HELP Sony Car Speakers for Home Audio Problems

matt09 · 07-20-2006, 11:51 AM

Hello,
I recently purchased some cheap high quality Sony car speakers off Ebay for home use with a decent amplifier. After connecting everything up and testing, I found the sound is terrible. The speakers are only 4" but there is liteally no audable bass even though the cone is seen to be moving well enough. They sound nothing like the bass and quality from a standard speaker in a car enclosure. I have tested with one speaker in a smallish enclosue and one in a large but they both sound the same.
Is there any particular reason for this such as that car speakers are not meant to be driven in standard speaker cabinets by home amplifiers?

Please Help.

Thanks.

turbocad6 · 07-20-2006, 12:05 PM

are there any caps on the input that would cut ot the lower frequencies? are you sure your giving it a full range signal?

matt09 · 07-20-2006, 12:11 PM

There are no caps, I am powering it straight from a Sony Amp much like this one http://www.son-video.com/Rayons/Hifi...AFE370NR_L.jpg
I have tried the amp on other small high quality drivers and they sound great, one even in the same size enclosure. The signal is therefore full range.

turbocad6 · 07-20-2006, 12:18 PM

??? maybe just crappy speakers?

matt09 · 07-20-2006, 12:20 PM

They arent the best but I think they are quite good. You have to hear it to realise how little bass there is and how bad they sound, there is definitly something not right. These are them here. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...MEWN%3AIT&rd=1

Im literally getting far better sound out of 3" PC speakers at the moment.

turbocad6 · 07-20-2006, 12:28 PM

are you using 2 of them out of phaze with each other maybe, & canceling each others bass out?

fiscap · 07-20-2006, 12:34 PM

Going with turbocad6's suggestion - even if it looks like you have polarity correct, I would still reverse the '+' and '-' on one of the speakers to see if it makes any difference.

turbocad6 · 07-20-2006, 12:35 PM

or just run one & see if the bass increases..

matt09 · 07-20-2006, 12:40 PM

I had tried this earlier, I just tried it again and it's still not working

I know there's nothing wrong with the amp, as I am only using it to test them. It has been powering 8" pioneer speakers fine in phaise for a long time. Interestingly enough chaning the polarity doesnt make it sound any different with two drivers fighting each other so something isnt right. Then maybe it's because the bass is so little I can't hear the difference anyway. One driver on it's own is still easily out performed by 2+half inch driver connected to the amp quickly in a same size cabinet. Would the fact the amp is not meant for 4ohm loads make any difference in terms of sound other than damaging the amp if I were to power the speakers of it permenantly?

turbocad6 · 07-20-2006, 12:47 PM

if the amp is looking for 8 ohm drivers, it will probably work harder at the 4 ohms... depends on the minimum specs of the amp weather it hurts it long term... but it should put out more power into the 4 ohm's than 8...

it sounds like you've done enough testing to confirm that the problem is with the drivers themselves...

matt09 · 07-20-2006, 12:55 PM

I have recieved a reply from the seller, saying that they are totally brand new and were never used. He also said he bought them because they were reccomended because they sounded so good for their size. The only thing I can think of is that are car speakers designed for maximum sound near to the person and in an enclosed car as there is normally a speaker in each door of near the persons head. They do sound fine when quite close to the speaker. When in the room away from the speakers they sound awful although the distance is only a few meters

matt09 · 07-20-2006, 01:11 PM

any more ideas anyone?

Is there something special about car enclosures and the small area the sound has to fill?

Flibblebot · 07-20-2006, 01:20 PM

You've got to remember that the total volume of air in a car is much, much less than the total volume of a room - it also means that you're never more than a couple of feet from the speakers, as you pointed out

(edit)Beat me to it - I think the smaller volume of a car means that the speaker doesn't have to work so hard to produce noise. Also bear in mind that car speakers don't have to be as good as hifi speakers, as they're always going to be used in a noisy environment(/edit)

matt09 · 07-20-2006, 01:42 PM

Would this be why I have noticed that in cars you can get incredable bass from cheap 5" speakers that pop you ears becuse the sound reverbrates around the small area - the whole car basically acts as a cabinet.
I was planing to buy a pair of 6x9's for home use as well, although now im not so sure, would I have the same problem.
Out of a cabinet, I have tested a sony speaker against a 4" car pioneer speaker and a 4" audioline and the Sony does seem to be the best.
All in all I am still totally puzzeled.
I have been testing the speakers in temporary cabinets, what would the best design be for 4" speakers, I was also going to buy another pair of 4". I was thinking of having a mini tower transmition line like cabinets 45 cm high would this be effective? Sorry I have half drifted onto another topic.

Flibblebot · 07-20-2006, 01:51 PM

I think that's your problem - as you say, the whole car is the speaker cabinet.
I've just looked up the prices of some in-wall/in-ceiling and the cheapest is about $375 retail, and now we know the reason why!