Hi guys, need some help. I am trying to get the best sound quality (not really an SPL guy) I can in my 2005 Ram QC - within my wife imposed budget of course!!. Here is my current setup:

Fronts - Polk db 690 6x9
Rears - Polk db 650 6-1/2
Amp - Alpine F540 - 80Wrms x 4 - currently only using two channels for fronts. Had left the other two channels to be bridged for a sub.
Head unit - Sony MEX-1GP (yeah, I know - Xplod sucks but I liked the built in MP3 player - I don't have an iPod)

The sould is OK but I seem to be missing the clear imaging and clean high/mid that I am looking for. There is nice tight bass (might add a sub down the road to improve it) but I really want to improve the mid/high end. The sound is best described as muddyor like it is in a can - not clear and precise.

Here are some things I am considering:

Adding Dynamat Xtreme or eDead to the doors
Adding two Polk db1000 1" tweets to the front dash (and powering off the head unit).

Anysuggestions?

Thanks in advance for any input!!!

 

I would have expected it to be too high pitched and tinny with the Sony. They are notorious for that. But the highs are muddy huh? A tweet up high will definatly help with that. Make sure you're not basing the sound using an MP3 disc, because they will always sound worse than a regular CD.

 

I agree with rtkota about trying a regular cd (preferably a store bought one) to check the sound. Depending on the bitrate they're encoded at some of the MP3 files can sound pretty bad, I've had to get rid of some of mine for that.

What's your thoughts on those Polk speakers? I just ordered 2 pairs of the 650's for my Dak based on reviews saying they were really crisp and clear but now you've got me wondering if I should return them and look for something else.

 

Thanks for the replies guys. I forgot one thing and the comment about Sony sounding tinny made me think of it. My deck has a DS0 function that is supposed to raise the soundstage to ear level. There are three levels. The imaging is definitely better with DSO but it does make the sound tinny and harsh. It also introduces a nasty hiss. It gets worse with each progressive level. So I stopped using it. I would love to get a different (i.e. better) deck but I might have trouble selling that to the "boss"!! And I like the Giga panel concept which I don't see in other units. If I were to get another deck, any suggestions? I would like rear aux. inputs (for my XM Roady XT) and for it not to be too flashy. Some of the units nowadays are so flashy with all the graphics and such that I find them unattractive.

So I assume the sound I am hearing is effectively unmodified by the Sony. And the highs are muddy. I chalked it up to the door speakers being placed low relative to my ears. That's why I was hoping the dash mounted tweeters would help. I am using a regular CD for my basis as the MP3 and XM functions definitely are worse.

I like the Polks. The sound is quite clean and the bass is nice and tight. Definitely should be improved with some Dynamat. I had the Inifiitys at first and the highs were nice but there was no bass.

 

Yeah the front image enhancment on most units is crap and usually causes weird, unwanted, garbage in the sound. The speakers ARE very low and a tweeter up high will help. If you want high end without being overly flashy, try an Alpine. Very nice units, but they all have a relatively traditional look to them.

And the reason Infinitys don't have much bass is because of the crossover. They have a higher crossover frequency because they are built with much more, and much smaller voicecoil windings than most midrange speakers. This makes them sound a lot better, but much more fragile, so they try and protect them by setting the x-over frequency higher than normal. They expect you to have a mid-bass or subwoofer to handle the lows. The Polks are very nice as well, and probably have relatively similar voice coil design, so just be careful with them. They may play bass nice and tight, but keep in mind they are meant for quality mids and highs, not lows.

 

Id give the new Clarion 575 a try it has a ton of great stuff in it..
Very eazy to use I'v installed about 5/6 now everybody loves it so you should too..
You can get Sat Radio, iPod, & an AUX all done thru the HU no extra controls..
great HU..
Peace Troy

 

Crystal Clear = Pioneer

As far as good mids and highs go, I think Pioneer is great. I recently installed a Pioneer H/U and speakers and I love them. Way better than my old Sony and off-brand crap.

 

Pioneer headunits [sm=signs007.gif]Pioneer speakers... [sm=signs006.gif] lol

Pioneer headunits are flashy though, dispite their sound, since he wanted something less flashy I suggested the Alpine.

 

 

Thanks guys for the great advice. I think I might take a look at the Clarion and Pioneer head units. I think I also will go ahead with the dash tweeters.

So for the next question - how do I hook them up. I had planned to just wire them to the HU front leads and use the HU amp to power them. It is 17wrms. Would that be OK or should I somehow externally amp them? Can I parallel them with the front door speakers? The amp can handle 2 ohms but the THD goes to 0.3%. Or would I be better to use a Y-cable at the amp and use the channels 3-4 to power them @ 4 ohms?

BTW, I am looking at the Polk db1000 tweeters.