Added coaxial speakers to rear... sounds bad

[guysy]

So my audio set up in the car isn't going to win any competitions but I got it to a point where I was happy for a while, then my rear speaker passengers side started to sound bad so I replaced it. Before I was running Hertz comps up front but without using the crossover boxes (if that's what there called) and fusion comps in the back same again no crossover boxes, then in the boot I have a small vibe amp wired up to a 8 or 10" sub. Now I am running the same but I replaced the rear speakers for coaxial pioneer speakers, since changing them the sound is better but the bass is gone, and when turning up the volume it sounds terrible where as before I had a decent amount of bass. Instead it sounds like the rear is struggling and this is without the music even being loud.

I've never really bothered to get my head around the head unit settings, I have a pioneer deh 4200sd head unit, the settings are as follows:

SW setting 1 : Normal
SW setting 2: 100hz 125hz 50hz... all at 0

HPF (High pass filter i believe) currently off

Bass booster: +1 (only turned up because of lack of bass)

SLA : 0 (what is this please?)

S rtrv: 2 (reading into this its some sort of range replacement for mp3 files, but before setting 2 seemed to sound better, now it sounds s**t.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Sub settings (where set to someone who helped me last time get it working)

LPf, button out (cant remember what), 80Hz, Bridge, bass 0.

The sub has never been amazing tbh, I probably have the settings wrong either on the head unit or amp.

Reading through my head unit manual is saids:

Initially, Rear SPis set for rear full-range speaker connection (Full). When Rear SP:Fullis selected, you can connect the RCA output to a subwoofer. In this case, you
can select whether to use the subwoofer controller’s (low pass filter, phase) built-in
Preout: SUBWor the auxiliary Preout: Rear

This is in the main settings, so which should I have on? Rear SP?

Thank you for any help!

 

[guysy]

Current settings on amp found: I think the frequency is pointing to 55

Sub is a Vibe space SQ 900w. Thanks.

 

[ekaJ]

Are they wired out of phase?

 

[guysy]

The rear speakers? I guess that means
Pos and neg the wrong way round? I checked that all the wires where correct recently but I will double check as well.

 

[john182rs]

Hang on.

Before I was running Hertz comps up front but without using the crossover boxes

You have comps and not using the network box?

Just changing them for coax's aswell wont make things instantly better, check pos to pos and neg to neg between speaker and amp then check that the RCAs are in correctly, that at the HU the fronts are connect to fronts on the amp with left and right in the correct positions and same with the rears.

Your comps would have been better with the network boxes running rather than direct connection to the amp. Properly set up comps will kill coax's by a mile!

 

[john182rs]

Also, you have the amp on bridged? rather than Stereo, unless your running your speakers on 2 amps linked together than you need to switch it across.
Your Freq range button looks pushed in on x10. And you'll have to tune it in rather than guess what to set the dials in.

 

[guysy]

Ok so I'll switch it to bridged yeah? I haven't got a clue about the amp
Settings, only the sub runs off the amp, I think the button is pushed in so x1?

 

[guysy]

I mean switch to stereo.

 

[john182rs]

Ok sorry I read it as you was running the speakers off the amp.

Amp for a sub needs to be on mono unless you have two amps powering one sub?

If the speakers are linked to the head units power only then the connections will need to be checked, they will get to a certain volume and do no more, if you want to go loud then you will have to get a 4ch amp and amp them properly to get loudness/power from the speakers, otherwise your subs power may out do the speakers and this is where you get s**t quality and anything remotely loud.

IF you still have the comps, get a small 4ch amp like an spl dynamics 150.4 for about £150 new. connect the amp to the crossover networks and then to the speakers and then you'll get the max potential volume with a small adjustment.

 

[guysy]

Just the sub wired into the amp, but i followed the instructions on the bottom of the amp and bridged it I think? so should it be in bridged?

Tbh Im not sure if the bloody thing works, sounds rediculous I know sometimes I can definitely feel it working but others it doesnt, I need to get testing at the weekend.

I've read to set my headunit volume to 3 or 4? and do something with the frequency whilst the bass is on 0. I think its either set up wrong or the amp is fucked.

Nicked this picture and re-hosted it, connections are highlighted in green for the sub.

 

[guysy]

John182rs is going to help me over PM with setting the amp up, tbh I think since its been in there its been on the wrong settings, when I first installed it I had a poor earth so had a thumping ecoing sound, someone told me a few settings and that stopped with the better earth so I left it on that, it seems to work but isn't set up right so hopefully it will be soon.

With the lack of bass listening to the music on low tonight I've noticed the front left speaker also has a crackle when turned up slightly is that strange that both the front and back passenger sides have gone? the fusions where 5+ years old so I wasn't too bothered but these edge comps where bought new I think, still they where cheap so not much I can expect.

Any decent comp speakers around 25-30? otherwise ill just pick some from ebay or an audio site.

 

[tarmacmuncher]

where are you in essex ? if you want to pay for the bridge crossing i dont mind coming over and setting it up for you.

im running a jl audio amp and alpine type r sub, alpine front speakers and rear, i sound prooffed aswell ( all done by me lol )

 

[tarmacmuncher]

btw i have a spare amp indoors so i can check if that amp is bugged too

 

[guysy]

Im in the loughton area mate, I appreciate your offer, I might take you up on that if I can solve it myself,

Reading back to the top, John, yeah the first set of comps came with no boxes as someone used the box and tweeters for a audio install, I bought the fusions new and wacked them in, sounded great over OEM so left them.

The edge comps I bought for the rear on my old car, because they went in the rear I didnt even think about installing the boxes either, I guess the fronts would need to go through the boxes and Ideally replace the OEM tweeters with the component tweeters?

And in the rears the comps run through the boxes just with no tweeters coming out?

Have posted a similar thread on talk audio too for the settings side of things, only response is to check the polarity, I did this a while back and found all the positive wires where closes to the clip on the plug so went from there, will check the drivers front door speaker today though.

 

[guysy]

John has helped me over PM with regards to step by step, very helpful so appreciate that, will post my results in here rather than bother him again for now.

Firstly I reset the head unit, then checked the crackling front passenger speaker, was a slightly lose connection which fixing seemed to work, so that was good news.

Then like john said I disconnected the sub so I could concentrate on just the main speakers, tweaking a few settings (mainly pre set) i.e. powerful seemed to reset the bass to the speakers. When I previously went to change through the vocal / flat / powerful settings that didnt seem to change any Hz settings so I think there could have been a fault before the re set.

After that I tried to set the gain and frequency on the amp, still after advice I didnt really know what I was doing but I found an old 'Fast Car' (dont laugh ) cd with different frequency tracks on. Turned up my head unit till it started to max then back down a bit, with that playing I started to bring the gain up, 0 was around 11oclock, and I settled for about 3oclock as a setting. I left the button on x1 because x10 made a weird high pitched squeal, setting was left on bridge and LPf, If i switched it to anything other than those again I got a high pitched chugging type sound. I left the bass on 0 and the frequency 'seemed' good at about 110.

Sound about right? music sounds 10 times better now.

 

[tarmacmuncher]

sounds about right to me fella, one thing you could do is set your hpf to 50 or 80hz to save some power to make the midrange more clearer