Buying speakers advise needed please

[Len]

It means they are capable of reproducing that frequency, I doubt very much you have any music that low!
But remember what really makes bass is power and if you are not making those speakers work then they wont produce a deep sound.

If you have a 12" sub and amp in your garage I would fit it!

[wilson]

Maybe its just the setting on the amp then. I'll go and get the details and post on here see what you think.

[wilson]

Right, here we are

6x9's Sony XS8693
Max input - 220w
Rated Power 60w
Impendance 4ohm
(doesn't say freq)


Amp JBL GT1400

There are 3 group inputs and outputs

Outputs are -
Grp1 goes to the two crossovers and then to the front components
Grp2 feeds the 6x9's
Grp3 not used

Grp1 settings front components seem ok, so not going to mess with these.

Grp2 setting options are as follows.
 - Bass EQ                    - on/off
 - Mode                         - L/ST/L+R
 - Crossover Speaker   - F/L/H
 - Gain                          - Max/Min

What do these settings mean, where should the gain be etc etc

I suppose the amp seems way to big for just 6x9's, but thats what was in the car so thats what I'm using !!

[Len]

Amp

Bass EQ = on
Mode = L+R
Crossover = no idea
Gain - is this like a volume knob? If so this will adjust the output to these channels and you will have to set this to how you want it.

[wilson]

Gain - is this like a volume knob? If so this will adjust the output to these channels and you will have to set this to how you want it.

I thought the gain was more than just volume?

What does the L and ST stand for on Mode?

Thanks

[Heyho]

1st off, sound stage is the ability of a system to accurately reproduce the music as it was originally performed - I don't know about you, but when I go to see live music, I tend to face the direction the sound is coming from - hence the importance of well installed and set-up front speakers, and the reason that 6x9s aren't used by sound quality enthusiasts.

Human ears are very sensitive to higher frequencies, and good at locating the direction the sound is coming from - another reason to have your detail playing in front of you.  Lower frequencies (those played by a sub) are not so easily located, so playing sub 100hz frequencies in the boot is not a problem, and won't upset your sound stage.  By having full-range speakers behind you, you are destroying the stereo imaging of your music.

Now for your amp - it's a GTH400, and looks like a nice bit of kit. This may be of help to you:

http://manuals.harman.com/JBL/CAR/Owner%27s%20Manual/GTH400%20om.pdf

It should help you get an idea of where your settings need to be.  If you wish to use your 6x9s, and don't want a sub, you could always low pass them - just sent them the lower frequencies.

The gain controls are there to allow you to match the output of your headunit to your amp.  You can either set them up the teccy way using an oscilloscope, or the loud way, using test tones.  Or you could just set them at half way and hope for the best!

L stands for left only (poss for a sub input), ST for stereo, and L+R is probably for left and right combined into a mono signal - but that should all be in the manual.  Hope that helps!

[wilson]

Now for your amp - it's a GTH400, and looks like a nice bit of kit.

Heyho, thanks for taking the time to write all that and to find that manual, that explains everything.  No wonder I couldn't find any details of the amp, I thought it was GT1400   thats cause its fairly scratched and worn off the amp...  the whole system looks a good few years old, but seems to have been done properly, and not messed with !

Thanks

[Len]

Talking about sound stage and direction in a closed room with no other background noise is fine. But in a moving car with engine noise and wind/external noises is a farce!
All you can do is bounce sound around. Sitting on one side of the car means you cannot get stereo.
Its all a huge compromise.

Yes our ears are designed to receive sounds from in front of us. But why the upsurge of surrond sound?
To get the best from components they would have to be in front of us not down in the doors! We cant have them up on the dash and you still cant have stereo!

[wilson]

All good comments, could be a good debate here. 

If you cant get stereo why when certain tracks cut from left to right channels do you hear it fine?  (not argueing because I dont have enough knowledge of this, just questioning!)

Has anyone seen the new type of surround sound you can get for your home cinema system?  One long speaker housing sits with your tv and loads of small speakers that bounce sound around the room, I haven't heard one in action yet.

[Len]

To be able to hear true stereo you need to be in the centre of the left and right speakers.

Oh and most peoples hearing doesnt go down past 60 hertz!