So i just bought some infinity 6x9's 300w peak, 100w RMS and on installation i noticed there is no bass and distortion at higher volume.

so of course ive been running em at low volumes

ive been looking to remedy this as fast as i can so i suspected id needed an amp to power such speakers, however a couple of my friends who know car audio said i just need a better HU. ( i have a very low end HU) granted i was planning on upgrading the HU as well, but it still seems wrong, since even the best HU's run 20rms to the speakers.

So do i need a seperate amp to run these speakers, or would a better HU be enough? im looking for a medium grade system that will last me, budget is flexible.

 

try checking to see if the polarity of the speakers are correct...make sure positive is hooked up the positive, etc. if you do have a lower end HU, buying a better one will help, i had infinity components in the front and infinity 6x9's in the rear and they sounded pretty decent, running off an old pioneer 7300.

 

polarity is correct

 

if the polarity is correct, then its your HU, you have 2 options:

1- replace the HU

UPS:
-not a bad idea, because good sound starts at the HU
-you can also get one with more pre-outs to amuse option 2
DOWNS:
-expensive ( a decent one is 200, a good one is 300 a bling one is 400+)

2- amplify the bitches

UPS:
-head-unit amps suck at high levels, amps are made for great sound at higher levels
-you can EBAY one for pretty cheap, or get one off the H-T market place
DOWNS:
-extra wiring, u have to wire the power, ground, rem-on, and the speakers and u have to mount it
-uses pre-outs....if u have none, ur stuck getting hi-level-input compatible ones and theese distort easier and tend to be more expencive


i would amplify them. clear sound, reasonable price.

 

yup amplify them like he^^^said...sounds way better...but getting a better hu is the best option because it opens up so many more options..

 

put an amp on them. they'll sound alot better and cleaner.

 

honestly the most you can expect to get out of a headunit is 20x4 rms, regardless of what they claim

assuming your headunit has preouts i'd go with an amp theres some great 4 way amps on ebay but just make sure your comparning apples to apples, dont compare RMS to peak (you'll know its peak when they display the wattage without rms next too it) your headunit is probably fine, its not like your running components.

get the amp, you will be very happy with it

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Newbsauce &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">polarity is correct
</TD></TR></TABLE>Are you sure? How do you know? even with a HU powering them you should get some bass.
Try this, fade to the 6x9s then balance all the way to one side and then back to the middle, then all the way the other way and back to the middle, [the HU does not have to be loud] if bass response is better when you balance all the way to the left or right, they are wired out of phase, if on the other hand the bass response is better when both speakers are on, the first thing I would want to look at is, how the 6x9s are mounted [flat surface, airtight between front and back of speaker, and mass] if that is all good, [phase and mounding] then look at a better HU and adding an amp can't hurt, but is not necessary to get bass, [to get sub bass or loud bass maybe] I run an Alpine HU and 4 Eclipse 2way 6.5" speakers, I have been accused of having a hidden amp and sub in my 94 teg, [I do not] I have however spent a lot of time installing the speakers, custom MDF speaker mounts for the fronts and custom MDF and fiberglass cabinets for the rears. It probably has an f3 of 70Hz, and that's not sub bass but it is bass and lots of it. 94

 

Ok so the bass response is MUCH better when its one speaker

so they are out of phase

how do i correct this?

 

Swicth one of the wires around.

 

one of your wires are mixed up on one of your speakers, you can do a trial and error, since i can't remember the colors of the speaker wires at the moment. on one speaker switch the positive and the negative wires going to the speaker. listen to them, be easier if you're playing a cd and remember what track you're on. then go to both speakers and switch the positive and negatives. listen to the same track and see which setup sounds better.

 

well as of current i have grey on positive on both, and black on negative on both

so should the currents be matching? i imagine so and id need to change the contacts on both the speakers

 

They are miswired at the HU/amp, just switch the pos. and neg. on one of the speakers, it will put them back in phase, it makes no diff. which speaker you do it to, once they are in phase you can "phase" the front and rears, [have you checked the front speakers for phase?] to check front to rear phase is a lot harder, [to hear] again with tunes on, at med. volume, bal. in the center, use the fader to fade front to rear, unlike the left and right phase, [where you listen for the bass to get better] on front to rear you listen for the bass to drop off, [it will not be much] when the fade is about in the center, [probably a little more towards the front] it can be very subtle, if you do hear a drop, change both the rear speakers polarity, if you can't tell, try changing both the rears, and go with what sounds the best to you. 94

 

alright, ill try this after i get off work and get this problem worked out