# 2011 Eco Stereo thread to end them all



## xuanie (Mar 23, 2011)

WOWWWWWZERRRS, 1000 miles in 4 days! XD
it took me 2 weeks and 2 days to get 1000 miles.
idk anything about stereos though. LOL. i just tuned up the bass when i got my car..


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## 70AARCUDA (Nov 14, 2010)

...the EXTRA factory amplifiers mount onto the left and right rear fenderwells inside the truck:


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## IcedECO (Jan 17, 2011)

xuanie said:


> WOWWWWWZERRRS, 1000 miles in 4 days! XD
> it took me 2 weeks and 2 days to get 1000 miles.
> idk anything about stereos though. LOL. i just tuned up the bass when i got my car..


lol I had around 1000 miles in three days... but to be fair, I moved across state (Texas no less) THE morning I picked up my car. Then I had to drive my uncle back home and then I had to drive back. I've had it for a month now though and I'm sitting right around 1300 miles.


EDIT: And I don't get how peoples' knees are hitting the knob. I'm 6'2" and my knee doesn't come within 5 inches of the knob.

And am I the only one who thinks the stereo system is just fine? Granted I'm not a super enthusiast who likes to rattle the car. I quite enjoy my hearing and would like to keep it until I'm 70 thanks.


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## 70AARCUDA (Nov 14, 2010)

...some people confuse *listening to music* with *feeling the music*.


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## robertbick (Jan 1, 2011)

I think the stereo is fine, but I also have the upgraded Pioneer system. My knee will hit the temp knob if I don't have the seat adjusted back far enough so my knee is below the knob. I'm 5'10".


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## fenix (Mar 30, 2011)

i keep hitting the temp knob too, ive tried moving the seat but i cant get away im 6'4"

maybe its cause i like the steering wheel low not way up high like im in a big rig so my legs go around it


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## montgom626 (Jan 16, 2011)

I have the Pioneer unit, 2011 Cruze 2LT and it sounds fine.


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## 5.0 Junkie (Mar 25, 2011)

I'm sure the Pioneer system sounds much better. I don't want ghetto thumpin, I just want accurate sound reproduction with enthusiasm. 

I'm 5' 10" and after driving for 8 hours straight, you start trying different leg positions. I hit mine multiple times.


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## 5.0 Junkie (Mar 25, 2011)

No wires found. They could still be in the harness and they may not have pulled them to the back. I need to pull the rear seat bottom out and poke around some more. There is a nice partition on each side with the panels out. The left side would be a good place for an amp with it bolted to the back of the partition.


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## 5.0 Junkie (Mar 25, 2011)




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## 5.0 Junkie (Mar 25, 2011)




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## LARRY01Z28 (Dec 4, 2010)

i didnt find any wires either. ive had my whole car tore apart it seems. lol


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## 70AARCUDA (Nov 14, 2010)

...probably the most "successful" approach is to look at the chassis wiring schematic(s) for the Cruze and see if they show *one* or *two* different wiring harnesses for the sound system speakers.

...look at the "connectors" for help, as they will often have a single connector coming off the radio/stereo which is then shown to connect up to either (a) one connector (basic speakers) or (b) other connector (premium speakers), etc.

...if there's two different connectors, that's implying two _different_ cable harnesses, and each having a different part number.


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## 4piecekit (Mar 17, 2011)

I've had systems in both of my cars and tonight I was trying to justify putting one in the Cruze. I was actually listening to the BPM station on XM coming home form work. The bass isn't too bad if you mess with the tones. Plus I really like having a trunk I can really utilize. I do like some extra bass though. Not too much but just enough to feel it. I'm a drummer so I like to feel that kick drum! Maybe some 6x9s would be all I need.


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## usaalways (Mar 29, 2011)

stereo for me in my Eco is good. Not only is it much better then what I was using for the past ten years in my Kia, I didn't buy a car Like this for stereo sound- dont think many do. So for me it's just an added bonus at no xtra cost.
This is something maybe shoulda' looked into when test driving?


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## Skilz10179 (Mar 22, 2011)

I'm definitely interested in upgrading my stereo with factory plug & play speakers and amps, listening in on this one...


