Volume decrease and distortion with new head unit and speakers at high volumes

[ogfallen]

Alright so yesterday I bought and installed some new speakers for my Chrysler 200 (2013). The car has a 6 speaker setup with four 6x9's in the front doors and rear deck (I got Infinity Reference 9633cf's) and two 3.5"s (Polk DB351's) in the dash. I've had an aftermarket head unit for a bit now (Kenwood DDx272) and i never had any problems with the factory speakers. Anyways, I play music fairly loud and I noticed that after about 15 minutes of playing music at a high volume, the speakers will all quickly become quiet and extremely distorted. I thought that maybe it could've been the 3.5's not being able to handle the bass in my music, so earlier i installed the bass blockers that came with the polk speakers. But to no avail, the same thing happened after the usual 15. I've searched around and found no answers on why this is happening. Is it my head unit doing this? Do I need an amplifier? Any help would be appreciated on this one, thanks guys.

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[Massive spl]

Sounds like your over working your HU... Get a 4ch amp on them speakers

 

[Kai Winters 10+ year member]

Factory speakers are generally far more efficient that most after market speakers meaning often the head unit's amp just can't do the same with after market speakers it can do with the factory speakers...just compare the magnet size, so small compared to the after market speakers.

As Massive spl says you're working the HU too hard. An amp is a good thing to add to your system.

 

[ogfallen]

alright thanks guys. so I need an amplifier. I'm kind of new to the car audio world so what would you recommend for a system like mine? I'm trying not to spend a ton of money but im def willing to get nice amp for the system. Who's a good manufacturer to buy an amp from?

 

[Massive spl]

Precision Power PPI i320.4 iON 320W 4-Channel Class-D Amplifier

Something cheap like this. Just a starter amp^ or u can get the bigger 900.4... Or if u wanna spend money u can get sundown,DD,DC,sound qube, twisted sounds, ampere audio etc...

 

[Boomin_tahoe 5,000+ posts]

Depends what your budget is, if there is one.

 

[ogfallen]

alright everyone thank you so much for the help so far. Massive, I took a look at your link and decided that I'll probably go with a Precision Power i520.4 since those infinity speakers apparently use 300 watts rms at peak. ? So I guess my final question is what kind of amplifier kit should i get? Could I grab somethin like this and be alright? again, thanks for all the help guys.

 

[ogfallen]

yeah I was hoping to get an amp and all the wires i need for under 150. I'm not experienced enough to know if that's a reasonable budget or not haha

 

[blazian87 10+ year member]

alright everyone thank you so much for the help so far. Massive, I took a look at your link and decided that I'll probably go with a Precision Power i520.4 since those infinity speakers apparently use 300 watts rms at peak. ? So I guess my final question is what kind of amplifier kit should i get? Could I grab somethin like this and be alright? again, thanks for all the help guys.

Never look at peak power. Most set of speakers can handle up to about 100w rms each side give or take. That PPI amp does 80x4 @ 2 ohms so you're right around where you need to be. It should be significantly louder and clearer than using your headunit to power your speakers. More headroom so you should be far less likely to distort and have volume decreases. For amp kits I would go for an 8 gauge amp kit OFC. There's companies like Sky high car audio or KnuKonceptz. There's many companies to choose from actually, but it shouldn't cost too much either way. Make sure to get some OFC wires, not CCA if you can. If you're planning to add a sub in the future though, you should prepare for that by getting a bigger amp kit. Otherwise you should be fine with that.

 

[ogfallen]

okay cool so i got that amp and a oxygen-free copper amp kit and it'll be here in the morning. then i'll probably spend all day hooking it up haha. thanks so much for all the info man.

 

---------- Post added at 11:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:59 PM ----------

 

thanks for helping me out everyone. I got an amp and will be installing it tomorrow night and ill update then. much love ♥

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

That 520.4 ion is a beast. For its size. I liked mines when i had it.

 

[Kai Winters 10+ year member]

Good for you.

It is not very hard when you take your time, know...basically...what your doing and think before just jumping in the water.

Take your time, read the instructions...before...you start. Think about where the amp is going to go, how the wires, cables, etc. are going to get there. Make sure you have a good ground for the amp. Don't forget the RCA cables from the head unit to the amp.

Run the wires, cables, etc. neatly and securely tied down so there are no problems down the road. Do it right the first time and there is no need for the second time.

Make sure all settings are correct and set at a neutral/off/zero level before starting. Set HP/LP to match the speakers/subs. Set gains to take advantage of the power but not to the point where you can get "carried away" and run the volume to the point where speaker damage can occur.

I've never had digital test gear to set the gains. I've used my ears and a test tone preferring to err on the side of a bit less gain than more. I set my gains, when I set them...the installer uses testing gear then we tweak as needed...so that if the volume is at max I'm not in a clipping situation. But that is how I've learned...I prefer test gear then tweaking.

Good luck and keep us informed.