I've been in the process of upgrading my audio setup for a little while and despite my best intentions and efforts, I'm stuck.

Here's what I've done so far...
1. Replaced HU with Pioneer DEH-P5200HD
2. Replaced Door Speakers and Twitters with Alpine SPS-600C
3. Installed sound deadening material into the doors

The problem:
The covers that I liked on the SPS-600C speakers didn't fit exactly, so I had to use the originals, which are cracked from the previous owner and buzz something terrible, even with the Dynamat.
Also, now that I've installed the new speakers, my audio quality seems "empty". The high pitches and the bass are clean, but the mid-range voice sounds almost swallowed up.
After the "upgrades", the system seems much less powerful (I've already set up the HU to provide the loudest, "bassiest" sound it can produce) - is the OEM amp not able to produce? Or, worse yet, were my "upgrades" really worse than what was already in there?

So... where can I find replacement speaker covers that aren't plastic, won't buzz, and will fit?
Am I losing my mind with the "empty" quality? What would cause this and how do I fix it?
Does anyone know what the specs are on the OEM amp? If I were to replace the amp, what would be the best match for the HU / speakers I already have?

 

The Pioneer has a number of equalizer settings. Play with those. You may be stuck in a pre-set "Flat" mode?

I would say your setup should sound incredible. The stock amp, once paired with a decent head unit is pretty nice. But I've found that it will clip bass when driven hard.

 

IMHO, it sounds as if you somehow clipped the subwoofer channel from the amp or some wiring is not as it should be. Do your factory subs behind the seats sound like they are still working?

 

The subs behind the seats are definitely working. The people who installed the speakers for me (I didn't trust myself on this one) told me they just unplugged the old speakers and popped in the new ones without running any new wiring or anything.

 

I checked the preset equalizer settings and set it to "Bass Booster" or something like that. Definitely helped, but the mid-range tones aren't all there yet.

Do you know what kind of wattage the stock amp is supposed to produce?

 

The stock infinty digital amp produces 6 x 22 watt @ 4 ohm.
4 x 22 watt go to the subs behind the seat which have doublecoils.
2 x 22 watt go to the front system.

The infinity amp has a little built in processor that acts as crossover network for the sub and front system. It also equalizes the frequency response. So it's not a good idea to change the front system speakers.

Have you checked if one of your speakers is out of phase?

In my opinion the best solution in improoving the sound is to add new tweeters at another position than the doors, because staging of the stock infinity system is real bad. Voices play in height of the knees but not in height of the windshield.

We've done a low cost installation by using an Alpine 9886R, Alpine PXH-A 100, and some new aftermarket tweeters. This gives the possibility to run a 6 channel full active system while using stock amp, stock subs and stock midrange speakers in the doors.
The tweeters are driven by the internal amps of the alpine hu via a loop back from the processor. The tweeters are positioned on the dash via dual side duct tape. So everything can be buildt back. This will work with every hu that supports the PXA-H 100 imprint.

 

Thank you VERY much for all that information! I definitely like the set up you have for that car, and if I had the money for a new HU and that IMPRINT technology, I'd probably do something similar =P

I think the problem I'm having is that the stock amp isn't putting out enough power to the door speakers. Perhaps getting a new amp that is able to put out a bit more would be best. I agree that the positioning of the stock tweeters is less than desirable, but how did you cover up/fill in the hole left by moving the tweeters?

btw - this thread should be stickied so that people can find this info on the stock amp.

 

The tweeters used in this case were: Sinus Live NEO25

The Neo's have a little compartment. So they can be mounted on top of a surface.

In this setup it's not important that ste tweeters are the Neo's. These were used under budget aspects. The better the tweeters, the better the sound.

There were no holes drilled in the dash. The cables disappear in the gap between the dash and the a-pillar. That's not the best acustic solution but the optical best solution.

I personally use Scan Speaks tweeters in a another setup, only with manual eq and time alignment (Alpine 9855) . Nevertheless the high- and midrange sounds much better, because the tweeters are better.

To be honest i'm not convinced that another amp will be the solution for you problem. Also remind that you have to do wiring completely new for amp and speakers and that you will run in a problem, because the infinity amp has a processor that equalizes the signal and delivers a crossover between the sub and the front signal.

Have you checked if there is a speaker out of phase?

Also take a look at this thread - i think there are some interesting aspects for you besides the subwoofer topic: https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...-location.html

 

Thanks for all that info BB247; you obviously know a lot more about the sound system in our cars than anyone else! That other thread was exceptional as well! TONS of information. I have a lot to think about with my current setup... I wasn't planning on a hifi system, just wanted to replace the busted original speakers, but after reading through your posts I think I might actually consider one. I'm not an expert, though, so I probably wouldn't be able to do it myself, especially not without some instructions. Do you know of anyone who would be able to work with me on this?

 

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