So after fighting the mod bug for 2 years (I did break down and cop a Fujitsubo last Spring ) I decided that I want to put a nice stereo system in the ride. I did a lot of searching through the audio section of the forum and learned a lot but I still have some doubts when it comes to powering the system (I’ll admit this is not my forte but I want to learn). Here is a list of items that I purchased that I plan on installing once the weather gets nicer in the Mid-A...

Components: DLS Ultimate 6i (4ohms RMS: 150 watts | Peak: 180 watts)
Subwoofer: Image Dynamics IDIQv3.D2 (Dual 2 ohms | RMS: 50-500 watts)
Amp: DLS Reference RA40 (4 ohms: 75 watts x 4chan | 2 ohms: 110 watts x 4 chan | Bridged 4 ohms: 220 watts x 2 chan)
Misc: Speaker wire, Amp kit, 1 Farad Capacitor, Door Pods, Zenclosure under strut bar

My initial thoughts were to run everything off the one amp (2 channels to the components, 1 bridged to the sub) but after reviewing a lot of the systems here it makes me think this setup will not have enough juice. Should I buy another amp? If so what would you recommend and what should my new configuration look like?

The audio n00bie thanks you all in advance for your .02

 

C'mon...all these views and no replies. bump

 

50-75 watts per channel is a pretty sweet spot for amplifiers.

Understand that you have to double the wattage to get 3dB more worth of loudness, that's a "tick" on stereo's with notched volume controls normally. Most people want a handful of "ticks" more so that's a whole bunch more power - a thousand watts or more. At that point you start to get into aftermarket alternators, batteries, and really heavy duty power handling.

A 100-150 watt amplifier gives you marginally more power not so much for amplitude but for quality. I always like head room as amplifiers, like horses, are happiest when used kindly.

 

Thanks Paul350z. Sounds like you are saying I should try my configuration first and then decide to pursue more wattage.

 

A friend of mine uses the same Components you have listed there and I might buy them too, I'm running a JL 600/4 (150watt each channel). Those speakers sound great!

 

I have everything that you might be looking for in a forsale thread on this forum. Here is a link and it has the better DLS amps and everything you will need to install.. I miss it already and i have only been without it for a week...

https://my350z.com/forum/audio-video...t-monster.html

 

Did you even read my thread? I understand you are trying to move your own stuff but you coming here and posting a link does not help me understand anything and just think you are spamming.

 

I was not spamming... My setup is almost identical to what you are looking for so i figured I would let you know that it is out there forsale... You list of what you want looks great and I hope you eventually find what you are looking for. I just gave you my .02.

 

I think a 4-channel amplifier CAN run an entire system however, not THAT 4-channel amplifier. I think a staggered 4-channel with more power will give you the kind of juice you need for clear and crisp at any volume.

That said, have you ever considered going active with your set-up? Basically you will be taking your existing 4-channel amplifier and running just your front stage off of it. Two channels to the tweets and two channels to the mids - eliminating your crossovers alltogether. Of course you will need to tune the amplifier to make sure you aren't running your tweets below certain frequencies and your mids above certain frequencies. The tuning part is the most difficult and yields the most dramatic results. Then what you can do is pick up a dlass D mono amplifier for your subwoofer that runs at 500 watts at 4 ohms.

I am running both my cars in full active and I absolutely love it! Just by eliminating the crossover you are reducing a lot of signal loss and heat loss thereby gaining more volume and of course, clarity! The biggest pain is running a new set of speaker wires for the tweeters - no biggie really.

Hope this helps!

 

Thanks a lot for your input! O donor I went back and did a lot of research and came to the conclusion that my suspicions were infact right...I did not have enough power. I recently ordered another DLS amp to power the sub (Reference RA20). I am still debating to run the front components fully active per your recommendation OR to bridge the original amp I have and run them with the crossovers that came with it.

Would you still recommend running the front components active OR bridging that RA40 and using that configuration. Thanks again for the help!

 

No problem!
I am a huge fan of the active configuration. of course it does help if your amp has high and low pass settings so you can do a bandpass for your midbass drivers. It just makes everything easier.

The problem with bridging is that your sound quality may be sacrificed. Running the amp at two ohms stereo could raise your total harmonic distortion by as much as 100%. Granted the average human ear may not be able to tell the difference between .01% THD and .02% THD it is still a risk that you take. So if you do active you can get a lot more power with very little THD and of course reduce the unwanted heat that a crossover produces. Its a win/win with an active set up.