Infinity reference components?
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Honda-Tech Member
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From: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Infinity reference components?
Hey, today i got some Infinity reference components and installed them and they sound ok, but i am a little dissapointed. I have them infront powered by my Sont Xplod head unit....the HU is one of the upper models, 52x4 so i am wondering if the weakness is in the power the HU puts out, which can be fixed with a nice amp, or if its in the speakers, or if it could be in the shitty wires honda uses? any info?
Honda-Tech Member
Joined: Feb 2002
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From: Sacramento, CA, USA
Re: Infinity reference components? (93egsedan)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 93egsedan »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">im thinking the problem is in the install.</TD></TR></TABLE>
It could be. If one speaker has the polarity reversed, you will hear practically no bass. On the other hand, no head unit really produces good power. There is, in fact, no such thing as a head unit with realistic power figures. So this could b the case as well. Simply put, don't expect the outputs of a head unit to really sound good.
It could be. If one speaker has the polarity reversed, you will hear practically no bass. On the other hand, no head unit really produces good power. There is, in fact, no such thing as a head unit with realistic power figures. So this could b the case as well. Simply put, don't expect the outputs of a head unit to really sound good.
Old Fart
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 26,173
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From: kelowna, bc, canada
Re: Infinity reference components? (userdead626)
The problem could be a number of things or a combination of them.
Model numbers of the speakers and HU would help.
The most common problems I see when someone comes to us with sound they are "disappointed" with is, improperly installed or wired equipment.
Proper speaker installation is critical to how they sound, here are the 4 most basic rules about mounting speakers...
1- You need a flat surface to mount the speakers to, any warping of the speaker basket will misalign the VC, [voice coil], this should not be a problem if the speakers are mounted to the stock speaker mounts.
2- The speaker needs an airtight seal all the way around it for at least the diameter of the speaker away from its outside edge, this can be difficult to do in a car door, it does not have to perfect, but does have to be airtight around the speakers edge and as far from the edge as possible.
3- Mass, the more mass or solid/ridged surface the speaker is mounted to, the better, again if they are mounted to the stock speaker mounts that should not be a problem, however that leads me to number 4
4- A speaker mounted to wood, [MDF] will sound better then the same speaker mounded to plastic or sheet metal.
The other thing about speakers is phasing, [as has been mentioned] speakers that are out of phase will produce very little bass response, and it is very important that the left and right speakers are wired the same way, [pos. to pos and neg. to neg.] or the other way around, [pos. to neg. and neg. to pos.] it makes no difference how you do it as long as both sides are the same.
You can test to see if you are in or out of phase, just balance all the way to the left or right and then back to the center, if the bass response is better when you are all the way to the left or right, [only left or right speaker on] then when you are in the center, [both left and right speakers on] the speakers are wired out of phase.
There is nothing wrong with the oem speaker wires with the power you are running, [15 to 20 watts rms].
Although I am no fan of Sony Xplod, [and we are a Sony dealer] it is a "high power" HU, and that leads me to the other thing that may be wrong, if the HU is wired to the oem radio harness, it is not getting the current it needs, you will need to run a fused 12ga or 10ga power wire from the batt, to behind the HU and connect the HUs constant power, [yellow] to it, [just like you would power an off board amp, you will also have to run a 12ga or 10ga ground lead from the chassis of the HU to the chassis of the car, or run the HUs ground to the chassis of the car, don't forget to "cap off" the oem constant power.
It's a good bet that the speakers continues power handling is more then the HUs rms output, so adding an amp will go a long way in getting the most out of your speakers, that said, it is not true that you can't get good sound out of a HU without an off board amp.
I run an Alpine HU and 4 Eclipse 6.5" 2way speakers, I use the oem speaker wire, the HUs constant power is wired to the batt. and the ground is up graded, the front speakers are mounted to custom MDF speaker mounts, [replacing the oem plastic ones] and the doors have been Dynamated, the rear speakers are mounted in custom MDF and fiberglass cabinets, [replacing the oem mounts, in the stock locations].
More then a few times I have been accused of having a sub and amp hidden in the car someplace, [when I demo, what can be done without a sub]
94
Model numbers of the speakers and HU would help.
The most common problems I see when someone comes to us with sound they are "disappointed" with is, improperly installed or wired equipment.
Proper speaker installation is critical to how they sound, here are the 4 most basic rules about mounting speakers...
1- You need a flat surface to mount the speakers to, any warping of the speaker basket will misalign the VC, [voice coil], this should not be a problem if the speakers are mounted to the stock speaker mounts.
2- The speaker needs an airtight seal all the way around it for at least the diameter of the speaker away from its outside edge, this can be difficult to do in a car door, it does not have to perfect, but does have to be airtight around the speakers edge and as far from the edge as possible.
3- Mass, the more mass or solid/ridged surface the speaker is mounted to, the better, again if they are mounted to the stock speaker mounts that should not be a problem, however that leads me to number 4
4- A speaker mounted to wood, [MDF] will sound better then the same speaker mounded to plastic or sheet metal.
The other thing about speakers is phasing, [as has been mentioned] speakers that are out of phase will produce very little bass response, and it is very important that the left and right speakers are wired the same way, [pos. to pos and neg. to neg.] or the other way around, [pos. to neg. and neg. to pos.] it makes no difference how you do it as long as both sides are the same.
You can test to see if you are in or out of phase, just balance all the way to the left or right and then back to the center, if the bass response is better when you are all the way to the left or right, [only left or right speaker on] then when you are in the center, [both left and right speakers on] the speakers are wired out of phase.
There is nothing wrong with the oem speaker wires with the power you are running, [15 to 20 watts rms].
Although I am no fan of Sony Xplod, [and we are a Sony dealer] it is a "high power" HU, and that leads me to the other thing that may be wrong, if the HU is wired to the oem radio harness, it is not getting the current it needs, you will need to run a fused 12ga or 10ga power wire from the batt, to behind the HU and connect the HUs constant power, [yellow] to it, [just like you would power an off board amp, you will also have to run a 12ga or 10ga ground lead from the chassis of the HU to the chassis of the car, or run the HUs ground to the chassis of the car, don't forget to "cap off" the oem constant power.
It's a good bet that the speakers continues power handling is more then the HUs rms output, so adding an amp will go a long way in getting the most out of your speakers, that said, it is not true that you can't get good sound out of a HU without an off board amp.
I run an Alpine HU and 4 Eclipse 6.5" 2way speakers, I use the oem speaker wire, the HUs constant power is wired to the batt. and the ground is up graded, the front speakers are mounted to custom MDF speaker mounts, [replacing the oem plastic ones] and the doors have been Dynamated, the rear speakers are mounted in custom MDF and fiberglass cabinets, [replacing the oem mounts, in the stock locations].
More then a few times I have been accused of having a sub and amp hidden in the car someplace, [when I demo, what can be done without a sub]
94
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