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## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

5.0 Junkie said:


> Does anyone know if the factory headunit "massages" frequencies? Manufacturers of late have set the internal eq on units to save the speakers and "tune" it to the vehicle. My 2010 Focus did this along with my 2006 Mustang. It just results in muddy sound and missing frequencies in the music. This fact alone will determine how to fix the thing. If it doesn't make "true" sound, it will be hard to get it to sound right.
> 
> 
> > Most if not all OEM heads "massage" the sound, not only by adopting a static EQ curve to "correct" for interior response, but also to change the balance of frequencies as the volume is turned up (usually reduced bass). IMO, if you're looking for truly great sound the only way you'll get it is by using another unit as a head for the system. In a car like the Cruze with an integrated unit that's part of the dash, I have NO IDEA how this is possible. You may be stuck using whatever the OEM system puts out and amplifying that.
> ...


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## SilverCruzer (Nov 30, 2010)

I believe there is actually a TSB about the auto-climate control getting altered because of knees hitting that knob.
I am 6'2'' and my knees have hit the temp knob a few times. It works like this: Cruise control is on, slide your left leg back with foot flat on ground close to the seat and knee leaning off to the right.


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## 5.0 Junkie (Mar 25, 2011)

A couple of things to note. I have found double din trim to allow aftermarket units, but these are overseas. I'm going to research this more. I have a Pioneer X910 that I would love to use. I pulled it out of the Mustang before I traded and it is very nice to have and sounds pretty good with aftermarket speakers and no amp. 

Everyone remember, you have to set the tone in every single input type. XM, FM, Aux, etc all have to be set when you go in them. Setting it once will leave you with flat EQ settings for all of the other inputs.


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## Vetterin (Mar 27, 2011)

While I consider the overall radio quality to be acceptable I have to agree that the rear speakers are basically useless.


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## 5.0 Junkie (Mar 25, 2011)

Metra has the factory integration harness. PN GMOS-044. $179.99 from Sonicelectronix. Price is high, but GM likes to run the radio through the chime module and other "funny" stuff that has to be replaced. 

No Metra or Scosche dash kits yet. I called both. 60-90 days out on both. Both confirmed they are actively working on them though.


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## gfxdave99 (Feb 26, 2011)

To be honest, I'm not sure why you are saying the stock stereo sucks. 

As far as stock stereos go its on the high end in my opinion. I have a $2000 system in my Subaru and just adding a 12" JL woofer and a 500w amp has made the system quite listenable in my opinion. 

The only issue I have is that the max volume is like 10% too quiet, its loud but just not loud enough. 

Also, you bought an eco. How much are you really going to want to add weight to the car with extra speakers / amps etc. 

Also, there is a kit i've seen on ebay that relocates the oem display up to where the dashboard cubby is and theres more then enough room once the screen is moved to fit a nice double din in there.

Also that wiring kit the GMOS-044 is not cruze specific. Its for modern GM wiring harnesses to allow the retained use of onstar and warning beeps. This would allow you to retain use of bluetooth etc, the stock display and install a custom fabricated bracket for a aftermarket unit. 

If you dont care about using hands free calling or hearing warning beeps you could simply relocate the factory display put a double din where the current screen is, use a set of line out converters to the aux in of the new unit and use hands free calling that way and you wouldn't need a 180 dollar adapter to do so. 

Lastly all stock systems have some kind of custom eq curve to them the cruze is no exception. However it looks like the crossover is actually done at the speaker, at least when i had it apart to see the stock tweeters the crossover was tacked on to the back. 

I would probably guess that the subsonic filters are also fitted to the speakers as well since I am running a line out converter on the rear speaker wires and my sub is hitting the low notes. However thats just from a general listening opinion. I'll bust out a memory stick with some test tones and let you know "how low it will go"


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## 5.0 Junkie (Mar 25, 2011)

If I could have gotten the pioneer, I would have. I don't want huge subs, I just want accurate sound. Mine makes next to no lows in the 100Hz and under range. There is also a hole around the 2-3000Hz range and somewhere mid range. 8000Hz or so is weak. 

