Local USACi competition

MacLeod

Whadya know?! Just got word that USACi is putting on a show here in town on November 12th!! I think Ill giver a try.

Only things I dont like about USACi is they put too much emphasis on installation. As long as its safe and neat I dont think it should matter. They deduct points if you use drywall type screws to mount your gear. Hell both my amps, all my speakers and my sub are secured using drywall, self tapping screws! They deduct points if youre wires are not secured every 6"!!!

I also dont like the SPL section. Mine is NOT a SPL setup. Hell Ive only got 300 watts going to a single 10 in a sealed box. Ill be lucky to break 100 db!

I think a SQ competition should be just that; SOUND QUALITY! Installation shouldnt matter so long as its safe and neat. Making sure all my wires are secured every 6 inches should matter. SPL definitely shouldnt matter. I need to start my own organization!

Toxis

Install should be bonus points, not requirement points. I'm with ya man! You could build the world's greatest sounding vehicle ever and if it's not 100% to their install requirements, average joe with a great install and junk equipment will whoop you.

Not to mention, 99% of the competitions around here are SPL only. GHEY!

hellohello

I think thats why im a fan of stealth, you dont need to see the system to make it good, I mean all those over the top installs with fiberglass and tvs everywhere, since when does a tv add to the sound? In my mind, if u cant see where the sound is coming from, it adds to the experience, it forces you to focus on the sound, not the fancy lights.

exalted512

USACi isnt a fan of huge flashy installs that you can see, most of them are stealth too...fyi.

world finals are this weekend for USACi.

Im with ya aaron, start your own organization and give ppl with full size trucks 10 points automatically for handicap points. kind of like how the lanes on tracks are staggered to keep everything equal:D

hopefully by late next year ill be competing with the new system/install:D
-Cody

MacLeod

I would break my classes down by vehicle.

Someone in a full size truck with doors 10 feet apart shouldnt have to compete with some rice with doors 3 feet apart.

Toxis

MacLeod wrote:

Someone in a full size truck with doors 10 feet apart shouldnt have to compete with some rice with doors 3 feet apart.

why not? It's not like you're having any benefit over another car. In this case, you might as well have a class for every type car if not the model of each car. What if a Sebring competes against a civic? Same situation...

exalted512

hes not saying he has the benefit, hes saying the car does. if youve ever owned a full size truck and try to make it a sq vehicle, youd understand
-Cody

hellohello

^like broadcasting over the wide open plains...

PolkThug

Could someone copy and paste the judging criteria for the USACi?

PolkThug

USACi SQ Judge Tim Goudy:

The biggest part of our scoresheet is tonal accuracy now. "Placement," meaning are [the instruments and/or performers on the left side of the stage] placed left in the soundstage, where they're supposed to be? Is the center [image] placement center where it's supposed to be? Is right placement right, where it's supposed to be and everything in between is where it's supposed to be? [The soundstage] should be at a stage height that's level with your eyes (a little bit above, a little below is fine). The system shouldn't have any noise in it, shouldn't have any foreign noises in it.

Basically, the way I judge noise is when this car left the showroom floor, when you turned the stereo on and off, it didn't make noise; and when you turned the volume all the way up in a zero-bit, it didn't make noise. If you added noise by adding the system, that's where you count backwards. So it's a fairly simple criteria, but there's some tough competition.

CA:Could you tell me a bit more about the test disc? Are there identifiable, well-known tracks on it, or is it produced solely for the competitions? And are there different tracks designed to illustrate different aspects of the SQ scoresheet?

The disc is available commercially, but is typically used only in competition or for very detailed listening. There are a ton of companies out there that produce "reference" disks (Richard Clark, Sheffield, Mapleshade, etc.), but I prefer the Focal disc over all of them because most of the songs on it are upbeat and most are familiar to me. You can judge the entire score sheet from any track on the disc, but I usually skip around a little just to make sure I am hearing what I think I am hearing in a car. Most judges, myself included, usually only use 3 or 4 tracks when judging a car. A good car should be able to reproduce a good score on any track of any disc that is recorded correctly. I found that the caliber of cars has risen so much that you could put anything from Twisted Sister to The Mask soundtrack in and it would sound good.

neomagus00

i find the criteria to be very useful in tuning my car...

http://www.soundoff.org/05advancedsqrules.htm (the criteria begin almost halfway down, Section VI-K)...

MacLeod

Well its official, we've got another show in the area December 10th. Ive tinkered with my system a little going off the judges recommendations from the last show so Ill see how I do.

