[Wachala]

I have upgraded most audio systems on the cars i have owned. In the TA i just traded in i replaced all of the stock alpine speakers and added a 2x10 sub box in the trunk. It sounded good for me. I ordered my redeye with the HK. I know the last HK system i had in a challenger was good but needed some equalization so i have been hunting for a solution while i wait for my car.

I needed two things, a good way to assess the current frequencies in the system and a good eq to tune them.

I cam across this calibrated microphone and the associated app. I tested it on my Jeep system and it works great, was cheap. And easy to use. Between the mic and amp it was under $40. I use an android phone so it was easy to set up.

The app you use with it is called Audio Tool.

For tuning i found a music player app called USB Audio Player Pro. It was a built in 10 band EQ and has a $1.99 add on parametric EQ. Between to two you can tune to your hearts content. It has an Android Auto app if you use you phone codec or you can plug in a USB codec and run into your AUX for higher quality output. It was under $10.

Now i just need my car to see how well it all works but using my Jeep as a test it should be perfect.

 

[Slowpoke387]

Will be watching this. I like the HK enough to prob not mess with it, like not love lol. But there are so many whiners about the HK system. Would be nice to give them something to work with.

 

[akras]

I needed two things, a good way to assess the current frequencies in the system and a good eq to tune them.

It's quite a bit more involved than just adjusting the frequency response at one point in the cabin, and a parametric equalizer is not sufficient for that (you need a DSP, preferably with FIR filtering, and very good understanding of what you are doing). So don't expect the sound of a $10k system, but good luck.

 

[Wachala]

It's quite a bit more involved than just adjusting the frequency response at one point in the cabin, and a parametric equalizer is not sufficient for that (you need a DSP, preferably with FIR filtering, and very good understanding of what you are doing). So don't expect the sound of a $10k system, but good luck.

I'm certainly not expecting the sound of a $10k system. Just a way to make it sound better without spending $10k. Sound is subjective. If it sounds better for me, i could give a shit what anyone else thinks.

 

[akras]

Sound is subjective. If it sounds better for me, i could give a shit what anyone else thinks.

Taste is an acquired trait. Good luck.

 

[OKSS]

The HK in the Challenger is above average for a factory system IMO.

For whatever reason though, I prefer the sound of the HK in my 2020 Ram over the HK in my '21 challenger. Specifically the higher frequencies. The bass is cleaner, louder, and more defined in the challenger though probably just due to the fact there are 2 10" subs instead of just the 1 10" in the RAM.

If I were to order/buy another RAM or Challenger, I would again opt for the HK system.

 

[Wachala]

Taste is an acquired trait. Good luck.

Has nothing to do with taste. Everyone's ears are different and hear the frequency spetrum differently. But you win the forum superiority trophy today. Good luck to you.

 

[akras]

Has nothing to do with taste. Everyone's ears are different and hear the frequency spetrum differently. But you win the forum superiority trophy today. Good luck to you.

It's spectrum and it has nothing to do with what and how you can hear. The system should reproduce the sound close to how it is in reality, that's all. Ideally, you shouldn't be able to tell the recorded and real sound apart. Loud bass from a ported subwoofer or tremble set to +20 dB have nothing to do with sound quality. I've been doing high-end (not Hi-Fi) custom audio for quite a while, and with some success, so your sarcasm is misdirected.

 

[Frosty]

Would be awesome if someone made an interface that tied in between the deck and speakers that was an equalizer.

Even better if you could control it with a blue tooth app or could mount it clean in the sun visor spot. Bet you could make some money with those. If I had the skills I'd make one and sell it to make some money.

Just imagine being able to control the frequency for each speaker individually including the subs. Could really fine tune things.