I haven't run any tests as I'm not quite that anal, but when you play Metallica, For Whom the Bell Tolls and you literally can't hear the bell at all, something is wrong. Certain other songs totally lose vocals, etc. 

I had the X910 with Boston speakers and factory subs in the Mustang. It made all frequencies sound good down to 60-70Hz at moderate volumes. 

Can you point me to the relocation/dash kit? I have the X910 sitting in the basement now. 



gfxdave99 said:


> To be honest, I'm not sure why you are saying the stock stereo sucks.
> 
> As far as stock stereos go its on the high end in my opinion. I have a $2000 system in my Subaru and just adding a 12" JL woofer and a 500w amp has made the system quite listenable in my opinion.
> 
> ...


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## gfxdave99 (Feb 26, 2011)

I'll have to get out some old Metallica and see what you're talking about because I don't pick up any such holes in the sound frequencies. I almost wonder if you have a bad head unit. 

The relocation unit seems to have fallen off the face of the planet, i know i saw it on eBay i'll post it as soon as i see it again

but lookie what i found 

Chevrolet Cruze CTKCV01 Stereo Stalk Full Fitting Kit - eBay (item 270708699979 end time Apr-20-11 04:58:44 PDT)


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## gfxdave99 (Feb 26, 2011)

more fun

Buy Car Audio Frame for Chevrolet Cruze Double DIN, Car Audio Refitting Frame for Chevrolet Cruze, Car Radio Dash Kit for Chevrolet Cruze 2DIN, Car Audio Frame for Chevrolet Cruze, Double Din at Aliexpress.com

Buy car special refitting frame, mounting kit mounting kit trim, panel / car frame, chevrolet Cruze 1 din car audio frame dash kit at Aliexpress.com

ugh i will not be denied here it is

08-10 Chevrolet Cruze 7"GPS,Audio FRAME KITS - eBay (item 310307952447 end time Apr-28-11 16:59:53 PDT)

it didnt show up in the searches cuz the seller was away


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## 4piecekit (Mar 17, 2011)

Gfx did you splice into the wires near the hood release lever like itsbmw did or did you splice somewhere else? I'm so doing this sometime soon. I'm watching the another thread for Larry's pics of aftermarket 6x9s in the rear deck lid.


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## Gritts (Jan 23, 2011)

I have the LS Cruze with the base radio with bluetooth. I've tried using signal off the rear door speakers feeding an amp through the 'high input' connections. I drive two aftermarket 6x9s mounted in the holes in the rear deck. Great improvement in sound--until I start the engine. I guess I'm hearing the alternator buzzing in the speakers--even with the stereo turned off (amp is on). Tried different grounding, same problem. Anyone been successful at adding an amp and speakers?


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## gfxdave99 (Feb 26, 2011)

4piecekit said:


> Gfx did you splice into the wires near the hood release lever like itsbmw did or did you splice somewhere else? I'm so doing this sometime soon. I'm watching the another thread for Larry's pics of aftermarket 6x9s in the rear deck lid.


I had it professionally installed and they tapped off at the back of the radio


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## 72buickgs (Mar 20, 2011)

i have to agree that the radio/tunes sound quality in the cruze is not that good. perhaps a better set of speakers would improve the sound.


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## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

gfxdave99 said:


> Also, you bought an eco. How much are you really going to want to add weight to the car with extra speakers / amps etc...
> 
> ...it looks like the crossover is actually done at the speaker, at least when i had it apart to see the stock tweeters the crossover was tacked on to the back.
> 
> I would probably guess that the subsonic filters are also fitted to the speakers as well since I am running a line out converter on the rear speaker wires and my sub is hitting the low notes. However thats just from a general listening opinion. I'll bust out a memory stick with some test tones and let you know "how low it will go"


Agree totally about adding weight... if a custom sound system is going in my Eco (if I get one) I will do everything possible to keep the weight to an absolute minimum.

