# New speakers sound crappy



## filedog (Aug 6, 2011)

I recently bought a 2012 Hyundai Accent hatchback. Love the car, hate the "premium audio system". Sounded harsh, tinny and un-natural. Turned the bass way up, treble way down, and it was better. I'm pretty good with home audio, and home theater, and I know what good sound is, and that ain't it. I read a bunch here, to learn how all the parts go together in a car system, and talked to several local installers. My budget is pretty low, $800 or so. I would think I could get a decent sounding system, that was MUCH better than stock for that much money. I mostly listen to "classc" rock.I figured I'd start by replacing the front (component) speakers. The previous year (old body style) had 6.5s. I heard the doors were shallow, so I got Polk DB6501s Polk Audio db6501 6.5" 2-way Component Car Speakers System (db 6501) thinking since they were pretty efficient, and my system SUPPOSEDLY has 160 watts, they might work ok. I had them installed by a shop that I liked the best. Turns out the new Accent has FIVE inch mids in the front, not 6.5s. LUCKILY the installer was able to make them fit with some adapters he had on hand from another car. I am happy with the job he did, would have been hard for me to make everything fit. Unfortunately, they seem to sound WORSE. Less bass, more harsh tinny sound. I am stuck with the factory deck because it is a weird shape and there are no adapters for this car (yet). I was considering adding a 4 channel amp MB Quart ONX4.60 - 480W RMS ONYX 4-Channel Car Amplifier/Amp and a 10" sub in a sealed box Amazon.com: Infinity Reference 1060w 10-Inch 1100-watt High-Performance Subwoofer (Single Voice Coil): Electronics using two channels for the fronts, and bridging the rears for the sub, but now I am getting discouraged. The installer doesn't seem to know what if anything will get rid of the tinny sound. Could be the factory HU. I have read more power may "wake up" the front separates, and make them sound better. The sub will give me some real bass (I know the sub is not great, but for the money it should be decent),but It could still sound bad, just louder and with more bass, right? I know it's tough to say, but should I continue with the amp and sub? I almost feel like putting the old speakers back. I would really appreciate any advice you guys can offer. Remember, the overall budget is low ( $800) and I don't think I can replace the HU.


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## thomasluke (Jun 10, 2011)

ya get that amp and sub.
Also look at sealing and deadning your doors that is the best thing to do to improve your sound. Just read read read theres a TON of information on here that will help you understand how the soud in your car varies so much from your living room.


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## jcollin76 (Oct 26, 2010)

^^^Agree. Sealing and deadening you doors will help to increase the midbass output from your new components. If after doing this, and you don't notice a good increase in output, check that the adapter being used is giving the mid enough clearance to breath. Hard to say...

Check the passives with the comps to see if they have any tweeter cut available.
How are the new tweets mounted, factors spot, new spot? You could have some reflections going on, or location that is making it sound tinty to you.
Did you installer move the tweet around, adjust, move again...or just put them where it was easiest?

However, your installer could be right. The factory hu may also have some processing going on in it you don't like.


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## antikryst (Feb 26, 2011)

go add an amp. my factory sound system was decent... really good for stock. (ford fiesta 2011). changed the speakers (to infinity reference) and it improved a bit but lost volume. added an amp and it improved by a lot.

should be ok when you add an amp. unless your factory HU messes up with the sounds.


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## mattchan2000 (Nov 7, 2008)

filedog said:


