Audiocontrol EQS setup

Vertigo107

Hey, if anyone is using the EQS, what settings do you suggest as a good starting point?

I have 2-PA200.4's, pushing 2 sets of MM5251 components, one for my fronts, one for rears. Im using them in bridged mode. (I kind of got stuck with these 2 amps, so this is the setup I decided on for the front and rears for now), and a PA1200.1 pushing 1 10inch SR DVC sub. My HU is a Alpine CDA-9857

At this point, I would just like some suggestions as to where I might start with this whole tuning process. ANY advice would be greatly appreciated! (I would consider switching to a 9887 HU if it would prove a better setup)

Thanks!

MacLeod

No real starting point other then everything flat. Itll depend on your car and your speaker locations and a bunch of other stuff.

Tuning is a lot and I mean a LOT of experimenting. Ive had basically the same setup in my car for 3 years now and I still tune on it constantly. But to me, thats the fun part. This wouldnt be half as fun if you just plugged everything in and that was it. Tweaking is what its all about to me.

Just pick a good CD to use as your tuning CD. Try to find Chesky's Ultimate Demonstration Disc. Its painfully boring to listen to but it has some of the most realistic and detailed recordings Ive ever heard.

Also buy a Radio Shack SPL meter and find you a CD that has filtered pink noise at 1/3 octave points. Autosound 2000 has one I believe. Use these to find peaks in your frequency response curve. This can help point out trouble spots.

Vertigo107

Thanks for the info. I am having a hiss that I cant quite figure out at the moment, and it's irritating to say the least. I have checked the RCA's at the HU and amps, with zero success. I have everything grounded well also. It does not get worse with volume, or with the car running. Any suggestions?

arun1963

Vertigo107 wrote: »

Thanks for the info. I am having a hiss that I cant quite figure out at the moment, and it's irritating to say the least. I have checked the RCA's at the HU and amps, with zero success. I have everything grounded well also. It does not get worse with volume, or with the car running. Any suggestions?

It does'nt sound like a grounding problem. Try turning down the gains on the amps a bit. Also do you get this on all cd's i.e. original cd's and burnt cd's? or is it only on the burnt cd's?

Systems

I agree with the gain setting on the amps or EQS are not set properly. I never rely on the age old "turn your HU volume up to 3/4 volume" instructions anymore. I use an Oscope to find my clipping point on my HU and use that as my setting for all adjustments for gains. Both input and output gain settings are done at this volume level. I had the same issue with my Fosgate 3sixty.2 when I installed it. After I found my clipping point on my HU I started with the whole process of setting all the other gains in my system. When I did this my hiss went away. I noticed that the adjustment for the gains on my amps were nowhere near where they had been before. Barely 1/2 way on the adjustment for the highest amount of gain in my system. And I have more than enough volume with room to spare. The whole system sounded MUCH better when done this way. Tuning is another story. As Mac said, it never ends. I've been tuning this system for about 3 weeks now and getting close to what I want to hear. BUT, I only tune for say about 1 1/2 hours of playing with settings per session. I like to listen to the changes before going on with other settings.

What YOU have are several gain settings to contend with.
#1. HU output gain
#2. EQS input gain
#3. EQS output gain
#4. Amp output gain

Start from scratch with everything and follow the directions closely. And don't buy into the old 3/4 volume setting on the HU as a starting point if you can avoid it.

arun1963

I turn off the amp in my hu, so no issues of hu clipping. If your hu has this feature use it. It will allow you to set your gains so that you have a bit more headroom.

Then, I just use the 85% rule. Works fine for me. No hiss, no clipping/distortion. My gains at the amps are at less than half. About the 10 o'clock position. I guess I just trust me ears more than my ability of using a scientific instrument. I'd probably bugger things up, if I went the scientific route. That said the o'scope route is perfectly legit and the textbook way, I guess.

Get the tuning cd, the pink noise cd and the spl meter. Use these to balance each frequency for left / right side from your eq and then level match across the 7 frequencies on your eqs. Then play your normal music and do the last bit of tuning by ear.

