[patchrick]

I'm very interested in your results.

As am I, as well as how you went about wiring the speakers in the doors.

 

[kevjef420]

As am I, as well as how you went about wiring the speakers in the doors.

What I am planning on wiring is the the Front-Right, Front-Left, Rear-Right, and Rear-Left channels. The tweeters on the door get the signal from the same line as the front mids that are in the door. There should be a capacitor used on the tweeters as a high pass filter to get rid of the lower frequencies that the tweeters can handle.

Basically what I will be doing,
- cut all 8 speaker wires (+pos and -neg) FR, FL, RR, RL. at the back of head unit.
- connect the wires coming out of the head unit to the respective inputs on the amp
- then connect the outputs of the amp to the other to the respective speaker wires that head from behind the dash to the speakers.
- then connect a ground and a power to the amp and you're done.
- it is a good idea to solder and heat shrink all connections

In my opinion this will be a better upgrade then changing the speakers.
After doing so I will assess the sound and decide if the speakers need upgrading.

From what I understand by doing this you will be able to put the volume to 20 and it will be the same dB as if it were cranked to 40 but with no distortion or clipping, especially when there is more bass. The stock speakers can normally handle a lot more then the stock head unit can put out, but when you send distortion and clipping to the speakers they will be short lived.

I should get this amp soon, I am just bummed that it is so expensive in Canada. I was contemplating driving to the States to purchase it there or wait till the next time I go (could be a couple of months). I guess I will just fork out the money, but with the tax in Ontario it comes out to $169.50.

 

[patchrick]

Ah, now I understand a little bit more. Cutting the harness would be a deal breaker for me. I just don't even want to go down that route in case it ever has to be returned to stock, especially while the warranty is still active. But, after reading this yesterday I did some research and found that they make "reverse" harnesses for a lot of cars, not sure if ours is one of them or not. This basically is a harness that plugs into the radio and has all the wires coming out of it to be spliced to a damaged factory harness. I think this would be something worth looking into for this application. If found, you could cut and splice that to a regular radio harness and then just split off the speaker wires as needed. This would also allow all cutting and splicing to be done outside of the car, which is also a good thing in my opinion. This would definitely make for an easy way to wire up an amp to the door speakers if the parts for our car are available!

 

[kevjef420]

Ah, now I understand a little bit more. Cutting the harness would be a deal breaker for me. I just don't even want to go down that route in case it ever has to be returned to stock, especially while the warranty is still active. But, after reading this yesterday I did some research and found that they make "reverse" harnesses for a lot of cars, not sure if ours is one of them or not. This basically is a harness that plugs into the radio and has all the wires coming out of it to be spliced to a damaged factory harness. I think this would be something worth looking into for this application. If found, you could cut and splice that to a regular radio harness and then just split off the speaker wires as needed. This would also allow all cutting and splicing to be done outside of the car, which is also a good thing in my opinion. This would definitely make for an easy way to wire up an amp to the door speakers if the parts for our car are available!

Yes this would make the job easier and cleaner. I have thought about it, although I am not afraid to cut the stock wires. I think this will be a permanent upgrade... then again I might want to yank it out when I sell the car... I could always just resolder all of the connections later, but that would be a pain in the ass.

 

[kevjef420]

Just an update for anyone interested. I picked up the XC1410 and installed it this weekend behind the stock head unit. There was just enough room to make it fitt. I ran 12 gauge power wire though firewall using the grommet that the hood release cable goes through. I tapped into the speaker wires from the stereo back harness. It was a little tricky to install but well worth it.

The results: The volume is much louder. At 10 it is loud like 30 before. Even at 5 it is loud enough for normal driving. At 20 it is very loud and very clear. No clipping at all and ear plugs are encouraged (joke). This is very nice because the volume can be adjusted from the steering wheel in only a few clicks. As for the sound quality, it is much better. The bass is stronger, the highs are clearer, and the mids are improved. If I turn the bass up it sounds like there are subs. Keep in mind that I am still using the stock paper cone speakers. I plan to upgrade them in the future and anticipate that will be a nice compliment to what I just did.

All in all this is an upgrade that was well worth it.

 

[GunnyDP]

With the post above, I'm sold...

You ran it through the firewall, but what did you power it to? Direct to the battery or did you put it to the ignition fuse?

 

[elantraVT]

Just an update for anyone interested. I picked up the XC1410 and installed it this weekend behind the stock head unit. There was just enough room to make it fitt. I ran 12 gauge power wire though firewall using the grommet that the hood release cable goes through. I tapped into the speaker wires from the stereo back harness. It was a little tricky to install but well worth it.

The results: The volume is much louder. At 10 it is loud like 30 before. Even at 5 it is loud enough for normal driving. At 20 it is very loud and very clear. No clipping at all and ear plugs are encouraged (joke). This is very nice because the volume can be adjusted from the steering wheel in only a few clicks. As for the sound quality, it is much better. The bass is stronger, the highs are clearer, and the mids are improved. If I turn the bass up it sounds like there are subs. Keep in mind that I am still using the stock paper cone speakers. I plan to upgrade them in the future and anticipate that will be a nice compliment to what I just did.

