infinity kappa perfect 6.1 bass question.

I just recently installed kappa perfect 6.1 in my scion xb.  I am using an alpine 9831 head unit, and I have a 4 channel alpine amp, that puts out only 40 watts per channel.  When I have the hpf set at 80hz on my head unit, everything sounds super clear, there just isnt that much bass, and I dont have subs, so I really would like more bass until I do.  With the filter off, The highs remain perfectly clear as I turn the volume up, but once i get to a somewhat loud volume and its putting out a lot of bass, it appears to be distorted on the midrange speakers.  My doors are dynmatted.  What kind of settings could I do on my amp/head unit to make the bass sound less distorted.  The amp is an Alpine MRP-F240.  Again its not the most powerful amp, but it should be able to put out enough bass and not distort.

Sorry tbone, you simply can't get much bass out of 6" drivers. Keep the hpf on until you buy a sub. Also, unless you are clipping the amplifier, the distortion you're hearing isn't from the amplifier it is from your speakers. You're asking them do to something they weren't meant to do. You're pushing them past their comfortable excursion limits. The speakers are producing distortion. Either way, clipping the amp, or simply bottoming out the speakers, you're harming them. Stop harming them. :-) Buy a sub or live with the hpf. New Project: 2003 Pathfinder

What does clipping the amp mean?  Also what does the lpf do?  Is it all component sets in general that the drivers arent meant to put out much bass?  I mean with the filter on it sounds amazingly clear at any volume.  I just dont understand.

Your system is working perfectly.  HPF = high pass filter, which blocks the sound frequencies below the setting (this is your bass.)  LPF = low pass filter, which blocks the frequencies above the setting (this is used for subs.)  Your components are designed to produce the best sound with a HPF set to between 80 and 100 Hz.  This means they will not produce much if any bass.  You will need a subwoofer to cover the bass frequencies.  If you turn off the filter and run the components full range, this is also fine, but they will not be able to handle high volumes in the bass and lower midrange frequencies.Support the12volt.com

Yup. We understand, you just discovered why people shell out the extra money for a sub: high volume, low frequencies, and 6.5" speakers don't mix. Either turn the hpf on or don't turn them up. Heavy amounts of distortion harms speakers. There are some very affordable amp / sub solutions if you're willing to work a bit to find them. Check out older stuff on ebay.New Project: 2003 Pathfinder

You probably run those Diamonds with a high pass filter though, right? Any 6.5" speaker, even those much much more expensive than the Hex, will distort when pushed. New Project: 2003 Pathfinder

Yeah if you mat the doors totally...it should help a bit.I need quality equipment, feel free to donate.