My System is a Mess

[Lincoln LS 10+ year member]

Let me start off by saying I'm pretty new to the car audio scene. I finally have a decent car, and I thought I put a decent budget system in but it sounds awful. I'll list my stuff below:

H/U - JVC KG something or other.

Fronts - Were Infinity Kappa 5x7's. Now I have Alpine Type R 5x7's.

Rears - Still Infinity Kappa 5x7's

Sub - 10" Infinity Reference

Speaker Amps - Audiobahn 6004t

Sub Amp - Bazooka

I realize the mixing of the speakers has a lot to do with the bad sound, but I usually have the fader on the front at 2/3rd's of it's capacity. So the rear speakers are more of just for a little fill. I don't know what the story is, but it sounds all muddy and like @$$. I'm not too sure if there is too much power going to the Alpines, or it's just my choices in components.

I know I didn't research anything too well, and kind of jumped at the first thing I saw. Now I'm paying for it. I'm looking to upgrade little by little as far as speakers and subs go. I don't want to start cutting into my car, so I'd like to stick with 5x7 sized speakers.

Can anyone recommend me some good 5x7's and some good subs? I listen to mostly rock and metal, so I'm not looking for an SPL system. More of an SQ. I was looking at Boston Acoustic SL80's, and maybe a 12" IDQ Sub sealed.

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[dkguitarist 5,000+ posts]

why do you have 5x7s in teh fronts AND rears?? that's probly a partial problem....could just be you have a crappy hu.

my jvc/kenwood sounded like crap compared to my p860mp.

 

[Pyro_By_Nature 5,000+ posts]

It could be the head unit, but it even could be the amp.A lot of people say "power is power", that's in a perfect install in a perfect world.In the real world, sound will change with amp changes.

The main thing though, is the speakers.IMHO the type R's sound like UBER ASS!

Like I've said before, the people who lsiten to rap think they sound good, but anything with real instruments or vocals and you'll notice how shitty they are.

Have you tried playing with any settings on your HU and amp?

 

[Lincoln LS 10+ year member]

DK - I stuck with the 5x7's, because that is what the factory openings are. Originally I had two sets of Kappas, but the titanium tweeter was like a spike going through my ears. Plus the midbass is awful. So I switched the fronts to the Type R's. Also, the main reason why I bought the JVC is because it has an aux input in the front that I can hook my ipod into. I kind of took the cheap route to get a system in quickly.

Mountaineer - I've fiddled as much as I can with the HU, and I'm going to mess around with the settings on the amp tomorrow. I don't think the Type R's are terrible, I actually think they're a step up from the Kappas. Like you said though, the midbass is very strong and interferes with the tweeter when turned up loud. Anything I should look for when I'm screwing around with the amp tomorrow?

 

[elementxero 10+ year member]

Are your crossovers set properly? I'm no expert but in every install I've had (all TWO of them!) tweaking the cutoff frequencies for the speakers tweets and sub have made a world of difference.

A 5x7 getting a 60hz frequency is going to sound like ass compared to a sub getting one.

Plus, **** rear fill. Passengers complain, they can walk //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

 

[Lincoln LS 10+ year member]

To be honest with you, I'm not too sure. I'm going to climb in the trunk and fiddle around though. I suppose that's the best I can do at the moment.

 

[MBrock4u 10+ year member]

Humm, sounds like you have a delima here. Your speakers look good so I wouldn't really worry there. All i see with the equipment factor is you HU and your sub amp. Your head unit is nothing to skimp on if you want a good sounding sytem. It is your command central. A good sounding system involves alot of tweeking, It sure has been for me. So tweek what you do have and if that doesn't cut it for you I would get a good head unit, and then replace your sub amp. The difference will amaze you. Good luck. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[bean-a-reano 10+ year member]

If you don't want to hack up your car try this.

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-cyGoN2xNqPo/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?s=0&cc=01&c=11&g=103200&I=142SA68+++

Or build baffles.

 

[Kickerkitty 10+ year member]

Man, I am not going to lie to you, if I were you I would sell every single car audio item you own on Ebay. Take that money and buy a good head unit first off. I would recommend an 880PRS just because it kicketh buttocks. Ebay cost: $330

someone said drop rear fill, I agree. Do like I did in my mercury and buy a good set of 6.5's, I use Boston Pro60's and could not be happier. This will bring you up to about $650 if you use Ebay

Find a nice two channel amp for your doors, nothing fancy but a good brand, maybe an Alpine. I use a Premier. Probably about $250

Total so far: $900

Then and only then would I go shopping for a good sub setup. Something like a single 15" RL-P and a light class D amp would sound just fine. (although currently I am slumming with two CVR's at 1200 watts rms and it sounds really nice for such cheap crap!)

Anyway, my opinion, take it for what it's worth.

 

[Lincoln LS 10+ year member]

Thanks for everyone's assistance. I apologize for not thanking everyone earlier