slim142

I like the Alpine Type Xs Also, you mention only 80hz and below for BTLs. That means, everything else from ~100hz and up, is all about the components right? Even front speakers? What I mean with BTL canceling was that I want loud and good components so my mids and highs are clear and are not lost with the boom boom of the BTLs. Thats why I want good components too.

I want something that is not $500 each pair of speakers, but I also want something that gives me quality, are loud and have clarity. Car not sure yet, will most probably go into a Crossover. Amp? Definitely. I want it loud and want to make sure to block low notes. I dont want the BTLs to cancel out the vocals either.

But honestly, I dont know many audio shops here. If I could get at least some reference, it would be great. Im leaning towards Kicker so far.

Maybe, but yeah, clipping and dirty signals are a no-no Btw, guys, I been talking so much about subs and batteries that at this point I have no idea what components are good LOOOL. Is there any specific brand that kicks-ass when it comes to mids and highs? I also plan on upgrading these, dont want to be left out with stock crap haha

Well, a new thing to learn everyday. I mean, since I saw that comment all around the internet, I thought there couldnt be that many wrong minds out there. I guess I was wrong but at least Im glad I have this place to help me and solve all my questions and inquiries Now that Im 100% sure no harm is done with underpowering, I cant wait lol I might give my BTL a try with 900watts then, just to see what it is capable of doing with half the power it asks for. Should be nice Thanks

Glad to hear, but that batt is $500. Pretty pricey. Dont like the idea of buying it used, but just to get it out of my head, do kinetiks battery have a short life when abused as it would happen with regular batteries? In other words, besides the amps you get and everything, are they worth the time they last? Also, in a different topic. When S-M-D gives demos to people, I always see him using his bass knobs. Does that mean he puts the bass boost a bit (maybe 50%) and he keeps the knobs all the way off and he just dials them full for demos or am I wrong and he doesnt use bass boost at all? Finally, as you already know, the BTL is teh first thing im gonna be getting. Is it ok if I build a not-too-big box and use it with my 900watt RMS Sony while I save up for the other parts? Ive heard my entire life that underpowering subs also harm them. Dont know how true this is.

Oh ok I see now, good to hear I have a solution! Btw, if I decide to sell it later on, is there any specific place where I can just ask money for it instead of ebaying it or craiglisting it? Finally, I just found out there is a battery called HC3800. At $500, is it a lot better than the HC2400? Would you recommend it over the HC2400? Is it worth the price?

Here is the thing I already bought a new main battery and got it installed. Now, the way you talk about caps is scaring me as it does sounds that it might be the worse investment of my life ever lol. At this point, I think I will avoid the capacitor at all cost. So with my main battery already replaced and $100 in hands to fix my problem, what would you recommend doing? If I do get the Kinetic HC600 1) I can use it as the audio battery (New batt->kinetik batt->amp) but you say its going to create higher resistance (doesnt sound like a good idea) or 2) I can replace the battery I just bought with a kinetik one but then, Idk if its worth the hassle. I might be able to get a refund but then how much would it cost to install that kinetik. Kinda confused here, dont really know what to do.

At the beggining (for like 2 weeks, ~4-5 months ago) when I first got my system, I used to play it with the car off (not that loud), but no more than an hour. One day though, I played it with the car off for 2-3 hours and the battery was dead the next day. Had to use cables and another car to bring it back. After that day, I never played music with the car off. This was like 4 months ago. ~2 weeks ago the car started giving this nasty sound everytime I wanted to start it and it was the battery that was dying.

Well that capacitor is going for $90 shipped (lower I could find). I agree that the HC600 would be a better buy (now that you mentioned it), however, I dont plan on keeping that battery (I want at least the HC2400 for my BTL) so idk how easy it would be to sell that battery later on. Use a Kinetik battery as a starting battery? I never heard of this, but I saw one review on SonicElectronix that said "Never use audio batteries (kinetiks) as your main battery". Well, now that this point was brought, Is there anything wrong in using a Kinetic (or any audio-designed) battery as your main battery? (Considering S-M-D used 1 of his 10 batteries as the main one, I think the review from Sonic is wrong) Last question, if I do get a kinetik battery, how would I charge my old one so it comes back to life? New Batt->Dead Batt->Amp?

Well is a 2007 Ford Expedition so yeah it also surprised me. 4 Gauge power and ground cables too. I know RF is way overpriced, but I plan on getting rid of it with the whole system later.

