How to get the best audio with the top down?

[linkmaster2021]

I just put in some new alpines in my vert and I cant seem to get it so i dont loose too much sound with the top down. Is there a certain way to position it so not much sound is lost to outside noises?

How are your sound systems hooked up?

[Eikon]

Good question!

It's hard to overcome the laws of physics, but you can certainly work to improve things.

1.) More power! Install an amplifier and turn up the power. You will get more clarity and more volume. Those things will help to overcome all the windnoise you get with the top down. 2.) Aim your speakers. Some tweeters are directional and can be aimed a bit... Keep those turns toward the dashboard so that they bounce inside the car toward your ears if possible. You may have enough space to put some carboard spacers in the rear speaker brackets in order to "aim" thosee speakers a little more direct toward you. 3.) More power! Yeah... I already said it, but there really is little you can do decrease the wind noise and the loss of acoustical reverberation when your top is down. So, play your music louder to make up for it. 4.) Work on the aerodynamics of the car to reduce wind noise if possible. Check the condition of your weatherstripping, moldings, etc.. Not that these are easy to find replacements for... but if you have frayed or ratty edges.. those can catch the wind and create more noise.

Anybody else have any ideas?

[fallingspeaker]

More power! Pound the sounds, Slam it, blast, whatever you wanna call it!

I dunno, I just put my setting so that the high freq's play louder, and then just turn up my low end alot.

It's like early metallica... or alot of metal bands for that matter... all lows and all highs, no mids... you gotta turn it up really loud to hear it the full range, but hearing highs and lows is good enough.

[KA-Te]

WHat about at traffic lights and things like that?

Do you guys turn your radios down? I usually do, but only because I thnk people get really annoyed when I don't.

Sometimes when I have the radio blaring because I'm doing 70mph on the highway, I'll get off at an exit and forget to turn my stereo down. I feel like people are giving me the evil eye then!

[Eikon]

I've got a Kenwood deck with a button called "att".. I think it stands for attenuator or something goofy like that... Anyhow, it basically cuts the volume by 2/3s when you press it. Nice for drive through windows, stoplights, those evil glares, etc...

Kate... depends on how much you like to share your music I guess.

I know how much I appreciate it when my black friends share their rap music and my mexican friends share their mexican polka music. lol.

I guess I try to be considerate. If it's music that I think may bother or offend another person or even annoy them... I'll most likely turn it down. If I'm listening to something bland (top 40, christian, etc..) I most likely will keep it at whatever volume I'm comfortable with.

If I get an evil glare... I most likely will turn up the volume and as soon as the light changes, let them hear even prettier music (the exhaust note of an RB20det)

[fallingspeaker]

ooh Eikon you got one of those 'soft' buttons. The button in my car makes it louder, not softer (it literally says 'loud' on the display when you press it)

Sometimes at traffic lights I think it is too loud... but that's just cause i'm trapped and can't escape if someone gets mad.

The type of music I listen to is probably listened to by less than 0.001% of the population here in Hawaii (power metal, happyhardcore, gabber), but screw it... Hawaii's radio stations suck so I might as well enlighten them with other forms of music.

If I know the music is irritating, I'll turn it down just a bit till im safe. Otherwise if its The Neverending Story song, i'll turn it up!

Don't need to worry too much when top is down though... but with top up and windows down... too much of a giant air box

[91RMKS13]

Try puttung your top up .

[Eikon]

Try puttung your top up .

Blasphemy!!!

The only time my top goes up is when it rains.

[fallingspeaker]

Hard to tell when a spontaneous shower will happen here... so unless its looks suuper clear sailing, then im hesistant to lower it. Besides i work from 630-5 so suns down when i leave and i sit through traffic going home (who wants the top down for that).

You are lucky eikon!!!

[linkmaster2021]

OK well how about Bass? I saw a thread in here about Bass Tube fitment and I was wondering if any of you guys had any Bass In your Sound systems? Any Ideas on How to increase Bass because When I turn It up when I am going fast The Bass coming out of the Speakers is really Crappy when I turn it up loud so do you guys have any useful setups?

