What Head Unit?

[jamesede]

Hi, i was wondering what head unit would be the best, and which in general i could use for my install.

The speakers and subs i have go like this:

All the things are from theloudest.com

1X 3000w 4 Channal Amplifier Model Number: TL-2092
1X 3000w (1000w RMS) Class D Amplifier Model Number: TL-1023
1X 3000w (1000w RMS) 12" Subwoofer Model Number: TL-1121
4x 2000w 6x9 Speakers Model Number: TL-1691
(thats 4 6x9's, not 4 PAIRS of 6x9's)


Heres some of the individual specifications for the items:

3000w 4 CHANNAL AMP:

Output Power (14.4v)


3,000 watts Max

Up to 2 x 450 watts RMS (@ 4 ohm)
Up to 4 x 210w watts RMS (@ 2 ohm)
Up to 4 x 160 watts RMS (@ 4 ohm)

2 x 330 watts RMS (@ 4 ohm THD+N < 1%)
4 x 170w watts RMS (@ 2 ohm THD+N < 1%)
4 x 135 watts RMS (@ 4 ohm THD+N < 1%)



3000w CLASS D AMP:


Output Power (14.4v)


1 x 3,000 watts Max (@ 1 ohm)
1 x 1,000 watts RMS (@ 1 ohm)

Up to 1 x 700 watts RMS (@ 2 ohm)
Up to 1 x 450w watts RMS (@ 4 ohm)

1 x 600 watts RMS (@ 2 ohm THD+N < 2.5%)
1 x 320 watts RMS (@ 4 ohm THD+N < 1%)


Output Power (14.4v)
(When two TL-1023 amplifiers bridged together)

1 x 2,000 watts RMS (@ 2 ohm)
1 x 1,000 watts RMS (@ 4 ohm


2000W 6X9 PAIR:

350 RMS per pair



I dont really know to much about what head unit il need, so any help would be appriciated.

And i am also considering getting another Subwoofer, same model, and if so im considering getting a 8000w amp instead of the 3000w class D and maybe sticking another 2000w sub onto it to fill the spare 2000w the 2 3000w subs will leave on the amp and to generally make it an insane install!!!

So yeh, any help would be great thanks!

[HDi fun]

Those power figures must be PMP ones, not continuous RMS ones across the full audio bandwidth.

How much control do you need from the head unit? Anything with pre-amp outputs for front and rear with a separate LF for the sub should be OK. You might want to be able to set the LF crossover point and slope from the front panel so look for this facility.

I'd generally suggest only one sub-enclosure, multiple sub enclosures can give very strange phasing problems leading to peaks and troughs in the frequency response curve.

Class D amps are strange things in my opinion. They work as digital sampling devices, which are very efficient in terms of power consumption and heat dissipation, operating the output stage in almost the same way as a switched mode power supply except that the output current is modulated continuously.

I'm not too familiar with car audio products in the way I am with commercal PA and stage audio but I'll have a read. It wouldn't be a bad idea for me to get re-acquainted with car audio.

[jamesede]

iv updated it to include the RMS's thanks. And i think im guna take your advice on the one sub encloser thing thanks.

[turbonutter69]

Alpine do some good headunits.
The loudest.com really isn't the loudest. I have read loads of reviews for them and when tested they produced nowhere near the quoted outputs.

[HDi fun]

Loudness is very very subjective.

[turbonutter69]

Very true. Sound quality is what counts.

[HDi fun]

Originally Posted by turbonutter69

Very true. Sound quality is what counts.

Sound quality is also subjective.

My home audio setup is old fashioned but it's totally believable - it doesn't have a sound of its own as such, it's transparent and as such the music is delivered to my ears very pleasantly.

I also use a pair of AKG studio cans for intense listening from time to time.

[jarrus]

Horses for courses, really,

I have a pioneer head unit in my car and I find it to be very good, as there are loads of options to adjust the sound to anything you want, but it did come at a price and i think it's wasted due to my speaker choice,

you need a headunit which has 3 aux inputs, which only the more expensive ones do from the like of sony, pioneer and alpine really do,

Sony are good but I do think that in this day and age they trade on there name rather than making products that will out perform others in the same class,

as for alpine and pioneer bother very good at making innovative solutions but that comes at a price,

something else to consider is a digital affects processor, which makes you system sound more like a home cinema system rather than just a big loud bunch of speakers, it will separate all the different tones and can be tuned to your liking, it isn't cheap but with the amount of stuff you have I don't think money is a problem

[jamesede]

iv got the kit from theloudest due to knowing somebody in the company. i know that their stuff isnt best but you cant really turn down basicly free stuff!!

