Installed new amp.....and sub

[flyboyy]

I installed a used amp in my ride this weekend... tell me what you guys think....

sorry...trunk is a little messy...trying to make it as neat as possible. ^^

[chucksrt]

Nice. Did you cut out the ski pass?

[PavelK313]

Properly mount the amp and get rid off of that wiring disaster!

[NNY528I]

I mounted mine under the parcel shelf my bandpass box slides right under it. disconnect the cable to the box and you have near 100% trunk capacity. The bandpass box does a great job even without opening up the ski pass.

[chucksrt]

I would leave the amp where it is, just trim it out and carpet match it. Asfor the box I would rather have a long narrow sealed enclosure than a cube (just for space reasons. Yea, bandbass boxes are normally boomy and tend to sound a bit louder but I would stay with the sealed/ported box you have and just modify the ski pass.

[nodoubts2k]

I had my amp/sub setup in a similar fashion. My only gripe is getting to the spare tire which requires removal of the box. Mine wedged in there pretty good so it hits great though.

[nike001]

Same though, 2 Kicker Subs rattle my head

[D540i]

what sub is that, JL W7 ?

[flyboyy]

Same though, 2 Kicker Subs rattle my head

question for you.... do you have problem with lights dimming ? and also voltage drop ? whats your voltage reading when you got your subs pounding ? mines drop to 12.4-13.7 range.... did you change your battery ? or any wiring from the alternator to thicker gauge ?

just curious.. thanks.

what sub is that, JL W7 ?

no these are JL 10w6v2

Properly mount the amp and get rid off of that wiring disaster!

how should I hide them? use some carpet and cover it ?

Nice. Did you cut out the ski pass?

ski pass still intact... I did not cut anything... I am thinking about... punching those 2 port holes on the deck in the back...that I read somewhere... that can be removed... to allow some base to get into cabin...

[knux11]

nice sub.
do you have stock stereo/amp? if not you can mount the amp where the stock amp was using the stock hardware. nice and stealth. My alpine pdx amp is there. I used to have a JL amp over there so I know big amps like yours should fit. what kinda amp is that BTW?

[flyboyy]

nice sub.
do you have stock stereo/amp? if not you can mount the amp where the stock amp was using the stock hardware. nice and stealth. My alpine pdx amp is there. I used to have a JL amp over there so I know big amps like yours should fit. what kinda amp is that BTW?

I still have the stock amp on the cd changer side.... the amp is a alpine mrd-605 bought it for $100 bucks.

[PavelK313]

My set up...

[nike001]

question for you.... do you have problem with lights dimming ? and also voltage drop ? whats your voltage reading when you got your subs pounding ? mines drop to 12.4-13.7 range.... did you change your battery ? or any wiring from the alternator to thicker gauge ?

just curious.. thanks.

Yes, I do have a problem with my lights dimming. You can fix this by buying a capacitor. I'm not sure what my voltage does. I've had these in for over a year and I haven't had to replace anything. Still on the battery I bought it with. When I drive it I'll look at my voltage and get back to you.

[540cosmo]

Yes, I do have a problem with my lights dimming. You can fix this by buying a capacitor. I'm not sure what my voltage does. I've had these in for over a year and I haven't had to replace anything. Still on the battery I bought it with. When I drive it I'll look at my voltage and get back to you.

i run a 1 fared cap on my hifonics atlas running two jl 12w3v3 and my lights still dim,but i am going to install a kinetic audio in line battery model hc-600 and that should solve all drains on those low notes

[chucksrt]

Batt-cap works well too. I have a 15 Farad cap and I still see dimming under extreme conditions.

[Cyrix2k]

You guys do understand that installing a cap in conjunction with any decent amplifier is a waste right? This is coming from an EE... The battery is a slightly better idea, but it will really only help if your voltage is sagging below 12.8 volts or so. If you're pulling so much current that your lights dim on extended lows, you need to look at upgrading the wiring in the car and probably the alternator too; anything else is won't actually fix the problem. Caps can help you if the amp has a really crappy power supply section - and it will only help for punchy lows, not extended hits.

