Why Does it Sound Like Shit

@gottaToy, since you forgot to include the rest of your post which was flooded with the type of information which I was referring to, here is the full quote:

I also took the time to bold the items in your post that should be completely ignored.

If the OP's intention was to go to some random local shop to find a solution, and possibly spend money on labor, then he would have done that to begin with. Instead he came here seeking expertise and his responses were flooded with a bunch of amateur speculation and invalid opinions. If anything in here made this thread "useless", it was responses like the one above.

 

As I DO have a similar setup in another vehicle, those were things that could be considered giving this is the internet and without actually seeing/hearing the system. Do you have any focal component speakers, I doubt it. I was using a 5 channel amp and upgraded to a separate amp for my sub and it made a heck of a difference, so I have a little experience with almost the exact same setup other than the subwoofer.
You are the master, so I must put you on ignore because I am not worthy of your knowledge

 

Id like to chime in :
your saying that the sub channel from a 5 channel amp is not comparable to a separate amp and that the separate amp will perform better.

Most reputable amps that have a rating of say 500wrms out of a 5 channel sub amp channel will be example the same as a 500wrms mono block especially if its a hybrid amp that has class ab mid and class d sub channel amp topography.

Id have to whole heartily disagree with you statement gottatoy.
Everything single thing i state is from personal experience, Im not a MASTER CERTIFIED >>>>>>>>>> but i have a TON of real world experience in Many different setups and a Super wide range of equipment

 

you are the experts, I just work the car stereo dept. at walmart and get all my info from crutchfield. I'm done, clearly you guys will continue to argue forever to make yourself feel better. Kraco rules!

 

I never claimed I'm an expert, nor did i ever make a claim towards you. I said i fully disagree with some of your statements. Its up to the reader to determine what they value each opinion as.

 

Dicks. You're all dicks. Dicks dicks dicks.

I really need to find someone with a better ear than me to set my radio. I've got decent stuff like the OP, but it doesn't sound as nice as it could(I'm sure).

 

hey ranger 098, you and me were both in the same situation with our stereos a few months back. i had focals in my truck, good hu. good jl amps etc. and mine sounded like crap too. i felt like the sound was not up in my face and was all muffled and i just couldnt get my stereo to sound "full". i been through 3 sets of focal components and just recently pulled them out and went with hybrid audio. they sounded a little better but i agree the truck was still missing something and didnt sound like i wanted it to. i felt like the front sound was way at the bottom of the truck and i wasnt getting any full clear high sound. then one day, i was super lucky and found a pair of A-pillars that were custom figerglassed that houses a set of hybrid audio L3 and a set of tweeters in them. im currenty running the L3 in the pillars and a set of unity 6.5 components in the doors and some rear fill. the L3 pillar combo has solved my problem and has made my system absolutely amazing !!! still to this day if i fade to just the doors and rears, it still sounds like shit. but once the pillars are singing, its absolutly exactly what i was looking for and missing in my stereo. granted, a set of pillars will set u back 4-500 plus to custom make unless u are experienced with fiberglass and then ur mid range speakers u decide on. 3.5 or 4". its a big chunk of money to spend but thats what it took to make my truck sound the way i wanted it to. just my two cents.im sure people will disagree with me. thats their right. so be it.

i have heard lots of people are also doing kick panels these days but i cant comment cause i havent experienced hearing them in person. maybe a focal 3 way component set will produce the sound ur looking for. that was my other option i was gonna try...

 

KICK PANELS and TRUCKS that get used off road doesnt mix to well from experience. Your worried 24/7 about them.
If you want to raise your stage, like AZSEAN said, Get your tweeter/ full range in the pillar. ITs really not that hard to do :

Find a scrap yard or salvage some front pillars and DYI. Its really easy to do.

 

Yeah, anything you can do to raise the image height will help a ton in trucks like ours. $400-$500 is actually a really good deal on a pair of nicely made panels if you can find them or have them made in that price range. I'll be putting my Mille Legend mid and tweeter in a pod that will replace my sail panel (thanks to my 3d printer ).

I agree with manethon on not going the kick panel route though. You'd have to put an ugly grill over the speakers, they'd be a bitch to keep clean, they're just begging to get kicked all the time, and it wouldn't make THAT much of a difference. You'd be better off finding a creative way to get your door speakers to butt-up as close to the stock door grill as possible and possibly aiming them upward a bit.

 

I have the ********* SQ1 and it sounds amazing as hell.
They DO NOT rip off they have completely changed since awhile ago.
To the point I have their sub and box obviously and have it tuned to 700 WATTs at 80 hertz. With gain set at a minimal without over dueing it. Obviously like any ting if you over due it, it'll break.
Check gain to speakers and sub. Maybe it's set to high??
-josh

 

I ended up not dropping it off at a shop, maybe some other time but like many have said here, it's likely just tuning that is needed. It just seems like the whole system is WAY too sensitive, and i should have better sound to start with before i go tuning. Tuning in my mind should be fairly minimal just to get things perfect, adjust for the listener preference. Not having to adjust every little setting perfect just to get the stereo listenable.

i guess i dont know what i thought i would get outta this thread, to solve my problem i need an expert to listen to my stereo. Hit me up if you live in MN!

 

OP, I've had very similar problems out of my system.. Pretty much what you have described is the way I've felt/feel about mine.. To make matters worse I have tinnitus and have developed sound sensitivities.
After lengthy discussions with some reputable audio people..
One of the best ideas as of yet is actually getting a hearing EQ test done.. This might be something some of you have heard of (in which case I'd be interested in hearing about, if not maybe look into it).. Basically from my understanding it's a test to determine what frequencies you may be sensitive to.. It makes sense if you knew that, because then one could truly know how to tune the system to their own personal liking.. If anything else make it easier.

I've done every adjustment one could do with my setup, and still really unpleased. I do think a sound processor may help, but then it would help to have that hearing test to set a base line of sorts for my own personal ears/listening tastes.. Or else with something like a bit one, may pose a challenge trying to get it tuned to my ear.

I hate how my ears feel after listening to mine. I want/wanted a pleasurable listening experience.. My factory non JBL's sounded more well rounded and pleasing to my ears vs the Hybrids now, especially once I sound deadened..


Any one heard of that test or had it done?