hey guys

now i know how to tune for gains but im alittle confused about when it comes to tuning for the crossovers and frequency response
i've got a eclipse ea4000 and it has a few different tuning features
just wanna know whats the best place to start when it comes tuning these?
also does the frequency response have to be the same as the speakers?
i've got my system partly tuned but would like to play around with it abit more to get it just right :)
the speakers i have are eclipse sc8264 6 1/2" splits and eclipse se8385 6 1/2" coaxials in the rear
also have two 12" subs running off 2 seperate monoblocks until i find a proper amp to power them together
oh and its all running off a alpine deck
any info would be great

cheers rob

Ideally you want to find a balance of speaker high pass and sub low pass that won't push either too far outside their boundaries with regards to their response curves.

This is how I do it...but everybody picks up their own ways of doing it. Start by turning your sub output off, and push your fader all the way forward. Activate high-pass filter and set to about 40hz. Turn up the volume to your regular setting...does the speaker appear to be struggling? If so, turn the high pass filter further up until the distortion stops. Probably be around 80-120hz in the end. Fiddle with the EQ until you get a balanced, quality sound that you can enjoy without ear fatigue for an hour or so at moderate volume. Roll the fader back a few notches for some rear fill. Activate the sub and set the low pass at the same point as the high pass, maybe higher depending on the speakers and enjoy :)

Turn all EQ off / flat
Turn all bass boost / loud to off
Sub gets turned off as well.
Turn all the gains on the amps to minimal and xovers should be set HP for your speakers - start about 80Hz
Turn your headunit to 3/4 of its maximum volume
Begin to increase the gain on the front channels until they sound loud enough - if they distort turn it back a little.
Play with the HP now slowly moving it down. You wont have to go much lower if you have 12db/oct xovers.
Once that is fine check the gain again and you are done for the fronts.

For the rears start with the HP much higher at 150-200Hz.
Again increase the gain slowly until you get them how you like
You should not be able to hear the rears as they are only for rear fill and are only for people who sit in the back but each to their own. You can move the HP lower to be the same as the fronts but you will find once you do the sub, you will put them back up ( cancellation ).

Now you should have your speakers about spot on. Make sure you do NOT turn loud or any boost back on. Play round the EQ to achieve the sound you want. You may need to slightly adjust the gain again if major adjustments need to be made.

Sub is the last thing and of course do the same as the front, turn the gain up so the sub blends with the front stage, not totally over powering it. Adjust LP to suit, don't worry if they overlap a little ( HP are usually only 12db where sub LP are often 18 or 24db / oct ). Check phase to ensure the sub sounds like it is a part of the front stage. Sometimes out of phase is closer to in phase.

Go for a drive and see how you like it. :D:D

PS : If your Sub sounds like some one banging on a cardboard box... you have it up too loud...
In a True audio system a sub is felt and not heard... The bass should appear to surround you.. not come from the rear...

thanks for the info guys
are there any certain songs i should be using when tuning?

What is your favourite song ???
What is a song you are familiar with...

Sure I can recommend Bass Mekaniks Volume 5 but it might not be the sort of set up you would like...

Best tuning advice is to get your favourite tune and tune your stereo to how you like it to sound..

Pity your in western Aus or else I would have level set your system for you...

i listen to dance most of the time, mainly ministry of sound
last time when i was playing around with the system i tuned it to micheal jackon thriller cd

I used Billie Jean... Has good low end and with Michael's Lyrics , some nice highs lol

Michael Jackons works are excellent for tuning a sound quality system...very nicely mastered. Also try Offspring and Metallica (Black, not the new one, mastering was ****ed on the new one).

thread theft, if my battery dies, do all my amp settings poop themselves?

not if they are dials. the head unit will lose its memory though.

Amp settings - Generally no
Deck settings - Generally yes

ok so i gave it a shot on the weekend only problem is that the amp has a clipping light on it
so when i go to turn the gain up before it starts to distort the light goes crazy, lucky if the speakers are getting about half the power the are capable of (RMS)
any ideas?

Is your bass boost on by any chance?

Is your EQ on the flat setting?

Might sound like I think you're an idiot for not checking this - but even I stuffed this on the weekend in my tune.....

pretty sure my bass boost was off and my EQ was on flat
is there a setting on both the amp and h/u for bass boost?
how do i check it on the deck? its a alpine CDA-9831

On the amp there's a dial for it usually,

Will probably be 'bass boost' with a 0-10dB written on it. Furthest to the left (keep turning until it stops) is the 0dB setting.

On the deck....hrm, will try and find a manual later on. But things like 'loud' settings should also be turned off.

What type of CD are you using to tune with aswell? live recording or normal CD?

yeah the bass boost's are off on the amp, i have a sub so no use for them lol
i have the manual here with me now as i tend to hold onto everything just incase
as for the cd, when i was playing around with the tuning i was using a ministry of sound cd i got from the shops, dont use any burnt cds/mp3's when tuning

I think around page 19-21 is about tuning equalisers.

Press and hold the menu/telephone button for 2 seconds until the menu pops up, then pick 'flat (off)'.

Check if there's a loud setting hidden somewhere aswell.

This should be everything on the deck.

Now - when the amp clip light is coming on, how loud is the system? loud enough? Im kinda scratching my head as to why your amp is clipping if its early on, it really shouldnt be :-/

Are you tuning with the car on or off?

i use Chemical brothers - under the influence. great song, all types of bass.