Left and right soundstage

[Airmaster]

I dont know whether it's my setup or my head unit or just my auxiliary cable, but I don't get the left/right sound difference as compared to when i listen to my mp3 with my headphones.

I have my front speakers hooked up to the head unit and then the RCA's hook to the amp, my rear speakers get power directly from the amp, skipping the head unit completely, I highly doubt this is the cause...

All speakers play the same, the left right sound in some songs such as my nine inch nails song star*uckers sound great with headphones but in the truck it doesn't have that same left and right sound-boucing feeling.

My friend said it could be in the head unit and how it reads the two cords on the auxiliary cable, or it could simply be the head unit not being able to get it right. I have a Sony CDX-GT330. The amp is an Alpine pdx-5, the auxiliary cable is a cheap cable made in china.

It seemed like before I hooked up my system, the stock speakers combined with my sony cdx-330, i had the left/right sound, but maybe i'm thinking wrong and cant remember...

I'm going to troubleshoot a bit, but all tips are welcome!

 

[exbass94]

Try adjusting the balance on the head unit left to right. If it works correctly, you know the speakers are hooked up correctly, and the problem probably lies in the connection between the mp3 player and the head unit.

 

[baxtej44]

Try adjusting the balance on the head unit left to right. If it works correctly, you know the speakers are hooked up correctly, and the problem probably lies in the connection between the mp3 player and the head unit.

i would have to agree with this.

completely isolate each speaker to make sure you're getting the correct response (make sure it's the same output level, maybe one is blown) from each individual corner.

so yeah.


also, my old mp3 player's head unit jack (this was like 4 years ago) was so worn out that i had to twiddle with the headphone jack (like twisting it in the port) until it would play out of both headphones... it's very possible it's your headphone port. test out a different mp3 player to isolate that.



if you get all the same response out of all 4 corners, and switching to a new (reliable might i add) mp3 player does not change it, it is something with your wiring or amp.

 

[4x4fun]

first why didnt you hook up the front two to the amp. its a 5 channel?

second how many RCA's do you have running to the amp.

my first two thoughts are;
your HU is trying to but the amp my be in mono puming out an even sound and killing what your fronts are trying to do.

also do you have any filters on they have been know to kill sound fad.

also you have now split your sound into different parts. you have your front LR rear LR and sub LR

you head phones are normally just left and right. easy to get them to fade. but you have highs, mids, and low, all with a left and right. even a 100%solo guitar rip has parts of all the freq range. so your gonna have to get all 6 channels to fad......
and this is just for a R2L fade think about a 4 channel sweep.

 

[Airmaster]

first why didnt you hook up the front two to the amp. its a 5 channel?

second how many RCA's do you have running to the amp.

my first two thoughts are;
your HU is trying to but the amp my be in mono puming out an even sound and killing what your fronts are trying to do.

also do you have any filters on they have been know to kill sound fad.

also you have now split your sound into different parts. you have your front LR rear LR and sub LR

you head phones are normally just left and right. easy to get them to fade. but you have highs, mids, and low, all with a left and right. even a 100%solo guitar rip has parts of all the freq range. so your gonna have to get all 6 channels to fad......
and this is just for a R2L fade think about a 4 channel sweep.

Well, switching balance from left and right on the head unit does nothing, all speakers continue playing the same, also moving the front/rear percentage does nothing, it's like the head unit can't control them, which i think is from the way I've wired it up.

I only have 4 outputs on the HU, the extra two outputs (which look like there's 6) are for auxiliary stuff like a 6 disc changer, etc. So I have split one of the outputs to make up for my subwoofer (which I haven't installed but I do have the wire in position and ready to hook up).

I DO HAVE all four speakers hooked to the amp, it's just that I wired the rear directly from the amp, I originally had no rear speakers so i had no wiring back there, it relieved a lot of headaches by simply wiring off the amp. The front speakers make it to the head unit, but they still have power from the amp.

I'm going to try another auxiliary cable and another mp3 right now, I'll post my findings, give me a second....


Oh and to answer the questions...

I'm running 6 RCA's off 4 outputs, I'm splitting two into four.

I have no filters.

And what is this you're saying about mono mode, and how do i adjust that because it could be doing something like that.

 

[Airmaster]

Okay after my test nothing makes any difference, no matter what I use there is no left and right back and forth like when listening on my headphones.