> I recently bought a 2012 Hyundai Accent hatchback. Love the car, hate the "premium audio system". Sounded harsh, tinny and un-natural. Turned the bass way up, treble way down, and it was better. I'm pretty good with home audio, and home theater, and I know what good sound is, and that ain't it. I read a bunch here, to learn how all the parts go together in a car system, and talked to several local installers. My budget is pretty low, $800 or so. I would think I could get a decent sounding system, that was MUCH better than stock for that much money. I mostly listen to "classc" rock.I figured I'd start by replacing the front (component) speakers. The previous year (old body style) had 6.5s. I heard the doors were shallow, so I got Polk DB6501s Polk Audio db6501 6.5" 2-way Component Car Speakers System (db 6501) thinking since they were pretty efficient, and my system SUPPOSEDLY has 160 watts, they might work ok. I had them installed by a shop that I liked the best. Turns out the new Accent has FIVE inch mids in the front, not 6.5s. LUCKILY the installer was able to make them fit with some adapters he had on hand from another car. I am happy with the job he did, would have been hard for me to make everything fit. Unfortunately, they seem to sound WORSE. Less bass, more harsh tinny sound. I am stuck with the factory deck because it is a weird shape and there are no adapters for this car (yet). I was considering adding a 4 channel amp MB Quart ONX4.60 - 480W RMS ONYX 4-Channel Car Amplifier/Amp and a 10" sub in a sealed box Amazon.com: Infinity Reference 1060w 10-Inch 1100-watt High-Performance Subwoofer (Single Voice Coil): Electronics using two channels for the fronts, and bridging the rears for the sub, but now I am getting discouraged. The installer doesn't seem to know what if anything will get rid of the tinny sound. Could be the factory HU. I have read more power may "wake up" the front separates, and make them sound better. The sub will give me some real bass (I know the sub is not great, but for the money it should be decent),but It could still sound bad, just louder and with more bass, right? I know it's tough to say, but should I continue with the amp and sub? I almost feel like putting the old speakers back. I would really appreciate any advice you guys can offer. Remember, the overall budget is low ( $800) and I don't think I can replace the HU.


Try looking for new/used 4ch amp which accept spk line as signal. Example is the Audison LRx 4.1k....so you don't need worry about preout from HU.


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## filedog (Aug 6, 2011)

Wow, thanks for the responses!

Just got back from a short ride, reminded me the car sounds WORSE with the new speakers.

I appreciate the advice about deadening and sealing the doors, but the speakers sound tinny, with a hollow quality, voices sound kind of nasal. I'm not sure deadening will address that.

I have been reading extensively, I know the "basics" now, my problem is what will make the car sound better....without listening to it, I wonder if anyone can tell what's wrong.

The new speakers are mounted in the factory locations, ie behind plastic grills integrated into the doors/sails. There is no adjustment to the crossovers.

The installer didn't seem interested in helping me figure out the problem......

I'm leery of adding the amp now, in case it just makes the crappy sound LOUDER....there's just no way to tell how it will sound, I guess, and I could be out several hundred more......sigh...

IF I was going to do an amp, I have read mixed reviews on speaker level inputs, some people say they are fine, others not so much. Seems like sometimes they work ok, sometimes not.

IF it's not an install problem, seems like the only thing that would cure the HU is a cleansweep or similar. 

Thanks for all the advice guys, I am just discouraged now. I remember previous installs, that were SO MUCH simpler, and every upgrade IMPROVED the sound, some more, some less. This is BS in my opinion.


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## tibug (Jan 22, 2011)

My guess is:

#1: Doors are not sealed and deadened well enough.
#2: Not enough power.

As crappy as the stock speakers are, they are better suited to an unsealed door than the new Polks. They are also better for the low power situations (160 watts MAX rating if you're lucky. Car manufacturer's audio system watt ratings are just plain worthless).

Unfortunately, I don't think you'll achieve better sound without sealing the doors well and adding an amplifier to help you out. I know you might be tempted to just add an amp, but while that might help the clarity of the speakers, your front midbass will still be abysmal. 

Good luck.


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## filedog (Aug 6, 2011)

tibug said:


> My guess is:
> 
> #1: Doors are not sealed and deadened well enough.
> #2: Not enough power.
> ...


Yeah, I know the stock power ratings are way off. They may have a small amp? Well, ok, I can look into sealing the doors, but would that really help the tone very much? I have the treble turned nearly all the way down, and the still sound bright......


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## Angrywhopper (Jan 20, 2010)

The worst thing someone can do with a new car is just throw some speakers in there and call it a day. You NEED an amplifier. Sound deadening makes a worlds of difference.


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## filedog (Aug 6, 2011)

Angrywhopper said:


> The worst thing someone can do with a new car is just throw some speakers in there and call it a day. You NEED an amplifier. Sound deadening makes a worlds of difference.


Ok, I'm getting the message. You guys really think that deadening/sealing is going to fix the tinny, hollow sound I have now? I'm willing to believe it would help the midbass....but it might get rid of the harshness? Remember, I have treble turned all the way down. I guess these Polks are not so good, I DID do research first, thought they would be ok, limited budget and all. The doors in the previous models were not very deep, so I wanted a shallow pair of comps.


