I just finished Dynamatting my Passat doors tonight. Two layers on
the outer door skin, two layers on the inner sheetmetal, and one layer
on the inside of the door panel. Thats 5 layers per door, times 4
doors = 20 Layers !! (100 ft2)

This concludes a month-long project. What a pain in the ass! The
results are noticable, but certainly not incredible. For the average
system its just not worth the time...

What was your goal in doing this?

Tony


--



What's more likely? That an all-powerful mysterious god created the
universe and then decided not to give any proof of his existence? Or, that
he simply doesn't exist at all? And that we created him so that we wouldn't
have to feel so small and alone. -Eleanor Arroway, Contact

"Brian" wrote in message
om...
I just finished Dynamatting my Passat doors tonight. Two layers on
the outer door skin, two layers on the inner sheetmetal, and one layer
on the inside of the door panel. Thats 5 layers per door, times 4
doors = 20 Layers !! (100 ft2)

This concludes a month-long project. What a pain in the ass! The
results are noticable, but certainly not incredible. For the average
system its just not worth the time...

Why did you double layer?

--
Mark
remove "remove" and "spam" to reply

"Brian" wrote in message
om...
I just finished Dynamatting my Passat doors tonight. Two layers on
the outer door skin, two layers on the inner sheetmetal, and one layer
on the inside of the door panel. Thats 5 layers per door, times 4
doors = 20 Layers !! (100 ft2)

This concludes a month-long project. What a pain in the ass! The
results are noticable, but certainly not incredible. For the average
system its just not worth the time...

My goal was to:
1) get cleaner midbass
2) reduce road noise

I did the double layer because, since its a so much work just to take
the door aprt to reach the outer door skin, I figured I might as well
go with two layers while I'm at it. I also heard from many sources
that 2 layers *more* than double the effectiveness.

I do belive that both goals were accomplished, but only marginally so.

I also was sure to follow the advice previously given here, and made
sure that any holes were sealed. (not the bottom drain holes, of
course)

I think for further improvment the next step would be to install a
good EQ. My current head unit only has general bass, mid, and treble
ajustments.

Well as far as reducing road noise you can add all the dynamat in the world
and it will do almost nothing.

Cleaner midbass? You can certainly add some more midbass by "enclosing" the
door, but I've heard all sorts of differing advice on this. Mostly,
dynamatting will reduce vibrations and resonations caused by your speakers.

At least that's my take on the subject.

Tony


--



What's more likely? That an all-powerful mysterious god created the
universe and then decided not to give any proof of his existence? Or, that
he simply doesn't exist at all? And that we created him so that we wouldn't
have to feel so small and alone. -Eleanor Arroway, Contact

"Brian" wrote in message
om...
My goal was to:
1) get cleaner midbass
2) reduce road noise

I did the double layer because, since its a so much work just to take
the door aprt to reach the outer door skin, I figured I might as well
go with two layers while I'm at it. I also heard from many sources
that 2 layers *more* than double the effectiveness.

I do belive that both goals were accomplished, but only marginally so.

I also was sure to follow the advice previously given here, and made
sure that any holes were sealed. (not the bottom drain holes, of
course)

I think for further improvment the next step would be to install a
good EQ. My current head unit only has general bass, mid, and treble
ajustments.

I certainly don't disagree with you.

Perhaps the greatest benefit I gained from undertaking this laborious
task is that I no longer have to ask myself "I wonder if it would be
worth Dynamatting the doors."

Done.

(and still not satisfied) If I've learned anything, its that there
will always be the "what if" question. The persuit for perfection
truly has no end!

___________



"Tony Fernandes" wrote in message ...
Well as far as reducing road noise you can add all the dynamat in the world
and it will do almost nothing.

Cleaner midbass? You can certainly add some more midbass by "enclosing" the
door, but I've heard all sorts of differing advice on this. Mostly,
dynamatting will reduce vibrations and resonations caused by your speakers.

At least that's my take on the subject.

Tony


--



What's more likely? That an all-powerful mysterious god created the
universe and then decided not to give any proof of his existence? Or, that
he simply doesn't exist at all? And that we created him so that we wouldn't
have to feel so small and alone. -Eleanor Arroway, Contact

"Brian" wrote in message
om...
My goal was to:
1) get cleaner midbass
2) reduce road noise

I did the double layer because, since its a so much work just to take
the door aprt to reach the outer door skin, I figured I might as well
go with two layers while I'm at it. I also heard from many sources
that 2 layers *more* than double the effectiveness.

I do belive that both goals were accomplished, but only marginally so.

