Anyone install a center channel in their car? I was thinking of taking the ashtray out and replacing with one from Kenwood? Any other recommendations?

Anyone using a 5.1 decoder setup? Pro's and Con's about using one? Any experience with the Alpine PXA-H510 or the mucho buck Alpine PXA-H900?

There are a few of us that have DVD players, so there's got to be someone with that's done this next level. Please post comments and/or pics.

Thanks.

 

Doing a Dolby Digital or DTS sound setup in a car is not much different than in a house. You have to match your front speakers for a proper soundstage, your woofer should not be too punchy (kind of the opposite of what most car audio enthusists want). Secondly you don't have to get a outboard decoder. Many DVD headunits have the DD/DTS decoder built-in, like Panasonics CQ-DVR909U (discontinued so you can find it at $500 or below).

Here are a couple pointers I've learned from doing my Honda Odyssey 5.1 setup w/CQ-DVR909U. My Lexus LS430 setup is still a work in progress, but I will be using Pioneer's AVM-P9000R. Oh, here are the pointers...

1.0 The center channel is very important for dialog (as you probably have learned from your home setup). Haing a tone matched L,R and center channel will make all the difference. Make sure it can handle the power you will give it, because you often need to drive the center channel louder to overcome road noise. That brings me to the next 2 points.

1.1 Make sure your DD/DTS decoder has a "Dynamic Range Control (DRC)". This will make the soft sounds in your movies louder and loud parts a bit softer. It really works well when the car is in motion with road noise.

1.2 A few DD/DTS decoders have a "Down Mix" function. Here the 5.1 tracks are simplified into a simple stereo mix. This feature can be very important if you don't have a good center channel speaker. It's also great if you have back seat passengers complaining they can't hear the dialog.

Kenwood, Clarion and Alpine all have center channel speakers. I have the Clarion in my Dodge Durango and I'm not impressed. So for the Lexus I'm planning on mounting two 3" Infinity 2-way drivers in the air vents or front window defrost slots. Maybe even take advantage of the factory tweeter locations with a couple Dynaudio's. We will see... it won't be easy. I'm also routing the center channel output to small speakers mounted in each headrest. This should help with problem 1.2 I described above.

As for the Alpine stuff... I'm sure it's nice. Just plan your whole system design before, because much of this DD/DTS equipment will not work with other manfactures headunits or CD-changers, XM radio etc.

Let me know if I can be of further help.

 

I'd be careful about imaging, a center channel in your ashtray location (if it's anywhere near where the ES300's ash tray is) may lower and/or narrow your soundstage depending on your current setup. I would also disable the center speaker when playing music. No reason to have an unecessary speaker playing frequencies already played by other speakers.

I'd say look into midrange speakers made by CDT, Vifa, Audax, Scanspeak, SEAS, or Focal.

 

Ok, this might be a dumb question but:

What would happen if you ran a 5.1 digital setup but you DIDN'T have a center channel speaker??

Reason I ask is cuz I was thinking of getting the Pioneer AVM-P9000r for my GS and I don't have a center channel... Will I still get surround sound?? What will it sound like??

Sorry for the dumb question but I'm new to this 5.1 stuff. And I just read they have 7.1 channel surround out now... :eek:

 

you wont get any voices
thats what will happen

 

A car acustics suck, it will never sound as good as your house.

There a many different kinds of speakers, Near feild are only one type. this kind of speaker is made to sound good if you
are sitting close to the speakers. You are in a car, Bass does not
come out of your Left /Centre/ Right, the low frequencies come out of your subs. So dont worrie about bass. In a recording
studio where the speakers are very close to the sound board is one example of Near feild speakers. The perfect Sound image will not be easy in a car because everything is so close.

 

Erick, you're telling me that I won't hear ANY voices!! You gotta be kidding!!....

Could you add a center channel speaker?? Where would you mount it??

I'm going all Pioneer so if anyone knows a good way to get around this problem lemme know!!

Thanx

 

Near field speaekers are essentially replicating the enviroment of the car. This is highly prefered over any far field (over 1 meter) speakers. Dispersion patterns are different between the two and that's why car audio manufacturers will redesign their speakers for near field.

Toughest part about getting the right staging is due to the spacing of the speakers. That's where a nice digital processor/delay will come in handy. Kirk Perry's Pontiac Lemans is the only car that has gotten the PERFECT staging and imaging due to the equal lengths of the left and right speakers. Throw in DTS/Dolby Digital, AC3 and it becomes much more challenging. About the only processor that I know of that will have enough guts and processing power to it is the Alpine F#1 Status H900. Sony XDP4000X is nice also but doesn't have the processing power. Bogs down if you use too steep of a crossover and it's selections are limited.

Near field speakers are definitely more ideal in the car audio enviroment, especially with the closed in cabin space of the car.

Percy

 

Don't forget the Dyns. They're still one of the best dispersion speakers in existence....bar none.

Percy

 

I second Percy on Dynaudio choice. Those speakers have one of those midranges that have really wide dispersion pattern. Hard to image for a competition vehicle but great for pure listening. Just had a chance to play around with Dyns as well as A/D/S

 

Now.. I was thinking about running the Pioneer AVX-P7300DVD and AVM-P9000R (which has dolby digital and dts decoding) but now I'm scared....

Ok... I know that the staging and imaging and all that isn't going to be PERFECT, but that's not what I'm worried about... I'm not looking to go into competition or anything. I just want my car to sound BETTER than most of the other guys runnin around thinkin they are HOTT w/ a little system....

And I was hoping with the DVD player and dolby/dts decoding I would have BOMB *** surround sound!!??

However I dont' have a center channel speaker!! If I didn't put one in would the sound suck?? Would the movies not sound right??