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## antikryst (Feb 26, 2011)

yeah lack of power. then lack of deadening. i would say go for power first. but thats just me.


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## XtremeRevolution (Dec 3, 2010)

filedog said:


> Ok, I'm getting the message. You guys really think that deadening/sealing is going to fix the tinny, hollow sound I have now? I'm willing to believe it would help the midbass....but it might get rid of the harshness? Remember, I have treble turned all the way down. I guess these Polks are not so good, I DID do research first, thought they would be ok, limited budget and all. The doors in the previous models were not very deep, so I wanted a shallow pair of comps.


You've got a different issue if the polks sound harsh. I have the DB690s in my car and the DB5250s up front, which should use the same tweeters as yours, and they don't sound the least bit harsh or tinny. You've got a different problem there. 

Sounds to me like you need to get an amplifier for those speakers. They require quite a bit more power than any factory head unit can produce so a 4 channel will be required. That alone will make a night and day difference.


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## filedog (Aug 6, 2011)

antikryst said:


> yeah lack of power. then lack of deadening. i would say go for power first. but thats just me.


So having the speakers behind the factory grills (in the tweeters case, behind the integrated grills, and then the factory grills) would be adding to the problem?


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## mattchan2000 (Nov 7, 2008)

filedog said:


> Ok, I'm getting the message. You guys really think that deadening/sealing is going to fix the tinny, hollow sound I have now? I'm willing to believe it would help the midbass....but it might get rid of the harshness? Remember, I have treble turned all the way down. I guess these Polks are not so good, I DID do research first, thought they would be ok, limited budget and all. The doors in the previous models were not very deep, so I wanted a shallow pair of comps.


A good pair of spk will only reveal how good or bad your system are.Got it?


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## mattchan2000 (Nov 7, 2008)

filedog said:


> So having the speakers behind the factory grills (in the tweeters case, behind the integrated grills, and then the factory grills) would be adding to the problem?


This will only give rattling issue or imaging problem which U dont have now. Go for an amp first and let your spk sing and than decide on soundproof.


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## gjmallory (Apr 13, 2010)

Yes power is key and sound deadening is important, but what you really need is a effective way to tune. First, the factory deck has preset eq contours and loudness built in to it...you gotta clean that up. Cleansweep is a good option. If that doesn't get you 100% where you wanna go, then start sound deadening and adding amps. Who know what kind of crappy signals your headunit is sending out! Btw: you eventually be adding an amp, so start saving your pennies. Lol!

Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk


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## jcollin76 (Oct 26, 2010)

What about a ms8?
It'll give you amplification, ability to tune and tweak for the acoustics of the vehicle, and eq out any possible nastyness in the hu single... In one package.
Granted it may be more than yet want to spend, but it's a one trick solution. If you wanted more power, upgrade to another amp down the road. And just use the ms8 for processing.
Couple that with some deadening treatments, and you'd be well on your way.
Just a thought...


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## Danometal (Nov 16, 2009)

+ 1 on adding an amp. I installed the 5.25" Polk DBs in my wife's car, and they sound great, but I have a Kicker 2 channel on them running passive. I haven't gotten around to deadening and sealing her doors yet, so I have them crossed at 100 hz right now. Her Kicker CVR 15 plays up to that no problem in 3.5 cubes sealed and stuffed. 

Don't be discouraged. They're good comps, just power hungry. And, if there's not enough power on them, they will sound crappy for sure.


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## filedog (Aug 6, 2011)

jcollin76 said:


> What about a ms8?
> It'll give you amplification, ability to tune and tweak for the acoustics of the vehicle, and eq out any possible nastyness in the hu single... In one package.
> Granted it may be more than yet want to spend, but it's a one trick solution. If you wanted more power, upgrade to another amp down the road. And just use the ms8 for processing.
> Couple that with some deadening treatments, and you'd be well on your way.
> Just a thought...


Yeah, that would work. Too expensive though.


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## filedog (Aug 6, 2011)

Danometal said:


> + 1 on adding an amp. I installed the 5.25" Polk DBs in my wife's car, and they sound great, but I have a Kicker 2 channel on them running passive. I haven't gotten around to deadening and sealing her doors yet, so I have them crossed at 100 hz right now. Her Kicker CVR 15 plays up to that no problem in 3.5 cubes sealed and stuffed.
> 
> Don't be discouraged. They're good comps, just power hungry. And, if there's not enough power on them, they will sound crappy for sure.


