Upgrade the Monsoon amp?
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From: Massachusetts
Upgrade the Monsoon amp? Well, I like to stay pretty stock with my car, especially when it comes to wires and such. But the Monsoon amp is a little weak. So I got the idea that instead of replacing it outright, what about replacing just the internals? I was thinking of 2 of the 4-channel AMP9 kits from 41Hz. They're quite reasonable in price and they run natively on 12-24V, so we don't need a step-up power supply.
What do you guys think? And will these boards even fit? They're 16cm long by default, but they can be safely trimmed to 11cm or so by cutting off the space for the rectifier/capacitors and mounting those off to the side with wires.
Other than that, we'd need an input sensing circuit, but that's just a transistor per input channel and a capacitor, no problem, can be absolutely tiny.
This should be able to give some pretty decent power while retaining a completely stock appearance, no? I figure it should give at least 300WRMS over all channels, though driving it more than maybe 200-250 will likely require a power wire upgrade. And it'll draw considerably less power than the stock amp (power output held constant), because it's Class T (Tripath's version of full-range Class D)
Edit: My questions for those who have worked with this amp before:
-does the stock module also contain the crossovers? That could complicate things a bit if so, though not impossible.
-What gauge is the stock power wire and/or what size is the stock fuse for it? (fuse IN the amp, if there is one, and if that value is known)
What do you guys think? And will these boards even fit? They're 16cm long by default, but they can be safely trimmed to 11cm or so by cutting off the space for the rectifier/capacitors and mounting those off to the side with wires.
Other than that, we'd need an input sensing circuit, but that's just a transistor per input channel and a capacitor, no problem, can be absolutely tiny.
This should be able to give some pretty decent power while retaining a completely stock appearance, no? I figure it should give at least 300WRMS over all channels, though driving it more than maybe 200-250 will likely require a power wire upgrade. And it'll draw considerably less power than the stock amp (power output held constant), because it's Class T (Tripath's version of full-range Class D)
Edit: My questions for those who have worked with this amp before:
-does the stock module also contain the crossovers? That could complicate things a bit if so, though not impossible.
-What gauge is the stock power wire and/or what size is the stock fuse for it? (fuse IN the amp, if there is one, and if that value is known)
Last edited by dragonrage; Feb 5, 2007 at 12:07 PM.
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From: Massachusetts
Not even WhiteBird can help? (or hopefully, you have so much info that it's just taking you a while to respond) 
I'd just go ahead and try it, but if I need to do crossover stuff too, that could get messy. Maybe I should just try and get an extra amp for cheap and mess around with it...
P.S. does this even interest anyone else?
I'd just go ahead and try it, but if I need to do crossover stuff too, that could get messy. Maybe I should just try and get an extra amp for cheap and mess around with it...
P.S. does this even interest anyone else?
Last edited by dragonrage; Feb 5, 2007 at 03:45 PM.
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From: Georgetown, DE
I've never even taken my Monsoon out of the car, let alone taken it apart. I have the system wiring diagram and shows the power fuse as being 25 amps. It does give the wire gauge.
Looking at the AMP9 board, I don't think you'll ever fit those large capacitors in the Monsoon enclosure.
Bear in mind, the Monsoon amplifier has 8 output channels. And yes it does have built in crossovers.
Looking at the AMP9 board, I don't think you'll ever fit those large capacitors in the Monsoon enclosure.
Bear in mind, the Monsoon amplifier has 8 output channels. And yes it does have built in crossovers.
Last edited by HiTechGent; Feb 5, 2007 at 07:56 PM.
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From: Champaign/Chicagoland
Originally Posted by HiTechGent
And yes it does have built in crossovers.
Thread Starter
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Joined: Sep 2006
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From: Massachusetts
Those amp9 kits are tiny too, 4 channels a piece at a decent wattage. Those little Tripath chips pack quite the punch.
Now, as for crossover, I hope it's a separate board. I'm feeling too lazy to make a separate PCB.
Edit: Ah crap, the THD is too high for this to be viable at 14v... Disregard this entire post, I guess.
Now, as for crossover, I hope it's a separate board. I'm feeling too lazy to make a separate PCB.
Edit: Ah crap, the THD is too high for this to be viable at 14v... Disregard this entire post, I guess.
Last edited by dragonrage; Feb 5, 2007 at 09:16 PM.
