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2016 bass too heavy

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Audio and Electronics' started by JayGen4, Apr 21, 2020.

  1. JayGen4

    JayGen4 Member

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    Or maybe heavy is the wrong word but it just feels like some songs have the effect of making my head feel like it is underwater. It's very song dependant so the adjustments don't help for any longer than 1 song.

    Anyway, mostly just curious if anyone else feels this way. Additionally, if you feel that it is more of a speaker thing or more of just how the car sounds. And by how the car sounds, I'm referring more so to the acoustics of the car.

    I've done some light modifications that should help sound. Insulation of the doors and trunk area, for example.

    Just curious what your thoughts are. If you feel this way too and or if you've found a solution in upgrading the stereo, etc.
     
  2. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    My 2012 came with some bass so strong that some media caused ear convulsions, something that seems specific to me. (This is one reason I can't do subwoofers.) All the settings were at their default neutrals, so I had to turn the bass way down.

    You have a newer design, but someone may have rolled over the same issue.
     
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  3. JasonB121

    JasonB121 Junior Member

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    I have a 2017 and I’ve not felt anything like that.


    iPhone ?
     
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  4. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    I have an inherited inner-ear issue that mostly manifests as heightened susceptibility to motion sickness, but sometimes produces other problems too. Such as these inner-ear convulsions, which are sometimes triggered even by excessive booming subwoofers in cars stopped near me at stop lights.

    Some people may also get this condition from ear injuries. But the great majority of people don't have it.

    The bass on my 2012 Prius audio system triggered this issue while still at its default settings. My base 2010 did not.
     
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  5. JayGen4

    JayGen4 Member

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    Interesting. Ok! Some cars do and don't so that says a little something about this.

    My 2001 Acura might have had a better sounding system. I never felt any extreme unevenness in the bass response but I do with the Prius. And the Acura had a subwoofer.

    Kinda wish I could do a bit more specific EQ but it's all good. Slowly doing more foam and insulation treatment which might help some but I'm doubtful a new system would.

    I can see that diverting some bass to a subwoofer in a different area of the car might fix the problem but it might not and I'm not likely to add a sub to this car.

    Maybe a small passive one... If that's possible. I'm an audio engineer somewhat actually but I don't know car audio too well but it's kinda the same.
     
  6. Elt31987

    Elt31987 Active Member

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    I replaced my speakers to get more Bass. Lol preference i guess
     
  7. JayGen4

    JayGen4 Member

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    It's more so that the bass is bad. It's not good quality, again like my head is under water.
     
  8. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    That was my first reaction. Commonly when someone complains about the OEM sound system it's because of a lack of bass.
    BUT...
    I don't know here?
    The OP has done "light modification" -insulation of the doors and trunk.
    So I guess my question would be, was the Bass the same or unacceptable BEFORE The modifications?

    Also seems strange that the problem is "Song Dependent", that is evidently adjustments can be made that help with a single song, but the next song may manifest the problem?
    Again USUALLY if you make satisfactory adjustments, they're satisfactory for the majority of everything you play. Unless your playlist is REALLY extreme.


    And finally, The effect of making my head feel underwater?
    Not sure you might not just need a good antihistamine.

    Good Luck, I'll follow this thread out of curiosity.
     
  9. JayGen4

    JayGen4 Member

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    It is about the same but maybe better than before my light insulation.

    Simply put, bass heavy genres are sometimes very overwhelming with certain bass frequencies. Any classic rock and most modern isn't an issue.

    That's why it is song dependant. I think it is the car acoustics.
     
  10. Rmay635703

    Rmay635703 Senior Member

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  11. Me_

    Me_ Junior Member

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    I buy a 3t to have a better sound.

    Bass notes are not as good as the OEM unit with Alpine type S speaker of my Toyota Echo sedan.

    Barely have a driver seat massage from the bass notes at low volume setup (100bd or less) compare to my former car

    Bass notes quality also depend of the origin of the music. Some radio station has better bass than other. Music played directly from an auxiliary hard unit has better sound than from bluetooth. Low bass music will give you low bass sound even with a sub-woofer unless you play with setup every time.

