Florida_Audio

ok thanks. so... i did some extensive testing as far as my standards go a few things i did. were trying different combinations of swapping the speaker wires on the amp. from polarity to swapping the channels. and swapping the RCAs. Swapping RCA and speaker wires in different combinations. and overall doing ANY of them it seems to produce no difference whatsoever. except when i change the polarity. and i dont like the sound it produces then. These are my findings, and i think i am done! 1) the left mid bass speaker plays a bit less bass than the right mid bass speaker. (this i assume is due to how the mid bass speakers were installed. maybe slightly different deadening around them?) 2) the right tweeter, which used to be on the left, plays lower volume than the current left tweeter. the tweeter ive though all along had issues, seems it does. the main noticeable thing is that it plays volume lower and the highs are not as crisp. while i do actually like the less crisp high notes, it also plays a crackling noise at certain parts of songs and sounds slightly distorted. (so i am going to send in the right tweeter as i believe it is causing the issue) 3) the left and right door speakers, tweeter and mid bass are angled at a slightly different angle.... from driver side to passenger side, which im sure causes a slight variation in how sound is heard.... i just noticed this slight angle difference. BUT..... all i changed were the speaker wires at the amp, and the RCA at the amp. but now all of a sudden the headunit is shutting off for 1 second and then turning back on.... randomly.... it was doing it around once every 60 seconds or so. and then at one point it went full stupid and shut off and on again 2 times in a row within 10 seconds. but then went back to being on again.... what could be causing this new issue.... i only swapped cables around at the amp, speaker wire and rca only........ but i did notice that one of the speaker wires, the copper part sticking out of the rubber does seem to be quite small. like the lead tip of a pencil almost... i dont know if this is causing the headunit to restart? id assume it would just affect the sound from the speakers not make the headunit turn off and on again...? also when the headunit would restart, it did not change in frequency based on the volume of music. because the headunit actually did that double restart within 10 seconds when the volume was at a lower level.

to me. it does sound better now that i made the speakers be in phase again. but theres still something off about the whole sound from left to right. its so weird that they sound different. to do this. i would disconnect both tweeters, put electrical tape over their ends. close up door panels. and play music from the midbass speakers? is it safe to play music like this with tweeters disconnected like this? i would assume the crossover would not start sending the high frequencies to the midbass if it notices the tweeters are disconnected. just making sure. thanks again!

sitting in driveway...

its about to storm outside. typical florida weather. so i have to stop for now. ill lower the gains once the storm passes. but it sounds like loud thunder now. but i was busy checking both sides. and realized i accidentally put one speaker channels polarity inverted yesterday lol. so... i fixed that and started to listen to both sides again. it seems as though the right side door midbass has stronger bass than the left side. and it overall just sounds much deep and better. more of a warm sound. but the left side while it is louder, it also sounds more high pitched and a sharper sound. a bit too sharp for my liking. but theres a distinct different in left to right sides. i sit in the middle when listening to both sides and balance middle, left, and right. and i keep my head straight as if i am driving. and sometimes turn my head around to try and listen from different ears. its very frustrating and confusing still....... i also re ran the 1000hz and 2500 hz test tones to check for differences. and it still sounds like the right tweeter is slightly distorting at higher volumes. but its not a very noticeable distortion. it sounds like background noise, like the buzzing from my speakers when no volume is played. this sound is in the background when playing both the 1000hz and 2500 hz at higher volume. but i dont think it actually is the normal buzzing when nothing is played. because when i pause the 1000hz or 2500 hz test tone, that background buzz goes away, and the much lower volume regular buzz is there. but that other buzz is so much lower that it couldnt possibly be heard while playing the test tone at that volume. im thinking i should maybe check the actual midbass speakers? how would i do this? i tried the test tones at 200 to 500 hz and they sound too similar, very hard to tell them apart. should i maybe disconnect the tweeters and then only play music from the mid bass speakers? would this be safe to do? and is this a good way to check for differences? im honestly very confused when listening with my own ears, i wish there was some electrical equipment to test the crossover and tweeters with? i definitely do hear a difference in each side. but when i try to isolate the variables, its so hard to pinpoint what the difference is with my own ears. but i know for sure theres something wrong..... i would really like to say that one side is getting more power from the amp which is causing the difference in bass, and loudness in volume. but when i swap the RCAs the difference is still there.

