I am fairly new to car audio and limited on cash flow. I have an Alpine CDA 9815 head unit,2 Rockford Fosgate 12 inch single voice coil subs, Rockford Fosgate 301M mono amp, Sony 500 watt 4 channel amp, 2 Audiobahn 6 1/4 mids and tweeters and two 6x9 Pioneer 3 way speakers. All of this is installed in a 2003 Mustang GT. I know that what I have is not top of the line stuff but I think it should sound better than it sounds. I need someone to tell me a good starting setting for the internal 5 band EQ in the head unit.I am using RCA connections and I am positive that the speakers are wired correctly. No matter what I do the highs are to high and if I turn them down I can't hear the tweeters.Is it just the way any stereo is going to sound in my car ,because before this system I had some cheaper Pioneer stuff and I didn't like the way it sounded either so I put it in my wifes car and it sounds(not as loud as my stuff)but pretty good.Even at lower volumes my systems sound is clean but not like I think it should be. I know the EQ should be set to the sound that I like ,but I want to know some examples of settings to try and work on it from there. I don't fully understand about what is in range and what is out of range for the speakers that I have. Someone please help me before I pull the whole system out and TORCH it in my front yard.Thanks
Replies (3)
uochronos on 07/24/2004 04:27:33
lol sounds like a very frustratring problem. unfortunatly none of us can hear what your hearing. does your 5 band eq say what frequency each band is set for is so this can help here if we know it.
second is your only complaint that the highs are too loud? and are they too loud? or just to sharp? if they are just to sharp and almost harsh sounding it could just be that type.. metal dome tweeters sound alot harsher to most people then silk tweeters...
also audio bahn does not make the best sq gear and i find there components to be a bit harsh myself.... this may very well be just the way these components are going to sound.
you have a few options i see.
1 try and adjust the setings on HU which may be able to counter your problem partly.
2 learn to live with the way they sound
3 get a new set of comps up front...
i honestly think your problem is that your choice in compoenenst is just a little harsh for your tastes. some people prefer metal dome tweeters but many find them just to be a bit over powering and it sounds as this is your case.
we can help you locat a set of component speakers what well be more to your tastes if you so choose that option. for instance CDT makes the CL-61a speaker its 6.5 woofer and 1" silk tweeter and they have been purchased by many here and have been very well liked.
they are on sale and discounted further at www.thezeb.com now and end up being about 130$ shipped last i check. i personaly own CDT speakers in both my vehicles and absolutly love them. they are soft but lound and dont over power everything else.
well hopefully i have helped you feel a little less frustrated and given you a few roads to look down.
other i'm sure well be along tomarow that can further enlighten these paths for you. but this is a good starting point.
cplkittle on 07/24/2004 08:31:41
Audiobahn does make some very loud, harsh tweets! If the audiobahn speakers are not displayed (mounted in the door) you can wrap the tweeter with a thin soft cloth to cut out some of the harshness. As far as EQ settings.. Cymbol crashes fall in the 10kHz to 16kHz range. Anything above that, in my opinion, is just noise. Listening to Rammstein's Hein Herz Brennt, or Du Hast will demonstrate exactly what I am talking about. I keep my HU (CDA9835) at +5 @ 12.5kHz with a Q of 1.0. and -2 @ 20kHz with the same slope.
Everyones taste is different though. If you can't adjust it on the EQ to your taste, and covering it does not cut it down enough, cut the wires to the tweeter, or remove it if possible.
swez on 07/24/2004 09:16:49
A decent 5 band EQ can help... but a cheap one can do more harm than good. Also, amp filter (HPF/LPF) settings ha a big affect on over all sound quality as well. Thirdly, better Comp speakers have better crossover networks. The Bahns are good SPL speakers, but may have to work very hard to tone down the tweeters, if they are too harsh, bright, brittle or shrill.
Kit made a very good suggestion to tone down your tweets. Put a little open cell mass in front of them or deflectors to expand the radiation pattern. One will diffuse harsh tweets. The latter method will disperse the highs into a wider radiation pattern. Either will help break up the harshness.
Say more in detail about your present amp settings, (gain, HPF/LPF settings and where your EQ settings are now. Then we can walk you though a few possible fixes.
Replies (3)
uochronos on 07/24/2004 04:27:33
lol sounds like a very frustratring problem. unfortunatly none of us can hear what your hearing. does your 5 band eq say what frequency each band is set for is so this can help here if we know it.
second is your only complaint that the highs are too loud? and are they too loud? or just to sharp? if they are just to sharp and almost harsh sounding it could just be that type.. metal dome tweeters sound alot harsher to most people then silk tweeters...
also audio bahn does not make the best sq gear and i find there components to be a bit harsh myself.... this may very well be just the way these components are going to sound.
you have a few options i see.
1 try and adjust the setings on HU which may be able to counter your problem partly.
2 learn to live with the way they sound
3 get a new set of comps up front...
i honestly think your problem is that your choice in compoenenst is just a little harsh for your tastes. some people prefer metal dome tweeters but many find them just to be a bit over powering and it sounds as this is your case.
we can help you locat a set of component speakers what well be more to your tastes if you so choose that option. for instance CDT makes the CL-61a speaker its 6.5 woofer and 1" silk tweeter and they have been purchased by many here and have been very well liked.
they are on sale and discounted further at www.thezeb.com now and end up being about 130$ shipped last i check. i personaly own CDT speakers in both my vehicles and absolutly love them. they are soft but lound and dont over power everything else.
well hopefully i have helped you feel a little less frustrated and given you a few roads to look down.
other i'm sure well be along tomarow that can further enlighten these paths for you. but this is a good starting point.
cplkittle on 07/24/2004 08:31:41
Audiobahn does make some very loud, harsh tweets! If the audiobahn speakers are not displayed (mounted in the door) you can wrap the tweeter with a thin soft cloth to cut out some of the harshness. As far as EQ settings.. Cymbol crashes fall in the 10kHz to 16kHz range. Anything above that, in my opinion, is just noise. Listening to Rammstein's Hein Herz Brennt, or Du Hast will demonstrate exactly what I am talking about. I keep my HU (CDA9835) at +5 @ 12.5kHz with a Q of 1.0. and -2 @ 20kHz with the same slope.
Everyones taste is different though. If you can't adjust it on the EQ to your taste, and covering it does not cut it down enough, cut the wires to the tweeter, or remove it if possible.
swez on 07/24/2004 09:16:49
A decent 5 band EQ can help... but a cheap one can do more harm than good. Also, amp filter (HPF/LPF) settings ha a big affect on over all sound quality as well. Thirdly, better Comp speakers have better crossover networks. The Bahns are good SPL speakers, but may have to work very hard to tone down the tweeters, if they are too harsh, bright, brittle or shrill.
Kit made a very good suggestion to tone down your tweets. Put a little open cell mass in front of them or deflectors to expand the radiation pattern. One will diffuse harsh tweets. The latter method will disperse the highs into a wider radiation pattern. Either will help break up the harshness.
Say more in detail about your present amp settings, (gain, HPF/LPF settings and where your EQ settings are now. Then we can walk you though a few possible fixes.
Copyright ClubKnowledge 2009 * All Rights Reserved
