Originally Posted by SuBXeRo

i have a DEH-80PRS that ive used for about 3 years now, getting a hang of network mode, crossover settings, slope, TA, gain and lastly the EQ is a daunting process. I also have 2 arc amps and an IB sub in my rear deck, all speakers are run off board, nothing powered by the deck.

The most important part above all is to ensure that your crossovers are right and appropriate for the drivers followed by your slopes.

If you are just running a front stage with sub, this is relatively simple.

Be in 3-way network mode
Low is yours subs, cross probably at 60 or 80hz with a slope is 6db or 12db of , just depends, you can sacrifice amplitude for low extension if you want your front stage to go deeper. It states they go down to 35hz but that may not be as true as stated.

Mid is your front stage mid-woofers, cross at 60 or 80 hz, essentially where the subs leave off your mids pick up with a HPF slope of probably 12db or 18db and a LPF of about 3000 hz to start with a slope of 12 b to 18db,

you can dip the HPF to the 2500 hz region and see how it handles but it would help immensely to know what just the tweeter was rated for

High is the tweeter, cross the HPF around 2500-3000hz with an 18db slope, your mid should transition to the tweeter at the same frequency as the LPF of the mid.

Now that you did all of this, this is just to start. Next would be to play music that you know very well and begin to balance the individual driver levels by ear. This is where you can get brightness of the tweeter if its gaining way faster than the woofer, it'll send shrills down your spine so just reduce the level of gain. In my setup right now, my tweeters are like 9 notches below the woofers it just depends on placement and driver sensitivities.

Once you've dialed in the levels, this is a decent time, if you want to, you can start playing with driver slopes to hear what the different transitions hear like when you change slope. You can and often will get very different performance out of the drivers. Its a trial and error process and really, you need to cater to your taste and work within the limitations of the drivers.

Working with your EQ is a beotch. The best advice i can give you on this is talk to someone who knows the acoustics of the car and knows the different points in the frequency spectrum the car hampers so you can adjust for it. The other way is to actually buy a mic and some RTA software and record via the testing tones the RTA makes so you can visually see the dips or peaks in the frequency spectrum for the different areas of the car. Best place to start is where your head is, put the mic at ear level, maybe tape it to the headrest and get out of the car. Maybe put some pillows on the seat where you;d sit to simulate a human body.

I also initiated the Pioneer sound restorer function on mine and that function made an enormous difference in the sound of my media in a positive way, i never turned it off.

Getting car audio right now a days is not simple, truthfully, it never really was. I am just over joyed that audio companies have brought us this far to have processors in our cars to make things sound right. Its an intense process but when its calibrated it will often destroy whatever the factory system is, upgraded or not.

On top of that

I hope this helps!