GZ Speaker Set Up

[SeikoKid]

After a visit to a members house this week i’m now a fan of having the volume way up. Only issue is the GZ sounds like a 1984 ford escort stereo compared to my Creech with original speakers . Is there any way to get it sounding as good as Creech? Everything is on default except cabinet has bass gain which is set to 7.5
Also noted the speakers are making that farting noise and volume is only on 12 !

Or do i simply need some new speakers and a sub? and if that’s the case what is a good set to go for without going all to town

 

[Pick Holder]

Sterns do not actually sound that good.
I replace all the speakers and the amplifier module.
Jerry from Stern has heard my work and said it is the best sound in a production pinball he had heard
Thing is Sterns can be improved for not a lot of cash.
Bally williams is another story. I would replace speakers and install pinsound. The original circuit board in bally/williams are not that good by todays standard. You have no EQ (bass/treble etc). On CFTBL it is pre DCS which means it is a mono amplifier supplying all 3 speakers.

 

[Chris P]

I upgraded my speakers recently in my GZ, I used the same speakers they use on the LE models. Kenwood s1366 5.25in

KENWOOD KFC-S1366 - 5.25" 13CM 260W 2 Way Coaxial Car Van Shelf Door Speakers | eBay

260W Peak Power. Peak Input Power 260W. 13 cm Polypropylene Woofer Cone. kitchen appliances. Woofer Cone material Polypropylene (PP) Cone. Heavy-Duty Woofer Magnet Circuit. Cone Size 25mm. Gross Weight 1013gr.

www.ebay.co.uk

You will need to buy new speaker plates to mount them which you can get from PH or retro arcade specialists

5.25" Speaker Plates for SPIKE 2 games - Pinball Heaven

These 5.25″ Speaker Plates are made so a person that has 4″ speakers in their SPIKE 2 game can upgrade their speakers to the larger 5.25″ size that many LE games come with. These are easy, drop in replacments for the 4″ factory speaker plates that are in most SPIKE 2 games. They come in a set...

www.pinball.co.uk

The cabinet sub I didn’t bother with but you can just get any 8inch sub to replace it and it will be an improvement over the cheap factory one.

 

[SeikoKid]

Sterns do not actually sound that good.
I replace all the speakers and the amplifier module.
Jerry from Stern has heard my work and said it is the best sound in a production pinball he had heard
Thing is Sterns can be improved for not a lot of cash.
Bally williams is another story. I would replace speakers and install pinsound. The original circuit board in bally/williams are not that good by todays standard. You have no EQ (bass/treble etc). On CFTBL it is pre DCS which means it is a mono amplifier supplying all 3 speakers.

Thanks, I find CFTBL sound good. i assumed it was already upgraded as it handles the sound well and the bass is strong. Most stuff i own I upgrade so i feel my ear is good at detecting sound

But yeah the Stern is pants in comparison.
Are you using the same speakers as Chris?
I read somewhere about a couple of different subs people opting for. Is it all much of a muchness’s ?

 

[Sven Normansson]

Go into utilities and enable 10 ch equaliser. Also it ships set to 8 ohm and had 4 ohm speakers. After that change for better speakers.

 

[SeikoKid]

I upgraded my speakers recently in my GZ, I used the same speakers they use on the LE models. Kenwood s1366 5.25in

KENWOOD KFC-S1366 - 5.25" 13CM 260W 2 Way Coaxial Car Van Shelf Door Speakers | eBay

260W Peak Power. Peak Input Power 260W. 13 cm Polypropylene Woofer Cone. kitchen appliances. Woofer Cone material Polypropylene (PP) Cone. Heavy-Duty Woofer Magnet Circuit. Cone Size 25mm. Gross Weight 1013gr.

www.ebay.co.uk

You will need to buy new speaker plates to mount them which you can get from PH or retro arcade specialists

5.25" Speaker Plates for SPIKE 2 games - Pinball Heaven

These 5.25″ Speaker Plates are made so a person that has 4″ speakers in their SPIKE 2 game can upgrade their speakers to the larger 5.25″ size that many LE games come with. These are easy, drop in replacments for the 4″ factory speaker plates that are in most SPIKE 2 games. They come in a set...

www.pinball.co.uk

The cabinet sub I didn’t bother with but you can just get any 8inch sub to replace it and it will be an improvement over the cheap factory one.

Just checking pout these speaker plates - I already have these or what look exactly the same in mine? or is it because the speaker mounts are different? Im happy to drill these out and bolt them in myself if that's all that it is

 

[SeikoKid]

Guys, just found @Marcel thread on speaker upgrading. Sorry - all sorted now - will let you know if I can adapt the plates

 

[paulg100]

also changed to the kenwoods and a new sub when i first got mine. made a big difference (look in GZ owners thread for sub make as cant remember off top of head but wasnt very expensive, bout £45 quid i think)

My bass was distorted with the stock sub even at 11-12 volume.

