blowthemup

Well my 2 year old Singer alternator started acting up so I swapped my stock one back in and everything is fine. Contacted Singer and he has blamed my Civic for having accessory power after the car is off and that's whats causing my alternator to buzz/humm when cars off. Also blamed my batteries for the voltage jumping around when driving, this is with all accessories off while driving. He quit responding to my emails so I consider that he is not wanting to help me and trying to blame other things. If you are on the market for a high output alternator I strongly advise to look elsewhere, Singer does not have the reputation or customer service you hear people talk about. He will leave you with an expensive paper weight if you ever have problems.

What changes do you have to make to an enclosure to increase the sensitivity and or frequency response of a woofer?

I haven't abandoned this thread or gave up yet. Been messing with the settings the past few days. I have ended up pushing my tweeters down to 4k and mids down to 63hz. Cut the very high end frequencies by 1 and the front stage is a lot clearer/audible now. Maybe a little time alignment will help things along but i would say im not sure where to start. As far as the sub goes, i'm still listening and trying to figure things out. When keeping things at moderate volume I notice no distortion or any muddiness regardless of music choice.I just may not have much output on some songs at medium to moderate listening levels. However i'm still trying to find some songs that don't sound the best or bring out the muddiness. I have noticed that anything from mid 30s to low 60s sounds fine even when cranked. Anything below 30 or above 60 sometimes muddies up a little at higher volumes. Im thinking the sub/enclosure just isnt up to the frequencies beyond/nbelow the 30-60hz range on the the wattage im pushing. High 40s seem to be its peak and low 30s sound ok just not as much output. I plan to keep listening and compile songs that dont sound the best and songs that do to compare there frequencies/bass lines. I'm hoping this will give me a better understanding of what the sub likes and doesn't like with its current enclosure.

Thanks for the info M5, anytime I post up a topic I always know you will be there. I kind of got off track of the reason I originally started this topic though. I take it everything looked fine as far as my enclosure and settings go for the sub? I really think it sounds good, maybe I just get carried away with my expectations. Mixed with a few rattles at certain frequencies and maybe some crappy quality music and I might not be getting the subs true response.

I have kind of had my eye on the SSA evil 6.5's and tweeters. Anything else I should consider?

Pioneer D8604, nothing superior but gets the job done.

I'm new to the whole active thing, just tuned things in by ear. I settled at 8k cause anything lower seemed like they really started to hiss. I don't get much output out of them anyhow so I really should look at stepping it up to something up to the task.

How low are your average tweeters suppose to be capable of playing. I'll push them down and see how it sounds but I didn't feel like I was gaining much out of doing so. As far as the sub goes, I take it things seem in line based on the info I provided?

I hear that, maybe I just need to give the install a little more tlc as well and do a little more tuning.

I use to have them a little lower, there isn't a huge difference that i can tell bringing the highs down to 6k or the mids down to say 60hz or 50hz. Honestly I really been thinking of setting up some new highs in some custom glassed pillars. My highs now are not that great, seem to get harsh when lowering them.

Pioneer 80prs with image dynamic ctx65cs running active, no time alignment. No rear speakers just front stage. Sub is low passed at 63hz with 36db slope. Mids are low passed at 6.3khz and high passed at 80hz both with 24db slope. Highs are high passed at 8k with 24db slope. All are at 0 as far as level adjustment goes. EQ is zero across the board with everything cut by 1 from 125hz down. This little bit of cutting cleaned things up some, removed some of the harshness. Sub and port to the rear with 40in*2 of port area. I do notice a big difference in quality when using actual real CDs. I just don't have very much music this way.

Right on, doesnt help im in a little civic that is made up of practically nothing. I deafintley need to put a little more time in to fixing a few rattles. That would greatly improve sound quality for sure. I just wish there was more bass over a variety of music, but then again if the songs dont have bass then there is nothing to look for I suppose.

I will have to run a a few songs through audacity that seem to not do so well and see what frequency they are. Everything in the mid 30's up to about 50ish does good. Anything higher and it seems peaky and maybe a little harsh. Anything below 30 doesn't sound that well, seems to just shake the car but that is below tuning so that is probably normal. I know lower notes typically are not as warm or clean sounding as the higher frequency's. I feel like I want to have more sound quality and be able to play a bigger variety of music. I get tired of listening to decaf/rap all the time lol. I am by no means knocking on the Zcon but maybe its not designed to do what i'm looking for?

I have no ideal what your talking about lol. I am running a Sundown Audio SCV-4000d backed up with a xs power d3100. I would like to believe my electrical is pretty decent since I hardly get any voltage drop.

2.5 cubes @ 32hz

Well if you remember I am working with a 12" zcon, I have been pretty happy with it for the most part. It gets loud and hits really hard but sometimes I feel it doesn't have the best transition or response to changes in frequency. Seems a little sluggish when that bass line is moving quickly and is tight grouped if you follow what i'm saying. Was maybe considering playing around with the enclosure and tuning but just wanted to get educated first.

Thanks for the input CrazyKenKid.

How well do these work? I was looking for a way to clean up the wires a little and allow moving the amp in and out a little easier. Was just worried about how well they stay put or if they come loose easily?

http://store.soundsolutionsaudio.com/products/1-0-awg-to-1-0-awg-reducer-pair.html These are what I'm talking about just to make sure we're talking bout the same thing.

I'm still trying to take it easy on the sub and let it get broken in a little. Also keeping in mind that I only have the stock alternator in right now. I don't intend to throw 4k at it daily full tilt all day long. But the power is there if I want it.

Well I finally got a new amp and battery to throw the rebuilt ZCON on. Hopefully this weekend I will get everything in the car.

The whole floor of the trunk has two layers of second skin damplifier pro, I then needed something solid to secure everything to so I cut a sheet of wood to cover the spare tire area. This is screwed down to the metal trunk of the car and not going anywhere, the battery box and sub enclosure are then screwed down to the sheet of wood. My mounting options for the amplifier were limited and as much as I hate putting it on the box however it did allow for a easy/clean installation. I have taken anything that I don't need out of the rear of the car to mainly help keep rattling down and also help with weight. This included the plastic rear deck trim cover, rear seat belts, the rear stock unused speakers/sub, rear plastic a pillars, rear seat latches. Most of these parts removed the major rattles. The rear interior may not be the prettiest but at least it sounds better. This is in a 2013 Civic SI coupe and after adding 200 lbs to the trunk I will take every pound back in rattling parts that I can. The extra weight is definitely noticeable in such a small light car, its not as nimble anymore. Still need to get my Singer alternator in, however stock alternator has been doing a great job in the mean time thanks to the awesome XS Power 3100. Nothing below mid 13's so far, I could probably get away without the high output alternator but I have it so I am gonna use it. Also still have a few things to tidy up but at least its in and playing. Sorry I didn't take a lot of pictures and make it more of a build log.

Thanks, I need to paint all that wood black and it would probably look better. I'm not gonna be too picky about the looks though cause it sounds so darn good. The 4k made a huge difference over the 2.5k, i'm extremely happy with the results.

Here is the update, I didn't do a darn thing all weekend cause I was feeling crappy. Hopefully next weekend guys.