Any audiophiles here?

The Best online firearms community in Louisiana.

Member Benefits:

  • Fewer Ads!
  • Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership
  • Discuss anti-gun legislation
  • Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section
  • Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses
  • Discover free outdoor shooting areas
  • View up to date on firearm-related events
  • Share photos & video with other members
  • ...and so much more!
  • GunRelated

    Well-Known Member
    Rating - 100%
    41   0   0
    Feb 22, 2012
    3,554
    113
    Walker, La
    Car audio, home audio, portable or headphones, I like it all. If you have a cool setup, share it.



    Spent a couple years collecting equipment for my crew cab truck and finally got it all basically finished up last year. I've had a thing for audio since I was young but really never had the extra funds to buy above average quality, so I have to say, I am extremely satisfied with the way this setup sounds - and I still did it without breaking the bank. This was a lot of work and giving the fact that this is my daily driver, it was hard to commit to tearing it apart to get everything done in a timely manner.

    Here's a list of the equipment :

    Pioneer AVH-2400 NEX was already in the truck when I bought it

    Focal Expert PS 165FX 6.5" components for front sound stage - got these from crutchfield for at almost 50% discount before they phased in the new model which is basically the same exact thing.

    Two JL 10w3v3 in a foxbox for bass - bought these local in like new condition for $400 with the box.

    JL Slash v1 300/4 pushing the Focals - bought this on eBay in like new condition for $250 shipped

    JL Slash v1 1000/1 pushing the subs - bought this local in used condition. I bought 2 of these amps, one brand new in the box and one used for....$300, for both! Probably the best deal I've ever ran across in my life. Sold the new one for $700 on eBay and kept the used one - basically paid for the one I kept and the subs.

    NVX 10 farad hybrid capacitor - bought this on eBay like new for $100 shipped

    I also recently added a portable Bluetooth receiver / DAC (EarStudio ES100), just to clean up the signal and overall sound quality and it definitely made a difference, not a HUGE difference, but it definitely sounds better.

    I won't list all the wiring but I used all OFC wire from KnuKonceptz, except for the 1/0 power and ground which I ordered from a welding supply, and KnuKonceptz high end RCA's.

    Used NVX silicone speaker baffles and some thick, sturdy plastic mounting rings to mount the 6.5's in the doors. I like the baffles because they cup to the inside of the door panel and create a fairly decent seal. They also prevent water from draining or splashing onto the rear of the speaker.

    I installed Noico 80mil sound dampening on the front doors. I ordered this from Amazon and I have nothing to compare it to as this is the first time I have used sound dampening, but I had no problems installing it and it seems to do its job well. For the $ compared to some of the more popular brands, I personally can't justify paying basically double or more for something else.

    I have nothing hooked up in the rear doors and don't plan to, but I do plan to install sound dampening on them at some point.

    I did have plans to have a center console built to hide two JL 12w6v3, which I picked up local in good condition for $500 in a well built box. As of now, I have scrapped that plan because I'm not willing to fork over the money to have the box built and installed and I can't have my truck in a shop for an extended period of time. Plus, I was unable to find a local shop that had the time and availability to do it. I was wanting something that looked close to a factory console, which would have been possible, but a tight fit for those subs. They won't fit under the rear seat without a lift. I have put them on the back seat just to hear them and - damn they sound so good. I try not to think about them too much because it makes me want to get them in the truck some kinda bad. But I have to say, the two 10w3's sound great and they definitely get down - I have them running at around 500-600 RMS each. I am unsure what that slash 1000 actually puts out, I'm guessing somewhere around 1100-1200 RMS. I set the gain with a multimeter to just under 600 watts each if I remember correctly.

    The Focals sound amazing. Crystal clear with a great soundstage and loud enough to keep up with the bass. I was shocked to see them priced at such a discount at a time when I was actually in the market for that specific model. I was considering running active and going with JL C7 mids and tweets but when I saw the Focals at that price, it was a no brainer and I am well pleased with them.

    I have never used a capacitor before, and I have read a lot of conflicting information about their use, but I figured I'd give it a shot. I can't say if it makes much of a difference or not to be honest.

    The truck already had the big 3 installed when I bought it. I'm just running standard batteries though, for now. I just replaced the truck system battery as it was shot, and I will be replacing the audio system battery soon. I'm unsure what I will replace it with, but am leaning towards just a standard "high end" battery. I do not have a battery isolator installed yet, but a friend has a new one that he has no use for, so I will likely end up using it. If anyone has any input on the next battery replacement, I'd like to hear.