£45 for a sub isnt expesnive but it still made the stock sub look like a paperweight joke. wouldn't take the stock sub if it was free.

 

[SeikoKid]

Could someone advise just incase im paying gout more for something I don't need. The JBL Stage 810 is no longer available. They are offering the same model 82AM for an additional £20

Do I go for this ir is there another speaker I can get that's similar price to the 810?

Thanks

 

[AlanJ]

Just checking pout these speaker plates - I already have these or what look exactly the same in mine? or is it because the speaker mounts are different? Im happy to drill these out and bolt them in myself if that's all that it is

I just upgraded my GZ Prem. had to get the new plates - 5.25" vs 4" speakers. the speaker hole is too small.

 

[Chris P]

If you want my honest opinion, just upgrade the back box speakers to 5.25 inch and don’t worry about the cabinet sub.
The sound improvement is more than enough with quality back box speakers.
I replaced the sub and it hasn’t made a big difference, you can really only tell the difference if you install another amplifier to power it to get the most out of it.

 

[SeikoKid]

If you want my honest opinion, just upgrade the back box speakers to 5.25 inch and don’t worry about the cabinet sub.
The sound improvement is more than enough with quality back box speakers.
I replaced the sub and it hasn’t made a big difference, you can really only tell the difference if you install another amplifier to power it to get the most out of it.

ok, the back box speakers have arrived. I am getting distortion from the sub - you know, the farting sound. Well it sounds like it's the sub. Mainly on the 3 roars from Godzilla. ill install the backbox ones and see where I am at,

 

[SeikoKid]

I just upgraded my GZ Prem. had to get the new plates - 5.25" vs 4" speakers. the speaker hole is too small.

yep, I found this out today, was thinking to just cut out the hole as they are £55 from PH, but just seen retro is selling them at £26 - just got one more place to check

 

[AlanJ]

yep, I found this out today, was thinking to just cut out the hole as they are £55 from PH, but just seen retro is selling them at £26 - just got one more place to check

PH price is a pair £55, retro is price for a single £29.99

 

[SeikoKid]

PH price is a pair £55, retro is price for a single £29.99

Correct, thanks for updating -

 

[SeikoKid]

If you want my honest opinion, just upgrade the back box speakers to 5.25 inch and don’t worry about the cabinet sub.
The sound improvement is more than enough with quality back box speakers.
I replaced the sub and it hasn’t made a big difference, you can really only tell the difference if you install another amplifier to power it to get the most out of it.

Chris, i’m there now. Ended up with a Pinsound Sub. I missed this post of yours and you are correct.
Given we have the same backbox set up could you advise where you have your settings for it all please if you have the time ? Just be good to compare

Where would i find the amp for the sub to check over? Could i use the pinsound system ?

thanks

 

[Chris P]

Chris, i’m there now. Ended up with a Pinsound Sub. I missed this post of yours and you are correct.
Given we have the same backbox set up could you advise where you have your settings for it all please if you have the time ? Just be good to compare

Where would i find the amp for the sub to check over? Could i use the pinsound system ?

thanks

There is a great thread about all of this on Pinside, it’s quite lengthy but a good read.
Regarding sound set up, I have gone down a similar route to this using the 10 band graphic equalizer.


More info here about installing an extra amplifier https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/improving-sound-quality-the-diy-route

Hope this helps

 

[SeikoKid]

Appreciated - thank you

 

[SeikoKid]

Ok, i’ve adjusted to the settings shown and it does make a big difference. I might play with the fade just as i seem to prefer more of a balance and the back box seems to be blasting me in the face @ 6 and more on the high side than the low

we will see

 

[Marvello]

I got my Godzilla Pro yesterday and unless I'm missing something obvious in the settings it's got to be the worst sounding Pin I've owned, especially the sub sounding all distorted.

I'm thinking of upgrading, something reasonably priced and more or less plug and play. Has anyone upgraded to these? They are available from a couple of UK sellers.

PinSound speakers kit for Stern SPIKE 2 pinball machine - Limited Edition Upgrade

Upgrade your Pro / Premium Stern Spike machine with better than Limited Edition 5.25" speakers! The kit also contains the powerful PinSound 8" subwoofer that will guarantee deep bass in your game.Provided with all the required mounting accessories, screws, wiring.Easy installation with a...

www.pinsound.org

 

[paulg100]

yeah my sub was also awful from new.

Was going to say your probably better off sourcing your own speakers but The pinsound kit dosent look like bad value actually.

I bought the kenwoods used in the LE's in the past but even they sound tinny and ****e compared to the CSC5's i used in elvira.

