Hey everyone.

Just bought a TE magna, manual :D and the upgrades have begun.

First thing on the list was install the new MP3 cd deck, got that done with out too much trouble, but now its speakers :cry:

I bought a set of 6.5 inch splits for the front, $200 worth, and after much much much stufffing around iv allmost got the bastard to fit in the hole, its about twice as deep as the originals. So finally got it in, and it sounds SH**. well not that bad, but the old ones actually sounded better :cry:

So as far as i can tell now the CD deck is distorting before the new woofers can actually start pumping the music. The deck is a 55w by 4, the most powerfull deck i could find (with out spending over a grand) and the spakers rated at 70w RMS.

So do u tthink its worth buying an amp for the front speakers now, and seeing if that can get those front spekares cranking.

This is such a pain in the arse considering it was meant to be an easy job.

Well iv leanrnt my lesson, when working out how hard a jobs goin to be in a magna, times it by 10 :confused:

Any ideas would be great.

Thanks, Chris

Iv amped my front speakers and they sound a fair bit better than before. Im running a 60Wx4 HU and they sounded pretty good off that, but after I amped them they sounded even better.

As for the speakers U bought sounding like poo, what brand and model are they and did U use a 6" to 6.5 adaptor to fit them in the doors?

Hey, i think u are better off amping your speakers. Could get a 4ch and/or just a good 2ch for the splits. I have a 4ch amp for sale if u want it. pm me :D

Howdy

Yeah i reckon i figured out what i was doin wrong, 2 things, the first is yeah my deck really needs an amp to get the speakers cranking, and second thing is the speakers have a really low response range i.e. 35hz up to 5khz, and i was stupid enough not to bother with a low pass filter.

So once i add a low pass filter it should sound better, plus i havent installed the tweeters yet. So hopefully when i get some time i can finish off the jon properly, and it should sound nice.

The speakers are:

http://www1.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=cs2230&CATID=15&keywords=&SPECIAL=&form=CAT&ProdCodeOnly=&Keyword1=&Keyword2=&pageNumber=&priceMin=&priceMax=&SUBCATID=396

about the best woofers u can get, i compared them to pioneers and others, and even just the physical size of the magnets, and construction leaves them for dead :D. So i know the prob is my fault.

So looks like ill need to get an amp :( ohwell. hopefully tax return will be good :).

The next prob running power and audio cables from the deck back to the amp.......

cya

Firstly, Headunit power ratings are listed in Peak power, not RMS, so your 50Wx4 HU is actually around 20WRMS - drastically underpowered for your speakers, not too mention that if you are boosting the EQ on the deck you are compounding the distortion problem.

Secondly, if you are installing splits then you will need a crossover.

As for the best speakers you can buy, while Jaycar are very good bang for buck, speaker choice usually comes down to a combination of budget and personal preference. Everybody's ears are different, and different styles of music call for different types of drivers.

As for running power cables, please do a search before you post because this topic has been covered so many times.

Best of luck with the install!

The reason why it sounds crap is because you havn't installed the tweeters!

Yes you've worked out half the issue that the woofer has a lower frequency response, the fact that the tweeters will cover the 5khz+ range.

Damien is correct that the head unit is normally specified by the maximum power output, so the splits are most likely underpowered.

I have doubts about using a low pass filter for your situation. When it sounds ****ty, does it sound boomy and a lack of clarity???

err, what tweeters and crossovers did you buy????

Yeah i get what your saying, yeah the deck is 55w peak, which as you said is only about 30w RMS. While i havent had time to install the tweeters yet, im not to concerned with them as when i say they dont sound good, i realise half the prob is im missing half the frequency response. What im concerned with is a lack of powerfull low end crunch which i should be gettin. So obviously it would seem i need more power.

As for the running of the power cable for the amps and stuff, i can c how to do it, its just a matter of finding some time and getting off my lazy arse and doin it.

Hopefully ill get some time tonight to add in the tweeter and the crossover and then be able to c what it sounds like. I really didnt want to have to install an amp for the front and rear speakers, only one fore the sub, to keep costs down :(

Maybee i might have to sell of the larger speakers and just get some chepaer lower powered ones. Just to keep costs down.


Thanks

Hey Damien just wondering if you could answer this one coz I have no idea!
Tonkins did the install of my 1inch in dash dome tweeters with a new head unit, I asked recently if a crossover went in and they said it wasn't necessary as the alpine dome tweeter had a capacitor. Should a crossover still go in?
I'm upgrading the in door speakers shortly so need to know if I should still consider a cross over.

Well, a capacitor is the most basic of High-Pass filters, however because it is passive it will only achieve one roll off curve (which just so happens to be 6dB/8ve which isn't that great, but it will do the job). An external crossover, especially an active one, will probably allow a greater filter curve, say 12 or 18dB per octave (8ve), and also much more versatility as to what frequency the filter is set to.

You can also make passive low pass filters but it involves winding your own inductor coil, similarly you can make 12dB, 18dB, 24dB etc. etc. filters which just become combinations of inductors and capacitors.

Does that make any sense?

I'm going to interpret that as being capacitor = good but not great, external crossover = better! Low pass crossover = necessary for subwoofer.

Question for you Chrisp,

When you put in your speakers.. Did they have a plastic mounting plate on an angle? If so did you put in some spacers to make them fit?

If you did, you might find that the inside skin of the door is hitting on the speaker when you get alot of bass coming through.

I put in 1inch spacers in my doors the first time and had this problem. At low volume it wasnt a problem, but soon as i turned up the stereo i got alot of distorting from the speakers. I then went and bought some new mdf and made some thinner spacers, works a treat now.

Also make sure your speaker is sitting flat on whatever mounting plate you have made, if the outsides of the cone are bent even the slightest it will distort.

I'm going to interpret that as being capacitor = good but not great, external crossover = better! Low pass crossover = necessary for subwoofer.
Yep, you got it champ.

Hey again,

Yeak iv worked out the major probs with it all now. The first prob, and prob the biggest is the fact im still under powering the speakers, and the second prob was like u said Bain it turned out that plastic spacer type thing that goes with the stock speakers was just touching the edge of the speaker if i turned them up too much. Thanks for post :D

Now i have just one major prob, buying and installing an amp :confused: the prob with the speakers hitting the plastic spacer thingo was fixed by just cutting the spacer a tad, as the spekears cant be mounted any deeper or they hit the window. The size of the magnet on these speakers is huge, about 3 times bigger than stock :)


So im thinking now i might just sell the speakers :cry: and perhaps spend the money on buying a strut brace in the group by forum :D , and then when i have the time and money, like towards the end of the year ill buy another set of speakers and amp etc. and do it all properly, rather then try and cut corners. Iv leant my lesson......

Thanks guys