My 3 Month Old Kickers Are Crackling! Time For The Real Audio Build; Help Wanted!

[Demon-HeMi]

I went with 3 way 6x9s in the doors and added tweeters to the factory dash locations (actually replaced the stock 3.5’s with these tweeters). This way you’re basically building your own component system. I did this for two reasons:

1. I hate cutting unnecessary holes into the interior for stuff like speakers. I like to keep everything as stock looking and reversible as possible. So the tweeters went up in the dash.

2. You can have full range sound coming out of the 6x9 without negatively affecting its low range capability because (at least with the kappas I have) the mid and high frequencies are made by separate tweeters which you can fine tune to your liking. The kappas actually have a button on them that you can push that will reduce the decibel level of the high range, before you even need to adjust them at the radio or amp.

“Good” is relative when it comes to audio equipment. For every person who likes “X” brand of speakers, you’ll have just as many people that dislike them. Best thing to do is go listen to some equipment and see what you personally like. I myself tend to like the sound of most Rockford and Harman equipment (Harman/Kardon, JBL, and Infinity). Start by deciding what speakers you want and go from there as far as deciding on the amplifier and so on.

No truer words have been said through this, good is in the ear of the beholder, and ill add that Infinity is for sure one of the brands id suggest looking into as well, they make an amazing product, they are one of my go to brands

 

[Jerseystyle]

TL;DR'd it....

What does that mean? I'm old bro, don't know the hip lingo.

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[Drunken Hamster]

What does that mean? I'm old bro, don't know the hip lingo.

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Too Long;Didn't Read

Sent from my magic 5-inch

 

[Jerseystyle]

Too Long;Didn't Read

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Aha...

Well I read all of this and here's my .02;

You probably destroyed your last set because of the lack of power. Get yourself a decent amp to power your components. If you're getting a sub, there's really no need for rear speakers. Spend the extra money on a high quality 6.5 component set. I'd personally steer clear of 6x9s if you want a serious system as you'll never see them in competition SQ vehicles. If you're just looking for upgrades from stock, then by all means go for it. I've been out of the game so I can't tell you what the best brands are these days. I know Focal still makes quality stuff, but they're not cheap.

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[Drunken Hamster]

Okay, well, IDK where to go that'll actually have this stuff set up to listen to. In any case, it'd be a great help if I can just get a solid list of high end consumer level brands to work with.

Just seriously list me the top 5 brands to look at [respectively] for subs, amps, and mids/highs. Trying to piece everything together and explain and reexplain is getting painful. You say "go and try them out" and that's not feasible.

I've laid out my needs, goals, wants, quality standards, price range and everything under the sun and you guys still haven't come up with a simple list?

I'm really trying here. Yes, you've mentioned x, y, or z brand here or there, but it needs to be structured and resolute.

Top 5 med-high to high tier consumer level mids/high speaker brands:
Top 5 med-high to high tier consumer level subwoofer brands:
Top 5 med-high to high tier consumer level amp brands:
Top 5 med-high to high tier consumer level wiring, fuse, sound deadening, etc brands:

I want 1-way 6x9 for front doors as frontal bass/subs. Any style 5.25" or 6.5" for rear doors for rear soundstage and mids/fill. Any style 3.5" or 4"[if they'll fit] for the dash for frontal soundstage, mids/highs. Amps for all. Possible active x-over if my $1500-$2000 theoretical budget [that's for speakers, amps, and head unit only] for this part supports it.

And lastly, after running that for a while, a single 12"/13.5"/15" sub in a custom enclosure to go in the rear, where the 60% bench seat will be removed for another 40% portion to make room for a custom box/rear console.

Yes, you'll all have your opinions, I know. I expect that. But I literally can't ask for help any more clearly than this.

 

[Drunken Hamster]

Yes, they should cover them, then if you loo for a Kicker KEY amp, or a DX or CXA3004, would be plenty!
The KEY amp has 45x4, with auto EQ and DSP, under $220

What's "DSP"?

