JL Cleansweep

[bts161]

Check this out:

http://www.jlaudio.com/press/CleanSweep05.html

Looks like keeping the factory nav, steering wheel buttons, bluetooth, etc is an option along with having a highend audio system. The only thing I'm not sure of is how the stock cd player is. It's not going to hang with an $800 deck or the alpine f1 stuff

What do you all think?

[conceptb]

I definatly want one, looks like a great idea for keeping the stock headunit, gunna be a bit harder to get it in Australia. But with any luck i'll be installing a CleanSweep

[bts161]

Audio nuts.....what do you all think of this?

[300C4ME]

As the announcement says, "This is BIG!"

[CottyGee]

Incredible... Anybody got a line on what this puppy will cost???

[majestic]

At the last performance show (Performance World at the Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada) I was at, I actually spoke to the JL Audio / Kicker rep (who I used to deal with at the car audio shop I worked at).

He showed me a quick demo on the unit and I too am impressed with what it will do in terms of cleaning up the stock audio signal, acting as a line converter giving you RCA preouts, built in line driver, has AUX Input (which is what really got me interested - because of the whole iPOD craze... the master volume button doubles as the AUX input selector switch. The knob works like a bass control knob, but when you push the button in, it is now your master volume for your AUX input!).

32-bit DSP for each of the four channels!... this thing is nutz.

He told me $350CDN when it comes out in spring. I think this would be a great purchase especially because it will be in the pricerange of an aftermarket headunit (which won't have the capabilities that the cleansweep has). Lets face it... my Alpine 7998 headunit does alot... but not all that the cleansweep does for that price.

The fact is that from my experience, people who have an expensive vehicle don't want to go to the extent of having to replace stock radio systems and get special adapters or harnesses to integrate features (steering wheel controls) or just the stock radio/amp itself into the aftermarket. With the cleansweep, it is completely interchangable between cars. So if you are in a lease in a Chrysler vehicle and then change to a GM (instead of having to buy all kinds of brackets, wiring harnesses, adapters, etc over again... the cleansweep can be reinstalled into any vehicle, calibrated and your good to go).

Another cool feature is how the calibration itself works. Once you hook up the cleansweep (which shouldn't take more than 30 - 60 minutes - depending on vehicle)... you set your volume and hit the calibration button... within 5 - 10 seconds it automagically corrects the signal and your ready to go. Now because the cleansweep has it's own master control volume you can't touch your main volume on your headunit anymore... however... even if you do manage to change your headunit volume by mistake... the cleansweep is still correcting the signal and it is still better than stock. All you have to do is set your volume on the headunit again, hit calibrate on the cleansweep again, wait 10 seconds and it's all done... the DSP recalculates everything.

Wicked unit. Not sure if I'll put one in the 300C (cause I'm actually satisfied with the stock system and I can't afford to put any money into the 300C when I've got soo much money going into my other project).

Definately worth the $$ though for those who are interested. You definately won't be disappointed. The price alone is cheap (I know people that spend that kinda money on line drivers alone never mind a unit like this)!.

My $0.02.

[Redman]

Ok,.., ok, so's it gives you better ("correct") sound and you lose the main volume button on your factory head unit. That and you can add an iPod easily. Is that it? Won't I have to upgrade the factory speakers as well to match the "new" equalization curve??

[PixelPusher]

Originally Posted by Redman

Ok,.., ok, so's it gives you better ("correct") sound and you lose the main volume button on your factory head unit. That and you can add an iPod easily. Is that it? Won't I have to upgrade the factory speakers as well to match the "new" equalization curve??

Redman .. the point is to get a better signal sent to your aftermarket amps than you can get out of the stock unit. My guy built a custom homemade version of the clean sweep and the difference in sound quality after the signal "cleaning" was surprising even to me and I am an audio snob

you should upgrade the factory speakers anyway if you are picky enough about audio to care... if you love how it is now.. then you just saved a bunch of money!

