Barely any base from new speakers

[pumxee]

I just installed the driver side kicker speaker but I noticed there is barely any bass. The factory speakers had much more. When I use the balance to go left and right the base almost disappears when I move to the side with the new speaker.... Could I have done something wrong? Could it be that I connected positive with negative and vice versa?

Help guys!

*typo in title please fix base to bass

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[boogs]

What brand/model are your new speakers?

1st - move balance to the left and fader to front so only the drivers side front speakers are playing. Have a listen, then switch balance to the right. Try and center yourself above the center console while you do this for both sides. If there's bass from each speaker but virtually none when you have the balance centered, you wired the new speaker out of phase (neg to pos and pos to neg). If the new speaker alone has no bass, verify that it's well sealed in the door opening - the door and panel act as a large baffle and if there are air leaks you'll be losing bass.

 

[pumxee]

What brand/model are your new speakers?

1st - move balance to the left and fader to front so only the drivers side front speakers are playing. Have a listen, then switch balance to the right. Try and center yourself above the center console while you do this for both sides. If there's bass from each speaker but virtually none when you have the balance centered, you wired the new speaker out of phase (neg to pos and pos to neg). If the new speaker alone has no bass, verify that it's well sealed in the door opening - the door and panel act as a large baffle and if there are air leaks you'll be losing bass.

Its these speakers.
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-vxG6F14E5iq/p_2064CS674/Kicker-40CS674.html

I think I might have them out of phase. It was a bitch to get them on.

I already cramped the wires with the supplied red thingy. Ill probably have to cut and redo that part.

If I remember correectly I connected the brown+white wire to the negative on the speaker (which was coloured black+white).

When I move the fader I barely get any bass from the new speaker. When I move the balance to the middle I get a bass from the right (I believe - old factory speaker).

 

[boogs]

Can you see if the woofer cone is moving much with low frequency material playing?

 

[pumxee]

Can you see if the woofer cone is moving much with low frequency material playing?

Im not at home anymore so wont be able to test it out until 9:30PM or so tonight. Maybe even tomorrow morning.

Does anyone have a picture of the positive and negative wires on the front speakers?

 

[pumxee]

After reading a few comments and PMs it seems I have definitely phased out the speaker.
I wont be able to fix it until I get home tonight. Will update you guys when its done.

 

[pumxee]

So I fixed the spear wire but I still feel it lacks the bass that the factory speaker did. Could it be because the speaker has a tweeter as well? ... the mids and highs sound much better I admit but I miss that bass.

 

[Ultimateone]

When I had tried a few different speakers in my Ecoboost they lacked the stock bass but were much more clearer and crisp. This is why I got a sub instead for my GT this time because I felt it was money well spent vs just a louder, clear sound.

 

[Xantom]

Your speaker polarity maybe out of phase. Make sure you have pos to pos and neg to neg. Isolate a speaker, listen, change the leads, listen again. You should know almost instantly when it's in phase.

This sounds very good for the price.

http://imgur.com/a/dibtU

 

[wildcatgoal]

Aftermarket speakers, especially installed improperly and even more especially powered off of OEM amplifiers, will often not produce much bass. This is because OEM speakers are ultra-efficient with super soft suspensions and/or low-Ohm rated to use as much of the little bit of power as they get as they can, at the sacrifice of fidelity, clarity, detail, etc. People come to my shop daily saying they threw in some new Kicker speakers or whatever and expected to have more bass and have "nothing but highs". The ONLY speakers I've ever seen reliably work off of OEM amplification are the 2-ohm Infinity Reference speakers (they're very efficient and 2-ohm-rated, to pull power from your stock amp) but if I power those with an amp, night a day still.

9/10 the issue of no bass is NOT that the DIY'er installed the speakers with the wrong polarity, but because they did not realize that aftermarket speakers, with few exceptions, need MORE POWER to produce bass, but (so long as they're not garbage) will do so more crisply. And also, they will not go "as low" (exceptions being most 6x9's and some 6.5" speakers with a lot of cone travel). This is what a subwoofer is for. Your door speakers are for midbass - the bump bump sounds - not bass - the boom boom sounds.

Short of it. DO NOT put in aftermarket speakers without an amplifier. Just don't do it. Almost always customers are disappointed (unless they have an aftermarket radio powering the speakers, then it's usually good enough). The OEM amplifiers are not designed to meet the power requirements of aftermarket speakers. Annoyingly, customers always say that new speakers must be able to sound better because they're better. Wrong! Installation is 98% of the battle. OEM speakers were designed for that car, generally installed with stiff plastic mounts, and tuned to sound "good" in the car. When you slap in some aftermarkets and bolt them to some cheap flimsy metra speaker adapter and that's it and get no bass... I just say I told you so.