 

[Drunken Hamster]

I have to agree with Graygoose on here, I have my selection of speaker brands that I prefer and Kicker is one of them, ive never blown one that i wasnt doing something wrong with, and i have always gotten great quality our of them (especially their subs, but they have to be in a properly built box), I have kicker door speakers in my 08 and im running them with a pioneer DD head unit and to say the least im not gentle on them and they have yet to even try to slow down,

im gona go with Graygoose and see if they will get replaced under warranty, and when they do or you get replacement speakers, then get an aftermarket head unit and have it tuned properly, door speakers are for higher mids and high notes IMO, I will suggest a 6.5 in the rear for the bigger woofer to give more mid range sound to the rear of the cab but thats my opinioni will typically turn my HPF up higher to cut out the bass below 80htz, and depending on my system ill go even higher on that, usually when i get subs since it just makes since to let the subs give you the bass instead of the doors...

I missed this post. I actually HAVE an A/M head unit. An $80 single din JVC that replaced the Kenwood I had that was acting up. I just don't know how to tune [or if it can be tuned] to remove distortion and make that full 35 volume safe for speakers.

 

[Jerseystyle]

What's "DSP"?

Digital Signal Processor

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[Jerseystyle]

I missed this post. I actually HAVE an A/M head unit. An $80 single din JVC that replaced the Kenwood I had that was acting up. I just don't know how to tune [or if it can be tuned] to remove distortion and make that full 35 volume safe for speakers.

I think the problem is you're inconsistent with your wants/needs and you're not grasping some of the concepts.

Want to know how to tune an $80 JVC unit? Throw it in the garbage and buy a real HU. You'll never get away from distortion with that piece and running speakers off of the internal amp.

I along with others have laid out several high quality brands for you to do some research. No offense to anyone on this board, but if you're serious about a good stereo, take the tidbits we've given you and go find a car audio forum or read reviews online.

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[Demon-HeMi]

I think the problem is you're inconsistent with your wants/needs and you're not grasping some of the concepts.

Want to know how to tune an $80 JVC unit? Throw it in the garbage and buy a real HU. You'll never get away from distortion with that piece and running speakers off of the internal amp.

I along with others have laid out several high quality brands for you to do some research. No offense to anyone on this board, but if you're serious about a good stereo, take the tidbits we've given you and go find a car audio forum or read reviews online.

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100% agreed with this, any decent stereo shop will have all their products up on display for you to listen to and test out, so there is your start, go listen and pick your product from there

 

[Demon-HeMi]

I missed this post. I actually HAVE an A/M head unit. An $80 single din JVC that replaced the Kenwood I had that was acting up. I just don't know how to tune [or if it can be tuned] to remove distortion and make that full 35 volume safe for speakers.

two keywords in that whole statement, "JVC" and "80 head unit" JVC is one of the brands i even listed to run away from, I will strongly urge you to go get a decent pioneer head unit, Kenwood works too, but that headunit you have is garbage and you wouldnt get good sound quality out of if you have $1k speakers attached to it, a speaker is only as good as its processor, fix that problem and then go from there, if you want good sound you cant be cheap, especially when it comes to your entire systems core processor, spend a $200-$300 on your head unit, something that has proven sound quality capabilities, and do your research on which ones offer what, we have all given you our $.02 on car stereo stuff, but its your ears that hear it how you want it, this forum cant do all the research for you and tell you what to buy, thats your call and what sounds good to you, so i stress this very hard, go to a stereo shop, any of the good ones will have everything able to be tested, and for the love of god, that doesnt mean the flea market like i heard a hundred times, you never know what you get there....


oh and just some extra info, just because a radio is new doesnt mean its good, I actually have a collection of old pioneer radios in my closet just because of the sound processing capabilities, you can get on ebay and get a really nice used head unit thats older but still does everything you need...