Bump

I have some bad news (from current system) So my battery just decided to go dead. Car barely turns on and I need it to be fully operational every day. Went to Advanced Auto Parts to get a new battery (with free installation) and it seems like the audio system was the responsable for my previous batterys death. The guy recommended a capacitor. Yes I know this are a waste of money and should be avoided. Now, unfortunately, I do not have any money to buy an extra battery just for the sub or replace the alternator. I dont want to keep spending money on this system either. But, I have no choice. Im planning on buying a cap for the time until I can replace the system (with the monster BTL system discussed before). Since my amp is 900watts RMS and sub is 1000watts RMS, I think a 1 Farad capacitor will do the job. Im planning on getting this one Rockford Fosgate RFC1D. Seems a little overpriced, but I want it to be a good brand just to be safe. Is this a good cap? Remember is just for the time being, this system will be definitely put for sale once I get my BTL, Sundown amp, Alpine deck etc

Agreed, I used to not know what Bass boost meant and thought it was to make ur system better but now I learned thanks to this forum that it is a no-no. In conclusion, when you say leave the bass boost alone you mean completely turn it left (to zero) right? Answer me this question so I can go ahead and turn my bass boost all the way off.

They didnt say why, they just said dont put bass boost past the gain, set them equal or bass boost lower than gain. I still dont know where to put the bass boost, is it a personal preference or does it really kill music? Since my amp doesnt have a bass remote, I have to find a "good" spot and leave it there.

I see thanks for clarifying that. I heard in some forums that you should never have your boost higher than the gain but I thought it was weird. Anyways, does that mean I should set my bass boost to 0 (absolutely to the left)?

Ok thanks man, will try to get a DMM and set it correctly Is it true that you never put the Bass Boost higher than your gain? or it doesnt matter?

I see, so basically the ohm is to give more power to the sub right? One question just came up to my mind too. You know how you get the Gain by the formula sqroot of (watts x ohms). Well, when they say multiply watts x ohms, which ones do they mean, the one from the amp or subwoofer? So in my current system I have a 900watt RMS @ 2ohm amplifier with a 1000watt RMS @ 2ohm subwoofer. Which one should I use in the formula to configure my gain?

Ok I see, Thanks Btw, is paraller always better than series? (considerin we talking about the same wattage like in this case)

Well the better one with that price should come with a bass knob. I have one last question that arised recently. I watched on of S-M-D videos and he put a DMM on one BTL and you can see that when in Dual 1 ohm mode, it can be wired so that it works at 0.7 or 1.4 ohms. This leads me to believe that if I make my BTL Dual 2 ohm, I will be able to wire it 1.4ohm or 4 ohm. Am I right??? I plan on making my BTL universal just so that I will be able to change it if I need to anytime. However, when I order it from the website, what should I put, Dual 1 or 2? I plan on using the Sundown 2000 which is stable down to 1 ohm Thanks

I have one last question Is there a difference if I buy the amplifier from SSA website or db-r?

I cant get rid of the stock receiver because like mentioned before I never installed one and I dont want to buy the Alpine, pay to install it. Then couple months later pay again to take it off. Besides the fact that Im going to be using a different car by the time I get the new Fi system. The car currently has good bass. Bass comes out where its suppose to. For a long time I thought the box was too big for the sub. Pioneer advertises "small box for their subs" every single page you click on when checking the sub specs. My gain is currently set at 50%. I dont have a multimeter to measure the right point. The subwoofer releases just a bit of burning smell (barely) after some time but thats when playing pure bass nonstop. Since most of my trips are short, its really hard for me to get to that point. A lot of people have been telling me that my amplifier might be crap. Something with Sony changing their manufacturing process after they started something with Rockford or something. The thing is that my amp never gets hot or into protection mode. The only thing that annoys me is not having a bass remote. And yeah, Im starting to think my amplifier might not be as efficient as it sounds. I seriously dont think my system currently throws 900watts RMS. Yes marovi, when I get close to be done with the parts, Im going to sell this system to get whatever is left and just play with the best.

Hey guys I hope going a little offtopic is not a problem. I would like to have a quick discussion about my current system. I currently have Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer stock receiver Sony XM-D9001GTR (900watts @ 2ohms) Pioneer TS-W3002D4 (1000watts @ 2ohms) Rockford Fosgate 4 gauge kit Subwoofer in (what seems to be, from outside measuerements) 1.75 cubic feet box. Now, I know the first mistake here is that the sub recommends 1.25 and the box it is in is too big. Am I losing a lot of bass there? Also, the amp is connected through High-Level input with only the right channel signal. How bad is this and how much performance am losing from the amp/sub? Does High-level input give a lot of distortion? Sometimes I feel my system is not really 1000watts but barely 500... I know this system is not the best and thats why I spent almost 6 months reading and reviewing not to make mistakes which could have been easily avoided.

Dont worry man there wont be any cheap parts on my system. Dual was never in my mind at all even when I saw their cheap prices on BB lol. Using dedicated EQs or Crossovers, thats not for me yet. I mainly want to listen to my system with whats most common. Receiver->Amp->Speakers/Sub. The 9887 must have a pretty good audio processor and EQ right? Hopefully it also has Front/Rear/Subwoofer RCAs. Still need to research it a little more but I like what I hear and see from it so far. Hey if you decide to come to Miami Beach or anywhere around the Dade/Broward zone, let me know cause I would really like to hear a real system!

Through the Fi site