[jarrus]

Fair play chap, can't argue with that

[turbonutter69]

Originally Posted by jamesede

iv got the kit from theloudest due to knowing somebody in the company. i know that their stuff isnt best but you cant really turn down basicly free stuff!!

Have you had it installed yet buddy?

[T9 man]

Don't think you can go too far wrong by looking at the Nakamichi range of head units! You've saved a fortune by the purchase of the Amps through your mate, so several pounds on a good head unit would be money well spent I think! No harm in looking anyway and there are plenty of reviews to look at via google! Good luck

[HDi fun]

Originally Posted by T9 man

Don't think you can go too far wrong by looking at the Nakamichi range of head units! You've saved a fortune by the purchase of the Amps through your mate, so several pounds on a good head unit would be money well spent I think! No harm in looking anyway and there are plenty of reviews to look at via google! Good luck

Anyone remember the Nakamichi Dragon?

[T9 man]

Originally Posted by HDi fun

Anyone remember the Nakamichi Dragon?

Cassette player! auto azimuth, dolby c, Anything Nakamichi was drool inducing stuff! no compromise and never a bad word from a professional reviewer

[HDi fun]

Originally Posted by T9 man

Cassette player! auto azimuth, dolby c, Anything Nakamichi was drool inducing stuff! no compromise and never a bad word from a professional reviewer

Brilliant piece of kit.

I've got a Pioneer 3 head studio deck here which I bought new in 1999.

It's very very good indeed and Dolby S works superbly, ironing out the problems which plagued Dolby C for much of the time.

But it simply cannot match the Dragon for ability to plant outrageous levels onto even simple TDA SA tape.

I also have a Nak. BX125, a couple of Teac/Tascam decks but I think the Pioneer is superior to all of these. Probably because it's much younger and I have not really used it in eleven years.

[T9 man]

Originally Posted by HDi fun

Brilliant piece of kit.

I've got a Pioneer 3 head studio deck here which I bought new in 1999.

It's very very good indeed and Dolby S works superbly, ironing out the problems which plagued Dolby C for much of the time.

But it simply cannot match the Dragon for ability to plant outrageous levels onto even simple TDA SA tape.

I also have a Nak. BX125, a couple of Teac/Tascam decks but I think the Pioneer is superior to all of these. Probably because it's much younger and I have not really used it in eleven years.

You are a very luck man HDi, I used the legendary TDK MA-X90 on my Dragon take your recordings into the red on the VU meters with no fear! aaah! quality!

[HDi fun]

I have played around with TDK's metal tapes. Even their original MA worked well. Maxell had MX.

Did you ever try the TDK MAX-G ones with the metal chassis? Overkill with a decent deck because the deck's transport takes over from the cassette housing. Cheap decks can't make the best of it.

You're right about the levels though. You can almost forget about NR completely and just use the Dragon's outrageous headroom to sort out signal to noise ratio problems.

I never really liked Dolby C. It was certainly quiet but squished the dynamics noticeably. Playback on 'foreign' machines often gave strange pumping effects.

The later Dolby S is far superior and an A/B comparison with source CD reveals virtually nothing.

One thing I think Pioneer got very right was the BLE-XD function. This is Pioneer's own brand headroom expansion system and I think it's superior to Dolby's HX-Pro. Works exactly like HX Pro ie. record only - single ended processing.

You MUST, however, calibrate your machine to tape before recording. I use a demagetising wand as well before recording.

Sadly none of these machines is worth much now - I keep them because I like them for what they are ie. some of the finest examples of analogue cassette tape recording technology.

[darkdonz]

If you want quality sound you should really think digital.
i would go for an alpine cd player with ipod interface. all you're music collection at the touch of a button no cd cases everywhere, no scratched cd's.

[HDi fun]

Originally Posted by darkdonz

If you want quality sound you should really think digital.
i would go for an alpine cd player with ipod interface. all you're music collection at the touch of a button no cd cases everywhere, no scratched cd's.

We're not suggesting analogue as an alternative for car use. T9 Man and I got off topic a bit and I apologise for that

Analogue is far from dead for dedicated music fans. I hated CD for years because unless you spent thousands of pounds on a player you would get far better results with vinyl. That changed in the mid 1990s and budget CD players grew up quickly. Technics made a good stab at this with their MASH players - I've still got one here and still use it.

CD is digital (strangely some people think it isn't) and its appeal is the fact that there is no compression involved. The sampling rate and bit depth are fixed.

iPods and other such devices use lossy compression algorithms and the sound to my ears car be spineless and empty at times.