Thanks for that info. It's observations like yours, from people with the same gear, that are really useful. I know they should sound decent at least. My friend and I both sat in the car and listened for a while today, good to get an outside opinion. He noticed the same thing I did - highs are really accentuated (even with treble turned down) and mids are weak. This is the same problem I was having from the stock speakers, so I am hesitant to spend a few hundred more to get an amp installed. He suggested putting some tape over the tweets, which if it wasn't so sad, might actually help.


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## filedog (Aug 6, 2011)

gjmallory said:


> Yes power is key and sound deadening is important, but what you really need is a effective way to tune. First, the factory deck has preset eq contours and loudness built in to it...you gotta clean that up. Cleansweep is a good option. If that doesn't get you 100% where you wanna go, then start sound deadening and adding amps. Who know what kind of crappy signals your headunit is sending out! Btw: you eventually be adding an amp, so start saving your pennies. Lol!
> 
> Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk


Yeah, it seems like the highs are really accentuated, even with the treble turned way down, and the mids are weak. This was the problem with the stock speakers, so the HU is probably responsible. I think you are right about the cleansweep, I hate to spend money on one piece of gear to fix another.....sigh.


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## Scooby (Feb 23, 2008)

Seems I'm in the same boat as you. I have a 09 Subaru Legacy with the "upgraded" Harmon Kardon system. The factory HU decreases bass and increases treble the more you turn up the volume. After looking at all the options and many hours of reading I have decided to just replace the HU and start with a clean source. The MS-8 is out of my budget and I don't want to have a separate control, other than the HU for volume.


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## filedog (Aug 6, 2011)

Scooby said:


> Seems I'm in the same boat as you. I have a 09 Subaru Legacy with the "upgraded" Harmon Kardon system. The factory HU decreases bass and increases treble the more you turn up the volume. After looking at all the options and many hours of reading I have decided to just replace the HU and start with a clean source. The MS-8 is out of my budget and I don't want to have a separate control, other than the HU for volume.


I know some factory HUs have that "feature". On mine it can be switched off.
You are lucky if your car will take a standard HU, mine won't. 

On a positive note, I found out my crossovers ARE adjustable, I asked the installer, but he said they weren't  SO, now I have to open the doors again, but at least there's the possibility it will sound better. If it does, I will add the amp and sub.


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## Scooby (Feb 23, 2008)

filedog said:


> I know some factory HUs have that "feature". On mine it can be switched off.
> 
> Mine can't be switched off.
> 
> ...



As others said, I'm sure you'll find it will sound better by dampening the doors.


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## nineball (Jan 17, 2008)

Scooby said:


> The MS-8 is out of my budget and I don't want to have a separate control, other than the HU for volume.


you don't have to use the ms-8 for volume control. i run one and use my hu only for volume purposes.


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## Scooby (Feb 23, 2008)

nineball said:


> you don't have to use the ms-8 for volume control. i run one and use my hu only for volume purposes.



Yes, you are correct about that with the ms-8 at least as far as I understand it. I was referring to a few of the lesser expensive options out there.


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## trojan fan (Nov 4, 2007)

mattchan2000 said:


> A good pair of spk will only reveal how good or bad your system are.Got it?



So what he's trying to say here, is that your system is only as good as the weakest link


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## Aaron'z 2.5RS/WRX (Oct 24, 2007)

filedog said:


