second one now seems to be working. it cut out a few times after it got going, especially if turned the volume up but then finally kept playing - only had it on for 10min though

are you using line level or speaker level? i'm on line level right now and i had to turn all gains to max - system, input, mix, output. i still feel i have more (sub channels) bass but i can't get it any louder (amp is maxed on sub channel). are your gains all set very high? i might try switching to speaker level. my only other option i see (keeping it on LL) is boosting with the EQ.

 

I've played with Dayton DSP-408 for about an hour and it's fairly legit. The gains seemed skewed but I think I'm getting the max bass I can get with my lousy sub. What I like is that for the 10 band EQ you can set your own frequencies and Q. i haven't done much tuning, just got a baseline by ear. Def better sound and clean. Unlike the Kicker Front Row there isn't algorithms built in for sound effects so you will have to play with presets, EQ, and delay. it hasn't cut out once since initial turn on.

Also, i was able to keep my door chimes through the speaker, which I wanted b/c I have BLISS and it sounds the warning on the speakers from the direction that the on coming vehicle is coming from while backing (e.g. someone's approaching from left, then the left speakers sound the warning).

Now I have to actually install it (routing, mounting, etc.).

 

Both of mine are on low level inputs right now, but I initially had setup my wife's SUV using the high level, and planned to do so with my truck as well. I dont remember having to jack up the levels though. If it sounds good, thats all that matters. You can also set a low end shelf instead of a cross over and you can effectively control the loudness of the bottom end. There's a lot you can do with that little thing. This explains the difference between a shelf and a filter. The important part is this bit:

http://www.homestudiocorner.com/filter-vs-shelf/

If you really want to get into it, check out REW (Room EQ Wizard). Its a program you can run on a laptop, you plug a USB calibrated mic (Dayton makes a great one thats pretty cheap) and run REW with some test sounds playing on your stereo. It will map every frequency and tell you what adjustments you need to make in your DSP to get the perfect signal. It'll also tell you all the perfect time alignment numbers you need for each individual speaker. Its a lot of work, but its fun as hell if you're into it, and when you're done it sounds like nothing you've ever heard in a car. I've sat in cars with $20k worth of speakers in it and a car with $1k worth of speakers and a properly tuned/time aligned DSP will blow it away everytime.

Have fun, glad to hear its all working for you!

 

thanks. i appreciated the info. got some other pressing stuff but hope to mess around with it in the next few days. just doing a rough dial in, it is much better. BTW I went for Buterworth on the LP Sub channels. i def want to learn abut shelfs.

would appreciate some advice.
1. Center speaker - right now its running off the HU and is much lower in volume. should i disconnect it or just leave as is? i don't want to replace it nor amplify it.

2. Pillar tweeters - stock, based on readings in other forums and pinouts, i believe they are in line with the front door speakers and are being driven by my amp front door channels. ironically they are also about the same distance to where i am setting my delays as the front door speakers. i am not against replacing them but is it worth it? Have JL Audio in the door. should i disconnect them? i did turn treble down slightly on the Dayton EQ.

 

Center, if it sounds good as is, I would leave it alone. Center channels can really screw up your sound stage in ways that you can't easily correct. You can try unplugging it and see what it does for you. I'm leaving mine as is for now.

Tweeters, so do you have components in the doors right now, or do you have coaxials? Having a tweeter in the door and the pillar is not really ideal. The sound waves from those two are never going to arrive at your ear at the same time even if they are the same distance because they are going to reflect off different things like the windshield, etc. If you have components, just move the tweeter from the door to the pillar and you'll be good to go. If you have coaxials, I'm not sure what your best route forward would be. Usually you'd want to EQ that tweeter and the woofer independently. They would each have their own amp channel and dsp channel, so you could EQ and Time Align them separately. You can try unplugging the tweeter and see what it does for your sound stage, Its kind of a conundrum because having the tweeter on the pillar is generally a much brighter, better sounding spot, but having two tweeters is usually a non-starter and will cause imaging issues. Components are really the way to go, but if you already have coaxials, just find which setup sounds best to you and roll with it. Maybe in the future you can move the coaxials to the rear and get a proper component set for the front?

Ultimately, all that matters is that it sounds good to you. I know sound is one of those things where it sounds great to you, until you hear what it could be and you had no idea what you were missing, ha. Its also really subjective. I mean, objectively there's an optimal flat response you can get from your specific speakers in your specific truck, but whether or not that's the sound you prefer is obviously only up to you. I usually use REW to figure out the perfect (or as close to it as I can get) frequency response for each speaker independently, then I set time alignment for each speaker independently (you can do this with a tape measure if you need). Then I will tweak the over-all EQ to suit my specific tastes.

 

I disconnected my center when i replaced my head unit and door speakers (coaxial focal isc 690 front and isc 650 rear). I also added a 4x45 inline amp. I kept the stock tweeters. I guess this means 2x45 to the rear doors and 2x45 to the front door/tweeters?

 

 

Question for anyone that knows. I thought i read somewhere that you can get rid of the loss in bass at higher volume with Forscan, is this correct? If so, has anyone tried it before adding amps and or speakers/subs?

 

I posted that in the other sound thread, the FORscan thread, and a couple other places. The stock system rolls off the bass as you turn up the volume to protect the stuck crappy speakers. You can disable the eq entirely and you get a lot of bass back. I had to readjust all my gains again after.

 

thanks. i think i am going to disconnect tweeters and center. tweeters on the door are not component. finally a nice day here so going to try tuning. how do you get a good shelf on the Dayton - want to try it for the sub channel. do you just mess with frequency set points on the EQ and Q values?

 

using Forscan you can shut off the factory processing/EQ (and even to switch to LL). to do so go to the ACM (As Built) Module. Line 727-01-02 ->you should have this value 0600 0000 xxxx (it may not be a 6 but any number 1-9). Change the 6 (or whatever number it is) to 0. this will shut down all processing.

be sure to allow your HU to completely power off and back on again after changes.

 

Pretty sure ATR. Tapped into #23 in right footwell (ACC On circuit). Used this:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Micro2-Blad...item281b5589a0
I'm only using it for remote turn on but I don't think 10A or less will be problematic.

 

Thanks guys!

 

@Tricon

this Dayton is over the top. little changes make huge impact. i've spent sometime getting my sub dialed in. had to set a bunch of low end frequencies on the EQ (30-100MHz) and boost the EQ to +12dB to 60Hz and then fall off. but it's going higher than +12dB b/c of Q values. my rearview mirror now really vibrates even at med volume and without distortion at higher vol (my speakers go into distortion before my sub). i think i am going to take your advice and get the microphone and do a calibration. also going to get out laptop, it's a little difficult to do settings on the iPhone with a slide bar.

 

Any idea if this also applies to the XL/STX non-amplified system?