Guyver 1st Gear April 4, 2002 Share April 4, 2002 ???? Frankly... i really don't understand that u mean?? Doesn't make sense leh..... could u elaborate? ↡ Advertisement Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seansene 1st Gear April 8, 2002 Share April 8, 2002 Sorry for the late reply. Ok, let me explain. All speakers have a sensitivity, which measures the loudness it can attain for every watt supplied (all other factors being equal, of course). But this relationship is not linear, on the contrary, it is quite exponential - that is, every increase of 10dB actually doubles the loudness. What all this means is that the increase of power required to drive a pair of speakers is much more than the corresponding increase in volume. And therefore using an underpowered amplifier (which cannot put out the power required at the volume you want) will simply result in massive distortion of the signal, which then transfers to the speakers, effectively damaging them. An overpowered amp, on the other hand, COULD cause damage theoretically, but in practice never will, because your eardrums will bleed and every motorist in a 2km radius will scream bloody murder before the driver units in the speaker are touched (remember the power-loudness relationship). So in reality, you can never have enough power. Or you can think of it as a small or large engine driving a car. One will kill itself (and car with it) trying to achieve 110km/h on the highway, while the other gets there without a sweat. Note that the larger engine could damage the car, but only after your license gets revoked, so you won't go there anyway. Alright, not the best analogy, but we're in a car forum after all... ???? Frankly... i really don't understand that u mean?? Doesn't make sense leh..... could u elaborate? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparetyre Neutral Newbie April 8, 2002 Author Share April 8, 2002 "CHIM" !!!! A bigger engine will also burn a bigger hole in your pocket!! COE, insurance, road tax, fuel, etc... Sorry for the "rubbish" ..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seven11 Neutral Newbie April 8, 2002 Share April 8, 2002 Aiyah, another analogy is to have a big boat powering a small engine. The boat will not go far because the engine will wear itself out and goes bonkers very fast. Whereas if its a small boat that is powered by a large engine, you will reach your destination successfully. Correct or not Seansene? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seansene 1st Gear April 9, 2002 Share April 9, 2002 Well, yes. The basic premise is that you want to achieve a certain loudness/speed/whatever. Having an underpowered amplifier/engine/fill-in-the-blanks sounds like a safe choice, but actually isn't, because the strain on the amp transfers to the output, especially in the case of music, where the signal remains a signal right up to the speaker driver, thus making the transfer of distortion even more pronounced. This is why PMPO (Peak Music Power Output) readings are useless - they only measure the absolute loudness the system can achieve, regardless of distortion. If you're interested in music, as opposed to plain noise, RMS (Root Mean Square, don't worry about the jargon) is essential, as is some headroom. You don't want to operate at the limit all the time, it gives no room to breathe, and wears out the components in double-quick time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magfocus 5th Gear April 9, 2002 Share April 9, 2002 Btw sean, what do you think of your Focus' sound system? Need advice from a pro Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seansene 1st Gear April 9, 2002 Share April 9, 2002 Me, a pro? Really, I'm just a novice when it comes to car audio, all my experience stems from my home setup. Personally, I still think a car interior is too inherently flawed an environment to achieve amazing sound, but good and even great stuff can be achieved. My biggest complaint about the Focus' system is not with the sound per say, but that the volume steps at low levels have too large jumps, that result in too soft to too loud. But I digress again... The sound is ok, in the plainest sense of the word - neither good nor bad. I should qualify that - on the better side of ok... The player itself should be fine at this price bracket, although I suspect that the changer sounds better than the head unit (have to check that again...). The speakers and/or amp are probably the weak links - isn't it 20W/ch? - and would benefit with upgrading. Being absolutely biased in the speaker department, I'd go for Dynaudio anytime (I have a pair these beauties at home). Then they need a much beefier amp, I'd go for at least 60-80W/ch. Having done all that, I'd leave the loudness firmly off, and bass/treble controls flat to stay as neutral as possible. On the issue of a sub, I honestly don't know. I'd like to say forget it, but realise that the low frequencies from driving require a little bass boost (again not the same as the loudness button, which only enhances mid-high bass for fake 'oomph'). Like I said, I'm still a beginner in the complexities of mobile audio. Btw sean, what do you think of your Focus' sound system? Need advice from a pro Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magfocus 5th Gear April 9, 2002 Share April 9, 2002 Do you know what the stock speakers for the Focus? I have absolutely no idea. Although being a total greenhorn in sound, i can tell that it doesnt do the job! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seansene 1st Gear April 9, 2002 Share April 9, 2002 I have no idea what they are, but I agree with you - managed to stress the tweeters without much effort. Having said that, I probably won't do anything about the system - yet. Too much outflow already... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magfocus 5th Gear April 9, 2002 Share April 9, 2002 Oh yeah, the man with a new house and a new car As the doc said, you are on a roll!! I was thinking of changing the speakers as they do not seem to be able to take any output, just a little louder and it becomes distorted Any speakers to recommend? How do you take out the speaker cover btw? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oinkened Neutral Newbie April 9, 2002 Share April 9, 2002 I have the ford focus service and repair manual. I can loan it to you to assist you in opening up the speaker cover Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magfocus 5th Gear April 9, 2002 Share April 9, 2002 Hey Steph, Thanks Maybe i could get it from you when we meetup? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mondeo Neutral Newbie April 9, 2002 Share April 9, 2002 I think stock speakers of Focus and mondy are similar, when I changed the stocks one at Specialist, they gavmme back the speakers, and I saw its look like the paper cone and cheap, cheap things, I asked them to throw it away. Get the front (w/tweeters) and rear speaker abt 220watt (abt $400+), or may add one more woofer at the ctr of back. Like Sparetyre one. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magfocus 5th Gear April 9, 2002 Share April 9, 2002 What brand to get? Any recommendation? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mondeo Neutral Newbie April 9, 2002 Share April 9, 2002 I'm using JBL front and rear doors. Price are reasonable. But sure got better price one. Is yr HU should be 45wx4? It should be just nice for this type of setup, if U dun want bleed-out some more for the Crossover and Pre-amp. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seansene 1st Gear April 9, 2002 Share April 9, 2002 Again I'd go for Dynaudio. I believe there is a thread over here about where and how much... What brand to get? Any recommendation? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magfocus 5th Gear April 9, 2002 Share April 9, 2002 (edited) Yes its an Alpine unit 45wx4. How much did you get yours for? Do you know the size of the speakers? Edited April 9, 2002 by Magfocus Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magfocus 5th Gear April 9, 2002 Share April 9, 2002 Thanks Sounds really expensive ↡ Advertisement Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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