Guys, Help me get the most out of my sound system
09-08-10, 09:00 PM
#1
Guys, Help me get the most out of my sound system
Hey CLers, I made a post on here a couple months ago wanting to know what I should buy for my audio system.
I have already purchased and got the equipment installed. I feel that I have some of the better brands out there, and spent decent money for it.
But I don't feel that I am getting my money's worth.
I didn't want too much of an extravagant system that needed Dynamat, and all the extras. I just wanted a decent improvement
For starters, I have:
4 JL audio 5 1/4 inch 60W RMS @ 4Ohm door speakers Powered by an MTX 4 Channel amp 75W RMS @4 Ohm
1 10 Inch Diamond Audio Sub powered by a Diamond Audio 400.1 D3 amp in a PreFab box (which im thinking about changing)
Changed my stock headunit to an Eclipse 7 inch Navigation unit.
Anyhow at higher volume levels, everything seems pretty loud but it doesn't seem mindblowingly louder than the stock system. But it more or less sounds cleaner. I think it could possibly be better.
But my real problem is sound at lower levels, the stock system really sounds better and more thumpy with the bass. I dont like the fact that I would need to turn my music a good percentage of the way up just to get a decent thump.
I want to get you audio guy's suggestions and reasons you think im not getting the best sound.
The door speakers are only mounted on MDF board and were placed in the area the old speakers were. They are not enclosed the way the old speakers were. I think that could negatively affect my sound quality. And yes I have the amp set on full range output.
I just want some tips guys. Right now im feeling like I spent all that money on equipment and install just for a marginal improvement... I know this stuff can do better than that.
I have already purchased and got the equipment installed. I feel that I have some of the better brands out there, and spent decent money for it.
But I don't feel that I am getting my money's worth.
I didn't want too much of an extravagant system that needed Dynamat, and all the extras. I just wanted a decent improvement
For starters, I have:
4 JL audio 5 1/4 inch 60W RMS @ 4Ohm door speakers Powered by an MTX 4 Channel amp 75W RMS @4 Ohm
1 10 Inch Diamond Audio Sub powered by a Diamond Audio 400.1 D3 amp in a PreFab box (which im thinking about changing)
Changed my stock headunit to an Eclipse 7 inch Navigation unit.
Anyhow at higher volume levels, everything seems pretty loud but it doesn't seem mindblowingly louder than the stock system. But it more or less sounds cleaner. I think it could possibly be better.
But my real problem is sound at lower levels, the stock system really sounds better and more thumpy with the bass. I dont like the fact that I would need to turn my music a good percentage of the way up just to get a decent thump.
I want to get you audio guy's suggestions and reasons you think im not getting the best sound.
The door speakers are only mounted on MDF board and were placed in the area the old speakers were. They are not enclosed the way the old speakers were. I think that could negatively affect my sound quality. And yes I have the amp set on full range output.
I just want some tips guys. Right now im feeling like I spent all that money on equipment and install just for a marginal improvement... I know this stuff can do better than that.
09-09-10, 06:22 AM
#2
Are you running a 5-1/4" mid range, separate or a coaxial speaker? You are not getting the bass on lower volume because your speakers are playing higher frequencies (and it doesn't help that your doors aren't sealed and deadened. Swap the fronts out to at least a 6-1/2" and you should get better mid bass presence at lower volume. If not, at least seal and deaden the doors at minimum.
Is the sub box sealed or ported?
Are the amp gains turned up, down or mid way?
Is the MTX amp 2 ohm stable? How is it wired right now?
Pictures of the amp connections would help us to see how things are wired up.
Is the sub box sealed or ported?
Are the amp gains turned up, down or mid way?
Is the MTX amp 2 ohm stable? How is it wired right now?
Pictures of the amp connections would help us to see how things are wired up.
09-09-10, 11:33 AM
#3
The sub box is sealed, the rear speakers are coaxial and the fronts are component.
The amps gains are adjusted to a method that I read about with setting gains with a DMM
So I would say that they are about midway to 3 quarters of the way up.
