ok guys i have a few questions i hope you can help me out with. all the current specs that you may or may not need are in my profile.
1. i currently have an 800 watt/max amplifier on a cheap 500 watt amplifier kit. i have to tune my amp down pretty much to its minimum setting because if i get too agressive with it, and turn the radio up, the amp kicks off. if i were to buy a better amp kit that was rated for 1200 watts+, would it allow me to get more agressive with my amplifier or is there a different reason it kicks off?
the amp is a mono channel amplifier. i currently have one wire running from the amp to the first subwoofer, and then from the first subwoofer to the second.
2. if the 1200 watt amp kit is suggested, it does not come with RCA cables. is there a larger set of RCA's that i should buy to match a bigger kit, or are all RCA cables pretty much the same with quality being the only difference?
3. i currently have a DECENT set of 4x6's in the stock location. i can hardly hear the highs because my subwoofer drowns them out. i've been looking at a set of component speakers. my question is, would i be better off to buy a complete set of 6 1/2" component speakers? or should i keep my 4x6's and buy a set of tweeters with a crossover?
thanks for all the help guys.
brian
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oh i forgot another question
4. do i have to run a component system off of an amplifier or can i run it off my headunit?
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1. Are the subs wired in parallel or series? Sounds like they might be wired to give too low of an impedence. Having wire that's too small won't normally cause the amp to go into protection, but it's never a bad idea to use larger wire.
2. Use the same RCAs
3. Go with components. You don't have to go to 6.5 if you don't want, 5.25 might be easier to fit in the door if you don't want to make some adaptors.
4. Do you have to? No, but you won't get anywhere near the full potential out of them if they can handle 75-100 watts and you give them 12
-Chris
subwoofer wiring is the one thing i've never quite understood. i've always had a 2 channel amp, one channel to each speaker. now i've got a 1 channel amp. i wasn't sure how to hook it up, so i just did it as described. how should it be wired? and diagrams are pretty much useless on me...
thanks
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Depends on the subs, are they single or dual voice coil? What impedence is each coil? How low is your amp stable? If you know the model numbers of what you have that would be very helpful.
-Chris
you bought a wal mart amp kit didnt you?
____________________
1991 Honda CRX si mini me swapped
Amp--Pioneer Gm-7100M (800w/max)
Subs--Two 12" Pioneer Ts-W300R (600w/max)
there's the model numbers. yes, i bought a cheap walmart amp kit when i got my first sub/amp system for the car. it was just a cheap setup. when i upgraded to a better system, i didn't feel like ripping out all the wires and stuff so i just used what i had.
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isnt that like 10 gauge then? And correct me if im wrong but dont you just wire up a mono amp for 2 subs the same as you would 2 seperate channels on a 2 channel amp? minus bridging..?
____________________
1991 Honda CRX si mini me swapped
i think its like 8 gauge or something like that.
Quote:
And correct me if im wrong but dont you just wire up a mono amp for 2 subs the same as you would 2 seperate channels on a 2 channel amp? minus bridging..?
you mean just a wire for each sub directly out of the channel? instead of "jumping" it from one sub to the next?
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You can do it either way. Your two subs should be wired in parallel to get the most out of them. The easiest way to do this is to have one wire from each of the postives of your subs go to the positive on the amp, and one from each of the negatives to the negative terminal on the amp.
Walmart amp kits come in different size, I've seen 4, 8, and 10 gauge ktis there.
-Chris
ok i understand how to wire them in parallel. thats easy. could that be the reason the amp/subs cut off if i turn the bass up too high or turn the stereo up too loud?
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also, i don't have a whole lot of money, so i'm just looking for a decent set of component speakers. do
THESE look like a decent set?
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The wiring could have something to do. How did you set the gain on your amp? It sounds like you may have it setup incorrectly.
Those are some pretty decent components for the money. I like the sound of Infinity speakers. Some people think they'r tweeters are a little to hard sounding, but I like those ones fine. I would say put a small amp on em if you can afford it.
-Chris
the gain is pretty much set to minimum right now. if i turn it up at all it pops off real quick. even set as low as it is now, if i turn the bass up too high on the headunit it'll kick the amp off.
i'll be putting a small mtx amp (i think its like a 250 watt) on the components as soon as i get my wife a new amplifier for her subs.
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the pictures in the sticky up there are dead links. anyone got a how to on making the adapters?
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I have the exact same component set, and a MTX amp as well, and the 8 gague wiring kits from walmart. Looks like our systems will be a lot alike! I'm still working on installing mine as well, and I only have one sub, so I can't actually give any help
Wire them like
THIS
I've found this little "tool" a great place for wiring diagrams. You'll prolly be ok with wiring them to 2 ohms. If you have a multimeter, I would test the ohms before you put it all back in your car.
-Seth
thanks guys, got the components in and they sound WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY better than the pioneer 4x6's i had in there. the subs will have to wait for another day to be rewired. thanks for the help.
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I'd like to throw somehting in here.
When you say you want to be more "agressive" with your amp....just remember that the gain knob IS NOT MEANT TO BE A VOLUME KNOB.
yea i know. if i understand correctly, the gain is adjusted so that you can have your subs turn up at the same rate that the volume of the head unit speakers are turned up.
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