Looking for help gettin subs and an amp

[GreatDane92]

Ok im new to the whole upgraded audio thing, but i recently went and got a Kenwood DNX 5160 to put in my AC. I have a non bose system and besides the HU everything else is stock. After i got the DNX put in, the stereo hasnt been as good as it was stock, the bass isnt as noticeable and i barely get any radio stations. I like the HU but i miss my bass and radio so i was wondering what some ppl with more experience in this would say i should do... I have been thinking that maybe subwoofers would make me happy and so far all i know is that i would need a box, an amp and subs.. So what i was wondering is what someone who is more experienced with these things thinks i should do... Should i go back to stock or should i keep going and get subs? If its subs, can anyone point me in the right direction with everything i would need? such as size, brand, box, amp, wattage, positioning, basically general stuff like that... Basically i want to make my audio have good perfomance but id rather do it on the cheaper end. I dont need high end performance, just a good hitting bass and the amp that can make that happen.. thanks in advance for reading this and helping me out..

[GreatDane92]

also, with what little i know i started looking around and was wondering if any of these look like a way i should go? the first one i liked the looks, price and what is included in the sale but the others looked okay to me so i was wondering, if subs is the way i should go, if i should jump on any of these..

1. http://cnj.craigslist.org/pts/1869958224.html (the one tat peaked my interest most because of subs,box,amp, and wiring)
2. http://cnj.craigslist.org/pts/1868765568.html
3. http://cnj.craigslist.org/pts/1859684161.html
4. http://cnj.craigslist.org/pts/1862903528.html
5. http://cnj.craigslist.org/pts/1864235049.html

[headhunt3r]

Your radio and speaker performance should not be worse off with your new head unit compared to your stock. I suspect that you just need to play with your settings for the sound aspect, and possibly a bad install for the poor radio reception. I have a Kenwood DDX-812 and radio has been just the same for me as stock.

Did you install the Kenwood yourself? Did you purchase the Kenwood from a store? If you bought it from a store, and had it installed there, I'd consider taking it back to ask them to check it out. I know after I installed my amp / sub I went back to the store I bought them from and they helped me off with a settings tweak before I fiddled with it some more myself afterwards to get the sound I want.

I really suggest you getting your head unit to work on its own first. At worst, it should perform the same as your stock head unit in terms of sound quality.

[insaneturbo13]

mine does the thing with the radio stations, cant pick hardly any up, but the sound from the stereo on cd's is much better than stock.

[DJ_B_Easy]

Def need a tune on the HU and def bad install for the bad radio reception.

Even if you dont replace your factory door and rear panel speakers, you should NEVER get worse sound from an aftermarket HU. Play with the EQ settings on the head unit and you should be able to make that thing sound 10x better than stock.

As for the radio reception, installers use an adapter to connect the factory antennae to the aftermarket head unit. It needs to connect in to ground so they may have flubbed this. Kind of a basic thing though, they shouldnt have messed it up.

[DJ_B_Easy]

Oh and my personal preference, never buy used audio equip unless you are able to test it and hear it first. Who knows what those subs have been through, you could have blown cones on both and never know until its too late. Amp too, could have been fried numerous times and on its last leg.

Go eBay for something new at least or check around local stores, even Best Buy puts together decent packages sometimes (I know, I work there part time).

[GreatDane92]

To answer some quesetions, I had it installed at BestBuy because i was hoping that they would get everything right. So far ive played with the settings for a good half hour and still cannot get the bass performance back to stock.. Does anyone know anything about the DNX that knows what would be a good setting for it? Also, if i bring it back to BestBuy and show them the poor radio reception will they fix it for free or will i need to pay again cuz they messed up the install? Also, if i were to go with subs, how hard wuld the install be and whats a good size and wattage for the subs and amp for our cars? i appreciate all the responses so far

[DJ_B_Easy]

Which Best Buy? Some are good, some blow. Mine is pretty good but not sure where you're at. If you go back to them they should fix it free. If they say no, ask to speak to the manager on duty and they will clear it. Trust me they will give you whatever you want.

Not trying to be a douche here but if you couldnt do the head unit install yourself I would advise against doing the sub and amp install yourself. Its not hard, but you do need to know a thing or two.

Again not trying to be a douche, but I know what you are talking about with loss of bass. What you are missing from the stock set-up is poor, un-powered bass. Its designed to sound "good" with the stock speakers and stock head unit/power supply. In reality, the sound you are getting now out of your aftermarket HU is a lot cleaner signal, it just needs to be amped up and put to the right speakers. If you just want a little more kick, small amp and single sub should do the trick.

[GreatDane92]

no you dont come off as a douche don't worry, im really new when it comes to car audio so i do appreciate the honest info, and u answering my kinda noobish questions. The BestBuy i went to is in Bridgewater, NJ. If they'll fix it then i definitely think ill go back and ask them to take a look at it. Also, thanks for the info about the bass loss. So how would i go about amping up that signal?

And okay, so if i want a sub to go in the trunk you think i will be able to get what i want out of a smaller (8-12in) single and a small amp? Is just the one sub gonna give me a good kick that i can hear from the trunk but wont shake m entire car apart or would 2 subs give me a good kick without blowing up the car lol? Should i try to match and go kenwood sub and amp or are there other brands that will give me quality performance for cheaper? Lastly, what kind of box (like sealed or vented?) for the sub should i get and about how much should i expect to pay for the sub,box, amp, wiring stuff and the install at a reputable place/a BestBuy if they install subs?

Sorry im askin so many questions but i just wanna make sure i cover all the angles before i dive right in and have it be over my head..

