stock HU has more bass?!

[fredster34]

this is so weird...

i had a '98 camry and now i own an '06. i played around with the head units of both cars. i found that in both cars, the factory HU's had more bass than any aftermarket stereo I put in there.

i tried Clarion, Sony, Panasonic, and Kenwood CD players. the aftermarket HU's definitely put out cleaner highs, but they never matched the bass of stock. it's as if the stock circuitry has built-in "loudness". maybe the stock wattage perfectly matches the stock speakers?

[touringcamry]

I guess you've already played with the equalizers and bass controls.

My guess is the same as yours in that the stock head unit has bass boost enabled or something to compensate for the low wattage while aftermarket units have a more balanced setting so it sounds better.

If you want more bass, your best bet would be to add a subwoofer in the trunk. Or you can try aftermarket speakers and an amp.

[fredster34]

Originally Posted by touringcamry

I guess you've already played with the equalizers and bass controls.

My guess is the same as yours in that the stock head unit has bass boost enabled or something to compensate for the low wattage while aftermarket units have a more balanced setting so it sounds better.

If you want more bass, your best bet would be to add a subwoofer in the trunk. Or you can try aftermarket speakers and an amp.

ya man, with each aftermarket HU, i've played with the bass and EQ settings. Kenwood's & Clarion's "loudness" button gave the best bass, but nowhere near stock. Sony and Panasonic had the least impressive bass response. that surprised me becuz Sony has the "Xplod" setting and Panasonic had the most power (25W x 4).

[JLTD]

The OEMs figured out that equalization if cheaper that speakers. What is done very often now is they put $1 speakers in the car and build in an EQ curve to make them sound decent. Your aftermarket deck has a flat signal and if you still ahve the OEM speakers connected to it, you can now hear how bad the OEM speakers really are.
This is why JL Audio had to develop the CleanSweep.

[CamrySExxx]

Originally Posted by fredster34

Panasonic had the least impressive bass response.

yup i noticed that switching from a pioneer to a panasonic. The panasonic decks are pretty nice looking compared to alot of other decks.

[ModifierMR]

Put some Aftermarket 6x9's in the front, and disable the rear speakers.....you will get a HUGE amount of bass.

I have 6x9's in my doors and without subwoofers the bass is incredible, altho it still cant match the depth and accuracy of a subwoofer.

[fredster34]

Originally Posted by BrianOwens

Put some Aftermarket 6x9's in the front, and disable the rear speakers.....you will get a HUGE amount of bass.

I have 6x9's in my doors and without subwoofers the bass is incredible, altho it still cant match the depth and accuracy of a subwoofer.

yo B,

r u using the stock HU or an aftermarket deck? i was thinking of putting aftermarket 6X9's in the front doors too. how'd u mount them becuz new speakers are deeper than the cheapo stock ones. plus, the speaker holes in the doors are a wierd shape. i saw these adapters for a Toyota Tacoma but it looks like it shuld work in a Camry becuz of the shape. check it...

http://shop.tacotunes.com/displayPro...3&categoryId=1

[ModifierMR]

Basically you take those old speakers stock speakers....and rip the speaker from its plastic housing and then seat your aftermarket 6x9's in the plastic housing. attatch speaker to base using long screws or bolts.

Im using a aftermarket head unit BTW

[fredster34]

Originally Posted by BrianOwens

Basically you take those old speakers stock speakers....and rip the speaker from its plastic housing and then seat your aftermarket 6x9's in the plastic housing. attatch speaker to base using long screws or bolts.

Im using a aftermarket head unit BTW

thnx 4 the idea, im gonna try it ASAP! but u mean, rip out the cheap-a$$ stock paper cone out of the plastic housing, right? this shuld work great...

[Pb]

When you put the aftermarket HU in did you keep all the wiring in phase? Wiring just one speaker wire backwards will kill your bass. The speaker will suck in instead of pushing out. This will cancel out your bass.

[fredster34]

Originally Posted by Pb2theMax

When you put the aftermarket HU in did you keep all the wiring in phase? Wiring just one speaker wire backwards will kill your bass. The speaker will suck in instead of pushing out. This will cancel out your bass.

all the wiring is in phase. i spoke to a local installer. he confirmed that some stock radios have a built-in 'loudness' EQ curve. my current SONY is low-end and it sounds like it. i'm lookin to get an Alpine with an iPod connector. it shuld sound awesome. i'll let y'all know. peace...