i had thought about hooking the stock w/upgraded speakers car stereo into the house battery too, but decided it was not worth the hassle since i already had surplus inverter capacity and old somewhat high end home audio/video equipment, (studio near field monitors where built for small spaces!) separate stereo's make life so much easier and at low volume it is easy on the inverter/battery!
Audio upgrade for dummies
I need help. Lot's of it.
I want to keep the stock stereo - I like the stock look and don't need crazy sound. What I would like is to make the stocker all it can be. Can someone guide me as to what to purchase. Do I need an amp? Should I add a subwoofer? I plan on upgrading the speakers and adding two more in the middle location. Any suggestions on what to get?
My goals are to have a stereo that is loud and fun enough to make road tripping more enjoyable - I won't be cranking it up at the campground. Maybe tailgating
My final question is how do I hook all this up? I know nothing about stereos and wires scare me. I don't even know how to hook up the extra speakers - do I cut the wires and splice two on? Can I simply use a vampire type clip to get my extra wires?
I don't want a shop to do it because -
I am frugal and want to spend the $ elsewhere.
I don't trust anyone to do the work the way I want it done.
I want to build the whole van myself.
Stereo guys help me out! All will benefit as I will document my blunders here.
Bonus points if anyone knows how I can run the stereo off house battery and truck battery.
I want to keep the stock stereo - I like the stock look and don't need crazy sound. What I would like is to make the stocker all it can be. Can someone guide me as to what to purchase. Do I need an amp? Should I add a subwoofer? I plan on upgrading the speakers and adding two more in the middle location. Any suggestions on what to get?
My goals are to have a stereo that is loud and fun enough to make road tripping more enjoyable - I won't be cranking it up at the campground. Maybe tailgating
My final question is how do I hook all this up? I know nothing about stereos and wires scare me. I don't even know how to hook up the extra speakers - do I cut the wires and splice two on? Can I simply use a vampire type clip to get my extra wires?
I don't want a shop to do it because -
I am frugal and want to spend the $ elsewhere.
I don't trust anyone to do the work the way I want it done.
I want to build the whole van myself.
Stereo guys help me out! All will benefit as I will document my blunders here.
Bonus points if anyone knows how I can run the stereo off house battery and truck battery.
21 - 40 of 66 Posts
Many moons ago I was a Car Audio Installer. Jensen was far and away my most failed/returned Item. Jensen and Audiovox are the same company and are part of the Recoton Electronics group. Audiovox is a higher quality of the two brands.Yeah, just a matter of doing enough research I reckon. Your original post got the wheels turning for me on the subject.
In more than one place I've run into people specifically touting Jensen DVD/TV's but in looking at the web I see no compelling reason for settling on that brand. Does anyone who reads this forum know what the special appeal of Jensen is?
I have put in many TV/DVD players. Far and away the best Overheads are Alpine, but come with a very pretty price tag.
https://www.amazon.com/Alpine-PKG-R...78266666&sr=8-16&keywords=overhead+dvd+player
I have had mixed results with Pyle and Concept.
Hope that helps.
Thanks for your feedback - am wanting something with a larger screen. You're right about the price tag, especially for such a small picture.Many moons ago I was a Car Audio Installer. Jensen was far and away my most failed/returned Item. Jensen and Audiovox are the same company and are part of the Recoton Electronics group. Audiovox is a higher quality of the two brands.
I have put in many TV/DVD players. Far and away the best Overheads are Alpine, but come with a very pretty price tag.
https://www.amazon.com/Alpine-PKG-R...78266666&sr=8-16&keywords=overhead+dvd+player
I have had mixed results with Pyle and Concept.
Hope that helps.
I would still like to have a TV for viewing while camping. I imagine something aimed out the side doors big enough to be viewed from outside. I may end up with a 12v TV of some sort.
I am thinking now for my house/camping radio I will get a nice quality bluetooth speaker and use that. They provide decent sound and I can listen to what I want without a drain on my battery. Portable too so I can bring the sound where I need it and be neighbor friendly if needed.
If a Yeti 4000 will power a fridge I may end up with one for house power. Still researching...
I am thinking now for my house/camping radio I will get a nice quality bluetooth speaker and use that. They provide decent sound and I can listen to what I want without a drain on my battery. Portable too so I can bring the sound where I need it and be neighbor friendly if needed.
If a Yeti 4000 will power a fridge I may end up with one for house power. Still researching...
