How to Tune car audio system?

Even the best system can sound better with a few tweaks. Here are some key tips to help ensure you get the best possible sound out of your new investment.

Maximize your tweeter performance

The biggest advantage of component speakers versus 2- or 3-way speakers lies in the ability to mount the tweeter with a more direct path to your ears. Many component systems also include tweeter mounts or wave guides that allow you to direct the tweeter's high frequencies even more precisely. Before you install your tweeters, experiment with different tweeter locations and mounting angles if possible. A little time spent positioning your component tweeters can pay off big with a much more realistic soundstage.

Many aftermarket brands, like Audiofrog, include an array of mounting hardware so that you're well-equipped to install your tweeters right where you need them.

Some full-range speakers come equipped with tweeters that can be swiveled or pivoted. Experiment with the aiming of the tweeters before you complete the installation. As with component tweeters, careful aiming of the high frequencies can really improve the stereo image created by your system.

The crossovers in many component systems feature tweeter level settings that allow you to boost or attenuate the tweeter's output. Before you install the crossovers in a location you can't easily get to, experiment with different settings. Listen to some music with lots of high-frequency content — turn up the volume and adjust the tweeter level so the music sounds natural without being overly bright. Trust your ears, and choose the setting that sounds the best to you.

This external crossover, included in the Rockford Fosgate T-4652-S component system, features selectable tweeter levels as well as selectable on/off-axis listening to adapt to where you've installed your tweeters.

Adjusting for rear fill

Once you have your front speakers set up the way you want them, you'll want to make sure that your rear speakers are doing their part to create an ideal soundstage. While personal taste plays a role here, most experts agree that you should adjust your rear speakers so that you're just barely aware of their presence.

While your front speakers should give you the best midrange and high frequencies possible, your rear speakers can be conventional 2-ways or midrange speakers. They should add ambiance and depth to your forward soundstage — if they reveal too much high-frequency information, they'll "pull" the stereo image to the rear of your vehicle, away from where you want it.

Setting your subwoofer

If you're running a subwoofer in your trunk, you want to avoid the sensation that all the bass is coming from the rear of the car, or that the bass player is dancing his way from your trunk to your front kick panels as the music ascends. If your amp or in-dash stereo includes a built-in crossover, set the high-pass filters to feed your front speakers the lowest frequencies they can safely handle. Start with your low-pass filter set as low as possible, then raise the crossover point until you hear the "sweet spot" where the bass notes are clearly defined and punchy, yet still sound as if they are in front of you. This setup allows some bass to come from your front speakers and restricts your sub to low bass, which is very difficult to localize.