CamTom12

iTrader: (1)

I upgraded the speakers like Rogueleader's sticky said with the Alpine S in the doors and the Fosgate 4406's in the B-pillars and while it does sound nicer than it did, I'm still not satisfied. I need more mid to low sound. I figured that since the new Alpines were underpowered I'd better go ahead and do some replacing...

some $ later I've now got

1 Pioneer DEH-P3600 HU (50W x 4 max)
1 Rockford Fosgate Punch P3001 Amp (150W rms @ 4 Ohms; 300W rms @ 2 Ohms)

Ok, so I how now do I hook up the Amp to my two Rockford subs (150W rms, 300W max, 4 Ohm)?

Here's my train of thought:
If I line them up in series I'll come out to 8 Ohms and they'll be underpowered, but if I line them up in parallel I get 2 Ohms and overpowered... Am I way off? (and I went ahead and got some SPS-100A's for the trunk because now that they'll get some clear sound I might not fade the sound mostly the front anymore )

Thanks!

2FAST4U

over power them is better and turn the gain down alittle! I and a buddy have MB Quarts that are only 120-150watts and we run 250watts to them! I have had alot of rockford it will be ok! Oh and don't be stupid and turn all the tuning ***** to full b/c you "think" it means it will sound better!

CamTom12

iTrader: (1)

ok, I'll parallel them, then

hahahaha, no way ! I definately start tuning my sound with all the ***** (or eq settings) at 0, then work my way up

2MuchRiceMakesMeSick

Ok, I am having trouble understanding what your wanting. These are for subs? What size? If these are for mid range ohms will not matter (dont get rediculous like .5 ohm) that much.

If you do have subs and you do have a two channel amp, and two subs. Whats wrong with wireing them one sub per channel for a 4 ohm load?

CamTom12

iTrader: (1)

RFP4406 = 6.5", 150W rms, 300W max, 4 Ohm (very small subwoofers)

P3001 Amp 150W rms @ 4 Ohms; 300W rms @ 2 Ohms, 1 channel mono.

2MuchRiceMakesMeSick

I wouldnt worry about the ohm load too much on that size of speakers. I would be more worried about having stereo vs mono. 150 watts should be enough for any 6.5". Your amp will run cooler and last longer.

CamTom12

iTrader: (1)

Why would I need stereo bass?

they're direct factory-location replacements is why I chose them. I'm worried about overpowering them because I was thinking about it in a Voltage divider train of thought... (Loads in parallel see the same voltage)

It dawned on me this morning (during a Juice test, of all places), that they'll each get about 150 Watts anyway, because even though the Amp only sees a 2 Ohm load, they'll each see a certain voltage and current which will be held up by their impedance to dissapate power. All things in these two subs being equal, I can only imagine that they'll split the power generated by the Amp and each dissapate 150W.

So in other words, it looks like I matched my subs and amp perfectly and then started second-guessing myself.

But I'm still curious, I don't know if I've heard stereo bass before... does it sound better?

02Z28LS1

iTrader: (2)

definitely hook them up in parallel. you should never wire two seperate speakers together in series. the simplest reason is that if one of the speakers dies, they both stop working.

now, this does not include wiring both voice coils in a dual-voice coil subwoofer in series, but the speakers you mentioned are single-voice coil speakers.

This is a handy little page to refer to from time to time if you have speaker wiring questions. and This is the main directory to all of JL Audio's tutorials, which (for the most part), can be applied to any other brand of equipment.

CamTom12

iTrader: (1)

02Z28LS1 - I've seen the second one before but they're both full of great information. Good post!

BTW, you're at TAMU?

02Z28LS1

iTrader: (2)

well, i'm in College Station, which is home to A&M University, but i'm not in school there, and don't claim myself as an Aggie.

as far as your question about stereo bass, it all depends on the source material being played as to whether it sounds better or not. think of it this way: is it really gonna matter if your home theater receiver can decode Dolby Digital 6.1 if you are still playing a VHS Cassette tape that only contains stereo sound information?

if your source material has two seperate bass lines playing at the same time, then stereo bass drivers might sound better. there are some recordings that do have stereo bass, but the vast majority don't, so you should be fine with mono bass.

CamTom12

iTrader: (1)

Sweet. That's what I was thinking. I've never actually heard a recording with stereo bass, but I listen to mostly rock, some indie, some punk, some pop, some r&b, some country... depends on my mood..

I used to live in Mesquite. Almost went to A&M, but only cause they were gonna pay for it. I'd have rather gone to UT of the two, but now I'm somewhere completely different

By the way, thanks for all the help on this guys

2MuchRiceMakesMeSick

Im not sure why your using 6 and 1/2s to reproduce low frequencies as they will not play down that low, especially in a free air situation. The reason I said it would be better to have stereo is because the 6.5s will play up a lot higher then your going to cross them over at. I say hook them up in stereo and cross them over from 2000hz-120hz and throw a stealth 10 or 12 in the back to reproduce lower frequencys. You wouldn’t put skinnys on the back of your car would you? Cause they were not intended for that purpose.

