Goodbye Helix -> OEM+ Sound System Build Log

[username205]

Apparently Parts Express' quality control is garbage, so things are on hold until they replace my DSP with one that isn't staticky on 2 of the 4 high-level inputs.

Also I realizied that I have enough equipment laying around to run the tweeters actively, so the passive crossover will be removed from the fronts and my old SMSL SA50 class T amp will added to the setup. The fronts and sub will now be powered by the Pioneer GM-D9705 and the rear speakers will be juiced by the mini class T amp. A single pole double throw relay will be used to switch power to the mini amp.

 

[username205]

Word of advice: don’t bother trying to make a Dayton DSP work with a car audio system. They weren’t designed with isolated power supplies and are VERY noisy. I thought maybe the first unit was faulty but the replacement they sent was also garbage. The DSP, Bluetooth adapter, and $130 in additional equipment I purchased in an attempt to quell the noise were all returned and replaced with a Helix DSP.3S. The Helix has been perfect and I could’ve saved myself lots of trouble by going with quality gear out the gate.

Tapping into the factory head unit’s speaker outputs. One 9-conductor cable goes to the Helix DSP.3S’s high-level inputs, then the amplifiers’ outputs are fed back through a second 9-conductor cable. This saved me from having to run my own speaker wires into the doors. Still had to run wires from the trunk to the tweeters, but the A-pillars are super easy to access.

Amp’s 4-gauge power wire ran from the battery through the firewall (100A fuse installed at battery).

Helix DSP mounted to the amp rack. Mini amp (rear fill) installed alongside a SPDT relay which is controlled by the Helix’s remote output.

Cleaning up the wiring before reinstalling the rear seat. Sound deadener was installed with the SoundBox back in 2019, and it makes a huge difference.

The final product. I still have to do a thorough cleaning and tune the DSP with a calibrated microphone, but the hardware is pretty much finalized at this point.

 

[Cuzoe]

I re-used the Helix harness, but with my own DSP... so convenient! I'm going to pushback on the A-pillars being so easy, haha... those two stage clips suck. Cheap to replace (and the shop manual says to always replace them) but still annoying. At some point I need to do tweeters.

 

[username205]

I re-used the Helix harness, but with my own DSP... so convenient! I'm going to pushback on the A-pillars being so easy, haha... those two stage clips suck. Cheap to replace (and the shop manual says to always replace them) but still annoying. At some point I need to do tweeters.

Good idea. I plan on selling the SoundBox so that wasn’t an option for me. The clips were a hassle the first time I removed the a-pillar trim, but subsequent removals have been a breeze since the clips were never reinstalled

 

[Cuzoe]

@username205, if you're still around... how have the Dayton speakers held up thus far? I've finally got off my butt to complete a different project that requires door card removal and I plan to replace my speakers and tweeters. I'm thinking I can run something similar to what you've done...

Front woofers - RS180-4 (as used by OP)
- somewhere around 80 - 3000 Hz
- Passive low passed in the 3000 range
- High passed in the 80 range by my DSP

Front tweeters - AN25F-4 (as used by OP)
passive high passed, somewhere around 3000 Hz

May actually go with some overlap for the fronts, (very much looking for input) but I am running an active DSP so I'm hoping I can manage some overlap to make up for not really wanting to play around with crossover tuning. I'm not that demanding of a listener anyway.

Rear woofers - Likely to remain stock for now
- Just for fill, but might try some of that 2000 - 4000 Hz magic you mentioned earlier. This can be done with the DSP.

Sub is still the Stereo Integrity BM MKV which is currently doing 20 - 80 Hz with no complaints.

 

[mrmatto]

Amazing thread so far!!

What’s the stock range and crossover point for the tweeters in the base system? Any idea? If I replace them, I want to ensure I get something that’s going to fill a similar range.

 

[username205]

@username205, if you're still around... how have the Dayton speakers held up thus far? I've finally got off my butt to complete a different project that requires door card removal and I plan to replace my speakers and tweeters. I'm thinking I can run something similar to what you've done...

