Sierra Nate
Member
Facepalm to the forehead moment?
Several months ago I decided to upgrade my factory sound system. Having never done this I sought help from friends...advice on what to buy. After seeing the cost of an installed system I decided to go the self install route and bought all my components from an online retailer.
I'm an electronics tech and know my way around the wiring, soldering, scoping and schematics. I got the system installed and it looks really good. But then came the challenge of setup. That was when I found this site. And with everyones help here I got it sounding pretty good. But I felt for the money I invested it should sound better.
So last weekend I noticed the front and back components were mixed. How did I do that? I was damned careful connecting the speaker wires. But somehow I managed to put the fronts on channel B and the backs on Channels A. Or did I put the inputs from the HU on backwards?
Man...after switching it to the right channels this thing sounds so much better. I kept trying to lower the volume of the back speakers but the listening position being front was fighting those settings. Kept scratching me head.
So then I get the wires straight and decide to set the gain with a volt meter. Sq root of ohms times wattage should have been 15 volts. I could not get more than 9 volts. I was testing channel A. But remember that the settings were backwards when I set the timing (which is a whole other story...why would the auto EQ want to lower the power to the front and increase to the back?). There it is...the moment when I planted my palm squarely on my face.
Set the timing to 0 on all 5 corners (4 doors and a sub woofer). and all of a sudden I get the expected voltage on channel A.
Fun exercise. The ride to work this morning was super fun. Chest thumping bass with some really loud and crystal clear mids. And those cymbals were so defined! Now I get why I spent the entire summer on this project. But what to do now? What's my next project going to be? Stereo for the boat or jet skis? Maybe.
Several months ago I decided to upgrade my factory sound system. Having never done this I sought help from friends...advice on what to buy. After seeing the cost of an installed system I decided to go the self install route and bought all my components from an online retailer.
I'm an electronics tech and know my way around the wiring, soldering, scoping and schematics. I got the system installed and it looks really good. But then came the challenge of setup. That was when I found this site. And with everyones help here I got it sounding pretty good. But I felt for the money I invested it should sound better.
So last weekend I noticed the front and back components were mixed. How did I do that? I was damned careful connecting the speaker wires. But somehow I managed to put the fronts on channel B and the backs on Channels A. Or did I put the inputs from the HU on backwards?
Man...after switching it to the right channels this thing sounds so much better. I kept trying to lower the volume of the back speakers but the listening position being front was fighting those settings. Kept scratching me head.
So then I get the wires straight and decide to set the gain with a volt meter. Sq root of ohms times wattage should have been 15 volts. I could not get more than 9 volts. I was testing channel A. But remember that the settings were backwards when I set the timing (which is a whole other story...why would the auto EQ want to lower the power to the front and increase to the back?). There it is...the moment when I planted my palm squarely on my face.
Set the timing to 0 on all 5 corners (4 doors and a sub woofer). and all of a sudden I get the expected voltage on channel A.
Fun exercise. The ride to work this morning was super fun. Chest thumping bass with some really loud and crystal clear mids. And those cymbals were so defined! Now I get why I spent the entire summer on this project. But what to do now? What's my next project going to be? Stereo for the boat or jet skis? Maybe.
