no -- all of that makes sense.

let me see if i can find an Xtant manual online. found it. wow. this isn't a particularly simple manual.

1. double checking -- you have the Alpine 9811 right?

2. what expansion modules do you have for the Xtant?

3. when you mention hearing distortion as you turn up the bass, are you referring to the front speakers or everywhere? if everywhere, where first?

4. at what volume setting are you hearing distortion?
i'm betting it is below 20.

5. when you turn the dial gains clockwise, do they get softer or louder? (i'm working under the assumption of louder)

this is a great (but a little complex) page covering all the info you'd imagine on gains.


let's try these settings (now, these are just shooting in the dark based on experience, manuals, reading, etc., but i hope they will help...).
i'm working off of the assumption that your distortion comes fast and at 'low' numerical volumes on the head unit. in reality, you shouldn't begin to hear audible distortion until at least 24 or 25 on the head unit.

Amp -
front jumper @ -10 db and gain set to 50% (this preps the front for a 4V input gain - which is the output gain of the Alpine)
mono jumper @ 0 db and gain set to 30% (this preps the mono for approximately a 2V input gain - which is a little more sensitive and should provide more volume)
(i know this will seem wrong to you since you're trying to increase your volume, but this will reduce your total pre-amp distortion. input sensitivity adjustments aren't just simple volume controls. hopefully, this will lower your total volume, but provide you with a greater range of non-distorted volume, and a higher overall non-distorted volume.)

6. based on what i read, the Xtant's crossovers are fixed in value. for now, let's remove these and try to use the head unit's crossover (which has a bit more flexibility). i think you just pull them out to remove them, but i do not know for sure. if you can adjust the crossovers or if you can't just pull them, please let me know, i've found VERY little information on the crossover modules.

Headunit:
Treble +1 (since you like it bright) and whatever frequency you want.
Bass 0 frequency 60 hz BW = 1
Time Correction 12 Front and Rear Left
MX off
Sub output on
Sub level +15
HPF set to 80hz
LPF set to 80hz


what i'm going to need back from you to help you remotely tune this... answers to 1-6 and the answer to this question:
with these settings, do you now get louder? and at what point do you hear distortion?




wow, this is so tricky to do remotely... if you're planning to be in my area (S. Louisiana) anytime soon, i'll drive to meet you and set this up...

 

No, I have an Alpine 9807.

I do not have any expansion modules.

I only have the front speakers (not from the sub if thats what you mean), and thats where it distorts, when I turn up the bass. It distorts at about 20. Gains at roughly 50%.

Turning the gains clockwise, the volume gets louder.

I understand the amp settings, but I do not think I have some of the HU settings, its a different model than you thought.

BW=1 , I do not understand that one. Ill check my manual.

I do not know how to turn the amp output on/off, just up or down.

I also do not know about th HPF, and LPF settings.

As far as the other stuff, Ill try that.
gmoore

 

alright - the Alpine 9807 looks fairly close to the 9811. sorry i didn't remember... the one thing that appears different is that the 9807 doesn't have a built in crossover.
working off of this info http://www.crutchfield.com/S-S75ZIgo181i/c...sp?i=500CDA9807

were there any crossover modules with the amp? i think i saw that they were included. if so, i think they were 90hz hpf and lpf (high pass filter and low pass filter) those were the ones i mentioned removing, but since the 9807 has no crossover, we will need them in place...

distortion is at the front speakers and at about 20 -- that's because you're outputing from the head unit more power than the inputs on the amp can 'handle' and it's distorting before it's ever amplified. i'm trying to remedy that by lowering the sensitivity of the amp's inputs.

clockwise = louder... good.

