For the Stereo Buffs among You...

[CajunMojo]

Your installation looks great!

I have a question unrelated to the way you hooked yours up, but you or someone else may be able to answer. Using the stock amp (which has separate outputs for low and highs for the front), how should you connect to the input of the crossover for the front door speakers? I left out the crossover on mine since the stock amp has separate outputs for highs and lows, and frankly, it sounds like ****. I installed Polk DB6501s in front and DB651s in back.

Edit: I guess I should mention, my crossovers don't have 2 inputs like yours, only input, tweeter out and woofer out.

 

[GTSHolgi]

Hi, I need to correct you. The stock amp does not have separate outputs for highs and lows, outputs are full range. Not sure how you connected your system leaving out the crossover but that is likely to be the issue / reason for your bad sound. Hope you have not shot your tweeter yet.

 

[Black Moon]

What a terrible looking installation! LOL!!!!!

Seriously, your work looks amazing. Would you like to come to the US and install my system?? Very precise and great looking installation. Very impressive.

 

[CajunMojo]

Hi, I need to correct you. The stock amp does not have separate outputs for highs and lows, outputs are full range. Not sure how you connected your system leaving out the crossover but that is likely to be the issue / reason for your bad sound. Hope you have not shot your tweeter yet.

What I did was run the wires that were already in place for the woofer and tweeter. I'll find a way to run the crossover and see if it helps.

 

[denniskgb]

What a terrible looking installation! LOL!!!!!

Seriously, your work looks amazing. Would you like to come to the US and install my system?? Very precise and great looking installation. Very impressive.

this is what you call German engineering

 

[GTSHolgi]

What a terrible looking installation! LOL!!!!!

Seriously, your work looks amazing. Would you like to come to the US and install my system?? Very precise and great looking installation. Very impressive.

Thanks!! In fact, I'd love to install your system if you pay for the trip

 

[GTSHolgi]

What I did was run the wires that were already in place for the woofer and tweeter. I'll find a way to run the crossover and see if it helps.

So you are using the stock crossover, which is the most simple one: the woofer will run full-range and the tweeter is filtered by a 1st order high-pass (just a small capacitor). This will definitively ruin the sonic potential your new system has as it is not aligned to these speakers at all.

I highly recommend to install the new crossover but you will have to remove the door panels for this. You basically connect the stock cable currently connected to the woofer (which is coming from the amp in the trunk) to the x-over's input and connect the new woofer and tweeter with new cables to the corresponding outputs.

 

[GTSHolgi]

this is what you call German engineering

Too funny!! As a matter of fact, I hold a diploma in electrical engineering, no kiddin'

 

[CajunMojo]

So you are using the stock crossover, which is the most simple one: the woofer will run full-range and the tweeter is filtered by a 1st order high-pass (just a small capacitor). This will definitively ruin the sonic potential your new system has as it is not aligned to these speakers at all.

I highly recommend to install the new crossover but you will have to remove the door panels for this. You basically connect the stock cable currently connected to the woofer (which is coming from the amp in the trunk) to the x-over's input and connect the new woofer and tweeter with new cables to the corresponding outputs.

I actually worked on this yesterday before I read your post. I ran both the woofer and tweeter wire to the input of the crossover and it sounds 100% better. Do you think I should rewire it as you suggested or leave it as is. It sounds a lot better already.

 

[GTSHolgi]

I actually worked on this yesterday before I read your post. I ran both the woofer and tweeter wire to the input of the crossover and it sounds 100% better. Do you think I should rewire it as you suggested or leave it as is. It sounds a lot better already.

I am a bit puzzled now when you say you ran both wires to the INPUT of the crossover. Do you mean now the wires of the stock harness? If so, I assume you ran new wires from the OUTPUT of the crossover to the speakers (woofer and tweeter)? If my assumption is right, then you can leave it as it is.

 

[CajunMojo]

I am a bit puzzled now when you say you ran both wires to the INPUT of the crossover. Do you mean now the wires of the stock harness? If so, I assume you ran new wires from the OUTPUT of the crossover to the speakers (woofer and tweeter)? If my assumption is right, then you can leave it as it is.

The stock harness has seperate wires for the woofer and tweeter. I ran both of those to the input of the crossover. And yes, I ran new wires from the output to the woofer/tweeter seperately. If it makes more sense, I did not run anything all the way from the amp, I just used the wires already in the door. I think we're on the same page more or less.

 

[GTSHolgi]

The stock harness has seperate wires for the woofer and tweeter. I ran both of those to the input of the crossover. And yes, I ran new wires from the output to the woofer/tweeter seperately. If it makes more sense, I did not run anything all the way from the amp, I just used the wires already in the door. I think we're on the same page more or less.

Got you. Now it is also clear to me, why you earlier mentioned that the amp has separate outputs for highs and lows. In fact, the tweeter wire origins from a splice point of the woofer cable in the door. You should not connect it to the crossover because of the capacitor in this cable as it may have a negative impact on the input signal feeding the crossover.

 

[CajunMojo]

Gotcha, its an easy enough fix. I'll try to get around to disconnecting it tomorrow and see if it sounds any better. I didn't realize how the signal was split. Thanks for the info.

 

[CajunMojo]

I got around to rewiring it today. I don't notice a difference in sound, but It's good to know I have it hooked up correctly now. Thanks for the help.

 

[GTSHolgi]

I got around to rewiring it today. I don't notice a difference in sound, but It's good to know I have it hooked up correctly now. Thanks for the help.

You are right (and I should have known better). As you connected both the tweeter wire and the woofer wire in parallel to the crossover's input, the capacitor was short cut by the woofer wire, meaning having no influence anymore. However, the way it is connected now is clean and right.