BigDaddy13440

I picked up a used SAZ1500 for $50 off Facebook Marketplace, guy thought it didn't work. Figured I'd send it for repair, and be into a great amp for under $200. Got it home, fiddled with it, and found that none of the controls work, but if I run a signal through the slave input, it does indeed work. So it's stuck in slave mode. Does anyone know how to get it out of slave mode? I'd love to be able to set the gain properly, dial my system in the way it should be done. AND.... with proper electrical, can this amp be run at .5 ohms? Good ventilation, dual runs of 1/0 to dual 1/0-1/0 reducers at the amp, 250 amp alternator. Am running it now at 2 ohms to my (2) dual 2 ohm subs, if the amp will do .5, I'll do some rewiring.

Pretty much as the title implies.... I've got a 2004 Yukon XL, and I'm updating the entire system. Just replaced my alternator with a 253amp model from a 3500 series pickup (factory option! bolted right in!), will shortly be wiring up a second 1000cca battery. Dual 1/0 runs to the rear, fused at both ends. Currently only running (1) amp, and old Lightning Audio 1001.d @ 1 ohm, will be swapping that out, most likely to a Skar RP-1501.D. Two Powerbass S10-d (dual coil) subs in a 2.7-ish cu ft box built into the rear quarter panel. Tuning is way too low, probably about 24-25Hz. Factory speakers in the doors and rear pillars, will soon be changing them out - probably doing a pair of 6.5's in the front doors, a single 6.5 in the rear doors, and a pair of 10" Powerbass S-10's (single coil) sealed in the front portion of my center console as mid-bass, from 60-150Hz. Will plan on running the speakers and front S-10's on a five-channel amp, most likely Skar's AP-600.5. I've got nothing set in stone for the 6.5's, there are literally hundreds of options - but if anyone has some reasonably priced option, please offer suggestions. My biggest dilemma is figuring out what to put in the rear C-pillars. The factory fill is a 2" or 2 1/2", only about 3/4" deep. I'd like to go bigger, even if it's a 3 1/2" or 4". Would run them in parallel with the rear door speakers, dropping the load down to 2 ohms, the same as the front doors. Has anyone ever seen the C-pillars upgraded/enlarged? I found a pair of PPI Sedona series 4" two-ways, supposedly will handle 60 watts RMS, max of 200 watts. The Skar 5-channel is rated at 90x4 @ 2 ohms, so each would see a safe 45 watts. Thoughts/suggestions?

Am currently looking at subwoofers to upgrade from my lowly Powerbass S-10D's. Have been running a Lightning Audio 1001.d monoblock @ 1 ohm for the last year, and every time I get it cranking, the amp shuts off after 10-15 minutes, blowing fuses. I am running a 250 amp alternator, and a brand new 1000ca/800cca battery, with 1/0 run back to my distribution block, and a 14" 4ga run to the amp, with the big 3 under the hood. Will be adding a second battery, under the hood, as there is a second battery tray. I really don't want to run much more power than what I already have, as I don't want to get into having to add a dual alternator, or putting another battery in the back. Probably looking at a1200-1500 watt amp, possibly Skar or Audiopipe, just depends on what I can find for a deal. The Powerbass subs are only rated at 350 watts rms, I'd like to be able to run a clean 600-750 to each. I haven't found much out there for a sub that has a high sensitivity, other than the Dayton's below. Most 10" subs that can handle 500 watts rms or more only have a sensitivity from 83-87db, these Dayton's are supposedly 90.5db. If I remember correctly, it takes double the power to achieve 3db more in output - if that's so, then these Daytons with 600 watts would have the same output as a different sub pushed by 1200 watts at a 87.5db sensitivity, or 2400 watts pushing a sub with 83.5db sensitivity. I know that Dayton is primarily a home audio company, but these have me intrigued. Specs look decent, and what other content I've found online seems to agree. If not these, then make another suggestion for a higher-sensitivity 10" sub, that will work in a 1.25-1.3cu ft enclosure (mine is about 2.8 cubes, less sub and port displacement). https://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-rss265ho-44-10-reference-ho-dvc-subwoofer--295-463

Decided to follow the advice given, and negate the rear speakers. Thanks all!

