G'day all, thanks for taking the interest in my first thread ever posted on any car audio site.
My car audio system over the years of collecting/buying/selling/ebaying consists of:
HAPPY
{{
Pioneer DEH-P8650MP equivalent to your US DEH-P8600MP
Infinity Kappa 6.07cs 6" Components at the front
Pioneer 4 ways at the back
Pioneer GM-6100F 600watts (max) to run the speakers
and the sub:
Alpine Type R SWR-1242D it has a rated RMS value of 500watts although I have seen places in the net saying theyre 300watts RMS?
running off the Alpine MRD-M605 400 Watts RMS X 1 @ 4 ohms, 600 Watts RMS at two ohms.
}}
For the subwoofer I used a non custom box one off the shelf from where I work – Strathfield Car radios a big car audio retailer here in oz.
When I first hooked up the sub and the amp I was not entirely happy with the bass I was getting. It seems that the bass would clip before what I would have expected for a type R rated at 500 watts RMS and off an Alpine mono-bloc amp with a birth sheet of 644 watts RMS at 2 ohms!
I have heard my mates pioneer 800 watt subs and running of an el cheapo Boss 1000 watt amp and the bass is almost as much as what mine is. Perhaps not as clear but as loud if not more it makes your nostrils shake, mine does not.
If I put up the bass too much it seems that the sub excursion gets pretty high and then I can hear distortion.
The splits and the speakers work very well I love the Kappa splits sound perfect and I have the sound faded about 70% to the front splits anyway and have the back speakers just for fill.
My main downfall seems to be my sub levels. And hence I implore you to share your wisdom.
I have the input voltage on the amp set to 1.0 volts because only at this setting do I really get some decent amount of SPL. If I set it to 4.0 Volts the SPL is very low even when I turn up the sub woofer levels on the deck.
COFFEE
Some problems I think might have something do to with it:
* I am running a single 4GA wire to a splitter in the boot which has two 8Ga wires, one going to each amp. Would changing to running a 4GA wire for each amp make such a difference to my Amplifiers and thereby subwoofers performance?
* Would a custom box at .85cf as stated on the crutchfield website make for a dramatic increase in performance? (they state that the recommended enclosure for this sub as stated in the alpine manual is a misprint ? http://www.crutchfield.com/S-IRKqCW6Votj/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?print=Y&g=520&id=detailed_info&i=500SWR1242
* I am currently running my sub as a Two ohm running both voice coils in parrallel, is this the best setup? or would running it at 4ohms with 400 watts rms be ideal?
* Any specific settings for the amp/deck which would give better performance? I know this is such a broad question but any pointers would be very helpful. I have the alpine amp for the sub set to LPF at 125Hz. Is 80Hz better and then just have the HPF on the deck at 80hz+ for the splits? What do you guys find works best for you?
Any help / comments / suggestion / thoughts / opinions would be immensely appreciated Cheers (sorry for writing so much)
GRIN
Replies (3)
swez on 05/9/2006 11:35:36
Sounds like a good system in all. However, your main power line is a bit light for both amps. A #2 gage power line will get more power to your amps and less voltage drops to each amp. You can proof this out with a DC voltage meter. Measure the DC voltage at the BAT. Then measure the power at amp power terminals too. If you see a 0.5 volt drop or more, that #4 line is not big enough.
A #4 line for the Alpine sub amp is recommended. Same for ground. Keep your lines as short as possible for amp grounds. This means a #2 line from the BAT to fuse, fuse to D-block and #4 power & ground for the MRD-M605 and a #8 gage wire kit for your Pioneer amp.
Amp Install guide:
http://www.alpine-usa.com/images/products/documents/MRD-M605_om.pdf
That HU will produce a 4 volt signal to each RCA channel when the HU volume is at ~80% OF FULL POWER. If you set amp gains below ~2 volts, the amps will clip badly above say 50% HU volume.
As for filtering, the mid/highs can be set at 80-100 Hz. (HPF) The sub LPF should be the same value, using the LPF on the Alpine sub amp. No need to use the HU crossovers here, if you amps already have adequate filters.
Since the sub amp is rated at +600 watts RMS @ 2 ohms. That 0.85 cf is a good size box for this sub. Go easy on any bass boost feature (+3 to +6dB t) as this will only work the sub & amp harder. (higher distortion levels)
Finally, in this vehicle, try mounting the sub so the box rests against the rear seats and fires back toward the rear bumper. This is generally the preferred method for sedans, hatch backs and SUV's.
Comments?
Swez
WRXallFlex on 05/10/2006 01:12:50
I will be running a new 4 gauge wire to the back and use the old 4 gauge wire for the Sub Amp alone, this is pretty much the same as running one 2 gauge and splitting it at the back right? Im pretty sure thats right.
I will turn off all the high/low pass filters on the deck, I dont think they work very well anyway and I do have the high/low pass filters working on the amps. Although one thing puzzles me, my amps already have the speakers running at a low pass filter at 80hz, this means all the levels above 80 hz should be cut off. Yet I can still adjust the crossovers on the HU and have the low pass filter at 120Hz and it will change the bass. Would it be advisable to turn off the filters at the amps and use only the filters in the HU ?
.Do you think I should keep the sub as a 2 ohm load and have the 600wrms running into it or run it as a 4 ohm with the 400 watts rms would it make much difference?
Jaime
swez on 05/10/2006 11:07:49
With careful gain settings, you can use a 2 ohm load here.
Use the amp filters, defeat the HU filters.
Yes, a sepearate #4 to your sub amp alone is acceptable. Fuse that one at 60-80A.
