can I bi-amp my components?

MCCLIPSE

I have a set of 6.5 midbass from the DB component set and a set of DB tweeters from another set. I do not have any crossovers, can I just bi-amp these from my amp, and run full range on the mids and then hi-pass on the tweets? Or do I need to get the passive crossovers that would usually come with this set?

MCCLIPSE

well they're all used speakers so I'm not too worried about warranty. My HU might have control of that. I'll check my amp to see if I can cross it at 4khz like you said.

MCCLIPSE

well my hi-pass can only filter 1.4K and down so do you think I can get away with it?

MacLeod

No. While the tweeter may play that low, youre not going to want it to. Talk about ear bleeding.

Still, that is an excellent way to go if your head unit or amp can crossover high enough. I ran my beloved MM6's for years bi-amped like that. Maybe now is a good time to upgrade head units.

MCCLIPSE

alright, i got the kenwood kdc-x492 HU and I think it's got pretty good eq and crossover setting so i'll mess with the menus on that today and see if can do it. So ideally I'll just leave the amp's filters off and just control it with my HU right?

MCCLIPSE

Here is the info page on my HU, these are the features that I need right?

Front and Rear High-Pass Filter: The KDC-X492 features an independent High-Pass Crossover for the front and rear channels when your front and rear speakers are connected by the unit's speaker-outputs or preamp-outputs. You can adjust the high-pass crossover from through, 40, 60, 80, 100, 120, 150, or 180, 220Hz. The "Through" selection is a full-range setting. This feature is very helpful when you have smaller-type speakers in the front and larger-type speakers installed in the rear of the vehicle.

Low-Pass Filter: The receiver features a built-in Low Pass Filter control for the preamp-output when the Subwoofer Output is "on". You can select from 50, 60, 80, 100,120Hz or Through. The "Through" setting allows your external amplifier's crossover network to do all the filtering for your subwoofer.

Subwoofer Level: Once you have switched the Subwoofer Output to "on" you can independently control the subwoofer preamp output level from the CD receiver. You select levels between -15 to +15.

Subwoofer Phase: You can adjust the phase of the subwoofer output between 180-degrees (Reverse) or 0-degrees (Normal).

Rotary Volume Control: The CD receiver uses a 7-way rotary volume control that increases and decreases the volume of the stereo from 0 to 35. The rotary knob also controls other audio settings such as Bass, Treble and preset EQ settings.

Speaker Settings: The Speaker Setting function tailors the System Q Sound Control settings according to the type of speakers in your vehicle. You may select a Speaker Setting of "SP Off" (flat), "SP OEM" (for OEM factory speaker systems), "SP 6x9/6" (for systems with 6" and 6"x9" speakers), or "SP 5/4" (for systems with 4" and 5" speakers).

Note: The Speaker Setting affects the bass, midrange, and treble values of the System Q presets. The speaker setting should be selected first.

System Q Sound Control: Six EQ curves are preset into memory, allowing you to recall the best preset EQ curve for different types of music. Each preset has its own level settings for bass (100Hz), midrange (1kHz), and treble (10kHz). The 6 preset curves with their respective bass, mid, and treble levels are as follows:

Rock: Bass +6, Mid +1, Treble +2
Pops: Bass +3, Mid +2, Treble +6
Easy: Bass +6, Mid 0, Treble -2
Top 40: Bass +3, Mid +1, Treble +8
Jazz: Bass +5, Mid +2, Treble +2
Natural (Flat): Bass 0, Mid 0, Treble 0
Note: The above values reflect the System Q settings when the Speaker Setting function is turned off. When the Speaker Settings are selected, the System Q level settings are different.

Detail Audio Control: The KDC-X492 features independent Bass, Treble and Midrange control. The Detail Audio Control allows you to adjust the following settings for the Bass, Treble and Mid frequency levels.

Bass:
Frequency: 40/50/60/70/80/100/120/150 Hz
Q-Factor: 1.00/1.25/1.50/2.00
Bass Extend: On/Off (when this feature is set to "On", the low frequency response is extended by 20%)
Level: -8 to +8
Mid:
Frequency: 0.5/1.0/1.5/2.0 kHz
Q-Factor: 1.0/2.0
Level: - 8 to +8
Treble:
Frequency: 10/12.5/15.0/17.5 kHz
Level: -8 to +8

arun1963

Do you understand what all that means and what it does and doesn't? Or do you want me to explain......lol

MCCLIPSE

I just didn't know if the dedicated high pass and low pass filters that my HU has is considered the "active" crossover that I need. I've never been to concerned with the fine tuning of systems like this so pardon my ignorance in the matter.

Phillips

Your head-unit does not have a high-pass filter in the 3-6 khz you would need to effectively run your components in an active manner. Inversely, the low-pass filter would need to be in the same range, which your head-unit does not have either.

MCCLIPSE

okay, I'll just hold off till I can afford to buy new components before I drive myself nuts thinking about this. Thanks to everyone for their help.

MCCLIPSE

well I put the mids in the doors yesterday, they sound great on their own already, gotta love Polk quality. I'm putting the tweeters in this weekend bi amped with a soldered in bass blocker. I got the stuff cheap and I already plan on getting better components in a few months so I figured I'll just bi-amp them now without components and see how I like the sound. I'll post pics asap.

Phillips

I hope that bass blocker cuts 24db per octave or I bet it sounds terrible.

MCCLIPSE

well I got the tweeters in and it actually sounds alright. They get hella loud obviously and doesn't really have any noticeable distortion at normal volume levels. Considering I have about $45 total bucks in both door speaker sets. It's good enough for now. Hopefully I'll have extra tax money laying around and I'll get at least a full nice set of MM components, maybe SR's who knows...I do appreciate all the advice and support

MCCLIPSE

Phillips wrote: »

I hope that bass blocker cuts 24db per octave or I bet it sounds terrible.

not sure what it cuts at but it sounds pretty good. luckily installing all this now took care of the hard part so when I get better speakers I can just drop them in without all the hassle.

MCCLIPSE

contemplating just simplifying my install and just putting the DB650 coax's in the doors. I think it will sound fine, I was just under the impression that you had to have comps but I'm starting to change my mind, especially in my truck

MCCLIPSE

yeah, I'm just gonna put the coax's in for now and be satisfied. I gotta stop always wanting to upgrade and research new stuff and just start listening to the speakers I already have. Hell, at least they're way better than stock.

MCCLIPSE

although I think when tax time comes around I'll go for the MM coax's with the outboard crossover. Those should be a big improvement.

MCCLIPSE

DSkip wrote: »

Giving these speakers a chance will give you a nice reference to work with. After a while of listening to them you can figure out what the speakers are missing as well as what they do extremely well. That will help you make a good purchase when it is time to upgrade.

Good point, I'll just start at the bottom of the barrel so to say, and go from there till my ears are happy.