Thread: 2002 Montero Limited Install...

The 5.1 sounds awesome... so clear... and discreet...
My center channel isn't the most heartiest of speakers.. but it provides good
sound for what I need in the size I need it.

Confused on the second part... but I'll explain my setup...

Audigy 2 NX decodes true 5.1 ... that and along with a plugin called AC3filter to
make FrodoPlayer output 5.1...
So I take each individual output from the Audigy and run those into my 5 channel amp
for front left & right, rear left & right, and the subwoofer. The center channel uses
a small 20w amp that powers a homemade 2-way speaker (tweeter and 5"x3"~approx) for the center channel.
And that amp is fed the center channel signal from the audigy.

So there you have it.. a full 5.1 discreet sound system.

Does that answer your question?

More details and pics of the center speaker and amp can be seen at my
carputer pic website: Carputer.DavidMonto.com

How hard was it to balance out the volume for the center speaker ?

haha, man you paid a ton of money for a center channel speaker. All you had to do was buy a single mid/high range speaker and put it behind the dash/screen/ashtray and bump the gain up on it a little. Stealth and you cant tell the difference

Originally Posted by frodobaggins

How hard was it to balance out the volume for the center speaker ?

Frodo, it wasn't hard to balance it out at all....

I just started playing some different dvd's which I knew had varying sounds on them
and just kept tweaking the gain on the mini-amplifier. A tiny turn here...
listen some more.. turn again and so on...
(2 things I used alot were Swordfish & Linkin Park Live in Texas DVD... the movie allowed me to
balance out actor voices and action with no distortion... and the 5.1 concert dvd
really helped me lock in the right sound of a spoken voice and tie it in with the music)

I was really finicky on the way the whole thing sounded... I wasn't willing to
compromise. When music or a dvd is playing it is crystal clear. That was my
main goal.. a clean & dynamic sounding system that had an OEM look to it.

I also adjusted AC3Filter to bump up the volume of DVD's.... for some reason
they are like 1/3 the volume of mp3's/etc in Frodoplayer (prob all players.. but I use Frodo)
which allowed me to have a normal sound level across all mediums...

Also, the sub hits really hard in 5.1 dvd compared to mp3's... so my amp has
a remote sub gain or I would have adjusted that in AC3Filter also...

Also, about the idea of just sticking a speaker behind a panel for a center channel...

I tried that... but it just doesn't have the "power" it needs cause it isn't enclosed. The voices were all distant
and muted sounding... As soon as I would cup anything behind the speakers they sounded
so much better... but I just didn't have the room for a 3 1/2" speaker in an enclosure
so I went my custom route...

You can buy those clarion 1/2 din center channel speakers with built in amp for around $80...
that's a little cheaper bmoney03...

Your install sucks!!!

My bandwidth!

Seems like it's the most popular site on ecanfix.com today. Seriously Dave, congrats on a well executed install. Amazing how similar my 91 stealth TT turned out, considering we just talked about our progress thru ICQ lol.

Must Have!!! Where did you get the mini CNC? Is that a DIY setup? It goes without saying that your install is very clean, but I want, no now I need, a mini CNC! damn geek tools. Any tool you can hook to a computer is just frekking cool.