Im moving up to the Q class which is no SPL, presentation, showmanship or install just "get in and listen". The problem is its only classified as Consumer or Pro so Ill be competing against guys with kick panels, custom dashes, center channels, professional installs and everything else so I may not do as well.

I dont understand why MECA is the only org that classifies their competitors by vehicle mods. Oh well, Im doing this for fun so Im still looking forward to it and (hopefully) representing Club Polk well.

brettw22

MacLeod wrote:

Hell both my amps, all my speakers and my sub are secured using drywall, self tapping screws!

Random question.....why the hell do you need a self tapper to go through drywall?

hellohello

not for drywall, but the studs behind the drywall

exalted512

he brings up a good point...i still dont understand why youd need a self tapper for a wooden stud?
-Cody

brettw22

Well, there are metal studs, but that's more an industrial application than very common in residential......

I don't like the idea of boring out a hole if I'm counting on something being attached to something and staying there.....

hellohello

well, it makes it easier to attach to the stud if theres a hole pre drilled, but to predrill a hole takes time, so why not have the screw do the pre drilling?

neomagus00

and it doesn't weaken the bond - the only force holding the things together is the threads of the screw, so the hole in the middle is irrelevant...

exalted512

the hole in the middle is relevant my friend. Self tappers in wood makes the hole a little wider because wood strips out easier. Wider hole=less resistance=more likely to strip out when **** it down
-Cody

brettw22

Self tappers should only be used to screw through metal......if you try going through metal without either a pre-drilled hole or a self-tapper, you're gonna turn the screw tip into a rounded useless nub.

MacLeod

Well, thats 2 for Club Polk!

exalted512

so when are you going for grand master?:D
congrats bro
-Cody

MacLeod

Oh, and I just gotta tell you guys about this one dweeb that showed up. I mean, when you think about the stereotypical punk with 5000 watts and factory speakers this guy was it.

This was his first show and as soon as he got there he was talking ****. Came up to me and asked what I was running. I proudly told him Polk Audio/Crossfire. He asked how many watts for the sub I told him 300. He said wed be in the same class and I would lose. I ask if he was competing in the Q class also. He had no idea what that was.

I explained to him what SQ was and he said no I guess Ill be in SPL but I think Ill compete in both because Ive got great "Q" (yes he didnt say great SQ but he has great Q) and did I want to listen. So I went to his truck and listened. Waaaaaay too much harsh treble and basically sounded like crap. Had good bass tho but nothing earth shattering. Nonetheless he told me he guarantees he'll be going home with a trophy. So he wanted to listen to mine and the only thing he noticed was "this dont hit that hard". I tried to explain to him that sound quality has little to do with bass but you could tell he wasnt getting it.

So later Im talking to 3 guys from a team out of Knoxville and he comes over still talking **** and asking everybody what class they were in. Just so happened one of the team members was in his class so he was telling him how awesome his two Concept 10's gettig 150 watts each were (0-300 class). Poor dumb **** didnt have a clue that nobody runs 300 watts in a 300 watt class. So basically everybody hates this dipstick by the beginning of the runs and after all was said and done, out of 9 competitors in his class, he came in DEAD LAST! 9th place! Didnt even stay for the handing out of trophies, just left. What a tool.

MacLeod

exalted512 wrote:

so when are you going for grand master?:D
congrats bro
-Cody

Ha! Not for a while. Ive still gotta lot of work to do. I am going to try and make it to finals tho.

According to the judge my left and right are perfect, tonality it perfect (way to go SR's) height is right but my center is off and I have a little bass still coming from the rear. He recommends a center channel and Im going to look into that. I was thinking maybe a single tweeter in the middle of the dash to help locate the center better.

hellohello

gonna fiberglass it into the center of the dash?

MacLeod

Nah, the new Rams have a built in grill right smack in the middle of the dash with nothing there. I could easily rig up a baffle to mount a tweeter on.

skydeaner

do you pronounce usaci a certain way? or do you spell it out. I know it is an acronym, i just wanted to know if people using pronounce it or not.

exalted512

most ppl just you "u-sack" some people say "u-sacky" but not very often
-Cody

skydeaner

sweet now if I ever go to one I won't get made fun of for calling it something funky!

exalted512

MacLeod wrote:

Nah, the new Rams have a built in grill right smack in the middle of the dash with nothing there. I could easily rig up a baffle to mount a tweeter on.

throw an old momo tweeter in there and see what happens:D
-Cody

swerve

Damn man... congrats.