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Problem with subs after installing speakers

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Old 12-02-2007, 05:44 PM
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Problem with subs after installing speakers

Hey guys,

I just installed four new speakers in my car today, replacing the stock ones. However, I find that my subs aren't pounding nearly as loud as they did before I put the new speakers in. Before the subs would be jumping out of the trunk at -3 and now I have to turn it up to +4 to get them pounding, and even then they're still not nearly as loud as they were.

What could be causing this problem?

Also, when I removed the stock speakers, the wires were different colors on both doors and I wasn't sure which wire was the positive one and which one was the negative. I tried it both ways, and it worked. How can I tell which way is the right way?

Any help would be appreciated, thanks.
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Old 12-02-2007, 06:06 PM
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Leave the speakers wired up as they are. It won't make a difference which way they are wired.
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Old 12-02-2007, 06:54 PM
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Electrically it makes no difference, audibly it does, switch them around until they sound best together, then the + and - is right.

if you had your speakers installed at a shop, they probably just set your gains properly.

If you did it yourself, then we'd need more detail as to exactly what you did, what you are running and how you have it all wired up.


Originally Posted by wiltshire559
Leave the speakers wired up as they are. It won't make a difference which way they are wired.
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Old 12-02-2007, 07:02 PM
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I put them in myself.

My currrent set up is a pair of 12" MTX subs at 400W RMS each wired in series to an 1800W @ 1ohm stable amp. The door speakers are 65W RMS each and the rears are 75W RMS each.

I haven't messed around with the gains on the amp too much since the subs sounded great until tonight, so maybe I just need to play with settings on the amp?

The amp just seems like it's not getting enough power to make it run the subs properly..is this because the deck is now powering four speakers that are much more powerful then the stock ones, and less power is going to the amp?
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Old 12-02-2007, 07:05 PM
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Originally Posted by Montana89

The amp just seems like it's not getting enough power to make it run the subs properly..is this because the deck is now powering four speakers that are much more powerful then the stock ones, and less power is going to the amp?
I don't think that should be the problem at all, if you said you added an amp to power the 4 new speakers then we'd be onto something.

this might sound silly, but is it at all possible that with the addition of the new speakers that the rest of your system is just louder and cleaner sounding and that your subs only SOUND like they are pounding less?
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Old 12-02-2007, 07:08 PM
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I don't think so. My car isn't sound deadened yet, so when the trunk is closed and the bass hits, it sounds like the subs are going to jump out of the trunk. Now the trunk isn't rattling at all and when you pop the trunk and look at the subs they are barely pounding.
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Old 12-02-2007, 07:38 PM
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maybe the subs weren't all that loud but the speakers were providing alot of the bass. Now that you messed with them some are probobly wired out of phase causing alot of cancellation of the sound. If I were you I would get a multimeter, hook it to one speaker at a time and put the multimeter on AC volts and figure out which wire is positive and which is negative, when you play music and put the + lead of the meter on the + terminal of the speaker and the - lead on the - terminal the voltage will read positive if you have it the right way, then hook the speakers up properly and all should be well.
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Old 12-02-2007, 07:41 PM
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No, that's not it. I haven't always had subs in my car, so I know how my factory 98 Accord speakers sound without the addition of subs.
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Old 12-03-2007, 04:56 AM
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Originally Posted by ShockingCanada
If I were you I would get a multimeter, hook it to one speaker at a time and put the multimeter on AC volts and figure out which wire is positive and which is negative, when you play music and put the + lead of the meter on the + terminal of the speaker and the - lead on the - terminal the voltage will read positive if you have it the right way
you sure about that ??


I'd check and make sure your HU has a solid ground...
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Old 12-03-2007, 08:19 AM
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not sure but its the best bet considering the only thing that changed was the speakers. why would the headunit ground all the sudden change when he didn't touch it
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