Have I been screwed?

ritalin · Post by **ritalin** » March 10th, 2007, 4:01 am

Thank you for all the info and suggestions!

I'm going to go in and talk to the manager on Tuesday, and I'm prepared for the probability that I'll have to get a sub and amp.
So just one more newbie question:
If I want the amp to drive my fronts and the sub, then do I need a two or three channel amp?

Cheers!

chew* · Post by chew* » March 10th, 2007, 9:51 am

A 3 channel amp such as this will suffice. I would ditch the rear surround speakers and upgrade to a high quality front component set. This amp would do well for front components and 1 sub.

http://www.woofersetc.com/index.cfm?fus ... ct_ID=3960

If you do not want rattles is suggest going with a moderately powered 10 (250 watts rms or 500 peak)sub with a small sealed box installed tight against the back seat fired to the rear of the car.

ritalin · Post by **ritalin** » March 10th, 2007, 6:19 pm

Ok!
After two hours of careful listening and dissection with a friend, I have identified my problems and can provide a better description about what I don't like about my speaker setup.

1) The high range is too sharp. What I mean is, when the vocalist sings S's T's and D's it sounds really sharp and hissy.

2) The bass is actually pretty good at loud volume. Problem is that I don't listen to my stereo loud - I need to concentrate on driving. This makes sense, as I know you have to use more power to generate lower frequencies, right? So at lower volumes the bass is the first to drop out.

So my questions to you - how do I fix this? I can't seem to EQ the high freq separate from the mids on the component fronts (will the installer know how to fix this?). And how do I keep the low end at the volume I like to listen to?

Thanks alot!

ariesdude · Post by **ariesdude** » March 10th, 2007, 7:22 pm

Simple fix is to put the stock speakers back on - they have better bass response and are not raspy at all.

Otherwise get some high end speakers.

For bass at low volumes - you need an amp and sub.

Typhoonk · Post by **Typhoonk** » March 10th, 2007, 10:55 pm

if you are consistently listening to your music at low volume- check to see if you deck has a LOUD button or feature. If you engage this button it can usually make it sound like you have more 'bass' or a wider range of freq's. Just something to try (I have a cheap JVC and it has a BBE button - same thing but works like a**) so try and see if it helps

hopefully it will work for you

SuperK · Post by **SuperK** » March 12th, 2007, 10:47 am

If you're messing with the EQ, remember, EQ on the right is highs
middle - mids
left - lows.

and I agree with Typhoonk. BBE sounds like crap. Boo to the JVC owners. (that would be you and me, typhoonk)

also note the sharp and hissy highs are probably your EQ driving the high's bit overboard. Usually EQ presets your curve something like this =

\/ <<< so you're overdoing your extremities there. If you're trying to increase your bass, you might try something that looks closer to

_/ that. But if you overdo it, it'll still sound like crap. and I suck at ASCII art.

maybe something like... ,.-` or... `.-' ... I still suck at ASCII art. Ignore me.

Also note that usually along with EQ settings, you should have an extra treble/bass control. Mess with both settings until you can find a spot you find pleasant.
Remember, your treble/bass controls and EQ shouldn't be used to completely morph your sound into something far and different from original design. If you're using your controls as such, then you're simply trying to correct your hardware flaw. These settings are meant to be used for fine tuning.

ritalin · Post by **ritalin** » March 14th, 2007, 3:55 pm

Thanks for your suggestions, everyone!
I have had a play with the EQ, and found a setting that wasn't too hideous, that I could live with, but the music still sounded quite thin to me.

I went back to the stereo store and listened to about a million speakers - the installer is going to upgrade my front component speakers to better ones, and take the little back speakers out and put 3-way 6x9s in the back instead.
I'm also intending on adding a 3/4 channel amp and small sub at some point - when I can better afford it.
After listening to millions of speakers, I'm confident that the new set up will sound really good the way it is, and will sound great once I add the sub and amp.

I'll let y'all know how it sounds when I get the car back.

ritalin · Post by **ritalin** » March 14th, 2007, 3:56 pm

Oh, and SuperK.... Thanks for the Ascii art!
I knew exactly what you meant. well except for the .,/ one.... that was just odd.
Heh

SuperK · Post by **SuperK** » March 14th, 2007, 5:34 pm

what speakers did you decide on?

Remember, the speakers will sound different on the wall than in our cars. I am curious to know which ones you chose.

ritalin · Post by **ritalin** » March 15th, 2007, 6:24 am

I got Pioneer ones.
I'm not sure you guys get those in North America (or maybe you do, and they're crap

) but over here they're considered pretty good quality, and not too expensive.

I got a set of Components for the front, and 3-way 6x9s for the back. They're both from their range which is one small step down from their top of the range kevlar, super-hardcore range.

Given that I don't like really loud music when I'm driving, I think they'll do fine.