This is a great idea - I did not consider this but have already bought some speakers. Maybe I will return a set and replace the rears with bigger speakers. This would simplify my amp purchase too as I would only need 4 channel. Not to mention no sub enclosure to deal with.If you can just put some 8" in there, left and right, you wouldn't need a sub. Most decent home systems now do not use a sub, but have full frequency response on either channel.
Maybe in the panels right behind the slider?
Many TVs now use an external transformer to supply 12-14vdc rather than AC. You might look for one of them and power it straight from your van or lighter plug. The selection, availability, and cost are much more favorable for regular Televisions than automotive ones.I would still like to have a TV for viewing while camping. I imagine something aimed out the side doors big enough to be viewed from outside. I may end up with a 12v TV of some sort.
If you are so inclined, there is also the possibility of cracking open a TV that uses a regular power cord and tapping in to the feed side from its internal transformer with appropriate wiring and circuitry.
Yeah I'm not surprised, I would bet a 10% failure rate out-of-the box is acceptable to them with a 1-3% increase per year. When I say relatively okay I mean just barely passable. I've had failed Jensen headunits, and I've had decent ones. I used to like Sony, but they always seem to be a bit behind the technology curve.Well here's somebody a little unhappy with Jensen.
http://www.roadtrucker.com/12-volt-marine-boat/12-volt-heavy-duty-marine-tv-dvd.htm
All decent home systems use a sub and that goes for cars as well. It's half the sound. Why not use it?If you can just put some 8" in there, left and right, you wouldn't need a sub. Most decent home systems now do not use a sub, but have full frequency response on either channel.
Maybe in the panels right behind the slider?
A good idea is either a sound bar which you can mount above the cargo rack and then put another one in the rear at the ceiling. You'd get plenty of sound that way
Or, get a Bluetooth speaker like the Oontz.
It's small but has amazing sound. Has inputs for wired as well as Bluetooth and has an internal battery that will last up to 15 hours.
I use it on work sites and the bass is mind blowing coming from on a small speaker.
You can control tracks and volume from on your phone and you can tap into wired inputs for a head unit radio connection.
A subwoofer is still necessary in my opinion but this would get you halfway there.
https://theoontz.com/products/oontz...erful-and-portable-wireless-bluetooth-speaker
They are available on Amazon.
Since they are charged by 12v and run for hours on battery, you totally bypass the need for a bunch of wiring. They also have USB output to charge your phone.
Or, get a Bluetooth speaker like the Oontz.
It's small but has amazing sound. Has inputs for wired as well as Bluetooth and has an internal battery that will last up to 15 hours.
I use it on work sites and the bass is mind blowing coming from on a small speaker.
You can control tracks and volume from on your phone and you can tap into wired inputs for a head unit radio connection.
A subwoofer is still necessary in my opinion but this would get you halfway there.
https://theoontz.com/products/oontz...erful-and-portable-wireless-bluetooth-speaker
They are available on Amazon.
Since they are charged by 12v and run for hours on battery, you totally bypass the need for a bunch of wiring. They also have USB output to charge your phone.
Agree, The more frequencies you have coming out of a single speaker the more muddy the sound.All decent home systems use a sub and that goes for cars as well. It's half the sound. Why not use it?
The more high quality audio systems have more drivers to offset the 8" woofers in the cabinet. If you find a home system with an 8" woofer with only 1 other driver in there, you can expect to very muddled Mid-bass, and poor voice quality.
The Van is pretty nicely setup for a decent audio. The speaker locations in the rear door can accommodate larger speakers, at least 8" if not larger. The 2 in the walls can accommodate larger speakers as well. The 6.5" and tweeters in the front do well for imaging, 6.5" (at least 2-way)in the rear panels, and 8" in rear for subs would be an excellent setup. The key will be sealing off the doors for 8" subs to get the full potential out of the speakers.
I guess what is considered "decent" is a moving target. I'm referring to systems costing thousands of dollars. Subs are just a way to band-aid a poor sounding set of speakers, or to get away with small drivers in satellite speakers. I'm not turning my nose up, I have a sub to augment my Advent 500 towers, because I cannot justify getting a $2000+ pair of speakers.All decent home systems use a sub and that goes for cars as well. It's half the sound. Why not use it?
In a vehicle, the main purpose of a sub is to announce your presence to everyone so they can come out and see how magnificent you are. BOOM-rattle BOOM-rattle-buzz BOOM-rattle; ad infinitum. Sound quality in vehicles is speculative at best, because of the contours and driver mounting locations relative to the listener. As well as the Q of mounting locations; infinite baffle is all but unachievable in a vehicle. Luckily there are great sound scanning devices and software to artificially compensate Q, early and late reflections, and sympathetic harmonics in homes, venues and vehicles.
