i agree with modifry that speakers are the most important component of a system. in my case, i'm still using the stock HU and i'm getting great results with aftermarket speakers and amp setup. i had similar problem when i first installed my system. turned out the first set of speakers that i got were defective. i thought it was my amp or the HU, but after getting a new amp, i knew instantly that it was the speakers that were the source of the problem.

no one has mentioned checking your speakers. they are the most crucial part of your system and often overlooked.

this is what i would do...

1. the headunit is NOT the source of the problem.
2. check the amp settings. turn everything down and play with the different settings. having too much power can often be a problem, especially with car audio.
3. check your wiring scheme.
4. lastly, check your speakers. make sure they are not defective or blown.

good luck!

 

I dont think that I am wrong. I deal with a new set of speakers of a new amp almost every week. First of all, I agree, check the connections. If you guys really believe that 90WRMS sounds as loud as 200WRMS....more power to you....you are out of your mind. My infinitys that get 150WRMS a piece sound 10 times louder than my friends MBquarts with 70WRMS (same HU same volume level, 1/2 gain level). Second....that comment about buying online is just ludicrous.....

I buy 100% of my stuff online, just know who you buy from. You buy an alpine deck fo 20 bucks on ebay, then thats one end of the spectrum but there are trustworthy sites out there that WILL give you a price that a shop simply cannot afford to match.

thezeb.com, onlinecarstereo.com, ikesound.com, are all reliable and great service. The alpine 9807 at Etronics, which is a great store, goes for 229. so 350 installed is complete sh!t. it takes 15 seconds to install a HU in our car, so a normal shop wouldnt charge for the install if you are paying them to install something else. I know most shops in the NY/NJ area and I suspect you got ripped. Also, I ALWAYS feed my speakers AT least RMS power if not more. I would never buy 100WRMS speakers and give them 50. Hell in my Infiniti manual, along with my friends JL XR's they even state a MINIMUM watt rating of about 80-90. So if you want....you live in NY, ill meet up with you and let you be the judge for yourself if 90WRMS is enough. Ive been doing this for quite some time and am familiar with many manufacturers and their equipment. I am however 90% sure that the shop you went to is pretty crappy and they dont know what they are doing. I did my friends RSX system and left the stock HU and it sounded good. Go to another shop and ask for your money back. Take this as a lesson learned, especially in the tri-state area.

_-Dave

 

By the way....In my friends m3, we just installed the Phoenix Gold Titanium 6.5 inch components which are 300watts RMS, 600 max. WE gave em 450 and they are louder (with the windows closed) than a movie theater, (not exaggerating). YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!

 

but Ajira stated in an earlier post that he is using the amp's speaker level inputs.

Might it be worth trying the RCA inputs with a high to low converter, just for comparison? My reasons for suggesting this are purely selfish. A few of us are trying to learn more about this comparison and good experiential data is hard to find.

Thanks, anyway, for opening the problem up to public discussion.

 

Just to chime in

40 watts RMS is probably more than enough power. Many people here run their front 4 off of a high-power HU and are perfectly happy.

Keep the amp to drive your front 4 @ 40W and add a HU.

I prefer Pioneer and Alpine HU's - can't go wrong with either one.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by dierk
[B]

but Ajira stated in an earlier post that he is using the amp's speaker level inputs.

Might it be worth trying the RCA inputs with a high to low converter, just for comparison?

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by PJK3
[B]*nods*

this is a pretty nice Pioneer option - DEH-P6500 for right under $220.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by NFRs2000NYC
[B]By the way....In my friends m3, we just installed the Phoenix Gold Titanium 6.5 inch components which are 300watts RMS, 600 max.

 

I turned off my alpine internal amp in return for SQ (as recommended by Alpine.) But yea, if you get like 25 rms from the Hu and 40 from the amp, you should be happy. All depends on what you want of out your system. I personally do not like block shaking bass, but I do love loud highs.....so....preference I guess.

 

By 300 Watts RMS, without going into the detail of root mean squared and how evergy is tranfered into sound.....they are...to my knowledge, the one of the, if not THE most powerful speakers on the market. I speaker putting out 400 watts of highs sounds louder AND cleaner than most people's entire systems. If you ever hear these speakers, you will donate a kidney for them. They are however, expensive. I will get them right after I supercharge my car this winter. I wanted to buy them in the beginning, but just couldnt afford em.....and even If I can get the speaker, I would need an A class amp (Brax, DaVinchi, or McIntosh)