it does sound better when swapped. but its somewhat hard to tell with 100% certainty that its really actually that much better. although yes it does seem to have improved, theres still a slight doubt in my mind when listening. i think i will just go ahead and send back the one tweeter in question and have them ship me a new one, since they are willing to do it. and i hope it fixes it. thanks. ill post back of course if theres still some issue lol. thanks ok ill attempt this before i disconnect the other tweeter to ship it back. thanks.

not sure how to just hookup tweeter to the headunit. and yea that would check to see if it sounds different instead of using the amp... except, i think the same type of diagnostic test can be run by just swapping the RCA cables at the amplifer for left and right. and/or swapping the speaker wires at the amplifer channels. and both of these tests seemed to produce almost no difference. of course i may be wrong but id assume doing those 3 are all very similar and are ways to check if the amp is causing the issue?

nope. pretty sure it would sound completely shitty and extremely bad if this were the case. then all of lower notes would be sent to tweeter. but both tweeters play the 1000 hz and 2500 hz test tones fairly similar, except some minor differences

its a cheap pioneer amp... not nvx i spent $120 on it. yea it was cheap. but if its just the noise floor from the amp then its fine. but its weird that one side sounds different than the other. so its making me think its the tweeter Pioneer GM-D8604 Class FD 4-Channel Bridgeable Amplifier, this is the amp. 2 channels are used for front speakers. and other 2 channels are used for my subwoofer

ok so.... before i moved the tweeter there were a few issues i clearly noticed.... 1) the left tweeter would sometimes sound a bit crackly during some parts of songs. 2) the left tweeter played volume a bit lower than the right side. (well at least i think it was the tweeter) 3) the left side seemed to have more volume coming from the midbass woofer by my feet, and not much from the tweeter now that i swapped the tweeters i have not really 100% heard the random crackle noise, but i think i have somewhat heard it, it definitely seems to sound worse on the right side now, so yes this followed the tweeter. but..... it also seems as though the left side still does play a bit more so from the bottom midbass woofer in comparison with the right side. so the midbass does seem to be doing more work on the left side still.... its very hard to tell. but like i said with the buzzing sounds that come from the speaker when playing no music or any sound. this buzz comes through even when playing music or sound, but its just covered up quite well. so its hard to tell if that buzzing noise is what im hearing in the background more so with the right tweeter, because on the right side, that buzzing is stronger.... or maybe i am hearing distortion when playing the 1000 hz sine tone? i cannot tell.... this is very frustrating and confusing. and im not sure whats causing the buzzing? or why the buzzing sounds so different from the left to the right side. maybe the buzzing difference is because 1 tweeter is slightly damaged as ive thought all along? or maybe its something else? by the way, thanks again m5 for all the help ! i really do appreciate it. im quite lost, and any direction you have given me and can give me is greatly appreciated!

ok so when raising the volume with nothing being played, like ive said before both sides make a buzzing sound. some people said they think its the bad ground. some say they think its the gains on the amp. i have not figured out what it is yet, but here are two videos, one of each tweeter. the buzzing is only from tweeters it seems. the right tweeter, which used to be on the left, and the tweeter i suspect of being damaged or malfunctioning. this tweeter sounds like a more solid buzz and a slight bit louder than the left. this one sounds like the ringing of a small piece of metal when its hit with another piece of metal. like a triangle instrument. the left tweeter, which used to be on the right side, and i think is fine. this tweeter sounds much more of a light buzz. and sounds almost like sand moving. both sides do sound similar in their buzz, but do have a noticeable difference in the type of sound. heres two videos of them. i wasnt able to post videos of them before. also some of the noise that sounds different than the buzz, is me turning the wheel to raise and lower the volume as to raise and lower the buzz to show how it changes in volume