I also was sure to follow the advice previously given here, and made
sure that any holes were sealed. (not the bottom drain holes, of
course)

I think for further improvment the next step would be to install a
good EQ. My current head unit only has general bass, mid, and treble
ajustments.

Brian wrote:

My goal was to:
1) get cleaner midbass

- put more power to, or get/add better drivers.



2) reduce road noise

- if your windows are down, put them up. replace weatherstripping,
rubber door surface contacts, etc.

- drive in a quiet neighbourhoood.



I did the double layer because, since its a so much work just to take
the door aprt to reach the outer door skin, I figured I might as well
go with two layers while I'm at it. I also heard from many sources
that 2 layers *more* than double the effectiveness.


I do belive that both goals were accomplished, but only marginally so.


what was your final cost? (hrs of time and $$$)

snipped

I think for further improvment the next step would be to install a
good EQ. My current head unit only has general bass, mid, and treble
ajustments.

-will probably help tuning the system. i find the best way to get rid of
road noise is to play it as loud as possible.

EFFENDI

2) reduce road noise

- drive in a quiet neighbourhoood.
snip
i find the best way to get rid of
road noise is to play it as loud as possible.

So YOU'RE the ******* keeping me up at nights...

personally, i think peel and stick floor tile would be just as
effective.....



"Brian" wrote in message
om...
I certainly don't disagree with you.

Perhaps the greatest benefit I gained from undertaking this laborious
task is that I no longer have to ask myself "I wonder if it would be
worth Dynamatting the doors."

Done.

(and still not satisfied) If I've learned anything, its that there
will always be the "what if" question. The persuit for perfection
truly has no end!

___________



"Tony Fernandes" wrote in message
...
Well as far as reducing road noise you can add all the dynamat in the
world
and it will do almost nothing.

Cleaner midbass? You can certainly add some more midbass by "enclosing"
the
door, but I've heard all sorts of differing advice on this. Mostly,
dynamatting will reduce vibrations and resonations caused by your
speakers.

At least that's my take on the subject.

Tony


--



What's more likely? That an all-powerful mysterious god created the
universe and then decided not to give any proof of his existence? Or,
that
he simply doesn't exist at all? And that we created him so that we
wouldn't
have to feel so small and alone. -Eleanor Arroway, Contact

"Brian" wrote in message
om...
My goal was to:
1) get cleaner midbass
2) reduce road noise

I did the double layer because, since its a so much work just to take
the door aprt to reach the outer door skin, I figured I might as well
go with two layers while I'm at it. I also heard from many sources
that 2 layers *more* than double the effectiveness.

I do belive that both goals were accomplished, but only marginally so.

I also was sure to follow the advice previously given here, and made
sure that any holes were sealed. (not the bottom drain holes, of
course)

I think for further improvment the next step would be to install a
good EQ. My current head unit only has general bass, mid, and treble
ajustments.

Thanks for the advice.

My cost was $350 for the Dynamat. Total time was about 60 hrs.


what was your final cost? (hrs of time and $$$)

My cost was $350 for the Dynamat. Total time was about 60 hrs.



60 hours? That's quite a high figure.

Thanks for the advice.

My cost was $350 for the Dynamat. Total time was about 60 hrs.


what was your final cost? (hrs of time and $$$)


Holy mother of god!!

lol !

I've spent over about 240 hrs installing my system, and it still
sounds like **** to me at times. Its strange how, at times, it sounds
awesome and then at other times it sounds like crap (same tracks,
settings, levels, etc.) The psychology of what "sounds good" plays
such a big part.

I'm thinking about getting a head unit that has an EQ built in.
(parametric capabilities would be a plus) Any suggestions?





"MZ" wrote in message ...
Thanks for the advice.

My cost was $350 for the Dynamat. Total time was about 60 hrs.


what was your final cost? (hrs of time and $$$)


Holy mother of god!!

not nearly as shiny though. and home depot didn't have any floor tile
that had "Dynamat" printed all over it.



personally, i think peel and stick floor tile would be just as
effective.....

Tell us about your car, your equipment, the install, the whole works please.

Tony


--



What's more likely? That an all-powerful mysterious god created the
universe and then decided not to give any proof of his existence? Or, that
he simply doesn't exist at all? And that we created him so that we wouldn't
have to feel so small and alone. -Eleanor Arroway, Contact

"Brian" wrote in message
om...
lol !

I've spent over about 240 hrs installing my system, and it still
sounds like **** to me at times. Its strange how, at times, it sounds
awesome and then at other times it sounds like crap (same tracks,
settings, levels, etc.) The psychology of what "sounds good" plays
such a big part.

I'm thinking about getting a head unit that has an EQ built in.
(parametric capabilities would be a plus) Any suggestions?





