Better sound?

[Dan2]

howzit guys

i am tryin to get more "higher frequency" bass from my sub. you see the problem i have now is not power output or loudness, its that the bass sounds about right with dance music, far too loud when playin hip-hop etc and practically non-existant with rock music. so there seems to be a major dip in the higher bass region - and it tends to get louder when the frequency goes low.

i know what the simple solution is - get front mids that can play bass and lots of it, but i would rather try and get the most out of my system as it is.

thing is the sub seems to hit those frequencies ( with LPF on) if you listen to it in the trunk - it doesnt seem to go through to the car. i have already taken out the cardbaord seperator between the trunk and the back of the rear seats. i also heard somewhere that taking out the rear speakers and leaving the holes open would make it sound better - but i often have a full car of people that would prefer to hear music rather than bass

so should i try get more bass from the mids or the sub??

[chris661]

The subwoofer driver being blocked from the rest of the car can have an effect on it's upper frequency limit. It sounds counter-intuative that the lower the frequency, the louder the sound... and "non-existant" bass in rock music sounds a little out aswell, as rock has some low bass in there - down to 40Hz, with some like Pink Floyd - Breathe going down to 20Hz at the start.

For now, try switching the LPF off, see if things improve.

If not, you'll have to knock up a HP XO for the mids, so they can come down a bit lower to meet the sub.

Chris

[Glowbug]

It's the job of the midbasses to do what you're describing.

Sealing up the door panels thoroughly, and making sure you've deadened the panels can go a long way to improving your midbass response.

[Dan2]

Originally Posted by Glowbug

It's the job of the midbasses to do what you're describing.

pretty much, yes. but i don't really have space (or amps) to put midbasses in.

also i must add i don't have hectic mids that push out tons of midbass.

i think what irritates me the most is when listening to rock the sound is pretty thin - then suddenly a low note kicks in and all hell breaks loose! makes it kinda difficult to enjoy the song, u know!

switching the LPF off doesn't work, the bass gets muddy and sounds like its coming from the trunk, AND the low notes are still super loud.

oh yes my amp does have a bass boost which i have to put on in order to get enough gain. i am splitting the stereo signal from my frontloader to the 4 inputs of the amp - 2 for the front speakers and 2 bridged for the sub.

[Perry Babin]

Most car subs have relatively poor low frequency response (outside of the vehicle). They use the cabin gain at low frequencies to help reproduce the frequencies below where the sub starts to roll off. This produces a relatively flat response and avoids the sort of problem you're having.

What subwoofer are you using?

[Dan2]

Perry, i am using a Kenwood KFC 3009 (if i remember correctly)

my friend has a standard subwoofer box which i copied, maybe i should think about a re-design

[Perry Babin]

The owner's manual has suggestions for enclosures for that woofer.

http://akamaipix.crutchfield.com/Man...3/113W2509.PDF

[Dan2]

yes i have seen the spec sheet, but thing is i dont know the volume of the box i currently have so im not sure if a new box would help.

i have another question, is it a common problem to have a lack of midbass ?? i mean most guys i know don't bother with midbass speakers, do they maybe have really good mids?? or bad ears ;-)

[Glowbug]

http://www.the12volt.com has easy calculators for enclosure volume, just enter the measurements and width of material and it gives you the result

is it a common problem to have a lack of midbass ??

If they haven't taken the proper installation steps, yes.

[jol50]

This is a common issue IMO. First most run way more power on subs so stands to reason a powerful low tuned sub with cabin gain will be loud relative to the rest of the system. Next mids in doors tend to not make much bass, this is easy to check simply turn off subs and tune your system to sound good as it can to ~80hz. Certainly it is important to get bass out of your doors with proper mounting and larger drivers. In the old days we had 6x9s in the rear deck to make midbass. Problem using the sub is midbass will get localized and sound like it comes from the rear. Make sure your mids are in phase, it can help to run the subs in phase too try it various ways. Most people run a big EQ now, I remember having to set the system up to sound right without one. Most of them were noisy back in the day.