Not loud enough

[broncoupe]

I have a system in my 03 mini which i like

It has enough Bass but the front end is not loud enough.

To be fair its loud to most people

on JL software on my iphone its shows 116.1 db

Im just after that bit more

Any ideas please on what i can do

My equipment

Alpine CDE 195 BT

1x JL XD 400

1x JL XD 300

1x Competition Pioneer 6.5" Components

1x Competition Pioneer 6x9s

1x 10" JL Custom mini box

system setup using a DD1+ 5db overlap on 4 channel amp

10 db overlap on Sub amp

thanks

Click to read more...

 

[The Camry]

I have a system in my 03 mini which i likeIt has enough Bass but the front end is not loud enough.

To be fair its loud to most people

on JL software on my iphone its shows 116.1 db

Im just after that bit more

Any ideas please on what i can do

My equipment

Alpine CDE 195 BT

1x JL XD 400

1x JL XD 300

1x Competition Pioneer 6.5" Components

1x Competition Pioneer 6x9s

1x 10" JL Custom mini box

system setup using a DD1+ 5db overlap on 4 channel amp

10 db overlap on Sub amp

thanks

raise your gain on your mid amp

 

[broncoupe]

I'm confused i thought by using the DD1 i have adjusted the gain and the added 5db of overlap

My Alpine head unit plays clean until 30 out of 35.

I was thinking maybe a bigger amp or more powerful front speakers

if i turn the gain up surely the speakers will just blow through distortion have them crossed at 80 Hz

and a 12 db slope which can increase upto 24 db

i tried running the front speakers bridged but the treble became harsh which i think is a sign they were being over driven ?

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

I'm confused i thought by using the DD1 i have adjusted the gain and the added 5db of overlapMy Alpine head unit plays clean until 30 out of 35.

I was thinking maybe a bigger amp or more powerful front speakers

if i turn the gain up surely the speakers will just blow through distortion have them crossed at 80 Hz

and a 12 db slope which can increase upto 24 db

i tried running the front speakers bridged but the treble became harsh which i think is a sign they were being over driven ?

You should use your ears to set gains if your goal is music. I'd agree though, if it starts sounding harsh that's a good sign something is being over-driven.

So can your mids hang with a bigger amp or do your mids need more power? Can you come up with better locations for your fronts? Often times stock locations are just dreadful and mounting in a kick panel or custom pods in the doors can make a dramatic difference.

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

I'm confused i thought by using the DD1 i have adjusted the gain and the added 5db of overlapMy Alpine head unit plays clean until 30 out of 35.

I was thinking maybe a bigger amp or more powerful front speakers

if i turn the gain up surely the speakers will just blow through distortion have them crossed at 80 Hz

and a 12 db slope which can increase upto 24 db

i tried running the front speakers bridged but the treble became harsh which i think is a sign they were being over driven ?

DD-1 is useless. Its passive gain setting which is garbage. You need to actually man up and start really monitoring your system rather than being lazy about it. No one gain setting fits all. Every music is recorded differently and you need to give special attention to every track which means different volume level, sub level etc.. Your head unit volume directly affects the pre-out voltage so thats your mini gain adjustment up front.

Everyone either clips with the DD-1 or like the majority of all the cases... PIGEONHOLED out of lots of output.

 

[broncoupe]

Just asking for a bit of advice you guys seem to build massive systems

Im looking for straight answers

if you think i need a new amp or components why not just say

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

Just asking for a bit of advice you guys seem to build massive systems Im looking for straight answers

if you think i need a new amp or components why not just say

straight answer is set the gain properly, fk the dd-1 its fking you over.

however it just seems like you want someone to say what you want to hear rather than what's best.

 

[broncoupe]

Thanks for that

I have always set my gains as you say by ear bought the DD1+

as a check

when i first checked it it showed that by ear it has a 10 db over lap on my

components

just was a bit surprised at how it improved by Bass amp gain

Was thinking todo door builds with 2 x 6.5 drivers in the front doors

do you think this will give me the increase in volume im looking for

 

[cfox10 10+ year member]

A lot of factors here to consider...

First of all what isn't 'loud enough' to you?

Does it not have the midbass you're looking for?

Are the tweeters loud enough?

What kind of treatment have you done to your door panels?

Do you have one or the other wired out of phase? Try it.

You can use the DD1 to get into the ballpark, but I'd suggest really getting to know your drivers and listen to the highest quality media you can. Get yourself a LC1 or similar and adjust on the fly.

You have a very mild to moderate sub stage by some of todays standards, you shouldn't be fatiguing the front stage.

Perhaps you could pick up a cheap Dayton Mic and run some tests to see what areas you're lacking in.

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

Thanks for that I have always set my gains as you say by ear bought the DD1+

as a check

when i first checked it it showed that by ear it has a 10 db over lap on my

components

just was a bit surprised at how it improved by Bass amp gain

Was thinking todo door builds with 2 x 6.5 drivers in the front doors

do you think this will give me the increase in volume im looking for

Look i know how loud those pioneers can actually get, if you cant get them loud, means you are doing something wrong. adding more crap wont help at all if theres something fundamentally wrong with the setup and install.

 

[LoudSound]

what's your gain set to on the amps? what's the preout voltage on the HU? if the gain is set lower than need be(higher voltage setting), amps will

i believe those JLs are SQ amps. I believe 116db sounds about right with a 94db/1w/1m speaker on 75watts.

vibro dampening doors is a must for midbass, do the outer door panel and block off the panel with all the holes. try stuffing the doors with some old clothes it might help a bit too.

How are the speaker crossovers set? I believe when you focus the speaker on a certain frequency it can get louder.

Finally, if you're not happy with your speakers I can suggest skipping car speakers and going for those 8s with custom door cards

 

[broncoupe]

So basically i have spent all day playing

The car is inphase most of the "not right sound" was caused by the addition of a pair of 6x9s in factory rear location (side panels)

They caused a phasing problem with the sub maybe because the sub its a JL enclosure for the mini

It fires into the side panel rather than the boot you cant turn it around

i think when the bass collided inside the metal with the 6x9s it cancelled out or just messed up

it also had an effect on the front speakers really odd but all now sorted

Now the sound is clear and punchy

Just maxed out around 117db which i can still shout over

So i would like to go to the next level need to retain a 10 in that enclose maybe up the amp or start again with a new 10 and amp

I have an original Diamond macdaddy 10 do you think this would play louder with the correct amp

Car is dynamatted in doors and rear panels

i use it for work so builds would be front doors only

 

[dbjunior 10+ year member]

Most phone mics max around 120db so not sure how accurate the reading is. If you want louder id recommend a stronger midrange like the prv 6mr500 ndy-4 bridge the 4ch and run those plus get a 2ch and run your tweeters with that. The prv can run high so the tweets can be crossed high. This should give you a decent bump in output. If thats not enough multiple speakers and a big 2ch will be needed.