OK AUDIOPHILES, what do we think of this STEREO BUILPLAN?

[rodmf]

You guys are the best. Back from the WOW Electronics in Clinton Township (MI). They have been so great to work with. The bass blockers and the sound deadening helped out a lot. But I still hear some cracking. The technician explained that the cheap Bronco factory radio puts some limits on the sound. He suggested a basic DSP. He did some research and showed me one he thinks would do the trick. He ordered and will install it Friday, then done done DONE with this project lol. I think these last two fixes should get me in the zone I need to be, generally outstanding sound!

Sponsored

 

[Brian_B]

I asked the shop to tune it so everything sounds as it should, and they did. Is that the same thing as Forscan? Yes, non-B&O.

If you have the 6.600 and no DSP or pre-amp… there is absolutely nothing to tune. You are taking whatever Ford gives you and just making it louder.

There are a few band pass filters you can switch on the amp but that’s a pretty basic setting based on speaker type (tweeter/woofer/etc). But no actual tuning you can do without an EQ or DSP there.

Forscan - there are two basic settings there for non-B&O systems

The first is you can, per speaker, set the type of installed speaker. This is basicallly the same thing as the band pass setting on your amp: if you say Tweeter, it will cut all Bass to that channel; if you say woofer it will cut all treble, etc.

The second is a master EQ enable/disable, which turns the factory tuning for stock speakers on or off.

 

[23OBX2.7]

Absolutely need a DSP that flattens OE signal and tune from there.

 

[GRNMACHINE]

I have never heard of these amps before-Musway. Plug n Play Highly recommended them for their pricepoint and DSP.

 

[Brian_B]

I have never heard of these amps before-Musway. Plug n Play Highly recommended them for their pricepoint and DSP.

They have been really popular around these forums. I've heard mostly good things about them. I very nearly went with one myself.

 

[Brian_B]

Absolutely need a DSP that flattens OE signal and tune from there.

My issue - without the DSP, with the Forscan EQ setting disabled - I could get the sound ok. Not great, but livable. The big thing was time phase alignment. With dash speakers that bounce off the glass straight at your head, kick panels that are muffled down by your ankles, and rear pods that are right behind you... the sound all hits your ear at slightly different times. Enough so that it, at least for me, affected how I was hearing it: muffled and muddled, like I was listening from around the corner behind a wall or something.

If I disabled the Ford EQ (which I suspect does have a time phase alignment calibration applied) - the speakers got full range. You can coarsely analog tune them with physical blockers/band pass filters/etc the old school way - which is where a lot of this bass blocker stuff comes from around here, but no way to adjust that time phase issue easily.

If I enabled the Ford EQ - I lost that range and the music sounded flat, but at least it wasn't muddled like I was listening from outside the car with the doors closed and windows up.

Have to have a DSP of some sort to get that time phase alignment corrected.

With the Ford EQ disabled - I found the sound profile was pretty flat. It does still roll off under 50Hz, but apart from that, it was pretty neutral. But having a DSP really helps soften the harshness of the dash reflection and splitting the kicks from the dash helps to balance out the front channel a lot. It did take me a lot of time and fiddling to get this front channel sounding good.

The rear pods didn't need a lot, they were pretty good tone-wise - just adjusted the volume a bit to get the sound stage centered where you want it (a bit louder to move the stage to the middle, or adjust quieter to make it more front-centric like a traditional stereo).

 

[EOD98]

I had the Musway M6 Pro and it was fantastic. However, so is Audison and Helix. I’m currently using the Audison Forza AF M12.14 bit DSP.

 

[T800]

Part of the problem is it's not like trying on a pair of shoes: You can't easily compare the two. Probably most of us are upgrading simply because the OEM system is garbage and we just want something decent.

The real question regarding DSP vs. no DSP is how high end do you want it and are you willing to pay for the difference? Someone that claims to be an audiophile is probably going to want one because they can hear the difference.

For a basic system for someone that's never been an enthusiast, just wants it to sound as good as possible, keep the budget lower, it's not necessary. If you have heard a system with a DSP and can compare it to one without a DSP AND can tell the difference, then you probably want one.

I discussed this with the shop I have been using for the last 3 cars. The answer was that if I was happy with my previous vehicle with a basic system (5 or 6 channel single amp) that it's not necessary. When you get into multiple amps, all component speakers, then it becomes more necessary.

Somewhere in between: They used an Audiocontrol LC71Pro. Used a wiring harness that goes from the OEM harness and separates the wires. They then go into the Audiocontrol, then out to the amp. It gives the system some adjustability without adding a DSP or buying a more expensive amp that has a DSP built in.

 

[Brian_B]

I'd say even the auto-tuning DSP in the Kicker Key is enough to make a good difference.

 

[23OBX2.7]

My issue - without the DSP, with the Forscan EQ setting disabled - I could get the sound ok. Not great, but livable. The big thing was time phase alignment. With dash speakers that bounce off the glass straight at your head, kick panels that are muffled down by your ankles, and rear pods that are right behind you... the sound all hits your ear at slightly different times. Enough so that it, at least for me, affected how I was hearing it: muffled and muddled, like I was listening from around the corner behind a wall or something.

If I disabled the Ford EQ (which I suspect does have a time phase alignment calibration applied) - the speakers got full range. You can coarsely analog tune them with physical blockers/band pass filters/etc the old school way - which is where a lot of this bass blocker stuff comes from around here, but no way to adjust that time phase issue easily.

If I enabled the Ford EQ - I lost that range and the music sounded flat, but at least it wasn't muddled like I was listening from outside the car with the doors closed and windows up.

Have to have a DSP of some sort to get that time phase alignment corrected.

With the Ford EQ disabled - I found the sound profile was pretty flat. It does still roll off under 50Hz, but apart from that, it was pretty neutral. But having a DSP really helps soften the harshness of the dash reflection and splitting the kicks from the dash helps to balance out the front channel a lot. It did take me a lot of time and fiddling to get this front channel sounding good.

The rear pods didn't need a lot, they were pretty good tone-wise - just adjusted the volume a bit to get the sound stage centered where you want it (a bit louder to move the stage to the middle, or adjust quieter to make it more front-centric like a traditional stereo).

The only reason I keep B&O amp is for the tune which they spent a long time on with cabin sensor arrays and analysis, and its loud enough....I dont feel like spending hours and hours on running wires to front and tuning a DSP.

Sponsored