 

[thedynoguy]

you are exactly right. If you can get the sound that YOU like, that's all that counts. Good luck, and please report back with your findings. (and yes, I spent 10k getting the sound that I like)

 

[Himmelkat]

Someone makes a 12-or-more IIRC band EQ/processor that you can use to put between the head unit and the amplification, I believe. It's on my list of things to get eventually. It would definitely demonstrate if the weakness in the sound is EQ or just plain ol' speakers themelves, or some combo of both.

 

[Himmelkat]

MEANWHILE, THERE'S THIS THREAD.

The best sound mod you’ll ever do to your Cat (Warning Long)

The best sound mod you’ll ever do to your Cat, and it has nothing to do with your exhaust. Like many others have complained about, I too agree that the Harmon Kardon sound system in the Hellcat Challenger sounds like complete Crapola! Yes I have updated the software and yes my Uconnect is up to...

www.hellcat.org

Good old Recommended Reading.
I laid out the dosh (like 3 bucks or wharever) for this:

PlayerPro Music Player (Pro) - Apps on Google Play

The ultimate media player for Android devices

play.google.com

and this came with it, needs to be activated in settings after you install, open, and close, then reopen the Player Pro app.

PlayerPro DSP pack - Apps on Google Play

The ultimate music player for Android.

play.google.com

Ima try it out and see how it goes, oh, and I may experiment with it off of "surround" too.

Strangely, even after I uninstalled it, it seemed like my stereo was now in Bass Overkill mode. I can't recommend this particular bit of kit. It seemed to turn into a "one trick pony" in the subwoofer department, seeming to take lieterally ANY signal and putting out the same droning bass note, at a too-high volume, even with all available bass settings slammed to the bottom.

 

[akras]

Someone makes a 12-or-more IIRC band EQ/processor that you can use to put between the head unit and the amplification, I believe. It's on my list of things to get eventually. It would definitely demonstrate if the weakness in the sound is EQ or just plain ol' speakers themelves, or some combo of both.

miniDSP makes reasonably priced DSP, including units that can do FIR filtering (but to make use of that one has to know what they are doing). It's possible to get good results on a budget that is much less than 10k (including good drivers and OK-ish class D amplification), but that's if one does it himself and understands what they are doing. Can be a fun project, but pretty demanding in terms of the required background. The required instrumentation is cheap these days: all you need is a calibrated USB microphone and a laptop. And understanding how to properly use these things lol.

 

[Himmelkat]

Okay, I will look that up now.
Evidently, it requires the purchase of an actual piece of hardware to interface with the system. That makes sense.

 

[akras]

Evidently, it requires the purchase of an actual piece of hardware to interface with the system. That makes sense.

There are software suits that can make a computer to do the same thing, but those are usually finicky, and you'll need a multichannel DAC anyway. So all my systems use actual hardware.

 

[Himmelkat]

I am finding that the dspPlayer has its limitations, or the stock system does. I think it is more the DSP and using Youtube Music...

 

[akras]

I am finding that the dspPlayer has its limitations, or the stock system does. I think it is more the DSP and using Youtube Music...

Good results can be obtained if each driver has its own amplifier, fed from its own DSP output. This way one can optimize the crossovers, frequency responses, and group delays for each driver. With FIR filtering one can go for a linear phase response. The system can be optimized for each seating position. All this requires hardware (which is not overly expensive, actually).

I personally don't care much about car audio: it can never be anywhere close to a high-end room setup. I much prefer the sounds of the SC and exhaust: those sound real lol...

 

[Himmelkat]

Good results can be obtained if each driver has its own amplifier, fed from its own DSP output. This way one can optimize the crossovers, frequency responses, and group delays for each driver. With FIR filtering one can go for a linear phase response. The system can be optimized for each seating position. All this requires hardware (which is not overly expensive, actually).

I personally don't care much about car audio: it can never be anywhere close to a high-end room setup. I much prefer the sounds of the SC and exhaust: those sound real lol...

What I like about car audio is that you can play it at levels that, barring a soundproof basement or such, one can rarely enjoy at home.