How to wire 6x9s with active subwoofer

[1aespinoza 10+ year member]

What do you think about me upgrading the front 6.5" in the door, disconecing the rear door ones and having 6x9s on the rear shelf?

That would be a good option. It will allow you to use all channels with better imaging. You may also get a better blend between the 6x9s and sub.

 

[james_90]

That would be a good option. It will allow you to use all channels with better imaging. You may also get a better blend between the 6x9s and sub.

Ok great.

For the stock tweeters (near the wing mirrors) would it be better to disconnect these too for the same reson? Or would it be better to leave/upgrade them?

 

[1aespinoza 10+ year member]

Ok great.

For the stock tweeters (near the wing mirrors) would it be better to disconnect these too for the same reson? Or would it be better to leave/upgrade them?

I would only change them if the new 6.5s are components.

 

[james_90]

Hey,

Ended up getting some Vibe Slick component speakers for the front and Slick coaxial 6x9s for the back shelf. Also ended up fitting a 4 channel amp in the back to get the most out of them.

Having some trouble connecting the sub and 6x9s up. Was originally planning to run an RCA lead from the 'rear / subwoofer' output on HU to the input on the sub's amp, then another RCA from the sub amp's output to the 'rear' input on my 4 channel amp to bridge it. I tried this and was only getting lows from the 6x9s. The only way I can seem to get the 6x9s playing highs is by changing the HU settings to following, but then I have to connect the RCAs directly from HU to the 4 channel amp to get anything the play (ommitting the sub):

When doing this, the 6x9s are really quiet for some reason and I have set their volume much higher than the front speakers to be able to hear anything. They sound ok after doing this.

Any ideas on how I can get the sub and 6x9s playing but still get highs from the 6x9s? What if I get RCAs that y-split to go to the sub amp and 4-channel amp?

Here are a few pictures of the the back of the sub amp and the new 4 channel amp:

Thanks

 

[1aespinoza 10+ year member]

Any ideas on how I can get the sub and 6x9s playing but still get highs from the 6x9s?

After looking at the radio's manual, you can only use the Front RCA outputs as full range if you wish to take advantage of the built in subwoofer equalizer. So use the Front for the 4 channel amp, and Rear for the sub amp. The 4 channel should have an "input" option of using only 1 set of RCAs as signal source. This will split it into 4 outputs at the cost of losing fade control (fade is useless IMO).

 

[james_90]

Thanks for checking that.

I tried this today but unfortunately I don't get any sound from the rear speakers when just the 'front' RCAs are plugged into the 4-channel amp. Any ideas? Would it work if I get 2 RCA Y-splitters so the 'front' RCAs can be plugged into the front and rear ports?

 

[1aespinoza 10+ year member]

Would it work if I get 2 RCA Y-splitters so the 'front' RCAs can be plugged into the front and rear ports

This is your best option. Scrutinizing the amp I notice it has no input RCA selection switch. So your'e right on using the y-splitter at the amp.

 

[james_90]

Thanks. I wired this up today with the y splitters and it sounds good but the 6x9s at the back are really quiet compared to the front speakers. Can I change this by adjusting the gain dials on the amp? Along with getting the volume balanced out, are you able to say roughly what these should be set to for my setup? (Vibe SLICK6C-V7 in the front, Vibe SLICK693-V7 in the rear)

Are there any other settings I should look at adjusting on the amp, sub and head unit?

 

[1aespinoza 10+ year member]

Are there any other settings I should look at adjusting on the amp, sub and head unit?

On the picture it looks like the gain for the rears is down. Also, set the X-over to FLAT. This is how to set by ear-
Turn all gains down, set radio eq flat. Turn off any bass boost at the radio. Set volume to about 75%.
Turn gain up for Front to a volume you feel that will not damage the speakers. Now do the same for the Rear, but blending with front speakers. Now do the same with the sub.
Now tailor your eq settings and you are done.

 

[james_90]

So if im streaming music from my phone, do I set it 100% volume on the phone then 75% at the radio? Even with the gains set to zero that seems pretty loud already. I was having trouble getting a sense of how loud they could go before being damaged. Do I push them to slight distortion then reduce it a bit?

Also, what should I set the phase, frequency and HPF dials to?

And should I keep the 'loudness' setting on the radio off?

 

[1aespinoza 10+ year member]

So if im streaming music from my phone, do I set it 100% volume on the phone then 75% at the radio?

Yes.

Even with the gains set to zero that seems pretty loud already

Then it should remian as is. Leaving it as is will insure your equipment lasts.

Also, what should I set the phase, frequency and HPF dials to?

Phase to Zero. X-over should be set on Flat, so no need to set dials.

And should I keep the 'loudness' setting on the radio off?

Yes. All radio eq settings can be tailored after Gain setting. But remember that some music is recorded too loud and it is not always easy to hit the volume on time. So loudness and bass boost must be used judiciously.