sqguy

Don't have it all yet? Man I could put together a system cheap in a couple weeks on ebay. $8, you should be in MI then you would get 0 hours a week. Hey we all been there (or most anyway), try to get a better job or find something else to do and make money...legally of course.

Ohms is just a measurement of resistance, how much the wire in the speaker restricts the current the amp puts through it. An amp needs a certain amount of resistance or too much current will go through it and burn it up. Some amps can flow current to 4 ohms, some more current for 2 or 1 or some even go lower. An amp is usually optimized to work best and be most efficient at a certain ohm load, what it is rated at. It may be able to run less or might not. You can always run more load and get less power, the amp will not work as hard. Its kind of like a garden hose, the larger the hole in the nozzle the more water comes out and someplace a pump runs harder to pump more water to you. If you let too much out with an amp it will burn up (like shorting the speaker terminals), some can take the abuse and some can't. Some can for a burp. Also your sub can have different ohm load at different frequency, this is why some in competition can run 1/4ohm because they are doing SPL at a frequency the sub setup has more resistance at then what the overall ohms is for that driver. The amp might be seeing 2 ohms in actual use at just that particular frequency. If you run half the ohms you can get up to double the power, that is why everyone runs low as they can. Right, a X watt 2 ohm rated amp running at 2 ohms is pretty much the same as a 4 ohm amp running at 4 ohms....each should be designed to run at their respective ohm load. Soundstreams even have switches to drop the ohm load in half if you want to run them that way, but they usually put out the same watts at the lower ohms that way.

Here is a pic of my IB setup when I was putting it in but has not changed that much except the wiring, it goes up to the rear deck with 4 12" infinity. There is 420wrms from the kicker and its not enough if you want to max them out, but is enough bass for me. It hits 30Hz like nothing. IB needs twice the drivers...or what I shoot for anyway, but I have lots of trunk room. The bottom of that baffle is right at the seat and top is back about 8" roughly. In fact I am thinking about taking it out and running two 15s to save more room as they will fit the seat opening, and these subs are heavy as *.

If you are going single sub scan ebay, I see odd singles used/leftovers all the time reasonable like blaupunkts/SS/CV/stuff I never heard off....and something less known might be best to have in there. If you are not going for mega bass, and will run less amp then near any good sub should work. Even a big 4ch amp could run it all if the sub was more efficient. Just what I would do. Who wouldn't want to buy this in a car, it looks so cool....but *not* Dub Audio cool: http://cgi.ebay.com/XTANT-X124-SUBWOOFER-E...1QQcmdZViewItem There are infinity, mtx, boston acoustics, RF, kicker, all cheap-ish ~50. Then again I have bought a bunch of used off there and not had a problem. Xtant is not a common name around here, people might like that here for example. See some JL on there too.

No doubt, I just read your sig not a bad list of stuff. I'm slow as can be because I have no time....but I got a system in the car that works.

That is a cool looking armrest! I'm not too sure about you guys, I really can't remember a time when I didn't have a full system in my closet ready to go if I had a system in my car or not (not=working stock junk system). Maybe not the best but something that would work ok....just can't do without. I had a Tekin charger for an RC car. It would charge about anything off a car battery, it was awesome, had pulse charging, cool deal.

I keep wanting to try some Mach5s but lately always end up falling into a deal on some other used subs.

Well lets not turn this into a bitchfest that produces nothing, there is still the issue of what equipment might work best no matter how you like to tune it in. I like it loud enough to feel the bass and have the highs keep up, anymore is not that useful to me. But I have no idea how loud that is not having a db meter. That's the main reason I like IB subs. B)

I would agree somewhat, I think the rears are great for sound effects in movies but don't do much else but maybe add a little depth if content is mixed right. I'm not too hopped up on center channels even for movies, I can't tell the difference if I put the stereo on mono and odds are my big floor speakers sound better than some little mtm. Did I tell you I hate mono? I feel that in a car and less in a house, the stage is too localized in front of me. That is why I like rear fill, so it is not 100% in front of me. It can take some work to make it sound right, usually different drivers F to R work better so the response is not the same. Against the 'rules' but works great for me. In a house the speakers are typically much further apart and sound that way to me....the right rear fill helps reproduce that depth that gets lost in a car. Don't have the time or place now, but I love listening to headphones to me that is pure stereo and what I want to hear in the car/house/boat/anywhere. People say that is too much spatial effect or whatever with headphones, well they can listen to a 9v mono AM pocket radio and be happy, 'cause I wont. Oh wait, they listen to the cell phone speaker now it is the same thing. However if you concentrate on the front side speakers I would think you could make it work for music, then change the setup for 5.1 theater to have something 'different' in your system. I saw some bass shakers on sale a while back, how about some under the seats? Ok I'll stop there....

I never leave stuff in a car except if I don't want it. Never had anyone want to give me for it what I could sell it for out of the car....and that would include a free installation and setup.

Yeah everyone tells me rear fill is the worst, but in 20+ years of car audio I always enjoy listening to it with rear fill better. What I don't like is center speakers, except for voices in a movie. I don't want to go back to the days of monorail. If you are putting video in with 5.1, that is cool. The challenge to me would be to make it sound good on music as well. If you could program two setups with output levels and eq, that would make it much easier. I'm not enough into that to know how that could be done well.