 

[sauerkraut]

I believe you are ignoring one very important aspect of aftermarket speakers; break-in.

Factory speakers are typically made of paper/cloth and have a paper/cloth/foam surround. Since the cone and surround are flexible right from the get go, the speakers will generate their full sound right off the bat.

When aftermarket speakers are installed, they require a break-in period before being able to generate their full sound. Aftermarket speakers are generally very stiff with polypropylene/plastic cones and rubber surrounds. You need to work the stiffness out a little so excursion increases.

When first installed, my pioneer TS-A's did have less overall bass than the factories. However, a month later they sounded vastly better and pushed bass the factory speakers could only dream of (while still being powered by the OEM head-unit).

A lot of the problem is that people will buy expensive speakers with say 85db efficiency; something like that definitely needs an amp.

 

[pumxee]

Aftermarket speakers, especially installed improperly and even more especially powered off of OEM amplifiers, will often not produce much bass. This is because OEM speakers are ultra-efficient with super soft suspensions and/or low-Ohm rated to use as much of the little bit of power as they get as they can, at the sacrifice of fidelity, clarity, detail, etc. People come to my shop daily saying they threw in some new Kicker speakers or whatever and expected to have more bass and have "nothing but highs". The ONLY speakers I've ever seen reliably work off of OEM amplification are the 2-ohm Infinity Reference speakers (they're very efficient and 2-ohm-rated, to pull power from your stock amp) but if I power those with an amp, night a day still.

9/10 the issue of no bass is NOT that the DIY'er installed the speakers with the wrong polarity, but because they did not realize that aftermarket speakers, with few exceptions, need MORE POWER to produce bass, but (so long as they're not garbage) will do so more crisply. And also, they will not go "as low" (exceptions being most 6x9's and some 6.5" speakers with a lot of cone travel). This is what a subwoofer is for. Your door speakers are for midbass - the bump bump sounds - not bass - the boom boom sounds.

Short of it. DO NOT put in aftermarket speakers without an amplifier. Just don't do it. Almost always customers are disappointed (unless they have an aftermarket radio powering the speakers, then it's usually good enough). The OEM amplifiers are not designed to meet the power requirements of aftermarket speakers. Annoyingly, customers always say that new speakers must be able to sound better because they're better. Wrong! Installation is 98% of the battle. OEM speakers were designed for that car, generally installed with stiff plastic mounts, and tuned to sound "good" in the car. When you slap in some aftermarkets and bolt them to some cheap flimsy metra speaker adapter and that's it and get no bass... I just say I told you so.

Hey,

I will be putting an amp this week with a sub as well!
Just wanted to put he door speakers in at this point which I just finished! Phew!

Tomorrow morning I'll be installing some other stuff and I'll do the amp as well.

Question for you all about the amp. Where is the best place to attach the Line Out Converters. Do I have to do it behind the factory radio or is there an easier place I can add them

 

[mulage]

I believe you are ignoring one very important aspect of aftermarket speakers; break-in.

Factory speakers are typically made of paper/cloth and have a paper/cloth/foam surround. Since the cone and surround are flexible right from the get go, the speakers will generate their full sound right off the bat.

When aftermarket speakers are installed, they require a break-in period before being able to generate their full sound. Aftermarket speakers are generally very stiff with polypropylene/plastic cones and rubber surrounds. You need to work the stiffness out a little so excursion increases.

When first installed, my pioneer TS-A's did have less overall bass than the factories. However, a month later they sounded vastly better and pushed bass the factory speakers could only dream of (while still being powered by the OEM head-unit).

A lot of the problem is that people will buy expensive speakers with say 85db efficiency; something like that definitely needs an amp.

so the lower the db of efficiency, the better it should sound with factory radio?

 

[assclown]

so the lower the db of efficiency, the better it should sound with factory radio?

Better is subjective.

Lower db efficiency = requires more power to play at a speaker with a higer efficiency.

I would try to find a speaker with the highest efficiency dB rating if using with the stock system.

 

[drst0ck]

Same issue

I just finished to install the exact same speakers in my 2015 convertible (just the rear speakers) and I have almost 0 bass, I'm sure the cables are properly connected.

Definitely more crisp but lack of bass is a deal breaker, I was planning to add this Powered Under-Seat Compact Subwoofer Enclosure System from JBL http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_99975_JBL-BassPro-SL.html to add more bass without having to worry out power issues.

The kicker speakers rates at 100rms (300 peak) what would be the best efficient 4 amp ch to get those 100rms and with the JBL at the same time? I'm planning to use 8 awg and put the amp under the dash, is that possible?

Thanks!

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