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      02-19-2012, 09:10 PM   #595
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everything I have learned so far with the MS-8 has pointed to the same thing.....ignore old school rules of thumb (like crossing over as low as possible) and listen to what Andy W says.

200hz for the underseats works GREAT. The bass is rock solid on my dash. No need to go lower, if anything I think I lost SQ when I was at 120/150/180. Andy keeps saying that crossing over higher than you would think is fine and my experience says he is correct.

When using my trunk sub (as you know Ive run things a few different ways) I started with the sub crossed over at 50 Hz but ended up at 80....and tried 100 at Andy's suggestion....honestly I think 100 sounded pretty good, might have been best, never thought I would say that!
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      02-19-2012, 11:23 PM   #596
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Good point, Andy seems to have a little inside knowledge (of course) about how to coax the most out of these units, that's for sure.

So I take it that regardless of the speaker capabilities, Andy recommends the 200hz crossover?

I have noticed that with 100hz, with a walking bass line in acoustic jazz, the lowest octaves are full if not precise but there is a drop off in the volume of the notes as the bass line moves up the scale.

Guess I should go back to 200hz for the crossover.
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      02-20-2012, 01:42 AM   #597
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I've tried as low as 150 in my own car. I would not go lower.

In retrospect, the ic amp could probably hurt the tweeter if it's connected without any series cap. The ic can't melt the voice coil of the 4, clipping or not. Can't create enough power even at max clipping.
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      02-20-2012, 09:51 AM   #598
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Series cap=the tweeter protection jumper in the crossover?

Or something in addition?
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      02-20-2012, 10:35 PM   #599
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by the way......I officially took my sub out of my trunk today.....I dont expect it to go back in any time soon. Im just running the jehnerts all the way down. I was able to get it to the point where it was difficult to tell the difference with and without the sub on regular music (not bass head stuff of course) so I figured I didnt need it taking up my trunk. With the configuration Im running now I dont think ill miss the sub much.
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      02-20-2012, 10:42 PM   #600
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Cool, I'm on the hunt for an amp and underseat woofers to replace the OEM ones. Glad to hear you found this a viable option.
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      02-20-2012, 10:54 PM   #601
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It took a bit of of work to get the response I was looking for, not to mention the experimenting I did with the BX2 function on the Arc amp that we discussed earlier.

Ultimately Im using the BX2 feature and leaving the MS-8 EQ curve pretty much flat, this provides full deep bass response. The other option was not using BX2 and bumping up the low frequencies with the MS-8 EQ but after going back and forth a few times I liked the sound of the flat EQ curve with BX2 better. I do think there is a tiny bit too much of the BX2 bass enhancement going on though.....but its good once Im driving and the road noise and N54 exhaust note start to drown out the low stuff.
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      04-24-2012, 01:47 PM   #602
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I recall seeing Technic state to buy a new MS-8 with factory warranty. I'm curious what the reasoning is behind that. HK has some reconditioned units that carry a full factory warranty, and I'm wondering if that would be a bad choice.
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      04-24-2012, 07:52 PM   #603
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Nope, I'm on my third unit and needless to say, I'm glad I bought it authorized!
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      04-24-2012, 08:38 PM   #604
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3rd unit??? What was the issue with the first two? And are they known to fail regularly?

BTW kaigoss, thanks for all of your contributions. I've been doing quite a bit of reading the last few days both here and diyma, and your posts have been very helpful.
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      04-26-2012, 12:25 PM   #605
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also interested on known issues with ms-8, looking at buying one in the next few days and wondering where i can get the best deal. Have seen a few places on ebay with decent prices (one of them reconditioned) and wonder if its worth it....??
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      04-26-2012, 01:08 PM   #606
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I paid $800 direct from Harmon and it was a great deal! Had I bought it from ebay, I'd be out $1500+ by now. I'm not going to repeat all the problems people have been having, because the info is all over the net.

