If I took out my rear speakers and put Subs in, would my system sound JAcked-up? Or should I leave the rears in and add the Sub?

 

Either way would work. I think that a little bit of rear fill sounds better than none.

 

Keep the rears for rear fill and add a sub or two in the trunk...

Maximadave

 

im keepin rears for the heck of it... cheap at this point, and if i dont want them to pull my soundstage back, ill just turn (or keep) gains low/down.

 

Get rid of the rears...YOu don't hear sound from the rear of a concert why the car? It should be out in front of you on the hood.

 

Who said anything about a concert?

 

What? It's a comparison. Who doesn't like live music. If you can make the car sound like that why not try it?

 

Because that's not an ideal goal with a sound system.

 

HOw do you figure that??????? I compete on the national level. So what is your idea of an ideal goal?

 

It's not possible to make a studio-recorded CD sound like a live performance. A sound system should be set up to sound like an excellent pair of studio-quality headphones. That "stage placement" and other crap that the magazines try to brainwash people with is BS. There is only Left and Right encoded into CDs, not Front and Back. Besides, I don't know if you've been to any live performances, but they are so loud that sound does come from all around. As far as competing in IASCA, I go to lots of competitions every summer, and I have yet to hear a system that sounds as good as or better than mine. The competition circuit only encourages systems with flashy installs and that get high numbers when tested by machines. They don't know much about what really sounds good, though.

 

The concerts I am refering to are not Metalica hard rock or rap concerts. I'm refering to orcastra and other forms of good live music. As far as "It's not possible to make a studio-recorded CD sound like a live performance." your wrong. Go to Finals or SBN or somthing like that listen to the big dogs cars like Steve brown, Mark Eldrige, Garry Biggs,Rob Rice guys like that. If you don't have good stage placement you don't have it set up right. It's not bs and brain washing, mine does it. It is an illusion but that illusion is reflective of a good live orcastra kind of concert. I have been to many live music concerts. Only sound that comes from all around are rap concerts and hard rock concerts and that is not what i'm talking about. your system may sound good i don't know I havn't heard it. Go to a major event and prove it ie SBN ,Finals,Ohio SV,etc. If you think flashy systems is all it's about then you don't know very much. The street class only stress's system safty the rest is sound. The ult class uses more install perpuses but does not stress it. Those high numbers your talking about I guess your refering to spl and rta. Are now limited to 120spl and pass or fail on rta. All most anybody can do that. I did not post my coments to start an argument anyone can aruge. Good sound is all relitive. Untrained people may not reconize all the little nuiouncs that make up a sound system. If you like rears do it. If you don't then don't. End of discusion. What was the last show you went to? And what where your scores and what class are you in? Just to satisfi my curiosity.

 

I don't compete, and I never would, since my system tuning doesn't match what IASCA judges expect to hear. Like I said, I've been to tons of comps in the last 10 years. I've listened to a lot of the systems that are featured in the magazines. They have impressive installations with high-end equipment. I always think it's gonna sound great, but then it doesn't sound all that good. The IASCA-tuned systems are dull and lifeless. I have been a classically trained musician for most of my life and a professional musician in all types of music for many many years. I know what music is supposed to sound like. I know how it is recorded and what to expect from a 2-track recording. BTW, I doubt that anybody on this board drives around listening to nothing but classical. Most of us listen to rock and rap most of the time, so why set the system up to sound good for classical music and not rock and rap?

 

Not to knock any of you guys musical back round or expertise, but isn't what sounds good to someone a matter of taste? No matter how many competition systems you hear or what type of music you listen to, building a system to suit your own ear is what it's all about.