[DJ_B_Easy]

Amping up the signal? Buy an amp!

As far as sub, it all depends on what you want man. I think if you just want to get that little boom back a single 10" or 12" sub should be enough. It doesnt sound like you are too adophile so I wouldnt go crazy. Look for sales, like I said Best Buy might be able to get a cheap package deal. My store has a Kicker package right now, 2 12" CompVR subs in a sealed enclosure with 750 watt amp for around $600.00 I think? Could be way off on the dollar amount, I get mine through accomodation at 75% off retail!

[GreatDane92]

okay cool, i think i can feel my way around this one... lastly, about how much would a pro install cost you think, and would i have to supply all the wiring or would they most likely have what i need there? i appreciate you workin through this with me Beasy

[DJ_B_Easy]

You can bring your own wiring or they can supply it for you. If you are only doing single amp then you wont need much. Power cable from battery to amp, signal and remote cable from HU to amp, speaker cable from amp to subs, and ground cable from amp to ground. Your call, depending on where you guy they might try to rip you on wires though.

As for cost, it shouldnt be much more than 2 hours labor. Id say no more than $150? Shop I used to go to charged $55.00 an hour and that was VERY reasonable for my area.

[GreatDane92]

ok cool, thanks for everything Beasy. I think ill try to go on crutchfield and get everything i need and hopefully i can get a cheap enough install... Thanks again!

[headhunt3r]

I sort of disagree with having to add an amp for your existing speakers to regain the same amount of bass you've had previously. If your bass is really that bad, then I'd go as far as to say that maybe they forgot to connect the rear speakers to your head unit. The factory speakers are probably not made to handle very much power, so by adding an amp to them, you're probably guiding yourself to a bigger mess.

Installers from BestBuy range pretty widely. Sometimes it's just some high school kid, sometimes it can be a very experienced installer who just lost his previous job in this economy, but I'd say the overall jurisdictional for BestBuy is that it's not a very good place to go to if you want some quality product / work done. If you have any bit of electrical or engineering sense, the install for a head unit is really not extremely difficult, and members here can definitely help you out step by step. There's always the option of speaking with Broadfield (or forum car audio seller: here or here). I've purchased from him a couple times and he's been awesome with his service. He's even gone as far as to say that you can call him on the phone for help during an installation if you have issues or problems.

I currently have a single 12" Hertz subwoofer and it's given me plenty of bass, and I'd say it's more than enough for a lot of people. A well done 10" install would probably give you enough bass for your personal taste by the sounds of your post. Going with two 12" subwoofers is pretty overkill in my opinion. Regarding the branding issue, I'd say different brand makes different good products in different areas. For example, I love what Kenwood has done for their head units, but I love Audison for their amps. There's no need to stick with one specific brand for everything.

For the position you're in. I would do the following:
1. Check to make sure sound is coming out of every speaker.
2. Read this guide here and go through the previous install job to double check everything and to learn about your car.
3. Once you've checked hardware, I'd look for a "factory reset" for your Kenwood head unit to reset your software setup.
4. If you still have problems, check for some car audio specific stores and bring your car in for some troubleshooting help. (Looking on forums for shop recommendation is greatly recommended)
5. Once you've solved all your current issues, re-evaluate if you still want to add an amp and a sub.
6. Talk to Broadfield about what you want, and your budget, do some online shopping to compare prices, and get them in your car!

[Broadfield]

I would stay away from Crutchfield. They don't have good pricing. Unless they are having a sale, or are selling items that are discontinued or about to be, they have to sell at MAP pricing. Even in my store, I sell cheaper than Crutchfield. Let alone my internet pricing. The only way Crutchfield makes up for their pricing is the fact that they will throw in free installation parts depending on what you are buying.

One of two things on your Altima. Unfortunately, that vehicle is very uncommon in my area, so I don't have much experience with them. However, you most likely have one of two issues with your new radio setup:

1) It is wired incorrectly. Specifically one or more speakers are wired out of phase. This would be hard to mess up if they used a harness, but anything can happen. In my 18 years of installs on over 25,000 vehicles, I don't rule anything out..... no matter how improbable or strange it may seem. So let's say three of the four speakers are wired correctly, but somehow they wired the positive and negative backwards on one of the front speakers. Then you will have zero bass up front. Because the front speakers will actually cancel themselves out since one is pushing out while the other is pulling in. A simple way to test this on your own is to fade all the way front. Then balance all the way left. If it sounds like it has more bass when it's all the way left, then one of the front speakers is wired out of phase with the other..... you will actually lose bass as you start to balance back to center. You should definitely have the most bass when it's centered. You can then do the same thing to test the rear. Just fade to the rear and try the same process.

2) Your factory radio, like a lot of OEM radios these days, had equalization built into the output. So even when your bass was set flat on the radio, it may of had bass added in beyond a flat frequency response. Obviously your aftermarket radio should have near flat frequency response. Unless of course you boost or cut the bass and or treble frequencies. So this brings me to the conclusion that #2 may not be your issue since you said you boosted the bass, but could not match the bass performance of the OEM radio..... unless the OEM radio just has crap tons of equalization built into it that you can't match even with your bass turned all the way up.

Otherwise I can't think of any other reason why you would be having this issue. I would start with the phasing. If all else fails, take it back to the install shop and tell them to make sure all of the speakers are wired in phase. If they say yes or are not willing to check, then ask them why you don't have mid-bass output anymore. If they can't give you a good answer then they don't deserve to be in business. Of course if you are not real familiar with car audio, then they may give you a line of bull that you may not realize is a line of bull. In that case come back on here and let me know what they say.

Toby