New DLS install sounds terrible...what could be wrong?

[CStrain]

the truck is a 2005 Dodge Ram 2500. Today I had a pair of DLS UP6 comps installed in my front doors and tweets in dash facing windshield. I also had the front doors dynamated, HU is an Alpine 9855, and the amp I am using is a PG Xenon X100.2. No sub, factory rear speakers are turned off.

So, I get the truck back today and it absolutly sounds like sh!t. Harsh, harsh highs, no bass at all to speak of (and I have never owned a sub, only factory stuff), just very disappointing. I am actually not hearing some background guitar tunes in some songs that I heard with the factory 4 speaker setup. Could the phase be backwards? Could it be a bad install? Could the settings on my 9855 be waaaay off? I simply don't understand...my factory 4 speakers honestly sounds better. Any ideas? Please Help!

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[AznRevlAzn 10+ year member]

set your amp to Full Range instead of High, that or you somehow wired the crossover wrong? NEED PICS.

 

[Eugenics 5,000+ posts]

well, as far as the midbass goes, deaden the hell out of the doors

 

[supa_c 5,000+ posts]

The tweeters need to be attenuated badly.

Set them to -3dB on the xover and turn down your trebel. They get insanely loud for silks.

They could also be out of phase. That would definetly make a difference in midbass output

 

[packerfan 10+ year member]

Facing the tweets toward the windshield would be one reason theyre harsh as hell.

 

[tplaya07 10+ year member]

Also...you just got them installed. You will likely see both the tweets and midbass "mature" a bit and smooth themselves out, as the mechanical parts get settled in.

Another thing about the midbass. They may very well be wired correctly, but due to the angle(s) of the drivers, you may be getting cancellation...in which case you could try wiring them out of phase and see if you get better results. You can also try wiring the passanger door tweeter out of phase as well, if you notice that they get harsh at certain frequencies (typically happens at around 3-3.5kHz, depending on the tweeter, IIRC). And facing the winshield is not typically the best solution, as you will likely experience problems with imaging and reflection. Usually in the sail panels or down closer to the mid is a better solution.

However...before you try any of these solutions, I would recommend you give it about a week (or around 15-20 hours of playtime) to let the drivers settle in.

Send me a PM if you want to, and Ill try and help you get them going.

 

[supa_c 5,000+ posts]

Tplaya is the DLS man !

w00t w00t

 

[azbass 5,000+ posts]

woot

 

[Eugenics 5,000+ posts]

tplaya secondskin and ology, great guys for advice... even if you didn't buy something from them. wish everyone was like that *cough my ****ing jl's cough*

 

[CStrain]

Thanks for the help guys. I have changed the crossover Jumper 2 settings to 'Low', however I am having a hard time changing the Jumper 1 setting. All I see are 4 small holes, but no 'jumper' to move. Am I just overlooking something? Thanks for any help!

 

[Decado 10+ year member]

Also, when you had your door dynamated did they seal it up, or just leave the big holes w/o deadening? Sealing these big holes could help quite a bit with midbass.

 

[bikejunkie223 10+ year member]

Also, when you had your door dynamated did they seal it up, or just leave the big holes w/o deadening? Sealing these big holes could help quite a bit with midbass.

I totally agree with everything said above. Up6's have sounded awesome in every car I have heard them in, but that's not to garuntee they will in your truck. My Diamond Hexes sound WAY better in my brothers WRX than they did in my car.Sometimes even with speakers that are known to sound awesome, for whatever reason they just won't sound as good as they should in a paticular car. Anyway, you should hear the tweeter smooth out after a couple days and the midbass will grow too. Totally sealing off the door with dampener is a great way to boost midbass. Also, where to you have them highpassed? I am running mine all the way down to 50hz, but I had to bump up my Iridium 10 to 63hz to help reenforce the lower midbass, as virtually no components will play loud much below 65hz. The fact I can run mine at 50 is amazing, most cars/setups wouldn't tolerate that. As for the break-in, it took my tweeters about 3 days, and my sub woke up this morning (1 week) It sounded good when I got it, but this morning it felt like it had about a 20% increase in output- enough I need to turn the gain on the sub channel down a scooch. There, my $0.02

 

[Eugenics 5,000+ posts]

I totally agree with everything said above. Up6's have sounded awesome in every car I have heard them in, but that's not to garuntee they will in your truck. My Diamond Hexes sound WAY better in my brothers WRX than they did in my car.Sometimes even with speakers that are known to sound awesome, for whatever reason they just won't sound as good as they should in a paticular car. Anyway, you should hear the tweeter smooth out after a couple days and the midbass will grow too. Totally sealing off the door with dampener is a great way to boost midbass. Also, where to you have them highpassed? I am running mine all the way down to 50hz, but I had to bump up my Iridium 10 to 63hz to help reenforce the lower midbass, as virtually no components will play loud much below 65hz. The fact I can run mine at 50 is amazing, most cars/setups wouldn't tolerate that. As for the break-in, it took my tweeters about 3 days, and my sub woke up this morning (1 week) It sounded good when I got it, but this morning it felt like it had about a 20% increase in output- enough I need to turn the gain on the sub channel down a scooch. There, my $0.02

what car is your brother running them in?

 

[bikejunkie223 10+ year member]

what car is your brother running them in?

They are in a 2002 WRX off my old school PPI amp.

 

[Decado 10+ year member]

the truck is a 2005 Dodge Ram 2500. Today I had a pair of DLS UP6 comps installed in my front doors and tweets in dash facing windshield. I also had the front doors dynamated, HU is an Alpine 9855, and the amp I am using is a PG Xenon X100.2. No sub, factory rear speakers are turned off.
So, I get the truck back today and it absolutly sounds like sh!t. Harsh, harsh highs, no bass at all to speak of (and I have never owned a sub, only factory stuff), just very disappointing. I am actually not hearing some background guitar tunes in some songs that I heard with the factory 4 speaker setup. Could the phase be backwards? Could it be a bad install? Could the settings on my 9855 be waaaay off? I simply don't understand...my factory 4 speakers honestly sounds better. Any ideas? Please Help!

Also, you'll still be missing alot of bass when you go from factory to comps, because factory is made for full range, comps are not, if you want bass to play all the way down you will need a sub.