ryan s

Absolutely. During college, I would have class later in the day (11am or noon usually) then work from 4-10 on weeknights, and 9 or 10am on the weekends. Needless to say, staying up late was necessary. Therefore, I did like most people and drank lots of soda and energy drinks. What helped me since then (and by the way, I've never felt worse than my last 2 years of college...staying up till 4am and sometimes all night, drinking 4 Mountain Dews plus whatever else...taking Excedrin Migraine with more caffeine in them with a Mountain Dew since caffeine was supposed to help BUT it was causing the headaches!) : -Drink water...lots. My only caffeine is a 20oz homebrewed coffee every morning. -Give up soda. I only drink it when out to eat, or having Jack and Coke. I don't drink a lot anymore, so you get the picture -DON'T TOUCH ENERGY DRINKS. -Go to bed the same time every night...wake up the same time every day. My roommate started staying up all night for the reasons you state, OP...what do you know...he started going to bed at like 4pm. He got all messed up... Caffeine effects you for up to 12 hours and may not "hit" you till 4 hours after consumption...think about that. I can't recommend WATER enough. It helped me so much...

Can someone characterize the sound of these? My PG RSd is pretty "thick" which is why I want to replace it.

The RSd amp internals are stout by most accounts I've read. They are BIG, though, so be prepared. If they're built like my RSd sub (they should be ), then you'll be pleased by it for the price. You can't really over- or under-power a sub, within reason. Careful with the gain and volume knobs, and you'll be fine

This. OP, remember Hoffman's Iron Law: "You can have low end extension, high efficiency, or small enclosure size. Pick two." If you want to dig deep, a large sealed box, with a low Fs/mid Qts driver may be the ticket. Infinite Baffle would definitely another way to go. Also, "tight kick drums" are a function of your midbass speakers

It must be through Sound & Effects...never heard of them. I only know about a Baraboo shop since I bought an amp from a guy who used to work there, back when they stocked Planet Audio (the good stuff of the Zed variety). lol your link got censored Google comes through! If they have SQ, I'll probably go. SPL is like drag racing...1 thing for a couple seconds ain't my thing (that's what she said ). It'll be 50-60 by April Mild winter this year. Hearty Wisconsinites would probably show up at an outdoor event if it was over 30

On this subject...I was once reading an Alpine manual to help a friend with his Type E subs. There was an asterisk next to the sensitivity number. Hmm. Measured at 1W/1M...what's the asterisk for? Scroll down, and a blurb reads...well, read it for yourself. Page 3 http://vault.alpine-usa.com/products/documents/OM_SWE-1243.PDF It's not "the output number," true, but rather a spec one should know and be familiar with. This is a great thread

Hey man, you did well not knowing anything about the sub's parameters! I'll give you a thumbs up for experimenting and finding what sounds good

If you notice an "SQ difference" between sealed and ported, you did something wrong with the ported box... The box I had my 10 type R was ported and made solely to to get "loud" and had no SQ at all. That being said I do know that you can build a ported box for SQ. Most people I know with a sealed box either built it because they were shooting for SQ or they just bought a prefab box for the sub and the sealed box happened to be cheaper. Generally speaking... Small ported boxes + "high tune" = peaky, loud Big ported boxes + "low tune" = Smooth response 99% of prefab ported boxes are too small or tuned too high for "Teh EssQue" "We" build sealed boxes for many reasons...airspace is airspace (box goes anywhere), smaller space taken up, costs less, lighter weight, etc. OH...and you can't mess up a sealed box unless it's very leaky I'm moving from "small sealed" to "small-ish ported" so it's different strokes and all that Well...I'll let the experts take over, then Good luck

It's not "worse for SQ," you're just running the amp harder. Your amp loves you more if you run it at 8 Ohms, than 1 Ohm for example. Imagine that your car would make 400HP throughout the power band. Imagine another car that only makes the same 400HP at 8000 RPM. Hypothetically speaking, which engine would be more efficient? Remember: engines are extremely inefficient and most energy converted turns to heat (waste). Electronics' enemy is also heat, making them less efficient. This is epically simplified and hypothetical, but I hope I relayed my thoughts effectively I've had an Epicenter in my car for 4 or 5 years. It does make the bass "muddy" when turned up. I keep it because some artists and songs don't have the bass recorded at the same level as the rest of the song (think: The Doors, Bob Dylan). The problem with the Epicenter is that is does one thing: it "adds" bass around a certain frequency or "Q." If you've ever seen an amp with a "Q" setting, that's what it is. The Epicenter's Q is 69Hz and adds bass around that frequency depending where the knob is. SO...it doesn't add bass "evenly" through the sub frequency response range. It sounds sloppy when cranked for that reason. Damping factor is randomly tested...there is no standard, and therefore a pointless spec. Regulated vs unregulated power supplies...the regulated PS pulls the same amount of current and creates the same amount of output at all input voltages. Unregulated does the opposite. Want full output at ~12.8V @ rest? Regulated. Be prepared with your battery/batteries without the car running. Unregulated means the amp will make, say, 200 watts @ 12V and 400 watts at 14V. Feed it more juice, make more power There may be a formula, but I'll leave that to the experts since I hate math Wowwwwwwwww...sorry for the walls of words

Criterion for RCA cables: Rejects noise Has good ground jackets After those 2 things, look for everything else you seek in quality wire like corrosion-resistant copper, thick insulation jacket if wear is a concern, and of course price "Cable sound" is snake oil, unless one cable in a test is very poor.

Radio Doctor in Madison used to host events...haven't kept up with them for a while. I know they've had "Test n Tune" events the last couple years in...August? Of course, if anyone wants to have a get-together or just hang out, let me know!

From what I gather, "dampener" (Dynamat, Damplifier, et al) are for loading a flat panel with weight to reduce resonance. The use for this would be the door skins, for example. Parts where there are curves, welds, etc are decently stiff already. Then you get into MLV and CCF, which are noise "blockers." Putting down 50 layers of Dynamat on the floor may make a difference...but...it takes a lot of it, and it's the wrong application. The ideal application would be CCF with an unbroken layer of MLV on top, glued together, with 100% coverage from both. None of this is my own info...just the cliffs from what I've learned. For a bonus for all my fellow cheap asses ( ), you could use some of the "jute" aka "carpet backing" that you can get at The HD. There's already some under your stock carpets and carpeted trim panels...that's the stuff

Thank you I know I'm a noob here and young (25), but goodness...

You could be like the high-quality craftsman on Craiglist who put a 12" and 15" Type R in the same ported box That was a joke, of course To be serious, how much space do you want to take up? Wranglers don't have a lot of trunk space if you want to put other stuff back there. Maybe find a 10" or 12" made for small, sealed boxes? If you notice an "SQ difference" between sealed and ported, you did something wrong with the ported box...

Saying "I'm a sociologist" and "I don't want to bash," then throwing out something like that...I'm kinda appalled that you would even consider a comparison to Nazism. No, it's not because I like the SQ side of this hobby, but rather the flippant use of a term so serious in its nature and history. I would suggest hitting the books some more to see the fallacy of comparing Fascism to people who like to hear the majority of the musical frequency spectrum with clarity. And no...it's NOT cool "cuz this is only the internets, lulz rofl." Back on topic...sweet spot for ME...500 watts for the front stage, 500 watts for the sub. That's the ballpark, at least.

Got to put it off a little longer...still on the RC of Win7 and I have to get the paid upgrade next week or the shut downs start Among other spendings... I do what I can to make threads interesting Thanks man!

Hey, Ryan here I'm terrible at these intro things so I guess I'll jump right in... In my quest to keep weight in my car low, and to use a small-ish box, I'm really striking out for sub choices. I have a PG RSd10 in a .7 (net) sealed box, stuffed liberally. It gets low, but requires a bit of power and it's pretty annoying above 80Hz. I'm bored, so I was considering porting it. It's a 350 RMS sub, single 4, and supposedly 84dB efficient...although I'm betting that's at 2.83V I'm giving it 400 watts currently. WinISD recommends a 1.8 cu ft box (before port and sub displacement)...ummm...no. Not doing that. Most other subs I look at want 3-4 cu ft Definitely not. Here's where WinISD is throwing me off...a Dcon 10" (single 4) in either a sealed or ported box at SSA's specs plots out WEIRD. I can't get a flat response. In a .7 cu ft box, sealed, the Fs is over 70Hz. What's the deal? Also, will the Dcon play into the 80Hz range with authority? I'm going with 7s in the doors...I want to be punched in the chest from 30Hz-120Hz Oh one more thing: What's the efficiency for the Dcon10S4? The spec sheet lists an Re of 7.8, so I'm assuming the specs are for the D4 model. Thanks guys, and sorry for the long thread...

I've NEVER seen a HT sub that can do anything on todays movies that isn't not only playing below its Fs but regularly they are even tuned below. It really isn't a brick wall on any driver, just a region where you can start to hurt things if you don't know what you are doing. Yeah, it's only a 10" 120 watt RCA...hell, don't even know if it has a subsonic filter It sounds decent for what it is. Someday I'll have a 15Hz build Gotta get a house first... Well anyway...

Any particular reason for using those? I looked up the specs and they have a really high Fs and small Vas...not very good in a door, IMO. There are a literal ton of better drivers for the doors. Maybe not for $27 apiece...but there are options. Well, with a really high Fs like that, you'd need subs that could play well up to 80Hz or so...not very ideal. I'm doing it now, and it's going to change come spring I strongly disagree. They can be run from 40 Hz. all the way up to 2000+ Hz. with great success. Please explain what you mean about a high Fs? You do know it is a midrange right? Why run a speaker below its Fs? And in all honesty, I've never heard of Mach5 until I Googled the model shakes posted. Why are we trying to use a midrange as a midbass? That speaker would be perfect if you put it in a small pod in the kick panels, in addition to like a 9-10" midbass in the door. There is nothig wrong with a driver playing frequencies below it's Fs but let's not get into an off topic debate here. I agree with the kickpanel, but I would vent it outside. There's nothing wrong, I just meant it takes power... It is being used as a mid in a 2 way and you'd be surprised how low it can play in that regard. For its price, it is hard to beat in particular for its lfe. You obviously chose not to port a sub for your HT I guess... I have a ported HT sub, but I didn't build it and have no clue about any specs.

Any particular reason for using those? I looked up the specs and they have a really high Fs and small Vas...not very good in a door, IMO. There are a literal ton of better drivers for the doors. Maybe not for $27 apiece...but there are options. Well, with a really high Fs like that, you'd need subs that could play well up to 80Hz or so...not very ideal. I'm doing it now, and it's going to change come spring I strongly disagree. They can be run from 40 Hz. all the way up to 2000+ Hz. with great success. Please explain what you mean about a high Fs? You do know it is a midrange right? Why run a speaker below its Fs? And in all honesty, I've never heard of Mach5 until I Googled the model shakes posted. Why are we trying to use a midrange as a midbass? That speaker would be perfect if you put it in a small pod in the kick panels, in addition to like a 9-10" midbass in the door.

With a 12" sub...might as well put it in a straight truck. Rent one if ya don't own one...cause it's gonna be massive Plus it would take mad carpentry skillz

Any particular reason for using those? I looked up the specs and they have a really high Fs and small Vas...not very good in a door, IMO. There are a literal ton of better drivers for the doors. Maybe not for $27 apiece...but there are options. Well, with a really high Fs like that, you'd need subs that could play well up to 80Hz or so...not very ideal. I'm doing it now, and it's going to change come spring In all honesty, I just read that people liked them and I liked the price. Consider me schooled. Do you have any mounting constraints for the mids in the doors? How much power available?

Errrrrrm...aren't the BMs made for small, sealed boxes?

Any particular reason for using those? I looked up the specs and they have a really high Fs and small Vas...not very good in a door, IMO. There are a literal ton of better drivers for the doors. Maybe not for $27 apiece...but there are options. Well, with a really high Fs like that, you'd need subs that could play well up to 80Hz or so...not very ideal. I'm doing it now, and it's going to change come spring

If you're looking for SQ, I've got to ask what you're going to run for midbasses. If your mids won't play below, say, 80Hz you don't want subs that rolloff hard above 50Hz for example. For a general rule, get as much cone area as you can afford/power/want to fit...I suppose is the simple answer