And I don't feel that I should have to upgrade any more than I have had, to get great sound..... the factory speakers are 4 inches. Probably rated at 20 watts.
I doubt that I will be doing any more speaker upgrades
The amps gains are adjusted to a method that I read about with setting gains with a DMM
So I would say that they are about midway to 3 quarters of the way up.
And I don't feel that I should have to upgrade any more than I have had, to get great sound..... the factory speakers are 4 inches. Probably rated at 20 watts.
I doubt that I will be doing any more speaker upgrades
09-09-10, 11:29 PM
#4
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Not sure about your settings - those amps should not need to be at 3/4 of the way up.
Even with a 6.5, you aren't going to get "thump" in the low levels, so I'm thinking the gains are the issue. The amp you are running is 100 watts at 4 ohms, so unless the sub is DVC, you're running it at 100 watts, which should be fine - provided the gains are set right. What amp are you running to the components? (model number, I know you said MTX) What are your crossover points set at?
I think you need to readjust them. Try this:
Turn off the bass amp. You can do this by pulling the fuse or disconnecting the remote wire.
With the component amp on, turn the gain ALL THE WAY DOWN (this should be to the left). Turn the deck up to about 65% of the volume. Slowly turn the gain up on the amp until it's decently loud - but definitely not distorted. Turn the volume up to about 75%, and turn the gain up just a bit more until you start to hear a small amount of buzz/distortion. This can be touchy, so make sure you are listening carefully. Do this over a fairly short period of time, too, because your ears will start to fatigue and not hear it after a bit.
After you have the components tuned like that, you can do the same thing for the sub. It's tougher to do the sub in the car, so you may need to listen closer in the trunk. This is when remotes come in handy
.
What position is the sub in the trunk? That can affect things, too.
Okay, that's a good start.
Big Mack
Even with a 6.5, you aren't going to get "thump" in the low levels, so I'm thinking the gains are the issue. The amp you are running is 100 watts at 4 ohms, so unless the sub is DVC, you're running it at 100 watts, which should be fine - provided the gains are set right. What amp are you running to the components? (model number, I know you said MTX) What are your crossover points set at?
I think you need to readjust them. Try this:
Turn off the bass amp. You can do this by pulling the fuse or disconnecting the remote wire.
With the component amp on, turn the gain ALL THE WAY DOWN (this should be to the left). Turn the deck up to about 65% of the volume. Slowly turn the gain up on the amp until it's decently loud - but definitely not distorted. Turn the volume up to about 75%, and turn the gain up just a bit more until you start to hear a small amount of buzz/distortion. This can be touchy, so make sure you are listening carefully. Do this over a fairly short period of time, too, because your ears will start to fatigue and not hear it after a bit.
After you have the components tuned like that, you can do the same thing for the sub. It's tougher to do the sub in the car, so you may need to listen closer in the trunk. This is when remotes come in handy
.What position is the sub in the trunk? That can affect things, too.
Okay, that's a good start.
Big Mack
09-10-10, 11:31 PM
#5
Not sure about your settings - those amps should not need to be at 3/4 of the way up.
Even with a 6.5, you aren't going to get "thump" in the low levels, so I'm thinking the gains are the issue. The amp you are running is 100 watts at 4 ohms, so unless the sub is DVC, you're running it at 100 watts, which should be fine - provided the gains are set right. What amp are you running to the components? (model number, I know you said MTX) What are your crossover points set at?
I think you need to readjust them. Try this:
Turn off the bass amp. You can do this by pulling the fuse or disconnecting the remote wire.
With the component amp on, turn the gain ALL THE WAY DOWN (this should be to the left). Turn the deck up to about 65% of the volume. Slowly turn the gain up on the amp until it's decently loud - but definitely not distorted. Turn the volume up to about 75%, and turn the gain up just a bit more until you start to hear a small amount of buzz/distortion. This can be touchy, so make sure you are listening carefully. Do this over a fairly short period of time, too, because your ears will start to fatigue and not hear it after a bit.