Sorry just having some fun. I would say the amp has a ground problem, the sub wiring is not right, or the sub amp is trashed. Or maybe one of the subs is broken, I've seen some the magnet fell off. It stays on there due to the magnet holding it but then the VC is rubbing and it is trashed. So, I would check the ohms of the subs or just hook another up to it and see if it plays....that would tell you if it is a sub problem. You can play it and move the RCA and ground wires a little looking for a short, you can swap the sub amp out to see if it is the amp. If the amp protects, that makes me think the amp or subs/wiring is first place I would look after I verified amp has good ground and power supply. There is an off chance it could be a weird problem like the RCA ground is blown in the processor or HU. I have amps and subs laying around here so it is easier for me to just swap things out to narrow it down.

I'll check it out. Someone told me the made in japan sony was good, I think the one I listed was. But obviously nobody wanted that one, and it is kind of small. That does look nice.

ROTFLMAO! "What did you think was going to happen when you drank the whole case?" and then

You might not, I just like to keep my stuff cool. I also use old amps often, they run warmer than new stuff. Run it and check it, then you know.

A far as speakers I find a lot of lower wattage ones that sound good compared to higher wattage, but that is limited funds I would spend on my daily driver. Most reasonable brand names can sound good, say boston, alpine, infinity, etc., depending on sound you like like (more/less tweeter, etc). The lower wattage tend to be more efficient in my experience, so they put out nice on reasonable wattage. I run them all the time, but sometimes the blow too.

I have little amp mounted on a single 10 sealed. I found a big trailer plug with 6 pins I think since it runs high level input, it works great for pull outs. Never had a problem, it is made to be outside and run all the trailer lights. If you get a larger one, just double up and run two wires for each if you are worried about current flow, or three. This one fits together pretty tight and they only fit one way, a no brainer. Just cover the wire if you are worried about someone seeing those goofy colors... lol. Put the female ends on the amp, or some have a cover for the plug so it can't short. For that you could always mount a PC fan in there anyplace w/each amp. If you have a relay on the remote just hook it to that. I get the slower speed case fans, they are $1 at some places. They take near no power and I've never had a problem with noise in the remote line from them. IMO I'd be worried about heat in there, and I'd open them up if I played it for a while constant high volume. I've run two amps and a fan off the HU wire, but I don't have a really new HU I've been told they suck for current out of the remote.

One of these? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...314282&rd=1 I thought about getting it, but I have enough amps right now and hate the company. There was another 2ch I didn't save.

Is the amp mounted like on the sub box so it vibrates and a part is vibrating...or it is making a noise on its own? If it is making noise it can be the transformer that is usually near the fuses inside. They often put some kind of glue on the windings to damp it. Most run higher than 20Khz so you don't hear it but they can still make a static sounding noise under load. I don't think anything going bad would cause it but not sure. It could be something loose inside like the board I guess, most amps you can't hear it unless you have your ear right on the amp....if in fact that is what it is. Hifonics are put together better than some others, but they are not expensive amps. You can also ask Maxxsonics about it, they have pretty good support and I've talked to an actual tech there about their amps. They make Hifonics, Crunch, Performance Technique, MB Quart, and Autotek amps.

That sounds right, the case of most amps can not be grounded. It not that check the RCAs and the plug for them that it didn't get damaged.

I would change the amp, guessing it is that or wiring for it. If it is a power or clipping issue it should be obvious. If it is an open box inside I don't think it will hardly make sound out of phase. I guess it could be a bad sub but you said electronic noise.

A midget, sweet lol I have had nice sounding coax, a few triax. Problem is they think the triax are for high power and they often sound nasty. They will have less bass/midbass and the highs can be too strong. I like coax better because of that 'typical' problem with triax. Triax can be nice in the right application, like someplace that will muffle the highs. We used to use them in boats near the floor all the time, or if you have speakers way in the back of a van/suv under a heavy stock grill, things like that. Comps tend to be nicer, but mostly in mounting options (per price). They do open up the mid, and you often can get better staging with better tweeter positioning. I have some boston comps right now that sound nice except I can't get the midbass out of the 5x7 without pushing the eq hard. It could be the install is somewhat at fault, have not worked on it yet. On the other hand coax might or might not handle higher power, I have blown a few and I am always nice to my speakers. When I listen to them I look for not harsh or strong but a little airy highs, good bass and lower voice sounds...less in the upper voices. If I have a mounting that is covered/not as well heard, then more treble/voice is fine long as it is never screaming at me. More expensive tends to sound better, but not always.

Long time ago I found some that were plain but had gold connectors and thick wire, they were like $3 each so I bought a box full and none since. This spring I got some scosche twisted looking ones with my wiring kit at walmart, they seem to be ok.

What me, keep reusing all the old junk I have around here? Never..... I just like to face my subs in the same general direction most of the time, not really sure why. If I ever studied it, I forgot by now.

Suggestions...I'd say try 8" mid bass. Then you can run smaller passive or active over them, or 3" full range if you can get them aimed at you some. That is next on my list. Are you interested mostly in SQ? I am but like it kind of loud now and then to vent, and like plenty of bottom.