It's all a matter of preference and experience. If it sounds "good" to you, it sounds good to you (but maybe not others). And as we get older or deal with hearing loss from different reasons (I played bass for years, and the appropriate place for a bass player on stage is in the back, right next to the crash cymbal at ear height), our personal experience changes and what may sound "right" to us sounds like crap to everyone else. Google "mosquito ring tone".
I would just be happier with a better set of quality speakers. I don't need a new head unit or sub woofer. But I think the stock speakers are a little on the cheap side. Anyone drop in a set of better speakers and if so what did you use and how much better does it sound.
If the main purpose of a sub to announce you presence then why does every car manufacture from Honda to Mercedes have subs in the factory vehicle? Sub installations are all about how much you put into it. Most are to add the low end to remove it from the front speakers so that they are much clearer. Others go overboard and over power for everyone to hear.I guess what is considered "decent" is a moving target. I'm referring to systems costing thousands of dollars. Subs are just a way to band-aid a poor sounding set of speakers, or to get away with small drivers in satellite speakers. I'm not turning my nose up, I have a sub to augment my Advent 500 towers, because I cannot justify getting a $2000+ pair of speakers.
In a vehicle, the main purpose of a sub is to announce your presence to everyone so they can come out and see how magnificent you are. BOOM-rattle BOOM-rattle-buzz BOOM-rattle; ad infinitum. .
Kenwood DNX893S
Local audio shop has recommended the above as a replacement for my OEM system, using the metra dash kit. Supposedly it will handle all the functions of the OEM system with 4" screen.
I'm not into pure pandora , sirius and speaker out puts etc, I just want a nice functional radio system having nav, bluetooth, cd etc with a touch screen.
What do you who are knowledgable in audio systems, think?
Semper Fi
Local audio shop has recommended the above as a replacement for my OEM system, using the metra dash kit. Supposedly it will handle all the functions of the OEM system with 4" screen.
I'm not into pure pandora , sirius and speaker out puts etc, I just want a nice functional radio system having nav, bluetooth, cd etc with a touch screen.
What do you who are knowledgable in audio systems, think?
Semper Fi
I'm digging my Hizpo generic Chinese android 7" touchscreen screen unit. About $150 on ebay. Having Torque onboard is really nice! I can download any equalizer or other audio manipulation apps I want, set up 3 different cameras, play DVDs, output to 2 monitors in 1080, and a whole lot of stuff I'll never need or want. It has a USB port just for adding 3G capability, but who want's to pay monthly fees for data access? OH! I KNOW! People who already pay for satellite radio, who want the same exact service but cheaper! well, at least where you can get cell service. I seem to be in dead zones more often than I'd like.
On the speaker thing; at home, a pair of $50 headphones will sound MUCH better than $1000 speakers in most situations, simply because of physics. And car manufacturers now include subs because it's part of a marketing thing. So many people BELIEVE having subs represents a "quality" system that it becomes a selling point. Although factory systems of any level are CRAP compared to aftermarket systems that cost the same as the 'upgraded audio" option. Remember when every family sedan made was offered in a "sport" model, that simply included a spoiler on the back and different hubcaps? The public confused "spoiler" with "sporty".
On the speaker thing; at home, a pair of $50 headphones will sound MUCH better than $1000 speakers in most situations, simply because of physics. And car manufacturers now include subs because it's part of a marketing thing. So many people BELIEVE having subs represents a "quality" system that it becomes a selling point. Although factory systems of any level are CRAP compared to aftermarket systems that cost the same as the 'upgraded audio" option. Remember when every family sedan made was offered in a "sport" model, that simply included a spoiler on the back and different hubcaps? The public confused "spoiler" with "sporty".
A few dropped in Hertz speakers but a large part of the equation is the anemic headunit. The options are either to amp up some speakers or replace the headunit.I would just be happier with a better set of quality speakers. I don't need a new head unit or sub woofer. But I think the stock speakers are a little on the cheap side. Anyone drop in a set of better speakers and if so what did you use and how much better does it sound.
Forget the cd player. You can put every song you've ever heard in your life on a micro SD card, phone, Amazon prime, thumb drive etc. Cds are cumbersome and a waste of time.Local audio shop has recommended the above as a replacement for my OEM system, using the metra dash kit. Supposedly it will handle all the functions of the OEM system with 4" screen.
I'm not into pure pandora , sirius and speaker out puts etc, I just want a nice functional radio system having nav, bluetooth, cd etc with a touch screen.
