Kicker 3.5 not working off head unit but work off home stereo? Bad wiring?

[edintheclouds]

Hey guys, I got these little 3.5 speakers at I've been trying to install in my MG Midget. I have a brand new MB Quart MDR2.0 to run them but they sound as if they are shorted or out of phase or something. Crackling and total distortion when I increase the volume. I'm using the included crossover that has two sized +leeds and the negative, and double checked the polarity coming from the HU. I hooked them up to my Audio Engine home speaker system and they actually sounded great, even without any enclosure. I've determined that the smaller + connection is for the tweeter, and the larger + is for the woofer. I got 12v going to the HU, and switched line, What am I missing? Should I ground the HU to the chassis or something?

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[huberoy123 10+ year member]

I always ground my head unit to the chassis. Normally, there is a ground wire included in the harness, but I do a separate ground (Just a personal preference). Your head unit is rated 16 watts per channel at 4 Ohm. What is the ratings of the power requirements for your speakers? Is the head unit powerful enough to power the speakers appropriately?

Have you tried wiring the speaker directly to the head unit, without the crossover to see if they play better. If they do, then the problem may be in the crossover wiring.

What happens if you only connect one of the positive terminals to the speaker?

Just a few troubleshooting questions. Good Luck.

 

[edintheclouds]

I always ground my head unit to the chassis. Normally, there is a ground wire included in the harness, but I do a separate ground (Just a personal preference). Your head unit is rated 16 watts per channel at 4 Ohm. What is the ratings of the power requirements for your speakers? Is the head unit powerful enough to power the speakers appropriately?

Have you tried wiring the speaker directly to the head unit, without the crossover to see if they play better. If they do, then the problem may be in the crossover wiring.

What happens if you only connect one of the positive terminals to the speaker?

Just a few troubleshooting questions. Good Luck.

Thanks. I'll try tomorrow. The manual says 15-50 watts, 100 peak. It recommends 16 ga or larger wire, but the crossover wires are tiny, as are the ones from the HU wire harness.