New speakers sound awful. Suggestions?

I just had a local small car audio shop install Polk DB6501's into my 2010 access cab. I also had him install a 1 ft. square Dynamat behind the main drivers. I'm still using the factory head unit. It sounds like hell.

There is virtually no bass whatsoever, and after adjusting the fader to hear a bit of the ceiling speakers, almost no power is left for the door speakers.

He did not use the crossovers included with the speakers because I am not using an external amp at this time, but I believe he did use the wiring harness included by Crutchfield.

I don't expect tremendous low end from the 6.5 inch mains, but they do go down to 35hz, so they should at least be listenable.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks,

snudley

 

The reason why it sounds like hell is because he didnt use the supplied crossover. You have components not coaxial, so the different range of sound needs to be restricted for the specific speaker. Let me guess, it sounds very muddled and theres no definition in anything? Also, did they install the tweeters? If they installed the tweeters and failed to use the crossover, the tweeters are probably blown now. Yes, you should drive components with an external amp to deliver clean power, but its not as crucial as using the crossover.

 

^^ this
The factory speaker already have "crossovers" built in but components usually have higher quality external crossovers. As stated above they must have some type of crossover.

 

I believe my installer said that the crossover was part of the radio, therefore I didn't need an external one unless I was installing and external amp. Does this make any sense?

The installer sells the exact same speakers all the time, so I presumed he knew proper installation methods.

Sorry for my ignorance.

 

Some HU's do have a HPF(high pass filter) and LPF(low pass filter) but they won't do what he was trying to accomplish. The HPF will block certain low frequencies from going to coaxial speakers but won't help with components because you have two separate speakers and it cant block enough low frequencies for the tweeters. Sorry if this is confusing but in short you need the external crossovers installed.

 

Must install the supplied crossovers and hopefully he replaced the stock mid tweeter with you components from polk. Factory HU did not include the crossover as he BSed you.

 

Thanks for the help, folks.

My installer said he will gladly put my crossovers in whenever I want.

Also, after discussing the matter with a very knowledgeable guy at Crutchfield, I'll be adding an amp into the mix for obvious reasons, even though I was trying to avoid it.

 

Your logic is flawed

Never try to avoid using an amp. Always avoid trying to use a headunit to provide power to your drivers.

 

First, those speakers sound like hell at their best.
Second, no crossover.
Third, no power due to the high impedance the factory speakers vs your current speakers.
Fourth, poor fidelity from factory head unit.

Also, a single square foot of Dynamat behind the seaker is virtually usesless for vibration control. It would be better served on the metal the speaker attaches to... better yet, about 3-4 feet total would be worth looking into.

 

After he installs your cross overs, I would make sure that your tweeters still work. I'm guessing that they're blown.

 

The crossovers are now in, and the speakers work fine, though lacking in power at this point.

The hassle had a silver lining though, because I got to see the installers work inside the door panels, and he did a great job with the fabricated tweeter mounts and the dynamat.

The crossovers are now tucked cleanly inside the kicker panels awaiting the next phase.