Hi

I recently bought an i30 SX Diesel (Vivid Blue). The car is simply awesome and I cannot recommend it enough.

I do have one small issue with it though. Have any other i30 owners noticed the stereo delivering a very loud low frequency response. I'm talking kick drums and very low bass notes being WAY louder than the rest of the mix.

So far I've only played music off my 2GB USB flash drive (didn't get the iPod connector/cable and the iPod Touch doesn't work at all through the standard cable) and some songs play with disproportionately loud bass levels. I've noticed that the songs that do this seem to be normalised at higher peaks than the ones that don't but the same files sound normal on my home system.

I've tried changing the EQ through the "Setup" button however this only reduced the low-mid range whilst the bottom end remained huge.

Has anyone else experienced this and more importantly, figured out if there's a solution?

This is my first post to the i30 forum.

I do not have an i30, but am in the market for one, pending the end of my company lease for my Camry pensionermobile.

I did test drive the i30 diesel (SLX) and more importantly, tested the stereo system - what you experience with the low frequency overpowering the rest of the system is not abnormal - it's just poor mid range (and tweeter up in the door for the SLX) response from the main speakers in the door ie. the speakers in there are cheap paper based cones (probably single way) - this is common for just about ALL budget to mid range cars - unless the hifi is specifically advertised by the maker as being "hi-end" eg. Mazda 6's Bose system or Lexus' Mark Levinson system. Most buyers don't know or care two hoots about the quality of sound (for some strange reason), so car makers generally get away with ensuring the audio system has the bells and whistles (features), but pay much less attention to the quality of sound.

Which brings you to your only solution, and one that I need to find out too after I buy the car ..... changing the speakers in the front doors, including the back doors too. Good quality speakers don't cost much - anywhere from $50 to $150 a pair from Strathfield Car Radios (Sydney/Australia) - you just need to work out what size the original speakers are - possibly 4 inches, possibly 5.25 inches, maybe even 6 inches, or strangely in the case of my current Camry, a massive 6 x 9 inches (oval)!

As any hifi buff will tell you, speakers should cost about 1/3 to half of your system, whether at home or in the car, because it's the speakers that convert the electrical signal to sound and that's the most critical point.

I have done many of these jobs before (taking apart the interior door lining and changing the door speakers) but they were simpler cars like a 92 Pulsar, 94 Camry, 2000 Impreza - nowadays who knows what complications there are in doors in relation to side airbags (whether the airbags are installed or not it matters not, because there will be wiring etc in there to accommodate it if the door is designed for that).

So ... the question for forum users ... has anyone changed the door speakers in their i30 yet? Any advice?

I had a feeling it might be the speakers.

I might have a look at the door speaker mounts this weekend and will write back here of my findings.

I forgot to mention on EVERY occasion I changed the speakers, it transformed the sound of the system .... most car head units are actually quite good - they might not produce massive power beyond 30watts RMS (most after market head units these days are around 50W RMS), but good speakers need little power to drive them well.

Yes if you can prise open the door linings, that would be great to see how it pans out - this is in case you need some pointers ..... normally it's just a case of:

(1) locating the screws holding the lining to the door itself - these screws are normally covered by a plastic colour-co-ordinated cover

(2) removing the cover and unfastening the screws

(3) carefully but firmly tugging the lining and dislodging it from the door "lugs" (I think that's what they call them - these basically "snap" in and out) - hopefully the door comes out fairly straightforward.

Just beware of not tugging too hard on any wiring, breaking it ....

Also, I note you have an SX, so at least you don't have to worry about tweeters (I believe they're on the SLX), but having said that I reckon you can even install a pair of tweeters if you want - my guess the wiring will be there (I'm assuming the tweeters are at the top of the door, not in the dashboard). In my opinion and experience though, a good pair of speakers will provide most of the clarity in the sound - the mid-range that is. The cost of extra tweeters won't be worth it (IMO).

Good luck - tell us how you go, drop a few photos online too if you want.

How did you go? Managed to check the speakers?