New install not loud

[heyhi1 10+ year member]

I did my own install and had someone tune it. I am not satisfied with the volume output. Can u guys give me some ideas where to look for issues? The guy that did my tune said he had to bring down alot of frequencys to match the tweeters and mids. I have all the right equipment and thought i did a good install.

Heres what i have

Pioneer p1400 dvd headunit

2 mids in doors hertz 1650.3

2 tweeters on a pillars on axis

Helix pro dsp with 6 inputs and 8 outputs i used all 6 so i can use my fade and sub controls on radio. Front fade would be tweeters rear fade is woofers

My amp is set half gain and its a jl audio slash 450/

my doors have ccf mlv and cld along with fast rings

This is on a g35 coupe front stage active setup

And my subs are 2 8 inch image dynamics with a kenwood amp

Like i said my volume is not high at all but it does sound very clear. The guy that did the tune recommend fixing the install becuase he heard resonances in the doors and getting 2 zapco st4xp amps

What could be causing a low volume? I say it gets loud enough to hear it 30 ft away i was expecting more

Click to read more...

 

[los33 10+ year member]

Loud as in subs loud or door components loud?

 

[heyhi1 10+ year member]

Door components. Not expecting much from 2 8s but the front stage should be louder i feel

 

[los33 10+ year member]

Take a look at the gain on the amp for the door speakers, then learn how to dial in the gain so it doesnt clip the speakers.

It all depends on how much more you can raise the gain, Not all setups will sound as loud as you are describing until you add in more speakers or get a PA system.

 

[Boomin_tahoe 5,000+ posts]

Take a look at the gain on the amp for the door speakers, then learn how to dial in the gain so it doesnt clip the speakers.
It all depends on how much more you can raise the gain, Not all setups will sound as loud as you are describing until you add in more speakers or get a PA system.

He stated gain is about 1/2....which sounds wrong.

 

[los33 10+ year member]

He stated gain is about 1/2....which sounds wrong.

Could be right or wrong depending on the headunit preamp.

the headunit produces 2v preamp, but then again without knowing all the actual settings set for the tuning its hard to tell if the amp can put more out or if the speakers will take more without issue.

 

[Boomin_tahoe 5,000+ posts]

Could be right or wrong depending on the headunit preamp.
the headunit produces 2v preamp, but then again without knowing all the actual settings set for the tuning its hard to tell if the amp can put more out or if the speakers will take more without issue.

True. Or the output wattage of that JL amp. I'm noticing 2 tweets/2 mids and only small 8" subs....might be overpowering the bass.

 

[heyhi1 10+ year member]

Dsp puts out 4 v jl 450/4 has 75 rms x2 for tweets and 150x2 for the woofers. Jl gain is at half

Subs are getting 300 from a kenwood amp

 

[los33 10+ year member]

Dsp puts out 4 v jl 450/4 has 75 rms x2 for tweets and 150x2 for the woofers. Jl gain is at halfSubs are getting 300 from a kenwood amp

If that is correct then the preamp on dsp shouldnt allow the JL amp to be at half or you would be clipping the f4ck out of your speakers.

May want to look at how the gain is set on the helix dsp thru the software.

 

[Boomin_tahoe 5,000+ posts]

Dsp puts out 4 v jl 450/4 has 75 rms x2 for tweets and 150x2 for the woofers. Jl gain is at halfSubs are getting 300 from a kenwood amp

Weird that JL has that amp 75x2 for ch 1 & 2 while ch 3 & 4 is 150x2....typically a 4 ch amp has the same wattage. Are you running any x-overs to the mids/tweets?

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

Weird that JL has that amp 75x2 for ch 1 & 2 while ch 3 & 4 is 150x2....typically a 4 ch amp has the same wattage. Are you running any x-overs to the mids/tweets?

He's running a DSP, its active bud....

If that is correct then the preamp on dsp shouldnt allow the JL amp to be at half or you would be clipping the f4ck out of your speakers.May want to look at how the gain is set on the helix dsp thru the software.

if you actually had more understanding of how pre-out voltages work, EQs affect pre-out voltage and the guy said he cut a lot of frequencies there for the pre-out voltage is A LOT less than you would expect. In an SQ tune, whatever you are used to in SPL logic/common assumptions like gain at half is "bad", you need to throw that out the window completely. Totally different world here filled with EQ cuts and steep crossover slopes.

Door components. Not expecting much from 2 8s but the front stage should be louder i feel

its the tune he did most likely, Sounds like he had to EQ down a lot of nasty frequencies which can make it seem like your setup is not loud because its not blaring and screwing up your ears with a peaky response. OR he didn't use the full output level of the dsp to compensate for the loss through EQ cuts.

What you can do is Increase the output level of the dsp or raise the gain, if any of the speaker sounds stressed or audio fidelity breaks up, that just means your JL amp is not making anywhere enough power to power your setup.

The zapco "Might" be okay for the tweeters. However I'd get something with at least 150 x 4 to 200 x 4 for the mids. Or a giant two channel that can put out 800 x 2 at 2 ohms for the mids. 130 x 4 for the tweeters would be better IMO as well. So if its not a gain issue, its a power issue and I would not go with tiny power upgrades at all when it comes to SQ and loudness. Mids and tweets need power to sound good and get loud. It doesnt matter what RMS the speaker is rated for... With proper high pass / lowpass or bandpass crossovers in place, they take A FK ton more than rated power.

 

[los33 10+ year member]

if you actually had more understanding of how pre-out voltages work, EQs affect pre-out voltage and the guy said he cut a lot of frequencies there for the pre-out voltage is A LOT less than you would expect. In an SQ tune, whatever you are used to in SPL logic, you need to throw that out the window completely.

It's never a dull moment here on CA.. Off one statement I made you assume what I know right?

Cutting out frequencies would not affect the output if it was tuned correctly with still keeping power curve intact for a nice loud output.

But thank you Jeff now that you are the main guy answering most if not all questions nowadays, you know everything and we are all moron's in car audio.

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

It's never a dull moment here on CA.. Off one statement I made you assume what I know right?
Cutting out frequencies would not affect the output if it was tuned correctly with still keeping power curve intact for a nice loud output.

But thank you Jeff now that you are the main guy answering most if not all questions nowadays, you know everything and we are all moron's in car audio.

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

lol i just felt like triggering someone xD I kinda knew this would happen

 

[los33 10+ year member]

lol i just felt like triggering someone xD I kinda knew this would happen

I bet you did, proves the obvious?
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[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

I bet you did, proves the obvious?
Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

yeah a lil buzzed from the bar with co workers, my bad man Was in a trolling mood.