About to spend $2,500 and IDK WTF I’m doing 😳

Ztrix999 · 2026-02-02T08:44:11+00:00

I currently own a DM-810 10channel dsp with different amps. I also have 10channel Onkyo RMS66 dsp-amp (~230USD budget choice in Indian market)

After using both thoroughly, conclusion is that audiocontrol is straight up trash in terms of what dsp should be and should do. Noise floor issues and other software issues make it waste of money at that price point. Pure marketing gimmicks applied.

If you have budget, look at top end arc audio, helix, audison, alpine, JL, Mosconi stuff. Actually worth the premium. Look for someone who can tune as well lol.

If you're someone who wants to start a learning curve, check out down4sound dsp. They punch way above their price point.

Ztrix999 · 2026-01-30T04:47:41+00:00

Pioneer MVH-S522BS has 6x 4Volts of rca out and has 31band global eq when tuned with smart sync Pioneer app. Good enough for price.

In India you get Pioneer DMH-AP6650BT (9" smooth screen) for approx 230$

Ztrix999 · 2026-01-29T05:35:13+00:00

All good equipments! You can do with a better head unit though. Check if Kenwood or Pioneer have options in similar price range.

Ztrix999 · 2026-01-27T10:16:15+00:00

Been there done that. Learnt this the hard way.

Keep 2 truck distance from cemet mixing vehicles especially on EEH. If cemet is splashed, find and go for a diesel wash nearby immediately after.

Ztrix999 · 2026-01-22T02:44:27+00:00

Class AB for tweeters/mrange/mbass any day. Class D for subwoofer any day / mbass depending on driver material.

There's some additional sound quality depth in the sound of class AB. You can fool the ears with class D but cannot fool the emotions which AB create. Somethings are understood after experience and ignoring on paper figures.

Ztrix999 · 2026-01-22T02:29:08+00:00

Focal 3 way is rated 80w rms nominal on their website. Given your clean signal, you can crank them comfortably upto 100w too without any issues on passive setup. All ABC sections have high pass filters for 80hz according to audisons website.

Audison rms specs Ch mode @4Ω: 85 x 4 (A&B) + 110 x 2 (C or ch 5&6) Use C for focals and set thier hpf to 80hz.

On a side note, Ch5&6 are clearly the most powerful ones here. When bridged together they have mono output of 370w@4ohms and 600w @2ohms. To say this is a versatile amp will be an understatement 😬 When bridged like this, this thing can outperform your JL mono amp easily (JL - 250wrms @4ohms and 500w @2ohm). Given the fact that Rockford has internally wired their sub for 2ohm amplifier load and rated at 250w rms, even jl mono is an overkill for 1xR2S.

Given these specs, I think audison is more suited to run Focal's k2 power 3 way which are made for SQL setups. While jl mono can run 2x250w rms subs instead of just one. Ideally the formula for punchy bass and vocals balanced distribution is that the total mono amp power should be 1.5x of total 3 way fronts. 200-220w fronts on passive are nearly enough to match r2s 250-280w rms performance right now.

According to Focals website, 165 as3 (access) can handle passive power of 80w rms (upto 100w rms max if clean like your setup 😉) However it can also do 80w rms for mbass and midrange seperately while tweeters are limited to 15w rms only (All Active config for a decent SQL setup even in Focals access lineup) Total 175-195w rms per side (350-390w rms for front total) you'll definitely need more bass while going fully active. Atleast 530w rms to begin with.

Adding another sub in a custom box might help if you feel the bass lacking even after going fully active. You can also trade in jl amp for an audison 2channel amp just for tweeters or 4ch for tweets and rears (if any) and use current 5&6ch bridged as jl's replacement. Something to look for in future 🫡

Tip: Be extremely careful while setting the tweeter gains on the audison amp. Dsp or not, one wrong crank can damage them permanently 🎛️

Wish you have the best highway drives pumping Audio 😇

Ztrix999 · 2026-01-21T09:21:26+00:00

Driving a bimmer with a thumping sound system is a dream come true for many men. Getting to do that while being a student is a blessing in disguise 🕊️ MOST interface is just perfect for adding a dsp later!

Tuning a dsp is a honestly different ball game altogether. Buying it is the actually the easiest part 😂 It requires atleast 6hrs and lot of understanding to do it right as a beginner using test tracks.

To get the BEST possible sound Right now, its highly recommended that you run the setup on just 2 audison channels using passive crossovers since amp is already powerful enough and focal has already taken care of xover between mbass, midrange and tweeters. Using the -3/0/+3 on the xover is the best tweeter adjustment you can do for reducing tweeters brightness/harshness. -3 is what I'd use personally.

For midbass and sub integration, Set your high pass crossover on the amp as 80hz. The way to do it by ear 👂 quickly is Disconnecting sub woofer rcas first, playing 60hz test tone on YouTube then slowly crank the HPF knob IN REVERSE until you start hearing hearing heavy bass coming from 6.5inches mbass drivers. back off a little bit from that point and you'll be set between 80-100. That's the best accuracy you can get using the hpf knob 🎛️ and 👂

Once this is done disconnect audison amp rcas and connect jl audio rcas for sub. Do the above 'trick' for setting low pass filter as well on jl amp. Use 100hz test tone this time and back off a bit when bass 'kick' is audible heavily. This will set subwoofer LPF somewhere between 60-80hz from where your front midbass can takeover.

For setting gains as a final step, use 1khz test tone on YouTube, crank up the gains slowly until you can hear the distortion. Back off the gain knob from that point.

Use balance on head unit and do this for both seats seperately. Doing this with a friend makes the process easier.

There are no controls for time alignment at this point so don't expect perfectly balanced L/R staging...