"MZ" wrote in message
...
Thanks for the advice.

My cost was $350 for the Dynamat. Total time was about 60 hrs.


what was your final cost? (hrs of time and $$$)


Holy mother of god!!

"Scott Johnson" wrote in message ...
personally, i think peel and stick floor tile would be just as
effective.....



Cheap "Dynamat"

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=268-020

Used some last night to seal off a door, works well.

Chad

Thanks for your interest!!

I have a 2003 Passat. I ripped out the entire OEM system and
installed:

HEAD UNIT: Kenwood KDC-V7017 CD-player. Has front/rear pre-outs.
The EQ controls are interesting: First, you can select the speaker
setting (6x9, 5", "OEM", or "OFF"). Then you can select the
frequencies for the bass, mid, and treble adjustments, as follows:
Bass (60, 80, 100 or 150Hz). Mid (500, 1000, or 1500Hz). Treble (10K,
12.5K, or 15K Hz). I've tried many different combinations of
settings, but can't seem to settle on which sounds best. The main
reason I bought this unit is because I was looking for something that
had blue and red lighting to match the stock Passat dash lights. I
would like to upgrade to a head unit that has more comprehensive EQ
capabilities, but I'd like to stick with a unit that has Blue and/or
Red lights.

SPEAKERS: In the front is the Dynaudio System 360, using the X360
passive X-over boxes. The mids and tweets are in the kick panels. In
the rear doors are Dynaudio System 240, using the X240 X-over.

SUB: A JL Audio Stealth Box having a 10" W3 v2 in a sealed enclosure,
mounted in the trunk's rear corner.

AMPS: A Linear Power 2.2HV for the front speakers, and a second one
for the rears. I'm using a Harrison labs 100Hz high-pass filter for
these. These are both fed from the front pre-out coming from the head
unit. (I adjust the front/rear fade using the gain controls on the
amps.) The rear pre-out goes to the sub amp...

SUB AMP: one JL Audio 500/1.

Do you have any suggestions on system tuning, or a new head unit? I
was considering the Pioneer 8600 because it has a 13-band graphic EQ,
as well as some other cool digital processing features.

Any comments or advise would be appreciated !

____________


"Tony Fernandes" wrote in message ...
Tell us about your car, your equipment, the install, the whole works please.

Tony

Well don't feel too bad, Brian. In my Explorer I put two layers of sound
deadening material on the outer sheet metal along with two cans of
Noisekiller Gray per door right on top of the sheets. Then I put another
layer on the inner sheet metal plus sealed up all the holes with more sheets
and silicone. And like you I finished it off with another layer on the back
side of the plastic door panel. Let me tell you the midbass response I had
with my Dynaudio 360 set was amazing (of course I ran them tri-amped, which
is entirely different than using the passive Dynaudio crossovers). It was
like having subwoofers in the front of the car. Plus, the doors didn't
rattle, buzz, or otherwise produce any unwanted noise. Very clean.

The problem with your Dynaudios is that they're extremely revealing. If
your CD player isn't up to the task, your speakers will certainly tell you.
I know some people will disagree with me, but you're gonna need a high-end
HU to compliment those Dyns. I'm not saying the Kenwood isn't, because I'm
not very familiar with it, but it's just an idea you might want to
investigate further. And the Pioneer you spoke of probably isn't going to
be much better or worse than what you already have.

How much power are the amps sending to the front speakers? Done properly,
those 8" midwoofers should take GOBS of power and really pound. And I'm
thinking 100Hz HP is probably a little to high for them. You should be able
to get at least down to 70Hz or lower with ease. Do the amps not have
built-in variable crossovers? You also might want to consider biamping or
triamping them. The passive Dyn crossovers leave a bit to be desired at
higher volume levels.

From what I've heard, JL Stealthboxes sound very good overall. Their SQ
varies from vehicle to vehicle, so hopefully yours is one of the better
ones. Sounds like you've got plently of power going to it.

So you say sometimes the stereo sounds better than others, even with the
same settings and songs? I think that's normal...I do the same thing
sometimes. I think it depends not only on your ears that day, but also what
you "think" you should be hearing or not hearing...which changes from time
to time. Maybe you should try not listening to the stereo for a few days
and get a fresh start. That helps me sometimes.

BTW. What exactly don't you like about the system at times? My suggestion
to you is to listen to some good systems and get your ears accustomed to
what sounds good to you and strive for it. I'm fairly certain that your
equipment isn't entirely to blame. In fact, I bet with the proper tweaking
you'd be very happy.

