Kenwood DDX/DNX Equalizer help
 

For those that own the Kenwood dbl din units, what is q factor, do you use loudness mode on or off, what freq do you set the bass and treble to,etc. So many variances for audio tuning on the kenwood units, what have you guys found that works. Thanks

Let me bump this thread with a little bit of a different direction.

For those of you with equalizers built into your aftermarket HU (most of you)? Can you post the different setting you have for the custom equalizer? I have a pioneer HU and it has 5 or so preset setting for different types of sound. There are also 2 custom setting, one I use for CD, MP3 and Streaming, the other I use for the stereo. Can you all most images of your equal settings? I am looking to tune mine in a little better. I know it comes down to musical preferences but I would like to get an idea of what people use.

way too many variables here.... different head units, speakers, locations, interior finishes (cloth or leather) just too many to mention, really. Adjust your eq to suit your tastes in your individual setup. period. what sounds great in one will not sound the same in another.
Also, Always remember it is better to cut with your eq than to add. adding increases power to that certain frequency in large amounts, and can/will add distortion as well.

Ps: you really dug this one up from the dead !! Lol

Whats funny is I had to upgrade my alpine deck to a Kenwood on Saturday for my 3-1/2 speaker install.

I had a Kenwood DDX 512 in my 350Z. In response to OP's question, and for everyone's general knowledge, if I am not mistaken, the Q factor determines how "wide" of an effect each EQ step up or down on a given frequency will have on the frequencies immediately higher and lower than the particular EQ frequency. A numerically smaller Q factor will limit the effect of an EQ change to a smaller frequency range, while a numerically larger Q factor will apply a given EQ change to a wider frequency range.

Let's say you boost a particular frequency by 5 and that the Q factor is larger, like 1.5. Imagine that the EQ curve will look like a triangle, with the peak of the triangle as the frequency you boosted by 5. The base of the triangle will be wide because your Q factor is larger. The width of the base of the triangle represents the frequency range; the wider the base of the triangle, the wider range of affected frequencies.

Now let's say you boost that same frequency by +5 again, but this time the Q factor is smaller, like .5. The peak of this triangle will be the same, but the base will be much narrower because your Q factor is smaller.

In both cases, the surrounding frequencies (both higher and lower) are changed, but the frequencies that are changed in the second example are closer to the original frequency that was boosted.

I realize this is really abstract, and I hope this all makes sense and that I am correct. If anyone wants to chime in, I welcome that.

I've heard people say that if you have a good audio setup, you shouldn't need to run an EQ as the speakers and setup should sound good enough to do everything necessary "on their own"?

What are your takes on this? In my personal experience, be it car stereo or home audio.. I usually find a good setup equalizer can make a positive difference, at least to my ears.

When I was a kid, my father ran the home stereo through not 1 but 2 graphic equalizers and would yell at me if I got close to the knobs with my fingers! :)

It's the tweak to personal tastes. On a 5 band EQ I have my settings V style. I like a lot of treble and bass but not much mid range. Too much mid range sounds boxy to me

That was a very good description of what the "Q" does. The O.P, however was 5 years ago, and maybe long gone by now! lol
Good explanation for anyone else reading, anyway!

Thank you, RonRizz. I'm glad I got it right. I hope people benefit from the info.

Not true at all. Remember, eq's are best used to cut frequencies, not boost. Any listening environment will have its own inherent Imprint on sound, and your eq is made to tailor that sound for that reason.
One example is... Most hatchback cars seem to accentuate at or around 80hz tones. Simple Bass and treble controls work mainly on 100hz, and 1000hz, respectively, with a pretty wide "Q". In other words, if you turn down the bass, you are in effect turning it down at 63, 80, 100, and 125hz at the same time, albeit in different levels. Your eq will let you decrease precisely at 80hz, without affecting 63, 100, ect, ect.
A great sound system can sound fantastic without an eq, but the addition of one makes things muy beuno.

Ron I wish you were closer to me. I would love to hear your system and get some good advice from you as what to do on mine. Thanks for sharing the knowledge!

Makes sense to me. :)

I try to be helpful. A good piece of advice I like to give others is.... check out a local car stereo SQ competition. Ask your local shop if they have one, or know of any nearby.
Stop by and check some of the cars out, and talk to some of the owners. There are so many that I have met over the last 30 years that WANT to talk about these things, offer tips, and tricks, and would let anyone sit in the car for a demo.

Nice explanation. To put all that more succinctly, Q is the inverse of bandwidth. High Q = narrow bandwidth.

I know in my sound system I use a EQ and that's with aiming my speakers (customer fiberglass) as well as time alignment. Focals by nature are harsh and need some tweaking through an EQ to quiet them down.

OP, as stated you have to many variables to just have someone else show you their EQ settings and copy them. It comes down to taste and what you like it to sound like. Play around with them in a quiet parking lot with music you know by heart. Try not to tune using the radio as it tends to be muffled with the compression.