a few questions.

[LongThrow]

I have a Kenwood KDC mp238 with pioneer 5 by 7 in the front I have no clue what's in the rear fills I haven't checked probably stock speakers I own a 1994 Ford Explorer XLT. I also have a 10 inch kicker comp in a truck box and a Sony Xplod XM 502z for my subwoofer.

The subwoofer is rated at 150 watts at 4 ohms in the amplifier says its rated at 125 watts X 1 at 4 ohms. Using scosche 8g Amp kit.

My problem is that my speakers become distorted when bass frequencies are played through them making my meds in my highs also sound distorted and dirty if i cut the bass frequency out of my head unit it helps the door speaker problem but takes bass away from my subwoofer.

Also in order to get a good response from my subwoofer the gin has to be around 60 to 75 percent with the volume turned near 25, when my head unit max is at 35 I have no high pass filter on my head unit or else that would probably solve the problem for my door speakers.

I was told on this forum that my door speakers distort because my head unit does not have enough power however my friend has a civic with the same door speakers as I do powered by a head unit and they do not distort like mine do.also the friend I am talking about was the previous owner of this sub an amplifier it sounded great in his car with no problems.

So and order to fix my problem I would have to get a separate amplifier for my door speakers or buy speakers with low enough rated power to be powered by my head unit without distortion unless there is any other option.

Click to read more...

 

[Syphlyn]

Based of your pictures you should probably add ring terminals to your power and ground connections going into your amp. That looks like a fire waiting to happen or blown fuses/amp.

 

[big scott]

i say read the manual for that radio and see what can be adjusted like bass,, treble ect... and start adjusting it.

and redo the power/ground wire going to the amp. there to much wire exposed .

IMO the speakers are distorting is ether there blown or you have the settings on the radio wrong .

having less power , they will just not sound loud . or your radio is putting very dirty signal and making distortion or a going bad radio.

 

[BoomTaco64]

the ground needs to be fixed first. that is a horrible location and it needs a ring terminal.

 

[LongThrow]

Based of your pictures you should probably add ring terminals to your power and ground connections going into your amp. That looks like a fire waiting to happen or blown fuses/amp.

I used the wires that my friend gave me. Which he had hooked to his system. I'll have to buy a new wiring kit. I found boss audio 8g install kit, is it true 8g?

And would fixing the ground help my subwoofer problem?

i say read the manual for that radio and see what can be adjusted like bass,, treble ect... and start adjusting it.
and redo the power/ground wire going to the amp. there to much wire exposed .

IMO the speakers are distorting is ether there blown or you have the settings on the radio wrong .

having less power , they will just not sound loud . or your radio is putting very dirty signal and making distortion or a going bad radio.

Already read manual and messed with settings. No help, lowering bass helps door speakers but kills the bass on my sub. And they are new front door speakers, they get loud there's just distortion when bass frequencies are played at high volumes.

the ground needs to be fixed first. that is a horrible location and it needs a ring terminal.

Where would I ground to in a 1994 ford explorer? And is that amplifier enough to power that kicker?

 

[adulbrich 5,000+ posts]

I have a Kenwood headunit that is nearly identical to yours. From the picture of your headunit, your equalizer is set to a V shape. The bass and highs are maxxed out! Set the equalizer to flat, and your speakers will not distort as much (unless you have already damaged them).

That sony amplifier is over rated too. Kicker is a brand I will never recomend to anyone. You are underpowering it a lot after the voltage drop caused by the wiring. Also, it looks like a slim box for regular cab trucks. This is not a trunk box imo

 

[LongThrow]

I've messed with all the settings, with all settings flat, cut, boosted, etc nothing helps. When bass frequencies are played at high volumes it distorts the rest of the audio spectrum.the highs and mids are fine unroll the bass hits. They are not blown they are new speakers.

I shop online, what is the CHEAPST amplifier to power my subwoofer?

 

[Syphlyn]

I used the wires that my friend gave me. Which he had hooked to his system. I'll have to buy a new wiring kit. I found boss audio 8g install kit, is it true 8g?
And would fixing the ground help my subwoofer problem?

Might fix your issues but I highly doubt it. I'm just trying to prevent your vehicle from burning down. That's NOT how to wire things, go get some ring terminals and crimp/solder them on.

 

[LongThrow]

So I need to fix my ground and power connections. U TB where should I ground my Amp? What Amp should I use instead? What Ablut my door Door speakers distortion

 

[BoomTaco64]

ground using the floor of the vehicle, scratch away all paint until shiny metal, use a star washer and your own screws to attach it. check for clearance before drilling!

 

[whitemax 10+ year member]

Fixing the connections to your amp is a must, big safety issue right there. Just to make sure, do you have a fuse near the battery on the amplifier power wire?

I think getting an amp for your speakers with a built in highpass crossover will be helpful. Until then, you can turn the bass down on your HU and the gain up on your sub amp to balance the sound better. Not the best solution, but it will get you by till you get another amp.

When you buy more power cable, make sure it's quality cable. Knukonceptz has good wire for decent prices.

 

[LongThrow]

ground using the floor of the vehicle, scratch away all paint until shiny metal, use a star washer and your own screws to attach it. check for clearance before drilling!

Looks like I need to get a hold of some power tools.

Fixing the connections to your amp is a must, big safety issue right there. Just to make sure, do you have a fuse near the battery on the amplifier power wire?
I think getting an amp for your speakers with a built in highpass crossover will be helpful. Until then, you can turn the bass down on your HU and the gain up on your sub amp to balance the sound better. Not the best solution, but it will get you by till you get another amp.

When you buy more power cable, make sure it's quality cable. Knukonceptz has good wire for decent prices.

I know my system is hooked up rather 'ghetto' but no I don't have a fuse I'll get one when I get my new Amp wiring kit for rightvnow I have everything unplugged, my sub is undwrpowered even with gain all the way up. Door speakers are distorted at high volumes so it sounds like **** just to get my sub for hit hard.

 

[whitemax 10+ year member]

You need and amp to power your speakers then. That will help out a lot in getting cleaner output at higher volume levels.

Do not connect the power wire to your battery until you get a fuse (big fire hazard right there). You can pick up a fuse holder and fuse from knukonceptz for pretty cheap.

 

[LongThrow]

Thanks for all the great advice!

But I'm still at a loss on what amplifier I should get. I found some small cheap amps on Amazon that could sufficiently power my door speakers. And a boss audio 250watt x1 4 ohms amplifier for 55 bucks and I've heard a lot of good reviews about it. Should be enough to power my 150w sub.

 

[whitemax 10+ year member]

I would not go the Boss route. Last year I picked up some refurbished amps from Boston Acoustics and had no issues with them. I bought them directly from their website. One of the amps I purchased was a GTA-400M for $99. This amp puts out 250 watts RMS at 4ohms and 400 watts at 2ohms. They also have a GTA-704 for $89. It's a four channel amp that puts out 70 watts RMS per channel. They also have a few others amps to choose from.

GTA-400M | Refurbished Products | Boston Acoustics US

GTA-704 | Refurbished Products | Boston Acoustics US