    The pics uploaded a bit out of order for whatever reason.
    404c638c07519ec72e80d3c19cbcee70.jpg
    f9d74f32bb92fa8f03830c87d962f844.jpg
    02c48a4504dd97985f41d9e5203c1554.jpg
    7631bbc251cd394916399d633af8e9a4.jpg
    9850be35e5faf7a5ff98bf5b5433d52b.jpg
    06ab50b4a3fb5e4c404337c573e0af60.jpg
    bdf9cb49ae790e4ad6596be51efadfc1.jpg
    efd0a98733dd3746ea97b0e1511f3f2c.jpg
    c11526e972eb71beed1ce8f0dd39b246.jpg
    48487f2c8fd1409a253381c5017ee09a.jpg
    35b2275cd92b8cf293cc2c880d59d54e.jpg
    3e0c993ef59b0825c12280f116fff78f.jpg
    bc9f1baa8462a8a8933372d9bbaef907.jpg
    547284c26151d748d83b725496b2ea49.jpg
    d6059b99cdfbdfafa7e8091fa0a8feb2.jpg

    91c3ae5b54b3f036c61311ca6738f2e0.jpg
     
    Last edited:

    CatCam

    Ready, Shoot, Aim!
    Rating - 100%
    5   0   0
    Feb 20, 2013
    1,025
    63
    wow - what a nice setup!

    I don't do the car audio stuff - more into home audio. Nothing real special but I'm on a Vinyl kick -- listening to old vinyl on my Technics 1200mk2 has a special place for me.
     

    340six

    -Global Mod-
    Staff member
    Premium Member
    Rating - 100%
    5   0   0
    Apr 12, 2012
    6,499
    113
    Kenner, La
    wow - what a nice setup!

    I don't do the car audio stuff - more into home audio. Nothing real special but I'm on a Vinyl kick -- listening to old vinyl on my Technics 1200mk2 has a special place for me.
    Lots of vintage vinyl here as well new remastered and really try to get tge 180-220 gram if avalible if getting new.
     

    bearfutedninja

    coming soon
    Rating - 100%
    17   0   0
    Mar 16, 2009
    1,946
    48
    lafayette
    My old car i built in like 06 had all boston acoustics gt 42 4 channel Gt 24 2 channel boston pro components front and rear pioneer avic z2 i think, built in hard drive and nav . Red top up front yellow in rear. Had a jl10w7 in a ported box. Only pic i found of the amps
    FB_IMG_1452036673089.jpg
     

    GunRelated

    Well-Known Member
    Rating - 100%
    41   0   0
    Feb 22, 2012
    3,554
    113
    Walker, La
    wow - what a nice setup!

    I don't do the car audio stuff - more into home audio. Nothing real special but I'm on a Vinyl kick -- listening to old vinyl on my Technics 1200mk2 has a special place for me.
    Thanks

    I will work on a home audio setup in the future and certainly will include Vinyl. I've got stacks of albums from my dad. For now, I just use ear buds or headphones inside. I picked up a pair of v-moda m100 and paired with the little EarStudio DAC, they sound pretty good but I actually find myself just using my Bluetooth budz most of the time because of convenience and they actually don't sound bad at all themselves.
     

    themcfarland

    tactical hangover
    Rating - 100%
    58   0   0
    Dec 6, 2008
    4,654
    63
    Destrehan
    I have always appreciated good audio. I have recently started looking at the new tech for wireless surround sound for hou se. It has come a long way and is interesting.
    I am not a fan of SMART home listening devices and want to keep what is said in my home and home office private. No smart tv and I wont let GF turn on whatever apple assistance crap they use.
    I was ready to pull the trigger on SONOS when I started seeing where they had listening **** built in too. I appreciate Macintosh amps and gear as well as morantz.
    Still after rebuilding the house and for cost and time restraints, I didnt want to wire in anything for suuround sound as we were simply tired of moving places. 13 different places in 9 months due to the storm.. I was done. SO I was looking at wireless. I should have prewired ****.. lol
     

