im looking for a really good in dash eq. i knoe the first statement some of you will make is i dont need one nor does it really help. first let me say i keep all the sound procc. turned off in my deck i appreciate the higher s/n and other specs it gives me. also seams to keep my hu sounding "warmer" with them turned off. i have always beem a eq person i like to be able to adjust accordingly for different styles of music. i dont believe that one eq setting is correct for all kinds of music. and i have my 30 bands already so the in dash is just so i can make small adjustments as needed.
this is the system so far : kenwood xxv-01d hu, xtant x1001 and 2 x604 amps, cdt audio eurosport comps up front and the briaxials in the rear, not sure of subs yet but still looking, image dynamics 30 band eq's 1 for each front channel
i doing this all stricly for sq this time around so i may go with cdt subs as well or divert back to my old tried and true image dynamics which i love so much.
anyway i dont see a big selection in indash eq's anymore. wonder why?? but anyway so far i found these brands all of which dont seem to really fit the standard of all the other equipment i have: soundstream (newer stuff), an older autotek piece, clif designs, ppi (new dei stuff bahh) phoenix golds tantrum line (clearanced stuff since they are also a little older), i have seen zapco as the only high end one, and i really like zapco but ... i have owned 2 of these in the past and experienced problems with both. one i still have does not work even after sending it back lasted a few months so i gave up on them. what else is out there for better in dash eq's?? anyone?? thank you in advance for any suggestions here
no one here? looking for a higher end eq any recc's?? been a while since ive been in this and doesnt seam like o many still make higher end eq's
About the only in-dash EQ that's worth a damn IMO is the Audiocontrol stuff. Check the 3.1 and the 4.1, there are slight diffs other than one extra band. While they may only have a few bands, they're intuitively placed & the lowest is parametric & adjustable on the fly. Also excellent quality x-overs & they can deliver a 13v output (I think).
Pioneer's Dolby Digital Processor is something worth looking at as well as their Analog unit. https://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/product/album/compare/0,,2076_4053,00.html
These are both really high quality units. I also agree with boulderguy anything from Audiocontroll will be top notch.
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I understand wanting something in your dash to play with, but man, I recommend you don't do it. If all you want to do is tweak your sound for each song because you like messing with it, OK I guess, get a graphic EQ. Don't the tone controls in your HU give you enough to play with? But if you HAVE to do this because you think it sounds bad, especially with the EQ you already have in your system, something is wrong with your setup. Plus, any graphic EQ you put into your dash is more likely to degrade your SQ than help it.
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Support the12volt.com+1 to DYohn there, if you find it doesn't sound right until you mess with the EQ then there's an inherent problem that no EQ will fix. A properly setup & tuned system should sound good almost regardless of dash EQ settings.
I get the feeling that you just like to play with something in the dash tho, which is OK if that's your thing - we all love playing with our gear too. If that's the case, I'd again steer you to the Audiocontrol stuff as I believe it's audiophile quality. They have another unit called the HPX that's a digital expansion circuit - think epicenter across the entire spectrum. While I'm inherently against that sort of thing, the unit does amazing things with the SQ of any system, particularly MP3's and may give you just the fix you're looking for.
I also believe that you shouldn't add any signal or gain stages in a properly designed system, but the
Zapco will WALK over the AudioControl stuff. Not saying AC is bad, not by a long shot, but that's just how much better Zapco is... Expensive, yes... Worth it? Probably - for the guy that HAS to have a perfectly clean EQ in his dash...
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It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."
AC has units for around 350 (dqs), compared to Zapco at around 750 for the same features. The Zapco stuff is mainly competition-based.....You heard bout their "INFINITE-BAND" processors yet? They cast as much as a new Honda!!!
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Everything I touch turns to ICE