I finally got these 6" speakers to fit in my door (5 1/4) I had to cut the factory mounts and some of the door grills. It was a real pain in the ass... but it's done!!

The speakers are the MTX THX603;
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10 096891&catid=

I bought them boxing day because they were only $49.99!! I was determined to get them to fit instead of paying a lot more for 5 1/4" I know they aren't top of the line speakers but they sound better than the stock ones and for the price...

Here is my question though, when I crank my deck (Pioneer DEH-P6900UB) to around 40 they start to distort. They are supposed to be rated @ 65W RMS. Are they distorting just because I'm running them off the deck? I'm afraid to run them off an amp now incase they blow.

How should I tune my deck to make them sound good at higher volumes? I have stock 6x9's in the back for now, they put out quite a bit of bass and they don't even distort like these...

I'm installing subs in the next week or so but I'm not sure how I should adjust the levels and fade on the deck so everything is balanced and sounds good without distorting. Any suggestions please.... much appreciated!!

Keep your bass and treble at '0' and volume wise keep the level at 28-34. Or before it distorts. (65w rms - more like 12 watts Max.)

__________________

Alpine LRx Supremo12 Legatia1.3.6

It is likely that at that level, your deck is distorting, not the speakers. On an amp, with a ~100hz high pass, you should be able to give them much more power.

__________________
Paul Niwranski
1966 Cadillac Superior Crown Royale Limousine Hearse

If you're mirrors ain't shakin...you got taken...
RIP Member #8
Be careful what you wish for...

i think he's talking about the power handling of the speakers he bought not the actual power output of the deck.

yeah like dukk said, highpass them at the very least and add an amp when you can afford it!

__________________

2002 Chevy Trailblazer LT 4x4
------------------------
Alpine CDA-9885 :: Alpine Spr-176a :: Pioneer TS-D160R ::
Kicker ZX350.4 :

Thanks dudes..

I figured the distortion was from the deck. There's a setting on the deck to adjust HPF but with this set and no subs hooked up yet, I won't get any bass : ( I also had the loudness set to high so that doesn't help!

Let me get this right, when I connect my subs and mono block and still run the Front and Rear off the deck (until I get a 4 channel amp) by setting the HPF on the deck to 100hz will the subs run at what they are set to on the amp (60hz) or will the HPF setting on the deck affect F/R and subs?

It's my first time messing with car audio...

you have 2 options to cut your sub!
1. from you hu (the pioneer) and then the signal going to the amp alredy at 100 Hz or whatever you like, and you dont need to cut the signal agein from the amp.
2. you can cut the signal in the amp to lpf\hpf and it will be the same as option 1 but i think that little less acurate.. depending on yous amp.

at your hu you have option to cut the sub at lpf and the front and rear speekers at hpf separately to get beter sound agastment.

p.s.
if you connect a sub in your car and the speekers will stay conected to the hu you wont be able to get sound from your new front speekers becouse your hu can give them aprox 14w RMS max! so the sub will swallow them.

Well, after much more reading (when will this newbie stage end!!!) I found answers to my HPF/LPF question. The deck has adjustments for both full range and sub freqs. But what I don't get is, do I set the HU ranges to match that of the amp(s)?
or disable LPF on the HU and adjust it on the amp vice/versa?

How do you pros adjust this? I'm pretty sure I would disable LPF and HPF on the HU and use the adjustments on the amp(s) Or is it more beneficial to make these adjustments on the HU alone (for sake of changing easily, diff music, etc.) I need to hear it from one of you gurus. Thanks.

Thanks for clarifying that. I was worried about running the F/R off the HU for that fact. I'm eager to get the subs and amp installed first because I have almost everything I need (planning took the most time) But I won't be able to get a 4ch for the F/R for awhile... who knows when. I've spent way more than I thought already. I guess I'll just have to keep the subs down so they don't overpower. The sound is pretty loud with the new front speakers, still using stock 6x9's though but I can imagine when I get the (2) 300W subs going they will drown them right out...

Well, you can use the xover in the amp, in the deck, OR both! It's up to you. What I personally like to do is set the amp up at ~80-100hz and then use the deck as well - if I want a little less upper boom, just move the deck down to 50, if you want more boom, move it up to 120.

__________________
Paul Niwranski
1966 Cadillac Superior Crown Royale Limousine Hearse

If you're mirrors ain't shakin...you got taken...
RIP Member #8
Be careful what you wish for...

That sounds like how I want it setup. Thanks!!

What about bass boost though, do you use this as well as changing the filter on the HU?