Tony










--



What's more likely? That an all-powerful mysterious god created the
universe and then decided not to give any proof of his existence? Or, that
he simply doesn't exist at all? And that we created him so that we wouldn't
have to feel so small and alone. -Eleanor Arroway, Contact

"Brian" wrote in message
om...
Thanks for your interest!!

I have a 2003 Passat. I ripped out the entire OEM system and
installed:

HEAD UNIT: Kenwood KDC-V7017 CD-player. Has front/rear pre-outs.
The EQ controls are interesting: First, you can select the speaker
setting (6x9, 5", "OEM", or "OFF"). Then you can select the
frequencies for the bass, mid, and treble adjustments, as follows:
Bass (60, 80, 100 or 150Hz). Mid (500, 1000, or 1500Hz). Treble (10K,
12.5K, or 15K Hz). I've tried many different combinations of
settings, but can't seem to settle on which sounds best. The main
reason I bought this unit is because I was looking for something that
had blue and red lighting to match the stock Passat dash lights. I
would like to upgrade to a head unit that has more comprehensive EQ
capabilities, but I'd like to stick with a unit that has Blue and/or
Red lights.

SPEAKERS: In the front is the Dynaudio System 360, using the X360
passive X-over boxes. The mids and tweets are in the kick panels. In
the rear doors are Dynaudio System 240, using the X240 X-over.

SUB: A JL Audio Stealth Box having a 10" W3 v2 in a sealed enclosure,
mounted in the trunk's rear corner.

AMPS: A Linear Power 2.2HV for the front speakers, and a second one
for the rears. I'm using a Harrison labs 100Hz high-pass filter for
these. These are both fed from the front pre-out coming from the head
unit. (I adjust the front/rear fade using the gain controls on the
amps.) The rear pre-out goes to the sub amp...

SUB AMP: one JL Audio 500/1.

Do you have any suggestions on system tuning, or a new head unit? I
was considering the Pioneer 8600 because it has a 13-band graphic EQ,
as well as some other cool digital processing features.

Any comments or advise would be appreciated !

____________


"Tony Fernandes" wrote in message
...
Tell us about your car, your equipment, the install, the whole works
please.

Tony

The problem with your Dynaudios is that they're extremely revealing. If
your CD player isn't up to the task, your speakers will certainly tell
you.
I know some people will disagree with me, but you're gonna need a high-end
HU to compliment those Dyns.

Yeah, they're so revealing that they can reveal things that aren't even
there!

Sorry, Tony, just had to give you crap...

"Sorry, Tony, just had to give you crap... "

Hey, I was waiting for it!!

Tony


--



What's more likely? That an all-powerful mysterious god created the
universe and then decided not to give any proof of his existence? Or, that
he simply doesn't exist at all? And that we created him so that we wouldn't
have to feel so small and alone. -Eleanor Arroway, Contact

"MZ" wrote in message
...
The problem with your Dynaudios is that they're extremely revealing. If
your CD player isn't up to the task, your speakers will certainly tell
you.
I know some people will disagree with me, but you're gonna need a
high-end
HU to compliment those Dyns.

Yeah, they're so revealing that they can reveal things that aren't even
there!

Sorry, Tony, just had to give you crap...

Yeah, maybe a high-end head unit. Do you know of any with deep blue
and/or red illumination?

The Linear Power amps do about 150W rms to each of the four doors.
(150 x 4) The sub amp is 500W rms.

I've found the sound is cleaner with the 100Hz high-pass. (I did try
70Hz). The Linear Power amps have no internal cross-overs.

As for bi-amping, that will have to wait until my next car, 4 years
from now. (My current car will be going to my daughter 4 years from
now.) If I do any more to this one (other than a new head unit), it
will be MUCH too painful to part with !

The Stealth Box for the Passat is great. I'm VERY satisfied with it.
The JL Audio tech told me that the boss at JL Audio has a Passat,
hence, "it *had* to be done right." They spent the most time
developing it, as compared to any other Stealth Box they've produced.
(over 2 years in the making!)

I agree with your comments and advice SQ perception. As Geddy Lee
from RUSH put it, when you are working on a project for so long, you
start to experience a "loss of perspective". The few laypeople who
have heard my system were like, "HOLY ****!" But then again, what do
*they* know... ;-) j/k

I guess what I don't like about my system is that I can still tell
that the band is not *really* riding in the car with me. ha ha.
Yeah, I really should listen to some competition systems as a point of
reference. I totally agree thats whats needed before I go any
further.

Thank you so much for the great advice !!