All in all this is an upgrade that was well worth it.

You should dial back the gains on that clarion amplifier if you are not able to turn the volume on the HU up to 26 or 27. An amplifier is not set up correctly if you can only tun your HU up to 10.

 

[kevjef420]

You should dial back the gains on that clarion amplifier if you are not able to turn the volume on the HU up to 26 or 27. An amplifier is not set up correctly if you can only tun your HU up to 10.

Well that is the one downside of this amp. There is no gain control. Kind of stupid. I can turn the gain up to 25 without distortion no problem, but keep in mind that it is VERY loud, much louder then you are getting from 40 off the stock head unit.

There are other options like the Kenwood KAC-M1804 but I don't think it will fit behind head unit, and still no gain.

KAC-M1804 | Amplifiers | CAR ENTERTAINMENT | Kenwood Electronics Canada

There is also one by Alpine KTP-445A, but it also doesn't have gain control, and is rated slightly less. This one should fit as it is smaller then the Clarion.

Alpine Electronics of America, Inc.

I don't think the lack of gain control is a big issue. All the gain is on an amplifier is a potentiometer in the input; essentially the same thing as your volume control knob. Any amplifier is always running at 100% of its power. The more amplitude the input has, the more amplitude the output has. So by making sure that I don't crank the volume up all the way there should be no issue.

I plan to upgrade the door speakers in the future, but my interest is not to make it louder, only to better reproduce the sound (more clarity and better bass handling). It would be nice to add a LPF on the front door speakers (not tweets) this could help you push more bass by fading to the front channel.

In order to get the power wire through the grommet of the hood release I taped the wire to clothes hanger and pushed through from under the dash. In the engine bay I removed the battery and unbolted the computer (aluminium thing behind the battery) to gain access to the other side of the grommet, grabbed the cable as it came through. You could also use an add-a-circuit or fuse piggy back connector instead of connecting directly to the battery, but most are on rated for 10 amps and the amplifier had a 25 amp fuse on it, so I figured not to chance it. If you can find a 15 amp stable add-a-circuit and only use a 15 amp fuse on it, it should be safe. Make sure you connect to the power seat fuse, it is the only 30 amp fuse and it is not ignition dependant. If you keep popping that fuse then you will want to run it directly off the battery.

In the last pic you can see How I connected it to the battery. There is the power wire for my HID relay and the amp connected to the same lead. I used a 20 amp fuse for the power cable. I will get cable covers to clean up the install soon.

 

[kevjef420]

OK excuse me I made a mistake above. The Alpine version that I posted is incorrect. You want the KTP-44U (not A). The "A" model is designed for Alpine head units only.

Check here,

Alpine Electronics of America, Inc.

@ElantraVT the Alpine KTP-445U does have gain control for front and back channels, the 445A does not.

If the higher volumes are a big issue for anyone they might want to use the Alpine amp instead. I think the results would be the same, but the Alpine does cost more money.

 

[AZYCRAY12]

Static and crap

Hi all I have a couple of questions for discussion. I have a 2013 gt I upgraded to a Rockford fosgate amp with M B quart speakers . at first the sound was great but recently I have been getting sounds from the tweeters like it is blown also very odd cut outs . the head unit is the non nav factory unit. related facts 1) most of my cd's I have recorded from my computer mostly fair quality cd's. 2) some are getting older 2-3 years. 3) if I listen to factory recorded cd's and my personal favorite is audio books I have considerably less sound problems.

so do you think most of my problem is from quality of head unit and older cd's. would spending money for a new head unit all but eliminate my sound problems.

thanks for your comments and advice. have a good day. and remember you cant fix stupid even with duct tape.

 

[kevjef420]

Do you have any issues when listening to the radio, or when streaming music via auxiliary or bluetooth?

If the problems only come from playing cd's then it is definitely a head unit issue. CD laser could be out of whack. If it comes from other forms of media it still could be from the head unit but I would look at the speakers or amp. Does it do it at low volumes or only high volumes?

To trouble shoot I would do the following.
- Try connecting stock speakers if you still have them (you don't have to install just connect). If it stops then it is the speakers.
- Try changing the amp (just as a test if you have spare or know someone who does) or running directly from head unit. If it stops then it was the amp.

If you often listen at very high volumes it is possible that the tweeters are blown. Also audio books do not have the complexity of sound as music does with highs and lows, so you would be less likely to hear any problems that you may have.

These are my first thoughts.

 

[AZYCRAY12]

#*! sterio##

Hi and thanks for responding. it seems that I never have a sound quality issue when radio is on . and volume does not seem to be a issue either. I like various hard rock like ozzy , black Sabbath , Metallica nickleback, enya, and celtic folk just to show a extreme in my taste and I usually play at high volume . so its seems to me to be a combination of my old cd's and player quality. I wanted to ask various people to get a better idea on what it is before I spend 600.00 on a new head unit. I am looking at the pioneer avhx-5600bhs. with adapters for steering wheel controls it will cost 6 to7 hundred installed at best buy. if you have any recommendations. I would appreciate it .

Do you have any issues when listening to the radio, or when streaming music via auxiliary or bluetooth?