BW = 1 -- the bass selector has a level, frequency, and 'BandWidth' factor. setting the width to 1 provides a wide effect zone around the frequency we choose to modify. so, with the frequency set at 60hz, any bass level changes made will reduce bass in general versus reducing a specific frequency. you can select this by being in the bass setting and pressing the "BAND" button.

the sub output on/off on mine is tucked into the 'setup' menu. to get to the setup menu (photo here) i have to hold down the F (setup) button for a few seconds, then it changes in. i can then use the track forward and back buttons to scroll through the setup options and choose band to switch options. look for the sub output option, it should be set to on. once you've made sure it's on, click F/setup to leave.

find the sub level setting. when looking at the sub level setting, try pressing the BAND button to reverse the phase of the sub. after you make changes on the system, try the normal and reverse phases of the sub to see which sounds louder.

looks like the 9807 doesn't have the crossover settings, so forget the HPF and LPF settings.


so, as of now, try these settings (w/ the modifications i've made above based on my misunderstanding on the head unit)
once i hear some feedback on how it did or didn't help, we can make some additional moves to continue tweaking.

 

Ok, everything worked out awesome. I got all the adjustments done and it sounds unbelievable. I did everything you reccomended, then some other fine tuning. The only changes I made where to the bass, I brought it back to -1, there was minor distortion at 30+ volume on the HU. Treble is set at 0 and 15k. All the gains are set to 80% I turned the MX off, it seemed to be creating alot of the distortion, seems to add alot of bass.

I think it sounds great, and the BW adjustment made a huge difference. If there are any other things you think I should adjust let me know, you sure hit the nail on the head with that round of changes. I owe you huge.
gmoore

 

w00t!





here's a question for you... how much is that little sub moving now?

for me, the hum-dinger song that i use to just get my system pounding is Beastie Boys - Brass Monkey. sure, it's old school (actually High School for me... ), but that song still pumps out some solid oomph and just seems to resonate w/ the car's natural tuning.

MX -- yeah, it's a bass and treble boost thing, and it does typically add more blech than good. i only use it at its most moderate settings when i'm listening to music at low volumes in the rain (top up). i find the added bass and treble help in overcoming the 'rain on top' noise.

two things i would still suggest --

1. pop the trunk and carefully listen to the sub... find a song w/ a nice smooth bass note that sustains a lot... turn up the head unit to where the fronts distort, then roll the volume back a notch. then go to the trunk and listen for the sub distorting. if it is, roll the gain down to where the distortion stops. a little distortion isn't a terrible thing, but you don't want the sub flopping around or 'clicking' as it reaches full excursion.

2. at below '30+ on the HU' volumes, you probably have no need to have the bass set at -1. i'd leave it at 0, but when going for the serious volume and exceeding 25 or so, click the bass back a notch then... bass in this car is precious b/c the low hum of the road and throaty sound of the exhaust tends to drown bass out. so, keeping it at 0 while normally running will provide a fuller bass at lower volumes.


i'm SO glad you're pleased with what you have...
and remember, the e8a will probably get stronger as it gets a bit older...

finally -- pics?

 

The sub is definatly moving and I will check for the distortion, but I think Im ok. Ill defintaly adjust the bass according to how I listen to it. Ill get pics up ASAP.

I feel like I owe you alot, I wish there was something I could do for you, could I paypal you a few bucks? Or anything? Thanks again.
gmoore

 

well, don't go way out of your way to get pics up, but i am curious to see how it all looks. regretfully, the real thing about any stereo is how it sounds, and i can't hear it, so pics become a cheap substitute.

well, i helped you because you needed it, and i didn't and don't expect anything in return outside of what you've already given me.

still, if you feel so entirely overwhelmed w/ gratitude that you're unable to sleep at night or something, PM me and i'll send you my Amazon.com wish list or something...

 

Pics

http://forums.s2ki.com/forums/showthread.p...547#post2855547

I bumped the mids gains to 100%, and mono to roughly 85%.

Theres a rattle in the back when my top is up though. ;( I hate rattles.
gmoore

 

yeah, i get a little rattle back there too when the top is up. but my top isn't up often...

most likely that is the rear deck rattling. if you do a little searching, there have been a lot of threads on the issue. most people pull out a couple of the deck pieces and add some padding at the joints to tighten things up.

i've never been quite motivated enough (w/ the rattling) to pull it all apart.

 

Me either, Ill just deal with it, however it is gettin pretty cold down here, not much topless action for me.
gmoore