 

iasca system's are not susposed to be dull and lifeless the ones your hearing must be wrong or not to the right point. I could quote the liner notes that come with the disk if you like. IT should sound very realilistic plan and simple. It's good you know what music is suposed to sound like I encorage you to take a trip to next years sbn it's not far from GA and listen to the upper level cars that ive listed and mine. A properly setup car should sound good with all music. With rap it prob will lack some sub bass but hey whata gonna due just knock it up a bit. As pjlst said it's what sounds good to you and i say go for it. My point was to make it sound as real as posible it's very hard with rear fill.
Nobody on here cares I know that so i'm not sure why your argureing with me. Come listen to the uper level cars. and mine. The point of iasca is to get your car to a realistic great concert hall kind of sound. I know alot of comp cars sound crappy but thats not to say thats what the judges want. I can't control some comp cars arn't tuned right. Usac does stress install much more than sound and ive never understood why. They also stress spl more. If you want to arugre that then ok, i'll give that they do it oddly.

 

That crappy sound is what the judges wanted at the last competition I went to. I was listening to a car that had been featured in CA&E, and while I was thinking that it didn't sound that great, he said that the judge told him it was one of the best cars he had ever heard and to not change a thing. This guy competes nationally, so...

 

Children, children...settle down.

I'm with Micha on this one. The only thing that matters on your personal system is that you like the sound. If you're competing, that's different, you have to tune your system for that. Personally, I don't like having rear speakers, so I don't. I've heard other systems that sound just great with them, but not for me.

Calm down. It's very true that a system that scores well doesnt always sound good to everyone. It's totally based on personal taste, therefore you can't argue about it. You just cant say "What you prefer is wrong", that doesnt work.

 

Youve made your point you don't like iasca and thats fine. Who's car was it? it's unfortinite you havn't had good experiences with iasca and the judges. Some judges suck some cars suck. Just like some athelits suck and some refs suck. What more do ya want. Not everybody likes them alot are surprised at the way they sound. I'm sorry you don't like it but that don't mean you should genrelize all cars to sound like crap and thats basically how you come off. Stop arguing it. You have your opinion and I have mine. I'm sure most if not all people on here don't know or care what this even is.

 

Look, tough guy, you are the one arguing about it. I made a simple statement and you attacked it and then continued to prompt me for responses. BTW, one of the cars that won a class at the SBNs last year used rear fill. Lots of cars have. Making the music sound like it's coming from the hood doesn't sound that good. Being bathed in the sound is the best way to enjoy it.

 

There is no damn need for name calling. Are you 16? I'm not arguing I'm giveing a statement of the way it is suposed to be. you said all the cars you have heard from iasca basically sound like crap and I found that offensive. My statments where not ment to be atacking in nature. I know quit a few cars use rear fill i never said it doesn't work just that it's harder to make blend in. Surround sound vs. Staged sound has been discused and argued to death in all types of forums. I see no reason to continue to disuss it in here, where were prob the only 2 that know what where acually saying. Your making blanketed statments that this is the way it is suposed to be. I'm saying this is how iasca wants it and it's unfortunite so many cars don't get it to the way they want it.

 

Oh children just throw the damn rear speakers away and be done with it. Quit mixing up the image with rears that are timed wrong and go with the reflection of the fronts off the rear window, pillars, roof and seats. Rear speakers are a waist of money and if they are in the factory location a sub will really **** up their sound.

 

A sub doesn't affect rear speakers if they are installed properly. Image? There is only Left and Right. A good Left/Right balance is all that can be achieved with 2 channels of playback. Anything else is just imagined by the brain.

 

where do you mount the subs?

 

Most common installations have the sub mounted firing in to the trunk. The sound wave of the sub has to go through the rear seat and rear deck to get to the cabin. The easiest passage is through open space - such as the holes left by removing the rear deck speakers. If those speakers are left they will resonate - most likely at a frequency that they don't operate well within the speakers design parameters. A really powerful sub will cause them to exceed their x-max quite easily. Remember, in this capacity they are acting similar to a passive radiator.

Most car systems do not have a suround processor. So the best surround image is the reflected sound of the fronts because they will have a properly timed delay.