What do you who are knowledgable in audio systems, think?
Semper Fi
Get an app like Prime and it will allow you to load all your music from those Cds into the prime cloud.
Then, you can listen from any device, or download them anytime. Your cd music is yours. You own it but Amazon prime will hold it for you. You so t actually upload it, it just checks the cd then uses its own copy. . It's amazing.
Embrace technology. It can make your life better than trying to switch Cds, scratch them, lose them, fumble while driving, etc.
Tweeters will be a 300% improvement. For 20 dollars. No other changes needed. $20.
joefromga,
I appreciate your info, but the smaller the device the harder for me to hold it. The cd is everything you say, but it is something I can hold it in my hands without dropping it, too often. (wonder where I stored all those old 8 tracks?) Have to be at a complete stop, out of traffic to handle them anyway as both hands are needed on the controls when driving.
Don't have any devices I could listen to those other methods of storage on anyway, when my 9 year old basic flip phone broke recently, I had to search all over for a replacement, no data either. And no Amazon Prime. :|
I embrace technology when it helps me get around easier, but without the cd's I'm doomed to listening to modern music and endless commercials, till I can pull over to change a channel. And, no dead zones.
Tweeters probably would be a waste for me, have hearing loss, including the high frequency zones.
Semper Fi
I appreciate your info, but the smaller the device the harder for me to hold it. The cd is everything you say, but it is something I can hold it in my hands without dropping it, too often. (wonder where I stored all those old 8 tracks?) Have to be at a complete stop, out of traffic to handle them anyway as both hands are needed on the controls when driving.
Don't have any devices I could listen to those other methods of storage on anyway, when my 9 year old basic flip phone broke recently, I had to search all over for a replacement, no data either. And no Amazon Prime. :|
I embrace technology when it helps me get around easier, but without the cd's I'm doomed to listening to modern music and endless commercials, till I can pull over to change a channel. And, no dead zones.
Tweeters probably would be a waste for me, have hearing loss, including the high frequency zones.
Semper Fi
USMC Vet:
The Kenwood DNX893s is the head unit I have and is around $1,000 US. Kenwood has similar models with the features you want (DNX693s) for over $200 less. You could get the DNX693s and the IDataLink MaestroRR for less than the DNX893s. This will give you the features you want as well as actual tire pressures and a selection of engine gauges on the screen.
The Kenwood DNX893s is the head unit I have and is around $1,000 US. Kenwood has similar models with the features you want (DNX693s) for over $200 less. You could get the DNX693s and the IDataLink MaestroRR for less than the DNX893s. This will give you the features you want as well as actual tire pressures and a selection of engine gauges on the screen.
I guess what is considered "decent" is a moving target. I'm referring to systems costing thousands of dollars. Subs are just a way to band-aid a poor sounding set of speakers, or to get away with small drivers in satellite speakers. I'm not turning my nose up, I have a sub to augment my Advent 500 towers, because I cannot justify getting a $2000+ pair of speakers.
In a vehicle, the main purpose of a sub is to announce your presence to everyone so they can come out and see how magnificent you are. BOOM-rattle BOOM-rattle-buzz BOOM-rattle; ad infinitum. Sound quality in vehicles is speculative at best, because of the contours and driver mounting locations relative to the listener. As well as the Q of mounting locations; infinite baffle is all but unachievable in a vehicle. Luckily there are great sound scanning devices and software to artificially compensate Q, early and late reflections, and sympathetic harmonics in homes, venues and vehicles.
It's all a matter of preference and experience. If it sounds "good" to you, it sounds good to you (but maybe not others). And as we get older or deal with hearing loss from different reasons (I played bass for years, and the appropriate place for a bass player on stage is in the back, right next to the crash cymbal at ear height), our personal experience changes and what may sound "right" to us sounds like crap to everyone else. Google "mosquito ring tone".
Do you have much experience with a properly installed and tuned car audio system? The transition between subs and mids or midbass is seamless, and removing the duty of lower frequencies from mids allows them to sound much cleaner. I'm referring to complete sound systems with EQs and external amps for tweeters, mids, and subs, not just adding a sub to a factory system.
I agree with a lot of what you said though. In a lot of cases the environment/room is more important than the equipment. I'm able to run my home system without any processing since I use bass traps and other acoustic treatments to tame the room, which is pretty much impossible in a car due to things like windows. Thankfully EQs, time alignment, and crossovers allow very good sound in cars if set up correctly.
21 - 40 of 66 Posts
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