Help needed: EQ230 wiring

bafukie · Post by **bafukie** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 4:53 pm

Hi guys, as stated above i need some help.I am currently running 2 way active off an alpine HU. I am thinking of adding a 30 band eq to help fine tune my system. However i notice that 30band eq only comes with one pair of input & output. My question is how do i wired up my system with the addition of the eq?

My system currently are as below

HU --> 1 pair rca----> sub amp ---> subwoofer
---> 2 pairs rca ----> 4 channel amp----> pair of tweeter & midbass

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks guys

Post by **fuzzysnuggleduck** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 5:21 pm

This was the problem I went through trying to do a nice active system with a fancy HU. The EQ230, as best I can tell, cannot be used to EQ your whole system unless your HU has the equivalent of what is called a "tape loop" on home receivers... which I'm not even sure if that exists on any head units.

gkitching · Post by **gkitching** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 6:37 pm

It would be the first item in the signal chain from the output of your source. The frequency adjustments will effect the entire signal down the line. It doesn't matter that you are using multiple amps or x-overs. The frequency adjustment doesn't stop at the first device it reaches.

This is a typical signal flow diagram for a 3 amp system. The x-over shown can be independent or the ones built into an amplifier.

This EQ is like the EQ232, one in and one out. Since it only requires one output from a headunit, there are alot of features that will be useless in 'fancy' head units. Internal x-overs, sub controls and other things that would normally be useful with multiple outputs from the head unit would be bypassed for a single full-range ouput. That's why the Best SQ head units (Alpine 7909, Denon model?, etc,etc.) don't have all the bells and whistles. They concentrate on giving the best 'start' of the signal chain. Nowadays, head unit's like the Pioneer DEQ-P9, Alpine's F-1 Status and more, do all the signal processing in the digital domain, before reaching the d/a converters. Giving you already processed outputs.

I think what Fuzzy is describing would be a loop from an 'integrated' home amp that has both preamp and amplifier components in one chassis. The loop was provided as a means to get the EQ into the signal chain before the amplifier stage. If you had a home system with a separate preamp and separate amp, you could use an EQ in the same fasion as the above diagram.

Post by **smgreen20** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 9:49 pm

Audio Controls DQS is what I'm using. 30 bands per channel. BTW, it's a 6 ch eq. That's 180 bands total. And 2 parametric bands per ch as well. So now it's up to 192 bands total.

Built in line driver as well.

bafukie · Post by **bafukie** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 10:58 pm

so i guess till this point, i can only use the eq if..

(i) i am running on pure deck HU with signals going into the eq and out into a electronic x-over or amp x-over

(ii) i change my active setup back to passive setup utilizing the x-over of the drivers.

sigh.... why cant active and eq mix..

marko · Post by **marko** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 11:04 pm

fuzzysnuggleduck wrote:This was the problem I went through trying to do a nice active system with a fancy HU. The EQ230, as best I can tell, cannot be used to EQ your whole system unless your HU has the equivalent of what is called a "tape loop" on home receivers... which I'm not even sure if that exists on any head units.

there's only one headunit i know that ever had that feature, it was a rockford rfx-8140...

gkitching · Post by **gkitching** » Sat Sep 20, 2008 4:00 am

bafukie wrote:so i guess till this point, i can only use the eq if..

(i) i am running on pure deck HU with signals going into the eq and out into a electronic x-over or amp x-over

(ii) i change my active setup back to passive setup utilizing the x-over of the drivers.

sigh.... why cant active and eq mix..

Yes you can. If your amplifiers have outputs you could 'daisy-chain' them from one set of outputs from the head unit. It would all still be active utilizing the amps' x-overs. Very 'do-able' depending on your amps' capabilities.

There are other EQs that have muliple inputs like smgreen describes. Audio Control has addressed this with a few units that take 3-inputs for those who want to maintain some of the features in multi output head units.

Post by **smgreen20** » Sat Sep 20, 2008 7:57 am

Audio Control DQS- 6 in/out Digital 30 band eq per/ch
Audio Control EQS- 6 in/out Analog 12 band eq mids/highs and 11? sub
Audio Control DQXS- 6 in/out Digital 30 band eq per/ch + xover

bafukie · Post by **bafukie** » Sat Sep 20, 2008 4:31 pm

bro gkitching... sorry but whats a 'daisy-chain'?

My amp is capable of 2 band pass. But from the small little test that i did to compare x-over from HU and x-over from amp (both same freq and slope), i find that x-over from amp is not as clean as from HU. Makes me quite reluctant to utilise x-over from amp.

naughty · Post by **naughty** » Sat Sep 20, 2008 5:18 pm

bro gkitching... sorry but whats a 'daisy-chain'?

see the diagram he has attached to his post - you have one input into the first amp - then a set of outputs (pre-outs you may find them called) - which will allow you to feed a full range signal to the inputs of a second amp with the built in crossover of the amp doing the crossover processing for whatever you wish to process

gkitching · Post by **gkitching** » Sat Sep 20, 2008 5:43 pm

naughty wrote:
bro gkitching... sorry but whats a 'daisy-chain'?
see the diagram he has attached to his post - you have one input into the first amp - then a set of outputs (pre-outs you may find them called) - which will allow you to feed a full range signal to the inputs of a second amp with the built in crossover of the amp doing the crossover processing for whatever you wish to process

Yes .. sorry .. daisy chain is slang. I don't think sometimes and assume everyone understands the same.

Shaheen's got it right. At least one of the amps would need an output.

What head unit and amps are we talking about?

naughty · Post by **naughty** » Sat Sep 20, 2008 6:27 pm

Shaheen's got it right. At least one of the amps would need an output.

haha - wasnt shaheen that replied - you just looked at the flag and assumed it was - sorry about the mixup - i just come from the same country as shaheen - but when he isnt in the UK he is at least a 6 hour drive away from me

so to prevent anymore confusion ive added myself a small avvie - this is what it looks like

so the same location flag as shaheen - but different avvie so hopefully i wont confuse anyone else too

gkitching · Post by **gkitching** » Sat Sep 20, 2008 6:39 pm

Sorry (I've said that a few times tonight)

I'm gettin tired! And your right. I did exactly that. I saw the flag and ASSumed.