Car Stereos: kenwood stereo, bass output, speaker wiring

Question
i bought a really expensive deck and i cant figure out how to turn the bass up to my speakers i can get to fade and everything its just i cant get no bass comin out just vocals

Answer
Hi Joe,

I've noticed that some of the newer Kenwood head units have become pretty tricky to operate; you really need to have the owner's manual close by, even for basic operations.  However, I'd need to know the model number of your Kenwood before I could help you with the bass and/or crossover controls.

One thing you can check is the speaker wiring polarity.  If your speakers are wired out of phase, it can have a huge effect on the overall bass output.  Try this: adjust the fader all the way to the rear, then adjust the balance all the way to the right and left.  Do you hear more bass when only one speaker is playing, and less bass when both the speakers are playing?  If so, then switch the (+) and (-) connections on ONE of the two speakers.  Then adjust the fader to the front and repeat the test with the front speakers.

If you'd like to send a follow-up with the model of your head unit, I'll take a look at the owner's manual and see if I can help you get to the tone control settings.

Hope this helps!

Brian