Seriously BIG car audio visual systems!

[damienengland]

Very informative thread...top stuff guys

Now...can anyone recommend me some speakers that are able to handle metal music? I'm being brick walled every time i go to a car audio store and ask the same question. Usually met with a blank look or a stuttering response which indicates they have no freaking idea. A friend has an audi that has factory stock Bose speakers that sound great at mid volume levels, but farts out when the volume is cranked. At low and mid volume level its sounds great, but metal isnt meant to be listened to at acceptable levels.

Any help would be great

I think Dave may just happen to have something preprepared with regards to what speakers you should buy. With regards to metal music i reckon you will be looking for a very dynamic set of speakers to faithfully reproduce the range and also what i suspect you also want...in your face stadium sound. Big frequency response range and heaps of grunt. Not sure it helps but the image below might help clarify the musical range of most music.

frequency-spectrum.jpeg

[Alien DNA]

Thats a great graph! Some of the problem with metal these days, is the downtuning....seems to be getting lower and lower with every passing year. Which literally makes you adjust the system you're using for playback. Some of the stuff i listen to uses a 10 string bass......potentially 4 octaves below middle C.....thats getting to the limit of human hearing

I guess im wanting to have my cake and eat it too

[damienengland]

Serious bass needs serious woofers. I was thinking about the original question of which brand/model to recommend and to make it simple i would start by choosing among the well respected brands to help apply a coarse filter to your choice. My brand choices would start with Alpine, MB Quart, Hertz, JL Audio and Rockford Fosgate. (These are just some of the brands i am biased torwards)

Then get into the specifics of their best offerings using datasheet and specifications to narrow down further. Then the hard bit, you have to listen to them but here is where you are faced with car audio shops which sometimes make the process difficult. Ultimately, the old adage is mostly true...you get what you pay for so expect to shell out cash for quality.

[Alien DNA]

Totally agree....the moto "A tightarse will always buy the same thing twice" rings true

[damienengland]

So back to the subject at hand. I wanted to talk about really big A/V in cars but more specifically how Sandman owners go about making their cars audiophile territory with consideration to styling and originality. So let me pose this next question-

Do you cut a modern head unit into a GTS dash? These dash fascia's were meant for older radio designs. Is it sacrilege?

Thoughts?

[Frosty]

My dash facia was already hacked up like many are so I didn't bother taking back to original as it was more practical to put the head unit there. But I don't count rivets anyway.

[damienengland]

My dash facia was already hacked up like many are so I didn't bother taking back to original as it was more practical to put the head unit there. But I don't count rivets anyway.

Thanks Frosty

I actually had my heart set on a GTS dash in my van until i drove my donor WB Caprice home to be dismantled. During the 1hr drive i completely changed my mind and went for the WB Cprice dash as i could see how to fit a double din head unit into it. Given that i am doing up a WB, i'm not faced with the dilemma of strictly adhering to Sandman originality. How about your van? Would you have preferred an unhacked dash?

[Frosty]

How about your van? Would you have preferred an unhacked dash?

I didn't stop to think about that Damo as I was only planing to make the van so I could turn the key and drive it anywhere, anytime. So with that in mind it has a 465 holly carb, extractors,alli radiator, electronic ignition and Gillmar belt and many other things that weren't on it at the start. Original might of been the way it was when the dealer sold it, but I think most soon became the way the owners wanted it. If the owners want it the way it was made,cool. If they want to make changes that's still fits the era, that's cool to. I like the statesman dash on a WB.

[Valencia]

And it drives very nice Craig

[damienengland]

Cheers Frosty and Glacier. Seeing the Perth and Busselton locales makes me home sick. I'm a Belmont boy, lived 31 years in Perth/Albany and then did 7 years in Broome. Melbourne is great but WA will always be special.

Anyway, good point about concentrating on the important stuff like getting the van running. I agree the dash may be lower on the importance radar so i reckon most owners would be happy with a flash head unit in their dash (single or double din).

Frosty I'd still like to see a pic of the smoke machine running in the back of your van!