2015 Sport C/C Audio Build Log

[BCMark]

Thanks, I'm really impressed with it overall. I've done a few installations prior to this one but have had a lot of experience with pro audio stuff (40+channel mixer boards, amps, parametric EQ's, processors, etc.).

This is by far the best sounding car audio installation I have done, just can't say enough about how happy I am with the Morel speakers and the Audison Bit Ten D. With all the tuning in the Bit Ten, if I didn't know there wasn't several speakers along the front of the dash I wouldn't believe it. Especially the center channel, I can't believe how much it sounds like the vocals in some tracks are coming from right in the middle of the dash. To hear the mids sound like they are positioned right in front of your face is pretty deceiving too when you know they are down in the doors.

 

[poweredbyhemi]

I've got the same truck & just installed my truxedo tonneau & tonneau mate tool box in order to free up the space under the rear seat for the fox box.
I may go this exact route but witg 12's & minus the sound deadening unless i deem it necessary after the install as to avoid the hassle & added weight.
To say i love your setup would be an understatement.My only wish is that i could listen to yours before doing mine.

 

[BCMark]

Thanks for the compliment, it was a fair amount of work but in the end I'm really happy with it.

If you are going to sound deaden anything I highly recommend getting your hands all hacked up with a million cuts by putting as much as you can on the inside of the outer door skins. Even do one door and then knock on the outside of a treated door vs an untreated door and the difference will convince you to do the other 3.

Also, take a good look at which subs you plan to put in and the recommended box size compared to what you get from the Fox box. Not saying you are but be careful not to get trapped into the thinking that a 12 is always better than a 10. A 10 in a properly sized box will outperform a 12 in one that is too small. I get tons of punch and low end rumble from mine.

Grats on the tonneau cover, I just found a great deal on a used BAKFlip HD that I'm picking up on Friday.

 

[poweredbyhemi]

Thx for the advice,i highly appreciate any of your input.

 

[BCMark]

Here's some pics of my tuning the system with the Audison Bit Ten and a usb condenser mic.

Sub channel was muted during this and you'll see Channels 3 and 4 were cut back quite a bit, that's the left and right tweeters which needed quite a bit of attenuation because of their positioning.

 

[Big Boi]

Subscribed

 

[poweredbyhemi]

Do the tweeters block the defrost flow to the doors?

 

[autokraftgt]

Finally got home and had some time yesterday to do a bit of tuning. Spent 4 hours tuning and while I am still learning a lot in this regard the sound improvement is amazing.

Had my laptop running both the Bit Ten control software and a Dayton Audio OmniMic. I am very impressed with the OmniMic, it's a condenser microphone that is USB powered. Comes with a calibration number and is pretty easy to set up with the provided software. Software includes it's own RTA as well.

Once I got everything set up and running, placed the mic at the driver side listening position, and ran a Pink Noise track on repeat, I sat in the back seats with the laptop and started making EQ and crossover adjustments. I was actually a little surprised at how much I had to cut a few of the frequencies and had some hesitations about how it was going to sound with real music making that big of a change. The biggest cut I think was to the 200hz range, took a lot to get that hump out of my nice clean line lol. The Morel tweeters only being 10-15degrees off-axis are very "in your face" and also needed about an 8db cut to them to balance everything out (even after setting the amp gains to the tweeters lower than the woofers).

After a couple hours of adjustments trying to get a perfectly flat reading (got damn close to that too) I switched over to a few SQ tracks and had a nice hour long listening session. Other than a little more or less bass for personal taste there isn't anything I would change in the EQ now, it sounds amazing and I am more than happy with the outcome! I'm hearing things in songs I've never heard before.

On a side note, I've changed my mind about using the DRC and have decided to hook it up for the convenience of bass volume control. I'm in the process of running the wire for it and putting it in position today.

What are some of your go-to sq tracks?
I'm always interested in this stuff.
I like Paul Simon, Tool, Michael Jackson, Metallicas *** etc

 

[BCMark]

Do the tweeters block the defrost flow to the doors?

I put the defrost on and held my hand around the tweeters and air flow didn't seem too bad. Guess I'll find out in the winter.

 

[BCMark]

What are some of your go-to sq tracks?
I'm always interested in this stuff.
I like Paul Simon, Tool, Michael Jackson, Metallicas *** etc

I've just started to adjust for personal tastes but am finding the settings from leveling out a pink noise track are sounding pretty damn good on 90% of the music I play.

