Custom Autosound opinions?

[shifty]

Originally Posted by muddpile

Seems I'm getting mixed reviews on this product. Does anyone know how many RCA cables there are? I want to run 2 amps, a sub amp and a component amp.

As long as you have one pair of good RCA's, you can work around this in an acceptable way.

There are two imemediate and cheap options:
Option 1) Go to Radio Shack and get an RCA-splitter or passive crossover block. The passive crossover block will usually accept one RCA input and split it out to usually three - front/rear/sub, but some have a four-way split to do a center channel also.

Option 2) Go buy a cheap EQ, crossover or preamp unit (most preamps and EQ's are dash mountable). The dash-mounted units will give you more control because they usually have knobs or sliders to adjust the signals. A preamp, crossover or EQ will give you the adjustability you need to tweak the signals to make sure your three amps are getting all the sound you need.


#1 is a good temporary fix. #2 is the recommended solution and you can usually net the parts pretty cheap at CarDomain or a similar place.

[muddpile]

Thanks for the advice shifty! I'm not a fan of option #1, as I've seen it done in a lot of hack installs, but I was thinking about it and option #2 would looks like a good way to go. I could go with a custom autosound head unit and changer (USA-6) and then run it through a nice EQ hidden under the seat, then into both amps. That would work great, look stock and help with any SQ problems that the CAS unit might create.

[shifty]

Originally Posted by muddpile

That would work great, look stock and help with any SQ problems that the CAS unit might create.

Well, yes and no.

A chain is only as good as its weakest link. RCA or low-level/pre-amp level signals don't really have much to them. This is partially why they're so susceptible to electrical interference from passing too close to other power wires in the truck (you should always run RCA's and power separate).

With this in mind, understand this: if CAS' source RCA low-level signal is crappy, all that will happen when it gets to your amps is you will amplify a crappy source signal.

I don't know anything about CAS or the quality of their units. I know they aren't the only one out there who sells units like this, however. I'd really want to hear one of their units that uses amplifiers only with an EQ in-line from their RCAs before I was happy.

You might stop by your local mobile audio shop and see what options they have for shaft radios + CD changers. I'm certain that Sanyo, Pioneer and others still make something you can use. They have to. There's still a demand for it.

[Lemield]

Originally Posted by muddpile

Has anyone ever used this setup? I don't want to cut the dash and reaching to the glovebox is also an inconvenience, so I figured if these things are decent, I'd try one out. I could run the speaker wires into LOC's and then into amps, so nothing would be run off the head unit itself. I would only use their radio and CD changer, the rest would be high end aftermarket. Is this idea worth exploring, or should I just live with reaching across the truck into the glovebox?

I have the stock radio in my dash on my CST and it's still hooked up to the factory antenna. The PO put an AM/FM CD controller and 2 6x9 speakers under the seat. He mounted the speakers in some wedge shaped enclosures and the radio is in a plastic mounting case, flipped over and screwed to the floor. I fabricated a flat steel mounting plate that sits where the original jack was and added a 12 disc changer. I am using a marine antenna that I bought on Ebay (requires no ground). It mounts with double sided tape and works great. I mounted the antenna to my gas tank behind the seat. The whole thing works via remote control and it's completely hidden. I can probably post a picture if you are interested in how it looks. It works pretty nice and sounds good too.

The only thing I don't like about it is that it was necessary to disconnect the seat adjuster cable. I never move the seat anyway but when I do need to, it's a hassle.

[muddpile]

Shifty, don't worry, I understand that a weak link anywhere will harm the overall sound. I'm going to look around some more and see if I can find a few other shaft style options. I've actually built a lot of stereos over the years, and run an audiophile 4 way system in my corvette (pair of 1" Tweets, 4" midranges, 6.5" midbass, 8" subs, top quality crossovers, and a pair of amps. All speakers are JL Audio, all amps and deck are Alpine). I don't want to go that extreme in the truck, as it is just going to be my daily driver, and most of the time I'll just listen to FM radio, and throw a few CD's in the changer for longer trips. I want the stock look, so I figure custom autosound is probably a good choice. I still have a couple Alpine amps sitting around, so those under the seat, with a CD changer and a pair of small 8's or 10's (provided what fits, I may need to rethink) plus a pair of coaxials in the kicks, and I think I could have a nice little daily driver system.

Lemield, if its not too much trouble, pics would be great. Any idea helps.

[Lemield]

Originally Posted by muddpile

Lemield, if its not too much trouble, pics would be great. Any idea helps.

Muddpile, I'll try to get you some pics.

[shifty]

Ok, that settles it. I'm officially on a mission to find a solution to this problem

I am going to try and find a good way to setup a stereo in our trucks without sawing into the dash and include XM or Sirius radio somehow....

[muddpile]

shifty, if you do this, that would be awesome. I too will se what I can come up with as a solution to this problem. With a bench seat, a console won't work well, and the glove box is just too far away. And cutting the dash, well, just plain sucks.

[guyryan100]

so why not the $79 Sanyo unit with any other inputs (CD changer, XM, etc) connected by fm modulator?

I've also noticed that auto stores carry shaft-style players in their audio section. Not sure what brands, but they have 'em.