Front woofers - RS180-4 (as used by OP)
- somewhere around 80 - 3000 Hz
- Passive low passed in the 3000 range
- High passed in the 80 range by my DSP

Front tweeters - AN25F-4 (as used by OP)
passive high passed, somewhere around 3000 Hz

May actually go with some overlap for the fronts, (very much looking for input) but I am running an active DSP so I'm hoping I can manage some overlap to make up for not really wanting to play around with crossover tuning. I'm not that demanding of a listener anyway.

Rear woofers - Likely to remain stock for now
- Just for fill, but might try some of that 2000 - 4000 Hz magic you mentioned earlier. This can be done with the DSP.

Sub is still the Stereo Integrity BM MKV which is currently doing 20 - 80 Hz with no complaints.

Sorry I missed this, I'm not receiving email updates for some reason. The Daytons have been fantastic - the silk tweeters are easy on the ears, and the aluminum cones of the RS-180s allow them to belt out impressive midbass for the relatively small cone area. Off-axis response isn't great for the left speaker down near my foot, but the bandpassed rears (400Hz - 3000Hz) augment the vocals and expand the soundstage without dragging it rearward. I'm thoroughly impressed with this setup and how much a DSP can do for mobile audio. Which DSP will you be running?

 

[username205]

Amazing thread so far!!

What’s the stock range and crossover point for the tweeters in the base system? Any idea? If I replace them, I want to ensure I get something that’s going to fill a similar range.

The stock woofers are full-range and the tweeter just runs a simple capacitor, probably around 5KHz.

 

[Cuzoe]

Sorry I missed this, I'm not receiving email updates for some reason. The Daytons have been fantastic - the silk tweeters are easy on the ears, and the aluminum cones of the RS-180s allow them to belt out impressive midbass for the relatively small cone area. Off-axis response isn't great for the left speaker down near my foot, but the bandpassed rears (400Hz - 3000Hz) augment the vocals and expand the soundstage without dragging it rearward. I'm thoroughly impressed with this setup and how much a DSP can do for mobile audio. Which DSP will you be running?

I'm running the Audio Control D-4.800 already. Right now powering all 4 corners but the rears are band-passed (stock speakers). My plan is to reconfigure so that the 4 channels of the DSP are powering the front stage, midbass and tweeter separately.

Leave the rears connected to the factory radio, passive band-pass to feed them something near 400-3000Hz. My fader control will be a (someone blunt) control of how much rear fill I want. And if I want none I can just fade all the way to the front.

Sub output drives a separate amp/sub for the deep stuff.

 

[username205]

I'm running the Audio Control D-4.800 already. Right now powering all 4 corners but the rears are band-passed (stock speakers). My plan is to reconfigure so that the 4 channels of the DSP are powering the front stage, midbass and tweeter separately.

Leave the rears connected to the factory radio, passive band-pass to feed them something near 400-3000Hz. My fader control will be a (someone blunt) control of how much rear fill I want. And if I want none I can just fade all the way to the front.

Sub output drives a separate amp/sub for the deep stuff.

Sounds like a solid plan, you definitely want active crossovers on the front stage if possible. I’d just be worried about not having time alignment on the rear speakers, but, as you mentioned, the fader could be used to prevent throwing off your front stage. Have you considered replacing the D-4.800 with a standalone DSP? Having 8 outputs would give you much more flexibility.

 

[Cuzoe]

Sounds like a solid plan, you definitely want active crossovers on the front stage if possible. I’d just be worried about not having time alignment on the rear speakers, but, as you mentioned, the fader could be used to prevent throwing off your front stage. Have you considered replacing the D-4.800 with a standalone DSP? Having 8 outputs would give you much more flexibility.

I'm not looking to get that deep (8 channel) into this. I don't even want to be as "deep" as I am now honestly . I bought some Stereo Integrity M25 tweeters on a whim and then some JL ZR650-CWs from a member hear (to go with the M25s and also because the surround on right front speaker is torn).

I only got the D-4.800 because it combines amplification and DSP, which made it a more-or-less direct replacement for my Helix. I don't envision a world where I was ever going to run separate amp and DSP. I was happy with the Helix but (90% sure) I broke it being careless while doing some other wiring.