Rear speaker pod audio guys I need help.

[‘21OBX]

Hey all I installed the infinity reference 4032 speakers and the rear sound pretty good until you screw then in the pod. For that matter just holding them in the lid they get muffled bad. I had the boom Matt cup in there so I pulled that out minor difference. To me it seems there is not enough air movement for the speakers. So I’m thinking of drilling a 1 1/4” hole in the. Orrin flat that faces down towards the floor. Would this give me the air flow (what I think the speakers need)? As soon as you get them even 1/4” out of the pod they are clear and not distorted. Hold them tight and they get bad. Not sure if there is enough room to put spacers behind the speakers. It sure doesn’t look like it.

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[EquusBronsis]

You want air from the speaker going forward. Each driver is design to have a certain baffle size. Sounds as if the driver you purchased needs a larger baffle. Try stuffing the pod with some fiberglass insulation or poly fill. Do not over stuff. You may need to experiment with the right amount. Throw the boom mat out, no need, if fact you made the speaker baffle smaller.

BTW, you’re not alone here. Most posters here have no idea of speaker theory and just hoping for the best.

 

[‘21OBX]

You want air from the speaker going forward. Each driver is design to have a certain baffle size. Sounds as if the driver you purchased needs a larger baffle. Try stuffing the pod with some fiberglass insulation or poly fill. Do not over stuff. You may need to experiment with the right amount. Throw the boom mat out, no need, if fact you made the speaker baffle smaller.

BTW, you’re not alone here. Most posters here have no idea of speaker theory and just hoping for the best.

it’s just very odd out in the open they sound great! As soon as you set them flush with the pod horrible. I’ve got some insulation I’ll give it a try. Seems opposite but I am not a audio guy. My GM vehicles I never had to mess with. The last two fords are unbearable in stock form.
I bought the boom att cups because a few guys said they seemed to help. They hurt the quality that’s for sure. So they already gone. I’ve wasted $20 on worse.

 

[Lurker B6G]

It is counter intuitive. But using polyfill does help to mimic a larger enclosure.

Having said that, these are very small enclosures, and I would anticipate limited gains. Compair none, 20% poly, and 40% poly. Ultimately I don't think that there will be a noticeable difference with a 4 inch driver.

But I've been wrong before.

 

[‘21OBX]

It is counter intuitive. But using polyfill does help to mimic a larger enclosure.

Having said that, these are very small enclosures, and I would anticipate limited gains. Compair none, 20% poly, and 40% poly. Ultimately I don't think that there will be a noticeable difference with a 4 inch driver.

But I've been wrong before.

something has to help either a larger enclosure or just not using the rear channel if stuffing doesn’t work out.

 

[Herbie]

Several people have bought these exact speakers (me included but I don't have my truck to install them in yet) and I hadn't heard that. Guess I will see. I know @BudgetBronco was happy with the results. There is quite a long thread on here about exactly this install.

 

[‘21OBX]

Several people have bought these exact speakers (me included but I don't have my truck to install them in yet) and I hadn't heard that. Guess I will see. I know @BudgetBronco was happy with the results. There is quite a long thread on here about exactly this install.

They sound very good up front. They sound good out of the rear enclosure as well it’s not the speaker itself it has something to do with the enclosure for sure. I did have a friend do the jbl sound bar flash to open up the rear channel he is a ford tech I was present for the process. Maybe the flash and full range doesn’t play nice.

 

[Herbie]

They sound very good up front. They sound good out of the rear enclosure as well it’s not the speaker itself it has something to do with the enclosure for sure. I did have a friend do the jbl sound bar flash to open up the rear channel he is a ford tech I was present for the process. Maybe the flash and full range doesn’t play nice.

That may be what it is, but that is certainly above my pay grade. I know nothing about audio other than what I have learned on here, but again I have heard no other reports like yours with those speakers even in the back so maybe that is the difference.

 

[mbagne]

It is true that if cabinets, or baffles (enclosures) are too small, the speakers can sound muffled of even boxy. A couple of "breathing holes" can actually help. However, note that ported enclosures (speakers that have holes already in them) are carefully engineered so that the ports (holes) properly coincide with the exact volume of the baffles. It is a volumetric calculation that needs to be spot-on or the speakers will perform poorly.