I have a few that I have always used over the years in lossless format, these are all personal preference and everyone has their own opinions on what they like to use.

Eagles - Hotel California, Hell Freezes Over Album
(One of the best all around sq tracks I've heard)

Steely Dan - Hey Nineteen (love the clean articulation, really good for separating instruments and frequencies)

Michael Jackson - So many of his songs have a lot of different instruments, sound effects, and harmonies going on in them. In a good system it's amazing how you keep hearing new things you didn't hear before. Billie Jean is a great song for hearing how clean your bass is.

Motley Crue - Kickstart My Heart (I like using this for getting my sub to mid crossover where I want it. The main guitar line right from the start plays down quite low and is right at the frequency range that I like to top out my subs at so they can kind of support the mids in that range. Adds the effect of really feeling that guitar as much as hearing it with the blend of subs and mids right there.

Evanescence - I love Amy Lee's vocals, she has great range. I used to use the song "My Immortal" because it was a clean acoustic song and then right near the end the whole band kicks in for a great contrast. Then i got better gear and there's a flaw in that recording, it's a higher pitched beeping that sounds like a damn telegraph sending out an SOS, drives me crazy.

There's lots more that i just cant think of right now and would have to look at my list of them when I get home next week. I use the Focal Demo Discs as well, there are some great tracks on those!

 

[jeres313]

I have heard of horror stories of blowing the HU when trying to add aftermarket speakers and subwoofers to the 8.4 system. So many that I have completely avoided even shopping for a new set up (which is completely unlike me). Did you run into any issues? I was interested in going the route that you did with running off the signal directly out of the harness behind the dash and going with a bit TEN as well. How are you liking it?

 

[Etroze86]

There have been literally 0 horror stories about that on this site and we have some pretty talented people tapping into the 8.4 with no issues. I would shop away just don't be hooking into the wrong wires when you add anything.

 

[jeres313]

Perfect. That is what i like to hear. There are even local audio shops in my area that won't even take on this vehicle. Weird. But I am excited to get a build in progress.

 

[jeres313]

Does anyone have or can draw up a diagram of how to hook this Bit Ten D up to the OEM headunit?

 

[adrianp89]

Perfect. That is what i like to hear. There are even local audio shops in my area that won't even take on this vehicle. Weird. But I am excited to get a build in progress.

Those are shops you wouldn't want to even touch your truck lol.

 

[autokraftgt]

Perfect. That is what i like to hear. There are even local audio shops in my area that won't even take on this vehicle. Weird. But I am excited to get a build in progress.

At least your local shop is smart enough to know they're not smart enough, versus tackling the project and screwing everything up....which I have seen too many times

 

[BCMark]

Does anyone have or can draw up a diagram of how to hook this Bit Ten D up to the OEM headunit?

It's going to depend on wether you have the base 6 speaker system or the Alpine with an external amp. If it's the Alpine someone else is going to have to jump in here. If it's the base system I can walk you through it.

First, and most importantly, follow the setup directions in the manual slowly and carefully. If you hook up the RCA outs to the amps before you are finished setting up you can do some damage. This is especially true if you are running fully active as you will send a full range signal at max volume to all speakers.

As for the wiring, this is how I set mine up:

Tap into the front right and left speaker outputs at the back of the head unit and run new wires to the high level inputs on the Bit Ten. While you are at the back of the head unit, disconnect the rear speakers as well.

Next, since I mounted my Bit Ten in the center floor console I spliced the power and ground from the rear 12v plug right in that console. Tie the power from that 12v to the +remote in and +key mem wires on the Bit Ten. I just used that ground wire as well for the Bit Ten ground.

You will then have to run another separate power wire directly from the battery to the +power on the Bit Ten. If you don't run these power wires exactly like this and just try to tie all 3 to that accessory power wire you will get a loud pop in all your speakers everytime you turn the truck off, ask me how I know this
The reason is the Bit Ten needs to keep itself powered a second or two longer than the head unit so that a full volume spike isn't sent to the amps.

After this wiring is done, and only this wiring not the RCA outputs, you can start the setup. You'll need the test tones on a USB stick unless you have a CD Player.

The manual says to set your head unit to the maximum undistorted level. I set mine at 20. If you set it too high you will get a distorted signal, if you set it too low you will get a hiss at low volumes.

I used a laptop and followed the manual word for word and it went pretty smoothly. Just make sure you get your crossover points set before hooking up the amps to the Bit Ten.

If you need any other help with it just let me know