 

[justin13703]

Okay, well, IDK where to go that'll actually have this stuff set up to listen to. In any case, it'd be a great help if I can just get a solid list of high end consumer level brands to work with.

Just seriously list me the top 5 brands to look at [respectively] for subs, amps, and mids/highs. Trying to piece everything together and explain and reexplain is getting painful. You say "go and try them out" and that's not feasible.

I've laid out my needs, goals, wants, quality standards, price range and everything under the sun and you guys still haven't come up with a simple list?

I'm really trying here. Yes, you've mentioned x, y, or z brand here or there, but it needs to be structured and resolute.

Top 5 med-high to high tier consumer level mids/high speaker brands:
Top 5 med-high to high tier consumer level subwoofer brands:
Top 5 med-high to high tier consumer level amp brands:
Top 5 med-high to high tier consumer level wiring, fuse, sound deadening, etc brands:

I want 1-way 6x9 for front doors as frontal bass/subs. Any style 5.25" or 6.5" for rear doors for rear soundstage and mids/fill. Any style 3.5" or 4"[if they'll fit] for the dash for frontal soundstage, mids/highs. Amps for all. Possible active x-over if my $1500-$2000 theoretical budget [that's for speakers, amps, and head unit only] for this part supports it.

And lastly, after running that for a while, a single 12"/13.5"/15" sub in a custom enclosure to go in the rear, where the 60% bench seat will be removed for another 40% portion to make room for a custom box/rear console.

Yes, you'll all have your opinions, I know. I expect that. But I literally can't ask for help any more clearly than this.

Good luck to you. I think I’m about done in this thread.

 

[Drunken Hamster]

I think the problem is you're inconsistent with your wants/needs and you're not grasping some of the concepts.

Want to know how to tune an $80 JVC unit? Throw it in the garbage and buy a real HU. You'll never get away from distortion with that piece and running speakers off of the internal amp.

I along with others have laid out several high quality brands for you to do some research. No offense to anyone on this board, but if you're serious about a good stereo, take the tidbits we've given you and go find a car audio forum or read reviews online.

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100% agreed with this, any decent stereo shop will have all their products up on display for you to listen to and test out, so there is your start, go listen and pick your product from there

Fine. I just didn't want to risk driving all over hell's half-acres wasting gas and time only to run into places that don't do sql stuff and want to shove me into a 30000w system with 4 jackhammers in my bed, 2 12s and 2 8s with a half dozen 3" bullets in each door, with amps everywhere, 3 semi-truck alternators, and 4 batteries.

This is why I'm asking all of you. To save money, time, and stress. But it doesn't seem to be helping, so I'll just relent and go look for some place and hope they aren't like that. Which, realistically, if they've been in business and sell all of this expensive stuff, they probably aren't.

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[Drunken Hamster]

two keywords in that whole statement, "JVC" and "80 head unit" JVC is one of the brands i even listed to run away from, I will strongly urge you to go get a decent pioneer head unit, Kenwood works too, but that headunit you have is garbage and you wouldnt get good sound quality out of if you have $1k speakers attached to it, a speaker is only as good as its processor, fix that problem and then go from there, if you want good sound you cant be cheap, especially when it comes to your entire systems core processor, spend a $200-$300 on your head unit, something that has proven sound quality capabilities, and do your research on which ones offer what, we have all given you our $.02 on car stereo stuff, but its your ears that hear it how you want it, this forum cant do all the research for you and tell you what to buy, thats your call and what sounds good to you, so i stress this very hard, go to a stereo shop, any of the good ones will have everything able to be tested, and for the love of god, that doesnt mean the flea market like i heard a hundred times, you never know what you get there....


oh and just some extra info, just because a radio is new doesnt mean its good, I actually have a collection of old pioneer radios in my closet just because of the sound processing capabilities, you can get on ebay and get a really nice used head unit thats older but still does everything you need...

But JVC = Kenwood. They're partner companies, and aside from a couple things, this head unit and my last function the same.

