# Factory Headunit sound quality Dropped with Aftermarket AMP , Speakers & Sub



## SCruze (Oct 20, 2013)

Hello Folks,

I've installed an Aftermarket AMP , Speakers & a Sub. The thing is that my sound has got Loud, but the problem is the Sound quality has dropped significantly and the Tweeters are sounding Harsh now.

My Factory system was: Single din Headunit & four speakers as you know.

Parts I've installed on the Factory Headunit:

Fronts: JBL GTO609C
Rears: JBL Stage 602E
Sub: JBL CS1214T In-Car Bass Subwoofer Tube
Amplifier: Pioneer GM-D9605 (75 wattsx4 @4 ohms)
Wires: I believe 7 awg power cables & 15 AWG Ground Zero Cables.





















Ok so here is the Problem, the sound has become louder but then when i increase the Volume beyond 20 or so I'm hearing the tweeter Scream in my ears and of course Midbass isn't present much.

I've set the gains below normal which improved the sound quality but still it's sounding worse than the Original Setup.

The Installer said that the my OEM Headunit has Low output Voltage so it's gonna sound like trash no matter what parts I install or do with it. He also Insisted that my AMP is Crap and needs to be changed to get more power.

I can believe on the 1 st argument of the OEM Headunit with low output voltage, but the 2nd argument that my AMP is Underpowered or bad isn't true I feel. The Pioneer Amp puts out 75 watts x4 RMS @ 4ohms and my JBLs are 3 OHMS, & I'm running this on Bridged mode already.

But I would like to know what's the issue? Why is the sound quality bad at moderate to high volumes even after instaling amp , speakers and sub? 

Demo:






The sound is lacking the Fullness or say Depth. What's the problem here? Any suggestions to improve the sound?


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

The radio was tuned to match the stock speakers. Apparently that tune is the wrong thing for your new speakers. 

I'm not buying into the theory that the stock unit has low output. Low output would translate into low volume. But that's not your problem. Notice that XtremeRevolution is using a DSP to re-tune the output to match the speakers he's using.


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## SCruze (Oct 20, 2013)

ChevyGuy said:


> The radio was tuned to match the stock speakers. Apparently that tune is the wrong thing for your new speakers.
> 
> I'm not buying into the theory that the stock unit has low output. Low output would translate into low volume. But that's not your problem. Notice that XtremeRevolution is using a DSP to re-tune the output to match the speakers he's using.


Some1 else also suggested me to get a DSP for my Cruze, but will i notice a Huge Difference in Sound Quality if I Add a DSP?

Is it worth the Price? I can get a Ground zero DSP installed for $544 from a local car audio shop.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

SCruze said:


> Some1 else also suggested me to get a DSP for my Cruze, but will i notice a Huge Difference in Sound Quality if I Add a DSP?


Yes, but keep in mind that the DSP is just the tool. You'll need to find someone who can use it to tune the sound system. Depending on the skill, it could sound great, or it could be horrid.


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## Blasirl (Mar 31, 2015)

SCruze said:


> Some1 else also suggested me to get a DSP for my Cruze, but will i notice a Huge Difference in Sound Quality if I Add a DSP?
> 
> Is it worth the Price? I can get a Ground zero DSP installed for $544 from a local car audio shop.



$544???? Have you really read this?

*The SQ Car Audio Thread V2*


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## JerryGash (May 5, 2017)

For what it's worth I copied XtremeRevolution's build pretty much to a "T" (including the 18" subwoofers) and noticed instantly that the factory HU and PAC LOC I was using had very low output voltage which caused me to have to turn the gains on my amplifiers up pretty far. While this made it so I could achieve an acceptable volume level it also introduced a ton of noise and caused my noise floor to be quite high.

I have since decided to quit using the factory HU for music and installed an Android tablet. The tablet runs via USB audio to a portable USB DAC that connects to my MiniDSP C-DSP 6x8 that feeds my 3 amplifiers. With this setup I have an all digital signal running to the back of the car.

I should update my build thread. I've made a bunch of changes since my last post.









Sent from my SM-G955U1 using Tapatalk


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## Chris Tobin (Feb 23, 2016)

SCruze said:


> Hello Folks,
> 
> I've installed an Aftermarket AMP , Speakers & a Sub. The thing is that my sound has got Loud, but the problem is the Sound quality has dropped significantly and the Tweeters are sounding Harsh now.
> 
> ...


I know it is late to help you, but maybe it will help someone else... Weak bass/midbass is often caused by phasing issues. Roll the balance control to full left or full right and see if the midbass improves, you can take it a step further by fading to all front or rear to further isolate the speakers. If the midbass/bass improves you are experiencing phase related cancellation where the left and right signals are out of phase and the lower frequencies are cancelling each other out. Give it a try... If it is better simply swap the polarity of one channel and that could offer a great improvement.

This issue could also rear its ugly head on the output from the head unit and input to the amp if the installer wired it incorrectly...


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## -loki- (Dec 13, 2019)

Signal output voltage is important...2v or better on your RCA lines... I ALWAYS used that as something to look for in old head units. Ie... my Alpine in my truck has 5v out then goes into my alpine ere-g190 eq/line driver.

Older setups I had back in the day from Eclipse ran out at 10v to all my Zapcos...

But even if you shove a crap signal through 10000 watts... it's still crap.


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