-Brian

_______________


"Tony Fernandes" wrote in message ...
Well don't feel too bad, Brian. In my Explorer I put two layers of sound
deadening material on the outer sheet metal along with two cans of
Noisekiller Gray per door right on top of the sheets. Then I put another
layer on the inner sheet metal plus sealed up all the holes with more sheets
and silicone. And like you I finished it off with another layer on the back
side of the plastic door panel. Let me tell you the midbass response I had
with my Dynaudio 360 set was amazing (of course I ran them tri-amped, which
is entirely different than using the passive Dynaudio crossovers). It was
like having subwoofers in the front of the car. Plus, the doors didn't
rattle, buzz, or otherwise produce any unwanted noise. Very clean.

The problem with your Dynaudios is that they're extremely revealing. If
your CD player isn't up to the task, your speakers will certainly tell you.
I know some people will disagree with me, but you're gonna need a high-end
HU to compliment those Dyns. I'm not saying the Kenwood isn't, because I'm
not very familiar with it, but it's just an idea you might want to
investigate further. And the Pioneer you spoke of probably isn't going to
be much better or worse than what you already have.

How much power are the amps sending to the front speakers? Done properly,
those 8" midwoofers should take GOBS of power and really pound. And I'm
thinking 100Hz HP is probably a little to high for them. You should be able
to get at least down to 70Hz or lower with ease. Do the amps not have
built-in variable crossovers? You also might want to consider biamping or
triamping them. The passive Dyn crossovers leave a bit to be desired at
higher volume levels.

From what I've heard, JL Stealthboxes sound very good overall. Their SQ
varies from vehicle to vehicle, so hopefully yours is one of the better
ones. Sounds like you've got plently of power going to it.

So you say sometimes the stereo sounds better than others, even with the
same settings and songs? I think that's normal...I do the same thing
sometimes. I think it depends not only on your ears that day, but also what
you "think" you should be hearing or not hearing...which changes from time
to time. Maybe you should try not listening to the stereo for a few days
and get a fresh start. That helps me sometimes.

BTW. What exactly don't you like about the system at times? My suggestion
to you is to listen to some good systems and get your ears accustomed to
what sounds good to you and strive for it. I'm fairly certain that your
equipment isn't entirely to blame. In fact, I bet with the proper tweaking
you'd be very happy.

Tony










--



What's more likely? That an all-powerful mysterious god created the
universe and then decided not to give any proof of his existence? Or, that
he simply doesn't exist at all? And that we created him so that we wouldn't
have to feel so small and alone. -Eleanor Arroway, Contact

"Brian" wrote in message
om...
Thanks for your interest!!

I have a 2003 Passat. I ripped out the entire OEM system and
installed:

HEAD UNIT: Kenwood KDC-V7017 CD-player. Has front/rear pre-outs.
The EQ controls are interesting: First, you can select the speaker
setting (6x9, 5", "OEM", or "OFF"). Then you can select the
frequencies for the bass, mid, and treble adjustments, as follows:
Bass (60, 80, 100 or 150Hz). Mid (500, 1000, or 1500Hz). Treble (10K,
12.5K, or 15K Hz). I've tried many different combinations of
settings, but can't seem to settle on which sounds best. The main
reason I bought this unit is because I was looking for something that
had blue and red lighting to match the stock Passat dash lights. I
would like to upgrade to a head unit that has more comprehensive EQ
capabilities, but I'd like to stick with a unit that has Blue and/or
Red lights.

SPEAKERS: In the front is the Dynaudio System 360, using the X360
passive X-over boxes. The mids and tweets are in the kick panels. In
the rear doors are Dynaudio System 240, using the X240 X-over.

SUB: A JL Audio Stealth Box having a 10" W3 v2 in a sealed enclosure,
mounted in the trunk's rear corner.

AMPS: A Linear Power 2.2HV for the front speakers, and a second one
for the rears. I'm using a Harrison labs 100Hz high-pass filter for
these. These are both fed from the front pre-out coming from the head
unit. (I adjust the front/rear fade using the gain controls on the
amps.) The rear pre-out goes to the sub amp...

SUB AMP: one JL Audio 500/1.

Do you have any suggestions on system tuning, or a new head unit? I
was considering the Pioneer 8600 because it has a 13-band graphic EQ,
as well as some other cool digital processing features.

Any comments or advise would be appreciated !

____________


"Tony Fernandes" wrote in message
...
Tell us about your car, your equipment, the install, the whole works
please.

Tony

"Yeah, maybe a high-end head unit. Do you know of any with deep blue
and/or red illumination?"

Have you looked at the new Eclipse players? They're blue, not sure if it's
the right shade or not.

