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SolaraGuy.com • View topic - CRISPICS of musical aspiration... (Vol. I~?)
Talk about audio, video and navi stuffs.

CRISPICS of musical aspiration... (Vol. I~?)

Postby crispone » Fri Apr 06, 2007 7:44 am

Well, I was so pleased with my aural accomplishments this week... I decided to go back and share my results with my local car and home audio shop last night... as well as pick up the REMOTE for the HU I bought the other day. First, I let the owner, a 20 year friend, and 30 year veteran of car and home audio, sample the system. Nate was quite shocked at how well my sound has come together... particularly in light of the OLD SCHOOL with NEW TECH combination/budget approach I have taken... (Of course, 18 years ago... I was doing systems with this type of equipment and Nate was walking me through various considerations even back then...) We sampled a couple dozen tunes, both CD and iPOD, and stepped out of the 'lara with a smile. After some more discussion about car audio and some more "tech-talk"... Nate had to head out.

Next, I invited the "young" guy, Justin, who had assisted me over the past couple months as I would "pop in" and TALK-THE-TALK (but not BUY anything) as I considered options and approach. I never knew for sure WHAT Justin was thinking about "the crisp", as I am always "animated" and "talkative" (anyone surprised?) when I do the stereo-speak routine. (I think he was getting tired of me? 8) ) As we step into the car, he notes how nicely it "buttoned back up" from the disarray a couple days ago when the interior was torn apart and wiring and tools were exposed all over the place. I fire up the system with some mellow Simon and Garfunkel... move into some Live Blue's and vocal Jazz... then POUND on it with White Zombie and AC/DC for the "initiation". Fourty-five minutes later, and several extensive discussions on my setup and the "woes of car audio selling"... (wherein Justin remarks what a "breath of fresh air" it is to deal with someone who "knows the difference" between LOUD and MUSICAL... after dealing with people who come to pick up their newly installed "system" and the FIRST THING THEY DO is fire it up, crank it, THEN STEP OUT OF THE CAR AND STAND OUTSIDE OF IT to see how LOUD and THUMPY it is OUTSIDE of the car!!!!), and Justin finally turns to me and says... "Very, VERY impressive for what you had to lay down to do this." (6-7 hundred TOTAL to date... USING alot of existing equipment, mind you...) Justin continued to remark, after insisting that I PROMISE not to tell Nate, "crisp, YOUR system sounds BETTER than Nate's $6000+ dollar demonstration system in his Rav 4!"

YESSSS!!!! (and I agree... I think my sound EXCEEDS the sound of a MUCH HIGHER DOLLAR effort. :wink: )

As we parted, Justin asked me to PLEASE come by whenever I can, especially Saturday afternoons, etc... when they are the most "active", so he can DEMO the system to help people HEAR and UNDERSTAND the difference between JUST LOUD and MUSICAL with VOLUME, as well as showcase what the more modestly priced Memphis line and a very "basic" configuration with the right power and sound shaping can create.


Okay, sorry that got LOOOONG, but I had to "toot my horn" a little for all the time and effort I put into the system so far. Needless to say, I am VERY PLEASED with the outcome, and would have NO reservations on sharing it with someone in our "fold" who would like to hear/see/compare to what they are used to. (Don't take my word for it... come and hear for yourself! :wink: )


:bang:


-crisp :evilbat:
Last edited by crispone on Sat Apr 07, 2007 7:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby QuickSEV6 » Fri Apr 06, 2007 7:48 am

Well done. Thats quite a feather in your cap.

I guess because of the "Old School" parts you are using, would you say "They just don't make them like they used to?"
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Postby Jack Soulfire » Fri Apr 06, 2007 7:52 am

Cool story Crisp! After I finish the rest of my installation this Spring I'll have to pop over to compare our setups. I travel for work a lot in the area so it'll work out great.

Enjoy it! It sure makes a trip to the grocery store or to work a lot more fun.

8)
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Postby crispone » Fri Apr 06, 2007 10:20 pm

QuickSEV6 wrote:Well done. Thats quite a feather in your cap.

I guess because of the "Old School" parts you are using, would you say "They just don't make them like they used to?"


Yeah... some of us are becoming "vintage years" now... and I find great satisfaction in doing it the way I did. :wink:

I keep wondering, WHAT'S IN YOUR system???

