Poor sound quality *HELP*

[someguy]

Hi All.

Bit dissapointed.

Just installed a new sound system in the L Series with Dynamat in the doors.

Installed:
1x Pioneer USB Head Unit (Can't remember the model but it was a pretty powerful one)
2x Sony Xplod 260W 6" Speakers
1x Kit of Dynamat on both the driver and passenger doors.


With all this new equipment it all sounds pretty dull compared to my brothers completely stock Gen II Lib setup.

I have set the head unit up properly (correct amount of bass, treble etc etc) and applied dynamat both behind the door panel and inside the door itself.

And just get pretty average sound quality and the doors still rattle like all hell with bass.

Can anyone share some ideas on what to try to improve it abit.

Spend about $5-600 all up and overall am pretty dissapointed that both my brothers stock lib setup and my mates stock magna sounds so much crisper and clearer.

[Mick2642]

What do you mean by 'correct levels' of Bass and Treble, not forgetting your head unit may even have a Midrange adjustment? Try putting the Bass, Mid, and Treble to zero, and then turning off any other sound enhancers/loudness on the head unit, then listen to what it sounds like. If it still sounds dull, increase the treble a bit. If it still sounds a little dull even with max. treble then another thing to check is if the phase is correct, i.e, you haven't got your positive and negative wires crossed.

And also very important, don't use any of that doof doof or deathmetal shit to test the sound, (like most idiots my age). Use some real music, and hit up some Pink Floyd, or some such similar audio-goodness.

[vincentvega]

your brothers gen2 has factory front splits. mounting hte tweeters up high like this adds hugely to sound quality in my opinion.

I dont rate xplod speakers at all. what model are they. put up a link if you can.

my stereo install test track is dire straits - money for nothing Sounds awesome on a good system

[Alex]

yeh you failed buying sony...the deck is okay.

dynamat works awesome if used correctly...unfortunately itll never make a poor set of speakers sound good.

also have you upgraded the speaker cable? this makes a large difference also as the stock wiring is pathetic.

[sven '2']

How have you mounted your speakers? Screwed in the metal, or mounted on the plastic door trim?

MDF speaker support is the gold standard - doors are a horrific environment for a speaker to have to work in.

Dynamat as mentioned is great, but is no substitute for fixing all the worn mechanisms that exist in a car door.

Speaking of wiring, ensure the 12V power lead to the deck is reasonable - the OME one is not unless you are running a separate amp.

Sven

PS: my test tracks are Enter The Sandman, Wish You Were Here & a live acoustic version of Black - whatever you use, is important it has range and is relevant to your ear

[tex]

How have you mounted your speakers? Screwed in the metal, or mounted on the plastic door trim?

MDF speaker support is the gold standard - doors are a horrific environment for a speaker to have to work in.

Dynamat as mentioned is great, but is no substitute for fixing all the worn mechanisms that exist in a car door.

Speaking of wiring, ensure the 12V power lead to the deck is reasonable - the OME one is not unless you are running a separate amp.

Sven

PS: my test tracks are Enter The Sandman, Wish You Were Here & a live acoustic version of Black - whatever you use, is important it has range and is relevant to your ear

As mentioned you may need to turn your levels down turn the bass as low as it will go then try your other levels if have used the mounting screws and wires the speakers come with then your off to a bad start! I use 2.5mm cables to my speakers and they sound awesome without even dynamat. Start from there and we will work it out also try and find where the rattles are coming from!

[someguy]

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone.

Ended up running new speaker wire as it was still running the original wiring which was pretty terrible.

Also used some new screws in my MDF speaker mounts which toned down some of the rattling.

Seems the windows being pillarless are a little rattly but not much I can do about that.

[sven '2']

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone.

Ended up running new speaker wire as it was still running the original wiring which was pretty terrible.

Also used some new screws in my MDF speaker mounts which toned down some of the rattling.

Seems the windows being pillarless are a little rattly but not much I can do about that.

Think you find the rattles come from the window mechanism (plastic bushes wear with age) or the roller guides for the glass or more likely both

[tex]

Also if its like my new brumby the window doesn't go up far enough so moves in the frame, So compare it to the other ones and where it sits in the rubbers!