Less than desirable sound quality

[SC4 10+ year member]

Ok Here is the setup

kenwood ddx-370 headunit

soundstream ref 740 amp

sony gs-1720s midwoofers

alpine type spr-10tw tweeters

I have a set of rca's from my headunit to my amp then at the amp im using it in 4 channel mode to split channel 3&4 to strictly bass frequencies

Ive got channels 1 and 2 running to my sony crossovers

channels 3&4 bridged for my sub

Not sure what the issue is but when I turn it up it sounds okay then it quickly starts sounding jumbled and horrible and I just cant get the volume and clarity I feel that I should be getting. Also if i turn the volume up fast i can hear a small pop with each "click" of the volume knob.

The best way I cant describe my issue is that it just sounds dirty.

any help is greatly appreciated!!

Click to read more...

 

[SC4 10+ year member]

Tonight I'm going to try regrounding the HU and also installing 4 channel rca's

 

[BoomTaco64]

where is your amp grounded at?

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

What model amp? Google turned up nothing.

 

[SC4 10+ year member]

where is your amp grounded at?

I attached a bolt to the inside of the tub for the spare

 

---------- Post added at 02:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:57 PM ----------

 

What model amp? Google turned up nothing.

My bad wrong number its the reference 4.760

REF4.760 - Reference - Amplifiers - Car Audio

 

[BoomTaco64]

i would advise against using any factory bolts in the vehicle. if you do not have a good enough electrical ground the amp may fail. ground using the floor of the vehicle, scratch all paint use your own screws and a star washer. check for clearance before drilling. make sure the ground does not move. i used to have the reference amps. google should help with amp issues. lol

where are your settings at?

what radio are you using?

what is your tuning volume?

 

[SC4 10+ year member]

i would advise against using any factory bolts in the vehicle. if you do not have a good enough electrical ground the amp may fail. ground using the floor of the vehicle, scratch all paint use your own screws and a star washer. check for clearance before drilling. make sure the ground does not move. i used to have the reference amps. google should help with amp issues. lolwhere are your settings at?

what radio are you using?

what is your tuning volume?

I drilled and through bolted to the tub of the hatch area, and I did scratch the paint off.

My settings have changed through the time I've had the setup usually everything is flat with a small boost to my 50hz range, no LOUD setting on

my stereo is in my first post kenwood ddx-370

not sure what you mean by tuning volume

 

[BoomTaco64]

tuning volume is the volume at which you are tuning. if your radio goes to 35, where is your volume at when tuning? if you are using a volume of like 15 then you are only giving the amp less than half the signal it could get from the radio. your tuning volume is key in tuning your amps and getting the right sound. at the current time, where are your settings at on your amp?

 

[SC4 10+ year member]

tuning volume is the volume at which you are tuning. if your radio goes to 35, where is your volume at when tuning? if you are using a volume of like 15 then you are only giving the amp less than half the signal it could get from the radio. your tuning volume is key in tuning your amps and getting the right sound. at the current time, where are your settings at on your amp?

at noon I will get a comprehensive list of settings and get back on here and my tuning volume is typically around 25 ish, im gonna run an android RTA and adjust my eq on lunch at a higher volume this time and see where that gets me.

 

[CrossoverOre 10+ year member]

whats the voltage reading at the amp when you are turning it up. almost sounds like voltage drop causing the amp to sound like ****. The clicking you hear is typical of lesser quality decks. Back in the day it used to be one of the first things we did when we got new product in put it in the board and see how noisy the volume control was. Go from vol 0 to 1 and back again and listen for the pop.

 

[SC4 10+ year member]

F

whats the voltage reading at the amp when you are turning it up. almost sounds like voltage drop causing the amp to sound like ****. The clicking you hear is typical of lesser quality decks. Back in the day it used to be one of the first things we did when we got new product in put it in the board and see how noisy the volume control was. Go from vol 0 to 1 and back again and listen for the pop.

I just set my gains on lunch and they are at ~19 for channels 1&2

Would the double din I bought be a "lesser quality deck"?

I had a prs-80 but I planned on going with a bit ten or something later on so I didnt want all the processing done on the HU itself, and I like the looks and functionality of a double din touch screen more...hope i didnt screw myself, but regardless I feel that a deck from a mainstream company shouldn't have noise like that. Ive had $100 pioneer's that didnt have such noise or any problems what so ever.

 

[CrossoverOre 10+ year member]

what about the input voltage?

As the race to zero continues with manufacturers more decks are becoming lesser quality. save a penny here, a nickle there then multiply by the total run of a stereo and they save many thousands of dollars. And that typically shows up in the end result, like clicking when you turn the volume, hearing the laser move when changing tracks on cd, stuff like that. Are there better options sure, are there worse options absolutely.