As far as x-overs at the speaker goes, I'd bet your tweeters are fed the same full-range signal as the door speakers, no doubt, but I bet there's no filter at all on the door speakers, either low-pass or high-pass subsonic. They probably just roll off naturally on the high end (they're also way off axis for high frequencies), and I doubt the OEM supplier would care about using a subsonic filter.

The Pioneer system may run a HP on the door speakers, but this would be only because there's a sub in the trunk handling the lows. The Pioneer system could also use active x-overs built into the amps (if they're external to the head).

BTW, nice find on the dash kits! I wonder what they look like in person? Since they're all imported from other markets I'd be willing to bet the colors and textures are WAY off and will probably require custom work, the fits might be off as well. It's a start though... such is the price for being an "early adopter", but this process may be less painfull than usual as the Cruze has been selling for quite a while already in other markets.


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## chad473 (Feb 21, 2011)

I haven't heard the frequency "holes" like the other poster was talking about. I probably wouldn't call the stereo anything more than adequate though. I'll most likely be interested in some upgrades at some point so I'm definitely following these threads. 

strangely enough, even though I'm fairly into home audio and used to do some live music recording, I've never really gotten into car audio. Never did any upgrades to the stereo in my old civic. The cruze sounds like a masterpiece compared to that old thing.


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## 70AARCUDA (Nov 14, 2010)

...most cars are too noisey (road/wind/tire noises) to really appreciate anything more than an adequate stereo...unless all your listening time is done while parked.


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## zimmer.rich (Feb 9, 2011)

Hey, I have some buzzing noise too and i hacked off the rear wires in the A pillar. I tried to hack of all four speakers. basically under the dash by the doors, but my driver side front was acting very strange. wouldnt give music and just made loud bings. I know its the correct wires because i used them to feed the speakers in the door as well.


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## Gritts (Jan 23, 2011)

zimmer.rich said:


> Hey, I have some buzzing noise too and i hacked off the rear wires in the A pillar. I tried to hack of all four speakers. basically under the dash by the doors, but my driver side front was acting very strange. wouldnt give music and just made loud bings. I know its the correct wires because i used them to feed the speakers in the door as well.


 
Is the buzzing from the rear speakers just when the engine is running?


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## 5.0 Junkie (Mar 25, 2011)

I pulled the RF door panel. The triangle piece on the a-pillar is very hard to get off and I broke the pieces off that hold the "christmas tree" fasteners. I reglued it, but be prepared if you break yours. 

Speaker is 20w, 4 ohm. Speaker is integral to a plastic frame that goes in the door panel. It sounded like it only played midrange with very little base. Unknown if that is just due to low cost or a crossover somewhere. 

An odd note. The speaker hookups are extremely close to Ford speakers and I actually plugged in a Ford Audiophile speaker and it worked fine. That should make the factory plug ins easier as everyone says you have to cut the wires. I'm guessing the adaptors for a newer Ford will plug in and work fine. 

The frame being out leaves a 6" or so hole with cutouts top and bottom for the frame to ride in. Aftermarket speakers will need some sort of adaptor or new holes drilled to work.


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## gfxdave99 (Feb 26, 2011)

Nice work, i have to say that i thought my stock speakers before i put in my sub had ok bass when turned up. Given that they are only running 20w RMS makes me even more impressed. 

Still not so sure about the sound holes though. I'll tinker around with my laptop with a tone generator and see what i can find


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## 5.0 Junkie (Mar 25, 2011)

Has anyone seen the Pioneer speakers yet? Maybe they would be a low cost replacement that sounded better. One the Fords, their audiophile speakers sounded much better than the paper cone cheapies.


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## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

^ I may be a bit of a pessimist sometimes, but I'd be surprised to see the Pioneer system upgrade the door speakers... maybe, but I'd bet they just get a HPF and a sub in the trunk to fill in the lows. I hope I'm wrong for those paying for the upgrade.