(I KNOW those batteries aren't in there for NOTHING! 8) )


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Postby crispone » Fri Apr 06, 2007 10:22 pm

Jack Soulfire wrote:Cool story Crisp! After I finish the rest of my installation this Spring I'll have to pop over to compare our setups. I travel for work a lot in the area so it'll work out great.

Enjoy it! It sure makes a trip to the grocery store or to work a lot more fun.

8)


Sure thing! We should definitely check eachothers rides out sometime... maybe we can even look at a MEET here in OH somewhere... we're "central" to about 6 or 7 of us within about a 2-3 hour radius...


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Postby Jack Soulfire » Fri Apr 06, 2007 11:01 pm

Definitely a good idea for Spring or Summer. Meeting somewhere like a campgrounds-esque type place to barbeque and have some beers might be really cool.
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Postby QuickSEV6 » Sat Apr 07, 2007 2:32 am

crispone wrote:Yeah... some of us are becoming "vintage years" now... and I find great satisfaction in doing it the way I did. :wink:

I keep wondering, WHAT'S IN YOUR system???

(I KNOW those batteries aren't in there for NOTHING! 8) )

Actually, they are. Ha ha
The original plan, was to make my car an SQL audio competition winner. This was several years ago. I had plenty of money and I was an OTR truck driver, so I was never home. I would leave my car with my favorite local audio installer as I was all over the country driving my truck. I was not in any hurry, so he took his time and did an excellent job. The cost of this project was several thousand dollars. Well, as fate would have it, I got my truck into an accident. The trucking company let me go. I had a difficult time finding a job. And I ran out of money. The project was never finished. I'm still a couple of componants short and I still don't have the money.
Here was the original plan (as of 2002):
Entire car lined with Dynamat
Alpine deck CDA-7995
Diamond Audio speakers: S600s (2 front and 2 rear)
Diamond Audio Subs: TDX 12" x 2
Custom made fiberglass sub enclosure
High powered alternator
Batteries trunk mounted to eliminate need for capacitors
Diamond Audio Amplifiers: D7152 x 2 (front and rear speakers), D7054 x2 (1 for each sub) These amps are a work of art. They are just nice to look at.
Rewire everything with high gauge Hooker Audio wires.
The items listed above in yellow are not yet installed. I did get one of the amps, but the way its configured, the sound isn't all that great.
In 2002, all of the above was top of the line. Diamond Audio has since released better speakers and amps. Yes, I'll need to update.
Hopefully, soon I'll be able to complete my project.
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Postby crispone » Sat Apr 07, 2007 11:48 am

^^^ Hey, that's cool. I hope you find the energy and funds to continue with your current or modified plans! You'll have to post some pics!


... in the MEANTIME... I continue to dive "headlong" into my car audio odyssey of late...


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Postby crispone » Sat Apr 07, 2007 2:18 pm

Well... I didn't want my dash to look TOO hokey... (while I worked on getting a "PROPER" piece for the faceplate...), so I decided to "cobble" something together with stuff laying around the house. I decided I didn't have a good "foamboard", or similar material around... so I went to the local "Hobby Lobby" and picked up a 24x36 sheet of BLACK 3/16ths stock for $5.99. I ALSO picked up a sheet of heavy, textured, black posterboard that I thought may better match the dash grain.

Here's the latest in my musical saga... (...WITH little HELPERS!)

NOTE: Easter Egg coloring aparatus! :wink:

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Image

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^^^ Those LAST two shots are the AFTERMATH of todays portion of the project... and the "aftermath" of my little 2 year old, Magellan, sneaking REPEATEDLY into the CUPCAKE tupperware and LICKING the ICING off... then PUTTING THE UNEATEN CUPCAKES BACK!!!! (My WIFE made THAT discovery... as I was too "preoccupied" with my "stupid car fixation"... as she calls it... 8)

Nothing "FANCY" so far... but an INTERESTING adventure, nonetheless.

Next step will be creating a better fitting FACE SHEET out of the textured posterboard... and "LAMINATING" it to the heavier FOAMBOARD backing.


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Postby MCOjerry » Sat Apr 07, 2007 7:51 pm

For cardboard, not bad! It at least makes it look civilized while you wait/work on something better.

