I recently 'upgraded' my sound system. I installed 2 sets of Polk speakers into my '99 Forester. Front doors now have 6.5 inch splits (db6501) and the rear doors 4 inch (db401) 2-way speakers. I have a $180, 2007 model Pioneer head unit DEH-3950MP with 2V dual pre-outs going to a 520W RMS JBL 4 channel amplifier with 2 channels running the front speakers (104W RMS per channel @ 4 ohms) and the other 2 channels bridged (1 x 284W RMS @ 4 ohms) to run a 300W RMS 12' sledgehammer boxed subwoofer (so its in 3 channel mode). The head unit (4 x 50W peak) is thus only powering the little rear door speakers. After setting all the levels and trying to get the best sound out of the system it sounds poor quality to me. With bands like U2 and rock music in general the highs can be too harsh and the clarity of sound is not as full and rich as it should be (after spending more than $1200 i expected better!). Its not really distorting and everything seems to be in order but i was expecting a higher quality sound. Techno and dance music sounds good though and after doing some reading of posted articles in the chat room here i am beginning to realise its due to my mismatching combination. I would appreciate some advice - buy a better head unit? If so, which one? I've heard good things about the Alpine head units.

Craig

Congrats on the new gear and system.
I can understand your disappointment though.
I once added a second $3000 power amp to my home system to only find that it made no real difference - well not $3000 worth anyway.

So, some things to know (if you're new to car audio):
Make sure that the installation is done right. Most important thing!!!
Hopefully your system install is not done by "Dodgey Mates and Co"
If in doubt have it checked by a professional.
Don't go any further unless you are confident it's installed right.
Sometimes gear will change a little and "mellow" with initial use.
A decent head unit will not only sound better but also allow you to tune the sound a little more with a more flexible eq/processor.
Many times systems sound good from the get go if installed correctly but many times they can sound like bum. For this it may take simply time and listening to tune the system so it sounds better to your ears.

If it's still bad, then try changing some of the gear out for alternatives.

I'm not going to go into detail here as there are countless threads in the "How to" area but this should give you a guide on where you could start.

The items you purchased- did you listen to them before handing over your hard earned cash mate?
If you liked them in the shop, but not in the car it would suggest your install may have faults- either in tuning, or the installation of the components themselves.

Try following the gain tutorial in the FAQ/Tutorial section 1st, and also try using the headunit to fade music to the front speakers.

.

I'm guessing not much work has been put on your front stage. Dynamat, sealing etc to get more improvement would be my first priority. I don't think the source unit is that much of a problem at the moment.

I'd suggest upgrading the head unit, but not for the reasons you probably expect.

Upgrading to a higher end head unit can give you features like active crossovers, time alignment, a powerful EQ and additional preouts.

Running active off the three preouts would give you tons more control and adjustability, and would allow someone in the know to tune your car to perfection (nearly). Active would be possible off the JBL 4 channel, but you'd then need another amp to run the sub.

Very first thing I'd recommend is experimenting with different speaker positioning for the tweeters and if possible also the mids. I'd also suggest doing some sound deadening work if it hasn't been done already.

Remember that in car audio, $1,200 for a full system is not as much as it seems and is in fact a tad limiting.

Still, experimentation with installation and tuning is usually the fastest way to improved results and if upgrading speakers doesn't bring any improvement it usually means they are being held back by the installation.

Thanks heaps to everyone who commented on my question. I will go ahead with installing some Dynamat in the front doors and see how i go from there. Just for interest - I was listening to the Bose system in a 2005 SLK350 the other day and they sound so sweet. Not a big sound but a quality one. I liked the completely finished feel the music had. Not a harsh note to the ear can be heard. Seamless dynamics throughout the whole spectrum.

I agree with Muzzy about getting a better HU but you don't have to go all-out and get one that can go active. But it just depends what level you want to achieve

My first head unit was a $100 Pioneer and when I bought the GT-42 I needed a HU that had 3 pre-outs. I moved up to an Alpine which cost $350 and I was immediately impressed with the gain in sound quality. With the Pioneer, the radio actually had better SQ!

Since then I got the Clarion HX-D2 and its the best move I ever made. The money spent on the cheaper units was a bit of a waste

Definately go with Dynamat and block off service holes in the doors etc. But your head unit is where it all starts and you can only improve so much by other means