Alpine Optim8 DSP/Amp - Lane's Review, Thoughts, Results...

[Darnon]

I'm not positive, but I don't think the B&O truly is dealing with 8 channels. I think the front door speakers and dash tweeters are on the same channels, so maybe more like 6 channels?

They have individual channels coming out of the B&O amp.

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[rallyshark]

They have individual channels coming out of the B&O amp.

It is absolutely possible that I'm wrong. I just don't give Ford credit for doing anything more than the bare minimum I guess, haha.

 

[colinl]

Agreed. So far, no significant issues that the DSP has had to fix, or that I've had to manually adjust for. I'm giving the Mav interior space some credit for that. Or it could be just luck.

Since you're using your infotainment as the source and not direct Bluetooth, you are getting the benefit of whatever tuning Ford started with.

If this really can handle summing 8-channels of inputs then this amp could work for the B&O as well.

Yes. If there isn't a harness available it would take a fair bit of splicing to intercept 7 or 8 channels. Most of the converters I've seen only take source from the front doors.

 

[CurtisB]

As usual, I enjoy your write ups! Most of what you do in your cars I used to do to my home stereos systems. People would want to come over to watch movies! I was turning my living rooms into a theatre way before it was the norm. Remember when you could buy home stereo systems one piece at a time! Ah, the good old days!

Anyway, my biggest takeaway to your latest upgrade is how you can bluetooth to your system and then the system goes to the head unit. That in itself should make a tremedous difference to your truck. I realized that the best sound I was going to get in my truck was what I have installed so far. Unless I want to go the full-Monty like I did with my Prius, I am ok with the way it is now. The best thing is that I can turn the stereo up to 16 and it is plenty loud enough. Prior to that, I would have to turn it up to 30. In the Prius I had, I did a custom head unit, wiring harness, speakers and amplifier system all from Crutchfield. It literally was plug and play!!

I'm not going to waste any more money and time on the Maverick until an aftermarket replacement Head Unit for it comes out. The stock head unit in the Maverick keeps superceeding anything you do to it.

 

[Mavrik2023]

Nice system and setup. If you have everything going full blast, do you notice much of a drop in MPG on the hybrid? I remember in my teenage years, the headlights in my car used to dim in unison with the bass from my Alpine system

 

[Lane]

Nice system and setup. If you have everything going full blast, do you notice much of a drop in MPG on the hybrid? I remember in my teenage years, the headlights in my car used to dim in unison with the bass from my Alpine system

Thanks.

Yes, long ago, a bunch of amplifiers in a car needed a lot of current. It was common to see headlights dim. I had a buddy who built a car for SPL (loudness) competition in the 1990s. Had a V8 in that car and when the system was running really hard, the demand on the alternator created enough drag that it would cause the engine to die when it was at idle. Didn't believe it until I'd seen it. The volume knob could shut off the car, crazy.

Car audio amplifiers have different classes, each having different current requirements based on how they're designed. This article from Crutchfield gives a quick explanation. Many of today's modern amplifiers are Class-D and they're really really efficient. Class D gives you a lot of power with really low current consumption. Along with DSPs, this has also been an amazing improvement in audio technology in the last decade or so.

No, it's very unlikely that any modern car audio equipment installed in any vehicle will affect its MPG. The current needed by the hybrid to run its drive motor, or that it needs to charge its high-voltage battery with the alternator (or whatever acts as the alternator on a hybrid) running off the engine, have much larger current demands than powering an amplifier. I'd say that the audio system's current use is insignificant compared to those.

 

[Lane]

I'm not going to waste any more money and time on the Maverick until an aftermarket replacement Head Unit for it comes out. The stock head unit in the Maverick keeps superceeding anything you do to it.

After going through this DSP install and tuning, I am amazed by the sound quality. I just cannot believe that it's possible. It's nuts that it's this good with the DSP getting its signal from the speaker level outputs of the factory radio! But with that now being typical since replacing the radio completely just isn't an option in most modern vehicles, I suspect it has advanced the technology.

Long ago, I remember talking about the use of line output converters and it used to cause a person to cringe when they heard about someone having to do that. But that's no longer the case.

The Alpine and other DSPs have built-in functionality to identify any issues with their input signal from the factory radio. And they apply corrections to fix those issus. That's amazing, and it changes everything. At that point, the factory radio isn't really working against, or undoing / negating whatever improvements you make to the system elsewhere. I don't see it as a limiting factor on how good sounding a system you can build.

