2015 GTI MK7 DSP Questions

[clickclickw00t 10+ year member]

Over the last month, I've been in the process of trading/selling my old SPL gear to acquire a more SQ setup for my new 2015 GTI. I am stuck with the stock head unit as it is an AUDI MMI unit, so I have some questions about processing and what will sound good with this system. I've never done a proper SQ system, so I need some input.

So far I have:

Front Stage: 1 pair of Focal K2 Power 165KF w/ crossover and TN47 tweeters for front

Rear Fill: 1 pair of Alpine Type R Components for rear fill

Sub Stage: Focal SB27V1 11 Inch in the focal box

5 Channel amp: Zapco ST5X, also have a Nakamichi PA504 that I can use

More dynamat than I know what to do with.

My dilemma is that I'd love to be able to run run an active crossover setup, but is that even possible with a 4 channel amp and 8 speakers? Would it be a bad idea to bridge the speakers and the tweeters? Or should I run both the Zapco and the Nakamichi, run the Nakamichi for the mids, and the zapco for the highs? Or should I just run them passively? I'd rather keep it to one amp, because I want to cut down on weight.

I know that one of the most crucial components of this system will have to be the DSP, and I'm lost between the units. I have a fairly good understanding of hifi audio, but I am no genius. I'd like to stay in the $400-500 new 250-350 used range so I don't have to spend too much cash. Would love some input!

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[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

Drop the alpines and run active.

For your budget new ms-8 or used bit 10

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

I agree with above. only run rears if you have the processing to do so and understand how to tune rear fill. simply put, you shouldn't even know the rears are there until you turn them off and the soundstage changes.

focus all of your efforts on the fronts and if you have the time/money, add rears. the rears would be ran passive so the 8 channel output of the DSP would be as follows

1&2 - Front L&R Tweeters

3&4 - Front L&R Woofers

5&6 - Rear L&R Speakers (ran passive

7&8 - Subwoofer

i'll add that making an SQ system achieve it's best requires more than dynamat. i use fiberglass/ultratouch for absorption and a variety of foams to achieve isolation and seals.

 

[clickclickw00t 10+ year member]

Drop the alpines and run active. For your budget new ms-8 or used bit 10

But I love my alpines! I've had them since high school Alpine Type-R SPR-17LS 6-3/4" component speaker system at Crutchfield.com

Would it really be that big of a difference going passive to active? What about running the alpine for rear fill off of the stock head unit?

I also have an eclipse 4 channel, which is one of the smallest 4 channels amps made. Does about 20RMSx4. Maybe I can run that for the alpines for the rear fill?

 

[clickclickw00t 10+ year member]

i'll add that making an SQ system achieve it's best requires more than dynamat. i use fiberglass/ultratouch for absorption and a variety of foams to achieve isolation and seals.

I don't want to go all out with the fabricating. Again, I won't be competing for any awards, I'm just sick of SPL because its only fun if you're turning up constantly, and I'm not. I think some dynamat will do me fine for what I need.

 

[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

So you don't want a sq system you just want a system.

 

[clickclickw00t 10+ year member]

So you don't want a sq system you just want a system.

If you want to boil it down to that, yes. Maybe I should have rephrased my original question:

How do I get the best sound with what I have so far?

 

[clickclickw00t 10+ year member]

I didn't even know that the JBL MS8 has an amp built in. Maybe I can just run the zapco to the fronts and run the MS-8 amp for the rear fill alpines. Again, I'm new to the SQ arena, so any help for a n00b is appreciated.

I have relatively nice home SQ speakers, studio monitors, and a very nice Infinity Kappa 6.2 II home theater system setup. But really, have never done anything, or heard much of SQ in cars.

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

would you buy home theater speakers that were in hollow tin cans? that is what a car door is. making speakers sound good requires some hands-on effort making the doors behave like a proper enclosure. replacing speakers requires foam seals to replicate factory seals. it's not a matter of competing, but a desire to have something that sounds good.

 

[clickclickw00t 10+ year member]

would you buy home theater speakers that were in hollow tin cans? that is what a car door is. making speakers sound good requires some hands-on effort making the doors behave like a proper enclosure. replacing speakers requires foam seals to replicate factory seals. it's not a matter of competing, but a desire to have something that sounds good.

Well the foam seals were a given, I always put foam down when I install new speakers. I checked out your Accord build log and it gave me some ideas. I may end up getting a JBL MS8 and running the rear fill off the built in amp and running the fronts active.

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

Well the foam seals were a given, I always put foam down when I install new speakers. I checked out your Accord build log and it gave me some ideas. I may end up getting a JBL MS8 and running the rear fill off the built in amp and running the fronts active.

I did just that in a 2011 Scion tC with JL ZR front ran active and C5 coax ran off the MS-8. it worked well.

 

[clickclickw00t 10+ year member]

I did just that in a 2011 Scion tC with JL ZR front ran active and C5 coax ran off the MS-8. it worked well.

Funny enough, thats the car I traded in for the GTI, a 2012 TC. That system was a mish-mash of components and amps and wiring and batteries. However it did get loud and low. I just want a more grown-up sounding system now. I used to listen to hiphop 90% of the time, and now I've found listening to a lot of different stuff, and I want my audio system to keep up.

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

Funny enough, thats the car I traded in for the GTI, a 2012 TC. That system was a mish-mash of components and amps and wiring and batteries. However it did get loud and low. I just want a more grown-up sounding system now. I used to listen to hiphop 90% of the time, and now I've found listening to a lot of different stuff, and I want my audio system to keep up.

this is what's in the tC.

the GTI looks like a sweet choice. i'm curious to see what you end up with.

 

[clickclickw00t 10+ year member]

Do you have any experience with the JBl ms8 and factory Bluetooth? Been reading a lot of reviews saying that it echos for the other user, and that you have to press a button on the remote to mute the processor. Is this true? If so, it is a no go for me. I will try for the audison then. Overall I think the ms8 would fit me better as a newb to SQ, but I know I will want more custom functionality later on. It doesn't seeem like the ms8 had enough user customized options, whereas the audison and 360.3 do.

this is what's in the tC.

the GTI looks like a sweet choice. i'm curious to see what you end up with.

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

hmm. i hadn't heard of an issue with BT specific to the MS-8. in some cars, they use noise cancelling microphones and some may be programmed with speaker arrival times built-in. using a processor to adjust time alignment can confuse the factory DSP. but any processor will do that equally. the MS-8 controller gives you some functionality.