would do wonders coz if i turn the speakers off and just keep the tube on i can still hear faint vocals.

DerAlte · 17th February 2009, 12:07

* You are noticing the 'faint vocals' at the sub not because there is no dedicated SUB OUT, but because you have not set the LPF correctly at the amp. Set the cut-off frequency (the highest frequency the sub should play) at the amp to about 80Hz - you should hear less of the vocals. Also, if you switch off speakers, this is more noticeable (it is never completely 0) - but then there is no harm really because of this

* Punch is an inherent property of the sub. Not that a tube or ported enclosure cannot be made to sound punchy - it is a manipulation of the variables. For example, you could try stuffing some cloth (not too tight) in the port to see the difference it makes. Yes, a properly designed sealed box is "punchier", but only if the sub is inherently capable of that

* If you put the same sub in a sealed box, you will require much more power to drive it unlike what you are doing with the tube

paras211 · 17th February 2009, 21:47

i connected a 6850( not sure) and i was blown away by my tube, it was a completely different setup playing.
so new head unit to be bought. are the 9886,9884 alpine still available?

14th February 2009, 13:26	#1
paras211 BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: mumbai Posts: 646 Thanked: 108 Times View My Garage	equalizer? ok i ve got some money to blow and thought about an ICE upgrade. i ve got a corolla with the stock 6 cd player and blaupunkt speakers and amp and bass tube(its pretty basic nothing high end bass tube has dissapointed me, happy with the rest. local music guy has some lil used jbl twin coil sub lying with him selling for 4k. but he suggests instead of putting that sub i should get an equalizer first because i havent got a sub out in my current head unit and its just got a 2-ch equalizer inbuilt. so equalizer really going to do wonders for me? he sounded very convincing about it telling me i ll be happy with my current setup ifi just add the equalizer and think about the sub later
	() Thanks

14th February 2009, 13:30	#2
abhinav.gupta88 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Delhi , India Posts: 4,092 Thanked: 325 Times View My Garage	It should but not to a great extent. My Suggestion is go for a HU upgrade and a better sub. in the low budget range you have subs like JBL , GZ , Pioneer etc.
	() Thanks

14th February 2009, 13:35	#3
DjNik BHPian Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Kolkata Posts: 340 Thanked: 3 Times	Equalizer wont be of much help if the ouput from the HU is of low quality.Hence get a better HU with a 3 band or 7 band digital equalizer.
	() Thanks

14th February 2009, 13:43	#4
paras211 BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: mumbai Posts: 646 Thanked: 108 Times View My Garage	hmmm i was wary of changing the head unit since the stock one looks the best .I dont really like lots of lights flashing and most other units would seem out of place. there is a slight curve on the dashboard too and unit continues the flow. may be i ll look at something, can u guys suggest some hu that dont have bright lights flashing??
	() Thanks

14th February 2009, 14:10	#5
DjNik BHPian Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Kolkata Posts: 340 Thanked: 3 Times	The Pioneer 6050UB is a good HU and isnt very flash either. Attached Thumbnails
	() Thanks

14th February 2009, 19:19	#6
abhinav.gupta88 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Delhi , India Posts: 4,092 Thanked: 325 Times View My Garage	Do have a look at some Alpines too. Not at all flashy in my opinion.
	() Thanks

14th February 2009, 21:57	#7
paras211 BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: mumbai Posts: 646 Thanked: 108 Times View My Garage	would you suggest some alpine 2 din models on the cheaper side 10-12k ish? i am not too keen on pioneer jvc and sony. donno about jbl.
	() Thanks

14th February 2009, 22:36	#8
abhinav.gupta88 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Delhi , India Posts: 4,092 Thanked: 325 Times View My Garage	JBL does not make HUs. Alpine is good however you wont find one in the double din from Alpine in that range.
	() Thanks

15th February 2009, 10:53	#9
valhallen.282 BHPian Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 331 Thanked: 196 Times	as far as possible bass tubes can be avoided. instead please first try getting that sub installed into a sealed enclosure that should give you some tighter bass. pm people like ramie or gunbir for help
	() Thanks

15th February 2009, 13:47	#10
paras211 BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: mumbai Posts: 646 Thanked: 108 Times View My Garage	you mean i should get the sub out of the tube and put it in a sealed box? you talking about a completely different sub . @abhinav what price range should i be looking at for a 2 din alpine? does i din fint in theprice range may be i ll settle for a single din . @everyone suggestions please.
	() Thanks

15th February 2009, 19:09	#11
abhinav.gupta88 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Delhi , India Posts: 4,092 Thanked: 325 Times View My Garage	You can get a 1 Din Alpine for that range. Dunno the model number though.
	() Thanks

16th February 2009, 14:26	#12
DerAlte Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 8,069 Thanked: 2,919 Times	Equalizer can help, but only to a limited extent. Looks like your system is not tuned well, since a bass tube with an amp is unlikely to be bad. Even changing from a tube to a sealed box is unlikely to help if the tuning is not done properly. What is it about the bass tube that does not satisfy your expectations? Loudness? Integration with the rest of the music? 'Boom'iness? Don't 'throw' money expecting that money alone will buy you satisfaction. There is nothing wrong with your HU - it is possible to bring out a separate RCA output from the HU even if it doesn't have one (use speaker to RCA level converters - search the forum for pictures and references; use a Y cable for separate outputs). Then, you can use your sub amp to tailor the response to your liking - one anyway recommends the HU controls to be kept flat.
	() Thanks

16th February 2009, 23:35	#13
paras211 BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: mumbai Posts: 646 Thanked: 108 Times View My Garage	the tube is boomy not punchy. i think i ve got the converters for the speakers but i am not sure.i thought a dedicated sub out would do wonders coz if i turn the speakers off and just keep the tube on i can still hear faint vocals.
	() Thanks

17th February 2009, 12:07	#14
DerAlte Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 8,069 Thanked: 2,919 Times	* You are noticing the 'faint vocals' at the sub not because there is no dedicated SUB OUT, but because you have not set the LPF correctly at the amp. Set the cut-off frequency (the highest frequency the sub should play) at the amp to about 80Hz - you should hear less of the vocals. Also, if you switch off speakers, this is more noticeable (it is never completely 0) - but then there is no harm really because of this * Punch is an inherent property of the sub. Not that a tube or ported enclosure cannot be made to sound punchy - it is a manipulation of the variables. For example, you could try stuffing some cloth (not too tight) in the port to see the difference it makes. Yes, a properly designed sealed box is "punchier", but only if the sub is inherently capable of that * If you put the same sub in a sealed box, you will require much more power to drive it unlike what you are doing with the tube
	() Thanks

17th February 2009, 21:47	#15
paras211 BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: mumbai Posts: 646 Thanked: 108 Times View My Garage	i connected a 6850( not sure) and i was blown away by my tube, it was a completely different setup playing. so new head unit to be bought. are the 9886,9884 alpine still available?
	() Thanks