Currently i have the Infinity Kappa Component speakers up front. Rear doors have Infinity Reference 2-way speakers in them. I had them for more than one year and I'm really getting tired of them.

I have the Kappa woofers in the front doors and i have the Kappa tweeters in the original Maxima mounting front locations. (front pillar) I use the Infinity Kappa crossovers....located under front seats.
I have a nice Pioneer Premier 8xxx series CD receiver. I do NOT use any amps for the speakers. They are fed from the CD receiver. The only amp i use, is a 780W Pioneer that feeds my 12" Kenwood Excelleon db+ subwoofer in the trunk.

I do not like how my system sounds up front. The Infinity Kappa tweeters produce very high "highs" and they overwhelm everything else in the car. All i hear is the sound coming from them - nothing from the other speakers, ....unless i put my ear closer to them. The tweeters make it sound as i have no other speakers in the car. I played with the equalizers, loudness, HPF and etc. but these tweeters seem to always dominate. I have the feeling that the stock Maxima (non-bose) tweeters sounded so much better and were less intrusive. At least i could hear sound from all other speakers and i had more of a "surround effect" in my car.

How do i fix this? How do i get a more solid, filling, surrounding sound in my car?

1. Do i buy new, different brand/model tweeter and leave the rest as is? If yes, what do you recommend? I can't afford to spend $100+ on just two tweeters, so offer reasonable solutions, pls.

2. Do i buy a whole new set of component speakers...hoping that they have better tweeters/crossovers/woofers? I thought that Infinity Kappa Comps are some of the best for the money but i was wrong.

3. Do i need to only replace the crossovers that came with the Kappa's? Maybe one of them is bad??

4. Do i need to put a nice 2-way or 3-way speaker in the front doors (instead of the current, almost mute woofers) so i can get more sound and "surround" feeling?

5. Should i put the tweeters in a different location? Currently i have the woofers down where my feet are and the tweeters up, at head level, where the OEM tweeters were?


Thank you for any suggestions, tips and ideas.

 

I would run them off an amp for one... Then have your system tuned. If everything is setup and tuned properly it should sound good... Have you messed with your HU at all?

 

Yes, i did touch every setting on the HU. This Pioneer Premier has tons of options. Some make a small difference, others don't.

Bottom line... when i sit in my wife's Acura TSX ... same CD, same tracks, sound much better on her OEM audio system (Alpine HU/Navi with Pioneer speakers/tweeters) compared to my "custom" system in the Maxima.
I can hear all frequencies in her car....i can hear the sound separation on each channel, i can hear the music without any distortion or super high hissing, fussing or any of the noises that my tweeters sometimes produce when i crank the volume.

Should i blame my average quality sound on the lack of dedicated speaker amps?
Could it be poorly placed front speakers/tweeters and/or bad infinity crossovers under the seats?
Could it be poor choice of speaker/tweeter brand...given my application?

 

its not the position of the tweeters, it could be a crossover issue but i would def try to put them on a 4channel amp and see how they sound then. Worst case you have to buy a new set of componets and a 4channel amp. Under powering infiniy speakers is bad news. Ive said it on like 3 other threads and have been bashed by other memebers. Try hooking up an amp to the speakers and see what happens.

 

+1 for amping the speakers. That should be your first course of action no matter what.

Once that is done your sound will fill out, but be warned that Infinity tweeters are known to be very tinny and harsh. Some EQing will make a world of difference.

Do not replace the tweeters or crossovers only. They come in a set because they were built for each other.

 

OK. I see the consensus - i need to get a 4-channel amp for the speakers.

Please recommend a decent, well priced 4-channel amp. I am more interested in quality of sound than power and high wattage. Budget is also a concern.
Let me know what brand/model you would recommend...

Thank you!

 

how much do you have to spend? give me a price range lol

 

$100-150max

I also have an old (but working) Yamaha Car audio amplifier - 4-channel. On top of it it's printed "4x50w RMS.
I got it from a friend and never used it. This Yamaha Amp may be a great quality amp, from what i've heard but since it has some rust on some of the terminals/connectors, i am not sure if it's a good idea to use it.

 

Even if you want to spend $100-$150, you will also still have to get a bunch of wiring, and then get it installed if you can't do it yourself. Expect to pay about another $40 at least for wiring...just a heads up.

And, if you want something that sounds fairly good, it's very hard to do in that budget. You may want to start looking at eBay, because I don't think you're going to get anything that's new and good for that price range.

 

+1

Try to find a nice used 4channel with a warranty still. Check craigslist etc. in your area to find something local. GL

 

Or check the forum classifieds.

Here are two amps selling for $150-$200.

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=541059
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=549713

 

Thank you for all the useful suggestions.

I realize that my budget is kind of low but at the same time i don't want to put $1000 in audio equipment knowing that i may keep the car for only a year or so.
I just want to IMPROVE what i currently have....and if a $150 amp and wiring will do it, i'm willing to give it a shot. I'll look at used 4-channel amps.

I was looking more for brand/model suggestions? I know some companies are known to make solid car amps....and some are known to be so-so. I guess.....i'll stick with products from Alpine, Pioneer, JL....etc.


Thanks again!

 

i found an Alpine V12 F407 in good condition at a pawn shop for 80 dollars...

40x4 RMS, 160x2 RMS Bridged 4OHM, soon to be powering some SLCs i will be PMing don soon, so i can finally get my hands on some (Birthday is coming up, extra funds FTW)

 

the us amps xt1600.4 really is a decent amp and it can be had pretty cheap on ebay.

 

I had that amp running 3-way pioneers. Sounded nice