nuxx.net
Making, baking, and (un-)breaking things in Southeast Michigan.

Speakers and Stuff

November 21, 2006

All previous speakers returned, original speakers reinstalled. Played with the amp enough to realize that the ‘High Cut’ setting is not a low-pass filter as I would have expected, but is instead a high-pass filter. Therefore, having it set too high basically keeps appropriate bass from going to the speakers at all.

I’d had some difficulty adjusting this previously, but after replacing the speakers and retuning things, everything is MUCH better. I’ve got the filter letting everything possible go to the rear subs and the missing bass is now there. The rear levels have also been adjusted at the amp to be appropriate, although these may need a wee bit more tweaking. This remains to be seen, though.

Other tasks I have successfully completed tonight:

· Returned both pairs of crappy Pioneer speakers.
· Acquired Thai food.
· Ate Thai food with Belgian beer.
· Watched Frontline’s A Hidden Life
· Balanced my checkbook.
· Washed my sheets.

I guess that’s a plenty full night.

automotivefoodmoved from livejournal

Pioneer TS-G1341R Speakers vs. 2006 Honda Civic EX

November 20, 2006


Pioneer TS-G1341R Speakers fitted into gutted 2006 Honda Civic EX Rear Deck Speakers

Tonight’s project-cum-technical disappointment was what you see above. That is, my fitting some aftermarket Pioneer TS-G1341R 5¼” into the shells of Honda OEM speakers from the rear deck of my car.

See, ever since installing the Bass System Kit (photo gallery retired) a year ago, I just haven’t been wholly satisfied with the sound in my vehicle. The bass was improved over the factory bass, but it still sounded rather warbly and distorted even with ‘normal’-ish bass, such as the guitar in some pieces. Much electronic stuff was just right out.

Earlier today I decided that I’d pick up a cheaper, but likely decent set of speakers as replacements for the ones which shipped with the bass system kit. So, poking around, I came across the Pioneer TS-G1341Rs which are fairly widely available. So, at lunch I swung by Best Buy and grabbed a pair for just under US$50.

By gutting the leftover original speakers and some ¼” MDF I was able to nicely fit the new speakers in, and even wire them up to use the original Honda connectors. This is good because I can easily swap my new speakers in and out for the ones from the Bass System Kit.

Why would I want to swap them? Because the new speakers sound like crap. They sound worse than the ones with the Bass System Kit. In fact, they are more in line with the very original OEM speakers.

So, I don’t know what I’m going to do right now. Probably return them, and possibly acquire some (better 6½” speakers and an aftermarket mounting bracket. Or… something. I don’t know.

Bah. At least it only took a few hours.

automotivemaking thingsmoved from livejournal

Sequentix P3 Wooden End Cheeks

November 15, 2006


My Sequentix P3 with the wooden end cheeks installed.
(Click for more…)

Yay! My Sequentix P3 is finally complete! This afternoon I was surprised to find one of the typically labeled packages from Sequentix waiting in the mailbox. I’d been waiting for the wooden end cheeks for the P3 I’d finished a few months ago and they are finally here. I’m really, really happy with them, too.

As you can see above, they make the sequencer look really finished. This project can also now be considered totally, completely finished. Yay!

electronicsmaking thingsmoved from livejournal

Win32 RSS / Atom Feed Reader

November 14, 2006

Can any of you recommend a Win32 RSS / Atom feed reader? I’m liking Vienna on OS X, and Google Reader, but Google Reader just suddenly breaks all too often. And by breaks I mean fails to update feeds for long periods of time, if ever.

And Firefox sucks for feeds, because if I nest a bunch under one bookmark toolbar entry I have to drill down to each to check if there is anything new there.

computersmoved from livejournal

Light Table + Loupe

November 11, 2006

I really wish I had a small light table and loupe right now. :\

Oh, can anyone recommend a nice, and reasonably priced, light table and loupe? The prices seem to range from $15 to around $90, and beyond temperature controlled lights, I can’t really tell the difference.

found thingsmoved from livejournal

110 Slides

November 3, 2006

The downside to a nice scanner is that I can see precisely how the Kodak Pocket Carousel slide projector grabs the slides. Top-center, leaving a couple small scratches on almost every frame.

On second thought, it may be from the processing. There’s no marring of the carrier at that point, and it seems to go under the carrier. Hmm.

making thingsmoved from livejournal