I just replaced the stock ACDelco 6x9s in my car with a set of Sony Xplod 6x9 3 ways.....now, a few things are happening:

a) I realize that I only have a 35 watt x 4 headunit, hence, not even the RMS rating of the new speakers can be met....but after installing those speakers it reduced the output of my subs (2 Audiobahn 10'' natural sound woofers 300 watts RMS 600 peak..1200 watt amp)....would this excessive drain from the headunit cause the output signal to be weaker and make the clarity of the bass suck?
I'm also not running a cap yet, which I have heard is another problem in itself....

b) Stupid question...anyone else put higher output midranges in their car and notice that their ears hurt quicker? I mean, granted, after having the subs hammering for a long time your ears hurt, but it seems like since I put these speakers in, I have trouble in the ear department after a shorter time and at a lower volume than usual....strange......anyone else ever had this problem? I thought it could have been something with the fact that the 3 ways were a lot clearer (the trebble is on -2 and it is still really crisp...moreso than before) and the crisper trebble was doing something to me, but it is just really hard to figure out. Any ideas?

turn off the rear fill speakers, they are messing up ur imaging.

well if your head unit doesnt have specific RCAS for the subs then other speakers might affect them Id assume.

Your ear problems on the other hand. TURN IT DOWN.

There's no amp in the system?

As far as the ear problems, wow, yeah, turn it down. Once you get into upgrading midrange and tweeters, you've moved into the "quality" sound. Everyone (including me!!) starts out with just subs. Bass doesn't hurt ears, but treble does! And some tweeters sound downright harsh when the volume's turned up. (That's why I love my Pioneer 4x6's... but anyway)

You could always put tape over the mids and tweets, too, or clip the wires in the speakers that lead to their passive crossovers.

I'm guessing you basically want louder bass at lower volume- and you're turning up the system to get louder bass, but in doing so, you're hurting your ears. So you really want to increase the gain on the subwoofer amp (again, do you have an amp on 'em?)- that will increase the bass so you can listen to your stereo without earplugs.

I wouldn't worry about not meeting the RMS range of speakers. That's a big "selling point" that salespeople love to bring up - "And these are 500 watts!" Yeah, right. 500 watts out of a 6x9 would make me deaf.

As I said in the previous post, I'm noticing that i have less of a tolerance with these speakers as with my old ones (and I am not blasting it...this is at a comfortable volume, mind you..lower volumes than I could tolerate with the other speakers). As for the subs, yeah, there's an amp...1200 watts. The headunit is a bit older though...kinda looks like it was an aftermarket unit circa the year of the car, maybe only shortly thereafter (a headunit manufactured in the early 90s). It did have RCA preouts on the back, so my subs aren't just hooked up through the rear speakers. As for too much trebble....maybe I'll try trebble -3 or -4 (it will go to +/- 6)....

Turn it down!!!!

The reason your ears are hurting is not because you have high end sound....it's because you don't have an amp with a built in crossover and you are compensating with the volume dial.

I notice this in my car too, I have a cheap stereo. Sometimes I have it turned up all the way and then I notice it's a little loud and I turn it down. It's a HU with speakers, no amp.

I used to get irritated at level 27, now it can reach 32, but only with the bass and treble turned down. I'm worried that it might be my ears, but it's also sounding worse, so it's probably the stereo.

Loud noises (SPL) will hurt your ears and bass will make you go deaf if it's loud enough. If you have any questions about your stereo, I highly suggest looking into OSHAs website and getting a cheap SPL meter, or even a good one for $100 or more just to see exactly what you're dealing with.

My recomendation is to get an amplifier (high end) and set it up you there is low noise and distortion in your sound. Tune your system so everything comes through toghether and not unbalanced. When I had my 600 watt rms system in my T/A, I had the volume turned lower and the music sounded better. I rarely experienced pain in my ears, unless the bass was hitting hard (usually made me dizzy or casused a headache first) and the volume would have to be near the top.

In my car with nothing more than a Kenwood HU and 4 cheap speakers, my ears are irritated all the time. I have to turn this junk up just to hear the music, but it just doesn't come through...but still gets rough on my ears. I'm pulling out the Kenwood CD player and putting in an older JVC digifine tape deck with 12 disc changer. This was in my girlfriends car before and it sounded nice, I think it has a stronger amp inside.

A good 2 channel or 4 channel should have at least 50-75 watts rms, but most importantly a crossover for the front and rear or one if you use all the same speakers (more choices for amps). The gain shouldn't need to be more than half way in most cases, just do it by ear and stay within the speaker's abilities.

I would like some real amps and subs too, but I've got my mind set on a newer truck, better apartment and resolving an old debt..all of that can get expensive! Maybee in time for Christmas?


BTW, if you have further doubts that we tend to listen to our music too loud (possibly half deaf already?) Ask a younger person like a nephew, sibling anyone very young, chances are they will find the stereo intolerable. I know this because my sister, who was 5 at the time, thought my stereo was completely out of line at 1/4 volume...she had her hands over her ears! I guess I'm kind of jealous, she can probably hear a pin drop and I couldn't hear a box of nails drop...

Just remember...the more you turn it up now, the more you will be turning your hearing aids up later!