Um...did you think you were going racing? Noticed the fingerless gloves in the one pic :lol:

By the way, I like the frosting much better than the cake too. They know what they are doing! HA!
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Postby crispone » Sat Apr 07, 2007 8:06 pm

MCOjerry wrote:For cardboard, not bad! It at least makes it look civilized while you wait/work on something better.

Um...did you think you were going racing? Noticed the fingerless gloves in the one pic :lol:

By the way, I like the frosting much better than the cake too. They know what they are doing! HA!


Thanks Jerry! I figured you wouldn't care for the "look" too much, being a "bastardized" pair of TWO units from very different eras AND styles... and the silly "gaps" in the perimeter at the moment! 8)

The "TEXTURED" card-stock that I have is a "higher gloss", closer to the dash grain, I believe... and I'll trim that piece to a more "exacting" fit to the dash opening. Hopefully, it'll look a bit better for my temporary fit. I also need to "shave" some more styrofoam and create "support" for the cardstock Faceplate I made to help it "bow out" in a convex manner to mimic the arc on the stock unit. (A REAL TRICK, as it "BOWS" in BOTH the VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL directions!)

We'll see if I can "step it up" just a notch more for my "temp" faceplate. I MAY even try a "colormatch" closer to the stock "silver/aluminm/metallic", or whatever it is! :wink:


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Postby MCOjerry » Sat Apr 07, 2007 8:16 pm

Au contraire, I think you have come up with a pretty decent looking concoction :sweet:

You must be a ringer on school projects! :lol:
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Postby crispone » Sat Apr 07, 2007 8:25 pm

MCOjerry wrote:Au contraire, I think you have come up with a pretty decent looking concoction :sweet:

You must be a ringer on school projects! :lol:


Why THANK YOU, Jerry! That makes some of the "DOH!" moments worth all the effort! :D

Personally, I am actually really enjoying the combination! Much MORE than I expected... I am really MUCH MORE of an audio purest than a "Home Theatre" or "Car Theatre"... even "NAVI" guy at heart ANYWAY... getting to THIS point, has already begun to affect my objectives and path alot. I MAY just stick with this basic system, or something similar... as I find the flexibility with respect to SOUND SHAPING to be very satisfying with the 11 band EQ AND Parametric AND independent sub controls at my fingertips. I EVEN picked up the HU remote control... so my SHOULDER and BACK won't get so sore LEANING FORWARD every couple minutes to select a tune or fudge the volume! 8)


-crisp :evilbat: :drinking: (GUINNESS TONIGHT! :wink: )
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Postby crispone » Sun Apr 08, 2007 3:37 pm

Well, today I created the "final" (...temporary...) faceplate surface trim piece to better match the interior dash grain. I think it turned out acceptably overall... although it certainly isn't PERFECT! :-? I'm actually pretty satisfied for now. (ALOT better than a VOID around the Head Unit! 8) )

Here are the shots of my efforts and result from the afternoon...

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^^^ Yet ANOTHER "stenciled" piece... this time cut with EXTRA care and an "XACTO" hobby knife to try and eliminate as much "ROUGH EDGING" as possible...

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^^^ Placing the TEXTURED piece of cardstock on yesterday's project... the 3/16ths FOAMBOARD backing.

Image

^^^ A "closer" GLOSS and GRAIN match to the stock dash...

Image

^^^ I "built-up" the area surrounding the head unit with a "styrofoam-like" material "carved to order"... then "trimmed" it with black electrical tape to prevent WHITE from showing through the little bit of "gaps" that would surely remain after all was set and done... I used "DOUBLE SIDED TAPE" to secure the faceplate to this backing.

VIOLA!!! The "finished" temporary product! :wink:

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I think it will "pass" for awhile. I almost LIKE the black instead of the silver on this trim piece... I'll have to COMPARE with a silver piece later.


TIME TO JAM! :rock:


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Postby theprodigy79 » Sun Apr 08, 2007 4:52 pm

Looks sharp man! Very creative solution, I would have NEVER thought to use poster board and card stock for a temporary backing, that actually turned out VERY well!!!

-James

PS--> I also like the black backing vs the silver... Makes the dash a bit more uniform instead of separated (black all the way across instead of the silver middle).

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Image

;-)
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