Car audio help/recommendations....

I have a 2k1 ford focus and i have infinitys in all doors. I have two 10" infinitys in the trunk with a sony 760watt amp. The headunitis here.
My question is what can i do to make it sound better? It seems the bass drowns the speakers and the speakers only go so high before distortion. Today i got a 4 channel amp with a built in crossover for it link to amp i got today.
Will this amp be part of the solution? I spent $270 on this and wiring today and still can return it. I was just going to get this an a 3 way crossover, is this the way i should go? Any suggestions would be highly appreciated. Im pretty happy with the bass right now so i want to get the other speakers to the best it can be (and i can afford). I have another $150 to spend as well to go along with the $270.So around $420.. Thanks.
Matt

 

[bmacd]

A good amp will go a long way. Yes, amping from your head unit will increase your listening pleasure by increasing the volume on a clean signal.

-=bmacd=-

 

[NutBucket]

Which HU is it? You cc link takes us only to a listing of all the ones they offer. Does your HU have a seperate level control for the pre-amp level that is going out to your amp? If so, turn that down. If not, turn down the sensitivity/input level on the amp. That should take care of your bass "problem".

 

link to head unit

Sry dagone links.... :/

 

Actually the bass is perfect. Will i need a 3 way crossover along with the crossover on the other amp, or can i just do fine with a gain control for $30? Will an equilizer be best for me?

 

[NutBucket]

I don't see why you would need a 3 way cross. Both amps will have built in cross overs so that should take care of that. Uhm, if you want you can go with a seperate level control for the sub. I use the built in control on my HU for the amp and it is useful.

 

I use the built in control on my HU for the amp and it is useful.

That headunit doesnt have one
The seperate level control for the sub i guess is what i should do, eh?

 

[NutBucket]

Since you only have two pairs of pre-outs you prolly wouldn't use the built-in as you would lose fading. Connect the level control to the front left and rear right pre-outs on the HU so that fading won't affect your bass level.

 

[Z24]

You haven't given many specs on what you have (speakers, subs, amps, etc). So, this is the best I can do with the available information.

Your deck only has 2 sets of RCA's -- front and rear. Right now, your Sony amp is probably running off the rear outputs.

That leaves only the front outputs to run another amp. Because of this, you're going to loose fading control (front to back) on the deck. (there are ways around this, but they never seem to work right. don't worry about it, fading isn't all that important anyway).

What I would do is take the front RCA's from your deck, and hook them to a GOOD (not Jensen) 2 channel amp. A good 2 channel amp that is say, 75W x 2 at 4 ohms would probably be a good place to start. (I don't know what speakers you have, so it's hard to say what amp you would need.)

Here's the best part though. Car speakers are generally 4 ohms. So, if you hooked up a single pair of speakers to this 75W x 2 amp, each speaker would get 75W of power. (so the amp is putting out 150W total). Now, lets say you have two pairs of speakers. Take the left side (front and rear) and hook them in parallel to the left side of the amp. By hooking the speakers in parallel, they present a 2 ohm load to the amp. On a good amp, that means it will double it's power -- to 150W in our example. So, the front speaker will get 75W and the rear speaker will get 75W. You can then hook the right-side up the same way. In this scenario, the amp is putting out a total of 300W!!

This is the most cost effective way of amping your speakers.

Now, moving on to crossovers. Good amps will have good crossovers. Ideally, look for one with a 24db/oct slope. I'm not sure where you have the crossover set for your subs, but 80-100hz is a good low-pass point to start with. along the same lines, 80-100hz is a good high-pass point for your speakers.

Here is an amplifier that will suit you much better than the Jensen you mentioned. The crossover is only 12db/oct but that will do. This amp is a steal at this price.
Rockford Fosgate Punch 300S 2 Channel Amplifier

 

[Z24]

I just reread some of the posts. It looks like you were talking about a gain control... do you mean so that you can adjust the level of the subs in relation to the highs?

The beauty of this scenario I outlined above is that if you fade forward on the deck, the level of the subs goes down in relation to the speakers. If you fade rearwards, the level of the speakers goes down in relation to the subs.

So in essence, your fade becomes sub control. Fade back for more bass, fade forward for less bass. Works great.

 

[Nefrodite]

Here's the best part though. Car speakers are generally 4 ohms. So, if you hooked up a single pair of speakers to this 75W x 2 amp, each speaker would get 75W of power. (so the amp is putting out 150W total). Now, lets say you have two pairs of speakers. Take the left side (front and rear) and hook them in parallel to the left side of the amp. By hooking the speakers in parallel, they present a 2 ohm load to the amp. On a good amp, that means it will double it's power -- to 150W in our example. So, the front speaker will get 75W and the rear speaker will get 75W. You can then hook the right-side up the same way. In this scenario, the amp is putting out a total of 300W!!

i don't think it actually works that way, more like 75% of that real world.

 

[Z24]

Actually, it can and does work that way. It really all depends on how the amplifier is designed.


clarification: some amps do work that way, some don't. it all depends on how they are designed.

 

[Bimmer318i]

Hmmm, Here's a Suggestion, just a thought

Both amps have crossovers, no need for external crossover..

take front outputs (RCA) from deck and feed into front inputs of 4 channel amp for front speakers

get splitter cable to split rear outputs (RCA) , send one pair to 4 channel amp for rear speakers

think about getting AudioControl line level booster/gain control module...I think they do make one...been a while since I looked @ there stuff.

now set this up with rear output rca's as input and then output to the 2 channel sub amp....you should more or less get a quick and easy way to adjust the sub level and with the signal booster when the sound is faded front or back, u are able to adjust accordingling with the gain control quickly and easily...

well it's a suggestion...

Good Luck..

 

[Bimmer318i]

oh, as for distortion in the speakers...the amp will defintely help...it's true clean power...while the average headunit produces somewhere between 17-23 watts of useable power before distortion kicks in...

have fun.. ..

 

[Nefrodite]

Now that you are all experts at calculating impedance, keep in mind to never load an amp down below its rated impedance. If you do, it will "try" to push more power into the lower resistance beyond its capabilities and at best it will thermally shut-off (Carvin amp), and at worst (with the other guy's amp)...poof! - you have an expensive new paper-weight!
http://www.carvin.com/doctorsound/

 

[kt]

What I propose is for you to head on over to the Sound Domain's forum and ask the people there. They really know their stuff if you ask the right people. You can go a long way with your $400. Since your complain is the speakers, have you thought about maybe getting a better pair just for the front? Preferably, a component one with separate tweeters since you want to hear the high.