[nike001]

Yes, but I think I'm the only one running 1200watts to my trunk? haha

[Cyrix2k]

Yes, but I think I'm the only one running 1200watts to my trunk? haha

I am, but I don't crank it up. I'm currently only running an Alphasonik PMZ12005, but I also have two Visonik V1202A amps rated at 1200w RMS bridged each (I doubt they push that much though, I only bought them because I got them for a steal). The Alphasonik will push 800w RMS over 5 channels and it feels like it; I'm using the Alphasonik for everything right now, but the plan is to use the Alphasonik for front/rear and the Visoniks for the subs.

How do you guys have your power wired?

[chucksrt]

You guys do understand that installing a cap in conjunction with any decent amplifier is a waste right? This is coming from an EE... The battery is a slightly better idea, but it will really only help if your voltage is sagging below 12.8 volts or so. If you're pulling so much current that your lights dim on extended lows, you need to look at upgrading the wiring in the car and probably the alternator too; anything else is won't actually fix the problem. Caps can help you if the amp has a really crappy power supply section - and it will only help for punchy lows, not extended hits.

why is a cap a waste? I know it is really only meant for the short burst of energy but it's not a waste! The wiring from the alt. should be upgraded to a larger gauge and run back to your second battery. I know a second battery should be used but a regular car batt (even if your using two) doesn't discharge quick enough to supply the amps the power they need to recreate low freq. which is why you use a cap. Most amps have two power ratings one at 14.4V and the other at 12.6V. Most alts. provide an average of 14.1V some car put out 13.5V so most car charging systems don't meet the spec. of the amp manufacture and will never reach their full potential. You should try to balance your system as best you can. A good power supply in your amp don't mean s@*t if your wiring is insufficient to carry the load to them.

If adding heavier gauge wires to your audio system you should also use the same gauge wires to your body ground to batt. and also do the same to your engine grounds to body plus upgrade the charging lead of the alt to the batt. Sorry for rambling it's late.

[webdesigner]

Same though, 2 Kicker Subs rattle my head

[Cyrix2k]

why is a cap a waste? I know it is really only meant for the short burst of energy but it's not a waste! The wiring from the alt. should be upgraded to a larger gauge and run back to your second battery. I know a second battery should be used but a regular car batt (even if your using two) doesn't discharge quick enough to supply the amps the power they need to recreate low freq. which is why you use a cap. Most amps have two power ratings one at 14.4V and the other at 12.6V. Most alts. provide an average of 14.1V some car put out 13.5V so most car charging systems don't meet the spec. of the amp manufacture and will never reach their full potential. You should try to balance your system as best you can. A good power supply in your amp don't mean s@*t if your wiring is insufficient to carry the load to them.

If adding heavier gauge wires to your audio system you should also use the same gauge wires to your body ground to batt. and also do the same to your engine grounds to body plus upgrade the charging lead of the alt to the batt. Sorry for rambling it's late .

Correct. You pretty much summed up why caps are a waste in your post; they only provide small amounts of energy. Any properly designed amp should have a pretty robust power supply - any sustained load and you've exhausted any benefit the cap gives you. You need to fix the problem at the source which is the wiring and alternator. Also, a cap won't magically boost the voltage your amp sees...

FWIW, the maximum output of an amplifier is highly dependent on the rail voltages of the output transistors. There isn't just two power ratings for an amp - it is a continuous spectrum, they just give those ratings out of convenience as one is intended for battery operation and the other is intended for operation while the car is running.

Perhaps this will shed some light on just how little power a 1 farad cap actually stores.

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/capacitor2.htm

If you *really* want to see what it does, play a song with a lot of bass loud, then unplug disconnect the amp at the battery. It will barely stay on - that's how much your cap is helping. Caps help solve ripple (IE, your lights dim but come back during a sustained hit), but don't help sagging lines from overcurrent (IE, your lights dim and stay dim). The amp manufacturer already did the dirty work for you so a cap is unneeded. If you have a cheap amp, it might help as the power supply section is frequently subject to budget constraints.