BTW...back to talking about your system sounding good or bad depending on
the day. Tonight I went and parked the car and listened for a good 2 hours.
The system has never sounded better...and I didn't touch a thing! I mean it
sounded AWESOME...everything I put in from Ozzy, Telarc classical stuff,
AC/DC, Jewel, jazz, Metallica, piano, Madonna...you name it. I think it
also has to do with your mindset. Sometimes I can sit in my car and pick it
to death about how everything needs tweaking & adjusting...other times I
just wanna sit and enjoy the fruits of my labor & wouldn't change a thing.
Tonight was one of those I wouldn't change a thing nights. :-)

Tony


--



What's more likely? That an all-powerful mysterious god created the
universe and then decided not to give any proof of his existence? Or, that
he simply doesn't exist at all? And that we created him so that we wouldn't
have to feel so small and alone. -Eleanor Arroway, Contact

"Brian" wrote in message
om...
Yeah, maybe a high-end head unit. Do you know of any with deep blue
and/or red illumination?

The Linear Power amps do about 150W rms to each of the four doors.
(150 x 4) The sub amp is 500W rms.

I've found the sound is cleaner with the 100Hz high-pass. (I did try
70Hz). The Linear Power amps have no internal cross-overs.

As for bi-amping, that will have to wait until my next car, 4 years
from now. (My current car will be going to my daughter 4 years from
now.) If I do any more to this one (other than a new head unit), it
will be MUCH too painful to part with !

The Stealth Box for the Passat is great. I'm VERY satisfied with it.
The JL Audio tech told me that the boss at JL Audio has a Passat,
hence, "it *had* to be done right." They spent the most time
developing it, as compared to any other Stealth Box they've produced.
(over 2 years in the making!)

I agree with your comments and advice SQ perception. As Geddy Lee
from RUSH put it, when you are working on a project for so long, you
start to experience a "loss of perspective". The few laypeople who
have heard my system were like, "HOLY ****!" But then again, what do
*they* know... ;-) j/k

I guess what I don't like about my system is that I can still tell
that the band is not *really* riding in the car with me. ha ha.
Yeah, I really should listen to some competition systems as a point of
reference. I totally agree thats whats needed before I go any
further.

Thank you so much for the great advice !!

-Brian

_______________


"Tony Fernandes" wrote in message
...
Well don't feel too bad, Brian. In my Explorer I put two layers of
sound
deadening material on the outer sheet metal along with two cans of
Noisekiller Gray per door right on top of the sheets. Then I put
another
layer on the inner sheet metal plus sealed up all the holes with more
sheets
and silicone. And like you I finished it off with another layer on the
back
side of the plastic door panel. Let me tell you the midbass response I
had
with my Dynaudio 360 set was amazing (of course I ran them tri-amped,
which
is entirely different than using the passive Dynaudio crossovers). It
was
like having subwoofers in the front of the car. Plus, the doors didn't
rattle, buzz, or otherwise produce any unwanted noise. Very clean.

The problem with your Dynaudios is that they're extremely revealing. If
your CD player isn't up to the task, your speakers will certainly tell
you.
I know some people will disagree with me, but you're gonna need a
high-end
HU to compliment those Dyns. I'm not saying the Kenwood isn't, because
I'm
not very familiar with it, but it's just an idea you might want to
investigate further. And the Pioneer you spoke of probably isn't going
to
be much better or worse than what you already have.

How much power are the amps sending to the front speakers? Done
properly,
those 8" midwoofers should take GOBS of power and really pound. And I'm
thinking 100Hz HP is probably a little to high for them. You should be
able
to get at least down to 70Hz or lower with ease. Do the amps not have
built-in variable crossovers? You also might want to consider biamping
or
triamping them. The passive Dyn crossovers leave a bit to be desired at
higher volume levels.

From what I've heard, JL Stealthboxes sound very good overall. Their SQ
varies from vehicle to vehicle, so hopefully yours is one of the better
ones. Sounds like you've got plently of power going to it.

So you say sometimes the stereo sounds better than others, even with the
same settings and songs? I think that's normal...I do the same thing
sometimes. I think it depends not only on your ears that day, but also
what
you "think" you should be hearing or not hearing...which changes from
time
to time. Maybe you should try not listening to the stereo for a few
days
and get a fresh start. That helps me sometimes.

BTW. What exactly don't you like about the system at times? My
suggestion
to you is to listen to some good systems and get your ears accustomed to
what sounds good to you and strive for it. I'm fairly certain that your
equipment isn't entirely to blame. In fact, I bet with the proper
tweaking
you'd be very happy.

Tony










--



What's more likely? That an all-powerful mysterious god created the
universe and then decided not to give any proof of his existence? Or,
that
he simply doesn't exist at all? And that we created him so that we
wouldn't
have to feel so small and alone. -Eleanor Arroway, Contact

"Brian" wrote in message
om...
Thanks for your interest!!

