How to Properly Tune a UTV Stereo Sound System

The fundamentals are the same for all our amplified systems. Tune using a song that has deep bass tones. Think of tuning as setting the safety boundaries for your speakers. Also tune with a clean audio source that you will be most commonly using, example Bluetooth. Lastly, make sure you have a fully charged battery before tuning!

     

1) Turn all SENS (gain/level) to MIN #4

2) Turn on HPF for front and rear channels #1

3) Turn FREQ to 400hz #5

4) Set to 2CH - this will take the front input and combine output to front and rear

5) Turn Sub Woofer Output on head unit to 0. (make sure sub woofer is not playing while tuning the mids and highs) #6

6) Play the song you will be tuning with at 75% volume level (this is the sweet spot) on the head unit and start with the Front Channels. Make sure all EQ settings on the head unit are flat or at 0. This is the head unit default settings. 

7) Bring front SENS up slowly to find level where highs are playing without any distortion or clipping. Keep in mind you will be hearing only the highest frequency's.

***Distortion and clipping can be heard as a "crackle". This is bad! Always run your system at 80% its potential. You want headroom to work with. If you hear crackle or popping your up too high.

8) Bring your FREQ down. This is a very important part and take your time here. The idea is to get those mids playing the right frequencies. You want them to hit the mids, not the lows, get those "punch" frequencies to come alive and save the lows for your subs. Use the FREQ adjustment to keep control of the mid driver and protect it from low frequencies that its unable to produce. You may want to play a few songs with deep bass to ensure that your mids are crossed over correctly.

9) Repeat for the rear channels.

10) Use the SENS if needed to ensure that, in the driver seat, you can equally here the front and rear speakers

***Before you call it quits, play your system for a bit and try multiple songs. Sometimes its even good to take a break or come back the next day with a fresh ear.  

Start with these settings:

1) SENS at MIN #2

2) LPF at 50Hz #1

3) BOOST at 0dB #3

4) SUBSONIC at 55Hz #5

5) PHASE at 0 #4

6) Turn Sub Woofer on head unit to level 15

7) Turn PMX Radio master volume to 75%

8) Play a song with some heavy bass

***The best way to tune your sub woofers will be by ear. Its important to understand what each adjustment does. Let your ears find where your settings need to be and use these descriptions to guide you. Keep in mind as you adjust one feature, another may change, so don't be afraid to jump around.

#1 Low LPF - (low pass filter) this will be how deep vs how punchy you want your subs to play. Start at 50Hz and go up from there. The higher you go, the punchier the bass.

#2 SENS - (gain/level) keep this somewhat low while adjusting all other settings. This should be the last dial used, once you have your other settings perfected. When finished make sure this is set in conjunction with the Sub Level on the head unit, and the volume of the head unit.

#3 BOOST - (bass booster) this exactly what it says, a boost. You should end up around 12 dB. This adjustment will bring your bass to life. Turn it up until the bass is kicking but don't go past the point where output is no longer noticeable.

#4 PHASE - (push vs pull) at 0 your subs are pushing at the same time your mids and highs are pushing which puts your system in sync. At 180 your subs are now out of phase of your mids and highs. Keep this setting at 0.

#5 SUBSONIC - (safety filter) this setting will stop frequencies below the selected frequency. This is your "speaker saver". The human ear can hear down to 20Hz but not all subs are designed to play that low, especially in a UTV. We usually set this second to last, right before finishing up with the SENS. Begin at 55Hz and start your decent downward. Carefully listen as there is a "sweet spot" here to look for. The idea is to block the lowest frequencies that the subs are unable to play. This will protect them and help keep the bass pure. You should end up near 37Hz, but let your ears decide. You may need to try a few songs with deep bass to pin point this setting.

Congratulations, you should now have a loud clean sound system. Play with your new stereo awhile before considering it complete. Your tweeters should be playing the high frequencies, mids playing the mid range frequencies, and sub woofers playing the low frequencies. Make sure you're not hearing any distortion or popping. Your stereo needs head room, so never max it out.