Awesome Sound System for a 2003 Chevy Express

[keightley]

So I want to plan an awesome sound system into my build but I am clueless when it comes to this kind of thing.  Come to think about it, I feel clueless about everything. LOL I know I need basic items like a head unit, sub woofer, speakers, and amplifier.  But other than that, I don't know. 

So here is my questions to all of you.  If you were building out your dream Chevy Express Van Dwelling, how would you configure your sound system?  I am not really concern with costs.  I just want to think about what is ideal and give the best bang for the buck.  What components would you get? Where would you put the speakers?  Is it feasible to put some speakers into the ceiling?

Keightley

 

[SoulRaven]

Depends on many variables. Is is a panel van with no windows? Have a fiberglass hi-top?
Are the walls insulated? Bare metal? Covered with wood paneling? Carpet? Etc.

I found i didn't need or want a normal head unit, CD player, gps, video, etc so i went with an el cheapo head unit that i mainly use because I like to use Bluetooth speakers. I have speakers permanently mounted and wireless speakers and headphones. The unit can also accept a USB stick and the usual 3.5mm jack. It also has pre-amp outputs.

As I use my smartphone a lot and it has a huge 128MB storage, I have lots of music and tv shows on it.

Since I like to be able to go outside and bring a Bluetooth speaker paired with the head unit, with me rather than blasting neighbors. Inside I have 6 pairs of speaks for total surround sound, when I watch a cool movie, I want killer audio as well. There are small 30Watt bookshelf amplifiers that run off 12V that I use for 2 pairs, the others are run directly from the head unit. I've never had to push the amps past 1/2 way to maintain balance with the head unit so there's no distortion.

I did an impedance check to make sure all the speakers' load was matched to the amp/head unit. The speakers are also cheap but with so many they don't get pushed too hard and actually sound good.

 

[RVTravel]

Apple Homepod ; )

 

[Putts]

Speakers in the ceiling are fine. I'd make sure the player head has a good EQ in it so you can tune it nicely. Probably the biggest bang for the buck after that is having a sub-woofer set up with good adjustability. It's not because you want YUGE BASS, but because ceiling speakers are just not going to fill in the two bottom octaves (20Hz to 80Hz). A good sub tastefully tuned will give you a sense of weight to your tunes.

Don't spend too much money on amps and stuff, it's never going to reach really high-end reproduction. Don't play it to loud, stuff will distort. A modest system will work well as long as you don't try to wring too much out of it.

Stay away from 6x9 speakers. Go with 6" two-ways in the ceiling. Four is better than two to spread out the sound in your rig. Most heads with amps will be able to drive four speakers (two front and two rear).

Lastly, being able to know what you're doing when you EQ a system and not trying to get a lot of volume out of it is WAY more cost effective than buying expensive gear and not knowing how to use it. Not many people have these skills, but if you can find someone who does it's worth throwing bucks their way rather than over spending on hardware.

 

[Stanvan]

Consider HDRadio. It's digital, like SiriusXM, but no monthly costs. It's broadcast on the FM frequencies, and similar to the conversion that TV did, except that the analog side isn't scheduled to get turned off like TV was.

I run a Pioneer DVD capable head unit, although I don't think I'd go Pioneer again. Stay away from the single DIN units that use a motorized flip out screen. The motor will fail sooner than you'd think. With a large double DIN unit(and you van uses this size) I can watch movies, and that's cool. I've added a TV tuner, and can watch broadcast TV. My tuner is one of those digital/analog converters we needed for older TVs after the switchover. I found one that uses a wall transformer, so it was easy to make it work on 12 volts.

The head unit has decent wattage, but if you want a sub, you'll need an amp for that. You 'll need a sub box that will fit where you have room for it. I have a 15 passenger van, so when the seats are in, the sub lives under the second seat. When I camp, the seats come out, and the sub moves under the bed. When the seats are in, the front of the bed folds down, and the sub would be muffled.

 

[JD GUMBEE]

Wow...
True cost no object design can go many ways.

Questions you need to answer for real advice:

How loud do you want it? Good for inside the van, or do you want a concert hall outside too?
What is the most common music you will play through it?
How often will you want to play it while sitting? (Big systems drink power...so you will want to be able to shut the amps off with a switch and have one set of speakers driven solely from the head unit.)
How much of the van do you want to be dominated by the stereo?
Do you want a crackhead to be able to look inside through the window and see everything? Or do you want stealth-sound?


Do not use MP3's anywhere. They stink for quality. FLAC is your mantra...or regular CD's.
Mac/ipod products have a setting where the files can sound decent but their electronics are garbage compared to a good head unit.
Playing through bluetooth is garbage for music. Terrible fidelity.


Start reading here for a good primer.
http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/
Also, go to a local car stereo meetup. (They have a bunch of them.) The guys will show you their setups happily and demo them. This will give you an idea what is possible.
Avoid car audio shops at first. You don't need a salesman telling you untruths while trying to steer you to his brand of gear.
You cannot hear car audio mounted in a board inside a 50X50 showroom, either. The sound is every bit as dependent on the room as it is the design of the components/speakers.

Answer my questions and I can give you some very important considerations to ponder before you spend the cash/make the effort for the wrong gear.

 

[JD GUMBEE]

PS
No matter what the answers to those questions are, if you are budget-minded, a deal like this can be great for a van system.
Don't laugh...we set up a system using something similar in size and quality 30 years ago with rotate-able mounts top and bottom.
The speakers were put up against the roof, facing forward. When you wanted to play music outside, you could spin them to face out the back.
When you also opened the front doors (with 2 sets of 6X9's in each door) even though it was only powered by the Alpine cassette deck in the dash, (at the time, it was a very good one) it made Clapton come to life at a campfire gathering very nicely. He had a house battery with an isolator that the head unit was connected to and it would run the system for four-to-five hours before you had to start the van to charge it.
(Eventually, we all had GM 'one wire' alternators coupled to small briggs motors for camp battery charging. More broke people on these forums could really use these, BTW.)
Anyway, the home speakers worked out really well. You might want to think about something like this as a possibility.
Used home speakers like this are cheap...and the Polks are a very good mid-level speaker to look at.
Not super heavy either.
https://twinfalls.craigslist.org/ele/d/polk-audio-r150-bookshelf/6463141144.html

One friend bought an "ADS POWERPLATE" (wow, am I dating myself...) and hooked it to a set of Radio Shack "MACH ONE's" mounted at the rear of the van.
That system had...DA BASS!!! but would kill a battery in 12-15 minutes full-tilt unless you had the generator hooked to it.