Carver subs + bluetooth volume

[ERX]

Hi,

I have an 03 E85 with the carver sound system and I've been wondering about other peoples' experience with the rear subs. I've read a lot of threads on this and some people seem to think the rear subs are really powerful, whereas others say they are very quiet. I've also read people say that their's used to be powerful but suddenly the voulume from the subs dropped. Mine do sound really quiet too and when I remove the rear sub covers, they barely move. From what I've read, these are supposed to be long-throw woofers with up to 30mm of travel so I feel like there must be an issue with the amp somewhere.

I was wondering if anyone has had the same issue and has managed to resolve it, and also if anyone else with the carver system can chime in with their experience of the sound system.

A second question I have is if anyone has a bluetooth module connected up where the CDC usually goes, I don't have the usual grom unit people use but I have one named Xcarlink. The bluetooth volume on this is really low and it seems to play some strange digital interference sounds through, was wondering if anyone has experienced anything similar

 

[DMike]

In my 05 with Carver subs I can easily feel the low frequency waves kicking through the back of seat - with the right sound source and song. E.g. Bruce Springsteen’s ”Missing” somewhere in the middle song where the bass patterns start. Never bothered comparing them side by side, but not surprisingly old school CDs and MP3 CDs sound a lot better than my iPhone playing through an old Nokia BT hands free set.

 

[DMike]

...In ”Missing” the deep bass pattern begins at 1.36 and with a working amp and Carvers, engine off it’s easy to feel them.

 

[Chris_D]

I have the same stock system and while it isn’t the same quality as my home hifi I find it adequate for listening to DnB (Usually Bassdrive.com) via my BT Grom connection.
I actually crank down the bass via the EQ as I find the sub bass too overpowering sometimes!
This from a basshead!

A LOT depends on your source. If using BT the output frequency response is limited by your phone’s DAC or the files are very compressed (mp3) then you will incur audible sonic losses.

Try using the same music file recorded from an original music CD at 16/44.1KHz resolution FLAC format from your phone and compare the playback to see if there are losses anywhere.

 

[ERX]

...In ”Missing” the deep bass pattern begins at 1.36 and with a working amp and Carvers, engine off it’s easy to feel them.

I'll give this a go later and I'll let you know if I experience the same

I have the same stock system and while it isn’t the same quality as my home hifi I find it adequate for listening to DnB (Usually Bassdrive.com) via my BT Grom connection.
I actually crank down the bass via the EQ as I find the sub bass too overpowering sometimes!
This from a basshead!

A LOT depends on your source. If using BT the output frequency response is limited by your phone’s DAC or the files are very compressed (mp3) then you will incur audible sonic losses.

Try using the same music file recorded from an original music CD at 16/44.1KHz resolution FLAC format from your phone and compare the playback to see if there are losses anywhere.

Definitely sounds like it's working differently to mine if there's that much bass. I don't think it's the bluetooth, I have listened to a couple of CDs in there before but not with familiar music. I've found some old CDs which I'm familiar with and I'll give them a go in the car later and report back

 

[ERX]

After having a listen to a couple of CDs, the issue seems to still be the same of the bass coming from only the front speakers. The speakers overall do sound good but I wouldn't mind a bit of extra low down punch from the rear woofers.

If you guys fade your speakers to the rear do you hear the woofers playing the bass?

 

[DMike]

After having a listen to a couple of CDs, the issue seems to still be the same of the bass coming from only the front speakers. The speakers overall do sound good but I wouldn't mind a bit of extra low down punch from the rear woofers.

If you guys fade your speakers to the rear do you hear the woofers playing the bass?

From memory (and correct me if I’m wrong) the carvers are, paradoxally, fed from the front channels. Therefore fading the fronts will also fade the subwoofers.

 

[ERX]

From memory (and correct me if I’m wrong) the carvers are, paradoxally, fed from the front channels. Therefore fading the fronts will also fade the subwoofers.

Oh okay, this is something I wasn't sure of which is why I wanted to double check. If you give it a go at some point let me know what you find. Right now I'm just trying to figure out if my system is all working as normal or if there is an issue. From when I saw the rear subs playing, I'd assume something is wrong as they were barely moving. It's not that my car has no bass, it's just that I feel like the bass is from the fronts and not the rears, which is definitely what I witnessed with my eyes. And then there's the reports from some people saying there's not much bass from the subs and others saying they produce bone shaking bass