I have a 2003 Passat. I ripped out the entire OEM system and
installed:

HEAD UNIT: Kenwood KDC-V7017 CD-player. Has front/rear pre-outs.
The EQ controls are interesting: First, you can select the speaker
setting (6x9, 5", "OEM", or "OFF"). Then you can select the
frequencies for the bass, mid, and treble adjustments, as follows:
Bass (60, 80, 100 or 150Hz). Mid (500, 1000, or 1500Hz). Treble (10K,
12.5K, or 15K Hz). I've tried many different combinations of
settings, but can't seem to settle on which sounds best. The main
reason I bought this unit is because I was looking for something that
had blue and red lighting to match the stock Passat dash lights. I
would like to upgrade to a head unit that has more comprehensive EQ
capabilities, but I'd like to stick with a unit that has Blue and/or
Red lights.

SPEAKERS: In the front is the Dynaudio System 360, using the X360
passive X-over boxes. The mids and tweets are in the kick panels. In
the rear doors are Dynaudio System 240, using the X240 X-over.

SUB: A JL Audio Stealth Box having a 10" W3 v2 in a sealed enclosure,
mounted in the trunk's rear corner.

AMPS: A Linear Power 2.2HV for the front speakers, and a second one
for the rears. I'm using a Harrison labs 100Hz high-pass filter for
these. These are both fed from the front pre-out coming from the head
unit. (I adjust the front/rear fade using the gain controls on the
amps.) The rear pre-out goes to the sub amp...

SUB AMP: one JL Audio 500/1.

Do you have any suggestions on system tuning, or a new head unit? I
was considering the Pioneer 8600 because it has a 13-band graphic EQ,
as well as some other cool digital processing features.

Any comments or advise would be appreciated !

____________


"Tony Fernandes" wrote in message
...
Tell us about your car, your equipment, the install, the whole works
please.

Tony

Have you looked at the new Eclipse players? They're blue, not sure if
it's
the right shade or not.

BTW...back to talking about your system sounding good or bad depending on
the day. Tonight I went and parked the car and listened for a good 2
hours.
The system has never sounded better...and I didn't touch a thing! I mean
it
sounded AWESOME...everything I put in from Ozzy, Telarc classical stuff,
AC/DC, Jewel, jazz, Metallica, piano, Madonna...you name it. I think it
also has to do with your mindset. Sometimes I can sit in my car and pick
it
to death about how everything needs tweaking & adjusting...other times I
just wanna sit and enjoy the fruits of my labor & wouldn't change a thing.
Tonight was one of those I wouldn't change a thing nights. :-)

The eventual goal is creating an audio system that you don't know is there.
A bad audio system is one where you listen to the audio system. A good
audio system is one where you listen to the music.

Perhaps unfortunately, most people involved in car audio tend to prefer to
listen to the audio system. Maybe because it's become a "hobby" or "sport"
to some, rather than simply a means to best reproduce the music.

Mark Zarella wrote: "The eventual goal is creating an audio system that you
don't know is there. A bad audio system is one where you listen to the
audio system. A good audio system is one where you listen to the music.

Perhaps unfortunately, most people involved in car audio tend to prefer to
listen to the audio system. Maybe because it's become a "hobby" or "sport"
to some, rather than simply a means to best reproduce the music."

I think I came to this exact conclusion a long time ago. The more tweaking
options I have with my system, the more likely I am to be unhappy to the
system...because I'm always evaluating it for its "technical" prowess. The
simpler the system, the more likely I am to listen to the music
itself...just for the pure enjoyment out of it.

Having said that, my brain is too anal to just sit back and enjoy a system
that doesn't perform up to my "standards". And since every system I've
owned that has successfully met those standards is infinitely tweakable, I
tend to not enjoy the music as much as I should becuase I'm always
evaluating.

The trick I've learned is that whenever I add something new to the system, I
undergo a period of evaluation. Depending on what I add, that period can be
short, or it can be very long. Usually those periods are when I'm most
critical, hence I'm not really listening to the "music", but the system's
ability to produce the music.

Once I've reached the point where I think it's as perfect as it can be, I
tend to relax and sit back and enjoy. Right now it's taking me forever
becuase there's just so damned many vaiables. I've finally got my crossover
points and levels set on my amps where I want them. Next is playing around
with my 1/3 order 30 band per channel EQ. I've built an "extension cable"
so I can bring the EQ from the trunk into the passenger compartment and sit
it on my lap. But I've just been procrastination and giving my ears some
time to adjust to the current settings I've worked on. I'm pretty much
going through my CD collection and listening to a whole bunch of stuff I
haven't listened to for a while. Eventually I'll get around to the EQ.