why did someone give u a red heart for that? thanks for suggesting it. i tried it and the 2500hz sine wave sounds very similar on both sides. but the right side does sound a slight bit lower with that 2500hz so i then played a 1000hz sine wave and listened to both sides together, and then balanced left and then right. so the tweeter on that used to be on the left side was the one having issues. but yesterday i swapped it to the right side. and when playing the 1000 hz sine wave, there is a slight distortion along with the 1000hz sine wave sound. its clearly different from the opposite side. and it sounds like its all coming from that tweeter. i think its safe to say the tweeter is the issue? and i think ive found the frequency that causes the distortion. but.... in all frequencies played through the tweeter, the volume is lower. its just at that specific frequency i can hear the distortion as well. does that sound about right? anything else to check? ill try and play all the other frequencies to check for anything else.

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thank you! ill check this out tomorrow. and yea i know its very hard for me to explain, im sorry. im trying to figure it out myself, but am a bit lost. i will for sure try that test tone. i think that why i feel the left speaker is now harsher is because its louder and playing properly? and the right side while i didnt notice the crackling noise since i swapped it, it without a doubt sounds MUCH lower in volume than the left side now. so the volume loudness swapped sides when i swapped the tweeters. i took several pictures of inside the door and let me know if you think i should post them? not sure if they would be helpful. but i dont think the install pictures would help much for this. Oh yea, almost forgot! the crossover is installed into the door panel... but i cannot tell how? i think its glued into the panel? i cannot see any connections or velcro or anything and its attached pretty firmly. i dont think its possible to screw it into the door because the screw would break the crossover itself lol.

also can someone please tell me how to use a multimeter to check the tweeter? and is would any multimeter work? such as the $8 one i listed before? thanks. just read this: i may check to see under the carpet or sides of car for two separate sides of cables? maybe this is somewhat causing the issue with the high pitched noise when raising the volume. "You do not want to run power wires and signal cables on the same side of the vehicle because it could induce noise into your system from electromagnetic interference (EMI)." http://knowledge.sonicelectronix.com/car-audio-and-video/accessories-and-installation/wiring-rcas-opposite-side-of-power-ground/

ok.... so i opened up the door panels. i swapped the left tweeter with the right tweeter. and now the right side definitely sounds much lower volume than the left side. before it was the opposite. but..... the left side now sounds a bit harsh? i honestly dont know what to do now.... its hard to tell if the tweeter that used to be on the left side is now causing the low volume on the right side. i think it is. but.... the difference in volume is quite significant. but when i balance the speakers to the right side to help balance the volume, then the right side is a bit too loud.... i also have always had a weird like buzzing sound of faint static when i raise the volume from the speakers. its easier to hear when nothing is being played, but i just raise the volume and the static hum gets louder. so i tried to raise the volume up to around 16 and balance left or right. and theres a difference in volume of the hum on each side for sure. could this difference in volume from the music and the static hum be caused by the tweeter? or what else? but like i said, it sort of seems as though the issue with the tweeter did follow it when i swapped them. i briefly listened to music when swapping the RCA cables on amp. but it got dark out and i spent several hours doing the tweeter swap already so ill try and continue listening and swapping RCA cables and speaker cables on the amp again soon. not sure what else to do? could a bad ground be causing the difference in volume in each side? im almost positive that the installation guy did a shitty job with grounding the amplifier. thats what i think the hum is from. and maybe its affecting one side more than the other? i dont know... im so lost and frustrated. but im happy that i was able to swap the tweeters and do it okay. i was afraid to do it myself. one thing i noticed is that the tweeters are magnetic on the bracket that holds them in. is this normal?

ok... so i just picked up electrical tape i opened the door panel and seem how the shop that installed my audio stuff did it from what i can tell, the tweeter should be easy to disconnect. but the crossover seems to be tied up with plastic ties in SEVERAL places. and its like jammed behind the mid bass speaker. so it looks like the crossover is also fed behind the panel that the door speaker is installed into. i dont have the tools to disconnect the panel that the speaker is installed into... so i cant do that. and it looks like an extreme amount of tedious work just to take off the crossover. ill post some pictures soon and please let me know what you guys think about how to disconnect the crossover... i dont think i can do it. not sure exactly what tool ill need also. but im right now about to try and swap the tweeters from left to right and right to left. to see if the tweeter is the issue or not. i hope its just the tweeter. otherwise im in for a big job....

