I'm trying to figure out if i am running enough power to my amps. I have a Rockford 500x. the certificate says 644 rms. and i have a sony xplod 800watt 4 channel. the sony is pushing my mids and highs, and the fosgate is pushing 2 xplod 12's (xsl1236). Ive got them bridged down to 2 channels so im putting about 320 rms each.
I have a 4 guage power wire running from the battery into a splitter. the amps are being powere by a single 8 guage to each from the splitter.
I am worried that im not getting enough power to push the amps. I s this true? Should i consider a new alternator? Run a new power cable like 2 guage or what?

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Replies (4)

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PhiKappaTau on 04/9/2003 16:06:35
oh yeah, the car is a 92 mazda mx-6 gt in excellent condition. and another question is that I am thinking about turning the subs around to face inside the compartment. theyre inthe trunk of course but the seats fold down completely, which is where i mounted the amps. ivwe heard that this will distort the sound, is this true? I'm doing this because i am trying to work on appearance now so ive got some lighting ideas.

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xplicitblitzboi on 04/9/2003 19:44:06
well, in any case, when you are running more than 20 or 30 amps extra with your stock alternator, it would be a good idea to get a High Output alternator, i dont know the specific RMS specs on the sony amp but i know they overrate. so i'll just say about 250 watts
so thats about 900 watts/12 v(voltage with eff. factored en) thats 75 amps of extra current that your trying to run off of your stock alternator, thats most likely going to be a problem, and if ur thinking about a cap, that wont help. it might make the problem worse. you probably would want to run a larger power wire to the splitter becaus 8 gauge is too small for a 600 watt amp.

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xplicitblitzboi on 04/9/2003 19:53:46
oh, and if you were thinking about turning the subs around, the only problem about that is, you dont give the subs enough space to mature a full wave, that is why is sounds better when they are faced towards the trunk.

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Swez on 04/10/2003 07:07:07
Add up the amp fuses and see what you have here for current demand to power each/both amps. A #8 wire to the Sony amp should be adequate for interior needs.

That RF amp, states #8 power line and ground. Depending on how hard you push the amp, less than #4 gage will not be enough gage diameter to feed both amps a full dose of input watts. When bridging this amp from 4x to 2x, your output per channel is actually 250 RMS per channel @ 4 ohms. See specs on 500X:

http://www.rockfordfosgate.com/ez2/ModelInfo/ModelInfo.asp?ItemKey=10058947&CategoryDesc=Punch%20Amplifiers

A #4 power line will carry ~132 amps of current safely. But if you have a small gage ALT/BAT & BAT/GND wire, may need to upgrade that wire to #4 as well. Most stock wires here, are #8 or maybe #6 wire gage. Have a look at that as you dig into this issue.

Finally, about sub orientation, try both ways and determine what sounds best in your vehicle. Most vehicles seem to provide best bass performance when sub box is mounted against rear seats, but facing to the rear of the vehicle. Not always true... but more often than not, is your best aiming position.

Swez

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