Date:         Sun, 10 Nov 2002 15:43:40 -0500
Reply-To:     The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Subject:      Re: Stereo Power Amp
In-Reply-To:  <7525090A-F4BF-11D6-B648-000393BA6216@tactical-bus.info>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

> high end high quality speakers are a waste in the
> vanagon and most other vehicles.  High end front
> ends that do thirty variations on everything are
> fancy trinkets that scream out "steal me".


I disagree. A Vanagon can sound quite good acoustically with the right
equipment, and without going overboard.  The stock speaker locations are
rather close to ear level, the interior space is pretty much a rectangular
"room," and (especially in a Westy) the acoustic "hardness" of the glass is
somewhat offset by the absorbtive nature of the curtains, upholstery, etc.

1)  Extra money spent on speakers will have a more direct impact on the
sound than will extra money spent on a head unit.  The CD section of a $100
and a $200 indash will sound pretty close, but as a rule a pair of $150
speakers will sound markedly better than a pair of $75 ones.
Speakers are never the right place to cut corners. Listen to the speakers
before you buy them, as there will be noticable differences in sonic
charactor from one to another.

2)  At the absolute bare minimum, get speakers with dome (rather than cone)
tweeters.  These tweeters disperse the treble around 150 degrees, rather
than just shooting it forward.  The result is that more of the sound will
reach your ears rather than shooting above or below them.

3)  Look at the sensitivity (efficiency) of the speakers that you choose. A
less sensitive speaker will require more power to reach the same volume.
Every 3 db reduction in sensitivity (all other things being equal) will mean
you will need roughly TWICE as much power to achieve the same volume level
(an issue considering that in a Vanagon there is quite a bit of space to
fill with sound). So a very insensitive speaker system will require the
purchase of a larger amp.  Some higher-end speakers may sound very good but
require gobs of power; others are much more sensitive.  Lower end speakers
all tend to be relatively sensitive, since they are intended to be played
using low-power indashes.

4)  I sell window crank handle spacers that will allow you to put
aftermarket door speakers in the stock location even if the grills protrude,
and still open your windows.  (As another alternative, you may or may not be
able to bend the stock window crank handles slightly to clear the grills
without breaking them.)

5)  Particularly you are using stock-sized 4" speakers (which have no real
bass response below 100 hz), placing a subwoofer under the rear seat will
make all the difference in the world. Cost for such a sub plus associated
amp might be about $300-$500 installed - much less if you use a powered bass
tube (which is not quite as good as a well-designed custom box properly
matched for the vehicle and the sub).  It is worth it.

6)  It is easy to put in a mid-end or better system and make it "stealth."
Most indashes are detachable face, etc. so that visually an amateur thief
can't tell a cheapo from an expensive one when the face is turned or
removed. Speakers can be mounted using cheapo (or factory) grills so nobody
knows they're any good.  (The installer may have a box full of cheap grills
saved from units he removed when he installed upgraded speakers in customer
cars.)  A sub can be hidden under the rear seat, and amp(s) in the cabinetry
of a Westy (or perhaps under the drivers seat if you don't have a second
battery there).

In my '89 Westy, I have a hard-drive based MP3 player in my dash (Rio Car),
Orion and Infinity speakers in the stock locations, a JL Audio sub, an
electronic crossover and two power amps.  This system is basically mid-end,
with the exception of the indash, which is expensive mainly due to its
internal hard drive (worth it to me because I don't need any CD's or tapes).
For the fairly low amount of money spent (other than the head unit), even
the installer was amazed at how good the Vanagon sounded.  Because of its
acoustics and placement options, the Vanagon does justify the installation
of a decent system, while at the same time allowing very good sound without
spending a fortune.

- Ron Salmon
  The Bus Depot, Inc.
  (215) 234-VWVW
  www.busdepot.com

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