If it were me, I would try adding small holes for breathing to see if it helps in this application, because if you already can't get decent sound as it is no matter what you do, you have nothing to lose, right? Also, someone in this thread said that you want air from the speaker moving forward, which is really not true. Air, or more properly "sound waves" move forward which will occur regardless when the driver is facing forward. Note that MANY speakers are made with a ported back (meaning the hole is in the rear of the speaker, not the front). It is true that ports can also be located in the front, but it is not necessary.

I agree with another poster in this thread that poly fill is counter intuitive . . . even though you are "filling" the baffle which would have the effect of making is "smaller", it actually helps. Under testing circumstances, however, it has been shown to be about a 10% improvement, not a night-and-day fix. And consistent with yet another poster, do not overfill with poly.

If I were you I would try some poly fill and add the breathing holes (again, beucase you probably can't make it worse based on your description), and if you do not find the improvement you want, quit trying to Mickey-Mouse it and get a new set of speakers that can deliver the results you are looking for.

 

[‘21OBX]

It is true that if cabinets, or baffles (enclosures) are too small, the speakers can sound muffled of even boxy. A couple of "breathing holes" can actually help. However, note that ported enclosures (speakers that have holes already in them) are carefully engineered so that the ports (holes) properly coincide with the exact volume of the baffles. It is a volumetric calculation that needs to be spot-on or the speakers will perform poorly.

If it were me, I would try adding small holes for breathing to see if it helps in this application, because if you already can't get decent sound as it is no matter what you do, you have nothing to lose, right? Also, someone in this thread said that you want air from the speaker moving forward, which is really not true. Air, or more properly "sound waves" move forward which will occur regardless when the driver is facing forward. Note that MANY speakers are made with a ported back (meaning the hole is in the rear of the speaker, not the front). It is true that ports can also be located in the front, but it is not necessary.

I agree with another poster in this thread that poly fill is counter intuitive . . . even though you are "filling" the baffle which would have the effect of making is "smaller", it actually helps. Under testing circumstances, however, it has been shown to be about a 10% improvement, not a night-and-day fix. And consistent with yet another poster, do not overfill with poly.

If I were you I would try some poly fill and add the breathing holes (again, beucase you probably can't make it worse based on your description), and if you do not find the improvement you want, quit trying to Mickey-Mouse it and get a new set of speakers that can deliver the results you are looking for.

appreciate the response. These speaker up front do exactly what I wanted much clearer vocals and high range. These are installed with a powered sub so I’m not looking for bass or even much midrange out of the 4”. I just want a clean sound.

 

[1Five1 Garage]

We installed sound deadening to the inside of the enclosures and made it sound a lot better. More solid rather then in a plastic container.

 

[BudgetBronco]

Several people have bought these exact speakers (me included but I don't have my truck to install them in yet) and I hadn't heard that. Guess I will see. I know @BudgetBronco was happy with the results. There is quite a long thread on here about exactly this install.

Sorry I am also not an audio expert either so I don't think I can add much here. I never tried listening to the rear speakers while hooked up but outside the cabinet, so that is interesting insight you add here. I would be interested to hear from you if adding holes and or polyfill or dynamat provides any benefit. I have heard/seen from others that dynamat helps, I think @1Five1 Garage has a video on it.

 

[1Five1 Garage]

Sorry I am also not an audio expert either so I don't think I can add much here. I never tried listening to the rear speakers while hooked up but outside the cabinet, so that is interesting insight you add here. I would be interested to hear from you if adding holes and or polyfill or dynamat provides any benefit. I have heard/seen from others that dynamat helps, I think @1Five1 Garage has a video on it.

Sure do.

 

[fitterhappier]

We installed sound deadening to the inside of the enclosures and made it sound a lot better. More solid rather then in a plastic container.

I second this. I added polyfill to all the speaker enclosures and it made a large difference. Tightened up the soundstage and made things sound less hollow. Would highly recommend - cheap upgrade and easy enough to do.

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