rfdphoto

I recently noticed that the sound coming from my front door speakers on my 1998 Accord (sedan) sounded terrible - almost non-existent at higher volume. I went and had some Alpine speakers put in (5.5" SPS-500) and while the front sounds a bit better, the overall sound seems worse. More specifically the bass sounds much less powerful and I had to completely re-calibrate my EQ in order to get it to sound anywhere near as good as it did with factory speakers (which, imo, it still doesn't). The sound is clearer but feels like it is less "full".

I do have an upgraded head unit (Pioneer, installed roughly 9-10 months ago by the same people who did the speakers).

I am basically getting no bass at all out of the front half of the vehicle, which seems unusual, but then I don't know very much about car audio. My last car sounded better when I put the fade all the way to the front.

Before going out and upgrading the rear speakers I thought I would ask and see if anyone else experienced this and what you would recommend to fix it. I am debating getting new speakers for the rear and would probably stick with Alpine just so everything is "uniform" but don't want to spend money unnecessarily if there is a simple fix.

Thanks for any help! (And sorry if this is a repeat. I did look around some but it's getting late and my brain is a bit scattered so i may have overlooked something)

cstone

This question would probably be best asked in the Audio/Security/Video forum here: https://honda-tech.com/forums/audio-security-video-27/

If you are trying to drive bass through 5.5" speakers, I can see why you think it sounds bad. Those speakers are for mid range or maybe even mid-high range frequencies. If you are wanting bass that is what subs are for. You're rear speakers will help provide some bass as well. Bass is not directional (the source doesn't need to be pointed right at you) so there is no need have bass coming from the front. If your car has stock tweaters (they are in the corners of the dash in my '94 ex coupe), it is likely that the installers didn't reconnect them when they installed your new speakers which could have something do with your problems as well since it would reduce your highs. I suggest doing some more research in the forum I linked before buying anything else but be forewarned that you will most likely need a subwoofer to get the sound you are looking for.

In the meantime check to see if you have a high pass filter setting on your head unit. If so, play with those settings and try to find one that sounds good. This is your best bet for a cheap solution.