goMO

I've replaced the stock system in my 2002 TL-S. I've put in a Kenwood Excelon HU (an older one from around 2000). I also have a Kenwood Excelen amp, its a KAC-X541 model. And I put in Polk Audio component speakers in the front, regular Polk 5.25's in the back, and a Polk Momo sub in the trunk. I'm amping the fronts and the sub. The rears are driven from the HU.

It sounds good. Much better than stock. But I'm not blown away by it. I'm not saying "Holy $hit - this is awesome!"

So I have a couple of questions:

1) For the components in the door, they are 6.5's. They mounted the tweeter in the same enclosure so they didn't have to cut up the door. They said this wouldn't cause any difference in sound quality.

ps - I'll be putting the OEM headunit up for sale shortly in the BM.

2) Regarding sound management, the headunit has hpf and lpf for the fronts, rears, and sub. I use this feature. But are the filters in the HU competing with any of the filters in the crossovers in the components as well as the crossovers that the amp has? If so, which should I have controlling the sound? The HU? The amp?

I know I should've asked the installer about these, but he seemed to have it under control. He said he wasn't going to change anything on the x-overs on the Polk components, so I think they're set wherever the factor sets them.

Any advice would be appreciated!!

mattastick

If your hu can do what's called "active processing" which is sounds like that's what you're describing (with all of those filters in the hu), you should use that if your amp is a 4 channel, and you're not amping the rear speakers. I can't find any info on the amp, that's why I'm saying if. Also, do you have any pics of the install? And which polks? I haven't heard good things about the db series, but I had a set of momo's and they were very nice sounding. If you have more info on the gear, that'd help a ton... If you could provide links to the gear, that'd be awesome...

goMO

yes, the HU has that processing. The front comps are Polk DBs 6.5".

I'll add the link to the amp in the morning, but it has a bunch of processing on it as well.

The sub is a Polk Momo 10" in a small enclosure.

mattastick

If you're running the hu in it's active mode, then you're not going to want to run the passive crossovers. However, this means you're going to need 4 channels of amplification for the components alone. It's kind of annoying, but it's worth it. I can't wait to get my active frontstage back up and running.

eggyhustles

that amp is only giving those comps 45 watts. get a better 4 ch amp.

mattastick

You can get a fine sound stage from 45w, but it's not going to be easy... OP, you either need to do some custom work (cutting doors, pillars, etc) or get a bigger amp like eggy said...

goMO

Here's a link to the amp's specs:

http://www.mobileonesales.com/product_p/kacx541.htm

I would have thought an Excelon amp would be decent..

I'm not sure I understand your comment about the passive crossovers and using the amp just for the fronts.

I think 45 watts would be enough if they are clean, as I'm not blowing the doors off volume-wise. I like to crank it once in awhile, but nothing ridiculous.

eggyhustles

Kenwood over exaggerates there numbers so that amp is probably doing 25-30 clean watts which isn't alot. Your comps will come alive with more power.

goMO

geez, for the size of the amp, you'd think that thing would crank..

so for my current setup, should I turn off the filters for the fronts from the HU and just let the crossovers work? Obviously I'll try a bunch of settings, but just curious what you guys think.

thx!

mattastick

Are you using the amp to only power your comps? If so, run them active. Remove the polk crossovers, turn off all filters on the amp, and use the hu filters.

If you're trying to power comps + something else with the amp, turn off all filters on the hu for the highs, and only run a hp for your mids. Again, you're not going to have any filters on on the amp.

1st setup is an active front stage, 2nd is passive. Another option, if the comps will allow it, it bi-amped. Do the passive cross overs for the comps have 1 or 2 inputs for speaker wire? I know my MMC6500s had 2 inputs, so they could be bi-amped, but not sure about the db series.

goMO

the amp is powering the fronts and the sub. not the rears.

the HU only has lpf for the fronts. I set them at 80mhz. I also set the hpf for the sub at 80mhz.

not sure if the db's can be bi-amped. I'll research that.

mattastick

My bad, yes you'll use the lp for the fronts... I always mix those up... I know how to set them, but when i'm not actually setting them, i can never remember which is which...

Get a different amp for the sub, that's what I'd do. If you want to keep that one, use it active on the fronts

eggyhustles

I vote diff amp for the comps, too.

For 119 you can't go wrong
http://www.caraudiodeals.com/mb-quar...25-p-2250.html

I've been using this amp for a while and it does rated power...

mattastick

Good price on that 4125... Normally they go for at least $150... Maxxonics was selling them for ~$250 iirc at their factory sale, which had some stupidly cheap prices...

Steven Kephart

First of all, DO NOT remove the passive crossovers. There is no way your head unit or amplifier has the proper processing capabilities required for that kind of adjustment. And even if they did, there is no way you have the proper test equipment and knowledge to set it up properly. A passive crossover is MUCH more than just a simple slope at a certain frequency. It provides precise impedance matching, level matching, frequency contouring, and much more for the speakers that would be lost if you removed them. The crossover is THE most important part of any speaker system.

Second, the only thing another more powerful amplifier will give you is more volume. And unless it produces a lot more power per channel, the amount of volume increase won't be large. I never once saw a claim by you that the problem was too little volume.

So let me ask you what should have been asked in the beginning; what exactly aren't you liking? Is it too little volume? Are the highs too bright? Are they not bright enough? Does the sub sound boomy? Is the sound distorted?

If you want a dramatic change in sound, the best place to spend your money is with better speakers. Go out and listen to some other speakers and see if you can find a set that has what you are missing. If you can, try to listen to a high end set to use as a reference point. As a suggestion, some of my favorites on the market are the Diamond Audio Hex Pro's. http://www.diamondaudio.com/content/view/95/

mattastick

Steven, are you saying that passive crossovers are still required for an active front stag? I have an old Alpine 7897 that doesn't have any kind (as far as I know) of impedance matching, or anything like that, but it'll still run an active front stage with no problems... I was running it in 3 way active mode for awhile before I pulled it in favor of my Pioneer for bassracing. Now, unfortunately, my Pioneer won't go active, but I like the menu setup and that's one of the things I'm working on for my rebuild...

eggyhustles

he could go active if he picked up a sundown 100.4

Steven Kephart

They aren't required if you have the proper equipment and know how to set it up properly. It's definitely not something that should be recommend to someone without knowing what kind of equipment and experience they have. I did a write-up a few years ago on another forum describing the proper way to set up different front speaker setups including active one's. Here's the link: http://www.the12volt.com/installbay/...TID~61864~PN~1

eggyhustles

I somewhat agree...i sometimes rather just throw a shitload of power @ a passive setup instead of going active