Need help tweaking the SQ.. advice needed.

[regxjin 10+ year member]

Hey guys...

I'm looking for some advice on how to fine tune or tweak some settings on my current system. I just cannot find the right niche where the SQ all comes together. My biggest complaint is sound fatigue playing at medium volume levels and also the unbalanced sound (highs will get harsh or the mids sound muddy)... from my front speakers (OZ Matrix 180c)

I did a lot of research into my system before bringing everything together. I know the OZ Matrix speakers are one of the best buys for the money... They're award winning speakers that come highly recommended by my peers as well. They're suppose to deliver great tonal range and wonderful highs without the harshness to the ears... they are also suppose to deliver one of the best sounding mids as well...

And I can see why people would give these speakers such great praise because I can see it's potential... but I just can't fine tune my system to deliver a balanced

I find myself inside my trunk more often than not tweaking the amp settings in hope of finding that sound I am looking for... but no matter how how different settings I try, I just can't get it to sound deliver a well balanced sound.

I just want a sound that is good enough to play most of my tracks without irritating my ears at reasonable mid-high volumes. But I do see the potential of my system... the speakers have really good charactistics about them... and if only I could bring those qualities out more minus the harshness and find a good balance of highs & mids....

Current Setup:

Head unit: Stock Head U.

Amp: Eclipse 32430 4ch / 85W x 4 Ch

Front Speakers: OZ Matrix 180 Components [connected to front channel]

Rear Speakers: Stock connected to stock head.

Subwoofer: JL Audio 13" [connected to rear channel]

I may make a major upgrade to my system within the next month..

But I would to share with you all, the things I may upgrade... and if you guys can give me some advice as well... it would be much appreciated.

I might upgrade:

1: My Amplifier. it's not the greatest amp, nor the best.. it may have lost some power over the years... so maybe upgrading the amplifier is a good a idea.

2. Get a vacuum-tube preamp. This is actually the upgrade I am most leaning towards. The owner of this caraudio shop near in my town... was recommending that I get this. I too have also heard home audio systems w/ tube preamps... on and off.. and the difference in power and SQ was unbelievable. It really brighten the sound quality quite a bit. I am guessing it will brighten my system and also boost more power.

3. Replace stock H.U. This is something I don't really want to do. My car interior is nice and I would prefer to keep it stock... I understand that this would probably make the greatest difference sound quality... but I'm still very skeptical about it... But it's something I'm still considering and have not ruled out yet.

Of these 3 upgrades I could make.. which upgrade do you think would be ideal in bringing out the best overal SQ & balance in my system??

Click to read more...

 

[LaserRed38 10+ year member]

External processor and a 5-6ch amp to run your components active. How are they currently installed? Doors deadened? Where are the tweeters positioned? What settings are you adjusting? What are your crossovers set to?

 

[budahbuddy803 10+ year member]

a new HU or external processor will help out a bunch. If it seems unbalanced, Time Alignment helps out tons. To better blend your mids and tweets together, running active and choosing you own crossover points and slopes helps mesh the lower frequencies from your tweeter with the higher frequencies of your mids. I know for a fact that the factory speakers in the rear will pull the sound stage towards the rear making things a little more complicated also.

EDIT: I'm sure you aren't competing and neither do I, but I was able to get my hands on the 2008 IASCA SQ cd and certain tracks on the cd really help with imaging, balance, T/A, phase, etc.

 

[the727kid 10+ year member]

I'm betting on a processor or a new head unit will fix your problems easily.

 

[regxjin 10+ year member]

Hey man.. thanks for replying...

Currently...

doors are not deadened.

tweeters were removed from door panel to the dashboard area above the left & right vents.

I adjusted various settings on my amps... just trial error to see what works and doesn't...

right now... all the settings on my amp are off except some gains for subs and front speakers.

 

---------- Post added at 02:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:20 PM ----------

 

man.... i dont wanna change the HU...

 

---------- Post added at 02:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:21 PM ----------

 

man.... i dun wanna change the H.U.....

 

[the727kid 10+ year member]

MS8.... good chunk of change but will blow your mind.

 

[regxjin 10+ year member]

i've heard good things about that one..

also the alpine one too...

is it easy to install and to set up?

I'll look into it.. thanks bro~

 

[Brian_smith06 10+ year member]

Your speakers will only sound as good as your install allows it. I highly suggest deadening the doors and sealing them up. You can have the best cd transport and processing in the world but if the rest isn't up to par then its not going to matter.

I would try to do both at same time though if budget allows.

Look into raammat for cheaper Deadener that works well. And as far as a deck goes there are so many options and is more budget dependent than anything

 

[trumpet 5,000+ posts]

Adding more processing to your system is going to be majorly limited by your stock head unit. If it's sending a noisy signal compared to a good aftermarket head unit there's no point in spending money and time on processing. What are you using to adapt the signal out of the head unit to the amplifier? If you really don't want to replace the head unit then perhaps upgrading to a JL Cleansweep or Massive Audio Flatline could help.

 

[bhsdriller 10+ year member]

this might help?

Precision time alignment using only noise tracks and your ears - DIYMA.com