Amp Wiring...
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From: Clarksville, TN
Amp Wiring... 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!
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!
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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! 
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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?
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?
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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.
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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?
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?
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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.
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.
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Verdad Gallardo 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.
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.
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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
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
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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.
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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.
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. 
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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.
Take some pics and let use know how it turns out. Thread Starter
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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)
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)
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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.
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.
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Sorry. Some of this mis-info is making me sick.
Posted by 2MuchRiceMakesMeSick
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?
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?
Posted by 02Z28LS1
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.
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.
But yet, this does not apply to DVC speakers also. Posted by 02Z28LS1
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.
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.
Posted by 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.
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.
Last edited by firebirdude; Nov 20, 2004 at 04:29 PM.
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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.
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.
Originally Posted by CamTom12
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.
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.Last edited by CamTom12; Nov 21, 2004 at 03:26 PM.