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## CHEVYCRUZE RS (Mar 29, 2011)

OBVS, the system sounds terrible if you dont pay the extra price for the upgraded Pioneer system, not to bad for stock!
i have 2 12' kenwood subs in my audi with a jvc 7 inch screen and 2 amps (1 for my four door speakers and the other for my 2 subs. And boy oh boy what a waste of money!) but it sure does bump! 

not into those big non-sense subs in my car anymore btw lol


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## CHEVYCRUZE RS (Mar 29, 2011)

i'd rather upgrade the outside of my cruze. A lot of companies are manufactoring many neat products for the cruze. Eibach springs are coming out at the end of April. K&N intakes soon will hit stores, strut bars and many more engine products!

stay tuned!!!


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## zimmer.rich (Feb 9, 2011)

Hey ChevyCruse RS. What power were the amps and did you have to use a cap? im debating on what to do with my car


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## Anthony34 (Sep 5, 2012)

I just switched all my "old" stuff (3 years old) from my other car to the new Cruze (woot, new car owner again after 15 years!). I had it done by a pro shop that I have been dealing with for the last 15+ years since I got into "systems" for cars. I am really unhappy this time with the install as the sound is horrendous and the sales guy can't tell me why, other than "oh, maybe it's this or that and we could dynamat the doors ($300) and maybe upgrade the front components again" blah blah blah from Mr Sales Guy.. spend more money basically and see if that works. Anyways... this is the first time I have a bad experience with this shop, so I have to let them try to fix the sound without costing me more money.

Anyways... I am not really prepared for this thread, but I did get a double din dash kit for the aftermarket radio and it looks beatiful! The color matching is **** near perfect and it fit perfectly. I think it was $29. Now, the expensive part was the module to hook up to the car to keep the screen info on the little screen above the radio and keep the bluetooth functions. Also, the other module to keep the steering wheel controls (i think the total for both was around $225!).

Getting back to the system I had installed... the sound is so horrendous and I was told their "tuner guru" was on it for a couple of hours and can't get it to sound nearly as good as it did in my last car. The bass is enormous, overpowering for the rest, and can't keep up with double bass kicks from metal music (it did perfectly fine in the other car!). The highs scream with the tweeters so high in the pillars up front. The mid bass seems absent or can't keep up with everything else (which is why the sales guy told me maybe dynamatting the doors would help keep the sound in). None of this makes sense to me as I have been dealing with systems for a LONG time and never had an issue with sound being this poor. I have to take it to another shop of theirs and let their tuner guy see if he can figure it out better.

Sorry this went so long, but to add to it, I am running Pioneer 6.5" components up front, Focal 6.5" 2-ways in the rear doors, Pioneer head unit, JL Audio 500/1 amp powering 3 JLW0 10" subs, and the rest of the speakers are powered by a JL Audio 300/4 amp. In my other car, this was very ridiculous sound as it was very crisp and extremely loud (guys with their rap bass were rolling up their windows! muhahahaha). Now it is possibly the worst system I ever heard and they want me to spend more money to see if it helps.

Thanks for listening even though it was a lot of venting


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## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

Almost sounds like one of the 6.5's is wired out of phase... but I'm sure the guru would have caught that.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

What kind of box are those JL Audio subs in? A subwoofer is only as good as the box it's playing in. What amplifiers do you have, and what are the settings on those amplifiers?

Sounds like you bought some cheap subs and they put it in a box that is not at all suitable for them. Get me the dimensions of that box, including the size of the port and its length (if applicable) and I'll tell you exactly what's wrong.

My money is on the box and subs being a terrible fit for what you're looking to hear, and you'll be going back there and returning them for a refund once you hear what I'm about to tell you.


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## Anthony34 (Sep 5, 2012)

The box is the same box the subs have been in for the last couple years, which is solid and not ported and built for those subs (3x10"). The sound of the subs have not changed, other than the bass not keeping up with faster bass beats (like pretty much all Rock/Metal). It handles industrial/electronic music just fine. The subs are JL Audio W0's which are also only about 3 years old and have slammed my other car nicely.

