risingfromashes

So I almost reached a point where I gave up with my vehicle on install, but for some reason I can't rest until I dial it in just right. The vehicle is a 95 Pathfinder, and the last install was components installed a bit like a braxial with mid in door and tweeter mounted overtop of mid firing upwards off bottom angle of dash. Sounded very very good for what it was, and I was happy with it, but stage was a bit low and blew them up after 2 years. So I took this opportunity to raise the stage this time, and threw in new components, mids in doors again, tweeters higher in doors, which were reaching my ears way before the mid and substantially overpowering the mid, so I moved them to the A-pillars, and couldn't get speakers to blend properly no matter how much eq and ta I tried in both locations. The speakers are a set of Hertz HSK-165 components, with the mids in the doors, and tweets in the A-pillars and they're sounding okay, but still won't blend right, and some harshness and sibilance, even with EQ & TA. I measured the path from tweeters and mids to my ears, and on both sides, the tweeters are about 10" closer to my ears than the mids. Right now I am running them off the included crossovers with most attenuation (-2), on front channel of my amp, and I've narrowed it down to two options to dial them in. I could either get some kickpanels and throw them in to fix the separation & pathlength issue, but will this pull the stage down again? Or my second option, since I have a Premier PRS-800 HU is I could switch it pro mode, run active crossover for the front components, having a channel for each tweeter, and each woofer, and then run the rear fill off the HU. This way I wouldn't have to drop the tweeters to kicks, and just attenuate them more and time delay them so they are in sync with the woofers. The amp is a JL 300.4. I'm looking for a nice blended image and stage, that is powerful and in your face, but also smooth with no harshness or sibilance. A-pillars or Kicks, Passive or Active?
What are your thoughts guys?
Thanks

BigRedGuy

iTrader: (11)

First vote: 'A' pillars and Active.....

risingfromashes

Word up that's what I'm gonna have to go with, what about the rears? Will the fill sound good off the HU, and can I run fronts in network mode off my 4 channel, sub out off it's own amp, and rears off the deck, without any problems and dial it in? Will rear fill have good clarity off HU?

BigRedGuy

iTrader: (11)

Network mode??

If you mean actively crossed over and amplified, maybe.....

Personally I would just bridge the 4 channel and use the passives that come with the speakers......very few decks have the right xover settings to do an active setup, even allowing for the xover in the amp itself.

The rears would sound better off the amp, but it's your preference....if you can get the speakers installed and leave the final wiring until you have a chance to listen to it both ways it will make the decision easier......

HTH

risingfromashes

That's how I have it right now, passive off the amp and no matter how I tweak the crossover and entire eq band of deck, without separating TA of tweets and mids, I won't be able to blend them together, so I either have the option of moving the tweets down low so they're by the mids, aiming them up and running passive, or keeping them in the pillars and running them active, and adjusting TA & levels until they blend? This will be about the 4th setup I've tried now, have never had so much trouble in a vehicle so just want my best option as I've never run active before, but I know my deck has the capability with internal crossovers, or I can drop the tweets if that will be better. What would you say on this?

risingfromashes

Oh yeah one more thing, since I will be running tweeters and mids each to one channel they will all be getting 75 watts rms off my amp. So tweeters will be just as much as mids. It's a JL 300.4, so I'm guessing active this is the only way I can wire it up. Will it sound good this way, or is they a way I can split it up to get 50 to each tweeter and 100 to each mid? I'm guessing no, but maybe you guys can tell me if this is gonna work well active off this amp? Passives are definately not cutting it

BigRedGuy

iTrader: (11)

It will be fine....the usual rules about gain settings are especially important when you are feeding a tweeter that much power, some people use a small light bulb in line with the tweeter to help attenuate the volume a bit and provide a fail-safe if the juice gets too high.

There is no way to mod the amp to change the output per channel.....JL makes the 450/4 amp for those who want to do active with lots 'o' juice......

risingfromashes

Thanks alot bro, you've been alot of help, will be going active on monday, can't wait to hear the sound all cleaned up, blended and balanced!

risingfromashes

For all you who convinced me to go active, can't even believe how night and day the difference is! So impressed with how full, dynamic and detailed it is now... and it absolutely wails, the components love all that extra power! The TA did an amazing job blending the tweeters and mids, impressed with how well they put out now :P

BigRedGuy

iTrader: (11)

Glad to hear it went well.....just don't blow 'em up now.....