navidf

I had my AMP replaced by the Alpine PDX-5. They put it in my trunk and ran wires from there. The sound is now not very good. I have full sub control, fade, and punch which I assume it means they did not disconnect the original AMP. Also when I fade to front, there are no tweeters, but when faded back to rear, the tweeters come on. The highs are bright and tinny. There is no stage or punch to the music and my ears hurt after a few minutes if listening.
I need to go back. Can someone help with what I need to tell them to do exactly.
Thanks

atombomb33

iTrader: (28)

I think I know what the problem is. You're installer didn't properly install your system.

1) If you still have the sub punch control, your stock amp is still being used. It shouldn't be. Ask your installer to redo the install and to NOT use the stock amp at all.

2) It sounds like he used the two front channels of the Alpine amp to power your front door speakers. And then he used the two rear channels of the Alpine amp to power the front door tweeters. That's way too much power for those tweeters which is overdriving them and making them sound harsh and too loud for you.

Here's how it should be done:

- Alpine front left channel should be powering the front driver side door speaker & tweeter.
- Alpine front right channel should be powering the front passenger side door speaker & tweeter.
- Alpine rear left channel should be powering the rear door driver side speaker.
- Alpine rear right channel should be powering the rear door passenger side speaker.
- Alpine subwoofer/mono channel should be powering the subwoofer in the trunk.
- Your installer should set all the equalizers to the proper settings for each speaker (that's something he'll need to do but a guide would be high-pass set around 80hz for the door speakers/tweeters and low-pass set around 80hz for the subwoofer.
- Then he needs to properly set the gains for each channel of the amp so that some speakers don't player louder than they are capable of and you wind up blowing them.

Good luck. Hope he gets it right the 2nd time around.

navidf

Much appreciated

slk1z

I too have been thinking about upgrading the stereo. As navidf, I want to go with the Alpine PDX 5. The only difference is I am thinking to add PXE-H650 and keeping the factory amp. Has anyone tried this or tried with adding a Cleansweep? I would like to avoid as much wire cutting as well as keep deck functions.
Any input would be great

Spoonie

The stock amp is crap. There isn't anyway around it other than replacing it. It still depends on what you are looking for out of the stereo. I've heard that some folks had success replacing the head unit. But that system still isn't as nice as someone who replaced the Rockford amplifier with a much more powerful, cleaner amp.

atombomb33

iTrader: (28)

To add to this. The problem with the OEM Rockford amp is that it limits the power output and volume (to not blow the speakers). That's probably the #1 complaint that others have. From what I've read, even if you replace the head unit, the OEM Rockford amp still limits power and volume. The only way to truly free the speakers to play louder is to replace the amp

mrMTB

iTrader: (13)

Does anyone know if the PDX-5 will fit under the driver's seat where the stock amp resides?

atombomb33

iTrader: (28)

Yep

Webman

80Hz is too low for the sub cut off. Especially for a 10" sub. a Typical door speaker can't produce frequencies below 160Hz like a sub can. So what you are doing is creating somewhat of a hole where frequencies above 90Hz aren't heard at all because the door speakers can't produce them like the sub is capable of. For a 10" I'd say the more correct cutoff is around 160Hz, maybe even higher or lower depending on personal preference. for a 12", it goes down to 120-140Hz, since they are less capable of producing the higher frequencies. In a setup with two crossovers (high & low) the Low pass side should be set to 160Hz, and the mid/high should be the same (no matter what the crossover slope is). But no matter what, you don't want to create a hole where certain frequencies aren't played. Again, 80Hz is too low, even for a 15" sub. If you have a 15" sub set to 80Hz, then you should have some 8" subs in there covering the 80-200Hz range.

Spoonie

Have someone else install your stereo. Any installer who's stupid enough to use an Amplifier's speaker level output as input to another AMP's input is incompetent. Or he should have at least told you and let you know about the downsides. Instead he figured that you'd probably never notice and let you go on your way. If I were you, id stay as far away from that installer as possible.

atombomb33

iTrader: (28)

I'll respectfully disagree. 80hz is a starting point that nearly anybody in audio will tell you to start and then adjust up/down from there. But, the higher you crossover the sub, the more the bass will sound "fake" and will sound like it's coming from the trunk (ideally the sub will sound like it's coming from the dashboard...if you've never experienced this it means your sub was crossed over too high). In a SQ vehicle, the crossover for the sub will sometimes be as low as 50hz. If your midrange speakers aren't faithfully reproducing the midbass range (80hz-400hz) then you need to replace your midrange speakers.

I will agree that a sub will reproduce midbass notes louder than a midrange speaker will. But, the sub will not reproduce the sounds faithfully. Louder is not better and this scenario is a perfect example. But, I'm going well above and beyond the average everyday car stereo. I'm talking about creating a really great car audio system that is competition ready.

In the end, adjust the crossovers to whatever sounds good to you. Adjust the EQ to whatever sounds good to you. You're the one that drives your car and you should enjoy it and the audio quality just the way you like it

navidf

This has turned out to be a nightmare!
I went back and I printed the wiring diagram from another post. He worked on it for another 2 hours and said that my AMP has a different wiring than the picture and when he disconnected the original AMP he could only generate a small output from the Alpine. So he apparently cut the AMP's output to a nominal wattage(or I think) put some cross overs and kept both AMPs, saying the Alpine is really what is supplying the power. When I listened, the tweeter output now was very low. He said he can, with the crossover and decreased gain, amplify the tweeter by using one channel, both front speaker with another and the rear with the other 2. Then I left.
On the way home, the tweeter were way too active again and now I could only fade front to back (no right to left) and the sound was blasting to my left ear with no adjustment option to shift it! No stage, no depth, harsh.
Also when the car is turned on, the tweeters pop once and then even when the stereo is off, I am hearing a constant low volume, high pitch whine that increases in output as I accelerate (Alpine AMP is powered on at all times?). I called Mitsubishi to get a diagram of my AMP's wiring, they said no for legal reasons!
I am to go back on Weds am: what should I do?
Any where I can access wiring guide for him? Detailed instructions I can pass on to him as to what he needs to do?
Your advice is much needed as I am ready to go back to the original setup.

Spoonie

My wire colors were different too but my installer still figured it out. I believe that even though the actual wire colors may be different, the actual placement is the same. You are also going to need a crossover or a passive EQ, or both.

Webman

The whine comes from running a power wire directly next to a low level audio signal wire.

The pop comes from the fact that the amp is always on. When an amp is correctly hooked up to a remote wire, the amp is powered on after the stereo itself powers on, eliminating the pop. Same with power off. Power to the amp is turned off before the stereo itself turns off, eliminating the pop.

sspeed

iTrader: (3)

Ok....Has anyone tried splitting off the signal lines prior to the stock amp and sending one split of the signal to a Clean Sweep and then adding a second amp to the clean sweep to power the front and rear speakers. Thus I'm thinking that I will be able to keep the "punch" control since the sub will still be powered by the stock amp and all other speakers by the Alpine amp. Will that work?