Bass sounds muddy in my car

[fithwheel]

I'll try that. Appreciate it man.

Also it's 125 x 2 bridged at 4ohms.

Oh sorry thought you only had 1 sub hooked up to it. Anyway fix the signal. Come back when you're ready for upgrades good luck 

 

[melomy]

Oh sorry thought you only had 1 sub hooked up to it. Anyway fix the signal. Come back when you're ready for upgrades good luck 

Oh I do have 1 sub hooked up. I just thought the amp can provide 250watt through bridged mode.

These are the ratings provided on the site:

40 Watts x 4 @ 4-Ohms
60 Watts x 4 @ 2-Ohms
125 Watts x 2 @ 4-Ohms Bridged

That would **** if it only provides 125watt to my sub... Think I'm going to get it checked out by an audio shop tomorrow.

 

[fithwheel]

Oh I do have 1 sub hooked up. I just thought the amp can provide 250watt through bridged mode.

These are the ratings provided on the site:

40 Watts x 4 @ 4-Ohms
60 Watts x 4 @ 2-Ohms
125 Watts x 2 @ 4-Ohms Bridged

That would **** if it only provides 125watt to my sub... Think I'm going to get it checked out by an audio shop tomorrow.

Depends like I said I haven't looked at your links. If it a dual 4ohm  voice coil then it's possible. Single vc then no. I was picturing a 3 channel set up. 2 channel to some coaxials and 1 to the sub

I wouldn't go to a shop. Someone will chime in tell ya if it's a svc or dvc. If not I can look at the links you posted when I get home.  Kinda hard for me to click on stuff and look at specs atm

 

[fithwheel]

I hope you don't have 2 channels wired to a single voice coil sub 

 

[wew lad 5,000+ posts]

So there are these things called spade terminals that you crimp onto your wire to attach to those gold plated inputs/outputs. Did it feel shitty jamming in bare wire and cranking on the bolt to tighten it down? I hope it did, because it looks like it 

You definitely aren't getting 250w. You're missing the fact that a 4 ch amp can't output 1 channel. It can output 2 channels into a dual voice coil speaker which would entail 4 wires not 2 like your picture.

https://www.amazon.com/SCOSCHE-X2BS4-4-gauge-Spade-Terminals/dp/B0023NVYZW

 

[THATpurpleKUSH 5,000+ posts]

So I should put my subwoofer setting at 10 (max) on my head unit? I thought this was bad practice as the head unit will amplify the sound then and may cause distortion.

My amp is this one:

https://rockfordfosgate.com/products/details/r250x4/

It's rated at 250watt rms and my subwoofer is 200watt rms. Shouldn't it be enough?

I appreciate the help guys.

Sub level is not that same as bass boost. Sub level is the volume control for the subwoofer output level into the amp. If you have this turned down, then you will be feeding the amp a weak signal, which was mentioned as a potential source of your problem. Turn sub level all the way up and keep other eq settings like bass and treble flat. 

Oh I do have 1 sub hooked up. I just thought the amp can provide 250watt through bridged mode.

These are the ratings provided on the site:

40 Watts x 4 @ 4-Ohms
60 Watts x 4 @ 2-Ohms
125 Watts x 2 @ 4-Ohms Bridged

That would **** if it only provides 125watt to my sub... Think I'm going to get it checked out by an audio shop tomorrow.

It ***** but that's what bridging does, you are combining 2 stereo channels into 1 mono channel. You need an amp that does about 500w at 4 ohms to have enough power to move that sub to its limit. Your amp may be rated for 250w but it's not the right type of amp and by using it with only 2 channels bridged you are essentially using half of the amp. 

A shop will likely just try to upsell you into a more (or sometimes less) powerful amp that they sell. 

Depends like I said I haven't looked at your links. If it a dual 4ohm  voice coil then it's possible. Single vc then no. I was picturing a 3 channel set up. 2 channel to some coaxials and 1 to the sub

I wouldn't go to a shop. Someone will chime in tell ya if it's a svc or dvc. If not I can look at the links you posted when I get home.  Kinda hard for me to click on stuff and look at specs atm

The sub is a svc 4ohm loaded into a factory built sealed enclosure. 

 

[Boomin_tahoe 5,000+ posts]

Not liking the install on that amp. Who installed it? 2 diff wire sizes, black and red...??  Also the power/ground wires should not be exposed at at all. Could lead into wire strands touching each other. You need some wire spades in those amp terminals.

Also that JVC amp is ok but don't expect much out of it based on power ratings. A lot of us are running lots of watts to our front stage and even more to our subs.

 

[melomy]

Sub level is not that same as bass boost. Sub level is the volume control for the subwoofer output level into the amp. If you have this turned down, then you will be feeding the amp a weak signal, which was mentioned as a potential source of your problem. Turn sub level all the way up and keep other eq settings like bass and treble flat. 