Also did a center console, as my middle bench seat was shot. Tore the seat apart, saved the frame so that I would have good, solid mounting points for the console. Have two older Powerbass S-10s (single coil) in a 1.2 cu ft sealed enclosure, planning on running them with an old Kenwood 250w monoblock for midbass, most likely from 60 Hz to about 120Hz. Want to anchor the front imaging, I did this in my old Tahoe, and really liked the way it sounded. The base, with all my junk underneath. None of that will be in there, will be mounting two of my amps underneath - that's what the cleats are for, to raise the console itself up. Front section of the console, sealed enclosure for the two 10's. Not ported, I have those ports sealed off with the "puck" from the cutout, they make great cupholders, can easily hold a 32 oz bottle of Powerade. The one hole was off by about 1/8th of an inch, but anal retentive mind wouldn't deal with it, so I ovaled both holes, and built out the holes a bit with some thick marine-grade tape. Problem solved. Two tens, wired in parallel for a 2 ohm load. Console pushed all the way forward, matching the contour of the dash. You can see how it is elevated off the base (still have all my junk in there during the test fitting, since removed and filling up the storage space). Center console storage, fits tight with the forward enclosure. A couple of side trim pieces, don't want everything to be square and boxy. The holes in the bottom enclosure are there for two purposes - 1) allow ventilation for the amps, and 2) putting blue LEDs inside, will get a nice glow radiating out onto the front floor. And finally, the lid for the storage. It flips open towards the passenger seat, there's enough of a lip where it extends over the curved trim piece so that I don't need to build in any handle or finger pull. I have a roll of the same carpet that I used for the rear enclosure, using that and some darker gray carpet to wrap everything, give it a little bit of contrast. Wish I had an enclosed garage, I could be working on this while I'm out of work recovering from surgery.

I'd love to be able to go larger, but my enclosure is built into the back corner of my Yukon XL - doesn't take up any floor space whatsoever.

And I've been around the forum for long enough to know that your own tastes are not the "slapping, buzzing, tin can farting" noise that most people with multi-thousand watts and 4 or more subwoofers desire. I've had two fifteens in my truck before, I've been in vehicles with eight twelves, and it's not my cup of tea, either. I want, good, tight, accurate bass that doesn't overwhelm the rest of the system. While I'm not the audiophile that you are, I respect your opinion as your taste is probably the closest to my own. While I occasionally listen to some Eminem, I don't generally listen to rap. My musical interests are generally modern, hard and alternative rock, ranging from Alter Bridge to Velvet Revolver, Alice In Chains to Powerman 5000, Ronnie James Dio to Def Leppard. I'm 47, and grew up in the Hair Metal era.

The primary reason I've even been thinking about the rears is that I use the truck for work, and usually have the hatch open all the time for access to my tools and supplies. If I delete the rear speakers, then the music has to come from the doors, over the front seats, and through the vehicle before I hear it. I doubt that'd be a serious issue, I could just roll the front windows down, but a lot of the time I have the hatch open when it's raining and I have a covered are to work in (I install doors for Lowe's). As I said, not a major concern, but if I can easily remedy it, why not? Dual 6.5's in each front door, single 6.5 in the rear door paralleled with the 3.5's or 4's, will have a 2 ohm load of each channel. Ideally.... I'd love to get some waterproof exterior speakers, and make some swing-out brackets. Have them running off a separate amp (and have switches to shut off each amp), would be great for work (and tailgating!).

My son Andrew entered a contest for the NEW mascot for Enchanted Forest's Water Safari, and his entry was chosen as one of the five finalists. Andrew is Autistic, and has really made huge strides over the last few years, and has developed quite an imagination and creativity. If he were to win this contest, he would be absolutely thrilled, as would his mother and I. Please take a few minutes, and vote for his entry, "Louie the Safari Duck". Link to the page: Water Safari's Mascot Contest I thank each and every one of you in advance.