    3t has a little difficulty to play Db drag music than the Echo. Echo could make your ear bleeding even at very low volume,
     
  12. JayGen4

    JayGen4 Member

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    I'm playing direct from the USB.
     
  13. JayGen4

    JayGen4 Member

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    I'm playing direct from the USB.
     
  14. thomassster

    thomassster Member

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    the speakers are terrible. Those who replaced them know they are paper thin, probably worth less than $10 to produce. Bass is the only thing they are good at. But when you want good vocals or good treble, you need to turn it up which the bass overpowers. Which is why many have replaced. My infinity reference speakers are now a good balance of bass and treble, and vocals sound excellent.
     
  15. JayGen4

    JayGen4 Member

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    It sounds so bad I thought it must be the car more than the speakers. But you seem to feel that the speakers do make a favorable difference that is worth it?

    Do I need to do more than just replace the speakers? I don't wanna mess with any hard wiring of amps. I heard somewhere you gotta if you really wanna bypass some of the lame stuff the sound or power source limits.
     
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  16. Rmay635703

    Rmay635703 Senior Member

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    in the old days you needed 2-3 different size speakers .

    https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wikihow.com/Install-Tweeters%3famp=1

    If your sound was loud enough And you didn’t want to spend any money you would just leave well enough alone and add what you were missing (tweeters) in place 2 of the existing speakers .
    If you’re not an audiophile and just want less muffled sound...

    on a very old suburban we wired in a couple cheap tweeters in the rear and left the rest in place, instead of the muffled sound we were hearing
    things sounded brighter and sharper, we would just adjust the forward rear dial to get the sound we wanted (tone dial on the radio was all but useless)

    To do it correctly you would want a crossover, none of this is expensive for diy it’s just time consuming to get the speakers mounted
    (and you need to take care the wiring is sound and protected so it doesn’t become intermittent)
     
  17. thomassster

    thomassster Member

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    are you a fan of clearer treble and better vocals? then you want to swap speakers. The stock head unit has horrible sound tuning, cause either you turn up/down treble or bass. That is all you get. A new head unit will help you customize your sound to find tune things better. I would recommend a new head unit for 2019 and before to add in android auto/apple carplay since that is such a powerful integration capability i really enjoyed. For 2020 beyond, it's hard to justify since stock comes with it.
     
  18. JayGen4

    JayGen4 Member

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    Can I do that upgrade without losing the features like seeing rear cam or the car battery/engine thing?

    I think the treble and bass is too crazy in the car. Bass is terribly muddy and volume doesn't help. Treble was at least tamed with EQ.

    I guess I could replace the speakers with something at Walmart and return if it isn't noticeably better?

    I am an audiophile. The bass feels like it's an acoustic issue more than a speaker issue but that's hard to say for sure without switching speakers.

    Stock setup and neutral EQ, I would describe as very harsh and muddy.
     
  19. Rmay635703

    Rmay635703 Senior Member

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    if you are an audiophile you have to decide if it’s worth cludgy (at best)
    integration, potential loss of features and $$$ to fix the issue for better sound.


    My experience is that aftermarket sound systems no matter how cheap or expensive

    1. Are completely unreliable compared to OEM requiring much more attention and a tinkering attitude even with very expensive countermeasures against coorsion and loose connections

    2. Become obsolete more quickly with even less update capability than OEM (if that can be believed)


    I personally would never touch aftermarket audio gear (beyond speakers) ever again (too much wasted time)
    but there are people who will trade annual maintenance to have better sound.


    The only exception to the above appears to be the new systems that bypass the OEM temporarily taking over the screen adding a completely independent audio system that integrates to your phone.

    then your onboard systems stay unaffected and intact switchable at will
     
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  20. JayGen4

    JayGen4 Member

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    Interesting. That last option probably expensive? I get the impression replacing the speakers is the easiest thing to do and probably what you'd wanna do anyway, whatever decision you make. But will changing the speakers alone make enough difference?

    I could easily enough do the front and rear doors. I don't know about the dash. If that is just a tweeter, it's probably fine as is.