Hey Folks,

For the audio people in the group, I could use some advice. I recently had a new amp and sub-woofer installed to compliment the bass from the factory premium system. I ended up going with an Image Dynamics ID10V3D2 sub in an enclosed 4080 box and a Focal FPP 1000 amp to power it. I had it installed at a reputable local audio installer a friend recommended to me.

When I picked up the car, I noticed that the speaker volume, possibly even some of the frequency range from the 6x9s in the rear deck are greatly diminished or missing. I took the car back to the installer to have them look at it and they think I'm hallucinating, to put it mildly. The installer is still willing to help me figure this out, but I wanted to get another opinion before I proceed with potential a wild-goose-chase.

The new amp was connected via a line-out converter, but I'm not sure where it was wired it in at. Is using a line-out converter an ideal solution, or is there a better way to get the signal to the new amp? The installer said
to bring the car back and they would try disconnecting the line-out converter to see if the sound returns. Is this the next step I should take, or is there something else I can try? I'm still pretty new to car audio, so I'm wondering what to do next to trouble-shoot this? Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time.

 

it sounds like they tapped into the rear speakers

I did some "testing" a few weeks ago and found out the output from rear speakers is really low. If I remember right it was .7 volts. Not even a full volt.
I found this out when I was installing my Audison bit ten. With the head unit turned all the way up (distortion) the processor didnt even see 1 volt.

Other options are to tie into the front speakers or if you have a sub ask them to tie in there.

Does your line out put converter have a sensitivity (gain) control?
What are the settings on the amp?

 

Thanks for the reply! I'll see if there's another location they can tie the line-out converter in at. If they do, will is potentially diminish the sound from another location instead of the rear speakers? Ideally, I don't want to have any noticeable change from any of the factory speakers, just add additional bass from the new sub to help compliment the low-end. I never saw the line-out converter before the install, so I'm not sure what it can/can't do. I'll ask. I'm planning on taking it back to them on Monday and see what's up.

As for the amp settings, I'm still a bit of a n00b with this, how do you mean? I do have a controller for the new amp that I can adjust how loud the sub is, was that what you meant?

 

any type of line out put converter should not reduce the amount of sound a speaker produces.

Its only there to take the signal and amplify it.

The reason I ask about amp settings ... if the guy is having trouble hooking up a line out put converter he may have a switch flipped wrong on the amp or , wires backwards, or the settings on the amp maybe off. Settings like gain, crossover, high pass / low pass, phase.

do you have the bose set up in your car?
if so ask him to tie in before aany type of bose amp/processing.
Usually behind the radio is the best spot

 

when i originally did my setup in my car, i just used a regular LOC with a few control options on it, i wasn't getting the right frequency and the volume was weak, i mean we are using the factory head unit it doesn't have great freq response and it weak, so after a while i was sick of the regular LOC.. thats when i upgraded to the rock ford 3 sixty which made a big big big difference is the volume level, response , frequency and overall controll off the entire system. i now can control the sub independently with it so i can adjust the gain and freq.

 

I see, thanks for explaining that. I'll find out where the line-out converter is wired-in on Monday when I stop by.

As far as the new sub/amp that were installed, the sub sounds great. The problem are the stock Bose 6x9s in the rear deck -- Even with the volume turned up pretty significantly, if I adjust the sound to come from the rear speakers only and increase the bass output from the headunit, there's no change in sound from them and they're really quiet. I think I've got a place to start at least. Thanks again for the help.

 

Did you find any info on this AllentownG37? I am having a similar problem except it seems I am only losing bass in the rear deck. I too only installed an amp and 10 inch shallow sub.

 

It's been a while since I've looked at the wiring diagram, but with your setup, I'm pretty sure you are going to want to tap the signal wire that feeds the small amp. You'll lose the rear deck speakers, but who cares, as they are supposedly playing low end info.

 

Unfortunately, that's a consequence of needing a signal to tap into. Not sure why you feel the need to add an LOC and degrade your signal. The signal from the HU is plenty to drive any amp. If you lack out put with that amp then gain structure is not set properly.

 

Thank you for the response and info. Forgive my ignorance but by gain structure do you mean the settings on the amp supporting the sub or something else?

 

Hey guys,

1) Sorry for taking so long to get back to everyone on this. I got the issue resolved. 2) Thanks Dillyyo for the advice, you were right on point.

I found out that the line-out converter was wired off the smaller Bose factory amp for my setup. After taking the car back to the installer, they had me take a listen to the audio with the new amp/sub installed and working, then cut the wiring for the line-out converter so the new amp/sub were completely disabled, and had me take a listen again. There was no difference in the sound of the bass from the rear deck-lid speakers. After speaking with the installers about it, they told me this isn't uncommon -- people get accustomed to the sound from their stereo, and when they add something like a sub, the sound changes and their ears deceive them. In this case, the new sub was over-powering the mid-bass from the factory speakers, which is why it sounded off to me. I did some tweaking of the volume levels of the new amp and am very happy with the amount of bass now. I know this is kind of a non-answer, but wanted to share my experiences. Hopefully you'll find it helpful.

 

Thanks AllentownG37, I'm going to try adjusting my amp and see how that works out.

 

The amps gain is a **** that noobies" often times use as a pseudo volume control in their system. The actual purpose of the gain is to best match the output signal voltage from the HU or other piece of pre-amp device to the input signal voltage of the amps. My advice is if you don't really know what it is either research and learn about it (if you're somewhat technically adept) or bring it to a reputable shop and let them set it for you. Should be a very minimal fee.