CamTom12

iTrader: (1)

Good point about the skinnies, but I think we're misunderstanding each other. This stereo isn't intended for hard hitting or anything like that really. It's just a single step beyond stock stuff with the possibility to add on later. My car's probably gonna get some weight reduction next summer, so I don't know so much about adding a sub right now.

The stock subs got low enough for me, they just sounded like crap and were too quiet so I fixed that problem on the whole system . I don't know that these will really play as high as you think, though... Google the part number (RFP4406) - they're not midranges, they're specific subwoofers.

CamTom12

iTrader: (1)

Got my Amp in today!

Waiting on the rest of the parts...

2MuchRiceMakesMeSick

I understand exactly what you mean about weight reduction. Im going to be taking out my A/C and power steering soon. Good luck on the install Take some pics and let use know how it turns out.

CamTom12

iTrader: (1)

I definately will!

Thanks!

CamTom12

iTrader: (1)

Got the SPS-100A's in today! now all I have to wait for is the installation kit (harness, block-off plate, etc.) and I can go out, buy some speaker wire and some crimp-on connectors and I'm ready to start!

I figure about 50' of wire will be enough to make sure I don't run out... I'm running wire from the head unit to all the stock locations (minus the sail-panel subs) and then from the back of the car somewhere (amp) to the sail-panel subs. Does 50' seem to be more than enough or should I grab more? Running out in the middle of the install will likely add a week or two onto the process... (circumstances of where I go to school and all)

CamTom12

iTrader: (1)

I ended up getting WAY too much wire, but its ok. I'd rather not worry about having to stop when I have the time to work on the car.

Yesterday I got the Amp all wired up and laid the wires to the speakers. I haven't connected the power line to the Amp yet, but I've got it taped down up near the battery. I also haven't re-wired the front speakers and sail-subs because I only get 1 day for every 2 weeks to work on the car and I'd like to hear tunes until the last possible moment .

Next steps are laying new wires to the door speakers, pulling the Monsoon HU, putting the new HU in, and connecting all the speakers!

I broke one of my factory tweeters trying to get the metal shavings from drilling the rivets out of it, so I tossed them both out and decided I'd try and run it w/o rear tweets and if I hate it I'll just buy some more Alpines.

firebirdude

Sorry. Some of this mis-info is making me sick.
For subwoofers, you ALWAYS want a mono signal. Lemme say that again, ALWAYS. The subwoofers need the EXACT same signal. Although Camtom was not refering to subwoofers, if he was, wire them in series and bridge the amp. Same signal, and same power out of the amp.
What!? Never use a series connection... are you kidding me? And your little reason for it is just comedic. But yet, this does not apply to DVC speakers also.
Again, for sub-bass frequencies, a mono signal should always be used. Have any idea what the ".1" stands for in 6.1? That's right. A subwoofer. Not "left" and "right" subwoofers, but a single subwoofer. Also, keep in mind that a woofer is not a subwoofer. My component set came with 6.5" woofers. They obviously should be played in a stereo format. Subwoofers....mono. Ever heard some call a single channel amp "a mono amp"? Because it only has a single channel or one pair of + and -. And these are only suppose to be for subwoofer purposes only, aren't they? No left and right channels. Just a single mono out.
There you go 2Much! Pretty much everything in there is correct. He really should not be trying to use these 6.5"s as subwoofers. Yes they are labeled subwoofers, but I don't see them reproducing even a 40Hz note very well..... free air none the less. Yes they can give your setup some bottom end, but for subwoofer frequencies, use a sub. Therefore, cross them over higher and play them in stereo. 2k is a little higher then I would have gone, but still good advice 2Much. Skinny's are tires.... and yes they are used for the drag strip.... but not on the rear.

CamTom12

iTrader: (1)

First question: If DVC's were never run in series, why would Polk Audio (among others) have a diagram for it?

Also, here's a repost to reiterate why I'm using the RFP-4406's instead of a stealth 10" or 12"

If my goal was for Ground-Pounding bass or a super-sweet system, I'd probably have a t-top box like yours. Noting that my midranges and tweeters are run from the head unit alone oughta accentuate this - they won't get nearly enough power to compliment thick, strong bass like that. And whether you could see them reproducing a 40Hz (what the hell? why would I even care?) note very well, and whether you have seen them not do it are two different things. And also, check out your sail panels... These aren't in a free-air set up. It's more like a ported box the way the sheetmetal is formed. Plus I've sealed all the leaks from the factory in this area.

Anyways, even with just part of the system hooked up, these 'labelled' subwoofers make pretty good bass. Not as strong on the lower 'drone' stuff as the 10" P2 I put in my Xterra, but much tighter hits across the board. Your system looks nice and I'm sure it sounds great, but that's no reason to put down my set-up before you understand my goals. That'd be like me making fun of your V-6 A4 Firebird, assuming you bought it to hit 10's in the 1/4mi.