Having said that, I have a smile on my face every time I get in my car. The ultimate driving machine and the ultimate sound machine at the same time. Priceless. If you want trouble free, buy a Honda and listen to the OEM radio.
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      04-26-2012, 08:15 PM   #607
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MS-8 is now going for $399 FROM JBL DIRECTLY on EBAY. remanufacuted units with warranty
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      05-01-2012, 09:15 AM   #608
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Hey All, New user here and need some desperate help setting up my new JBL MS-8. I have a 2009 BMW 328 XI Coupe with the standard HIFI system. Yesterday i installed the MS-8 using Technic's plug and play amp, which was actually incredibly simple, given i am a complete noob and know nothing about audio, specifically car audio.

Anyhow, if someone could please please help me setup my MS-8 on my HIFI system, that would be wonderful!!

Technic told me this:
Your HiFi OEM system is configured as follows:

Front = L/R mid/tweeters = 2-channels
Woofers = L/R woofers = 2-channels
Rear = L/R mid/tweeters = 2-channels


The OEM mid/tweeters are connected in parallel, with a cap as a high pass filter, driven by a single channel. Therefore, the 4 mid/tweeters sets in your OEM HiFi system use 4-channels.

Total of 6 OEM amp output channels.

Also - the harness was wired as follows:
The harness itself is wired to the MS-8 high level outputs with these assignments:

- CH1 = Left front mid/tweeter
- CH2 = Right front mid/tweeter
- CH3 = Left woofer
- CH4 = Right woofer
- CH5 = Left rear mid/tweeter
- CH6 = Right rear mid/tweeter
- CH7 = Center (not used for now)
- CH8 = Not used


So, now this is where i need help, in running the setup on my MS-8. So once the amp powers-up, then i do the following: (please be sure to correct me or provide more detailed setup)

- skip input setup (I skipped input setup)
- Sub = None (I put none for the Sub)
- Front = 2-way, 40Hz subsonic filter at 18dB, 120Hz at 12dB Hi/Lo (I set this for the front)
- Center = None
- Sides = Should this be none??
- Rear = 1-way, 120Hz at 18dB

So that is the first step of setting up the MS-8. Is the above correct for my car or does anyone know the best setup options??

Ok next step, setup shows me the Channel Selection Menu. This is also where i ran into problems, inputting the correct for each channel: This is whta i was doing:

Channel 1 - FL Hi (For mid/tweeter?)
Channel 2 - FR Hi (For mid/tweeter?)
Channel 3 - FL Low (For woofer?)
Channel 4 - FR Low (For woofer?)
Channel 5 - RL (Rear left??)
Channel 6 - RR (rear right??)
Channel 7 - not used
Channel 8 - not used.

This is as far as i made it, so im not even sure what the next steps are. Any suggestions or help to set this up is very very greatly appreciated!!
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      05-01-2012, 01:23 PM   #609
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Ok just setup the amp finally and was very impressed with the sound. I used the following specs for setup, please let me know if I should change anything:

skip input setup
- Sub = None
- Front = 2-way, 40Hz subsonic filter at 18dB, 120Hz at 12dB Hi/Lo (I set this for the front)
- Center = None
- Sides = 1-way, 120Hz at 18dB
- Rear = None
Then for the next step, the channel selection, i did the following:

Channel 1 - FL Hi
Channel 2 - FR Hi
Channel 3 - FL Low
Channel 4 - FR Low
Channel 5 - SL
Channel 6 - SR
Channel 7 - not used
Channel 8 - not used.

Anyone have any configurations for where i should set treb, bass etc.. I am a complete audio noob. Also, any suggestions for mounting the MS-8?? Thanks!!
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      05-01-2012, 02:55 PM   #610
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Subsonic is a bit low for my liking. I would go 45hz 24dB/oct at a minimum, but you would still have to be VERY careful with the OEM woofers, especially if they are externally amped.