Okay, so would that price be for a single din that just has a really good processor? Or will I be getting into a DD touch screen with some features, too like code reading, android auto, and apple car play?

Actually, all I really care about is that it's a quality head with quality processing that I can plug my phone in usb (so I don't have BT distortion) and not have to download their dumb app to work with it/be non functional like this and the kenwood were without it.

If a head unit could do that or take a usb drive for music while bluetoothing calls/gps simultaneously, then that's fine, too.

And god, no. I never even thought of going to the flea market for this, lol.

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[Jerseystyle]

But JVC = Kenwood. They're partner companies, and aside from a couple things, this head unit and my last function the same.

Okay, so would that price be for a single din that just has a really good processor? Or will I be getting into a DD touch screen with some features, too like code reading, android auto, and apple car play?

Actually, all I really care about is that it's a quality head with quality processing that I can plug my phone in usb (so I don't have BT distortion) and not have to download their dumb app to work with it/be non functional like this and the kenwood were without it.

If a head unit could do that or take a usb drive for music while bluetoothing calls/gps simultaneously, then that's fine, too.

And god, no. I never even thought of going to the flea market for this, lol.

Sent from my magic 5-inch

Find yourself a HU with 2 sets (4) of preamp outputs and buy yourself a nice amp. Most good aftermarket speakers beg for power and can handle quite a bit. That's how you get rid of your distortion issues.

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[Jerseystyle]

But JVC = Kenwood. They're partner companies, and aside from a couple things, this head unit and my last function the same.

But Toyota = Lexus. They're partner companies, and aside from a couple things , they function the same....

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[gofishn]

Pick up a Kenwood Head End Unit. Next in line is an Alpine MRV-F300 Amplifier.
Followed up with Alpine SPR-6x9 Speakers, for the doors, and a pair of Polk Audio DB351's for the dash.

Your kickers were probably fine. Imagine your head end unit blew them by sending too much distortion.
When you have no power, you get volume by turning up the knob but that also sends distortion and blows up speakers.
If you want to stay away from amps, entirely, then go focal speakers.

regardless, get a head end unit.

 

[ramportin1]

But Toyota = Lexus. They're partner companies, and aside from a couple things , they function the same....

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This example to what it responded to is literally PERFECT lol.

 

[Drunken Hamster]

This example to what it responded to is literally PERFECT lol.

But it could also go in reverse with some base model Lexus compared a Supra.

Either way, I get the point. Funny thing, I actually never noticed this crackling before I swapped the faulty kenwood for the jvc. And I'd accidentally and purposefully ran the distortion up on the kenwood more often than the jvc. So I'm thinking it IS the head.

Anyway, I also thought about something else over the last few hours. There really isn't any difference between sql and spl. If we're talking quality components, they'll both run about the same stuff. Spl just runs more speakers and more wattage and more volume to get hair tricks and ****.

Which just makes me a fool for thinking that ANY reputable professional audio shop could steer me to the wrong equipment. No matter what, if I say I want gud sht, it'll be miles ahead of frikken best buy, right?

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[ramportin1]

But it could also go in reverse with some base model Lexus compared a Supra.

Either way, I get the point. Funny thing, I actually never noticed this crackling before I swapped the faulty kenwood for the jvc. And I'd accidentally and purposefully ran the distortion up on the kenwood more often than the jvc. So I'm thinking it IS the head.

Anyway, I also thought about something else over the last few hours. There really isn't any difference between sql and spl. If we're talking quality components, they'll both run about the same stuff. Spl just runs more speakers and more wattage and more volume to get hair tricks and ****.

Which just makes me a fool for thinking that ANY reputable professional audio shop could steer me to the wrong equipment. No matter what, if I say I want gud sht, it'll be miles ahead of frikken best buy, right?

Sent from my magic 5-inch

well the supra is toyotas top race/performance/sport car so to compare equally well look at lexus top race/performance/sport car the RC-F GT3...... yup 100 out of 100 taking the lexus