radio bass lacking

[Don Joe]

The problem: The bass response when listening to the radio is really weak
compared to my friend's system.

My system:
Stock '99 Altima HU
2 IDQ12s getting about 200W each
K65 coaxials in the front

His system:
Stock '02 3.2TL HU (I think it's a Bose system)
2 Infinity Reference/Kappa/Perfect 10" subs getting at most 175W each
Stock front and rear speakers

Our bass levels sound similar when listening to CDs and tapes. We even
had a bass-off where our systems were judged to be equally loud. However
he gets incredible sub bass response from listening to FM radio whereas
I get very little. I have to turn the bass way up and the volume way up
and he can get fairly loud bass when the subs are turned down and the
volume is low.

Could this be a HU issue where my HU isn't pulling in the radio stations
as well as his? Would a new HU possibly fix this?

Thanks for any help,
Don

[Kevin McMurtrie]

In article >,
"Don Joe" > wrote:

> The problem: The bass response when listening to the radio is really weak
> compared to my friend's system.
>
> My system:
> Stock '99 Altima HU
> 2 IDQ12s getting about 200W each
> K65 coaxials in the front
>
> His system:
> Stock '02 3.2TL HU (I think it's a Bose system)
> 2 Infinity Reference/Kappa/Perfect 10" subs getting at most 175W each
> Stock front and rear speakers
>
> Our bass levels sound similar when listening to CDs and tapes. We even
> had a bass-off where our systems were judged to be equally loud. However
> he gets incredible sub bass response from listening to FM radio whereas
> I get very little. I have to turn the bass way up and the volume way up
> and he can get fairly loud bass when the subs are turned down and the
> volume is low.
>
> Could this be a HU issue where my HU isn't pulling in the radio stations
> as well as his? Would a new HU possibly fix this?
>
> Thanks for any help,
> Don

The radio may attenuate bass to prevent thumping when there's a strong
adjacent station. Other than performing surgery to replace the audio
coupling and tuner AFC capacitors, there's not much to do about it.

It's also possible that your friend's radio has exaggerated bass from
incorrect emphasis filtering. Those radios sound good until they clip
on a station that boosts their bass.

High-end stereos will let you select independent sound profiles for each
audio source. It's handy for getting your average CD matched to your
average radio station. You have the fancy amp and sub so why not
upgrade the HU? As a bonus, you'll be able to plug in an iPod through a
direct line-in jack.