I wouldnt use the kenwoods again. there still cheapy crap.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07NSCZ27W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

 

[Fubar]

I got Kenwoods JBLs from @new forest pinball, plates from @Silverpaolo and light kit from @Colywobbles actually Col stocks Paul's plates.

 

[Silverpaolo]

I got Kenwoods from @new forest pinball, plates from @Silverpaolo and light kit from @Colywobbles actually Col stocks Paul's plates.

Thanks Fubar , yes plates always in stock and colys the guys for the lights

 

[Sven Normansson]

First look at the ohms the speakers use and go into settings, often they are set at the wrong impedance.
Next go into settings and set to use 10 channel amp, this often clears up crappy scratching.
This done go into utilities and set the sound up till it sounds OK.
THEN think about changing out at least the cab speaker, don't pick anything too high a rating as it won't drive properly. I usually look for about 50w 4ohm with a polypropylene cone

 

[new forest pinball]

Thanks for the mention @Fubar if we Supplied Kenwood it was at your request unless we had current stock.
Agree with @paulg100 kicker speakers are awesome! We are no longer agents for kicker so don’t sell them currently, unfortunately.
These are the speakers we recommend in budget order. They all offer a great upgrade on the stern originals. So depends on how much you want to spend. In our own machines we use the Alpine’s or the focal’s. But to be fair the stage2 Jbl’s are great.
If you want to give some prominence to the subwoofer without parting with a fair amount of dosh then go for 8” 8 ohms as the el cheapo stern amplifier will work less hard with an 8 ohm impedance. Avoid dual voice coils as there simply is not enough power to drive them. Next look at the subwoofer’s sensitivity. ( In simple terms this is is a measurement of how well a speaker converts the amplifier power to acoustic energy. In others words, how loud the speaker will be for a given amplifier power.) look for anything above 90db for sterns avoid anything under 87db. 89db will give a good improvement.

STERN BACKBOX REPLACEMENT SPEAKERS IN BUDGET ORDER.
1) Jbl stage 1 51f (£36.00)
2) Jbl stage 2 524 (£40.00)
3) Jbl stage 3 527 (£69.00)
4) Focal acx130 (£69.00)
5) Alpine s-s50 (£79.00)
6) Focal icu 130 (£90.00)*

*Prices are current best prices from car audio dealers in the U.K. (some time spent on google could save you some money).
Bulk discount purchases are available from us directly, but single pair purchases are similar to above.

We no longer stock the stern 13cm speaker panels as @Silverpaolo ones are far better value and superb fit and quality.
Hopefully of some help.....
Cheers Keef.......

 

[Silverpaolo]

Thanks for the mention @Fubar if we Supplied Kenwood it was at your request unless we had current stock.
Agree with @paulg100 kicker speakers are awesome! We are no longer agents for kicker so don’t sell them currently, unfortunately.
These are the speakers we recommend in budget order. They all offer a great upgrade on the stern originals. So depends on how much you want to spend. In our own machines we use the Alpine’s or the focal’s. But to be fair the stage2 Jbl’s are great.
If you want to give some prominence to the subwoofer without parting with a fair amount of dosh then go for 8” 8 ohms as the el cheapo stern amplifier will work less hard with an 8 ohm impedance. Avoid dual voice coils as there simply is not enough power to drive them. Next look at the subwoofer’s sensitivity. ( In simple terms this is is a measurement of how well a speaker converts the amplifier power to acoustic energy. In others words, how loud the speaker will be for a given amplifier power.) look for anything above 90db for sterns avoid anything under 87db. 89db will give a good improvement.

STERN BACKBOX REPLACEMENT SPEAKERS IN BUDGET ORDER.
1) Jbl stage 1 51f (£36.00)
2) Jbl stage 2 524 (£40.00)
3) Jbl stage 3 527 (£69.00)
4) Focal acx130 (£69.00)
5) Alpine s-s50 (£79.00)
6) Focal icu 130 (£90.00)*

*Prices are current best prices from car audio dealers in the U.K. (some time spent on google could save you some money).
Bulk discount purchases are available from us directly, but single pair purchases are similar to above.

We no longer stock the stern 13cm speaker panels as @Silverpaolo ones are far better value and superb fit and quality.
Hopefully of some help.....
Cheers Keef.......

Cheers for the mention keef appreciated

 

[Andydn]

Where is this setting??

Next go into settings and set to use 10 channel amp,

@Sven Normansson

 

[Andydn]

…found it!

 

[Fubar]

Thanks for the mention @Fubar if we Supplied Kenwood it was at your request unless we had current stock.

Sorry my bad, the ones you sent me were JBL in fact.

 

[SeikoKid]

Follow the settings above for sound set up . Full base on cabinet will distort the sub

@new forest pinball - is there a bypass of stock amp and ability to fit aftermarket amp or something along those lines ? Or that is the pin sound route ?