[fallingspeaker]

I have two 12's... bass isn't a problem... trunk space is. I can fit a pair of shoes in my trunk... not much else

For the most part I don't listen to extreme bass... just something that I can feel and at a comfortable level.

I'm still looking into that basslink by infity or something. I wonder how it sounds though... have to find one in person.

[nissanconvert]

two impractical thoughts:1. Install a carputer and make an anti-noise circuit to run through the stereo or seperate speakers. I have noise reducing headphones, same concept. Rig 2 mics inside away from direct wind and have it feed the anti circuit. I know it can be done but would take time.2. I'm seen Audi TT's and other verts with noise reducing windscreens behind the seats. Not sure how one would properly achieve this but it's jsut a thought that had crossed my mind.

[fallingspeaker]

two impractical thoughts:1. Install a carputer and make an anti-noise circuit to run through the stereo or seperate speakers. I have noise reducing headphones, same concept. Rig 2 mics inside away from direct wind and have it feed the anti circuit. I know it can be done but would take time.2. I'm seen Audi TT's and other verts with noise reducing windscreens behind the seats. Not sure how one would properly achieve this but it's jsut a thought that had crossed my mind.

Haha can you imagine the rest of the traffic? Along comes this vert that's making hissy noises, not music.

I wonder how much it'd cost... Too bad I wasn't into signals & systems while in engineering school!

[wirelessalpha]

This is my 3rd vert (del sol, eclipse, 240) I have owned. Well, the del sol is not really a "vert" but you get the picture.

With all my audio setups I had to tons of power - that's a given, but I have never been able to simulate the sounds of a true cabin. Just my 2 cents.

[linkmaster2021]

Well that sux...

But o o well guess I need to up my power

[Glyph]

I get great, loud sound out of my new system. Here's what I did... First off, like's been said a few times; Power! I've got one amp that pushes 75w at 4 ohms to a set of components in the front and another amp pushing 100w per channel to my subs. I've got that one bridged and my subs wired in parrellel so they show a 2 ohm load to the amp basically giving over 400 watts to my subs. The subs are both 10" and they sit in boxes in the trunk I custom made out of fiberglass. Anywhere around 60 - 100 watts per channel @ 4 ohms (real watts. From an amp not your head unit), combined with decent 5.25 or 6.5 components rated to handle it and you WILL hear it. Even on the highway at 80+ mph driving next to a semi. As far as the quality of sound that's gonna depend pretty much on three things. The quality of the hardware (particularly the speakers), the quality of the install ("they" say it can make or break your system) and one thing I have yet to mention; sound deadening. As expensive as it may be, it's well worth it if you care about your tunes while driving. I've got three layers of Dynamat in my doors and two layers over my floor and throughout the trunk. It cost me a couple hundred but wow, what a difference. So to sum it up. You're absolutely correct WirelessAlpha. A convertible will never sound quite as good as the exact same setup in a car with a cabin. However with a bit of effort and money, a convertible can sound better than 95% of the cars on the road .
Modified by Glyph at 11:17 AM 7/12/2006

[Fenvy]

I just put in some new alpines in my vert and I cant seem to get it so i dont loose too much sound with the top down. Is there a certain way to position it so not much sound is lost to outside noises?

How are your sound systems hooked up?

put it back up

[linkmaster2021]

put it back up

Yeah you right but where is the fun in that?

[linkmaster2021]

So what was your Grand total for all of this stuff?

I would really like a kick *** soundsystem you know....

[Glyph]

The whole kit and kaboodle only ran me around $1200. Some used most new. You can find a great Alpine head unit used for less than $100 (new~$140), I then run the signal through 2 3-wy active crossovers to split the frequency's ($120 each). My highs run through a Soundstream amp I picked up used for $50, then out to a pair of DEI components ($150 brand new). My lows leave the crossover than run through a Directed amp ($40 used) and on to two Audiobahn 10" subs ($60 each). Figure approx $100 on wiring and connections and another $100 on fiberglass and misc bs and there you have it. I did the installation myself. My digi camera just broke but a friends lending me his. When I get it, I'll post some pics if you're interested.