New setup doesn't sound too great....

[dgreen2321 10+ year member]

I recently purchased and installed PG RSD's comps in the front. I have an Alpine PDX 2.150 powering them. The HU I'm using is the new Pioneer AVH P4000. I also have a Kicker 10" CVR being powered by a Blaupunkt amp. But it's the comps I'm having issues with.

The speakers really don't sound as great as I thought and not much better than the stock comps (which were 4", the PG's being 6.5") in my Lexus SC300 being ran by the HU amp. I can't crank the volume up to even close to where I thought I'd be able to. I have the gain set a little less than half way (any more and it distorts). The volume on my HU goes up to 40 and the music starts getting distorted at 28-30, which really isn't loud and is what I normally listen to music at. I have my iPod directly connected to the HU and use MP3's ( most have pretty high bit rates) but even CD's don't sound great and the loudness is lackluster. Did I do something wrong or are these speakers just bad. I might as well just put the stock comps back in because they really don't sound that much worse. Is the phase off or something? Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

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[jbizzle 5,000+ posts]

Make sure your wipers are working

 

[jagblazer01 10+ year member]

i have the same headunit....you probably need a line driver b/c that unit only has 2v pre-outs

 

[J31Rob 5,000+ posts]

i have the same headunit....you probably need a line driver b/c that unit only has 2v pre-outs

.....so? 2v pre-outs = shitty sound?

i don't think so. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fyi.gif.9f1f679348da7204ce960cfc74bca8e0.gif

 

[jbizzle 5,000+ posts]

My headunit only has 2v preouts and my shit sounds amazing

 

[TurdFergueson2 5,000+ posts]

I recently purchased and installed PG RSD's comps in the front. I have an Alpine PDX 2.150 powering them. The HU I'm using is the new Pioneer AVH P4000. I also have a Kicker 10" CVR being powered by a Blaupunkt amp. But it's the comps I'm having issues with.
The speakers really don't sound as great as I thought and not much better than the stock comps (which were 4", the PG's being 6.5") in my Lexus SC300 being ran by the HU amp. I can't crank the volume up to even close to where I thought I'd be able to. I have the gain set a little less than half way (any more and it distorts). The volume on my HU goes up to 40 and the music starts getting distorted at 28-30, which really isn't loud and is what I normally listen to music at. I have my iPod directly connected to the HU and use MP3's ( most have pretty high bit rates) but even CD's don't sound great and the loudness is lackluster. Did I do something wrong or are these speakers just bad. I might as well just put the stock comps back in because they really don't sound that much worse. Is the phase off or something? Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

Try a regular cd. One that was not a bunch of MP3s. The compression might be the issue. And Pioneers usually have a ton of settings. Loudness might be off, or EQ is set to flat.

 

[dgreen2321 10+ year member]

i have the same headunit....you probably need a line driver b/c that unit only has 2v pre-outs

No it's got 4v pre-outs. I think your thinking of a different HU.

 

[dgreen2321 10+ year member]

Try a regular cd. One that was not a bunch of MP3s. The compression might be the issue. And Pioneers usually have a ton of settings. Loudness might be off, or EQ is set to flat.

I have Loudness on Mid and I usually put the EQ on the custom setup I created or Powerful. I have tried normal CD's also.

 

[Louisiana_CRX 5,000+ posts]

good chance it may be a phase problem...one of the +- leads may be crossed on the comps...most likely input from amp to passive crossover

 

[BEAVER.989 10+ year member]

Are your doors sound deadened? Where are the tweeters mounted? Have you tried reversing the polarity of anything, yet?

 

[dgreen2321 10+ year member]

Are your doors sound deadened? Where are the tweeters mounted? Have you tried reversing the polarity of anything, yet?

No, my doors aren't deadend, but the road noise on the car isn't that bad in the first place and I don't drive on the highway that much. The tweeters are mounted were the stock tweeters were mounted, in the first pillar in the front of the car pointing at me.

As for polarity. The PDX's speaker inputs don't specify which side is negative or postive, so I just played around with those and one way seems to be better. But I have not taken the doors apart and played with the crossovers or anything. I don't think that would be the problem though because it's clearly labeled on the speakers and crossover what the postive and negative inputs are.

 

[Hintzyboy 5,000+ posts]

No, my doors aren't deadend, but the road noise on the car isn't that bad in the first place and I don't drive on the highway that much. The tweeters are mounted were the stock tweeters were mounted, in the first pillar in the front of the car pointing at me.
As for polarity. The PDX's speaker inputs don't specify which side is negative or postive, so I just played around with those and one way seems to be better. But I have not taken the doors apart and played with the crossovers or anything. I don't think that would be the problem though because it's clearly labeled on the speakers and crossover what the postive and negative inputs are.

That is the problem right there. Deadening is not for road noise in this case. You need deadening whenever you install aftermarket speakers. How can you expect great results when you do a shitty install?

 

[dgreen2321 10+ year member]

That is the problem right there. Deadening is not for road noise in this case. You need deadening whenever you install aftermarket speakers. How can you expect great results when you do a shitty install?

Yeah, I've heard deadening helps a lot, but in this case, I don't think that lack of it is the problem. I think it's the speakers or something I did wrong. I can just tell that the quality is bad. I don't know, I'm probably wrong here but this is just the way it sounds to me. Wish I had a friend who was really into car audio (they are just into buying crappy subs).

 

[Hintzyboy 5,000+ posts]

Yeah, I've heard deadening helps a lot, but in this case, I don't think that lack of it is the problem. I think it's the speakers or something I did wrong. I can just tell that the quality is bad. I don't know, I'm probably wrong here but this is just the way it sounds to me. Wish I had a friend who was really into car audio (they are just into buying crappy subs).

The RSDs are great speakers, especially for the money. They have tons of great reviews. If they don't sound good, you messed up. And I don't care what you think, you NEED to deaden your doors. It doesn't just help, it is necessary. A half-*** install will never yield good results.

 

[Brian_smith06 10+ year member]

The RSDs are great speakers, especially for the money. They have tons of great reviews. If they don't sound good, you messed up. And I don't care what you think, you NEED to deaden your doors. It doesn't just help, it is necessary. A half-*** install will never yield good results.

x2 do a layer of deadening, then a layer of some closed cell, and possible a deflex pad behind the mid. results will amaze you promise