I know almost everyone here has auxiliary batteries to push their systems, but how did you wire them up? Did you run an output wire from your alternator to the primary battery, then run another run to your auxiliary(s), or did you run wiring straight from the alternator to both? Anybody using a dual-battery isolator or relay system, or is it just a waste of time and/or expense? GM originally used a parallel wiring scheme for its factory dual-battery system, I'm just wondering if that is the BEST way. I don't want to have any adverse effects on the alternator. I just want to do it right.

Not the same then. x2, different vehicle, different cabin characteristics. Hell even tearing out a whole system and reinstalling in the same car is bound to be different on the TL. All I was saying, was that the Powerbass gear was an excellent example of good, clean power for much less coin that RF. Not knocking your guys' knowledge, you obviously compete. I don't, never have, don't ever intend on it. I just enjoy clear sound, and moderately loud listening levels. I doubt my system even approaches 145db, I don't know, never been on a meter. But it sounds great for MY application. There may be other amp companies that make gear better than PB for less money, someone mentioned AQ...

After reading through a bunch of threads at a truck forum I'm on, someone asked about running a 16v system separately to power their system. I know some of the trailer-queen competitors use unregulated amps and they can crank their voltages up to 16+, but is it possible to do it in a daily-driver? Does anyone make a high-output alternator that would sufficiently charge a 16V battery (like the Kinetic KHC16V), and still be OK for daily use? Would the Kinetic last if being used daily? OR, would it be more beneficial to use a bunch of 12V batteries, dual or triple alts, and stay with regulated amps?

As the OP, I remember that in the mid-80's, GM used a 24 volt electrical system on a bunch of the military Blazers and Diesels. There was a shop in Syracuse that did up a competition system in one of these, and used some modded PPI amps that were capable of running at 24 volts, powered by multiple 12v batteries in a series/parallel configuration. IF it were possible to find one of these vehicles, THEORETICALLY would there be any advantage to run a 24V setup vs a 12V?

As the OP, I remember that in the mid-80's, GM used a 24 volt electrical system on a bunch of the military Blazers and Diesels. There was a shop in Syracuse that did up a competition system in one of these, and used some modded PPI amps that were capable of running at 24 volts, powered by multiple 12v batteries in a series/parallel configuration. IF it were possible to find one of these vehicles, THEORETICALLY would there be any advantage to run a 24V setup vs a 12V?

I had an old Ford Tempo, I slid sideways while trying to make a turn onto the street an ex-girlfriend lived on. I know for a fact that I couldn't have been doing more than 10mph even with the studded snows I had on, can't even make the turn on dry roads at 15. Anyway, slid sideways, and bumped the curb. Didn't get hung up in the snow, thought everything was OK, drove to her house about 100 yards up the road. About 4 hours later, started to head home. My steering wheel was offset a bit, thought maybe I bent a tie rod, would have to get it fixed the next day. Had about 15 miles to go, didn't dare drive over 20mph, I was all over the road, had to drive with my flashers on on the edge of the highway. Took it to the shop the next day, tie rods were fine. Control arms were fine. Rack and pinion was fine. Turned out, as I did that little slide, the front wheel was turned perfectly, hit the curb completely square...... and with enough force to actually bend the frame of the car. Tweaked it enough so that the wheel no longer was 90* perpendicular with the road, it was shoved in at the bottom at about a 15* angle. If it had been a control arm, or a tie rod, the parts would have been about $35, plus the alignment. Took the Body Shop almost 4 hours on the frame machine to get it as close as they could, and at $75/hr.... and I still needed an alignment.