I'd seen the announcement from Pioneer about a head unit replacement for the Mav being available at some point in the future. I'm sure it will have a lot of cool features & functionality, but now I'm not so convinced it will make a noticeable difference in sound quality that most people would be able to hear. And the cost will be over a grand.

 

[CurtisB]

After going through this DSP install and tuning, I am amazed by the sound quality. I just cannot believe that it's possible. It's nuts that it's this good with the DSP getting its signal from the speaker level outputs of the factory radio! But with that now being typical since replacing the radio completely just isn't an option in most modern vehicles, I suspect it has advanced the technology.

Long ago, I remember talking about the use of line output converters and it used to cause a person to cringe when they heard about someone having to do that. But that's no longer the case.

The Alpine and other DSPs have built-in functionality to identify any issues with their input signal from the factory radio. And they make corrections to fix those issus. That's amazing, and it changes everything. At that point, the factory radio isn't really working against, or undoing / negating whatever improvements you make to the system elsewhere. I don't see it as a limiting factor on how good sounding a system you can build.

I'd seen the announcement from Pioneer about a head unit replacement for the Mav being available at some point in the future. I'm sure it will have a lot of cool features & functionality, but now I'm not so convinced it will make a noticeable difference in sound quality that most people would be able to hear. And the cost will be over a grand.

The response you responded to was before I read more about the system you installed. My truck has the stock system in it. Not the Bose setup. Mine was a pain in the rear to tap into the speaker wires coming from the head unit without the use of a harness. But definitely, I am going to wait till I have more moolah set aside and do it like I did my 2015 Prius. Harness, speakers all around and a better amp/crossover system.

 

[Lemon Squeezy]

I almost went to buy this for my audio set-up for the Mav.I just came across with JL Vxi amp at FB marketplace for a bargain.Will definitely get this one for my next vehicle.

 

[Lane]

Impressions and Results

When I finished the DSP's initial set up, I turned on the key, waited the 15 sec for Android Auto to get up to speed, and waited for the media player I use on my phone to randomly pick a song.

The song starts.
Within 5 seconds, here I am in my Mav, in my closed garage, yelling at my radio.

"NO #@%$#&^%$# WAY."

It's disbelief. It was an overwhelming feeling that what I'd begun to hear is just not possible. I was prepared, but I wasn't. I know what a "good" system sounds like. At competitions, I'd regularly sat in cars with six-figure audio systems that make your mouth hang open. But they should. There are expectations for that much time and energy spent on an audio system.

With a prior pre-DSP car, I'd spent the better part of a year repeatedly listening, measuring, and making adjustments. I knew the time and effort that was needed to get sound that was special.

But here it was, immediate.

This hadn't taken that time and effort, and I think that was the most surprising part. I had watched an Alpine video, spent less than an hour on set up & configuration. Maybe had to look up something in the manual once. And it's not that I have any high-dollar esoteric audio gear that it's running. And this was before any advanced manual tuning or adjusting the sound to my personal taste.

I'd expect that someone that installs any brand of DSP is probably going to enjoy similar sound. It's what a DSP does. But I think what blew me away was how good it sounded immediately, virtually out of the box. And knowing it will only get better from this point forward as I listen and make minor adjustments here and there.

 

[Lane]

How It Sounds (my opinion)

The image has focus. Vocals are upfront and prominent. The sound is large and full and fills the space, but you can close your eyes and point forward and say "the singer is there". That does it for me. That hit me in the face, it was noticeable right away. And it's there in most of the different types of music I've listened to with it so far. It's consistent. Time alignment is an amazing thing.

The stage sounds wider than I expected. Not that it sounds larger than the actual width of the vehicle (tough to do, IMO), but it doesn't sound narrow. I've heard that with other cars with dash mounted tweeters. A-pillar or door mounted tweeters always seem to sound a bit wider to me.

Just the overall clarity and detail is striking. You realize that when listening to music you're familiar with, and hear something in it you've never heard before.

And the bass... with the sub level control at the Goldilocks point, I'd swear that the sub is mounted upfront somewhere. The bass does not feel like an entity on its own, sounding like it was added by an add-on box somewhere behind you. I don't know what part of the DSP or its software/configuration deserves credit for that (time correction, crossover, and phase? Door woofers with a very low high-pass?), but it is outstanding. I've only ever heard it this good in another vehicle, and that one is a mid-engine car with the sub in the front of the car, mounted forward in the passenger footwell.


So I can't give credit for all these good things I've described to just the DSP. The speakers in the system play a huge part. I've always loved Polk Audio for these exact reasons, and they've shined in every vehicle I've used them in. And if you use the right high-pass freq & slope on Polk 6-1/2"s, you will not believe the midbass impact they are capable of. That is, if the current ones are similar to the vintage set I'm running.

