Center Channel is that too old school???

[Aerton]

I was looking for a crossover and found one with a center channel and brought me back to days when most on this thread where in Pmapers. (No disrespect intened)

Is that still being used, Luke as the resident guru, can you assist.

Luke mentioned an audio control crossover and now I'm looking out for something like that and came across an MTX unit.

My low-to-mid-fi system will consist of original tweeters (for now) on the original pods, mids (5" for now) stock location, and 5" (for now) on the sides under the window (convertible). Keeping the old school theme and knowledge base, one or two free air subs firing into the rear seats????

I would like to sepparate the tweets, mids up front, mids in rear, sub.

Ok maybe I enclose them somehow as the space under the convertible top stow away box makes for hald a trunk anyhow.

What do you guys think????

[DSchultz325e]

Center channels are for movies recorded in 5.1. You're listening to music, and it's only recorded in stereo. If you don't have a DVD setup in there, it's just a waste of money..

[netcsk]

a center channel is in the newer cars. For instance, we put an 8cm in many of the newer Acura's with 5.1 (MDX, TL, RDX, etc.). Yah know, surround audio.

You should really change the tweeters. They are pretty poor quality. I'd change the tweets out before mids (really I'd do both the mid and tweeter before anything else -- after a headunit/amps first of course).

Free air blows. Try to find a way to enclose them.

[george graves]

HA! Center channel use to be done old school. It was L-R or L+R signal(I forget) done all with how you wired the speakers - nothing more if I remember correctly.

Guys use to swear by them, but as time when on the simple wiring method was replaced with DSP processors...From what I understand even on a stero recording it would "expand" the sound stage (placement of the different instruments as heard by your ear)

I'd love to hear steroinstallers take on a small tweater behind the center air vent on a e30.

...

[Aerton]

There you go George,

That's it !!! I attended a couple of sound off competitions in another lifetime and talking with a fellow VW guy (Jetta at that time) he shared a couple of secrets. Center channel was in it's birth, hiding tweets in the air vents, tapping on both +'s from left and right and creating the best front staging you have heard for peanuts. It was working in my Jetta till I sold it last year!!!

Fast forward to 2007 and I stumble onto an MTX crossover on eBay with center channel, only $45 bucks and I get outbid

So now I will wait to see what Luke and other knowledgeable fellow members have to add to this. I will start my search for another one of these.

[StereoInstaller1]

HA! Center channel use to be done old school. It was L-R or L+R signal(I forget) done all with how you wired the speakers - nothing more if I remember correctly.

OMFG.

Center channels. In cars, no less. Wow, I am THAT old.

OK, so what George is referring to is called the "Hafler Circuit" for the guy who invented it, David Hafler, audio legend.

How it works is this: you connect a single speaker to the right and left positive wires of your amplifier...the voltage difference betweent he 2 channels runs that speaker. A mono signal produces no output at all. Pure left or right won't make a signal either. You get a signal that is "minus right, minus left" fed to the center.

If you have an old school 2 channel reciever somewhere, try it. Simply amazing, especially if that "center" is behind you.

Try that shit and plug in some Enya...it will blow your mind (then you can blow chunks from listening to that irish wheeze-bag)

So here is the problem of doing it in your car. There are no "stereo" amplifiers made today. (maybe one or two exceptions, but no one here has them) All of todays amps use "Inverted Phase" where 1 side of the power supply runs out of phase with the other, then the speaker wires are reversed to attempt to maintain phase.

You can easily identify these amps by the fact that they use left positive and right negative to wire for "mono" or bridged operation. The fact is that these amps are already bridged and cannot be unbridged. Easy test? Use a DVM and meter between the 2 speaker "negatives". You will find that they do not share continuity. Try the 2 wires that are opposite the bridged outputs, you will see continuity, likely "zero" ohms.

The advantage of "bridging" is that you get 4 times the voltage of a single channel, thus radically higher power output. That is why all amps are made this way these days. Power sells!

I'd love to hear steroinstallers take on a small tweater behind the center air vent on a e30.

...

Waaaaaaaaaaaay back in the day, I ran a Nakamichi PA 350 amp for my mids and highs, tri-amped. 2 PA 400 for bass, too...yes, it was fucking amazing. I ran Dynaudio D21AF tweeters, W75 woofers. 3 of each, in the front of my Scirroco.

Yup. Tri-amped center channel. Nak power, Dynaudio drivers, Cerwin-Vega subs, Nak TD700, AudioControl crossovers, Kimber Kable. Made TDK MA/R tapes from a SOTA Sapphire into a Hafler preamp on a Nak BX300.

Damn, I miss that shit.

I would rather listen to that than anything I have heard in years.

Luke

[george graves]

OMFG.

*THAT* made me laugh - it's nice to know I'm not the only old shit around here.

Ok - so *if* you had two amps, each seperatly brigged mono. One getting a feed from the L, the other from the R, then the wiring method would be possiable? No? I would guess so, each will have a different potintial at times above ground.

So , what you think it would sound like??? Poo poo, or don't know till ya try.

EDIT: Btw every time I ride in a e28, all I can think about is how "PERFECT" the vent on top of the dash is for a speaker...

..

[LINUS]

**sigh** - guess I get a senior citizen discount on the buffet dinner too. So what you other ol' duffers and me meet up for that earlybird discount 3pm dinner? - got to get too bed early ya know. Don't want to try and sleep on a full stomach.

Isn't center channel stuff pretty new yet? Within the last 8 years anyhow? I'm guessing the only other "ancient" center would be if there were cars in the 50's and earlier with mono AM radios.

Sadly, I'm fairly sure cassettes were cutting edge when I was 5 ('77), I remember the parents having quite a few 8-tracks and LP's. They actually still have the LP's.

[Aerton]

Aarp Member

OMFG.

Center channels. In cars, no less. Wow, I am THAT old.

Damn, I miss that shit.

I would rather listen to that than anything I have heard in years.

Luke

Just finished drinking my Muslex and I'm ready for an afternoon nap...

Two seconds ago I just won an Alpine center channel amp, mxe m350, 35w

rms mono. Oh no it's starting again, now I want (but can't afford $250) the
audiocontrol EQS 6 that Luke suggested, or the MTX Model RT-X03 that I missed on ebay for $45.

I will do more reading and buying one piece at a time until spring comes back.

So what tweeters should I replace the stocks with??? and I will be looking for three, ha, ha...

p.s. don't get rid of the records or the reel-to-reels, I'll take them...

[StereoInstaller1]

I want one of these...



So I need my vinyl, and more.

Luke

[Aerton]

Wish I had one of those but I scored a Dual 701 at my favorite armed forces px (Salvation Army Thrift Store) for a whopping $10 and yes there
was a cartridge still there!!!

[StereoInstaller1]

This? We just might have to start a vinyl thread on this here board! Let me know if you want to tweak on tha Dual...I have beeen tweaking on such tings for many many moons.

Luke

[Aerton]

That's the one!!! So do you think I overspend? $10 bucks that is what two cups of some Frapulatemokachinoventy?? lol

Man I have records, cassettes, eight track (just for nostalgia they suck) and my latest addition a Pioneer 7. Anyone have metal reels laying around, need some to make it look cool, only have one for now the rest are plastic.