Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Audio System so far - more advice needed

Hi, a couple weeks ago I posted some questions about my 2000 Contour and here is what I've done so far:

-new head unit - JVC SX770
-speakers - Pioneer 3-way 6x8's (front and back)
-amp for front and rear speakers - Kenwood, 4 channel, 25 watt rms per channel (from my old car)
-dynamat in the doors

Now I'm trying to figure out what I'll do next. I'm probably going to get a sub soon. I'm looking for something that will give me tight bass but at the same time it doesn't have to be the loudest in the world. Suggestions?

I'm a little disappointed with the Pioneer 6x8s. In my other car I had Polk 6x9s in back and 4s in front and thought it sounded much better (louder, clearer sounding), I guess partly because they weren't mounted in the doors like the Contour speakers. Do you think my amp is getting the Pioneers enough power? Would I have been better off putting in Polk 5x7s, or 6.5s, instead?

Something I'm not clear on is what sound levels are safe for the speakers. With my current setup, how loud do you think I can go for extended periods of time on a regular basis without doing damage to the speakers (for instance how loud on the JVC's volume scale of 0-50)? I'm not sure how to determine this.

Well I think that's all of the questions for now. Thanks if you can give me any advice on what you think I should do next with this system.

First of all, I think you have a pretty good start to a nice system. Your last setup most likely sounded better because the previous car had 6x9s in the rear deck (i'm guessing??). This will make a big improvement in the bass response of the speakers.

The sound levels are determined by a combination of things. The best way to set the gains of an amp without test equipment or previous knowledge of the products you are using, would be to lower the gain to the minimum setting and set the volume to 3/4 of the max volume (38 on your JVC) and then gradually move the gains until there is obvious distortion. At this point, back the gain off slightly to get rid of the distortion. This is a quick and easy way to get everything dialed in. This will pretty much tell you that the maximum safe volume level to be played will be 38.

Getting the 6.5" components up front can definitely help the sound quality of system.

You might want to consider putting some form of x-over on your speaks. They'll play much louder and cleaner when not trying to produce frequencies they weren't designed for (low bass in this case). It'll compensate for the low(er) power of the amp. Producing low bass takes lots of energy, which you're eventually hearing as distortion in your speakers when you turn them up.

You could get a simple in-line filter before or after the amp. I'd go before for the sake of efficiency. Or, you could go with something a little more flexible (and costlier). There's lots out there to choose from.

Next, get a simple sub setup to fill in the low end. There are about 10 billion setups to choose from. It would be easy to get an efficient 10" 2ohm sub and power it with a mono bass amp. You could put something together for less than a couple bills.

Just a few thoughts to consider before you go out and start replacing your current components...

Thanks to those who responded. What kind of crossover would you recommend? And if I added the crossover would a single 10" sub be able to do the job of filling in the low end since it would be the only speaker producing any really low bass, or should I go with a bigger single or possibly 2 subs? Thanks

i have the same pioneer 3 ways as you. i have them running with about 50 watts rms each on a sony amp with a high pass crossover at right under 80 hz. the doors don't buzz like they used to (i have dynamat). and the speakers don't distort. I also have a polk dx10 running from about 325 watts rms with a low pass crossover at around 80 hz. The blend sounds really good, and i would definitally recomend crossing over the door speakers. You might want more power though. The pioneers while rated 30-21000 hz really distort with any volume at frequencies below 60 hz. i have them at 80 to reduce door panel vibration further.

A cheap and easy x-over would be an F-MOD. They're in-line and plug in between the patch cable and amp. They cost $30/pair from crutchfield. I'd get the 70Hz hi-pass filters for your app.

A single 10" sub can play very loud as long as it's a good quality sub in its recommended enclosure type.

Here's a sample sub/amp setup that would do the trick:

- Kenwood KAC-719 mono bass amp. It seems you like KW, and it'll put out 230w at 2ohms. It's also got a variable low pass x-over to make it easy to tune it into your system. Crutchfield has got it for $160 (cheaper elsewhere if you just look around).

- You can get a single 2ohm 10" sub. Any decent brand should do. You can get a DVC (dual voice coil) sub with 4ohm coils and wire them in parallel to get 2ohms.

- Or, you can get a couple of 4ohm subs and wire them in parallel to the amp. If you decide to go this route, make sure you go with VERY efficient subs. They're only going to be getting a rated 115w to each sub. But, with efficient subs it'll sound good. A pair of 8" or 10" Bazookas would be a good choice here if you prefer their type of sound (punchy, high impact, "loose" bass). You also wouldn't have to worry about buying or building an enclosure for them.

Lots of choices here. You'll have to decide what fits your taste and budget. I would recommend going with as flexible components as possible, tho. That way you can still use them in your systems down the road. Much, much cheaper than buying all new stuff every time you decide to upgrade/reconfigure.

-Colin

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'99 SVT
Silver Frost/Midnight Blue

About as stock as they come these days.

"Drop a gear and disappear..."