Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Audio Getting more from new system

Hey all,
After reading the audio forums for quite a while, I decided to drop some stuff in. I put infinity kappa 6x8 in every door, and a kenwood KAC-6402 40Wx4 to drive them. It sounds amazing, but the bass doesn't hit quite like I would like. I realize without a sub I won't get it perfect, but my buddy has the same setup in his civic and gets a little more punch. I'm guessing a cap wouldn't make much difference with that small of speakers. How big do my wires need to be between the amp and the speakers? Right now I think they're 14 or 16 guage from the amp up to the front of the car, then whatever the factory wires are from there. Any ideas?

Thanks,
Dave

the reason ur buddy has more "punch' in his civic is beacause on where the rear speakers are mounted.. ours are on the doors.. his are in the package tray.. them being on the package tray kinda makes the trunk into a speaker box..

Lack of bass response has nothing to do with having or not having a "cap" or the size wires you have.

It is most likely a function of the speakers themselves in the location they are in, or more likely the connections you made when installing them. It is possible you have one side out of phase with the other so some of the bass could be canceling out.

This is easy to check. Simply flip the + and - wires for one of your front speakers (do it at the amp, it'll be easier) then listen. Turn off the rears for this test. Does it sound better now or like it was before? whichever way it sounds better is the way you leave the connections.

Now repeat the process with only the rears. Leave the connections the way they sound best.

Now listen with all four. Does it sound better or worse with all four than it did with just the fronts? (yes it'll sound worse in my opinion just having the rears on at all, but that is beside the point). If it sounds worse, flip the + and - connections on BOTH the rears and repeat. Leave it the way it sounds best.

Remember, the + and - markings on the amp and speakers are for reference... It doesn't always sound best hooking the + to + and - to -.

SoundQ,
Good idea... should have thought about phase. I do have a degree in EE after all... I thought it was possible that I'm not getting enough current to really move some air, sounds like that's not the case. I also think if I tighten everything up inside the door, got rid of rattles and everything that should make a sharper response. Any quick tips on what I should hit first?

Thanks
Dave

I have heard the kappa's in a civic as well and was really surprised with the bass response. The speaker placement in our cars is not very good. A small sub will help with this, even a 8 in will help to get the sound you want with out taking up to much space.

Other ideas:
The amp: RMS Power @ 4 Ohms: 35W x 4 @ 14.4V
Your cars electrical system will probably not be running 14.4 volts all the time. It might peak to that voltage which will allow the amp to produce the numbers above.

The Speakers: Recommended RMS Power: 100W
You might get that punch your looking for if they had more power.

Another idea is to deaden if you haven't already. That will help a lot. Parts Express has a deadening kit from Cascade that includes some of their peel n' seal and has a pair of their Deflex Pads. That kit would probably help a ton.



Morgan