ok sorry for all these questions but.... just wondering about a multimeter? http://www.homedepot.com/p/Powerbuilt-Digital-Multi-Meter-648349/204505225?cm_mmc=Shopping|THD|G|0|G-BASE-PLA-D25T-HandTools|&gclid=CjwKEAjw8da8BRDssvyH8uPEgnoSJABJmwYoMYU5xJc_UuEcSG3sd705RXFfOeBScU_L-2Vvr6CIaBoCU8rw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds this cost around 8 bucks. would this work well for what i want? is it possible to use this to test the tweeter to see if its working properly? not sure how to even use it or what to do with it? i heard something about testing to see if the tweeter is 1 ohm stable with this? just trying to learn about my options

ok thanks alot! appreciate the info. you said to label the wires. how so? like a tiny piece of tape and write a letter on the tape?

ok thanks yea. im so scared. and hesitant. want to make sure im as prepared as i can be before going in. like knowing about needing to use electrical tape for the ends of wires. or knowing to tape photos before i do anything. yes ive taken the door panels off before, they are pretty easy. and then the tweeter is above the door panel in the A pillar i believe its called. theres a little plastic cover that pops off and is directly above the door panel, this holds the tweeter. this photo is for a kia i think, but it looks similar to how the tweeter holder looks on my 2013 hyunda elantra coupe

ummmm i just realized something... so i think disconnecting the tweeter should be easy enough. but.... when i disconnect the crossover i need to disconnect one wire from the tweeter and another from the mid bass speaker right? im not sure how the midbass speaker wire is connected? does this mean i need to take the midbass speaker out of the door panel to be able to disconnect it.... ? i didnt do the install and im trying to learn now. but the install looks like it will be extremely difficult for me to remove the mid bass door speaker and put it back properly.... i dont have any electrical screwdrivers. just a basic screwdriver. im afraid to take the midbass speaker out of the door panel because i may mess something up. such as the bracket or whatever else is there? any way to disconnect the crossover without removing the midbass speaker? i may chance it and just send in the tweeter and not the crossover for replacement? or it may be worth the effort to take both door panels off and swap the tweeters. to diagnose if its the tweeter or the crossover causing the issue... heres a photo, not sure if it would help you guys. but it seems as though i will have to remove the midbass speaker to be able to disconnect it from the crossover. so i can return the crossover? this is becoming a bigger project than i had originally thought

ok thanks. ill pick some up at home depot tomorrow. should be around 2 bucks and cheap enough. ill hold onto the extra, but sadly i think ill only ever need a small amount for now haha

ok thanks. should it be placed on in a way that the tape can be removed easily, so i dont have to cut the end of the wire where the tape was placed? it looks like a local home depot has electrical cape for around 2 bucks. should be worth it to prevent any issues

ok about to disconnect the crossover and the tweeter to remove them. but for the tape, any special tape? or any tape should do. i think i only have the clear tape on hand. and any special way to tape it up? or just put a small piece of tape over the end of the wire? but if i do this, wont i have to cut the wire to get the tape off? because the tape will stick to that end? also i assume the safest thing to do is tape off the end. because if i leave that end exposed, it could cause an electrical issue?

thanks guys. this is why i ask for your opinions! :] ok ill take a look for an easy way to disconnect them. and thanks for the suggestion on taking a before picture. i definitely will do that now. good idea! appreciate all of the help. i feel bleh for not considering swapping the tweeters to check if its the tweeter. and not considering taking a before photo for easy re installation. genius pro tips that help me out! also since i am returning the tweeter and the crossover to exchange them, since its a bit too difficult for me to check which is the one causing the issue. i guess i should probably need to return the circular tweeter and the crossover box? so its really just 2 tiny items? im wondering if there is anything else i should disconnect? just these 2 should do it i hope