It ***** but that's what bridging does, you are combining 2 stereo channels into 1 mono channel. You need an amp that does about 500w at 4 ohms to have enough power to move that sub to its limit. Your amp may be rated for 250w but it's not the right type of amp and by using it with only 2 channels bridged you are essentially using half of the amp. 

A shop will likely just try to upsell you into a more (or sometimes less) powerful amp that they sell. 

The sub is a svc 4ohm loaded into a factory built sealed enclosure. 

So I should upgrade my amp to a 2 channel more powerful one? And for the sub level, my speakers are also at 0 and they are pretty loud. I've read setup guides for these pioneers and from what I remember they recommend to leave it at 0.

Not liking the install on that amp. Who installed it? 2 diff wire sizes, black and red...??  Also the power/ground wires should not be exposed at at all. Could lead into wire strands touching each other. You need some wire spades in those amp terminals.

Also that JVC amp is ok but don't expect much out of it based on power ratings. A lot of us are running lots of watts to our front stage and even more to our subs.

That was my first setup ever with the first sub and amp. I currently have the R250X4 amp with a Rockford Fosgate Prime R1-1X10.

I know I should have used wire spades. That won't happen again lol.

 

[THATpurpleKUSH 5,000+ posts]

So I should upgrade my amp to a 2 channel more powerful one? And for the sub level, my speakers are also at 0 and they are pretty loud. I've read setup guides for these pioneers and from what I remember they recommend to leave it at 0.

That was my first setup ever with the first sub and amp. I currently have the R250X4 amp with a Rockford Fosgate Prime R1-1X10.

I know I should have used wire spades. That won't happen again lol.

Upgrade to a mono amp that does around 500w at 4 ohms. A 2ch would be ok, look for 500w at 4 ohms bridged. 

And definitely use spade connectors, they give you a more consistent and reliable contact surface. Way safer than bare wire that could pop out if you hit a bump. I can't believe I didn't notice that sooner. 

 

[melomy]

Upgrade to a mono amp that does around 500w at 4 ohms. A 2ch would be ok, look for 500w at 4 ohms bridged. 

And definitely use spade connectors, they give you a more consistent and reliable contact surface. Way safer than bare wire that could pop out if you hit a bump. I can't believe I didn't notice that sooner. 

I will install those tomorrow. Turns out I have a R300X4 amp actually.This one has a bit more power https://rockfordfosgate.com/products/details/r300x4/

150 Watts x 2 @ 4-Ohm Bridged

Would it still sound decent with a 4 channel amp like this or should I just go for a better amp? I just want some nice clean bass in my car with a bit of punch. Nothing crazy.
 

 

[fithwheel]

Let's see here let me do the math here real quick. Oh fk it 150 is no where near 500 lol.

 

[THATpurpleKUSH 5,000+ posts]

I will install those tomorrow. Turns out I have a R300X4 amp actually.This one has a bit more power https://rockfordfosgate.com/products/details/r300x4/

150 Watts x 2 @ 4-Ohm Bridged

Would it still sound decent with a 4 channel amp like this or should I just go for a better amp? I just want some nice clean bass in my car with a bit of punch. Nothing crazy.
 

Go for a better amp, using half of a 4ch that does 25w more when bridged isn't going to do anything.

 

[melomy]

Alright thanks for the help guys. I feel so scammed as they sold me this in a set. Rockford sells this sub and amp together and they're not even a right fit. Unbelievable.

 

[fithwheel]

Alright thanks for the help guys. I feel so scammed as they sold me this in a set. Rockford sells this sub and amp together and they're not even a right fit. Unbelievable.

Look at it this way you have a start. 2 4 channel amps you can bridge to run a set of tweeters and a pair of mids. You're just a mono block amp and a better sub/enclosure away from a much better system then what your buddy or cousin have. Way I see it you only wasted money on the sub.

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

I see a big problem. Your head unit is only two pairs of 2 volt preouts which highly indicates a low quality head unit outputting a low quality signal, happens with my buddy's install, no matter the setting, it wasnt that loud and it clipped the subs a lot easier.  With a much stronger pre-out voltage quality head unit, his subs were a lot louder and remained cool and never smelled.  For reference my buddy had the previous generation of your head unit. Your buddy with a factory head unit probably has a high voltage LOC and the factory head unit did not high pass any bass in the signal along with his vehicle acoustics are a lot better than yours which leads to louder sound.  

As said before, this is a blessing in disguise for the future. You can bridge your 4 channel into 2 channel mode for some beefy mids like prv 6.5 neos  and use the 2 channel for tweeters. Then get a dedicated monoblock and better head unit with at least 3 pairs of 4 volt or higher pre-outs and do a full blown active network setup.   Dont waste any money on rears btw focus all attention to the front stage.