I Have An Alpine Head Unit, A Pyramid EQ/spectrum Analyzer And An Optimus 4ch Main 120 Watt Amp. Sony 6 x 9s in back ESSs in front. Lirtening To The Radio Is Almost Unbearable Due To Interference And Bad Frequency Response. A New Antenna Cable End Will Solve That. Yet The Faceplates display has burnt out. the pyramid is a cute Novelty But It Cant Be Bypassed At The Flick Of A Switch. The Sonys Are Joke, I Want Jbl * there. Also It Needs A Sub. Should I Just Give Up And Have A Pro Re Do The Whole Thing?

honestly, i would strip it all out and start fresh.
honestly, the pyramid, sony and optimus equipment are not of the highest quality.


What are you looking for from your stereo? Just simply better than stock? do you want it BOOMING, do you want it to sound crisp and clear at higher volumes?

and what kind of a budget are you on?

start over.

and I'll second what toasty said about sony, pyramid, Optimus, etc.

Optimus used to be radio shanty brand if you need a clue of their quality level.

The Optimus amps were built by Pioneer iirc, so they are okay quality. However, their wattage ratings say XXX watts @ 10% THD (10% total harmonic distortion). Most amps are rated at less than 1% THD. So basically you are not getting much clean power from these amps (lots of distortion). That amp is probably putting out less power than most modern head units (4x ~20w rms @ 1% THD).

Sounds like its time for a whole new system. With your faceplate burnt out, its not worth spending the money on buying a faceplate unless it is some nice high end Alpine. The Pyramid eq could be causing problems, as the pots (*****/sliders) get worn out and can make the system sound worse. Sony'* aren't that bad, better than stock. They'd likely sound much better on a cleaner amp though. So I'd say look for a new head unit and 4ch amp. Ditch the eq and keep the speakers.

i agree about keeping the Sony speakers, assuming they are in the rear deck, most people dont use their rear speakers for high quality sound anyway.


and as far as i can see ESS only makes speakers for home applications??????

honestly i agreee with starting out fresh, and there is no need to have a pro do it. if u want simple good sound, start out with a new head unit (obviously ur choice, alpine or pioneer are the my fav.) make sure u have some good tweeters positioned in the front preferebly on the pillars or in the dash. 4 inch mids in the front doors and 3 way 6"x9"* with bass reflex systems in the rear. for subwoofers go with hyphonics, mtx or infiniti. remember the lower the guage number in the wires the more power ull get. also remember that anything larger than a 12" subwoofer will have lag (flexes to much to keep up wit the beat) id go with 2 12"*. for quality sound set ur amp to Low power frequency and direct mostof the sound towards the front. depending on ur kind of music u'll have to play around with ur equalizer and treble settings

Sir, you just made it obvious you dont know much about audio.

4inch mids are not ideal, when the stock ones are 5.25 and those or larger 6.5" mids are better. Since there is no way 4" speakers can reproduce the mid/lower frequencies that the front speakers should produce.

Most systems do not even have rear speakers if you are attempting a proper sound stage. Especially if the person has subwoofers.

It'* spelled hifonics btw.

wire size does not determine the amount of power you will get. Yes wires have limits on the amount of current they can carry, but if one wire size is sufficient, going larger is not likely to help.

The myth of larger subwoofers having lag, is still a myth. And will likely always be a myth.

and i'm not sure about other people but low power frequency?

thanks rob, someone had to say it.

sry guys just trin to help, ur right tho, i didnt know about the 6.5 mids. u said something about lag being a myth, i dont mean to argue but most guys i talk to agree, my 15" brutus generally doesnt have time to recover after every hit, its true i dont know that much so any advice would help ...sry....i blame it on being young and stupid lol

@ Drifty
What type of enclosure do you have your 15" brutus in? I have two 15" kicker solo-barics L7s in a ported box and there is no "lag". Naturally a ported box will be a little less responsive but it will produce deeper bass. If you are looking for "crisp" bass you should try using a sealed box.