[bimmerfiver]

Very cool stuff.

I have a non-DSP stereo. Daniel-san hooked me up with a cd changer in the trunk. It helped my situation, but my stereo lacked Force. Thrilos5 hooked me up with an Audiovox Rampage 200 watter speaker with built-in amp etc. Gumbi is doing install. Duran Duran will prolly be the first group played. The E39 must have tunes!

[nike001]

??

ski pass still intact... I did not cut anything... I am thinking about... punching those 2 port holes on the deck in the back...that I read somewhere... that can be removed... to allow some base to get into cabin...

More info on the port holes in the back.. I've been trying to do that but i cant find any information?

[legitsnowe39]

is that a 12 inch W6? Its wierd because i have one, except my box is about twice as big (built to JL audio specs). I have my amp screwed on top of my box, its a JBL amp it fits really slim and nice, then my 600x4 channel amp for my alpine speakers is screwed on a nice looking board to the back of the trunk . Oh and i have a Capacitor screwed on the side, everything looks VERY NICE. Only 1 visible wire, and about 40 hidden wires! the guy did the whole install for 50 bucks, watched him do it and it looks great. BRB taking pics

*EDIT* ... pics

JBL amp for the sub...

My alpine MRP-F600 4 channel speaker amp (i only have such a powerful 4 channel amp because i got it for $120 )

Showing the cleanliness of my setup (despite the one 4 gauge wire, im gonna get a longer one so i can wrap that around under the carpet for perfection) Also with the Grill on the sub (Which is very nice protection).

And my CDA-9886 controlling all of this very nicely


Oh and did i mention it sounds amazing. Even with this ridiculously loud earbursting sub turned up all the way, i can still hear every word of any song, which is why im glad i upgraded speakers/amp/headunit before my sub. But you can really only claim you have real sound, and you can only enjoy this "real sound" when you have an entire system. (Also i spent 1000 on the speaker/headunit/amp installation, and only 50 on the sub/amp installation, and both took 5 hours....)
I'm NOT trying to steal/takeover your thread, I just figured it would be pointless to make a new one. I like your choice of the sub btw

[NNY528I]

Correct. You pretty much summed up why caps are a waste in your post; they only provide small amounts of energy. Any properly designed amp should have a pretty robust power supply - any sustained load and you've exhausted any benefit the cap gives you. You need to fix the problem at the source which is the wiring and alternator. Also, a cap won't magically boost the voltage your amp sees...

FWIW, the maximum output of an amplifier is highly dependent on the rail voltages of the output transistors. There isn't just two power ratings for an amp - it is a continuous spectrum, they just give those ratings out of convenience as one is intended for battery operation and the other is intended for operation while the car is running.

Perhaps this will shed some light on just how little power a 1 farad cap actually stores.

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/capacitor2.htm

If you *really* want to see what it does, play a song with a lot of bass loud, then unplug disconnect the amp at the battery. It will barely stay on - that's how much your cap is helping. Caps help solve ripple (IE, your lights dim but come back during a sustained hit), but don't help sagging lines from overcurrent (IE, your lights dim and stay dim). The amp manufacturer already did the dirty work for you so a cap is unneeded. If you have a cheap amp, it might help as the power supply section is frequently subject to budget constraints.

I'm sorry did you just use the words " 1 Farad" and "Little Power" in the same sentence?????? I don't think you fully understand what you are talking about, 1 Farad is a MASSIVE amount of electrical energy the difference is how quickly it is released. There is hundreds of times more energy in a Farad to kill a person or melt a screwdriver etc. I agree that as it applies to driving speakers, it seems like a cap doesnt have a lot of power but this is a very dangerous misconception when everyone is so used to working with 12volt systems that generally cant hurt you even if you sucked on them. A 1 farad capacitor will flow over 8000 Amps the moment its circuit is closed.