Car stereo settings...smoke & mirrors?

Enchanter

Enchanter

Ghost in The Machine
Staff member
I bought a vehicle with what I thought was a pretty great sounding system in it. Last weekend I had to disconnect the batteries. Power was removed for 12 hours or so. Now that power is restored, I swear that the stereo sounds different. In retrospect, I should have recorded each individual setting, but alas that ship has sailed.

I can figure out the easy stuff like fade and balance, and maybe even the EQ (maybe), but there are other settings I'm unfamiliar with.

Are there tips or tricks to finding the right settings? Is it smoke and mirrors? Real magic? Is there a science to it?

I've got Pyle tweeters, mids, and two 12in subs, & 2 amplifiers.

Link to manual for head unit: https://www.pioneerelectronics.com/StaticFiles/Manuals/Car/AVH-X3700BHS_OwnersManual082316.pdf
 
Arsey

Arsey

Quintessence of dust
Did you try any of the stored eq curves?
How about the “Auto Eq” procedure starting on pg 45?
 
kingmoochr

kingmoochr

WHARRGARBL
There's no magic if you just want good. Play music you like and start playing with the settings. Go to the eq settings and cycle through the presets first and see if one makes you happy. Also try the other sound enhancements it may have, loud, bass boost, etc. If you go to custom on the eq it'll probably let you pick levels for specific frequencies. Low hz=lower frequency sounds. You only need tuning equipment if you're looking for perfection or to compete in something, the car environment is too noisy for hifi.
 
DucatiHoney

DucatiHoney

Administrator
Staff member
Just play with it till it sounds good to you. It's really not going to matter in a car anyway. Keep in mind that it depends on the quality of the recording too. If you're playing something from a 1920's recording, it ain't gonna matter how much you turn up the bass. I assume that's not the case... I listen to a fair bit of classical, and the sound quality is often poo-poo.
 
GAJ

GAJ

Well-known member
Enchanter said:
I bought a vehicle with what I thought was a pretty great sounding system in it. Last weekend I had to disconnect the batteries. Power was removed for 12 hours or so. Now that power is restored, I swear that the stereo sounds different. In retrospect, I should have recorded each individual setting, but alas that ship has sailed.

I can figure out the easy stuff like fade and balance, and maybe even the EQ (maybe), but there are other settings I'm unfamiliar with.

Are there tips or tricks to finding the right settings? Is it smoke and mirrors? Real magic? Is there a science to it?

I've got Pyle tweeters, mids, and two 12in subs, & 2 amplifiers.

Link to manual for head unit: https://www.pioneerelectronics.com/StaticFiles/Manuals/Car/AVH-X3700BHS_OwnersManual082316.pdf
Click to expand...

If you have subs you do NOT want to use any Loudness compensation as per page 44 of your manual.

https://www.pioneerelectronics.com/StaticFiles/Manuals/Car/AVH-X3700BHS_OwnersManual082316.pdf

Make sure the subwoofer output is "on" and set the high pass filter to about 80hz so the front and rear speakers only play frequencies above that frequency. Leave Bass Boost off, play with the listening position function if you want to, I just leave mine at default as I only have 2 speakers, you can also increase the relative volumes of each pair of speakers/subwoofer on page 44. Not sure if Time Alignment is worth messing with.

Or you could go to a shop and have them do the Auto EQ and you can tweak from there.

Oddly you don't seem to have a parametric equalizer option which allows you to also adjust the Q setting, but if you come across one, leave the Q at 1.

http://mediacdn.jlaudio.com/media/mfg/9013/media_document/live_1/Parametric_EQ.pdf?1314047375
 
fraz

fraz

Well-known member
On a quick glance at docs I didn't see any reference to DSP (Digital Signal Processing). A lot of higher end stereos have hall effect sound profiles. My car head unit and home rx have them. Maybe they are called something different in Pioneer's world but I would check for this too. If you previously set a particular sound picture with DSP, you'll never get there adjusting the other settings. Just a thought.

On a side note, why the F can't these manufacturers spend a couple extra pennies and store this shit in NVRAM? Then battery disconnects won't be so traumatic.
 
afm199

afm199

Well-known member
There are different equalizer profiles for different kinds of music, jazz, rock, heavy metal, etc.

As we age, we lose our high frequency sound hearing. I first noticed it in my forties. What that means is music loses its crispness and sharpness and begins to sound flat and fuzzy.

Most equalizers with menus have preset profiles to choose from. My default for my home stereo is basically more treble and less bass.
 
tzrider

tzrider

Write Only User
Staff member
If the head unit has something like BBE, it may have been enabled before and is disabled now. BBE is supposedly an "audio restoration" technology, though I think it's just an aural exciter.
 
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