Anyone who has done the same swapping knows what I'm talking about!!!

I just sold (sniff sniff) my mint '89 RS, and swapped the stereo (Alpine 60x4 CD, Boston 746 plates in front and Boston RX97 in back) into my Grand Am, and I cannot believe the difference!! I knew I would get more bass in the GA, but this is unreal!!

I mean, we all know you can't get good bass from a third gen unless you add a sub...but it was amazing to see the same stereo perform so much better in a different car...

 

When I totaled my 91 RS , I put my entire system in my 86 jimmy. Let me tell ya, WHAT a difference. The whole truck shook with bass. Then I got my 87 TA and it went back the way it was in the camaro. Its just because of how the interior is shaped. The jimmy was basically a big box, so it made everything sound better. Oh well, I'll take a little less bass for the TA anyday tho

 

interesting, because hatch backs are typically better for bass. Almost all SPL vehicles are either trucks with walls or cutouts, or vans or suv's, or hatchbacks. Don't hear many sedans setting spl records.

mike

 

I agree with DJ, the same sub and amp in my car, 84 z, was about twice as loud as it was in my cousins extended cab chevy pickup
our type of cars are really loud, i think its in the way u aim the sub, off the rear glass is loudest

 

not really, bass is non directional, it will not sound different reflecting off glass, actually, it doesn't reflect very well at all, not like a tweeter.

The key is the transfer function. One, our cars are relatively long, so the wave has more time to develop (this is why trucks with subs right behind the back seats have a hard time getting very low bass). Two, the smaller shape of the hatch, as opposed to a van, helps build pressure. And 3, no back seat in the way to muffle the bass. Our cars give a nice boost to the 50 - 55 hz band.

mike

 

well, i aimed the sub towards me in the car, the bass sucked, i turned it around towards the glass and well and man did it pound, also this was with the sub sitting on top the gas tank area for a few test, so i think in some cases the way the sub is facing can make difference, thats my opinion, and i have had many experiences where sub facing has been quite critical to the amount of bass u will feel/hear inside the car...

 

changing a sub's facing does impact the way it sounds. Typically, if you cannot have the sub in the furthest back area of a car, you want to have it facing the back, again , it gives more distance for the wave to develop.

mike

 

In home stereo, in some ways, the most important consideration is how the speakers interact with the room itself. Try two high-end speakers in the same room and you'll note all kinds of differences in the way those speakers perform. The same would hold true with the enclosure of a car. Bass in a room can be enhanced by sticking a normally anemic speaker nearer a wall and/or corner. Subwoofer impact is also enhanced by corner placement. Finding where the best bass is in a room is relatively easy because speaker placement is not as restricted as in a car. Experiment where and when possible. For the sake of fidelity to the music, be judicious in the use of bass. For the sake of enjoyment--oh hell, just crank it!

JamesC

 

:rockon: :rockon: