My Sound System

[Pixel]

I need to discuss this with anyone who has good knowledge in this area.

The car I have already has 6x9 speakers and a built-in CD Player but I want a sub and an amp.

Speakers

I will post here the make and model and watts as soon as I know? Is it important? why?

CD Player

Im replacing the in-built in. Does it matter which one I get? or is every amp/sub compatible with every CD Player?

Amp

I want something like 1,5000 watts? what does this mean for everything else? Do they have to be less than 1,500? (sub, speakers etc...)

Sub

Willing to spend up to £100, not sure how much watts to get?

Any help?

 

[obi_waynne]

For best results all parts should come from the same maker but in theory any amp will work with any radio.

Speakers, Watts RMS is the only real measure of power but the frequency response range is of great importance.

Make sure the speakers are rated to handle more power than the amp can deliver. For example 1000W speakers and 500W amp if you do this the other way round you will at best have really rubbish sound quality and at worst blow the speakers.

 

[Pixel]

Im getting a 1,500 watt amp so I need something to absorb that power right?

Well I have 2 x 380 watt speakers which is 760 watts in total, meaning I need a sub which is 740 watts or more but im looking at getting one roughly 1,000 watts.

Thats ok right?

 

[mrcog1]

Just to make things a bit more complicated, you also need a crossover, it splits the bass, treble and high frequencys so you can have the bass pumping out lows and have other speakers putting out the highers bits. Also, it may not be true but i thought that you needed a different amp for the sub. Ohh and a relitively large capaciter would be good to keep powere for when the bass plays. Speak to the people who you buy the parts from and they should advice you

 

[obi_waynne]

Your amp is putting out more watts than your speakers are rated at so that is not a brilliant idea. Get a head unit with a separate Bass output line and you can get away with a simpler setup just choose the best speakers you can buy. I would stick with a good head unit and speakers and no amp. Sony Xplod are pretty good - and throw out enough power for most people then when you have some more cash you can throw in an amp & crossover and really make the speakers jump!

 

[pgarner]

if your running 6 x 9 s of decent quality you prob dont really need a sub in ma civic i had 2 sets of 500w 6 x 9's running from a 800 w amp and 2 12" subs runing from a 1000W mono amp to tell the truth i didnt notic that the fuse for the sub had blown it was still enough to make the drivers seat move around the subs could only be heard if i turnd up the sub control to full which was a bot much

your cd player should really have a set of pre out connectors to like up the amp prefer to have at least 2. 1 dedicated to the sub and 1 for speakers.

you can get line out connectors if your cd player does not have pre outs these are connected to your speaker wires and have a phono socket to connect to a amp

 

[HDi fun]

Amps and rated power in Watts has little to do with perceived sound volume level.

There are plenty of 4x50 watt systems that are loud, deep, clear and articulate.

RMS isn't the whole story either.

What you want is a system that can belt out the dynamics of music across the full audible range of frequencies.

A good sub-bass system can help enormously as it relieves the 'normal' speakers and amps of a huge job.

The clever bit is getting it to integrate into the system properly.

You want to hear bass notes, and the start and end of each of 'em. Not just boom, thud; boom, thud etc.

Bass tubes are crap. A good enclosure, well mounted in the boot, driven with a seriously meaty 200-400 watt mono amp that can do it continuously will help low end definition.

Using active crossovers is a good idea. Passive ones just eat up amplifier power and dissipate it as heat.

 

[Pixel]

CD Player: DVD Player - 4 x 45Watt
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/...9855_crumb_31265-31338_parentcategoryrn_79855

Speakers: 2 x (6x9 JVC) which are 380 watts each.
- No Link Available -

Subwoofer: JBL 12" 1000watts.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....m=160152348694&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=006

Amplifier: 1500watt 2-channel.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....m=270162880349&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=017

...And: A 2,000 watt wiring kit.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....m=270088793327&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=017

I plan to use the Amp to power the sub and speakers if possible,

Any tips or pointers that could be wrong here?

Let me know,

Thanks!

 

[pgarner]

let us ken wot the dvd player like a was looking at that one in halfords the other week but decided to leave it the now

as for the amp if your wanting to power both the sub and 6x9s you would be better off with a 4 channel amp as you couldnt run the sub using "normal tones" above a think its 60htz as this will damge the voice coil.
if you have the crossover on the amp set to low and around 40htz this will give you the bass for the sub but the 6x9s will also run in this range . plus the wiring required is not always possible with the amp i know my alpine amp can do it but it requires resistors and sunthing else, i had a quick glance through the instructions for the 1500w amp and couldnt see it in there it only showed left and right speaker) wot you would be better to do is connect just the sub to the amp and run the 6x9s off the head units amp. as you say there already in the car a take it there wired into the rear speakers . if not thats were i started

disconnect the rear speakers and connect the 6x9s to them and have the sub run off the amp until you look at buying another amp when/ if you do go for a mono amp also called class d to run the amp and us your current amp to run the 6x9s ( or 2 sets )

also as your getting a 1000w sub and 1500w amp it would be a VERY good idea to get a power cap to save your battery and all eletrical systems in the car (min 0.5 farad per 500w) so would idvise you to go for a 2 farad one, 1 farad min. hav a look on ebay as i got mine off there for £35 my local "car shop" had the exact same 1 for £80

 

[Pixel]

Sorry mate but I didn't quite understand that last message, I picked up on some of the things you were trying to say though.

I currently only have the DVD Player and Rear Speakers, they are both connected and work fine. Im a big fan of R&B, Rap and Dance/Techno so I do need a subwoofer, thats a fact. I guess I could just keep the speakers running from the car battery but I have been told if I connected it to the amp then I will get a better sound quality.

But I will need the amp to power the sub anyway right? It'd be stupid to connect all 3 to the battery, for a start, im not even sure if it would work. And if you could explain this power thing to me? I guess it doesnt matter when the car is running as the battery would recharge but I do listen to music a lot when the engine is off and I wouldnt be happy if the battery died in 30 minutes or less (if thats what your talking about).

Doesnt a 2-channel amp mean you can connect two things to it? Which is why my idea was: Speakers & Sub (into) Amp.

 

[pgarner]

the 6x9 might be better quality but you would have to turn it right up basically above wot would cause the dvd players amp to clip the signal (can only amplifer so far then stops )

defenatly require a amp to power the sub

a 2 channel amp has 2 channels
1 left and 1 right
2 phono (rca ) inputs

a 4 channel amp has 4 channels
front left rear left , front right & rear right
4 rca inputs 2 front and 2 rear

a mono amp (class d) has 1 channel but still has 2 rca inputs left and right but combines them to make 1 signal. this is the best for subs

the power cap is basically a capasitor it stores energy (amps) until required
( think like strip lighting you have a little starter which charges up and when you switch it on it gives the power quickly to start the gas moving in the light and light comes on, if the starter not in or fails the light just flicker or remains dull)
your battery can only supply so much amps at a time and doesnt like being told to repeatly give large amounts when the bass hits as this causes the voltage to drop. this also means that you amp cant work effeiantly al explain at the end.

When a large bass note is made the amp suddenly requires a lot of power the power cap can give it there and then without the battery having to work anyharder when the bass is off the cap can recharge itsself.

do you know anyone who has a large bass system around 2000w get them to put sumthing on with ALOT of bass on at night with the lights on if theres no power cap in place even with the car running you will see the lights dim as the battery is trying to supply the amp and stuggling if theres a sutible cap in place then they shouldnt dim at all.


have a look on ebay had a quick look for you some are as cheap as £30



if you listen to alot of music with the engine off i would recommend ether getting an uprated battery (yellow top) or think about fitting another battery in your boot (make sure its sealed) and connect your amp to this one and get a split charger think these are around £35 and this will charge your spare battery up while you are driving and wont kill the main battery when your sitting around. meaning you can still move without needing a jump start and looking a tool

right voltage to do with power rating on an amp

a good quality amp will give its power rating at 12V a cheaper 1 may give it as 14.4v (supposed to be a fully charged battery best ive charged mine to is 13.8v)

say you buy a 1000w amp but its rated to 14.4v

if your battery is only giving 12V you will only get 833W

heavy bass used to drop my battery as low as 11v so 769w

hope this helps


by the way NEVER EVER connect a speaker of any size 1" tweeter to 36" sub (currently the biggest i think you can get) directly to the battery you blow it up speakers work on a very little voltage

 

[Pixel]

Right,

So I'll buy the 1,500 watt amp and the 12" subwoofer (1000watts) and connect to them to each other.

Can someone tell me how it all fits together?

Battery > Power Cap > Amp > Sub

Is that correct?

Apart from the 2,000 watt wiring kit, anything else I need?

 

[Pixel]

Id like to get my sound system up and running whilst I have cash but I'm finding the whole process fairly difficult.

 

[safety.vw]

depends because that amp is a two channel an im not sure if you can bridge it into 1 channel even then thats still a 1500W amp powering a 1000W sub if you do that ull be picking it up off your back window wat u need is somthing like a 3-600W briggable amp then you can run the sub from that then run the 6x9s on the head unit


if your after a cheap amp later to power your 6x9s you can pick a mutant 2x80W (rms) so ~2x160Wpeak amp for around £40

personally i think you should focus on a good match between the rms of the amp and the sub as this will be the loudent as running a big 1000W sub off of a 300W amp a lot of the amps power is used just to move the sub if you drop down to say a 600W you will find this a lot louder


e.g. i have 2 1500W subs wired parrallel to a mono 1400 wat amp this is very loud bass but my friend has a 700W amp powering a 1000W sub and this is nearly as loud

 

[Pixel]

To sum-up,

You cant or shouldnt have an amp with more power than a sub.

(1,500 amp and a 1,000 sub)

Meaning,

I should get a louder sub or a smaller amp?

Yeah?

You recommend 3x600, isnt that 1,800??

 

[Pixel]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FLI-TRAP-12-T...ameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting

That looks pretty damh good.

It has a built-in amp, is that the real deal?

I couldnt work out the description.

Would I just run a cable from the battery straight to it and then everything would be fine?

 

[pgarner]

big red power wire fromthe batery to the power cap.
red wire from the cap to the amp positive or batt
black earth wire from the cap to body work,
black earth from the amp earth or negitive
wire usually blue from the head units remote lead to the remote on the amp
phono (rca ) leads from the head unit to the amp

set up gain crossover

boom boom boom

job done

speaker wire from the amp to the sub observing pos and neg

sounds dificut but it aint the biggest prob you would have is hiding all the wires

also good idea to run power cable down1 side and phono leads down middle of other side tro save interferance

doesnt really mater about the peak power of the sub and amp just turn the gain up slowly until you hear distortion then turn it down a bit

dunno bout the active subs

 

[pgarner]

amp

the amp your looking on ebay at can be bridged to 1 channel so no problems there