[guyryan100]

Here's a Jensen on the cheep.



http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...sPageName=WDVW

[muddpile]

The Jensen isn't too bad of a price, but my only concern is that the trim ring will come off and fit correctly in the original dash. Jensen isn't that great of a product, but I'm sure it would work fine for what I'm doing. It looks pretty good, but something less flashy would work nice too. It is definitely something to consider when I'm planning though. Thanks!

[4x4Poet]

The ebay jensen auction only lists its features, no specs such as RMS amps, THD, etc.

Also, no Dolby B for me.

[5150]

Just cut the dash. The best stereos made fit perfect.

[shifty]

does anyone make a custom headliner with a stereo pocket up top? Something that's fashionable and functional at the same time?

I like my metal roof, but ....

[barn9]

I have a CAS unit in my truck, and I am happy with it. And my dash is intact and will stay that way.

[muddpile]

I've decided that I'm going to try the custom autosound unit. If I don't like it, I can always sell it and do something else. Nothing ventured nothing gained sort of thing. I will go with the USA-6 model with the AM/FM in dash receiver, and the 10 disc changer under the seat. Also under the seat will be 2 or 4 8" subs, depending on how much space I have. I also need room for 1 or 2 amps, so I must take that into consideration also. Now, all that's left to decide for the moment is speakers. I have seen the custom autosound ones and in my opinion they suck. I've never heard them, but I've read up on their specs and they are just a basic set of speakers. I will upgrade to something in a higher model, so what is everyones opinion on speaker location. Kicks seem to be tried, tested and true, but what about something more stealth, say a pair of 4" (high quality) in the dash similar looking to the CAS units. I could angle them outwards slightly to get better left/right separation, and I'd have the 8's to make up for the lack of bass. Sound like an alright idea, or should I say screw stealth and just go for the 6.5's in the kicks?

[shifty]

Blaupunkt makes a great low-profile subwoofer. It's about as big and deep as a pie tin. Here are the details:

http://www.blaupunktusa.com/Blaupunk...rive/Subwoofer


If you have kickpanels, something you can do to obscure the speakers is to find some panty host that matches the colour of your interior, recess-fti your speakers so they sit behind teh kick panel (well, so they don't stick out), then stretch the panty hose over the entire kick panel. It's the equivalent to those home speaker grilles where they put the black fabric over the front of a cage that snaps onto the speaker. Using panty hose over kickpanels and speaker grilles is an old school trick to concealing the location of a speaker - the panty house is acoustically invisible (sounds travels through with no loss), so .... You can play around with the idea - panty hose aren't that expensive.

HTH

[shifty]

Here's a picture of those subs.



I don't know anyone who's tried them, but Sport Truck had them in their mag around mid-last year.

[shifty]

Sorry for triple-posting, but .....

To create a proper sound stage, I think you'd want to angle the passenger kick panel speaker up at the driver and angle the driver side up to the passenger side. You can easily add a center channel in the dash vent that sits under the windshield - I can't explain better than that.

I would save the space under your seat for mounting amps and stuff. Be sure to securely harness them. Most thieves like to snatch and run.

[muddpile]

I was thinking about using pantyhose for that, and still might do it. I'm sure I'll be much happier with 6.5" speakers than with 4", plus there is better side separation and longer pathlengths. If I need more sound I could soon add a pair of 4's up top, which would raise my soundstage and add a more centered image. I will definitely hide my equipment under the seat (changer and amps, maybe a small sub) because theives will take anything that is not bolted down. When they look in the window and see a stock looking radio and the kicks will have grille cloth to help blend in with the floor carpet, they will likely just assume it's a stocker and walk away. And if I put anything under the seat, I'll make sure to make it impossible to remove without removing the seat first. No one would take the time to take out 8 seat bolts on the off chance that there is something under there worth taking.

EDIT: Also, those Blaupunkt subs aren't in production yet, just the prototypes. Last I heard they were having trouble finding someone that could build the cones and baskets.

[shifty]

4" speakers are dumb. I'm amazed anyone is still making anything smaller than a 5¼" coaxial. They still make 3.5" speakers! Talk about crazy stuff...

[muddpile]

They make small speakers because there is still a market for them. I'm guilty of owning a high quality set of 3.5" speakers. The dash in my dodge charger takes them, and although small, they do a great job of putting out highs and midrange. Not many people use smaller speakers, but there are still a few that want to keep things 100% stealth.

[4x4Poet]

Shifty,...exactly how do you know panty hose don't cost that much?




Edit: Nevermind. I don't want to know.

[Lemield]

Hi Muddpile,

I got some pictures of my CD setup in my CST. Sorry for the poor pictures but I took them with my Motorola phone!

The first pic is of the dash board with stock radio.
The second is of the 12 disc CD changer I mounted where the jack used to go.
The third pic is looking under the seat at the Pioneer unit and the wedge shaped speaker boxes.
The forth pic is a closeup of one of the speakers.

Hope this gives someone some ideas.

[shifty]

Originally Posted by 4x4Poet

Shifty,...exactly how do you know panty hose don't cost that much?

Hey - mudd - I was reading Truckin' magazine this morning and I realized that someone else is making something similar to the Blaupunkt speakers. I thought it was MTX, but I don't see anything at their site. I'll try to find more information when I get home.