sac2006TL

iTrader: (1)

So I went with the advice of many here and installed some 2 way 6.5 inch infinity Kappas in the rear deck.

And it sounds TERRIBLE! That's if you can even hear it. The first thing is that you can't even hear the speakers in comparison to the front.

It's like there is nothing there.

And there is like NO bass. I mean almost nil.

Anyone have thoughts on this? Do you guys have any insight or opinions?

Eiswritsat

Did you get the ref or kapps? Did you get them in 4ohm or 2 ohm's. Are you sure that the rear speakers are in phase? Id try fading the music to the rear and turning down the sub then un-plugging one of the rear speakers and see if the output or bass response goes up any on the other rear speaker. if there is a change then the speakers are out of phase, which can effect output.

sac2006TL

iTrader: (1)

I bought Kappas. I am pretty sure they are in phase. I literally hooked them up the same way the originals were hooked up. On the connector with the groove on the bottom, the right was positive, the left was the negative. And I verified this with a volt meter as well.

I can try what you are saying, but if they're out of phase, then what do I have to do? Flip the polarity?

Also, they are 2-ohms.

CSWBiggs

if there is zero bass...i'd try this

on the radio....turn off the subwoofer...if bass improves...than more than likely the rears are out of phase with the subwoofer! flip the wires on both rear channels....and try again

and as far as I know a multimeter is incapable of distinguising phase....so elaborate how you were able to determine this?

-Jason

and didn't i already give you the wiring diagrams for your vehicle...and didn't you repost this twice already?

sac2006TL

iTrader: (1)

You did give me the wiring, but the reason I asked again is because you talked of a white and yellow wire on one side, and a red and orange on another. I have a red wire on both sides of my car (2006 manual TL). That's why I posted again, in hopes of someone having the same colors as me.

So, I tested what you told me, ignoring the white and red wires, and you were right. I took my voltmeter and hooked up the red lead to one wire, and the black to another. I turned the volume up SLIGHTLY. If I read a positive voltage difference, then I knew I had the positive and negative wires identified properly. If I read a negative voltage drop, I knew I had to switch the test leads on the voltmeter. Make sense?

sac2006TL

iTrader: (1)

So to elaborate further, I didn't necessarily test phase, but I did verify the positive and negative wires off the head unit. In my opinion, if I did this right, then I should have them hooked up correctly.

Right?!

CSWBiggs

not really...

considering that an audio wave form that is present at the speaker...is AC Voltage!!! and unless you were playin a sinewave...it would be impossible to judge...

did you shut off subwoofer yet?

-Jason

not always correct btw...

some audio manufacts...intentionally reverse polarity on some of their channels....to improve imaging!

sac2006TL

iTrader: (1)

Okay, so what I did with the voltmeter to identify positive and negative was wrong?

No I didn't test yet. I work in the city and going to my car isn't exactly a "just walk outside and there it is" kind of deal. When I leave, I leave. I'll check it on my drive home.

BUT, from me messing around to see if the damn things were on, and fading to the rear completely, and then going right to left (which shuts the sub off if you switch the balance 100%), I remember that there is still like Nada bass. Maybe the speakers I got just suck? Or maybe they just don't work well in the "acoustics" of our car...

CSWBiggs

did you build adapter plates to seal the rear wave from cancelling out the front wave?

sac2006TL

iTrader: (1)

Adaptor plates?

I am not sure I follow what those would be.

I'm by no means an audiophile. I just thought replacing the speaks would be a good move since I read so many good things on here by other A-ziners.

I had the rear seat out because I was fixing something with my rear suspension, and I had to pull the deck up to fix a blown sub, so I thought "well if I have the crap apart anyways, why not just put some speakers in?"

Honestly, By the looks of the OEM speakers, people would say they are crap, but they sound 1000 times better than the infinity's. The problem is that I threw the old ones out already, so sadly there is no going back...

I hate cars

If the Infinities sound worse than stock, there's an installation problem.

Eiswritsat

yeah i have to agree there should be a better sound with an aftermarket speaker for sure. I have seen a few cases for having a bad speaker out the box but its not common.

kg1961

you guy have to remeber he said they are not very loud its because the factory amp is only putting little power. Most aftermarket speaker need more power so thats why they are not as loud.
In phase or not the voice will still be clean but mostly not as loud as stock. New speaker also need to break in so I think they will sound better after that. oem was made to run with the power needed
so many people run into this problem when just using deck power

Eiswritsat

what he said was they sound bad and there is little to no bass which is why we suggested his might have the speakers out of phases.

sac2006TL

iTrader: (1)

Hey guys wanted to follow up.

They sound great now.

I think it's a combo of two things.

1. Believe it or not, I do think they need to work in. About two weeks later they started sounding clearer and louder.
2. I had the back seat out while I was testing. I think for some strange reason, alot of the sound was probably lost to the trunk.

Regardless, a decent upgrade. Wow on the clarity! Treble like you wouldn't believe. Bass is still kind of non-existent, but the sub makes up for it. By the way, I dynamat-ted the whole rear deck and put THICK weather seal under the sub and on top between the speaker rim and deck. BEST THING I EVER DID HANDS DOWN. The car is louder, and so much more efficient, and the sound is AMAZING! We actually have a decent stereo in the car, it's just the rattling that kills the efficiency of the system. My friends think I put a sub in the trunk! That's the difference! I couldn't be happier. OH, one last thing, since I put the Infinity's in, I dremeled out the circular baffle molded into the rear deck. That alone probably eliminated 10% of the rattling...