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I used fuse #6 myself.
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Overlooked Subwoofer Problem(especially with hybrid)(Nerd Stuff)
- Thread starter rallyshark
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I'm still trying to get a good sound in this Maverick, hoping you guys can tell me if I'm heading in the right direction...
I have a 5 channel Kenwood amp currently just getting the signal straight from the stock head unit.
Kenwood components up front, Kicker full range rear, 10" Memphis sub under rear seat.
Originally was very dissatisfied with how the front speakers sounded. Bass from sub was just ok.
Found out about the flat EQ setting in Forscan, so did that.
The Flat EQ really woke up the front speakers unexpectedly! So much so that I really had to lower the high and mid settings on the radio EQ. Bass is probably the same, but sounds like less since the highs and mids are louder now. Bass is maxed out on the radio.
Do you guys think a DSP will level things out and increase the bass? You would think a "Flat EQ" setting would have done that. I'm looking at getting a couple kicker Keyloc's since they automate the tuning process. I don't listen to hard hitting bass music but I do like a good low end, powerful sound.
I have a 5 channel Kenwood amp currently just getting the signal straight from the stock head unit.
Kenwood components up front, Kicker full range rear, 10" Memphis sub under rear seat.
Originally was very dissatisfied with how the front speakers sounded. Bass from sub was just ok.
Found out about the flat EQ setting in Forscan, so did that.
The Flat EQ really woke up the front speakers unexpectedly! So much so that I really had to lower the high and mid settings on the radio EQ. Bass is probably the same, but sounds like less since the highs and mids are louder now. Bass is maxed out on the radio.
Do you guys think a DSP will level things out and increase the bass? You would think a "Flat EQ" setting would have done that. I'm looking at getting a couple kicker Keyloc's since they automate the tuning process. I don't listen to hard hitting bass music but I do like a good low end, powerful sound.
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- #63
Absolutely 1000% get a DSP of some sort! It will change everything for the better. Given your 5 channel setup a stand alone DSP would probably be best and it would give you full control over levels and tuning for your mids/highs and sub. If you were willing to go to key 200.4 and a 500.1, I'd say do that and lose the 5 channel amp if you don't want to play around with tuning too much. If you want to keep using your 5 channel amp, then go stand alone DSP. Imagine having a 15-31 band EQ for every channel that you can adjust to your liking. Now, imagine having that same EQ ability to tailor your bass the way you want. On top of all that you can individually control your channel levels, crossovers, phase, and delay. It would absolutely transform your sound.
It would allow you to get all of your levels in balance for sure. FWIW, my treble/mid/bass are all set in the middle. It sounds like you highs are just way more efficient than your sub, so being able to individually control the sound levels would help you tremendously. How are the gains on your amp setup? Cant you just turn down the gain for the 4 channel section to balance out the sound? You should be able to somewhat balance things out with the amp settings(unless it doesn't have individual settings). It still won't get you the sound a DSP will get you though. The DSP allows you to get rid of nasty peaks and dips in the sound, on top of all of the other control it gives you. I honestly wouldn't do a stereo using the factory headunit without a DSP. I hope that helps.
never, ever do that. doesn't matter what car, it's never the right move.
you have a huge spike at whatever the center frequency is, and it will be boomy. and if you play it loud and that range hits hard, that's how you blow speakers. but regardless, uneven frequency response with big peaks and valleys is pretty much the opposite of good sound.
Thanks for the tips. This is the 1st "modern" vehicle I ever tried to upgrade the stereo. In the past I would just install an aftermarket headunit that would provide decent preouts to use with an amp or 2. Things sounded good to me just using the headunit's adjustable settings. Not the case when having to keep the stock headunit for vehicle function. I probably don't have my gains set right. I can look or snap a photo tomorrow and report back. The amp has a gain for front, rear, and sub along with a variable HPF front and rear and variable for the sub. Think I have the front HPF at 70, rear HPF at 100, and sub LPF at 80. To be honest, a full blown DSP sounds intimidating with all the settings that would need to be manually set. That's why the Kicker Keyloc got my attention since it is advertised to get you the flat EQ curve through an automatic process. What about using the Kicker key 4 channel amp with my current amp just powering the sub? The Kenwood is rated at 50w x 4 and sub 300w @ 4ohm or 500w @ 2ohm. Just switched the sub to 2 ohms recently and it didn't help much.
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What kenwood component speakers are you running up front if you don't mind me asking? Thanks
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Do you have a gain or bass boost adjuster on your amp? Can you adjust or make sure your Subwoofer is getting proper power? A DSP will ensure your lows are going to your subwoofer, lows and mids for door speakers and your high FREQ are going to your tweeters, there are other ways to achieve this than a DSP.
I installed an hs10 kicker hideaway (it has a built in AMP and High LEVEL input with low pass thru) and I powered it straight from the 12v with a fuse and got audio input from the right and left rear speaker lines and it absolutely BUMPS. Like to the point where the gain halfway up is PLENTY of bass.
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Kenwood KFC-P710PS
Yes, have both a gain on the amp and remote sub dial in same location as yours. The dial is all the way up, but have to look into adjusting the gain on the amp.Do you have a gain or bass boost adjuster on your amp? Can you adjust or make sure your Subwoofer is getting proper power? I installed an hs10 kicker hideaway (it has a built in AMP and High FREQ input) and I powered it straight from the 12v with a fuse and got audio input from the right and left rear speaker lines and it absolutely BUMPS. Like to the point where the gain halfway up is PLENTY of bass.
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For Example, A crossover will take an audio signal and essentially separate highs and lows to make for a better sound. A DSP does this as well.. just added features along with it
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You could run crossovers or a DSP and I bet it would greatly improve your sound
My dial is halfway and I have the gain turned up about halfway on the built in amp for the sub.
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- #72
Given your reluctance to mess with a stand alone DSP, I'd say get full key setup honestly. Just get the 200.4 and the 500.1. That way, your sub and highs will be taken care for you by the key amps. The 500.1 will adjust the EQ for your bass and make it sound like it should. A lot of folks overlook the importance of having the sub frequencies leveled out. It really makes it sound so much better. It is simple and should provide a good improvement. It is a bit more money, but it is probably the easiest option.
I totally understand if you don't want to monkey around with a stand alone DSP. That isn't for everyone and requires some patience in most cases. You can get your levels better using the gains on your amp, but that still won't come close to what you'd get with a DSP of some sort. Yes, you could run a key 200.4 and use your Kenwood for the sub channel, but it wouldn't be the most efficient way of doing things, and you'd be missing out on sub DSP of the key 500.1. Just my 2 cents
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I think we might be overlooking something here. How is your input to the amplifier set up? Are you using high level inputs? Which speaker channels did you tap into? Are you using any type of line out converter? I think there's an issue between the source and the amp causing your problem.
How do you like them? I have the kfc-p71 set. They are the exact same as yours. Plus I have a set of the newly released pioneer ts-a653ch component set too. I haven't installed anything yet. Still debating which set to install. I'm favoring the pioneers because they were updated a few months back compared to the kenwoods which were first released about 6-7 years ago.
I'm not audiophile or anything, but I think the Kenwood's are a good budget option. I liked them enough to buy them a 2nd time. I have them in another vehicle and they sound real good in that setup. The Maverick I obviously don't have things worked out yet, so not fair to judge them yet. Another big reason I got them for the Maverick is they don't have a big, separate crossover. I was able to utilize the factory wiring because the inline crossover for the tweeters could just be fed in the dash from the tweeter mounting spots.
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