Tuning help. System isn't sounding the greatest...

[kdc_619 10+ year member]

This is somewhat long winded but here it goes.

I have a 08 Acura TL. I'm using a audio control LOC with the factory deck and using my phone as the music source. The RCA's are running to a hifonics 1200 (soon to be a Rockford Fosgate prime 1200 in a few days) and a Rockford Fosgate prime 4 channel. I ordered the SMD distortion detector to help tune it..just playing the waiting game until then.

Right now it's not sounding to hot. Considering I'm playing music from my phone to a factory deck and LOC how do you go about tuning it correctly? I've read on here that you're supposed to turn down all of the equalizer's when you adjust the gains and what not but if I turn down the settings on the phone and deck I have great vocals but the bass is almost non existing. If I turn up the bass on the phone and LOC bass knob the bass kicks but it almost distorts. Anyone who has used a hifonics and a loc knows you have to turn the knobs and gain up to **** near max to get any sound...

Any input on where I should begin tuning and adjusting?

2 12 inch American Bass DX( replacing with 2 12 inch FI Alphas

Hifonics 1200 (replacing with RF Prime 1200 when it arrives)

Rockford Fosgate prime 250 4 channel

Prefab Sound ordinance ported box tuned to roughly 37 hz (yeah I know they're ****** but just waiting for the guy at north east bass factory to get back to me for a custom box for the FI Alphas..)

Audio Control LC6 LOC

RF door speakers..

Click to read more...

 

[Boomin_tahoe 5,000+ posts]

Well for one, using cellphone as an audio source isn't the greatest choice vs. an actual HU.

The prefab enclosure could be the other part of the problem....37Hz isn't bad but prefab enclosures aren't as good as custom ones.

See if we can get some help on this one...calling @Jeffdacheff

 

[kdc_619 10+ year member]

I wish I could get a HU but replacing the radio in tl acuras is a little out of my DIY range. In addition I'd lose my steering wheel controls, navigation and back up camera. I'd have a blank screen sitting there above the new HU.

How would I go about testing distortion from the factory radio back with that SMD DD1? Just test rca's coming back?

 

[Boomin_tahoe 5,000+ posts]

I honestly don't know. I don't own a SMD DD-1 There might be someone on here that owns one tho that could tell ya.

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

I wish I could get a HU but replacing the radio in tl acuras is a little out of my DIY range. In addition I'd lose my steering wheel controls, navigation and back up camera. I'd have a blank screen sitting there above the new HU.How would I go about testing distortion from the factory radio back with that SMD DD1? Just test rca's coming back?

Theres integration modules to retain most of that and gps, you can afford to lose since we have google maps on our phones. Factory head unit has a built in high pass filter that cuts off bass from the signal so it doesn't damage your stock speakers. So basically as long as you keep a factory head unit, its never gonna be good bass wise. You will need something like a jl cleansweep, jbl ms8 or alpine pxah800 to flatten the stock head unit signal and restore everything to a flat clean signal. What you are trying to do now is basically just like bass boost. Trying to add basslines into the signal when there was none in the first place.

Difference between your loc setup and a proper head unit is.you have a sh"t dirty semi full signal with a factory eq curve and high pass, you try to boost that up with a dinosaur technology of an lci7. Not to mention factory head units only have a 12 to 16 bit DAC aka digital audio convertor which is basically garbage from the get go.

Vs a proper head unit which has dedicated 24 bit processors and dedication flat response full range signal and a dedicated subwoofer only signal that is decoded with every piece of information regarding to bass, processed into a powerful signal to be amplified.

All amplifers do is amplify the signal. If the signal is sh*t and weak from the start, its gonna be weak and limited. With a strong signal, you have all the potential in the world. What this means is, every setup ive fixed using audio control locs on factory deck, after putting in a real head unit, everyone saw massive gains in sound quality and loudness. EVERYONE. Like several db louder, subs and amps dont get hot, cleaner bass. Waaaay cleaner mids and highs, the works.

Id save up for an orion xtr 2500.1 which is around 300 to 360 on ebay. Dont do small power upgrades like that, its a waste of time and money. Set your gains based on voltage drop and you can easily run the amp daily

 

[kdc_619 10+ year member]

Sounds like I'm going to either swallow my pride and have a shop fabricate a custom double din set up or or hope in don't screw up my car too much trying it.

I wish I could have that orion. I saw the video where Steve Meade and BigDWiz tested it and it put out what 2600 watts. That might blow my FI Audio subs

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

Sounds like I'm going to either swallow my pride and have a shop fabricate a custom double din set up or or hope in don't screw up my car too much trying it. I wish I could have that orion. I saw the video where Steve Meade and BigDWiz tested it and it put out what 2600 watts. That might blow my FI Audio subs

you dont have to use all of the power it can put out. with proper gain setting you'll only see XXXX amounts of power and your subs will be completely safe and your amp nice cold and efficient, longer lasting etc.. An amp barely lifting a finger to put out power will be VASTLY superior to an amp giving 110% every day. In fact not having enough power often leads to low satisfaction and raised gain settings which leads to blown subs and amps.

There's box rise to account for to so it will JUST BE ENOUGH power. Learn what box rise is and you'll know why people who know what they are doing always throw 1.5x to double the amount of a sub's rms to their subs and never blow anything.