Problem with Phoenix Gold RSD6.5cs

[cichlid_baby 10+ year member]

Okay.. so I installed the Phoenix Gold RSD 6.5 component set into my tahoe up front in the doors. I just swapped out the factory paper drivers and tweeters out and put the RSD's in their place.. still just using the power from the just stock factory head unit. All other stock speakers still in their place.

It was like night and day difference. I was so amazed at the sound and newly found bass but could tell that the radio was distorting at moderate levels so I took it easy on the speakers.

Indeed, I was very impressed considering the price point for these RSD's weren't going to break any banks... and from all the reviews, I couldn't wait to get my new Alpine 9886 installed along with a 4 channel amp so I could power them up properly.

Well.. today I finally got all the wiring ran through the truck and even installed the 9886. I disconnected all of the speakers except for the RSD's in the front doors.

I grabbed my old PPI PCX-480 which puts out 80 watts X 4 at 4 ohms. Hook her up to power the RSD's to the front channels stereo. Turned the gain on my amp all the way down and crossovers set to full-pass, went to the head unit to make sure the settings were all flat. Turned up the volume on the head unit to 28 out of 35 max and proceeded to the amp to turn up the gain just a bit not even a quarter turn just so I could see what the speakers could do.

To my disappointment, it seemed as though the speakers sounded like they were going to die. Instead of sounding like waking up with the added power, they sounded so horrible like they couldn't handle it.

I rechecked all my wiring and made sure everything was in phase.

Are they RSD's not able to handle good power at all?

What am I overlooking?

Remember that I don't have any other speakers or subs hooked up yet.

Click to read more...

 

[Side Show 10+ year member]

have you got the HPF set to 80 an above on the headunit? or are you sending your front speakers full range?

 

[kentb 10+ year member]

and also maybe you should try putting deadening on your doors?

im running 100+ RMS on mine and they are sounding really good

 

[cichlid_baby 10+ year member]

have you got the HPF set to 80 an above on the headunit?

I am not sure I can even do that on this head unit nor do I know how to do it? It's an Alpine 9886. All I have been able to play with is the bass level, treble level and fade.. just the usual stuff. If that is all this head unit can do than it is going right back to Best Buy.

I thought it would have more features but my wife wanted the rat tail USB.

have you got the HPF set to 80 an above on the headunit? or are you sending your front speakers full range?

I am sending Full Range to the speakers. They should be able to handle that work right? They are supposed to be a full range set.

Why did they sound better on the stock radio with less power?

 

[BeAlLsTaR13 10+ year member]

maybe its the amp? maybe it has shytty power? lol idk.. im giving 80-100 rms per side to mine, i melted the tweeters and crossovers, one tweet blew and the other got hot enough to boil water on it, switched the rsd tweets for DD tweets, crossovers still get hot but not as bad so i dunno, ive heard of different problems with each RSD set

my guess is crappy amp power/signal but thats just me, did you try another amp?

 

[Brian_smith06 10+ year member]

try setting them to play no lower than 80hz. it'll sound much better. not all speakers can handle being played that low

 

[cichlid_baby 10+ year member]

try setting them to play no lower than 80hz. it'll sound much better. not all speakers can handle being played that low

How do I go about doing that with this head unit and amp combo? I'd like to try to fool around with it again tomorrow.

So I am assuming that the RSD's can not take a full range signal when amped?

 

[BeAlLsTaR13 10+ year member]

So I am assuming that the RSD's can not take a full range signal when amped?

mine can, easily.. i just have my amp set to HPF and not full, i think it sounds better personally

 

[Brian_smith06 10+ year member]

i wont be able to tell you that for a couple weeks. im putting my alpine deck in, in 2 weeks so as of now i dont remember how their menu's are.

 

[cichlid_baby 10+ year member]

So I am assuming that the RSD's can not take a full range signal when amped?

mine can, easily.. i just have my amp set to HPF and not full, i think it sounds better personally

Huh ????? Doesn't that mean it's no longer a Full Range signal?

 

[BeAlLsTaR13 10+ year member]

Huh ????? Doesn't that mean it's no longer a Full Range signal?

yes, im saying mine can run at full range, however i just prefer not to, i had them set to full, but realized i liked it better on HPF rather than full, they sounded fine full but just put it on HPF to see how it sounded and liked it better and kept it there ever since

 

[justins3422 10+ year member]

Components wont play down past 80hz very well set your HIGH PASS to 80hz

 

[cichlid_baby 10+ year member]

Components wont play down past 80hz very well set your HIGH PASS to 80hz

Okay.. I will try this tomorrow morning.. set the amp cross-over on the front channels to High Pass.

But how do I adjust the frequency to 80hz? Do I need some kind of meter or something so I will know when I am at 80hz instead of 90hz or 100hz.. etc.

or is it all just a guess.

 

[cichlid_baby 10+ year member]

Okay.. so spent the last two day fine tuning the amp/cross-overs. Every thing sounds 100 times better, although I am not getting the kind of mid bass I was expecting nor does the set get loud enough.

If I turned down the frequency to the lower ranges, the driver would start to muddy up and sometimes even pop. It appears it can't handle it.

If I turned up the gain to try and get more volume, the speakers would break up and distort.

Lookes like these things can't handle the extra power either.

FYI.. just go back from Ultimate Electronics and listened to some Rockford Fosgates (forgot what model they were but they were like $349 a set) and had them on with the Alpine PDX-4.150 (150 watts per ch) and they got plenty loud without any of the distortion I was getting from the RSD's in my tahoe.

Both were tested with the same Alpine 9886 head unit.

What gives?

Do I need better components? or am I doing something wrong here?

 

[anibal 10+ year member]

Like the guys said, either you need to dampen your doors with some material like dynamat, fatmat, Hushmat, secondskin etc...

or

set your gains properly and crossover frequency on the amp to 80hz.

Also it is hard to compare the speakers between the store display in a sturdy baffle vs your truck doors. search around some for door dampening etc...