> I recently bought a 2012 Hyundai Accent hatchback. Love the car, hate the "premium audio system". Sounded harsh, tinny and un-natural. Turned the bass way up, treble way down, and it was better. I'm pretty good with home audio, and home theater, and I know what good sound is, and that ain't it. I read a bunch here, to learn how all the parts go together in a car system, and talked to several local installers. My budget is pretty low, $800 or so. I would think I could get a decent sounding system, that was MUCH better than stock for that much money. I mostly listen to "classc" rock.I figured I'd start by replacing the front (component) speakers. The previous year (old body style) had 6.5s. I heard the doors were shallow, so I got Polk DB6501s Polk Audio db6501 6.5" 2-way Component Car Speakers System (db 6501) thinking since they were pretty efficient, and my system SUPPOSEDLY has 160 watts, they might work ok. I had them installed by a shop that I liked the best. Turns out the new Accent has FIVE inch mids in the front, not 6.5s. LUCKILY the installer was able to make them fit with some adapters he had on hand from another car. I am happy with the job he did, would have been hard for me to make everything fit. Unfortunately, they seem to sound WORSE. Less bass, more harsh tinny sound. I am stuck with the factory deck because it is a weird shape and there are no adapters for this car (yet). I was considering adding a 4 channel amp MB Quart ONX4.60 - 480W RMS ONYX 4-Channel Car Amplifier/Amp and a 10" sub in a sealed box Amazon.com: Infinity Reference 1060w 10-Inch 1100-watt High-Performance Subwoofer (Single Voice Coil): Electronics using two channels for the fronts, and bridging the rears for the sub, but now I am getting discouraged. The installer doesn't seem to know what if anything will get rid of the tinny sound. Could be the factory HU. I have read more power may "wake up" the front separates, and make them sound better. The sub will give me some real bass (I know the sub is not great, but for the money it should be decent),but It could still sound bad, just louder and with more bass, right? I know it's tough to say, but should I continue with the amp and sub? I almost feel like putting the old speakers back. I would really appreciate any advice you guys can offer. Remember, the overall budget is low ( $800) and I don't think I can replace the HU.


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## Danometal (Nov 16, 2009)

LOL @ the brick


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## Angrywhopper (Jan 20, 2010)

Have you done anything?


---
I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=37.512136,-121.971651
- Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## redavalanche (Feb 18, 2008)

If it has premium sound then might it have an amp such as Bose systems do? Crappy sound could be coming from there.


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## filedog (Aug 6, 2011)

Angrywhopper said:


> Have you done anything?
> 
> 
> ---
> ...


Thanks for asking. I was afraid to opn the doors on a new car, which was why I paid an installer. I don't want to break anything. I am trying to set up a time with my friend, who has one a few installs, to give me "moral support".


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## minbari (Mar 3, 2011)

just my $.02. alot of comp sets dont have that growly bass that stock speakers have. reason being they are meant to be paired with subs. get a decent amp and even a single 8" sub and you will be happier with it.


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## filedog (Aug 6, 2011)

Aaron'z 2.5RS/WRX said:


>


What's that mean?


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## Danometal (Nov 16, 2009)

Brick of text (no paragraph spacing)


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## filedog (Aug 6, 2011)

minbari said:


> just my $.02. alot of comp sets dont have that growly bass that stock speakers have. reason being they are meant to be paired with subs. get a decent amp and even a single 8" sub and you will be happier with it.


They seem to be breaking in a bit. I am hoping to get the crossovers adjusted to make them sound even better. Then I plan to get an MB Quart Onyx 4.60 and a 10" Infinity 1060w in a sealed box.


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## phryed (Aug 5, 2011)

filedog said:


> LUCKILY the installer was able to make them fit with some adapters he had on hand from another car.


Do you have a picture of the installation?


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## filedog (Aug 6, 2011)

phryed said:


> Do you have a picture of the installation?


No, but the adapters looked pretty similar to the ones in the car, just a little bigger.


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## frook28 (Aug 14, 2011)

I once was in the same boat. I had no midbass so my speakers sounded very uneven and tinny. I pulled the doors and realized that the installer didn't have the speaker, spacer and door all sealed tight together.so I got window caulk and put a small ring around the door and spacer and got hvac tape and put over all the hole in the doors. And it made a big difference. They sounded great after. Just a cheap quick fix


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## filedog (Aug 6, 2011)

frook28 said:


> I once was in the same boat. I had no midbass so my speakers sounded very uneven and tinny. I pulled the doors and realized that the installer didn't have the speaker, spacer and door all sealed tight together.so I got window caulk and put a small ring around the door and spacer and got hvac tape and put over all the hole in the doors. And it made a big difference. They sounded great after. Just a cheap quick fix


Good tip! I am planning to get some budget deadener sheets and try that. Hoping they will sound a lot better.


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## Truelovetat (Jul 11, 2016)

I just read all these comments and its funny I was thinking the same thing with what I just did. I have a 2008 Acura CSX and I took out the crappy factory speakers and put in 4 rockford P1650's It sounds night and day from stock but I do find that they have less bass or punch than the stock. But they sound very clean. Like one of the comments above, just add a sub. I was thinking the same thing cause thats all it sounds like I need. I also am powering the speakers from the factory deck.


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