My pioneer 3 way coax front speakers distort even at moderate bass levels, they are being pushed by an aftermarket HU with like 18-21w RMS (can't remember the exact figure). If I were to amplify them with a small amp that I have laying around, would that prevent the distortion I'm hearing until a higher volume/bass setting? This never used to be a problem back in the day as I had subs, but right now I don't.

 

Yes it should...but remembr you can't expect subbass out of those coaxes. But yes, it should get louder with less distortion.

 

As long as you set crossovers within reason for the coax's to handle, they should get plenty loud with the HU. An amp could never hurt and again the proper xover points must be used.

 

Distortion happens when you push the volume past the point where the amp (inside the HU in your case) can produce the requested power cleanly. This has the effect of making the sine wave "square" at the peaks/valleys. If you install an amp, this allows you to have a larger sine wave (more volume) with allows more headroom for volume control.

Check out http://bcae1.com if you want more info.

As mentioned, using crossovers (like a bass blocker) will allow the speaker to use the power sent to it through a smaller range, which in turn allows for more volume over the frequencies allowed to pass.

 

your hu is sending a clipped signal to the speaks. period. otherwise they would not distort. adding an amp will fix this problem assuming you set it's gains correctly. \thread

 

You only mention the fronts... are the rears ok at the levels you're running?

 

i would suggest setting the highpass filter on the headunit between 100~120 hz, or get bass blockers for now untill the amp is installed.

 

+1

 

mann i have been trying to remember this link for a while now. good stuff.

 

Please explain this one.