Question on adding a sub/amp!
Thread Starter
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 696
Likes: 5
From: Salt Lake City, UT
Question on adding a sub/amp! Hello!
I've been trying to search and it appears that most threads either are trying to use an Aftermarket sub/amp with a stock HU or the other way around.
So, I have already installed a Double Din Pioneer kit from DoubleD Mods
and its AWESOME.
The goal is to replace/upgrade all the stock speakers & install a stealthbox from DoubleD Mods... However I get lost with one thing...
Do I keep the stock monsoon amp for all the stock speakers and wire in an amp only for the 10" sub that I'll get?
I've been trying to search and it appears that most threads either are trying to use an Aftermarket sub/amp with a stock HU or the other way around.
So, I have already installed a Double Din Pioneer kit from DoubleD Mods
and its AWESOME.The goal is to replace/upgrade all the stock speakers & install a stealthbox from DoubleD Mods... However I get lost with one thing...
Do I keep the stock monsoon amp for all the stock speakers and wire in an amp only for the 10" sub that I'll get? 
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 514
Likes: 0
Hello!
I've been trying to search and it appears that most threads either are trying to use an Aftermarket sub/amp with a stock HU or the other way around.
So, I have already installed a Double Din Pioneer kit from DoubleD Mods and its AWESOME.
The goal is to replace/upgrade all the stock speakers & install a stealthbox from DoubleD Mods... However I get lost with one thing... Do I keep the stock monsoon amp for all the stock speakers and wire in an amp only for the 10" sub that I'll get?
I've been trying to search and it appears that most threads either are trying to use an Aftermarket sub/amp with a stock HU or the other way around.
So, I have already installed a Double Din Pioneer kit from DoubleD Mods
and its AWESOME.The goal is to replace/upgrade all the stock speakers & install a stealthbox from DoubleD Mods... However I get lost with one thing...
Do I keep the stock monsoon amp for all the stock speakers and wire in an amp only for the 10" sub that I'll get? Thread Starter
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 696
Likes: 5
From: Salt Lake City, UT
Yes, typically you will want a class D mono-block amp, around 300 WRMS @ 4 Ohm, depending on the type of cone you put in your enclosure. you will need to run the sub pre-outs with RCA cables from your new HU back to the amp, as well as a (approximately) 4 gauge power wire from the battery. Then you need to find a ground, also 4 gauge, nearby. Then run speaker wires from your new mono-block to the stealth enclosure.
As far as you've seen, is it best to mount the amp on the back of the sub enclosure? I haven't seen how much space it leaves for anything else.
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I installed an amp rack, with plans to outgrow the monsoon amp later on, which I eventually did. They only cost like $70 or so. You can install a very small footprint amp on the stealth enclosure, but I would have the enclosure in-hand first to measure what I could fit. You would absolutely want the most efficient little class D amp you could find, with a low heat output, since it will have no place to ventilate. Definitely don't run a 2 Ohm load this way. Heat is hard on the larger capacitors inside the amp.
If you do plan to install bigger amps to outgrow the monsoon later on, run RCAs for all the outputs from the HU and consider a 0 gauge wiring kit from the outset to avoid tearing things up twice. Also remember the little trigger wire from the HU used to activate the external amps, usually purple.
If you do plan to install bigger amps to outgrow the monsoon later on, run RCAs for all the outputs from the HU and consider a 0 gauge wiring kit from the outset to avoid tearing things up twice. Also remember the little trigger wire from the HU used to activate the external amps, usually purple.
Thread Starter
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 696
Likes: 5
From: Salt Lake City, UT
Thanks again for all the info Capricio, I'm going to be buying this setup from DoubleD Mods, just coming along with that subwoofer already pre-installed.
Should I still go the route of the class D mono amp with this setup?
http://shop.doubledmods.com/Focal-P2...FBCAMFOCAL.htm
If anything, I might wire the amp to an area by the spare tire, it'll depend on size.
Should I still go the route of the class D mono amp with this setup?
http://shop.doubledmods.com/Focal-P2...FBCAMFOCAL.htm
If anything, I might wire the amp to an area by the spare tire, it'll depend on size.
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2010
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You can actually mount an amp on the spare tire:
http://www.banddirector.cz28.com/photo3.html
I always recommend class D amps for subs. They are very efficient at driving bass. Focal is a good brand but as a personal preference, I prefer to run subs as 4 Ohm loads for stability and improved damping. A good monoblock can sustain a 2 Ohm load, but running low impedance is sort of a "trick" to get more current through the voice coils, and make a smaller amp work harder. You can kind of equate this with putting a turbo on an engine with stock internals. Think of damping effect as the tension on a guitar string. If it gets to loose, the sound gets a little sloppy. Since this Focal is a DVC (4 + 4), you can only run it as a single load at 8 Ohms (series) or 2 Ohms (parallel). Most mobile audio gear is not made to drive 8 ohm loads, so you have to put the coils in parallel. I'd prefer a (2 + 2) in series with a larger amp rather an a (4 + 4) in parallel with a smaller amp.
...but, I'm being picky now. Dennis knows what he's doing and if he recommends an amp to go with that sub cone, then I'm sure it will work reliably and sound very good.
http://www.banddirector.cz28.com/photo3.html
I always recommend class D amps for subs. They are very efficient at driving bass. Focal is a good brand but as a personal preference, I prefer to run subs as 4 Ohm loads for stability and improved damping. A good monoblock can sustain a 2 Ohm load, but running low impedance is sort of a "trick" to get more current through the voice coils, and make a smaller amp work harder. You can kind of equate this with putting a turbo on an engine with stock internals. Think of damping effect as the tension on a guitar string. If it gets to loose, the sound gets a little sloppy. Since this Focal is a DVC (4 + 4), you can only run it as a single load at 8 Ohms (series) or 2 Ohms (parallel). Most mobile audio gear is not made to drive 8 ohm loads, so you have to put the coils in parallel. I'd prefer a (2 + 2) in series with a larger amp rather an a (4 + 4) in parallel with a smaller amp.
...but, I'm being picky now. Dennis knows what he's doing and if he recommends an amp to go with that sub cone, then I'm sure it will work reliably and sound very good.
