I really need the audio tweaks and extra performance out of a head unit (I've put in a $1,750 sound system in my roadster) but I'm hugely against altering the stock look of the xfire because the stock look flows very nicely and looks so natural... every head unit i've seen looks out of place, even the ones that almost match the colour (and trust me i've been through every thread). I saw one thread where someone was offering to give you the factory faceplate modded onto a more feature-rich head unit, but who can justify $750 on a freakin head unit?

I'm kind of just venting here... any thoughts from anyone?

 

keep it stock then.

 

Have you just put in new speakers & sub-enclosure etc?
If so, take a look at the thread regarding putting a capacitor on your door speakers.
This greatly improves the stock system
If you've just changes speakers etc, you may not be addressing the problem at its root.

 

amp for speakers and speakers actually, no subs.

 

that pretty much sums it up right there haha.

why not just get an EQ to tweak before you get to the amp(s)?

 

hmmm never thought about that, will an eq still be good if it's hooked up to the stock head unit though?

do you know of any good eq's?

 

An EQ will not improve the sound, it will merely alter it.
The old garbage in, garbage out theory.
An EQ may get what you want, but if it does, the sound you want is already there somewhere - it's just a matter of finding it.
There is no point in 'throwing' money at a problem hoping it will fix it.
Find the cause.

 

Yes, my wise voodoo master.

 

Get the cleansweep from JL audio. You get the benefits of an aftermarket headunit as far as power and options, but keep the stock headunit. Only downside is to control volume you need to install a new **** somewhere I believe. Look into it, could be what you are looking for.

I would like to change out the door speakers, add the cleansweep, and ad an amp to power a set of 6" jl subs in the place of the stock subs. Money is the problem though. Hope this is what your looking for.

 

What jl 6" subs would even fit behind our seats (if that's what you're talking about)?

 

http://mobile.jlaudio.com/products_s...p?series_id=23

Don't know if they would fit since I can not get anyone to give me the dimensions of the stock sub and I haven't been able to look myself. Best case is that they will fit directly, although I am not too confident.

Worst case is that I will have them sit a bit out and angled to avoid contact with the seat using a fiberglass shroud. The stock speakers sit inside the wall at an angle (the firing portion of the speaker is not directed straight forward as one might guess from looking at the grill). But the space could be used to contain at least a good portion of the magnet from the jl6w0s.

 

If you don't like the CleanSweep from JL, Rockford Fosgate also offers a product that is almost the same. It is called the 360 and comes in two different versions for more expansion choices.

 

Ah, just chop it up with a saw and stuff a double dinn in it and be done with it.
Hehehehe.

 

If you are willing to grasp what is truly in the system and want to address your concerns then I can help. There are a few questions to answer and rather than argue over what is "good sounding" which can be measured, I will help you achieve the "sound" you are after.

First - The head unit used in the Crossfire is on par with some of the best units out in the market, sure there are more advanced units with more functions, but in the world of car audio the days of expensive DACs and better transports are a thing of the past. In most OEM cases we find the same parts being used internally as the aftermarket, and that is just in response to a declining market in aftermarket head units. So the only reason to look to change out a head unit is for more functionality. For example, do you want a screen, maybe ipod control, or cd changer?

Second - The system in the crossfire employs some very advanced drivers, DSP, and amplification. You can use this to your advantage or ditch it and try to build things up from scratch. Again rather than argue over what is "good sounding" which can be measured, I will help you achieve the "sound" you are after. So answer this, when you listen to the stock system at mid volume with bass and treble set to 0, what was it in your opinion that needed improvement, or better said what in your opinion was missing?

Third - There have been a few devices mentioned in the thread that will "help you interface" with the factory amp and run other amplifiers. Depending on the amps you choose you may not need that if what you think is missing is volume. Each of the products mentioned do some things well and many things poorly, not to mention they are painfully time intensive to set up properly. There are others on the way to market that will offer far more and easier to set up, measurement devices, and offer control for items such as an iPOD.

