Calais57
Donating Member
- Joined
- Jan 29, 2009
- Messages
- 196
- Reaction score
- 4
- Points
- 18
- Location
- Blue Mountains, NSW
- Members Ride
- VE Calais V 6.0
I wasn't too happy with the so called "premium" 11 speaker sound system in my Calais V so have been researching simple (and cheap) improvements.
Its surprising how little a number of specialist car audio places know about these systems (I rang 8 places).
On another forum, a guy mentioned the "gain" control adjustment that is on the Amp that is in the boiot of the Calais V and SS V.
The Amp is for the Sub woofers only. Apparently if you adjust it too high it can cause distortion. I adjusted mine from the standard "half-way" mark up to about the 5/8 position.
To do this I removed the bracket and Amp so I could see it , but you don't need to do this. You can feel the knob on the bottom edge of the Amp. Just turn it clockwise a small amount. The knob sort of clicks into its orginal "half-way" position, so you can easity return it to this spot if you want to.
Ideally get someone to sit in the car and listen to the difference as you do it.
For anyone who doesn't need a huge high cost system its definitely worth doing. The Base sounds better to my non-expert ear.
I may also replace the standard speakers with better quality but not sure.
Here are photos of where I found it and how I adjusted it:
Amp near battery:
Amp label:
Gain control original position:
Gain control new postion:
Have fun,
Calais57
Its surprising how little a number of specialist car audio places know about these systems (I rang 8 places).
On another forum, a guy mentioned the "gain" control adjustment that is on the Amp that is in the boiot of the Calais V and SS V.
The Amp is for the Sub woofers only. Apparently if you adjust it too high it can cause distortion. I adjusted mine from the standard "half-way" mark up to about the 5/8 position.
To do this I removed the bracket and Amp so I could see it , but you don't need to do this. You can feel the knob on the bottom edge of the Amp. Just turn it clockwise a small amount. The knob sort of clicks into its orginal "half-way" position, so you can easity return it to this spot if you want to.
Ideally get someone to sit in the car and listen to the difference as you do it.
For anyone who doesn't need a huge high cost system its definitely worth doing. The Base sounds better to my non-expert ear.
I may also replace the standard speakers with better quality but not sure.
Here are photos of where I found it and how I adjusted it:
Amp near battery:
Amp label:
Gain control original position:
Gain control new postion:
Have fun,
Calais57