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$3000 system sounds bad. Why?


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daffyduck 
Member - Posts: 5
Member spacespace
Joined: November 25, 2006
Posted: December 09, 2006 at 3:44 PM / IP Logged  

Finally got a new system installed yesterday, but it sounds worse than stock. I can't really explain what is so bad about it, it looks like mid bass is absent, middle-high range is too rough and sharp. Rap sounds more or less ok, but dance and especially rock are just awful. Bass guitair is not reproduced neither by subs nor by component speakers properly.

I feel like front/rear speakers should carry more mid-bass or something, yesterday I spent a few hours playing with deck equalizers and settings and can't do  much about it. Also mid range has some "metallic" tone in it, especially when playing MP3s with increased mid tones in equalizer, is this a crappy deck feature?

Here is the system in Prelude'92:

Deck: Pioneer MP7800

Front: JL XR650 CS

Rear: Some not-so-good 60w infinities

Subs: 2x10" JL W3v3

Amps: Alpine MRD-M1005, Alpine MRV-F345

coppellstereo 
Silver - Posts: 785
Silver spacespace
Joined: November 21, 2005
Location: United States
Posted: December 09, 2006 at 3:48 PM / IP Logged  
You just need to adjust your crossovers and some of the other settings.
it sounds 'metallic' bc you now have aluminum tweeters
DYohn 
Moderator - Posts: 10,741
Moderator spaceThis member has made a donation to the12volt.com. Click here for more info.spaceThis member has been recognized as an authority in Electrical Theory. Click here for more info.spaceThis member has been recognized as an authority in Mobile Audio and Video. Click here for more info.spacespace
Joined: April 22, 2003
Location: Arizona, United States
Posted: December 09, 2006 at 3:53 PM / IP Logged  
Proper setup and fine tuning can make most systems sound much better.  If you paid $3000 for this installation I hope it included some pretty nice custom work?  Also, any shop worth its salt who has just charged you $3K should help you tweak things to your liking before you leave...
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daffyduck 
Member - Posts: 5
Member spacespace
Joined: November 25, 2006
Posted: December 09, 2006 at 4:05 PM / IP Logged  

Can someone please suggest some "universal" crossover settings for such kind of system. For example rock bass guitar - where is it supposed to be , in subs or in speakers?

Also in my mother's nissan with its stock speakers and stock deck I hear much more mid bass from speakers, especially from rear ones. Are those better speakers or how to explain this? I would rather listen to that stock speakers than to this aluminium disaster.

3k it is not for installation but for everything, insluding install. Custom sub box is the only custom work here.

DYohn 
Moderator - Posts: 10,741
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Joined: April 22, 2003
Location: Arizona, United States
Posted: December 09, 2006 at 4:44 PM / IP Logged  
Again, a proper installation should include proper crossover setting, but as a generic answer, set your subwoofer LP to 80Hz and the main speaker HP to 80Hz.
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advanced_audio 
Copper - Posts: 170
Copper spacespace
Joined: July 07, 2006
Location: United States
Posted: December 09, 2006 at 5:27 PM / IP Logged  
That's disapointing. Sorry I would take it back to the shop and make them tune it to your liking. You just dropped 3 grand there. Make em do it right.
boulderguy 
Silver - Posts: 510
Silver spacespace
Joined: April 17, 2005
Location: United States
Posted: December 10, 2006 at 4:04 PM / IP Logged  
Yeah, these guys should be bending over backwards to make you happy on this. Well maybe not backwards, but they should be exhibiting some quality yoga at least.
Three things to check -
    external crossover settings on the front speakers.
    internal amp crossover settings.
    front door sealing/install quality.
Otherwise set your EQ in the headunit to flat on everything, including loudness. That setup should sound good w/o all that crap. If it doesn't it wasn't set up right from the shop.
Also make sure they didn't install bass blockers on the front/rear speakers. Who did the install? Was it a big box store like BestBuy?
daffyduck 
Member - Posts: 5
Member spacespace
Joined: November 25, 2006
Posted: December 10, 2006 at 4:49 PM / IP Logged  

Well, I was probably too frustrated when said that it sounds like crap. It sounds ok, but I don't like it. I already downloaded some sample tones, they all are present so it is not some technical issue, just some settings probably, which I can't find. I already tuned all possible deck's crossovers and equalizers and still can't make it sound as I like.

No it is not a big shop, actually I heard a lot of good feedback about them.

I will probably go there and ask them to turn off (or at least make them as wide as possible) amp crossovers so I can use deck crossovers and at least tune them easily

Also XR speakers have some "adjustable midrange presence" according to the manual with "high mid/normal/low mid" options, I will probably ask them to switch it to low mid as well. 

What about installing better rear coaxials, maybe it will add some mid bass? Their current sound presence is almost not existent.

boulderguy 
Silver - Posts: 510
Silver spacespace
Joined: April 17, 2005
Location: United States
Posted: December 10, 2006 at 8:23 PM / IP Logged  
Is it possible that the HU X-over is running as well as the amp X-over at competing frequencies?
The only other thought is door sealing. If you didn't do Dynamat or equiv. in the doors it's possible that holes in the doors are allowing the back speaker wave to come around & cancel out the front wave, thereby killing your midbass.
Last thought is are the speakers wired in-phase? Or is the sub wired out of phase?
advanced_audio 
Copper - Posts: 170
Copper spacespace
Joined: July 07, 2006
Location: United States
Posted: December 10, 2006 at 8:31 PM / IP Logged  
I think you should still take it back to the shop and have them tune it to your liking and maybe explain some of these things for you. There's nothing worse for a buisness to have a customer walk away unhappy, well at least an upstanding company. Take it back there you have spent good money with them and if it was me you would not leave until you were happy.
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