Tuning my system from scratch

[bsacc]

Ok so my system sounds really good...but, when I get in my truck or my wife's ride, I'm not satisfied. I know there's more there.  I have the power and the equipment to make it happen, I just need to know how to get it there. 

My main question is: should I tune through my head unit? Or through my EQ (Wet sounds 420 BT)? Or both? Everything set in the middle and adjust from there? 

I think my sub frequency should be 80-100 hz. where do I put the mid, mid bass and highs? 

When I tune my amps, should my highs, mids and lows be set already or all in the middle? I know you should increase the gain until you hear a bit of distortion and then back down a touch but I'm not sure if you do this flat or adjusted to your listening pleasure lol. 

Begin...

[David]

bsacc,

Tuning is a difficult subject to cover comprehensively on a forum. It's something that you should rely on from your audio specialist dealer. They are the only ones who really have a deep understanding and good handle on the process. And that comes from tuning hundreds of very different boats over a course of years or perhaps decades. Some will give you a simple and quick ABC method. JL Audio gives you a basic 9-step process. In contrast, I have friend that is in the audio business that uses a 9-page fine print tuning prescription. Instead of a few general numbers, it's a sequential step-by-step process boat-by-boat, system-by-system. Obviously he has to simplify the process for the individual based on their tolerance for technology. The more you know about audio the more you tend to consider in the tuning process. The less you know about audio the more simplistic the approach. And that is the difference.

You did hit on some good subjects. Cars, trucks, & SUVs are very different form an open-field towboat. The results will be different and the tuning approach must also be VERY different. The six sides of an enclosed vehicle cabin that wrap around you and your speakers naturally preserves amplitude. You have to deal with standing waves in both the positive and negative aspects because the summed reflected radiation is nearly as great as the incidental radiation. A boat deals almost exclusively with incidental radiation and this energy tends to flash dissipate in the open air. Only the shallow bathtub, so to speak, offers some limited preservation of amplitude. Again, system tuning must be adjusted to compensate for the different environment. What works in a car, truck or SUV just doesn't sound very good in a boat.

An interesting observation on the EQ question....just like the HU, you have to find the max non-clipping output. No component in the audio chain should clip substantially earlier than any/all other audio components. So all control settings should be at the maximum that would represent normal usage. So if you are absolutely certain that you will have tone bands that will be in play all the time, while this is not the norm, I would include those in the gain-setting process. If you are using substantial gain increases on any given tonal band, then you should re-adjust this approach so that you offset gains with matching reductions. In other words, the EQ's gain output will be essentially the same whether set flat or with boost/cuts.            

[bsacc]

6 hours ago, David said:

bsacc,

Tuning is a difficult subject to cover comprehensively on a forum. It's something that you should rely on from your audio specialist dealer. They are the only ones who really have a deep understanding and good handle on the process. And that comes from tuning hundreds of very different boats over a course of years or perhaps decades. Some will give you a simple and quick ABC method. JL Audio gives you a basic 9-step process. In contrast, I have friend that is in the audio business that uses a 9-page fine print tuning prescription. Instead of a few general numbers, it's a sequential step-by-step process boat-by-boat, system-by-system. Obviously he has to simplify the process for the individual based on their tolerance for technology. The more you know about audio the more you tend to consider in the tuning process. The less you know about audio the more simplistic the approach. And that is the difference.

You did hit on some good subjects. Cars, trucks, & SUVs are very different form an open-field towboat. The results will be different and the tuning approach must also be VERY different. The six sides of an enclosed vehicle cabin that wrap around you and your speakers naturally preserves amplitude. You have to deal with standing waves in both the positive and negative aspects because the summed reflected radiation is nearly as great as the incidental radiation. A boat deals almost exclusively with incidental radiation and this energy tends to flash dissipate in the open air. Only the shallow bathtub, so to speak, offers some limited preservation of amplitude. Again, system tuning must be adjusted to compensate for the different environment. What works in a car, truck or SUV just doesn't sound very good in a boat.

An interesting observation on the EQ question....just like the HU, you have to find the max non-clipping output. No component in the audio chain should clip substantially earlier than any/all other audio components. So all control settings should be at the maximum that would represent normal usage. So if you are absolutely certain that you will have tone bands that will be in play all the time, while this is not the norm, I would include those in the gain-setting process. If you are using substantial gain increases on any given tonal band, then you should re-adjust this approach so that you offset gains with matching reductions. In other words, the EQ's gain output will be essentially the same whether set flat or with boost/cuts.            

Thank you for the input! I know just enough to be dangerous but not enough to be 

perfect lol. I've been running through different scenarios in my head on how I want to start this process. And I agree, what works in a vehicle is completely different from a boat. I'll keep hashing out in my brain and then take her out next weekend on the lake and spend a few hours playing with it