a few problems...

[LongThrow]

I traded a 32 inch 6 year old plasma HDTV for a semi-new 10 inch kicker comp in a truck box and a Sony xplod xm502z. I have 8g wire for my ground, grounded to the bolt that bolts my driver seat into place.i have another 8g wire going from my 12v to my battery positive terminal. Using 16g speaker wire.

When I had my sub and Amp all hooked up the first attempt, my sub would barely hit or flex like it's supposed to. I recheced my wires and noticed my 12v connection to my Amp wasn't entirely secure, when I wiggled the power cable my Amp would lose and regain power so I rescrewed that cable in and now it seems I have a better connection, my sub hits a bit harder now but still not to the extent that it should.

With my sub sounding a bit better I turn the volume up on my kenwood KDC MP 238 (maxes volume at 35, 50x4 peak so I'd assume 20-25rms per channel. At about 20+ the stock door speakers in my 94 ford explorer sound TERRIBLE. they don't sound blown but rather just dirty and distorted. I notice with my Amp and sub unhooked they said a tad bit better at higher volumes but not much.

So, I thought I'd replae my door speakers the only fit being a5 by 7 or a 6 by 9 . I looked on Amazon and found a cheap 5 by 7 but its rated at over a hundred RMS wats . With my Kenwood head unit powering my door speakers I figured it would do the same as my stock speakers and would just underdrive them causing distortion from clipping.

Sub rated at 150watts rms @ohms. Amp rated 125x1 @4ohms.

What do I need to do to get the sub hitting like it should and to fix my distortion problem in my door speakers

If I need anymore info or pictures I will provide them

Click to read more...

 

[bbeljefe]

Your head unit doesn't make 50 watts per channel, it makes 15-18 watts per channel and head unit amplifiers normally begin to distort at about half volume so changing the speakers will not correct that problem. Adding an outboard amplifier will.

As for the subwoofer amplifier, you're not going to get much out of that setup with that amp. It won't do its rated power so at best you're probably getting 80 watts to the sub.

It might help to change to 4 gauge wire but since I don't know the brand of power wire you currently have, it's hard to say. I say that because there are a lot of 8 gauge amp kits out there that don't actually have 8 gauge power wire with them. It's usually undersized and can be as small as 12 gauge wire with a lof of thick insulation around it to make it look like 8 gauge. Also, seat bolts are usually not good ground points. The factory uses thread locking compound on them and that makes the electrical connection poor. It would be a good idea to go to a strut tower or to the frame, if your care isn't a unibody.

 

[LongThrow]

I know that HUs rarely go above 20watts, the 50x4 is peak and is solely advertising purposes. So it looks like I need to purchase 2 different amps.

The gauge wire I'm using is scorsche and it is 8g. I heard ghost sub and Amp in my friends civic and it sounded great nothing like how I have it hitting.

Is there absolutely no way to get rid of that distortion in my door speakers? Maybe a in line high pass filter? My hu doesn't have one. Or getting a speaker with low enough rated rms power so it won't distort at high volumes

 

[fly_marlin]

I know that HUs rarely go above 20watts, the 50x4 is peak and is solely advertising purposes. So it looks like I need to purchase 2 different amps.
The gauge wire I'm using is scorsche and it is 8g. I heard ghost sub and Amp in my friends civic and it sounded great nothing like how I have it hitting.

Is there absolutely no way to get rid of that distortion in my door speakers? Maybe a in line high pass filter? My hu doesn't have one. Or getting a speaker with low enough rated rms power so it won't distort at high volumes

Which speakers did you end up getting? As far as distortion, you do need an aftermarket amplifier for the speakers and that should correct the problem. If you do get a new amp for the sub, make sure you set your expectations accordingly. Your system is as good as its weakest point. The sub is still a 150W kicker, which isn't much and isn't going to be blowing anyone out of the vehicle. Hope this helps.

 

[LongThrow]

I haven't bought any new door speakers yet, I'm on an extreme budget and can't spend much so I'll be getting what I pay for. I figured I'd get 5 by 7s at Amazon by Pyle. They cost about 20 a pair. I found a cheap 100w rms 4 channel BOSS Amp on Amazon for about 40. And also a 300wx1@ 2ohms boss mono block Amp. So that would be 150watts at 4 ohms which would be a perfect match for a kicker.

