MB Quart PCE 216 garbage?

[kewk]

Just got these components and so far they don't right. I have them hooked up to a JL 300x4. They are hooked up to the front channels and my 6x9's are hooked up to the rear channel. I have an Alpine cda-9811 running it all. I have my bass set to 0 on my deck.

The filter on the amp was set to off. When I set the filter to High Pass it will never clip... but they have very little bass response.

Are these speakers just ***? Or possibly something I am not doing on my end? The only other thing I have not checked yet is to make sure the speakers in the door are even PCE 216's. I had them installed this weekend but have not questioned the service till now.

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[Gauntlet 5,000+ posts]

They're nice speakers, and shouldn't sound like garbage....check your high-pass filter setting....should be around 75 or so, give or take about 10...

 

[kewk]

I have it set right around there and it sound semi decent there... but should it sound so horrid no matter where I have the crossover set? I tried every setting and they all sound like crap.

 

[Gauntlet 5,000+ posts]

Originally posted by kewk I have it set right around there and it sound semi decent there... but should it sound so horrid no matter where I have the crossover set? I tried every setting and they all sound like crap.

Define "horrid"

Also - are you using real CD's or MP3's? Becuase low-bitrate MP3's could also be the problem....

 

[kewk]

I tried both cda and mp3. By horrid I mean when I turn it up a bit it will start to clip. I will get a lot of cracking. Like on my deck I will have it up to 15 on the volume and it will crack then I will set it to 14 and it wont crack. Anything higher and it does.

 

[Gauntlet 5,000+ posts]

Originally posted by kewk I tried both cda and mp3. By horrid I mean when I turn it up a bit it will start to clip. I will get a lot of cracking. Like on my deck I will have it up to 15 on the volume and it will crack then I will set it to 14 and it wont crack. Anything higher and it does.

Are the gains set properly?

 

[kewk]

The gains are both set right around half way full.

 

[AliasX 10+ year member]

Originally posted by kewk The gains are both set right around half way full.

hmm...your doing something seriously wrong then cause i run nothing but mb quarts and they can get very loud.

 

[Gauntlet 5,000+ posts]

Originally posted by kewk The gains are both set right around half way full.

Gains should be set to your HU's preout voltage....

 

[kewk]

Right, this is what I had it set to (not sure if this is correct but seemed logical to me).

I set my input voltage to Low. It has to settings low and high. Low is 2v and high is 8v. The gain has nothing of numerical value so I left it as is. Which is straight up and down.

So from this I assume that it is running at 2v. My deck puts out 4v. So I should turn the gain up a bit to try and hit 4v? Or should I set it to high 8v then turn it down for 4v?

Here is a pdf file of my amp btw http://www.jlaudio.com/amps/pdfs/300_4.pdf

Thanks a lot for the help you have provided so far man!

 

[Gauntlet 5,000+ posts]

Originally posted by kewk So from this I assume that it is running at 2v. My deck puts out 4v. So I should turn the gain up a bit to try and hit 4v? Or should I set it to high 8v then turn it down for 4v?

And there, my friend, is your problem. Don't set it any lower than 4V. This is what you should do:

1) Set the gains on your amp to 8V.

2) Turn your HU's volume up a few notches higher than you ever plan to listen to it (so if the highest you normally listen to is like 25, set it to 30)

3) Play a song that has good representation of the frequencies that your speakers will be playing.

4) Slowly start turning the gain to the 4V area. Keep turning until you begin to hear it distort/crack a little, the moment you do, move the gain back a notch and you should be good to go.

LMK if you have any other questions!

 

[kewk]

Ok here is a bunch of new F'd up info.

When I got home I messed with the gain/corssover a bit more and still could not get it to sound right. The tweeters actually clip base with the amp filter set to off. So I was like wtf I do/should have a crossover that came with the components.... right?

I opened up my door and found that the 6 1/2 in the door did not have a crossover. It was still using my stock speaker wire. There was speaker wire going from my 6 1/2 to my tweeter WITH A HPF ON IT.... wtf!? So no I do not have a crossover attached to my components.

The back of the speaker said PWE 160 and im supposed to have a PCE 216. But I could not find PWE 160 anywhere. Maybe this is how MB Quart labels the PCE 216? I have no clue.

Also they charged me $80 per door to install dynamat. I have a 4'x4' square of what might be dynamat but really looks more like tar and was barely sticking on.

 

[kewk]

Just got off the phone with MB Quart and the PCE 216 6 1/2 should have PWE 160 on the back of it.

 

[Gauntlet 5,000+ posts]

Originally posted by kewk Ok here is a bunch of new F'd up info.

 

 

When I got home I messed with the gain/corssover a bit more and still could not get it to sound right. The tweeters actually clip base with the amp filter set to off. So I was like wtf I do/should have a crossover that came with the components.... right?

 

I opened up my door and found that the 6 1/2 in the door did not have a crossover. It was still using my stock speaker wire. There was speaker wire going from my 6 1/2 to my tweeter WITH A HPF ON IT.... wtf!? So no I do not have a crossover attached to my components.

 

The back of the speaker said PWE 160 and im supposed to have a PCE 216. But I could not find PWE 160 anywhere. Maybe this is how MB Quart labels the PCE 216? I have no clue.

 

Also they charged me $80 per door to install dynamat. I have a 4'x4' square of what might be dynamat but really looks more like tar and was barely sticking on.

So.......the component speakers have no outboard crossover? You should have 2 of these, it has 2 sets of inputs (one for the driver, and one for the tweeter), and then one set of outputs to go to the amp/HU. Ask whoever installed it if you are supposed to have these, and what the deal is. You paid good $$ to have an installation properly done, I'd hold them 110% accountable and make them figure out the problem and correct it. You should not be forced to search online for answers when you paid $$ to have it done correctly. Bit*h your *** off at them.

And you got ripped off on the dynamat....80$ per door for 4 square feet is absolutely ridiculous. I paid 50$ for 50 sq feet of Second Skin which functions exactly the same as dynamat....but I digress. If the material is coming off and barely sticking on, then they did not clean the mounting surface properly. So basically, it's a waste. Sound deadening material only does its job when its mounted completely flush and secure to the contours of the metal. I'd complain and demand that they do it again, for free, and this time they clean the mounting surface.

And off the record....this is just another example of why I refuse to let anyone install something besides me.

 

[kewk]

And you got ripped off on the dynamat....80$ per door for 4 square feet is absolutely ridiculous.

Heh I would have been happy if it was 4 feet by 4 feet. I got 4 inches by 4 inches. All it did was cover a hole about the size of a litter bottle of soda. Maybe smaller....

I called them up acting like a regular customer that never had been there and asked them how much they dynamat the front doors of an accord and they told me $50. Man they REALLY burned me. Im going to go back and possibly tell them to take every single thing out of my car they put in and go somewhere else.