You don't yank it out. I never mentioned yanking out the headunit, and you don't even need to yank out the amp. That's even
if you do a custom sound system. That's why there are
integration DSP units now. The key word there is
integration. You don't yank out any of the active electronics in a car precisely because, in the mid-2000s, at minimum you had to deal with not having a DIN-sized slot for an aftermarket receiver, and that entire panel has entertainment, climate control, and even suspension systems controls on it. The idea behind an
integration DSP is that instead of being fed a digital signal from a high end receiver - such as the flagship Pioneers that have a 1DIN receiver and a 1DIN DSP - you will just take the speaker amp output from the stock system, hook that up to the
integration DSP, run the signal through an ADC, then its own DSP chip so it can do the processing, then back through its own DAC, and then through separate preamplifier channels. At minimum you will
add amplifiers, but
never have to yank out what the factory put in the car.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
sdaughtry /img/forum/go_quote.gif
The stock stereo doesn't sound horrible - it does have very good imaging. The speaker sizes in the dash and rear kick panels are a weird size (7x90mm), which makes it REALLY hard to find replacement speakers. More info on this configuration: http://www.harmankardon.com/content?ContentID=dodge-challenger
There are adapters, like how the Mazda3 came with 5x7 speakers in the doors but we were mounting 6in and 6.5in midwoofers down there. That said, it's not always a straightswap - the orientation of the adapter and the speaker dimensions on either side can still affect mounting, which is why we spent a lot on custom installers. And again adding an
integration DSP will just mean you will add amps, and if you're lucky, no need to yank out the speakers ether. Still, chances are, you'd need to - speakers need to be aimed at a certain toe-in angle. The DSP unit is really the best choice you have.
Still, that can sound like a daunting amount of work to you, but the whole point is I'm laying out one other option that would actually address your problem, rather than simply gambling on addressing one source of it, which is the speaker's response. Oh and the thing is if your stereo has iPod controls, the DAC in the iPod is likely not in use as the signal is passed to the receiver digitally, which then decodes it. So it doesn't matter what you read about what your iPod sounds like vs, say, an iMod or an Ibasso DX50, what you're hearing is your stereo. So if your stereo doesn't sound horrible (though I'm not sure how you separate that from the rest of the system) then it comes down to the tweeter's response, reflections, relative gain, and time alignment. Just hearing one tweeter later than the other, and earlier than the midwoofers, by microseconds can make for a very harsh sound.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
sdaughtry /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Seeing how a headphone amp + DAC made a phenomenal difference for my Desktop PC's Focal 2.1 speakers and Sennheiser HD600s I figured maybe doing something similar with my iPod in my car would help improve it's sound quality. The iPod setup is similar to most cars - plug in the standard USB cable into the bottom of the iPod, plug it into the USB port built into the car and control the iPod via the head unit/steering wheel controls.
Here's the thing though - do you have reflections off your windshield at home? Do you listen with one of the Focal satellites 0.5m from you and the other satellite 1.0m from you? Do you listen to the headphone with one earcup pulled apart from your head? Because these are problems that are present in a car but not at home. That's why enthusiasts scrapped the "GIGO" principle for
integration DSPs - it might not have started out with the perfect DAC circuit but now the DSP can apply the corrections to deal with the above problem (plus the proper installation), on top of which, Alpine's DSPs come with a reference CD that the DSP can use to check if the system sounds right based on their lab readings, applying more EQ correction parameters to level out the sound. The problem with that of course is that most people didn't like how, basically, their Grado-like car systems were basically turned into HD600s or K702s.
In any case, back to your car...how do you know the iPod DAC is the problem and the stock receiver isn't horrible when, apart from how hard it is to differentiate between parts you haven't used with other gear, your iPod is feeding the receiver a digital signal? Either the receiver has no problems, or that one is one of the problems. Even if it's the latter the realities of your car cabin is a bigger problem than the quality of the DAC. If it made a lot of difference in your home system it's not simply because your initial source sucked, but also because the listening environment isn't there to screw up whatever the speakers are spitting out that it got from whichever DAC.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
sdaughtry /img/forum/go_quote.gif
The Dodge head unit has a pretty crummy 3 band EQ... and no separate subwoofer volume control or ability to alter crossover points.
But i the 3-band EQ a parametric EQ? If it is, then you can switch what frequency, and maybe the Q factor as well.
If its' a "Low/Bass, Mid, High/Treble" kind of crummy EQ then just lower the treble as far as it goes and then just dial back a bit. Don't boost the sub too much, or at all, maybe even cut if necessary.
What about the other controls? If it has BAL control then bias the sound to the passenger side so the tweeter nearest you isn't relatively louder. If it has FAD(er) control bias all the sound to the front, forget the rear fill - that way you get less speakers that screw up time alignment and mid-treble producing speakers that the subwoofer has to overcome.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
sdaughtry /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I've read up on the Apogee One (http://www.apogeedigital.com/blog/blog-how-to/listen-audiophile-quality-music-car-apogee-one-ios-device), but if you plug into the head unit via the AUX port you lose the ability to navigate through the iPod via the head unit/steering wheel controls..... which creates a distracted driving scenario.
Again, that's one of the reasons for
integrated DSPs - you still see everything on the stock receiver's display. However they can only just polish up what installation can't fix (especially with practical considerations), not correct improper speaker mounts like putting the tweeters and midrange firing straight up from the dash and onto a highly reflective windshield that, for obvious reasons, cannot be covered by sound dampening materials.
In the end any DAC you use will still end up with that distracted driving scenario anyway. Even a DAC designed specifically for iPod use isn't going to integrate the tagging data nor archive browsing into the car's receiver.
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