And I know I'm not packing explosive low frequency capability, but rather an upgrade from a 6.5 active powered subwoofer. Still enough for some thump.

What do you think of these upgrades? Can be found with a simple amazon search for 'amplifier' or 'door speakers'

 

[LongThrow]

Only the lowerend frequency and midbass from about 50-120 hz is when my speakers rattle. The miss and highs are free of distortion

 

[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

Boss equipment does not do 1/4 of the power they say they do. There is a reason it's $40.

 

[CSCStang]

I haven't bought any new door speakers yet, I'm on an extreme budget and can't spend much so I'll be getting what I pay for. I figured I'd get 5 by 7s at Amazon by Pyle. They cost about 20 a pair. I found a cheap 100w rms 4 channel BOSS Amp on Amazon for about 40. And also a 300wx1@ 2ohms boss mono block Amp. So that would be 150watts at 4 ohms which would be a perfect match for a kicker.
And I know I'm not packing explosive low frequency capability, but rather an upgrade from a 6.5 active powered subwoofer. Still enough for some thump.

What do you think of these upgrades? Can be found with a simple amazon search for 'amplifier' or 'door speakers'

HIGHLY recommend you don't waste your money in this crap. Save up and get decent gear.

 

[fly_marlin]

Only the lowerend frequency and midbass from about 50-120 hz is when my speakers rattle. The miss and highs are free of distortion

Cheaper speakers must be crossed a lot higher than 50Hz. I'd do about 125Hz and let the sub do the rest. Those speakers may not be much of an upgrade, if any, over what you have now. Any way you can wait a bit and buy something a bit better? I'd hate for you to spend your money and be disappointed.

 

[LongThrow]

I don't have a LPF or HPF or any crossover setting on my hu. Just SP mid low and treble. Balance and fade.

I tore my door panel off and saw they were pioneers instead of stock door speakers like I thought. Haven't checked the rears. So speaker replacement wouldn't help unless that were rated low enough power for my headunit to push without distortion.

What's the cheapest amplifier to correctly make my 10 inch comp do what it's supposed to do?

 

[fly_marlin]

Where are you located? If you're looking online, this should do the trick:

Planet Audio AC800.4 Anarchy Series 800W 4-Channel Amplifier

 

[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

Where are you located? If you're looking online, this should do the trick:
Planet Audio AC800.4 Anarchy Series 800W 4-Channel Amplifier

That's a small step over boss

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

I know that HUs rarely go above 20watts, the 50x4 is peak and is solely advertising purposes. So it looks like I need to purchase 2 different amps.
The gauge wire I'm using is scorsche and it is 8g. I heard ghost sub and Amp in my friends civic and it sounded great nothing like how I have it hitting.

Is there absolutely no way to get rid of that distortion in my door speakers? Maybe a in line high pass filter? My hu doesn't have one. Or getting a speaker with low enough rated rms power so it won't distort at high volumes

actual watts of any given head unit is no more then 12 if your lucky. Scosche is one of those cheaper brands that use CCA rather then real copper and they do not even try to compensate for that by making the wire oversized. The head unit is the most important thing in a sound system. Its the source of your music and the brains that determine how well the rest of your system performs. Even if you added better amps and better speakers, your stuff will still sound like **** because of your head unit.

To even get a proper bass response from your door speakers, you have to turn your car door into a speaker enclosure by sealing up the huge gaping holes along with the use of proper high pass filters and ample power with a clean signal going through them.

as for your sub It could be the pre-out voltage from your head unit is too weak and you have to crank the volume up along with the gains to get any output out of the subs, but by doing so your risking a lot of clipping and distortion that is sometimes not audible to the ear.

 

[LongThrow]

****. You guys are killing my hopes and dreams Dx. I have a pioneer set up in my dodge Dakota pioneer HU and 5 inch door 2 way speakers and 3.5 2 way in the rear and they don't sound distorted or anything like my speakers sound in my explorer. What would be the difference?

I'm going to try to upgrade my sub Amp and see if that doesn't fix my problem. As for the door speakers I'm at a loss.