After you have the components tuned like that, you can do the same thing for the sub. It's tougher to do the sub in the car, so you may need to listen closer in the trunk. This is when remotes come in handy.
What position is the sub in the trunk? That can affect things, too.
Okay, that's a good start.
Big Mack
Even with a 6.5, you aren't going to get "thump" in the low levels, so I'm thinking the gains are the issue. The amp you are running is 100 watts at 4 ohms, so unless the sub is DVC, you're running it at 100 watts, which should be fine - provided the gains are set right. What amp are you running to the components? (model number, I know you said MTX) What are your crossover points set at?
I think you need to readjust them. Try this:
Turn off the bass amp. You can do this by pulling the fuse or disconnecting the remote wire.
With the component amp on, turn the gain ALL THE WAY DOWN (this should be to the left). Turn the deck up to about 65% of the volume. Slowly turn the gain up on the amp until it's decently loud - but definitely not distorted. Turn the volume up to about 75%, and turn the gain up just a bit more until you start to hear a small amount of buzz/distortion. This can be touchy, so make sure you are listening carefully. Do this over a fairly short period of time, too, because your ears will start to fatigue and not hear it after a bit.
After you have the components tuned like that, you can do the same thing for the sub. It's tougher to do the sub in the car, so you may need to listen closer in the trunk. This is when remotes come in handy
.What position is the sub in the trunk? That can affect things, too.
Okay, that's a good start.
Big Mack
I think I have set the gains as adequately as possible. I have read and watched tutorials on how to set them with a digital multimeter.
And followed them to a T.
I got a sine wave which was about 50hz for the sub and used the method that I saw.
It is almost the same as the one you are suggesting with turning the radio up about 3/4ths up and then tuning the gains. but with the DMM I used an equation to help me know when to stop turning it up.
I had used the 1khz sine wave for the components/ coaxials.
I have also set all crossovers to Full Range.
I just think that this is more of a hardware problem.
I think I have exhausted all options at this point when it comes to setting gains, and playing with radio settings to get the most of it.
09-11-10, 12:15 AM
#6
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Why? You should have the 4 channel set for high pass, eliminating the very low bass from your components. You should have the sub amp set for low pass, eliminating everything above where your components start playing. Not sure what settings are available on your amps or your deck, but they should have a very slight bit of overlap (IE 80 on sub, 75 or 67 on 4 channel).
Big Mack
Big Mack
09-11-10, 01:13 PM
#7
okay the 1st time i tried to post, it got erase when I tried to submit.
but I had my components initially set to hi pass, but I was not getting anywhere near the amount of bass that I would on low volume levels as I would with the stock system.
I at the very least wanted to get the low level bass lines.
It was disgusting to have to blast my music in order to get decent bass.
what frequencies do you think i should set my subwoofer amp to?
currently, i have the 4 channel amp set on full range but I adjust the frequencies from the headunit's equalizer (which is a lot better than i expected it to be)
but I had my components initially set to hi pass, but I was not getting anywhere near the amount of bass that I would on low volume levels as I would with the stock system.
I at the very least wanted to get the low level bass lines.
It was disgusting to have to blast my music in order to get decent bass.
what frequencies do you think i should set my subwoofer amp to?
currently, i have the 4 channel amp set on full range but I adjust the frequencies from the headunit's equalizer (which is a lot better than i expected it to be)
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09-11-10, 01:19 PM
#8
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but I had my components initially set to hi pass, but I was not getting anywhere near the amount of bass that I would on low volume levels as I would with the stock system.
I at the very least wanted to get the low level bass lines.
It was disgusting to have to blast my music in order to get decent bass.
I at the very least wanted to get the low level bass lines.
It was disgusting to have to blast my music in order to get decent bass.
Keep in mind that if you did not seal the doors and have done no deadening, you are losing a lot of energy to flex. Also keep in mind that 5 1/4's do not offer a tremendous amount of cone area for midbass. You can always tweak/tune it with the EQ a bit, but it won't be the same as an aftermarket processing setup.
Big Mack
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