Swez
My car audio system over the years of collecting/buying/selling/ebaying consists of:
HAPPY
{{
Pioneer DEH-P8650MP equivalent to your US DEH-P8600MP
Infinity Kappa 6.07cs 6" Components at the front
Pioneer 4 ways at the back
Pioneer GM-6100F 600watts (max) to run the speakers
and the sub:
Alpine Type R SWR-1242D it has a rated RMS value of 500watts although I have seen places in the net saying theyre 300watts RMS?
running off the Alpine MRD-M605 400 Watts RMS X 1 @ 4 ohms, 600 Watts RMS at two ohms.
}}
For the subwoofer I used a non custom box one off the shelf from where I work – Strathfield Car radios a big car audio retailer here in oz.
When I first hooked up the sub and the amp I was not entirely happy with the bass I was getting. It seems that the bass would clip before what I would have expected for a type R rated at 500 watts RMS and off an Alpine mono-bloc amp with a birth sheet of 644 watts RMS at 2 ohms!
I have heard my mates pioneer 800 watt subs and running of an el cheapo Boss 1000 watt amp and the bass is almost as much as what mine is. Perhaps not as clear but as loud if not more it makes your nostrils shake, mine does not.
If I put up the bass too much it seems that the sub excursion gets pretty high and then I can hear distortion.
The splits and the speakers work very well I love the Kappa splits sound perfect and I have the sound faded about 70% to the front splits anyway and have the back speakers just for fill.
My main downfall seems to be my sub levels. And hence I implore you to share your wisdom.
I have the input voltage on the amp set to 1.0 volts because only at this setting do I really get some decent amount of SPL. If I set it to 4.0 Volts the SPL is very low even when I turn up the sub woofer levels on the deck.
COFFEE
Some problems I think might have something do to with it:
* I am running a single 4GA wire to a splitter in the boot which has two 8Ga wires, one going to each amp. Would changing to running a 4GA wire for each amp make such a difference to my Amplifiers and thereby subwoofers performance?
* Would a custom box at .85cf as stated on the crutchfield website make for a dramatic increase in performance? (they state that the recommended enclosure for this sub as stated in the alpine manual is a misprint ? http://www.crutchfield.com/S-IRKqCW6Votj/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?print=Y&g=520&id=detailed_info&i=500SWR1242
* I am currently running my sub as a Two ohm running both voice coils in parrallel, is this the best setup? or would running it at 4ohms with 400 watts rms be ideal?
* Any specific settings for the amp/deck which would give better performance? I know this is such a broad question but any pointers would be very helpful. I have the alpine amp for the sub set to LPF at 125Hz. Is 80Hz better and then just have the HPF on the deck at 80hz+ for the splits? What do you guys find works best for you?
Any help / comments / suggestion / thoughts / opinions would be immensely appreciated Cheers (sorry for writing so much)
GRIN
Replies (3)
swez on 05/9/2006 11:35:36
Sounds like a good system in all. However, your main power line is a bit light for both amps. A #2 gage power line will get more power to your amps and less voltage drops to each amp. You can proof this out with a DC voltage meter. Measure the DC voltage at the BAT. Then measure the power at amp power terminals too. If you see a 0.5 volt drop or more, that #4 line is not big enough.
A #4 line for the Alpine sub amp is recommended. Same for ground. Keep your lines as short as possible for amp grounds. This means a #2 line from the BAT to fuse, fuse to D-block and #4 power & ground for the MRD-M605 and a #8 gage wire kit for your Pioneer amp.
Amp Install guide:
http://www.alpine-usa.com/images/products/documents/MRD-M605_om.pdf
That HU will produce a 4 volt signal to each RCA channel when the HU volume is at ~80% OF FULL POWER. If you set amp gains below ~2 volts, the amps will clip badly above say 50% HU volume.
As for filtering, the mid/highs can be set at 80-100 Hz. (HPF) The sub LPF should be the same value, using the LPF on the Alpine sub amp. No need to use the HU crossovers here, if you amps already have adequate filters.
Since the sub amp is rated at +600 watts RMS @ 2 ohms. That 0.85 cf is a good size box for this sub. Go easy on any bass boost feature (+3 to +6dB t) as this will only work the sub & amp harder. (higher distortion levels)
Finally, in this vehicle, try mounting the sub so the box rests against the rear seats and fires back toward the rear bumper. This is generally the preferred method for sedans, hatch backs and SUV's.
Comments?
Swez
WRXallFlex on 05/10/2006 01:12:50
I will be running a new 4 gauge wire to the back and use the old 4 gauge wire for the Sub Amp alone, this is pretty much the same as running one 2 gauge and splitting it at the back right? Im pretty sure thats right.
I will turn off all the high/low pass filters on the deck, I dont think they work very well anyway and I do have the high/low pass filters working on the amps. Although one thing puzzles me, my amps already have the speakers running at a low pass filter at 80hz, this means all the levels above 80 hz should be cut off. Yet I can still adjust the crossovers on the HU and have the low pass filter at 120Hz and it will change the bass. Would it be advisable to turn off the filters at the amps and use only the filters in the HU ?
.Do you think I should keep the sub as a 2 ohm load and have the 600wrms running into it or run it as a 4 ohm with the 400 watts rms would it make much difference?
Jaime
swez on 05/10/2006 11:07:49
With careful gain settings, you can use a 2 ohm load here.
Use the amp filters, defeat the HU filters.
Yes, a sepearate #4 to your sub amp alone is acceptable. Fuse that one at 60-80A.
Swez
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