If the problems only come from playing cd's then it is definitely a head unit issue. CD laser could be out of whack. If it comes from other forms of media it still could be from the head unit but I would look at the speakers or amp. Does it do it at low volumes or only high volumes?

To trouble shoot I would do the following.
- Try connecting stock speakers if you still have them (you don't have to install just connect). If it stops then it is the speakers.
- Try changing the amp (just as a test if you have spare or know someone who does) or running directly from head unit. If it stops then it was the amp.

If you often listen at very high volumes it is possible that the tweeters are blown. Also audio books do not have the complexity of sound as music does with highs and lows, so you would be less likely to hear any problems that you may have.

These are my first thoughts.

 

[N5S-Matter]

Hi all I have a couple of questions for discussion. I have a 2013 gt I upgraded to a Rockford fosgate amp with M B quart speakers . at first the sound was great but recently I have been getting sounds from the tweeters like it is blown also very odd cut outs . the head unit is the non nav factory unit. related facts 1) most of my cd's I have recorded from my computer mostly fair quality cd's. 2) some are getting older 2-3 years. 3) if I listen to factory recorded cd's and my personal favorite is audio books I have considerably less sound problems.

so do you think most of my problem is from quality of head unit and older cd's. would spending money for a new head unit all but eliminate my sound problems.

thanks for your comments and advice. have a good day. and remember you cant fix stupid even with duct tape.

To me it sounds like you're using crappy CDR's. Try some verbatim and burn them at 4X or 2X. Older analog source music when digitized has audio quality issues anyway, but cutouts, skips, anomalous noises and such can be poor quality media. Try something better before you burn a lot of money on a new HU. I have a few select CD's that I play, because MP3 isn't good enough, and they are on Verbatim media. Sound is just like the original CD, which is put away for safe keeping.

 

[AZYCRAY12]

Cd quality.

well I only use Memorex . verbatim , and tdk. the problem cones when they age . no cure for that. the majority of my stuff is audio books. the more I ask and get ingo back it would seem the head unit may be most of the problem.

To me it sounds like you're using crappy CDR's. Try some verbatim and burn them at 4X or 2X. Older analog source music when digitized has audio quality issues anyway, but cutouts, skips, anomalous noises and such can be poor quality media. Try something better before you burn a lot of money on a new HU. I have a few select CD's that I play, because MP3 isn't good enough, and they are on Verbatim media. Sound is just like the original CD, which is put away for safe keeping.

 

[Lobstah24]

well I only use Memorex . verbatim , and tdk. the problem cones when they age . no cure for that. the majority of my stuff is audio books. the more I ask and get ingo back it would seem the head unit may be most of the problem.

Get yourself a couple of these...plenty of room!

[ame]http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009CMN3V0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1[/ame]

 

[AZYCRAY12]

Maby

interesting maby I have a couple of these around i'll give it a try dot sure about play back but maby thanks for the thought.

Get yourself a couple of these...plenty of room!

Amazon.com: Kingston Digital 32GB DataTraveler Micro USB 2.0 (DTMCK/32GB): Computers & Accessories

 

[Lobstah24]

interesting maby I have a couple of these around i'll give it a try dot sure about play back but maby thanks for the thought.

Playback is flawless as long as you have a good original.

 

[Brace1]

Get yourself a couple of these...plenty of room!

Amazon.com: Kingston Digital 32GB DataTraveler Micro USB 2.0 (DTMCK/32GB): Computers & Accessories

Good recommendation. I have one plugged into my car and not only does it function flawlessly, it's so small you hardly notice it.

 

[patchrick]

Anybody with the Nav ever see this message? I had disconnected my iPod to bring it inside to update songs, and then took a quick trip to pick up a pizza and forgot to grab my iPod. I noticed this little message while the radio was in Aux mode and the backup camera was active.



Obviously it wasn't talking about the camera video signal since that was clearly working. But do you think our Nav units have the video in capability a la Veloster? That would be pretty crazy!

 

[kevjef420]

So I blew my driver side front tweeter. I guess the extra wattage I have been feeding the speakers with from my Clarion XC 1410 amp, gave the stock speakers a run for their money.

Clarion XC1410 Compact 4-channel car amplifier — 50 watts RMS x 4 at Crutchfield.com

It is not bad just a little bit of noise comes from the one tweeter when the right frequency hits. Like when I listen to R.H.C.P some songs constantly hit that note and it can be annoying.

In all fairness it is my own fault as I am overpowering the stock speakers, that are probably rated for 25 watts RMS when I am feeding them 50 RMS at higher volumes.

I just love music really loud. I like to feel it, I like when my ears ring afterwards as if I was just at a concert, I like when others can hear my music even if they find it offensive. There was a time in my younger years when I would keep earplugs in my car just so I could turn the volume up louder. I was running 1000 watts RMS to my subs and 200 to my 6x9's at the time. I am sure that i will be wearing hearing aids when I am old because of my love for volume.

Now it is time to upgrade to some good component speakers in the front. After that I might even install 6.5" sub woofers in the rear doors. Lets just see how the components turn out. I don't want to spend big bucks on components but I want good sound. I will post my results once I do the swap.