I am starting to enjoy my stereo again, I am not sure I have the balance, or can obtain the correct balance with 2 12's bumpin and a single RSD65cs component set. I was thinking of adding 2 more midrange speakers in the doors, or just getting a 3-way set that will possibly fill in the inbetween.
What is your opinion, the current rsd set is run on a XS4600 bridged and the gains have not been touched at all. They do bump, but they do not come close to the 2 subs in the front trunk, and I would love to turn THEM up more!
Thanks guys.
I guess the question would be if adding another 6inch woofer, and making the xs4600 4 channel is better, or keeping it bridged into a bad-ass 3way set is the way to go?
What is your source? Are you filtering there or using the amps xover?
To start I would 1. make sure the dip switch on the RSD xover is set at 0db. 2. turn up the amp's gain for the components, if your gains are all the way down (least sensitive) especially. I'm a pretty firm believer in at least a few dbs of gain overlap as long as you know what you're doing/can hear when things are not right. For reference, most things I've read say that distortion is essentially inaudible up to about 10db-15db of overlap. With 10db though its going to SOUND twice as loud. Big difference.
Wait I think I misread, you are running just the components with the 4600? so fronts bridged to one side and rears bridged to the other, and another amp is powering the subs? You should have more than enough power to drive those components down to a reasonable cutoff freq. with that amp imo. I would spend some time tweaking your levels before adding another driver, I think you have more left in what you have.
1 rsd 6.5 componet set is running on 1 xs4600. left speaker bridged, right speaker bridged. The alpine head puts out a clean signal to the eq and the eq is adjusted to output the full voltage required for the xs amps recomended input. at 7/8 volume the speakers are very loud and very clean, the amps gain are all the way down, if i try to get any more by touching the gain on the amp the speakers will distort/pop/ etc.
the componet set is running with the crossovers supplied with them and the amps crossover are bypassed. I believe you guys mentioned running the system active using all four channels, but I have no idea (newbie) how to set up, tune etc.
All that I am trying to accomplish is
1) use the full potential of this amp (some gain)
2) fill in the dead zone between the 6.5 woofer and the 12 inch woofer (BIG FREQUENCY GAP)
3) possibly achieve even more decibles. (i like sq not spl)
next in the chain is the EQ25 wich has an input, adjusted so the lights flash one time sec with the peaks in the music, I actually backed it off a hair from that, so neither one blink. (just a hair)
now the output on the EQ25 are adjusted so I have the full allowable 3v signal going to the XS4600.
This method has already reached the peak of the rsd component set. I cannot adjust the gain at all on the amp without blowing/distorting the set. Seems I need more speakers, rather than adding more and randomly trying to use all four channels and balance/tune. I thought just getting a 3 way set, that can handle more power would be the correct choice.
I would try just running straight to the head unit. Then adjusting the gains on the amp. It sounds like your signal is just to high going into the amp.
You may be right Drock, but I don't think that's the problem. For one has the ability to reduce the gain at the EQ, but even a 4V preout is only going to be probably b/w 1-2V when its playing music loud. Plus a moderate 10db of gain overlap can usually be achieved by increasing gain 1V give or take.
jsayre914, the crossover for the component speakers is only used for dividing the signal so the passband to the tweeter and the mid driver are within their playable range. They don't filter anything typically so you have the option of using them as full range speakers w/o a sub. Since you are using subwoofers, you do not want to send a full range signal to the components, which it sounds like you are doing. If that is the case, you are eating up power trying to play the low frequencies with the components that are already being handled by the subs, and possibly below the speakers' capability to reproduce. If the alpine HU has crossover capability, I would use that to set the high pass cutoff point for the outputs to the 4600 (well to the EQ first) and the low pass to your sub amp. This will give you a good bit of headroom back, and I would guess without even doing anything else you will hear that some of that void you are unhappy about gets filled in. Then you will need to retune starting at the EQ, and it should continue to improve.
If the head unit does not have crossover setting, you definitely need to use the high pass filter on the 4600. If you go this route, the only thing you should need to retune is the amp gain. Just start with the same frequency as you have your sub amps low pass filter set at. If it still sounds a bit heavy at the bottom end, bump the high pass up a little bit so you are underlapping by 10-20hz (so if your lowpassed at 80, try your high pass at 90 and 100). Also, where is your lowpass crossover set? That is another thing that may be contributing to the gap.
If you still aren't sure let me know, I'm bored so I'll try to walk you through. I'm still confident you should be able to get what you have to at least sound pretty damn good. Those components list their response down to 45Hz, they should sound real good with that amp in what I would consider "midbass" territory unless there is a an issue with the physical installation.
Doesn't that eq/crossover have an internal gain adjustment. I was just reading up on it and just figured that out. I have an eq215ix I just bought. But had no idea it was adjustable internally. So maybe if yours was bought used, someone played with the gain inside.
That is assuming you did not already know this. I'm learning every day as well. Trying to deside how to use all the goodies I have.
Drock wrote:How did you do that diagram of your setup?
Paintbrush (microsoft) old skool lol
I think I am understanding what you guys are saying. If I am passing a full range signal to the component set, I will get distortion very quickly when turning up the gains. If I set the (hi-pass) on the xs4600 or using the headunit, I can achieve more volume, less distortion and fill in the gap??
esentially: removing the midbass from the components gives you more overall midbass
I will try this approach and let you know what happens, great advise. Thank you everybody
p.s. whats the difference if I drop all the low frequencys on the EQ using the sliders all the way down.
Same outcome??
Drock wrote:How did you do that diagram of your setup?
Paintbrush (microsoft) old skool lol
I think I am understanding what you guys are saying. If I am passing a full range signal to the component set, I will get distortion very quickly when turning up the gains. If I set the (hi-pass) on the xs4600 or using the headunit, I can achieve more volume, less distortion and fill in the gap??
esentially: removing the midbass from the components gives you more overall midbass
I will try this approach and let you know what happens, great advise. Thank you everybody
p.s. whats the difference if I drop all the low frequencys on the EQ using the sliders all the way down.
Same outcome??
You're close. You are cutting the low bass from the components (typically below 100hz-60hz depending on set up) so they can play everything else more efficiently. Dropping the sliders is not the way to do it for too many reasons to list.
For now think of it this way, you are setting up a 2 way active system for all intents and purposes. The components are a single unit that need a high pass signal. The subs get a low pass signal. The higher up you set the low pass crossover point, the more your subs have to work. The lower you set the high pass point, the harder those mid drivers will have to work. Its hard to say without knowing specifics, but a safe starting point is probably setting both at 80hz and work from there.
lol