If you've got bucket seats, why not rip out the center console (if you have one), and extend the enclosure between the seats as a "T"? You could always use the "T" section as an external port, would gain you at least a couple feet of interior volume behind the seats. If you've already ripped out all the plastic interior pieces, why not use a LOT of heavy fiberglass mat and have the sides and back of the enclosure conform to the shape of the truck? Lay a mat of 1/2" dense foam on all the metal surfaces, then 'glass over it - I'm sure you'd have the capability of finding 8-9 cubes, easily.

You want something different? Try a hearse. Wayne Harris (of Rockford Fosgate and TermLab fame) did one back in the early 80's, it was magnificent. That car is what got him IN to car audio, everything just blew up from there. Here's a quick link, but do a Google search for Wayne Harris terminator hearse: http://www.mobilesoundscience.com/f30/wayne-harris-1960-cadillac-hearse-terminator-1988-csr-304/

A buddy of mine is a Powerbass dealer, absolutely LOVES their stuff, especially for the money. He's got two similar sound-off cars, one with all Fosgate gear (he's also a certified RF dealer), one with Powerbass. Same tunes, same power... RF car hit 157.8, Powerbass car hit 158.2.... with about 65% of the equipment costs.

I've only got 250w RMS (rated) going to each of my 15" Celestions (98db efficiency), plenty loud enough to rattle everything in my Tahoe. Got 125 watts going to each of the 10's in my center console, brings the low end staging a bit towards the front. For my highs, only running 40watts x 4. Hmm.... 910 watts at full rated power, and I get headaches if I play it for more than 15-20 minutes at volume just shy of distortion. You guys running 5K daily have to be nearly deaf.

Get some threaded couplings that are the same thread as your nuts that hold the seat in place, thread them over the existing bolts, and use some threaded rod to extend them. Use some fender washers on the "new" bolts, and reuse your existing nuts to hold the seat down. You'll wind up with a lift the same height as the length of the threaded couplings, most likely about 2 1/2" for a 1/2" bolt, if I'm mistaken. If you wanted to go higher, you could always fab up some brackets using 2" or 3" C-channel, you could even offset the seat forward/backward or left/right by moving your mounting holes - I did this for a little old man who couldn't see over the steering wheel of his Dodge truck. Of course, this wouldn't work if your brackets bolt in at angles, instead of completely vertically.

try this: Port Size Calculator input the driver size, and the Xmax, it'll give you the recommended cross-sectional area of the port. plus-or-minus 10%, you should be fine.

Might want to get a bigger power supply, that 25amp piece is woefully incapable of allowing the amp(s) to reach anywhere near their potential.

What box size, port, and sub do you have now? Try this: http://www.carstereo.com/help/Articles.cfm?id=31 It bases the cross-sectional area of the port on the amount of air the sub displaces. Input the diameter of the sub(s), the Xmax, and the desired tuning frequency - it'll tell you the size of a square port. From there, figure out the dimensions of the slotted port you need.

Even cheaper...... go to Lowe's, Home Depot or any other home improvement place. See if they have any roofing waterproofing membrane, check it out to make sure it's not the granular surface, but the smooth vinyl. I bought a roll of the Grace brand stuff, 225 sq ft for $110. EXACTLY the same as Dynamat original. I did 4 layers on the roof and trunk of my old Ford Tempo, and 3 layers on the floor and the doors, inside panels too. The only thing I didn't do was take out the dash. It was severely deadened, as in not a single buzz anywhere. Even put two layers on the back of the license plate.

Just a for instance: Say you have an enclosure 40" wide x 32" long x 30" high, The port is 38.5" wide (facing forward), 6.5" in height, and 24.5" in length - tuned to approximately 34Hz (I'm assuming a driver XMax of 20mm.) The Net enclosure volume is 14.40 cubes, less driver displacement. You have the option of placing (4) 15" subs on the top baffle, or (9) 10" subs. Which do YOU choose, and why? What subs would YOU do? Roughly 1.5 cubes each for the 10's, or 3.37 for the 15's. Either way, it would be possible to run whatever amp at 1 ohm Mono - Strapped SAZ3500's, anyone? I'd be VERY interested to see/hear/speculate what the XCONS would do......