Sound suddenly hollow at certain volume?
Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Car Audio
Forum Discription: Car Stereos, Amplifiers, Crossovers, Processors, Speakers, Subwoofers, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=80825
Printed Date: October 31, 2024 at 6:27 PM
Topic: Sound suddenly hollow at certain volume?
Posted By: j84buick
Subject: Sound suddenly hollow at certain volume?
Date Posted: July 27, 2006 at 11:18 AM
I have a Alpine 9851 running a large 5 channel Alpine amp that is then driving a sub and component set. I also have a smaller amp running my rear 6.5's.
When I get to level 23 out of 35 on my head unit the sound goes dull. Highs are dramitically reduced and the sound goes hollow. Always at the same point, level 23.
The only way I can prevent this is to turn off the "BBE" setting which is very similar to the loudness button on older HUs. I have mine set to one out of three because it really enhances the music in most cases. If I turn off this setting I do not get the hollow sound at level 23. But the music quality suffers. To combat this I have turned up my amp very high to make the level 23 very close to the highest output my ears can take. I have played around with the gains and also removed the sub and rear speakers from the equation with no change.
Any ideas?
Replies:
Posted By: Flakman
Date Posted: July 27, 2006 at 11:32 AM
Also, if you mean by "turned up the amp" that you were turning up the gains, that is not the correct way to adjust your gains. You may need to simply adjust the gains properly to get the sound you are looking for as well...at least that should be your starting point, or one of them.
------------- The Flakman
I feel strange. I have deja vu and amnesia at the same time.
John | Manteca, CA
Posted By: j84buick
Date Posted: July 27, 2006 at 12:54 PM
Here is my system layout:
Alpine 9851 Head Unit
Alpine MRV-F450 5 Channel Amp
Kenwood 2 channel amp
Alpine SPX-177R Component Set - Bridged 1/2 & 3/4 of Alpine amp. Passive crossovers used with kit.
Stock Bose speakers (for now) rear - running off Kenwood amp at low level. Passive crossovers installed at speakers. 200s I believe.
10" Infinity M3d? Sub running on channel 5.
8GA Power and Ground & Monster cap.
This is a new car for me that had a system already installed other than the rear speakers were not turned on. I have installed many systems and this one looks to be a pretty good install. It was a professional install although a couple things I went through and fixed like the way certain things were mounted!
You make a good point about the amps. The installer bridged channels 1/2 and 3/4 to run the component set. I added the second amp to keep the power but get the flexibilitiy to tune the rears seperate from the rest. I could do all of this with this amp but I am afraid about backing off on the power to the component set at this point.
I am really suprised at the lack of highs in this car without cranking up the treble on the head unit. To combat this I have the component set crossed over around 175HZ but it is still pretty drab when my HU is flat. One question I do have is if my component set had crossovers built in should I disable the electronic crossovers at my amp for those channels?
Posted By: j84buick
Date Posted: July 27, 2006 at 12:58 PM
Flakman wrote:
Also, if you mean by "turned up the amp" that you were turning up the gains, that is not the correct way to adjust your gains. You may need to simply adjust the gains properly to get the sound you are looking for as well...at least that should be your starting point, or one of them.
I definately understand that. This system though had been trickier then the ones I have done in the past. You think you have it tuned and one day you find yourself out there again playing with it.
Posted By: vinspo
Date Posted: July 27, 2006 at 1:23 PM
The loudness function of the head unit is a low volume enhancement of the sound, most units defeat this function at mid volume to prevent distortion. If you are not happy with volume level without this function, then your amplifier is underpowered for your needs.
Posted By: j84buick
Date Posted: July 27, 2006 at 2:44 PM
I got ya but it doesn't really solve why my speakers go hollow even when the amp gains are at MIN and I still get that cut out at VOL 23.
I tore the door panels apart today messing around with the component set trying to figure out where my HIGHS are. Can someone tell me when the tweeter part of component set should sound like when I unhook the woofer? When I disconnect the speaker wire from the crossover that goes to my woofer the sound from the tweeter is horrible. Scratchy and really quiet. I verified the other side sounds the same. I am new to component sets but I have to believe that little tweater should be louder than a whisper.
Posted By: soultinter
Date Posted: July 27, 2006 at 3:50 PM
why would you "bridge" a single set of components across 4 channels?
Posted By: stevdart
Date Posted: July 27, 2006 at 6:05 PM
This installation needs to go back to square one. - If the 5 channel amp that you own does not supply enough power for the front components using just two channels, replace it with another amp. The fronts should be run at 4 ohm...right now the amp is running at 2 ohms and the quality is suffering because of it.
- Level 23 obviously doesn't sound good with the deck loudness on. Take the loudness function out of the equation altogether and set up your system to sound good without it. You can enhance midbass greatly by damping all the metal in the front doors and sealing them up. And the speaker must be mounted solidly with no leaks around it.
- After setting up proper amplification and leaving deck enhancers out of it, set gains "by the book". You can ask about it here.
- If you still don't like the sound of your front components, replace them after doing some serious listening tests at some retailers.
- And, unhook the Bose rears. It would be best to take them out and dispose of them properly. If you want the rears for fill, buy a set of 4 ohm coaxials for that task and fade them down.
------------- Build the box so that it performs well in the worst case scenario and, in return, it will reward you at all times.
Posted By: neuspeedvenom
Date Posted: July 27, 2006 at 9:06 PM
I have type x speakers installe on my ford and i have it as a 3 way system with the 6 1/2 17mb type x and they sound like if i had a sub on the car. i also have them on the rear. i have them running from a alpine mrv-f545. i havnt even tuned the crossovers on them nor on the amp itself and they sound loud enough at 15 that you can hear from outside the car even after dynamating. i do have a 1g wire setup though, dont know if that made the difference.
------------- Ford Mustang Cobra
Posted By: j84buick
Date Posted: July 27, 2006 at 10:04 PM
I hear ya loud and clear stevdart. Thanks for the reply.
First thing I did tonight is to put my components on channels 1 & 2. To my pleasure I found no power loss but I think it sounds better. So we are running at 4 ohms now. No idea why the installer would do that.
I planned on replacing the crappy bose speakers soon so I will be getting new ones this weekend. I also need some Y cables for the RCAs and I will pick those up too.
Any concerns about being able to run the components & the rear 6.5"s on the my amp (sub will be on channel 5)? That would be the simplest setup andI think I should have enough power. Then I could drop my old trusty kenwood 2 channel and passive crossovers for the rear since the Alpine amp has electronic ones built in.
After testing my system during driving tonight I seem to have brought in a little alternator whine... ugh, I will be troubleshooting that also this weekend. Although I don't understand where I could have picked it up. I did not change anything major other than at the amp... No power or ground changes.
Posted By: killer sonata
Date Posted: July 27, 2006 at 10:13 PM
My question to you is why you are using a cap? iI bet if you upgrade your big 3 you can do away with the crap, i mean cap. lol
------------- "People with mullets live 40% longer" - Ricky Bobby
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