[bts161]

So you loose control of the volume nob on your headunit....where does the cleansweep go then? Does this also mean the volume controls on the wheel are out too? Or did I miss something?

[majestic]

You don't lose the volume control on your stock headunit... it simply does not need to be used anymore because the Cleansweep comes with an external volume control (just like a bass knob control) which you can mount wherever you want.

If for some reason, you or someone else jumps in your car and starts changing the stock radio volume it will affect the output of the cleansweep because it has to be set and calibrated when it is first installed. Each time you change the volume with the stock radio INSTEAD of the cleansweep's volume control knob it affects the signal.

In a nutshell, here are it's features:

1) Better Sound quality going to your stock OR aftermarket speakers (32 Band EQ for each channel via the DSP (no aftermarket headunit gives you that much control)
2) Keep the stock deck and your steering wheel controls (still looks factory)
3) built in line converter provides preouts for you to hook up amps to (if you wanna keep the stock system, sounding better and add a sub)
4) built in line driver... the cleansweep can go up to 8V (I think... or maybe more) preout which can make a huge difference (if you are adding high/sub amps - to get a 4/6/8V preout headunit you will spend $$)

- As a side note... I know many people who used to come to my shop and want a sub install with their stock deck... they spend stupid amounts of money on a big sub and amp combo that boasts whatever WRMS however it will still sound like $h!t if your input signal from the radio to the amp (via speaker level inputs or RCA) is low. If you put a line driver inline with your RCAs and adjust it to 2,4,6,8V or more... you'll audibly notice a difference in sound.

5) AUX Input - ability to add audio for iPOD, Xbox, PS2, etc... and control it with the same volume control knob as the cleansweep
6) Unit is interchangeable between vehicles (no matter what make, model)
7) Price - about the same price as an aftermarket radio or line converter
8) Package - everything in one small unit that can be hidden virtually anywhere in the vehicle - similar to hideaway units for indash screens.

Don't get me wrong... I'm not trying to sell anyone on it or push it on anyone... I just went threw a breif conversation with the JL/Kicker rep at my old shop a while ago before it was being released. Then ran into him again at the show and had a chance to play with it in person with a stock VW radio and an RTA to show the sign wave. I think it's a good unit and like I said before I see too many people try to build a system for whatever budget but either neglect the headunit (because they don't want to sacrifice their steering wheel controls or maybe they are happy with the way it looks and operates or maybe because they want it to appear stock to deter theft) OR they will buy a headunit that doesn't suit their needs or system setup.

Put it this way... if you want better sound out of your 300C but want to keep the speakers stock you could simply hook up an aftermarket headunit that will output 25WRMS or more to each speaker - possibly even sending a fullrange signal unless you get a headunit with built in crossover. But for you to do that you would need the following:

1) Headunit ($150 - $300+CDN - on average)
2) Mounting bracket for headunit ($15+CDN)
3) Wiring harness from vehicle-headunit ($10 - 100+CDN - depending on whether there is a special harness or module to integrate steering wheel controls)
4) Antenna adapter (in most vehicles... $10+CDN)
etc...

So you could potentially be looking at spending anywhere from $185CDN to an extreme of $425CDN just to have a headunit installed and it still won't do everything the cleansweep does (without having to add additional parts, which means more $$).

OR if you were amplifying your stock front and rears you would have to go to the additional cost(s) of high amps, more wiring, etc. So now you would be in the $800+CDN range (for example).

But with the cleansweep it saves you the $$, the hassle and the time of having to get the mounting bracket, required harnesses or modules, adapters, converters, etc. just to get a good signal to your speakers OR an aftermarket amp and you are not sacrificing the stock look and functionality of your factory headunit (bass/treble/fader/balance all work like normal still).

Oh... I forgot install too... install of the cleansweep shouldn't take more than 30 - 60 minutes on most vehicles. Even at a shop rate of $80 - $100CDN an hour.. that's still cheaper than having to pay shop rate for the install of an aftermarket headunit, door speakers, high amp, sub amp, etc.

Make any sense?