It's been a while....audio system update.

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

UNBROKEN

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 28, 2012
Posts
2,179
Reaction score
866
Ram Year
2012 Ram R/T
Engine
5.7
I've been trying some different gear and working on the tune with a team member...I think we have reached the limits of this MECA Street class build. I pulled the stock HU and tried a Kenwood DNN990HD....what a piece of crap. I wound up going back to my favorite HU of all time...the Clarion DRZ9255. It has few peers when pure SQ is the goal. I also swapped my Mosconi 6to8 DSP for their new 6to8V8 and added the RCD controller in a custom console mount. The dash kit for the HU was plastic welded to fill the ugly pocket below the HU and smoothed out.

1546074_10202071646372363_2972715470482263926_n.jpg


1014465_10202069647802400_1844524282395661836_n.jpg


I went through a few subs too. Swapped the JL 12W6v3 for a Morel Ultimo 12 then finally settled on an Illusion Audio Carbon C12XL...I don't think there's a better sub on the market at this time.

10173705_10202365018506483_7796639767483766150_n.jpg


The amps are the same for now, a pair of Mosconi AS200.4's. One of those will be swapped soon for an AS300.2 for the sub and an AS200.2 for the tweeters. That will allow me 200 watts per tweeter, 200 per midrange, 640 per midbass and about 1200 for the sub. The front stage Focal Utopia Be 3 way will stay. I'm qualified for Finals now with the 2nd highest score posted all year in my class. We'll see how Finals goes but I have a good shot at the Championship then I'll rebuild for Modified next year with the same gear. If I can win finals I will have gone undefeated this year....that's my goal.
 

DavidRam

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 19, 2014
Posts
9,094
Reaction score
3,921
Location
SoCal - Redondo Beach
Ram Year
2012 RCSB
Engine
Hemi 5.7
I'm qualified for Finals now with the 2nd highest score posted all year in my class. We'll see how Finals goes but I have a good shot at the Championship then I'll rebuild for Modified next year with the same gear. If I can win finals I will have gone undefeated this year....that's my goal.

That is ******* AWESOME, bro!!! :) When and where are finals??

Edit: ^^^ Sorry got a lil too excited there, lol.
 
OP
OP
UNBROKEN

UNBROKEN

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 28, 2012
Posts
2,179
Reaction score
866
Ram Year
2012 Ram R/T
Engine
5.7
Finals are in Nashville, Tn in November IIRC. I may come back to Cali for the state finals there...I have that one on lock.
 

DavidRam

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 19, 2014
Posts
9,094
Reaction score
3,921
Location
SoCal - Redondo Beach
Ram Year
2012 RCSB
Engine
Hemi 5.7
Let me know if you do the Cali one, I'd like to check it out.

Could you remind me what brand your tweeters are please? I forgot.
 
Last edited:

Etroze86

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 4, 2012
Posts
4,807
Reaction score
862
Location
Grand Forks ND
Ram Year
2011
Engine
5.7 Hemi
I really want to hear your truck. What did you end up doing with the kenwood?
 
OP
OP
UNBROKEN

UNBROKEN

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 28, 2012
Posts
2,179
Reaction score
866
Ram Year
2012 Ram R/T
Engine
5.7
They are the Focal TBe tweeters from the Utopia Be set. Retail is about $800 each to buy them separately.
 

Etroze86

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 4, 2012
Posts
4,807
Reaction score
862
Location
Grand Forks ND
Ram Year
2011
Engine
5.7 Hemi
hahaha thats too funny, what did you not like about it? I've been looking at touch screens lately that one raised an eyebrow for me.
 
OP
OP
UNBROKEN

UNBROKEN

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 28, 2012
Posts
2,179
Reaction score
866
Ram Year
2012 Ram R/T
Engine
5.7
It took almost a minute to start up...it just had too much stuff crammed into one package. Kenwood no longer makes them because of the complaints.
 

BradKnob

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 12, 2014
Posts
1,382
Reaction score
395
Location
Prairieville, LA
Ram Year
2012
Engine
5.7 hemi
Man this truck makes me all tingly inside. Not for sale anymore?


You say you have maxed out the capabilities of the system in a street class build and want to rebuild for modified class with the same gear. What kind of changes will you have to make? I'm not up to snuff with competition classes and what determines what class you would compete in. I'm assuming speaker positioning or if you make a custom baffle (say custom a-pillars or door pods), that would change the class ur in?
 
OP
OP
UNBROKEN

UNBROKEN

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 28, 2012
Posts
2,179
Reaction score
866
Ram Year
2012 Ram R/T
Engine
5.7
Street is stock speaker locations plus one set of tweeter pods. Speaker grilles cannot be modified in any way.
In Modified next year I'll do kick panel midbasses and the midranges and tweeters in recessed dash pods off axis way down in the outer corners. If I haven't added power by then I'll do it then. I may hold off since it's tuned so well now.
Every show and every judge is different but they all use the same criteria and source material. That said you can't really compare scores from judge to judge but you should be relatively in the ballpark if that makes sense. One of the highest classes is Extreme and where I've competed on the west coast all year the better cars in that class score in the mid 80's. My highest score of the year so far has been a 79.75 so I can improve scores quite a bit just by moving things around.

Oh...and it's always for sale. Just seems like nobody has any money. lol
 

BradKnob

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 12, 2014
Posts
1,382
Reaction score
395
Location
Prairieville, LA
Ram Year
2012
Engine
5.7 hemi
Aweome... All my speakers are in stock locations except the tweets in the sails. Id been throwing around some ideas to relocate them so im glad to hear it could make that much difference.


Id love to hear this thing. Id actually love to hear any proven and properly tuned vehicle bc ive never heard one. Id like to have something to compare my truck to so i know where i need to improve. No such thing as SQ down here in southern louisiana. lol
 
OP
OP
UNBROKEN

UNBROKEN

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 28, 2012
Posts
2,179
Reaction score
866
Ram Year
2012 Ram R/T
Engine
5.7
I love to demo it...when I'm home I'm in Houston so we're not that far apart. I'm in Columbia right now though so it probably can't happen this week. lol

A true SQ system is quite different from what most people are used to hearing. Plenty of people don't even like it. If you like that "surrounded by sound" thing you likely wouldn't like mine. Everything in mine is out on the dash and hood including the sub. You can look at the sub playing and still hear it coming from the dash. lol
We try to recreate the sound stage as best as we can....each instrument in the right spot, vocals on center if it was recorded that way, etc. It's different but it's fun to try.
 

BradKnob

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 12, 2014
Posts
1,382
Reaction score
395
Location
Prairieville, LA
Ram Year
2012
Engine
5.7 hemi
Ha, dont think ill be swinging through columbia this week.


I know what your saying about the sound. People arent used to hearing music in a car sound exactly like it would in a studio or at a live concert so it sounds "weird" to them. My truck now is the first vehicle ive owned with a DSP (ms8) and a dash that somewhat resembles an actual stage. I have a good center image and pretty decent width and depth I think (having nothing to compare to). My sub isnt quite as transparent as being able to look at it and still hear it on the dash but my mid and sub bass is right there on the dash. Now i will never not have a DSP in any vehicle I own.


Wondering if im missing out by not having something like a 6to8 or Bit one compared to the MS-8 but like i said, i have no comparison to see where i stand. Its the best sounding system ive heard in person but you know how it is, it can always be better.
 
Back
Top