OEM head unit observations

[ChuckDubDub]

So in my 2000 TDI NB, I've recently replaced the crappy non-monsoon stock speakers with Polk units in the front and Infinity speakers in the back. Also have an an Alpine amp powering a 12" polk subwoofer in the back as well as the two rear speakers. I use the fade control judiciously!

However, with just treble and bass control at the head unit, I have to say the sound seems harsh on the high end. I've cut the treble waaaay back to "-6" and still seems harsh. I'm thinking that it would benefit from an EQ somewhere in the mix. I hate to ditch the OEM head unit as it fits the dash so well!

Thoughts?

-Chuck

[ChuckDubDub]

I located this product, which looks interesting as a way of "improving" OEM sound:

http://www.caraudiomag.com/testrepor...zer/index.html

[kaiser]

did the replacement speaker you bought have tweeters in the middle? if they do then thats why the trebble seems too loud.

[ChuckDubDub]

Yes indeed. What can I change that would help? Are there cross overs I can remove somewhere near the head unit?

[kaiser]

Originally Posted by ChuckDubDub

Yes indeed. What can I change that would help? Are there cross overs I can remove somewhere near the head unit?

there's nothing you can do IIRC. those tweets run of the same signal as the woofers.

you can take them out and put in normal speakers, maybe someone with actuall audio experience can chime in, i'm not really that well versed with audio, more of a motor guy.

[NBTurboFreak]

You can try to make your own high pass filter by installing a capacitor on the '+' line to the tweeter. On my old set up I had a 47mFD/100WV cap on mine (about 8.5kHz and up).

If you want to try this route I would suggest getting a few different sizes to try so you can find the one that suits your taste.

Here is a like that should help with understanding how passive crossovers work:
http://www.bcae1.com/passxovr.htm

[ChuckDubDub]

So I guess I'm not entirely clear yet why this problem is happening in the first place -- is it because the system was designed for the OEM component speakers, with the tweeters in the A-pillar? Are there crossovers built into the head unit? Is it because the OEM unit is boosted on the high end b/c the oem speakers are crappy?

I am inclined toward using the digital signal processor unit, though, rather than pulling door panels off again.

Thanks!

Chuck