Fourth - If it is bass you are after then the question you need to address is both "at what frequency range" and "how much". Seeing that most consumers believe that adjusting the bass on the radio gives more low end, it is easy to see why most peoples perception is truly flawed. Typical bass controls are really mid Q single band EQs centered around 100hz. So understanding that, "low bass" is much further down the scale. Boosting that bass control might make the latest rap cd thunder, but it does very little to the low end, which is not a bad thing since most rap artists focus that synth line around 70hz. Make no mistake low bass takes good drivers, lots of power, and proper understanding of the relationship between the enclosure, driver, and amplifier. Just ask an average installer what the impedance curve is for the combination he sold you and good chance you will get a blank stare or some arbitrary number. Ask him at what frequency that prefab box he has on the floor rolls off and now your really having fun. The reality is the dealer in the aftermarket on average does mot know. All they know is the buyer for the store says this woofer will work in a sealed, ported, or bandpass box and handle x amount of power, and because many of the woofers sold today are mid Q designs there is such a wide margin of error allowed for boxes that in some cases the installer can be off as much as 30% and not have a significant negative effect on the perceived sound quality. So as you answer #2 be ready to identify how much space you are willing to give up? How many woofers you think it will take to achieve it? Do you want it to b low bass or something across a wider spectrum? And how much money you are willing to part with to get what you want because it may require larger amplifiers which lend themselves to upgrading charging systems.

Fifth - This is the hardest question to answer because it normally requires someone to show you a really good system and spend some time listening. Is accurate sound what you are after? That means the car has a flat response curve at the listening position and you are hearing the material as the artist intended for you to hear it, just as it was produced in the recording studio. Some people say yes and then find themselves back to the old habits of tweaking the system. Again good sound is measurable and it takes a great deal of time in some cases to make a car truly sound good.

However, sometimes all it takes to deliver some perceived improvement is a small change. Such examples are on this forum where one person adds a cap to a speaker and gently rolls off the mid range driver in the door and without knowing the interaction with the driver and amplifier induces a "hole" in the sound. All it takes is a few people to see that condition as an improvement and bingo people jump off that cliff one after another making the claim that this fix was all they needed.


I can only tell you that in 20 years of designing systems rarely do I have anyone that listens to a car and says "that sounds bad" they always seem to be interested in how the sound comes from a place on the dash where there are no speakers. Or better yet when the 3k they spent with a dealer does not equate to a system properly designed, they want to throw it away or return those goods and because they bought a certain brand it will be better. That is not to say that one brand is better, its true there are really good brands, and they make some really good equipment, but building this stuff is always about compromise, and that is where a good installer with experience can make the difference between a 3k system that performs as if one spent 10k or one that could have been bested by the cheapest products sold at the local auto parts store.

 

I have an iPod, but I can't use it in my car. I have a Sirius portable, but I can't use it in my car. I am otherwise very happy with the features and performance of the factory xFi rig. I won't swap out the head for a number of reasons. This is my only gripe about what is otherwise a car I love.

Is one of the "coming to market" solutions you refer to going to offer an elegant solution?

Thanks for an excellent post.

PS FM transmitters stink. Hard wired is the only way to go.

 

Yes,

FM transmitters are not the best, and people are beginning to realize it now that some companies are being outed for using too much broadcast power. Opps can you say FCC violation...

Yes the solutions have several opportunities to solve the problem you face and offer more.

HK Drive+play II and JBL MS8.

 

here is some info on the two items due out in a few months.

 

is the drive+play 1 any good?: http://search.ebay.com/search/search...&fsop=1&fsoo=1

and... you're saying that these two items basically sit in between your amp and your factory head unit and act as a "sub-head unit", right?

 

actually i think what i just said is wrong... i think it connects to the AUX input on the head unit and acts as a pre-head unit?

 

I have the same confusion...there IS no aux in on the factory unit, right? So where in the signal path would any of these gadgets go?