just installed 2 12' subs, and an amp with an rca converter to use my stock head unit. for most stuff it sounds fine except that while listening to the radio most the time parts that should have a lot of bass dont. and some spots are quite, while others are really loud. but i listen to a lot of hardcore with double bass pedal and right now it sounds horrible. as opposed to my moms cobalt that came with a subwoofer and the double bass pedal is clear. would getting an aftermarket head unit help? my friend that helped install it told me that the converters just draw in all the bass and wondered if thats why everything is so distorted.

 

There can be several factors here, most likely her car has HD radio. Normal radio has diminished lows and highs. Getting rid of the stock HU has more benefits than just HD radio capabilities, the stock HU also has a nasty EQ built into it.

 

so getting an aftermarket HU would help then?

 

If your moms car does indeed had HD radio, and your comparing HD to regular radio, just a new HU won't do it for the radio source. You would have to get the HD radio addon if it does not have it built in for the new aftermarket radio. Now the stock HU has a built in EQ that tries to make the stock speakers sound bassy, which really deteriates the sound quality, as you can never get rid of that and get a flat signal to work with.

 

alright. so is that just for the radio then? what about cd's? thats where the double bass on my all that remains cd sounds way better in her car then in mine.

 

Do you have stock speakers? If not are they amped?

 

I know t00fatt is a lot more knowlegable about audio stuff, but it might help to know... what kind of a box are your subs in? Sealed or open? Sealed subs will tend to be boomier and less crisp if not properly tuned, which would in turn cause poor clarity for most pedal-heavy rock music.

 

One thing to check is the supply voltage out of your converter - which supplies the amp - if it varies up/down with the bass then your amp will distort and will sound... horrible. Need a multimeter for that.
If you find that supply voltage varies with sound, check battery voltage that powers up the converter. If that varies - you should see the car lights change - you need capacitors to carry the bass load.
If your battery voltage is steady, then your converter is undersized.
You did not say anything about installing capacitors, if you handle a lot of bass, and depending on the power rating of your subwoofers, you will need them to get a crisp, strong bass.
Let us know.

 

yes my speakers are stock. and my subs are in an open box.

no i dont have a capacitor. my subs are 2 rockford p2 12 inch with 200-400 watts rms. my amp is a rockford p500-1bd 200 watts RMS x 1 at 4 ohms (400 watts RMS x 1 at 2 ohms) 500 watts RMS x 1 at 1 ohm. my subs are down to 1 ohm, so i guess that would be about 500 watts for that then. i hope that helps you guys out some.

and kinda confused on the converter thing draser. how do i check the supply voltage of the converter?

 

By literally checking the voltages of the RCA's, positive is the center and the ground is the outer ring. As for the caps, it's unnecessary until your over 1000w. Caps level out your voltage but you will end up drawing more power than without it. If your going to get a cap keep it small, a small cap will benefit the voltage stabilization without wasting too much power. Main reason people get caps is to stop dimming. Switching to HID's and LEDs not only draw less power, look better, they also don't dim with small voltage drops.

Here is my recommendation assuming your on a budget. First get rid of that box and build yourself a sealed box. A ported box has a small range, while a sealed box has a much broader range and flatter response curve, essential to accurate bass reproduction. I've never heard your subs, but if you can afford too I would get rid of them and a new amp. A single high powered sub will sound much better, and be louder than what you have now without a doubt. That will take care of your bass, now on to the most important part, speakers.

Your going to have to toss the stock speakers, and I'd really recommend tossing the stock HU as well. If your on a budget invest the absolute most you can on front speakers, at the very least $150 on the speakers alone. Forget about the rear speakers, they are only there for the rear seat and unnecessary. You can get great sound and staging just from front speakers alone. As for speaker brands off the top of my head JL, Alpine, Focal, Polk Audio, even Boston acoustics are a good choice. Which brand you choose is personally preference. For example Focal's are very bright, while JLs are on the other side of the spectrum and are pretty warm. I would stay away from infinities, kicker speakers, pioneer, kenwood, and all those brands you already know to stay away from. While these are good companies (infinity excluded) their speakers are not top notch.

Once you have your speakers chosen, find a nice brand name amp that matches it's power requirement. A good sized 2ch amp will be cheap, so go with a good brand name.