Should my speakers sound this bad??

[madmap00]

Finally had some time to tinker with the stereo in the 94 NSX. The previous owner installed the Alpine 634 head unit, S634 Changer, a 4-channel Rockford Fosgate power amplifier and replaced the door speakers with Eclipse 5 1/4 speakers. No matter what I adjust or do, I have sound that is so tinty, it drives me crazy. I mean zero bass at all. I have looked at previous posts on floor subs and am actually considering the powered Kenwood subwoofer and just place it behing the drivers seat. I am not looking for bass that will shake the car next to me but just enough to make the music sound decent. Is there something else I need to check in terms of settings that I haven't to get more bass or is this just something I need to live with? I have tried to adjust every setting on the head unit I can find but still nothing. Should I replace the Eclipse speakers with something better before trying the sub? What should I try next? Thanks as always for the great advice!

 

[D'Ecosse]

Well, it's hard to give straight answer without really seeing your set-up.
The first question is - why a 4 - channel amp? Are you only currently running 2 of the 4 or bridged or ?
What is your bandpass set to on the amp - is it set for full-range? It should be, if you are not running a sub. This is an easy place to lose low-end, if it's set to high-pass with the frequency dial set to cut off the bottom. Check that first!
The head settings should be similar - have to make sure that you aren't cutting off the bottom - are you sure the head is 634? Doesn't sound like a typical Alpine H/U designation although does fit the Changer .....
If it has control to select sub, set to 'off' and ensure if there are any frequency compensations or equalizations, you set them properly.

You won't get great bass from 5.25" but I think it must still be capable of better than what you are describing. One thing that helps in bass response is to stiffen your doors with 'mat & seal all the openings in the door face. A quality set of 6.5's will yield better results at the low end than the 5's but if you have a fundamental problem with what frequency is getting to them, won't fix your problem. What model Eclipse are they? Are they components? I know that one local guy has the Eclipse 6.5 components with no sub & it sounds pretty good!

 

[madmap00]

Thanks for the advice. Let me try and address what I can.

Well, it's hard to give straight answer without really seeing your set-up.
The first question is - why a 4 - channel amp? Are you only currently running 2 of the 4 or bridged or ?

Not really sure on this one. All of the components were there when I bought the car from its second owner. The first owner put them in so I don't know if he bridged or what. No sound from the middle speaker (assuming its still there - just from the door speakers. There is also no factory footwell sub speaker anymore.

What is your bandpass set to on the amp - is it set for full-range? It should be, if you are not running a sub. This is an easy place to lose low-end, if it's set to high-pass with the frequency dial set to cut off the bottom. Check that first!

Great first start! I will check these settings when I can figure out how to remove what looks like a protective piece covering all of the controls on the amp. The CD Changer is mounted right in front of the amp so room is limited. It also doesn't help that my struts won't hld up the trunk lid and it keeps falling on my head as I poke around (that one is an easy fix though!)

The head settings should be similar - have to make sure that you aren't cutting off the bottom - are you sure the head is 634? Doesn't sound like a typical Alpine H/U designation although does fit the Changer .....
If it has control to select sub, set to 'off' and ensure if there are any frequency compensations or equalizations, you set them properly.

You won't get great bass from 5.25" but I think it must still be capable of better than what you are describing. One thing that helps in bass response is to stiffen your doors with 'mat & seal all the openings in the door face. A quality set of 6.5's will yield better results at the low end than the 5's but if you have a fundamental problem with what frequency is getting to them, won't fix your problem. What model Eclipse are they? Are they components? I know that one local guy has the Eclipse 6.5 components with no sub & it sounds pretty good!

Not sure what model the Eclipse are unless I remove them. They look like just two-way typical car speakers - nothing special. I will try the other suggestions first and then look to moving to the 6.5. Can these be installed without modifying anything or what is involved to install them?

 

[mr_spanners]

D'Ecosse is absolutely right (no change there!) in that you SHOULD be getting some bass freqs through your 5.25" units. First check the amp and the polarity of the speakers for best results. If you're not looking to go the 'sub route' then using good quality sound deadening mat and spray in the doors will make a HUGE difference to the bass and moving up to the 6.5" drivers will improve matters further.

Once your amp is set correctly perhaps a set of D'Ecosse speaker plates and some 6.5" components might be the first upgrade?? There's lots of recommedations on here for door speakers (my personal favorite is the Focal K2 Power range) but you really must do the sound deadening if you want reasonable bass from the door speakers.

~Phil.