SUB Xover in hu or amp? Paging Luke

[parkerbink]

I have a Kenwood KDC X889 which has comprehensive audio controls. The Amp I am using for the subwoofer (Kenwood KAC 7201) which has a built in eq. Which eq is better?

Thanks

[netcsk]

built in crossovers in amps are usually of poor quality, but that doesn't mean the headunit is any better. If you can't tell a difference, the headunit is usually a little easier to set right?

[parkerbink]

The hu has so many menus it is kind of a pita whereas the amp has a slider for through/freq which is currently what I am using. It sounds very good as is but I figured I'd ask those with greater knowledge in this area.

I could just crawl under the seat and switch the amp to through & wade the menu to put the hu at 120/100/whatever (it is at through now) but want to wait to see what the audiophles say.

thanks

[StereoInstaller1]

Comparing the crossovers on an amp like that Kenwood s. the one in the head unit, I would say it is a toss-up. Personally, in the case of your system, I would use the decks just for ease of adjustability.

Luke

PS...thanks for the ego boost, man...I needed that!

[parkerbink]

Thanks Luke. I guess I'll leave it alone for now and eventually switch. Where do you suggest I run it? (what bandwidth) the hu goes from 30-250 in increments of 10.

I have two 10" Orion XTRIII,s running in a sealed box (made for them it's about 3 feet by 1.25 feet) they seem to like running at 120.

[ian332isport]

they seem to like running at 120.

120 is a bit on the high side for subs really. If you have too higher frequencies coming from the subs you will possibly hear they are behind you rather than blending with the front stage.

You really need to match the sub crossover frequency with that of the midrange speakers. Most mids will play down below 100Hz, but it really depends on the speakers you are using. Around 80Hz is probably a good place to start, but I would look at the specs of your midrange speakers (and crossovers if they have them) to get a better idea.

Ian.

[StereoInstaller1]

120 is a bit on the high side for subs really. If you have too higher frequencies coming from the subs you will possibly hear they are behind you rather than blending with the front stage.

You really need to match the sub crossover frequency with that of the midrange speakers. Most mids will play down below 100Hz, but it really depends on the speakers you are using. Around 80Hz is probably a good place to start, but I would look at the specs of your midrange speakers (and crossovers if they have them) to get a better idea.

Ian.

I would agree with Ian 100% except to say that the important prt is that you lke the sound.120 is a bit high, but in light of this being a cabrio, that would mean a lot of upper bass loss...so run your mid slow as you can and keep the power andlng/clarity adequate, then dial the bass from there.

Luke

[parkerbink]

The main speakers are infinity 6.5 perfects, tweeters are high on the A pillar and mid/"bass" drivers are in the doors middle forward and a set of 6.5s (same infinity perfect driver) in the rear doors.

Additionally I have a 10" infinity driver from a set of LS100's in the passsenger side rear panel where the stock subwoofer was runing on a mono one channel kenwood 150 watt amp.

Thanks guys. Luke the cab is gone this is in a 96 Toyota Land cruiser. I'll take the advice and crawl under there put the amp on through and play with the HU.

Gracias!

[StereoInstaller1]

Oh yeah, Stef...forgot you sold the red thingie.

Perfects are usually great down to about 70 with the average 12db/oct crossover, unless youare going for as loud as possible. I would expect to run the subs at about 60 and below, again 12db/oct.

Shut off you subs and see what the Infinities can handle...start full range, all bass and treble controls centered, loud off. Crank them up adn see where they start to fall apart, then raise your high pass. Get them to play loud enough to satisfy you...then bring in the bass, but start with the crossover just below the bottom of the mids.

Good Luck!
Luke

[parkerbink]

Thanks Luke, I have not been getting notifications of responses and sometimes threads don't show up in new thread replies. I'll try this, I already changed it from the amp to the hu so it will be easy to do.