Rear Pillar Speakers

[peebee]

I posted a little about this in another forum thread and was referred to hit you guys up here in Audio & Electronics. I'm far from an expert in this field so I'm hoping those who are are kind enough to throw out some ideas.

I have a 2007 4R Sport that I just purchased a few weeks ago. It has the JBL Synthesis system which I believe is the 10 speaker setup.

I noticed the two rear pillar speakers weren't putting out music but if you put your ear up next to the speaker you can definitely hear hissing. I played with the deck's fade/balance with no change so I pulled the rear cover off where the sub and amp are hidden to check the wiring over. Using a multimeter I traced back the speaker wire on the harness that plugs into the amp and verified continuity there but I'm a little stuck on what should be checked next.

Is there a schematic of the wiring layout for this setup that I can download? Since the speakers are working and the wiring appears to be fine between the speaker and the amp, would this lead to believe either the connection between amp and deck is jacked? Or even the amp and/or deck?

Thanks for any help,
Mike

 

[OHP]

Does the head unit have the surround on/off option? If so turn it on and then check the rear pillar speakers.

 

[peebee]

Does the head unit have the surround on/off option? If so turn it on and then check the rear pillar speakers.

I'm not sure what you mean by the surround option but if it's ASL then yes it's on. If this is not what you're talking about then I'm not sure. I checked all the options under bass/treble/balance/fade, etc. and all I can see is the ASL option. Can you please fill me in?

Thanks.

 

[peebee]

I've been trying to find details on the JBL surround mode you mentioned and I can't find anything that says to turn it on and off. But I have found a few people mention a remote. Did the JBL systems come with remotes to control the audio? If so, is the surround mode on the remote and no where else? I bought this vehicle used and have not seen a remote (other than the keyless entry remote).

Thanks,
Mike

 

[JimKW]

If you push the Tune button you will see Bas, Tre, Fade, Bal and Surround. When it's on Surround turn the knob and it will toggle between ON and OFF. I just went out and checked mine and that's how it works.

 

[peebee]

If you push the Tune button you will see Bas, Tre, Fade, Bal and Surround. When it's on Surround turn the knob and it will toggle between ON and OFF. I just went out and checked mine and that's how it works.

Thanks JimKW for clarification. I figured it was something this simple but unfortunately my HU doesn't show Surround. It flips between Bas, Tre, Fade, Bal, and ASL which I learned is Automatic Sound Limiting (which I have now disabled).

Any thoughts on why my deck doesn't show Surround? It's the 6-disc 10 speaker JBL Synthesis that we're all familiar with.

Thanks again,
Mike

 

[OHP]

They probably changed the radio functions fromj 04 to 07 and that's why yours doesn't have the surround option. Aside from that, I'm not sure why the pillar speakers wouldn't be working. Might be blown.

 

[peebee]

Maybe.. The speakers don't look blown but I'm not sure if they can be blown and look perfectly fine. I'm going to find an old test speaker that I know works and jump it to see if it fixes the problem.

It'll be a bummer if you're right about not having the Surround option. More options and granularity of control of the sound is always better IMO. From what I've read people prefer the Surround option enabled so it's going to suck if I can't get these rear speakers to work. They probably fill out some of the lacking highs.

 

[JimKW]

I find that the majority of my sound comes from the front. Especially the center speaker. I want more from my front door speakers which is why I'm looking at replacing the head unit.

Not very pleased with the sound of mine at all. The 95 Volvo with factory system sounds better and the 06 BMW blows it away. I don't think the JBL upgrade is much of an upgrade at all and if it is, the non JBL system must really suck.

 

[peebee]

I completely agree and it's the consensus of most 4R owners.

The only reason I'm not going to completely rip the system out is because I don't have the time. I know the rear pillars won't add a great deal but if they can add just enough to fill in the lacking treble then I think it'll be satisfactory. You're absolutely right that it's a pitiful "premium" sound system.

I just ripped a speaker out of an old radio to do some testing with so wish me luck.

 

[97BlackAckCL]

Those 2 speakers are actually wired in mono and are usually the first to blow. I have an extra set of Audiobahn 1" tweeters that I mounted back there when I had my JBL system, let me know if you're interested

 

[peebee]

Thanks for the info. I hooked up a test speaker and got the same result. A faint hissing sound if you put your ear next to the speaker. No music at all. I'm not convinced it's blown but I'm starting to wonder if the amp just isn't outputting to that channel properly.

Thanks for the offer on the Audiobahn's.