I will have them check the phase on the 6.5s and see if they wired it screwy... they should have figured that out, but it sounds so bad something has to be wrong or they are trying to get me to pay more money, which I wouldn't hold it past them, but this would be the first time I felt they tried to scam me in 15 years.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Anthony34 said:


> The box is the same box the subs have been in for the last couple years, which is solid and not ported and built for those subs (3x10"). The sound of the subs have not changed, other than the bass not keeping up with faster bass beats (like pretty much all Rock/Metal). It handles industrial/electronic music just fine. The subs are JL Audio W0's which are also only about 3 years old and have slammed my other car nicely.
> 
> I will have them check the phase on the 6.5s and see if they wired it screwy... they should have figured that out, but it sounds so bad something has to be wrong or they are trying to get me to pay more money, which I wouldn't hold it past them, but this would be the first time I felt they tried to scam me in 15 years.


Ok, let me make sure I'm undersatanding you correctly...



> the sound is so horrendous and I was told their "tuner guru" was on it for a couple of hours and can't get it to sound nearly as good as it did in my last car. The bass is enormous, overpowering for the rest, and can't keep up with double bass kicks from metal music (it did perfectly fine in the other car!).




The bass not keeping up with faster bass beats is a direct function of the subs and the box they're in. Both need to be good in order for the subs to sound good. 

Speakers being run out of phase do not produce enormous, overpowering bass; they produce a loss of bass because of cancellation. If you are getting overpowering bass, you either have an issue with the box and the subs inside it, or you have an issue with the way the subwoofer amplifier was tuned. 

Keep in mind, every car sounds different. Every car's acoustical properties will change. 

Your first step should be to zero out all of the EQ settings and bass boost settings on the head unit. Make sure that everything is as flat as possible. Your next step is to check the crossover filters on the amplifier to make sure that the subs are crossed at the correct frequencies. Those subs really shouldn't be playing anywhere above 90hz. In a sealed box, a high pass/subsonic filter isn't needed. 

The tweeters scream because they're close to ear-level, and the window and pillar reflections create a horn-like effect. Does your passive crossover have a tweeter level adjustment? If not, you will need to buy some resistors of various impedance levels and experiment by hooking them up across the leads of the tweeter to attenuate the tweeter's output until you've reached your desired effect. 

Dynamat is likely the worst product you can use to deaden doors. It is, simply put, the wrong product for the job. It is a vibration dampener, and a poor one at that. See the following link:

Sound Deadener Showdown - Your Source for Sound Deadening Products and Information

Don has spent the last several years (at least) testing and developing sound deadening products. Not only are his products superior, but over the course of the entire install, they're also cheaper. I don't even give Dynamat-like products a second look anymore. 

That said, door treatment really won't help you with anything below about about 200hz. 

As for the lack of midbass, Pioneer doesn't exactly make great midbass components. Which exact model did you have them install?


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## Anthony34 (Sep 5, 2012)

Good to know about the Dynamat... i had it in my other car all over the place.

I dont remember what the Pioneer speakers are, but they are the components that were a few hundred bucks, retail starting at 550 i think (I will try to remember to look up the model number when I get home--I dont have internet anywhere but work, so I will have to wait until Monday). I know they have the gold/copper colored cones.

The subs have sounded perfect in my other car and could keep up with any music, but I fear they tuned it improperly for the music I listen to. I only say this because of how well they performed in my other car (I realize the dynamics of the car itself can change how everything sounds, but I would think bass in a trunk should be the same, unless the size of the trunk or the baffling between the seats could change how much bass comes through to the cab).

The shop told me they tried adjusting the crossover for the tweeters to take off the overpowered scream but may need to keep adjusting (which upsets me I need to bring my car back in and let them tear parts off again to access the installed equipment). Hopefully they can take care of it when I bring it in tomorrow.

The only sounds that is horrendous is the extreme highs from the tweets, and the lack of all other sound other than the bass. I like the level of the bass now, though it needs to keep up with all music (hopefully the tuner will fix it better for my music without sacrificing the loudness). I know high bass can cancel out the other sounds, but it just upsets me that the manager and installer tell me they are not happy with how it all sounds and they want me to spend more money to "see if this works, or if that works". The high bass didnt cancel anything out in my other car, though I did say this car has louder bass, so maybe it needs to be tuned down to let the other speakers work?