Tony



--



What's more likely? That an all-powerful mysterious god created the
universe and then decided not to give any proof of his existence? Or, that
he simply doesn't exist at all? And that we created him so that we wouldn't
have to feel so small and alone. -Eleanor Arroway, Contact

"MZ" wrote in message
...

Have you looked at the new Eclipse players? They're blue, not sure if
it's
the right shade or not.

BTW...back to talking about your system sounding good or bad depending
on
the day. Tonight I went and parked the car and listened for a good 2
hours.
The system has never sounded better...and I didn't touch a thing! I
mean
it
sounded AWESOME...everything I put in from Ozzy, Telarc classical stuff,
AC/DC, Jewel, jazz, Metallica, piano, Madonna...you name it. I think it
also has to do with your mindset. Sometimes I can sit in my car and
pick
it
to death about how everything needs tweaking & adjusting...other times I
just wanna sit and enjoy the fruits of my labor & wouldn't change a
thing.
Tonight was one of those I wouldn't change a thing nights. :-)

The eventual goal is creating an audio system that you don't know is
there.
A bad audio system is one where you listen to the audio system. A good
audio system is one where you listen to the music.

Perhaps unfortunately, most people involved in car audio tend to prefer to
listen to the audio system. Maybe because it's become a "hobby" or
"sport"
to some, rather than simply a means to best reproduce the music.

Someone who gets it.

--
Mark
remove "remove" and "spam" to reply

"Tony Fernandes" wrote in message
...
Mark Zarella wrote: "The eventual goal is creating an audio system that
you
don't know is there. A bad audio system is one where you listen to the
audio system. A good audio system is one where you listen to the music.

Perhaps unfortunately, most people involved in car audio tend to prefer to
listen to the audio system. Maybe because it's become a "hobby" or
"sport"
to some, rather than simply a means to best reproduce the music."

I think I came to this exact conclusion a long time ago. The more
tweaking
options I have with my system, the more likely I am to be unhappy to the
system...because I'm always evaluating it for its "technical" prowess.
The
simpler the system, the more likely I am to listen to the music
itself...just for the pure enjoyment out of it.

Having said that, my brain is too anal to just sit back and enjoy a system
that doesn't perform up to my "standards". And since every system I've
owned that has successfully met those standards is infinitely tweakable, I
tend to not enjoy the music as much as I should becuase I'm always
evaluating.

The trick I've learned is that whenever I add something new to the system,
I
undergo a period of evaluation. Depending on what I add, that period can
be
short, or it can be very long. Usually those periods are when I'm most
critical, hence I'm not really listening to the "music", but the system's
ability to produce the music.

Once I've reached the point where I think it's as perfect as it can be, I
tend to relax and sit back and enjoy. Right now it's taking me forever
becuase there's just so damned many vaiables. I've finally got my
crossover
points and levels set on my amps where I want them. Next is playing
around
with my 1/3 order 30 band per channel EQ. I've built an "extension cable"
so I can bring the EQ from the trunk into the passenger compartment and
sit
it on my lap. But I've just been procrastination and giving my ears some
time to adjust to the current settings I've worked on. I'm pretty much
going through my CD collection and listening to a whole bunch of stuff I
haven't listened to for a while. Eventually I'll get around to the EQ.

Tony



--



What's more likely? That an all-powerful mysterious god created the
universe and then decided not to give any proof of his existence? Or,
that
he simply doesn't exist at all? And that we created him so that we
wouldn't
have to feel so small and alone. -Eleanor Arroway, Contact

"MZ" wrote in message
...

Have you looked at the new Eclipse players? They're blue, not sure if
it's
the right shade or not.

BTW...back to talking about your system sounding good or bad depending
on
the day. Tonight I went and parked the car and listened for a good 2
hours.
The system has never sounded better...and I didn't touch a thing! I
mean
it
sounded AWESOME...everything I put in from Ozzy, Telarc classical
stuff,
AC/DC, Jewel, jazz, Metallica, piano, Madonna...you name it. I think
it
also has to do with your mindset. Sometimes I can sit in my car and
pick
it
to death about how everything needs tweaking & adjusting...other times
I
just wanna sit and enjoy the fruits of my labor & wouldn't change a
thing.
Tonight was one of those I wouldn't change a thing nights. :-)

The eventual goal is creating an audio system that you don't know is
there.
A bad audio system is one where you listen to the audio system. A good
audio system is one where you listen to the music.

Perhaps unfortunately, most people involved in car audio tend to prefer
to
listen to the audio system. Maybe because it's become a "hobby" or
"sport"
to some, rather than simply a means to best reproduce the music.