    GunRelated

    Well-Known Member
    Rating - 100%
    41   0   0
    Feb 22, 2012
    3,554
    113
    Walker, La
    I have always appreciated good audio. I have recently started looking at the new tech for wireless surround sound for hou se. It has come a long way and is interesting.
    I am not a fan of SMART home listening devices and want to keep what is said in my home and home office private. No smart tv and I wont let GF turn on whatever apple assistance crap they use.
    I was ready to pull the trigger on SONOS when I started seeing where they had listening **** built in too. I appreciate Macintosh amps and gear as well as morantz.
    Still after rebuilding the house and for cost and time restraints, I didnt want to wire in anything for suuround sound as we were simply tired of moving places. 13 different places in 9 months due to the storm.. I was done. SO I was looking at wireless. I should have prewired ****.. lol
    Damn man, that's rough, having to move around that much. It's easy to forget how fortunate one is when so many others are deeply affected by these storms or whatever it may be.

    The wireless stuff has definitely improved quite a bit. With the right equipment, I don't believe I could tell the difference between physical media and streaming. I mean, of course we all know that wired connections produce better sound on paper, but I don't think my ears can tell the difference.
    The receiver in my truck doesn't support the latest Bluetooth technology. I can tell the difference in quality from it's Bluetooth connection vs CD. Once I added the DAC that does support the latest Bluetooth, which connects to the receiver via AUX, I could not tell the difference vs CD.

    And I'm with you on the listening devices. It's funny because, I won't have it in my home either, BUT,... We carry a listening device with us everywhere we go. Unless we get rid of our smartphones, they will always be listening, with our consent or not.
     

    themcfarland

    tactical hangover
    Rating - 100%
    58   0   0
    Dec 6, 2008
    4,654
    63
    Destrehan
    I can tell between the different encodings with a good pair of se 215 in the ear monitors.. I have a wired set for long sessions and a wireless set of the same for moving and more of a untethered use.
    WIth the latest BT stuff it has come a long way but I can tell on how it was compressed.
    I have walked out of concerts with bad sound..
    DId you know that in some shows that its in the contract that the opening act cannot be mixed or sound as good as the headlining act? Yep.. its true. record labels suck ass.
    independent is where its at..
     

    GunRelated

    Well-Known Member
    Rating - 100%
    41   0   0
    Feb 22, 2012
    3,554
    113
    Walker, La
    I can tell between the different encodings with a good pair of se 215 in the ear monitors.. I have a wired set for long sessions and a wireless set of the same for moving and more of a untethered use.
    WIth the latest BT stuff it has come a long way but I can tell on how it was compressed.
    I have walked out of concerts with bad sound..
    DId you know that in some shows that its in the contract that the opening act cannot be mixed or sound as good as the headlining act? Yep.. its true. record labels suck ass.
    independent is where its at..
    Wow, I did not know that. That's a cool tidbit. Most of the stuff I listen to now days is from independent artists. Definitely, one of the best things that came from social media is the rise of so many independent artists.

    I've been considering a nice set of ear buds for a while, never could decide on what ones to go with. I bought a OnePlus phone last Thanksgiving and it came with their wireless base model buds and was pleasantly surprised at the sound quality for being a fairly cheap set, so I've just been using them.
     

    Peterpaul227

    Active Member
    Rating - 100%
    9   0   0
    Oct 5, 2019
    30
    8
    Northshore
    Not an audiophile but I appreciate good audio gear . I have the same wharfedale evo 30 speakers I got off Craigslist 15 years ago .I’m on my third amp and third turntable the best “wow” I had was a good dac inside a Cambridge audio CD player , I was listening to Johnny cash and could hear him breathe between singing . if your speakers are toed in just right and a decent ( not expensive) source player , it can sound like the band is right in front of you not just sound coming from in front of you . It will make you look forwards in disbelief.
     

    mongore

    Member
    Rating - 100%
    2   0   1
    Jan 29, 2013
    12
    3
    west bank
    I’m more sql. Always amp the highs . I hate when I hear trunk farts and that’s it. I have the equipment.I need time to build my boxes and put it all together. Got some old sansui towers in my garage that still sound great. Got an all in one 2.1 Yamaha sound bar on my main tv . Lacks bass but overall good enough.
     