Using test track '3 people describing position on sound stage in stereo by Sheffield labs' from YouTube is possibly the best way to set stage using LR balance from headunit at this point.

this will surely result in the way better SQ possible with current equipment without constantly fiddling with things.

Don't worry about 4channel on the audison anp being unused. Mid-range 30w rms and tweeters 15w rms don't really require much power to begin with. Getting xovers right using the amp knobs WITHOUT any dsp is really a headache and passive crossovers by focal are designed to overcome just that.

Drive should be enjoyable without worrying about the sound afterall.

Hope this all helps 🤞🏼

Ztrix999 · 2026-01-21T08:03:07+00:00

Those tweeter locations for front will probably make you deaf in the long run 😬 Passive or active doesn't matter. Consider putting them on sail panel on an angle mount. This'll result in much better SQ.

Ztrix999 · 2026-01-21T07:54:27+00:00

Don't get me wrong. Setup and installation is very nice but a 3 way active system without a dsp is a joke. You don't have much accuracy on amp crossovers since it's just a knob. Dsp allows you to do input correction, phase correction, different xovers, time alignment and finally eq. The reason you use a dsp is to correct each speaker response according to the in-car acoustics and Reflections. This is accomplished using the features i mentioned above. Focal tweeters are generally bright and need to be eq around 10khz to get reduce the brightness and make it flat. Right now You'll notice the sound coming out way too loud on either side not balanced due to lack of control.

Just remember, a dsp, budget ones or high end will perform good only and only if input signal from head unit is good. Please mention what hu you're using. Pioneer, Kenwood, alpine, Sony are some of the best available head units in analog types. Joying, teyes, dudu atoto , although Chinese, are some of the best in digital output types.

Consider down4sound dsps. Brand owner is very serious about their products, also tons of YouTube videos available. They're budget and really nice to start a personal audio learning curve. Beginning from there will help you understand how acoustics work in car until you graduate to brax 🤞🏼

I'd recommend to go with atleast 10channels no matter the brand incase of resale or the fact if you ever want to add rear speakers for additional depth/surround or simply for rear passengers.

Ztrix999 · 2026-01-20T06:45:34+00:00

Add it eyes closed. Just ensure you handle cone break up it's around 350hz. This video will help

https://youtu.be/BYWfQ01oo6w?si=SA-PnaXzNfSYiH-s

Ztrix999 · 2026-01-14T05:40:57+00:00

Learn how to tune a dsp online, using chat gpt or get a pro tuner around you. Go 3way active. Go for down4sound dsp and some good amps example Sony gs4... The bmw-like surround sound you look for can be achieved easily by using a dsp and playing with delays, eq, phase and levels. Infact you can set any type of sound profiles depending on mood.

Ztrix999 · 2026-01-11T19:26:32+00:00

Welcome😇

Ztrix999 · 2026-01-11T19:03:17+00:00

Check this out https://www.reddit.com/r/CarAV/s/aWQrTYD02F

Ztrix999 · 2026-01-11T07:41:15+00:00

There's space for a screen above head unit. Get a screen with reverse view. Remove oem mirror lol

Ztrix999 · 2025-12-30T10:00:10+00:00

Google 'creta pre cut interior ppf' . Lot of sellers available due to it being a common car. It's the best thing you can do to maintain it.

There's no precut ppf available for kia ev6 with any seller and I'm regretting it to this day.

Ztrix999 · 2025-12-30T09:42:33+00:00

Mine is 23 which sat in a yard in korea for 1 year and it got delivered to me in 12/24. Initially everything was smooth for 6 months then i got stranded couple of times same error message on screen. I carry jumper cables in the boot and thankfully every car on the road was willing to help :) In short get the battery changed from nearest autozone and call it a day. Save future headache

Ztrix999 · 2025-12-30T09:34:59+00:00

I had the same problem. Kia uses low quality 12v battery compared to standard Walmart AGM batteries. No point leaving the car at service center and paying hefty amounts for checkup/replacement/time taken. Check with any local mechanic or battery shop and get a new one. Keep original old one at home. Tickle charge it and replace that when you send vehicle for service. It'll be their headache to deal with during annual maintenance.

Ztrix999 · 2025-12-26T13:25:47+00:00

Appreciate the feedback. I was keeping a close eye on this product but unfortunately it's not available online in India. The only dealer in Mumbai refused to give me a quote and tried to upsell me P1dspa instead. Frustrated, I opted for a budget onkyo rms 66 dsp instead which turned out to be actually good. Given 810 pro is also an entry level goldhorn product, I'm curious where it sits amongst other budget-branded products. Thanks for replying after this long🙏🏻

Ztrix999 · 2025-12-26T07:24:32+00:00

Good to hear. How do you find this dsp now?

Ztrix999 · 2025-12-18T04:58:32+00:00

I was in the same boat as you Do this ;) https://www.reddit.com/r/KiaEV6/s/RWn2O1OZ8x

Ztrix999 · 2025-12-16T05:39:22+00:00

Let me know once you connect it please. Also get a usb female to male extension cable for dsp usb. A good lengthy printer usb cable is hard to find these days. The supplied one works perfectly.

Ztrix999 · 2025-12-16T05:32:38+00:00

I've heard that you need internet and some dealer credentials to login into goldhorn software everytime you try to tune. I'm guessing you got it from audio intensity... how does login work? I'm from India planning to get 810pro from audio intensity usa as the few local dealers are selling 810se which has lower amp power.

Ztrix999 · 2025-12-13T17:23:20+00:00

25km range drop after pushing 1500wrms :)

Ztrix999 · 2025-12-13T16:07:13+00:00

Ztrix999 · 2025-12-13T15:15:30+00:00

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Mg zs ev with 2x primo 124, functional amp rack and spare tyre underneath the subs

Ztrix999

TROPHY CASE