If you are serious about tuning and want to create a a good stage and image, you may want to consider the following:

1. Dont run rears. Running rears adds to phase and cancellation issues apart from pulling your soundstage to the rear.

2. You need a hu/processor that gives you time alignment.

3. You need to be able to set 10-12 frequencies independently for left and right side from your hu / processor.

4. An hu or a processor that lets you set an active 3way network is a good option to have.

Once you control these variables, tuning is a journey measured in years. Macs still at it after 3 yrs of running the same equipment. I have been at it for 9 months and have just got to the point where I now hear the limitation of my install. Along the way, I have lost count of the number of times that I felt I had 'arrived' only to discover shortly thereafter....oops its just a milestone, not the destination.

Welcome to the nuthouse buddy

Vertigo107

Any suggestions on a good HU that might better serve me on this jurney?

Systems

Both Alpine and Pioneer make some good HU's that have all the things you need for a good SQ set-up. Both offer time aliagnment, active crossovers, lots of EQ for each channel and so on. Personally I use the Pioneer DEH-880PRS and the 800PRS. I've never used any of the Eclipse units but have heard some good things about them.

Systems

Look here to download some Demo and test disks.

http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/diy-mobile-audio-sq-forum/49642-few-sq-downloads-sheffield-labs-usher-audiophile-voices.html

Vertigo107

I am considering the Alpine 9887HU but im also looking at the Eclipse cd7200mkii as well, which both seem to have very good features. As for turning down the gains; I went out and turned them all completely down, and I still have the hiss? I have taken the eqs out of the mix until I can get rid of this hiss. I may run new/better speaker wires, because what I have in now is on the low scale of things, thinking back, the speaker wires may be the only thing I skimped on... Im not sure if it will help, but I know it cannot hurt!

MacLeod

If youre talking about a slight hiss with the volume turned up fairly high but you cant hear it over music then this is normal. This hiss is from the passive signal being sent from the RCA's to the EQS, EQ's, boosted then sent back out again. Most processors will have this. The only way around it is to have boatloads of power and set the gains to zero or use a digital output from the head unit to the processor which the EQS doesnt have.

Vertigo107

It seems more than slight to me. I am used to a slight hiss in some installs, but nothing quite like this. I have to finish the "big 3" this afternoon, and then i'm going to stop by one of the audio shops and see if it seems normal to them, and go from there. I do appreciate the input from everyone, THANKS! I am leaning toward the Eclipse HU more and more now. It seems like from what i'm reading that it is a great unit, and the 8 volt output should be great!

Systems

Keep the audio and get a new ride.

ntculenuff

get in good with a guy at a stereo shop that has a RTA (real time analyzer) and borrow it. an RTA will help immensely in the control of peaks and valleys with your system in your car than you can tweak from there by ear. this is how i eq'd my jeep. unfortunately with the move i don't have this kind of connection

Vertigo107

I'll do that. We have a few good shops here and one of the shop owners used to be a world champion spl competetor. As for getting a new ride; I have a couple of new rides, but this car in particular is a 87 Grand National, it stays! :-)

Installer4life

The Eclipse CD7200MKII is a wonderful sounding headunit. Probably the best I have ever heard and I have heard many. If you have great eye site then go with this one. I am a little older and had a hard time seeing it...

Vertigo107

Thanks, Im pretty sure this will be the one... As soon as I find one!

Vertigo107

Update; It seems after swapping out my "new" Polk amps with my old amp.. No hiss AT ALL! I got stuck with these "new" amps in a so called "deal" and I'm thinking now that they are refurbs Oh well, live and learn! I'll pick up a couple of new ones and be done with this issue!

Vertigo107

Update on the last update; New amp = Same hiss?? Take out the crossover, and guess what? No hiss... could I possibly have 4 bad crossovers? This is nuts!

Jstas

Doubt it. It might not be a grounding issue with the crossover. It could be a bad grounding on tweeters but not woofers and vice versa.

Otherwise, it might just be noise from the myriad of components you have hooked up. No real way around that.

Vertigo107

It seems that if I "wiggle" the wires at the crossovers, at times it will vanish all together? This sound is there on pause as well, so I know it has nothing to do with what kind of CD is in. Has me baffled.. I did notice that the sound was actually nicer with things wired up active, so as I've said before, I was thinking of going active anyway, so this makes it just that much easier, I just hate not knowing why the hiss is there when I use the crossovers!