    shrxfn

    Well-Known Member
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    Oct 25, 2015
    855
    28
    SWLA
    I used to work at a car audio shop when I was younger. I had a Nissan 200sx-SER and you could hear that thing for miles. I was running Infinity speakers in the doors and rear deck and I custom-built an enclosure for a pair of 10inch Boston Acoustic Pro series subs. I called BA at the time and talked to an engineer who gave me the specs for the box after learning what I had we decided on a band pass box that had 6inch diameter pipes. I was running a Sony Competition Head unit with no internal amps and I had 2 Precision Power Amplifiers one four-channel for the mids and highs and one just for the subs. One night I was driving to a friend's house and he heard me coming about 5 minutes before I got to his house which was a life saver but that is a long story. I could put a quarter on the roof of the car and it would dance from the vibrations from the subs. I wish I had taken pictures but I also did a custom install for a friend and built his box and some panels to mount speakers in his little hatchback car. I don't have anything in my current car but when I restore my 70 Challenger I will be putting some kind of system in after I upgrade the alternator of course I have killed those old ones before with stereos.

    Funny story we had a guy come to the stereo shop one time and ask about us adding an amp to his system in the car. I went out to take a look so I could quote him on time and materials to do the job and after he popped the trunk and I saw that all his stuff was connected with Romex I said sorry we can't work on your car until all the wiring is replaced and gave him a high quote so he would go somewhere else.
     

    George

    Don't tase me bro!
    Rating - 100%
    28   0   0
    Sep 18, 2006
    1,493
    38
    Denham springs
    wow - what a nice setup!

    I don't do the car audio stuff - more into home audio. Nothing real special but I'm on a Vinyl kick -- listening to old vinyl on my Technics 1200mk2 has a special place for me.
    Still have my 1210 mkII
     

    JB-Glock21

    Old School
    Rating - 100%
    17   0   0
    Nov 16, 2009
    855
    28
    Denham Springs
    Audiophile? Yes. My Audiophile journey spans 65+ years. First system was Jensen 15" Mono Bass Reflex.

    And there it began.

    Then came Stereo and the system upgrade bug. Bass Reflex, Tuned Port, Acoustic Suspension, Horns, Cones, Electrostatic, Solid-state, Tubes, Amp & Pre-amp, Integrated Amp, Turntables & Cartridges, speaker placement, room treatments, the list goes on.

    Seen the Lp fall to the cassette tape then to the CD. The CD, fall to Digital Streaming. And a resurgence to Vinyl.

    Seen the tube fall to the transistor (solid-state). And again, the resurgence back to tubes.

    Yep, "been there done that". Finally made peace settling on tubes and just enjoy the music.

    Two-channel Stereo Rulz!
     

    AustinBR

    Make your own luck
    Staff member
    Admin
    Rating - 100%
    15   0   0
    Oct 22, 2012
    10,791
    113
    I just ordered a Sonos Arc, Sonos Sub, and two Sonos Ones for my living room.

    If I like them, I'll probably get two to four Sonos Five's as well for various rooms.

    As for things listening - I love it. We have a full smart home setup and I love being able to tell Google to do random ****...or better yet, have Google just do the random **** without me having to even think it.
     

    JB-Glock21

    Old School
    Rating - 100%
    17   0   0
    Nov 16, 2009
    855
    28
    Denham Springs
    I just ordered a Sonos Arc, Sonos Sub, and two Sonos Ones for my living room.

    If I like them, I'll probably get two to four Sonos Five's as well for various rooms.

    As for things listening - I love it. We have a full smart home setup and I love being able to tell Google to do random ****...or better yet, have Google just do the random **** without me having to even think it.
    A fine example of how far advanced listening has become. Far cry from the days of getting up every 15 mins to "turn the record over"

    Kudos!
     

    buttanic

    Well-Known Member
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Dec 2, 2010
    1,254
    63
    LaPlace, LA
    With my hearing anything more than an AM radio would be a waste of money. No audio equipment in the world can make up for hearing loss, protect your ears.
     

    AustinBR

    Make your own luck
    Staff member
    Admin
    Rating - 100%
    15   0   0
    Oct 22, 2012
    10,791
    113
    A fine example of how far advanced listening has become. Far cry from the days of getting up every 15 mins to "turn the record over"

    Kudos!
    Agreed, technology can be pretty cool!

    Now I just need the products to actually come in. Finding SONOS stuff is seemingly pretty hard.
     

    Forum statistics

    Threads
    195,221
    Messages
    1,546,083
    Members
    29,168
    Latest member
    Lyle.lejeune2017
    Top Bottom