Just an important note that I'm sure helps with the results above. I have my fader in the factory radio turned 3/4 toward the front. It feels like you're not hearing the rear speakers. But turn them off and you'll immediately notice something is missing. This is how I've heard it described as the desired behavior. Ideally, the rears add fullness to the sound upfront without taking away from the image, or the location of the vocals in front of you. It's a fine balancing act. This is what I look for, but personal preference will vary.

Keep in mind, this is all my opinion and what it's like in my system with the speakers I've chosen, combined with my personal tastes and what I like my audio to sound like. It may be different for you.


I don't know what's inside this thing, but it is definitely the right mix of dark magic & witchcraft. In the middle ages, they would have burned it. But today, we know it's just science.
The Optim8 is an amazing machine.
I like it. Two thumbs up.
Unless it's cranked, then it's horns up, both hands.

 

[colinl]

And if you use the right high-pass freq & slope on Polk 6-1/2"s, you will not believe the midbass impact they are capable of.

Actually, what is your high pass crossover frequency and slope?

 

[Lane]

Actually, what is your high pass crossover frequency and slope?

I started out with the door woofer xover set to 70 hz with a 48db cutoff. Spent a couple of hours listening today. Decided to keep a significant dip I'd added to the EQ for the upper midrange. Was an area that was harsh at a higher volume, but not anymore, yay. So started listening at a higher level and realized a couple of things. I've got some noise coming from the doors that at first, I thought was the woofers themselves making noises they're not supposed to make. But I'm pretty sure now it's vibration and flex in the big plastic section of the door that the woofer is mounted in. My prior vehicles all had steel to mount speakers into and the Mav is my first vehicle where that's no longer the case. I'm going to have to take apart a door and look/listen that way to see what's up. Not sure how to address it if that's truly a problem and stiffness needs to be added. I know that adding a mess of asphalt-backed mat is probably what most people would do to lower the resonant freq. Not sure how I feel about that in this case though.

As I'm listening to all of this, I realized that if I kill one of these woofers, it's not like I can order a new set off Amazon or anything. I moved the xover point up and at about 90 hz it seemed to eliminate most of the odd door noises. At this freq, it's noticable that there is less stress on the woofers when the volume knob is up. Maybe I'll keep that freq but try a shallower slope to see if it adds some of the freq's back to those speakers but continues to tame the vibrations.


On the upside, it sounds good.

 

[rallyshark]

I started out with the door woofer xover set to 70 hz with a 48db cutoff. Spent a couple of hours listening today. Decided to keep a significant dip I'd added to the EQ for the upper midrange. Was an area that was harsh at a higher volume, but not anymore, yay. So started listening at a higher level and realized a couple of things. I've got some noise coming from the doors that at first, I thought was the woofers themselves making noises they're not supposed to make. But I'm pretty sure now it's vibration and flex in the big plastic section of the door that the woofer is mounted in. My prior vehicles all had steel to mount speakers into and the Mav is my first vehicle where that's no longer the case. I'm going to have to take apart a door and look/listen that way to see what's up. Not sure how to address it if that's truly a problem and stiffness needs to be added. I know that adding a mess of asphalt-backed mat is probably what most people would do to lower the resonant freq. Not sure how I feel about that in this case though.

As I'm listening to all of this, I realized that if I kill one of these woofers, it's not like I can order a new set off Amazon or anything. I moved the xover point up and at about 90 hz it seemed to eliminate most of the odd door noises. At this freq, it's noticable that there is less stress on the woofers when the volume knob is up. Maybe I'll keep that freq but try a shallower slope to see if it adds some of the freq's back to those speakers but continues to tame the vibrations.


On the upside, it sounds good.

I settled on 80hz at 24db with mine, fwiw. I haven't had any significant rattling issues with the doors so far at that setting. I did apply a good bit of sound deadening to my doors when I installed the woofers though. @colinl made me a little paranoid about my rears, so I moved the xover up to 130hz @ 48db, even though I didn't see any issues at 120hz, haha. I didn't get super crazy with the sound deadening in the whole truck. I used some sparingly in a few places just to take the edge off like the cab rear wall, under storage bins, and the rear pillars. I've been meaning to do my rear doors for good measure, but haven't cared enough to do it yet.

 

[Deleted member 30736]

I'm very interested in this thread. I installed Focal speakers in all six positions and it was a big improvement. However, it's clear that the factory system isn't taking full advantage of the new speakers.

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