New door speakers...lacking bass

So I replaced all 4 speakers in my doublecab. It definitely sounds better but there is very little bass (even though I have it set to 5). The 4 speakers probably require more power than the stock HU offers.

Can I add an amp to the stock HU to increase power to the 4 door speakers?

Would it be more beneficial to add an amp and sub and keep the stock HU?



I appreciate the help...I'm not very knowledgeable on this stuff.

 

what size speakers did u put in the front doors

 

Front Doors:
Kenwood 3-way
6x8" diameter
45W rated power
200W peak power

Rear Doors:
Clarion coaxial 2-way
6 1/2" diameter
30W continuous
120W peak

I left the tweeters in tact on the rear coaxials. I think I should've snipped them out.

 

are they really 6x8s b/c a 6x8 is a 5x7... a actual 6x9 will be a much better speaker and will hit harder.... not sure what kind of power the stock HU puts out but an aftermarket one will liven up ur speakers quite a bit and offer much more customization regarding the sound... good luck

 

I don't know...the box says 6x8 but also fits a 5x7

The speakers were free and I had to buy baffles to install them. I'm not changing them.

Again, would an amp improve speaker strength from the stock HU?

 

i dont know about hooking up amps to factory systems, but it would help with volume and possibly bass if it had a bass booster feature... it would be a very low powered amp also since they have very low power ratings

 

I would replace the stock head unit.

You can add an amp using the speaker outputs on the stock deck, but you need an amp that accepts high level inputs. This would be for your four new speakers though, not a sub.

It will sound better amp or no amp if you buy an aftermarket deck though. If you want to add a sub, you'll need to do this anyway. IMO, you want a deck with a good built in amp and a sub pre-out. Wire the speakers to the new deck; add an amp for the sub.

Another thought...what volume level are you at? Have you tried lowering the bass/treble to the negative range and turning the volume up?

 

If you're looking to keep from replacing the stock headunit and the speakers I'd buy some sound deadener and seal up the door. That should help get some bass out of the speakers. An amp will help too but it would be more expensive.

Truth be told though, a new headunit or better speakers would likely be a better idea. What Kenwood speakers are they?

 

good info- also realize that tacos have component speakers in the front- that means there is usually a crossover between the head unit and the speakers that splits the highs, mids, and lows and sends them to separate, more specialized speakers. the speaker in the lower part of the door is basically a sub and the up by the handle is for mids & highs- and you just replaced the sub with a 3 way speaker that usually doesn't give out a lot of bass because they are designed to be a good "all around" speaker, instead of a more specific sound frequency range. if you are really looking for a lot of bass i would recommend ditching the 3 ways and upgrade to a component system type of speaker. upgrading your head unit will give you a better sound but i don't think it will increase the bass to a level that you would find acceptable, and adding an amp may also help a little bit but a 3 way speaker... well they just aren't designed for a lot of bass

this is a good article explaining the difference:

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-Dbb4szzilOk/learn/learningcenter/car/component/speakers_component.html

 

What does a sound processor do?

If I add an amp and sub, is my situation going to improve?

I really don't want to have to replace them because the baffles are so damn expensive ($70 for the 4 I am using now). If I can add an amp and a sub (maybe 10' shallow) will that give me the full range of sound? I am not looking for show quality. I want a system that an audiophile would consider 'passable'. I'm not out to impress anyone.

 

It cleans up the frequency of your stock deck and lets you have high and low pass filter where the stock/factory doesn't have/lack.

 

I see...there is a great explanation on Crutchfield : http://www.crutchfield.com/Learn/learningcenter/factory/sound_processors.html



But I'm still looking at $200 (processor) + $150 (amp) + $150 (sub) + $100 (enclosure) + miscellaneous = $700+ - or much more than the cost to replace the HU.


Do I have to amplify the door speakers after the processor?

 

For $200 you could do fine with a new HU. If it's not enough, then you can start venturing for the other items, but this way you didn't buy a processor that is no longer needed.

Having a system that is capable of going there doesn't mean you need to do that. Keep within your budget, but don't sell yourself short - extra power can actually mean that you will have a cleaner sound at the level you want to listen to, rather than an underpowered option that is struggling to keep up.