The lows, mids, and highs sound wonderfully good, I love the sound quality and everything, nobody can tell it's missing that left to right sound but for me, I can hear it, I have a few songs that I'd like to have a better experience with, sure I could deal with it, but I'm a perfectionist...

 

[4x4fun]

I DO HAVE all four speakers hooked to the amp, it's just that I wired the rear directly from the amp, I originally had no rear speakers so i had no wiring back there, it relieved a lot of headaches by simply wiring off the amp. The front speakers make it to the head unit, but they still have power from the amp.

????? so your front speakers go to your amp and your head unit.......if so you should not do that lol

I'm running 6 RCA's off 4 outputs, I'm splitting two into four.

ok are they front and rear out puts rear and sub out puts ect. how are they labeled?

I have no filters

no LPH or HPF turned on at the amp. and if one of your RCA's is labeled sub. on the back of your HU. it can already have an LPF on it from the HU

 

[baxtej44]

????? so your front speakers go to your amp and your head unit.......if so you should not do that lol




ok are they front and rear out puts rear and sub out puts ect. how are they labeled?




no LPH or HPF turned on at the amp. and if one of your RCA's is labeled sub. on the back of your HU. it can already have an LPF on it from the HU

his HU is probably similar to my old one, it had just two sets of RCA jacks, and i am not sure if my old one was labeled, but i assume when there is two sets they are Front and Rear, and when there are 3 sets they are Front/Rear/Sub, with sub always being on bottom (but obviously that COULD change)

but yeah, you should only have your front speakers hooked to the amp only or HU only, not both... that's just weird and maybe even a hazard, i'm not really sure.


good luck with all this, but try and give us a written wiring diagram of how your audio is wired

like:

HU RCA set 1 -> amp
amp -> etc

do that for all the sets, and tell us which ones are split, etc... giving us all of that might help solving your problems!

 

[exbass94]

Guys, when he says he has the front speakers hooked up to the head unit/amp, he means he has speaker wire running from the amp up to the head unit, where it ties into the factory wiring to the speakers. I don't think the front speakers are getting any power from the head unit at all.
(At least I think that's what he means)

 

[exbass94]

I only have 4 outputs on the HU, the extra two outputs (which look like there's 6) are for auxiliary stuff like a 6 disc changer, etc. So I have split one of the outputs to make up for my subwoofer (which I haven't installed but I do have the wire in position and ready to hook up).

Those 4 outputs should be labeled "front" or "rear" or "sub." What are they?

 

[Airmaster]

Guys, when he says he has the front speakers hooked up to the head unit/amp, he means he has speaker wire running from the amp up to the head unit, where it ties into the factory wiring to the speakers. I don't think the front speakers are getting any power from the head unit at all.
(At least I think that's what he means)

EXACTLY RIGHT, thank you for understanding, and I'm sorry about my wording, that's exactly what i mean....

and my outputs say "Front", "Rear/Sub", and "Auxiliary"

I am not sure if they have filters, though I will check my manuals when I get a chance, they may mention something.

BTW, I can still control EQ, it's just that if I increase dB on the "sub" it effects one of my speakers, and if I increase dB for mids, highs, lows, one speaker is not accounted for because of my splitting. All settings have to be changed at the amp.

 

[4x4fun]

BTW, I can still control EQ, it's just that if I increase dB on the "sub" it effects one of my speakers, and if I increase dB for mids, highs, lows, one speaker is not accounted for because of my splitting. All settings have to be changed at the amp.

you need to not split one side into to. then your shafting three speakers.

you need to take your front and and have it become 4 two L and two R so you should still have an L and R wiht your speakers

 

[Airmaster]

Re: radio

you need to not split one side into to. then your shafting three speakers.

you need to take your front and and have it become 4 two L and two R so you should still have an L and R wiht your speakers

So what exactly do i have to do? split off the "front" instead of splitting "rear/sub", that way the sub gets its own by itself and the speakers stay together?

sorry to be confused, you can dumb it down for me i wont be offended

 

[4x4fun]

So what exactly do i have to do? split off the "front" instead of splitting "rear/sub", that way the sub gets its own by itself and the speakers stay together?

sorry to be confused, you can dumb it down for me i wont be offended

take your fronts and split the L into two and split the r into two. then take a true L and R and make a channel. vers your L becoming front and your R becoming rear....

make sense

 

[Airmaster]

Got it, Ima fix it up when time lets me, let's hope this works, I'll be very happy if so.

I shoulda thought about this is the beginning, oh well, more work, disassembly and reassembly... haha