I will move this to private chat with you after this post and after I get things re-adjusted tomorrow at the shop... I feel I already hijacked this thread from my first post 

Thanks for the info on the sound-deadening!


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## Anthony34 (Sep 5, 2012)

Oh, I know I said I would take this to private, but this could be info that helps others as well... I saw the other thread with the person who put 6x9s in the rear deck. I know this would require cutting into the deck which I am ok with if it helps the midbass in the cab instead of relying on the rear speakers in the doors behind the seats. My question is... should I drop the 6.5s in the rear doors and install 6x9s in the rear deck, or simply add 6x9s and keep the 6.5s and run 3 pairs of speakers plus the subs? Would this create too much frequency crossover with the extra midbass drivers? Or too much rear sound? I still have my 6x9s from my other car, so it would be a "simple" install without buying new speakers. Just wondering if that would increase my chances of getting this car to be where I want it to be.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Anthony34 said:


> Good to know about the Dynamat... i had it in my other car all over the place.
> 
> I dont remember what the Pioneer speakers are, but they are the components that were a few hundred bucks, retail starting at 550 i think (I will try to remember to look up the model number when I get home--I dont have internet anywhere but work, so I will have to wait until Monday). I know they have the gold/copper colored cones.
> 
> ...


Lower your back seats and listen to your subs again. You'll be surprised how much of a difference they make. The rear deck also has a lot of padding to keep out road noise from the trunk. 

Your experience is the reason I always point people to the miniDSP setups. You don't need to keep pulling off panels when you're not happy; you simply tune everything with your laptop from a USB cable that you have tucked nicely somewhere. You can tune 18 individual parametric equalizers, the crossover point and slope for both tweeters and midwoofers, and the gain on each individual tweeter and midwoofer. Spending more than $250 on a retail component set is just silly when you can get vastly better sound for the same price with a miniDSP and truly good set of drivers.

Dynamat or door treatment in general won't fix your problem. Someone who knows what they're doing will. Someone who knows what they're doing wouldn't have installed your crossover boxes inside the doors, especially if they can be adjusted and the need for adjustments is possible. That's "car audio installs 101" type stuff; elementary. 

You didn't hijack this thread. If you looked farther into it, you'll see the last post before yours was a long, long time ago. 



Anthony34 said:


> Oh, I know I said I would take this to private, but this could be info that helps others as well... I saw the other thread with the person who put 6x9s in the rear deck. I know this would require cutting into the deck which I am ok with if it helps the midbass in the cab instead of relying on the rear speakers in the doors behind the seats. My question is... should I drop the 6.5s in the rear doors and install 6x9s in the rear deck, or simply add 6x9s and keep the 6.5s and run 3 pairs of speakers plus the subs? Would this create too much frequency crossover with the extra midbass drivers? Or too much rear sound? I still have my 6x9s from my other car, so it would be a "simple" install without buying new speakers. Just wondering if that would increase my chances of getting this car to be where I want it to be.


Putting 6x9s in your rear deck is not going to solve your problem. You can't just keep throwing parts at the problem in hopes that you'll solve it. My front door speakers were $28 apiece and provide enough midbass and bass down to 80hz at very high volumes and can keep up with my 15" IDQ sub. Again; getting infinitely better parts for less money by using a miniDSP. Have you read my car audio SQ how-to thread?

What would increase your chances of getting your car to sound the way it does, without returning any of your parts, is to let me try to figure out what's going on. 

I need to know your specific part numbers for your front speakers, rear speakers, as well as the model numbers of your amplifiers, and specific settings they are set to. I need to know what your head unit settings are with regard to equalization, bass boost, loudness, any filters (high pass, low pass, etc.), and subwoofer level and crossover that might be applied. I need to know the model numbers of all of your amplifiers, as well as the settings that are set on those. 

At the end of the day, if everything is looked over and verified that it's correct, be prepared to need an additional 2-channel amplifier and spend $150 to get a miniDSP set up. I think after all these years, if you're looking for any resemblance of sound quality, it's time you did things the right way.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Anthony34 said:


> Good to know about the Dynamat... i had it in my other car all over the place.
> 
> I dont remember what the Pioneer speakers are, but they are the components that were a few hundred bucks, retail starting at 550 i think (I will try to remember to look up the model number when I get home--I dont have internet anywhere but work, so I will have to wait until Monday). I know they have the gold/copper colored cones.
> 
> ...


