Subs Sound Funny

[Preston019 10+ year member]

I just installed a Kenwood X500-1 amp and 2 Kenwood KFC-XW10 10 inch subs in a prefab sealed bassworx box. I have a stock HU and I'm using a line-out convertor. I used an O-scope to set the gain and have the bass boost all the way down and the crossover set at ~100Hz.

My problem is that when I have the volume turned up about half-way to 5/8 on the HU, when the the music comes to some lower sustained notes, the subs don't seem to be very loud, and they sound sloppy. Sloppy as in you have a POS factory speaker and you turn the bass, on your head unit, all the way up and crank up the volume. But it sounds okay any other time.

The screws, that hold the subs in the box, a few of those aren't very tight because the holes have been somewhat stripped, could this be the problem?

Could it be that the crossover on the amp isn't set properly?

Also, the line-out convertor has adjustable levels and they're turned up about 3/4 of the way; could it be the LOC? I'm planning on eventually getting a better one that'll put out a better signal. I've used this LOC with a different amp, but had the LOC levels all the way up (it was also just one sub and a different one).

I've checked the resistance of both subs and each one is stable at ~4.1-4.3 ohms, so they're not blown.

I've checked the ground and all wires for the amp, all of those are good. I'm using 12 gauge speaker for the subs.

I'm lost on what to do; it sounds bad and I want to fix it. Any tips/advice on what to do?

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[MutantDreams 10+ year member]

I would guess that its the screws holding the sub in, that would also be the cheapest thing to check

 

[DoesDad 10+ year member]

Check the screws and the box for leaks. What is your amps low pass filter set at? Also invest in a new headunit as soon as possible. I've never liked the sound of a stock radio with an LOC. You'll notice a vast improvement immediately. And a good headunit isn't going to cost you much. Check the classifieds here. Should be able to get a good one for around 100-150 bucks.

 

[Preston019 10+ year member]

Check the screws and the box for leaks. What is your amps low pass filter set at? Also invest in a new headunit as soon as possible. I've never liked the sound of a stock radio with an LOC. You'll notice a vast improvement immediately. And a good headunit isn't going to cost you much. Check the classifieds here. Should be able to get a good one for around 100-150 bucks.

It's only 3 screws that won't tighten, how would I get them to tighten in the hole that's already there? The low pass is set at ~100Hz

I would get another HU, believe me, but the way it's set up, the rear console won't work without the factory HU. I know I could look at "Do I ever have passengers or go on trips that it would be handy?" But it seems kind of ghetto to me and I don't want a ghetto setup.

 

[LOUDNDEEP 10+ year member]

usually the stock head unit will cut bass output the higher you crank the volume to protect the stock speakers. once you get a decent head unit you may not have this problem anymore.

 

[jasonbillnelson 10+ year member]

and for the screws....I would re-drill holes. Pull out all screws, turn the subs left or right 1 inch, drill new holes and secure again for a tight fit.

 

[NIHL8ION]

Get yourself an audiocontrol LC8i or any other model of your choice for that matter, or a RF 3SIXTY if you want to retain your stock sound system and add amplifiers to a GOOD rca signal...

 

[Preston019 10+ year member]

Okay guys,

I fixed the screws on the subs (used t-nuts) and I made sure the box was air tight; that didn't work.

Next, I went and got an Audio Control LC2i, installed it, re-set the gain on my amp with an o-scope, and I'm still getting a sloppy bass.

I listened to the bass more carefully and noticed that the sloppy-sounding bass occurs at the higher bass frequencies when the volume is at about half-way. The low-pass filter is still set at ~100Hz, I've tried opening it up some more, but it still happens.

Could it just be distortion and I'm not actually setting the gains properly? Because if I have to turn the gain down, it already sounds somewhat quiet; I had a single 10" Kicker at 150 W RMS in a truck box, also had the fiber fill stuffing in it, and it was louder than these two subs I have now.

Could the box I have now be too small for these subs? Should I look into building my own custom box (I have a ton of space in my vehicle)? Should I just get a professional to tune my system?

I'm at a loss here, advice would be appreciated.

 

[Preston019 10+ year member]

Bump*