Help me make my stereo sound better please!!!

[jafo]

Hi iv got a Mk3 and want to know how to make my stereo sound better!
My head unit is a Clarion VRX 868 RVD (I think) its a flip out dvd screen one.
The front speakers are vibe sa k60 components the rears are vibe slick 60 with original tweaters and i have two subs in one box in the boot, 2x in phase xt8 and a alpine digital amp to power them. What would be the next step to get it all sounding better as im not happy with it at the minute?
Thanks

[Len]

Be prepared to spend some money then!

Maybe change the front door speakers and amp them?

[AlanD]

How can you not be happy? That setup doesnt sound bad, got a aftermakret HU and a sub in the back. Only thing you can do is change the speakers really, but I doubt you will really see the diffrence.

To be honest, I have no idea what the MK3 speakers are like, MK4 ones standard are quite impressive imo.

[Guy]

Be prepared to spend some money then!

Maybe change the front door speakers and amp them?

ditto... put in something decent in the front to get good mid-range and maybe unplug the rear tweeters?

when you say you want it to sound better - what do you mean? more sound or are you experiencing clipping?

[jafo]

Well with the stuff i have in now it does sound pretty good or so iv been told anyway but im not happy!
Head Unit VRX868 RVD 4x50 watt output.
Front Speakers, Vibe SA K 60 Components - 270 watt peak (90 watt rms) with inline crossover and seperate tweaters.
Rear Speakers, Vibe Slick 60 Co-Axial - 240 watt peak (80 watt rms)
Subs - 2x In Phase XT8 1000w each in enclosed box with no ports ran by an alpine mrd m300 digital amp.

Well i want more mid range through the car speakers it sounds to me as if its very high but if i adjust the bass on my HU things vibrate and it sounds distorted, also my subs are usually on low setting but when i put them on high they seem to me as if there playing too much of the low tones and arnt keeping time with the beat if you know what i mean?
A friend has said my front component speakers want to be ran by the alpine digital amp and get a more powerfull amp to run the subs?
Would this make a difference??

Thanks for any help.

[Snoopy]

So many issues.
Sound dampen the doors with a product like dynamat. Make sure that the sound from the rear of the speakers cannot get through to the front of the door by sealing any holes in the inner door skin. Make sure theres not too large a gap between the front of the speaker and the grill. Make sure the speakers are mounted solid real solid. Make sure your amp 'gains' are set correctly. Make sure your crossovers are set correctly. make sure yor speakers are acoustically inphase rather than just electrically in phase.
Some of the distortion by volume is simply your running out of watts. If you adjust for example your bass or mid up by 3dB on your headunit your theoretically halfing the power available to them before they start to distort. So more power is needed so an external amp for the fronts will help.
If your tweeters are too loud then you need to level adjust them theres a few ways an Lpad thats basically keeps the correct resistance to the passive but if yours simply are only inline with the tweeter you could simply add a resistor before the passive. This will reduce the volume of the tweeters. You could also try different locations for your tweeters and different angle to reduce there intesity.
pop over to talkaudio.co.uk and im sure theres loads of people could help you out as im not sure how much time i will have this week for forums.

[jafo]

Thanks Snoopy theres a lot of info there to keep me busy for a while!

[Heyho]

Some good advice there from snoopy, but before you jump in too deep, it might be worth simplifying things a little!

Your front components are probably OK, but as said above, the mid mounting and tweeter location are key, and can make a huge difference to the overall sound of the system.  Your headunit, being Clarion should also be fine, although I've never heard that particular model.

I've never heard praise for anything made by in-phase - so you may want to consider a sub upgrade.  You also don't mention the enclosure type - is it sealed or ported?  Was is made specifically for those subs, or just knocked together?

Also, if you haven't got an amp for your front end, you will also realise a big difference in volume and quality if you fit one.

To summerise, stick to front comps and a sub (or subs) in the correct enclosure, and feed them the appropriate amount of clean power.  This is all that most SQ competition winning installs use.  Combined with the correct installation and setting-up, you should end up with a respectable sounding system.

[Snoopy]

This is all that most SQ competition winning installs use. 

also Install techniques, Real solid mountings, resonanse control, Enclosure control, reflection control techniques, Lots of fine adjustment eqing. Its all about install and tunning.

[Gerrit]

At the end after buying and mounting it takes a lot of hours to set your car hifi to absolute perfection.
With your setup you could do something, but you do need deadening and the right setting on your amp + buying a second amp for your front set is a must (try do drive all your speakers via an amplifier) - then youll truly experience the difference (dont know much about your amp, I'm a phoenix gold fanatic, but Alpine has also got some amazing stuff)

G