Front hi/lo crossover should be raised to a minimum of 150Hz with 24dB slope, but again with caution.
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      05-01-2012, 03:47 PM   #611
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Quote:
Originally Posted by siruis View Post

Anyone have any configurations for where i should set treb, bass etc.. I am a complete audio noob. Also, any suggestions for mounting the MS-8?? Thanks!!
Hi Sirius, Congrats on the MS-8 install. Definitely take Kaigoss recommendations into consideration. He was a great help to me during my MS-8 install. As far as mounting, I used the CD Changer location. I believe Kaigoss and a few others have also used this location. Here's a few pics.



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      05-01-2012, 04:07 PM   #612
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Hey thanks for the replys!! When you say be cautious, is it because the speakers may blow? If i did run that setup, would i need to be careful with how loud the volume is?

CP - thanks for those pics, very helpful! Did you have to order that specific mount? Is it a specific mount used for the CD changer? My car doesnt have that
I was just planning to use velcrow (lol) and stick it to the floor in that same spot, where the original amp went.
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      05-01-2012, 04:18 PM   #613
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Quote:
Originally Posted by siruis View Post
CP - thanks for those pics, very helpful! Did you have to order that specific mount? Is it a specific mount used for the CD changer? My car doesnt have that
I was just planning to use velcrow (lol) and stick it to the floor in that same spot, where the original amp went.
The mount actually was installed in my car when I purchased it and it is the mount used for the CD changer. I just drilled a few additional holes in it. My L7 amp is in the location you're thinking of using. Someone else probably has to chime in to confirm it fits down there. I'm thinking it may be a little tight, especially if you end up re-calibrating or anything down the road.
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      05-01-2012, 05:57 PM   #614
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kaigoss69 View Post
Subsonic is a bit low for my liking. I would go 45hz 24dB/oct at a minimum, but you would still have to be VERY careful with the OEM woofers, especially if they are externally amped.

Front hi/lo crossover should be raised to a minimum of 150Hz with 24dB slope, but again with caution.
I calibrated with 50hz 24db subsonic and was impressed. compared to 40hz, i was able to raise the bass level higher without woofer rattle. but it has shown me i should really upgrade woofers/add a sub.

I am currently using 200hz 24db for the front hi/low xover and the centre channel. centre channel is a vibe slick 4 and mids are OEM. no external amp. so is 200hz ok for the oem mids and vibe centre?
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      05-01-2012, 06:43 PM   #615
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mob17 View Post
I calibrated with 50hz 24db subsonic and was impressed. compared to 40hz, i was able to raise the bass level higher without woofer rattle. but it has shown me i should really upgrade woofers/add a sub.

I am currently using 200hz 24db for the front hi/low xover and the centre channel. centre channel is a vibe slick 4 and mids are OEM. no external amp. so is 200hz ok for the oem mids and vibe centre?
200Hz will work fine. I like to play my door mids as low as they can go. I know, through extensive testing, that the L7 mids, for example, will take 150Hz 24dB/oct at the loudest volume level I can personally stand. If you like to listen to music louder than me, the crossover point may need to be raised. I have never used the Hifi mids, so I cannot say what the best crossover point is, but I believe that 200Hz with a 24dB/oct slope is definitely on the safe side!
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      05-02-2012, 12:15 PM   #616
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Quote:
Originally Posted by thaar View Post
I recall seeing Technic state to buy a new MS-8 with factory warranty. I'm curious what the reasoning is behind that. HK has some reconditioned units that carry a full factory warranty, and I'm wondering if that would be a bad choice.
The reason of my warning is very simple: 10 out of 11 units personally installed or that I had supplied a HiFi PnP harness to customers have failed at least once within days fo the install. About 7 of those installs have failed twice.

My own install have failed twice; the third unit has been working flawlessly for about a year or so. The last customer failure occurred just yesterday after a couple of calibrations. The MS-8 just popped and died.

JBL have replaced/refunded these units on all these cases. I have complained about this mediocre reliability personally to the MS-8 project manager.

If anybody is getting an MS-8 then it has to be with full warranty, no restocking fee and patience... most probably it will be needed.
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