Audiocontrol lc6i

[Foo2oo3]

Not sure if anyone will have the answer or not. I wanted to know if i purchased the audiocontrol lc6i if i could use it only to hook up my sub for now. My plan in the near future is to upgrade my door speaker with another amp, but i already have my subs and a mono block amp from my previous car. So for right now i just wanted to hook up my mono amp and subs, which i can do with a cheap line out converter, but in the future i want to add another 4 channel amp and door speakers, so i want the LC6i. So i was hoping to slowly buy the things i wanted like the lc6i first and hook up my subs and amp, then purchase the door speakers and amp later and hook those up. I think the lc6i is mainly for adding amps and door speakers, so it would have to be hooked up between the headunit and external amps to power the door speakers. But im not sure. If anyone knows let me know, i just want my bass back for now and didnt want to buy a line out converter, then buy the lc6i later which is basically a line out converter with more outputs and better quality.

 

[1sty]

do you have a bose system?

 

[Foo2oo3]

No i do not have the bose system.

 

[1sty]

It seems to be overkill for you.
I do not recall the base 3 system having any crossover frequencies so the summing is not required. The signal sensing is cool but using an accessory wire will work perfectly well too.

Even once you have a 4 channel and a subwoofer amplifier, if you use a 4 channel amp with speaker level inputs and a preout then you can easily run everything off the 4 channel amplifiers built in LOCs.

 

[Foo2oo3]

So for now just run a line out converter for the mono block amp for the subs, and then when i purchase the 4 channel amp with speaker level inputs just eliminate the loc and just run the speakers and the mono amp from the 4 channel amp with the pre out. Correct?

 

[1sty]

yeah.

I take it your sub amp does not have speaker level inputs?

 

[Foo2oo3]

yes but it only has one speaker output, for the subs only. So if i used the speaker level input would i just tap into the front speaker wire, or rear speaker wire, and then use the speaker output to run the subs? That way i wouldn't lose the use of any speakers so i just tap into the front or rear speaker wire...

 

[1sty]

I would tap into the front speaker wires as the built in lock with have front left and right inputs. Then you of coarse, power your subwoofer. In the future you disconnect the speakers altogether and connect the speaer wires from the head unit to the 4 channel amplifier. Then you connect the preout of the 4 channel amplifier to the prein of the subwoofer amplifier.

 

[Foo2oo3]

Ok, thanks for the help.

 

[jeffhawn]

Line-out Converter

WHATEVER YOU DO....DON'T RUN THE STOCK HEAD UNIT!

just replace it with an aftermarket.

your system will sound like s*** otherwise.

 

[1sty]

Do you have an RTA of the factory head unit to back that up?

 

[Foo2oo3]

WHATEVER YOU DO....DON'T RUN THE STOCK HEAD UNIT!

just replace it with an aftermarket.

your system will sound like s*** otherwise.

I don't believe it will sound like s***, and i don't like the dash kits for the aftermarkets. It would just be more money to buy a HU, Dash kit, pac swi for steering controls. I like the look of the factory headunit, and i am not going to any competitions with my stereo. So if adding a new amp, door speakers, and subs makes it louder, and more clear and crisp, i will be satisfied.

 

[fourthmeal]

WHATEVER YOU DO....DON'T RUN THE STOCK HEAD UNIT!

just replace it with an aftermarket.

your system will sound like s*** otherwise.

Utter nonsense man. That was just plain dumb to post.

The factory head unit is perfectly fine but needs some fine tuning to be flat and suitable for aftermarket additions. My solution was to run a 3sixty.2 processor to flatten the humps and bumps out of the stock head unit's design. Really, if you are after great sound from the factory head unit, you just need to find a way to get an EQ adjustment (and possibly crossover control and time alignment) in the car.

And to make a point...all this matters very little if you aren't going to put sound deadening solutions on your list of things-to-do. That is really the main problem the 3 and MS3 have. Once properly tended to, you can get quite a bit out of this car (stock system or not)

 

[Foo2oo3]

Utter nonsense man. That was just plain dumb to post.

The factory head unit is perfectly fine but needs some fine tuning to be flat and suitable for aftermarket additions. My solution was to run a 3sixty.2 processor to flatten the humps and bumps out of the stock head unit's design. Really, if you are after great sound from the factory head unit, you just need to find a way to get an EQ adjustment (and possibly crossover control and time alignment) in the car.

And to make a point...all this matters very little if you aren't going to put sound deadening solutions on your list of things-to-do. That is really the main problem the 3 and MS3 have. Once properly tended to, you can get quite a bit out of this car (stock system or not)

Thanks for the tip

 

[jeffhawn]

While originally installing a system in my Mazda 3 - i found that the stock head unit cuts out EVERYTHING below 45Hz.

I had a system installed with a stock head unit, who's poor signal quality and bad pre-amp caused a lack of earth-shattering low end bass and muddy mid section. By pulling stock HU and L.O.C.'s then dropping in a relatively inexpensive Kewwood headunit the sound quality improved 100-fold. Sound deadening is a MUST, i agree, as EVERYTHING in the 3 vibrates.

 

[fourthmeal]

Precisely Jeff, which is why an EQ can help immensely. The 3sixty.2 helped here big time. I've been trying to explain that to virtually all those who wish to keep the stock head unit (as it is very good, actually), you must EQ the system if you want to get quality sound out of it.

 

[jeffhawn]

Eq

And this has been successfully executed?

I mean how do you draw water from a stone?

If the preamp cuts out the low end signal entirely - how's does a third party EQ bring back what isn't there?

I am genuinely asking, as no one has been able to adequately explain this.

I just went the safe route and replaced what didn't work right.

 

[fourthmeal]

The RTA work I've done shows I've got a flat response (including cabin gain EQ work), so yes, it worked. Believe me, I was concerned as you.

Truth is, the low frequency response doesn't drop off like a cliff, it runs at typical curve as a crossover does. When I opened up the case of the factory head unit, the circuit shows some aggresive crossover work through the use of capacitor/resistors, my guess was a 4th order (so 12dB/oct) network. I tried to remove this, but was unsuccessful. There looks to be one much worse on the rear speakers too, but I don't ever use the rears, so I said "screw it." Anyway, with the 3sixty.2, you connect the outputs at the speaker level, find the distortion threshold and backs down a bit, then let it auto-adjust the RCA level outs to play dead flat (pre speaker, just electrical). I further tuned the 31 segment EQ per channel (tweets and woofer, + sub) until I found happiness with the RTA, then tuned to ear my own subtle settings. The result? Flat from 10hz to 20khz, plus a little nudge here and there to suit my tastes. Result? I'm more then pleased!

 

[jeffhawn]

More then pleased

thanks - that clears it up!

good sound, it's all we're after. (cheers)