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Thread: Underwhelmed after 4 speaker install

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    Underwhelmed after 4 speaker install

    Just put 4 new speakers (these) in tonight. I was hoping to improve the overall sound quality.

    The sound is much worse. The highs are better, but the lows are really bad. When cranked, the speakers hardly move.

    I was actually impressed by the sound of the stock speakers, but the ones I've bought should be quite better. I'm a bit stumped. It's possible that it's the amp, but how could the amp have made the stock whizzer cones sound relatively good?

    Any idea of what's going on here and if there is any fix? The way I bought these speakers would make it pretty much impossible to return, and buying a new head unit isn't an option...if I can't improve it then I'm just gonna put the stock ones back in, sell the Kenwoods, and cut my losses.



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    Moderator inuvik's Avatar
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    How many ohms are the kenwoods and what was their db efficiency?

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        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 automatic: 40.5 mpg (US) ... 17.2 km/L ... 5.8 L/100 km ... 48.6 mpg (Imp)


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    Senior Member Cobrajet's Avatar
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    The one thing that 'whizzer cone' speakers have going for them is that they essentially turn the door into a sealed speaker enclosure. When you go to two-ways or any other speaker that is open in the middle, this is what happens.

    Your bass goes to hell. Before, the speaker was acting as a tiny subwoofer, and the door was a sealed subwoofer box. This actually provides quite a bit of bass response on it's own. A lot of people put in supposedly better speakers and lose this effect.

    Further, stock speakers have small magnets which are easily driven by the small amount of power the stock deck puts out. Aftermarket speakers have much larger magnets, and normally require more power to put out the same amount of sound. The upside, of course, is that with more power you can push aftermarket speakers much farther than the stock ones could go.

    I almost never install aftermarket speakers without subs for just this reason.

    Stock speakers usually require between 5-10 watts RMS. Aftermarket speakers are usually rated for between 20-50 watts RMS. If your deck only puts out 10 watts RMS, it simply can't drive the larger speakers well enough to produce good sound.

    Power in----power out.
    Last edited by Cobrajet; 11-08-2015 at 06:23 AM.

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    laceygirl (11-08-2015),nickpon (11-08-2015),Wayne (12-09-2018)

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    You need -25-50hr for speakers to burn in. We installed 2 pairs of these: http://car-speakers-review.toptenrev...rs-review.html and they are huge improvement over stock. 4-way version was $45/pair at walmart.

    Also OEM radio is very mediocre, you need external or USB source to take advantage.

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        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 46.4 mpg (US) ... 19.7 km/L ... 5.1 L/100 km ... 55.7 mpg (Imp)


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    Quote Originally Posted by cyclopathic View Post
    Also OEM radio is very mediocre, you need external or USB source to take advantage.
    Are you talking about how strong it pulls the signal in? I've noticed a big volume difference when I switch from Radio (quieter) to USB (louder). That would make sense.

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        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 44.1 mpg (US) ... 18.7 km/L ... 5.3 L/100 km ... 52.9 mpg (Imp)


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    Quote Originally Posted by wellswebdesign View Post
    Are you talking about how strong it pulls the signal in? I've noticed a big volume difference when I switch from Radio (quieter) to USB (louder). That would make sense.
    yes. Makes big difference.

    New speakers will get gradually better after 10hr and will be improving for another 40 or so. Also put treble to 0 and +1-2 bass, that is usually close linear response. If bass or treble overdone it makes speakers sound harsh or boommy. New speakers are not necessarily louder, but if they cleaner you can listen to music at higher volume without hurting eardrums.

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        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 46.4 mpg (US) ... 19.7 km/L ... 5.1 L/100 km ... 55.7 mpg (Imp)


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    Thanks for all the responses. I'm going to see if they improve until I get the chance to swap them again. If they improve I'll keep them in, but I don't think that will happen.

    I'll also contemplate getting a new amp, which I want anyway, but I think I'll end up having to sell the speakers. I'm on a budget!

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    Senior Member Cobrajet's Avatar
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    Some burn-in time will certainly help, but I think your main problem here is that the speakers are simply being under-driven.

    It is also very important to make sure you have the wiring polarities correct. Positive-to-positive and negative-to-negative on each speaker. If one or more are reversed...which is easy to do...they will all sound like crap.

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    http://www.audiocheck.net/soundtests_headphones.php

    Above is a link to various audio tests. Check it out there is a polarity test also frequently response, etc. Useful for troubleshooting and tuning setup good luck.

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        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 46.4 mpg (US) ... 19.7 km/L ... 5.1 L/100 km ... 55.7 mpg (Imp)


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    Thanks, Cobrajet. The connectors are different sizes for positive and negative, so they're dummy-proof.

    And thanks for the link, cyclopathic.



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