Lower your back seats and listen to your subs again. You'll be surprised how much of a difference they make. The rear deck also has a lot of padding to keep out road noise from the trunk. 

Your experience is the reason I always point people to the miniDSP setups. You don't need to keep pulling off panels when you're not happy; you simply tune everything with your laptop from a USB cable that you have tucked nicely somewhere. You can tune 18 individual parametric equalizers, the crossover point and slope for both tweeters and midwoofers, and the gain on each individual tweeter and midwoofer. Spending more than $250 on a retail component set is just silly when you can get vastly better sound for the same price with a miniDSP and truly good set of drivers.

Dynamat or door treatment in general won't fix your problem. Someone who knows what they're doing will. Someone who knows what they're doing wouldn't have installed your crossover boxes inside the doors, especially if they can be adjusted and the need for adjustments is possible. That's "car audio installs 101" type stuff; elementary. 

You didn't hijack this thread. If you looked farther into it, you'll see the last post before yours was a long, long time ago. Nearly 1.5 years ago. 



Anthony34 said:


> Oh, I know I said I would take this to private, but this could be info that helps others as well... I saw the other thread with the person who put 6x9s in the rear deck. I know this would require cutting into the deck which I am ok with if it helps the midbass in the cab instead of relying on the rear speakers in the doors behind the seats. My question is... should I drop the 6.5s in the rear doors and install 6x9s in the rear deck, or simply add 6x9s and keep the 6.5s and run 3 pairs of speakers plus the subs? Would this create too much frequency crossover with the extra midbass drivers? Or too much rear sound? I still have my 6x9s from my other car, so it would be a "simple" install without buying new speakers. Just wondering if that would increase my chances of getting this car to be where I want it to be.


Putting 6x9s in your rear deck is not going to solve your problem. You can't just keep throwing parts at the problem in hopes that you'll solve it. My front door speakers were $28 apiece and provide enough midbass and bass down to 80hz at very high volumes and can keep up with my 15" IDQ sub. Again; getting infinitely better parts for less money by using a miniDSP. Have you read my car audio SQ how-to thread?

What would increase your chances of getting your car to sound the way it does, without returning any of your parts, is to let me try to figure out what's going on. 

I need to know your specific part numbers for your front speakers, rear speakers, as well as the model numbers of your amplifiers, and specific settings they are set to. I need to know what your head unit settings are with regard to equalization, bass boost, loudness, any filters (high pass, low pass, etc.), and subwoofer level and crossover that might be applied. I need to know the model numbers of all of your amplifiers, as well as the settings that are set on those. 

At the end of the day, if everything is looked over and verified that it's correct, be prepared to need an additional 2-channel amplifier and spend $150 to get a miniDSP set up. I think after all these years, if you're looking for any resemblance of sound quality, it's time you did things the right way.


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## djhamp (Jun 29, 2012)

I have replaced the door speakers with 6.5 front and back, Polk components in the front, Alpine coax in the back. 10" sub in the trunk. I wasnt going to mess with the rear door speakers but I got the alpine's cheap enough and the factory speakers really are junk. The rear speakers do add some fill and I think it sounds better with them there, I have the balance more to the front. I would think adding 6x9's would just confuse things.

All the speakers fit without messing with the door grill or any cutting, there was plenty of room. The factory system was OK, but this is light years better, it will crank beyond anything sane and sounds very "clean".


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## Anthony34 (Sep 5, 2012)

I will have to look into the miniDSP setup. I will also try and get all of these settings and model numbers and such for Monday and see where we can go from here. I am still bringing it to the shop (though a different location in case their "tuner" can do a better job) and see how things change tomorrow. I will certainly let you know the results as I need to cure this frustration. I have never had such a frustration with getting the car to sound like I want it until now, so this is all new to me to troubleshoot what the "pro" shop cannot.

Thank you for the help so far... until Monday...


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