mofoz

iTrader: (1)

Im sorry but after reading all the semi active threads i cant find what im looking for. Im planning on doing the following setup, but dont know what amp/amps i need. Alpine 9833 HU, Polk dx3065 Components up front, MB Quart DKD 116s for the rears, and a JL Audio 10w6v2. I was wondering if i could run the rears off the HU and using a JL Audio 4 channel sub to power the fronts and the sub. I could bridge 2channels for the sub, and use the other two for the fronts. The sub says max 400watts, and the fronts are 130watts max, 40watts rms. Would i be better getting a 2channel amp and a 1channel amp? Im kinda clueless when it comes to car audio, so thx for the help. Also if you would recommend any better components in the same price range, i would love suggestions. Thx.

MonkeyBoy

If you plan on running an amp to speakers rated at 40watts RMS, then you had better not go above that, otherwise the speakers will blow relatively quickly. Peak power is given for heavy hitting bass notes which will draw more current into the impedance of the speaker. When selecting an amp to power your fronts, select something that has matching RMS values at the impedance level you will be running (4 ohms most likely). Some speaker recommendations are ...

- Diamond Audio 600s (my fav, obviously) and run Diamond Audio M361I for rear fills. The crossover supplied with the s600s can be used to do this, or you can run it straight from your headunit. Best bet would be to find an amp that can run near 150W RMS in the front and about 75 in the rear. The JL 450/1 is perfect for this.

- MB Quart QSD216: very expensive but nice ... These have a range of 90W to 170W RMS in the front. Again, find a good two way coaxial to run in the back. The JL Amp suggested before would be good for this as well.

- MB Quart QSD164: Less expensive and a good option, but I would go with Diamond before this one. Same range as the QSD216.

- MB Quart RSD216: Best quality for price. Matching this speaker to a 100W RMS power supply would be perfect.

Well, you can see I have a bias for certain types of speakers. The best bet, whatever you decide, is to make sure that the RMS settings for the amp and the speakers are within range of each other. Too low, and it will drown out, too high and the speakers may blow depending on how you set the gain of the amplifier.

As for the sub, if you get what you are specifying, then you might have too much bass without enough high end due to your current speaker selection. Although your choice of sub is a good one, and will match perfectly with the JL 500/1. If bass is your goal, try the 10W7 ... it hits really freaking hard.

Let us know what you decide! Good luck!

jbwii

MonkeyBoy,
What would you consider within range? I have a clarion apa450 RMS = 50W x 4 Into 4 Ohms. This is powering a pair of Infinity Kappa 60.5cs (90w RMS) and a pair of Infinity Kappa 62.5i (75w RMS). I also have a Infinity BassLink in the stock sub location (200w rms).

Am I underpowering my front and rear speakers?

Thanks,
JBWII

mofoz

iTrader: (1)

okay after alittle more researching, i wanted to know what you thought about the following setup.
Head Unit
Alpine CDA-9833-$379

Front Components
Infinity Perfect 6.1-$329. RMS Power Range: 25-100Watts RMS
http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/CarAu...roductID=12200
Rear Speakers
Infinity KAPPA62.5I-$99. RMS Power Range: 2-75Watts RMS
http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/CarAu...roductID=12495
Sub
JL Audio 10W6v2-$289.
RMS Power Range: 400Watts RMS, Imp:4ohms
http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/CarAu...roductID=12513
Sub Amplifier
Kicker 04KX350.2
Power, Mono 350Watts @ 4 Ohms Bridged
http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/CarAu...roductID=13889
Front Speakers Amp
Kicker 04KX200.2
2 Ohm Stereo 100Wattsx2
http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/CarAu...roductID=13887

I Changed amps for the Sub because the sub said 400watts at 4 Ohms, and the kicker amp said 400Watts at 2 Ohms. Is that right to choose a different amp? Or would that one work? I Liked that amp because it had the seperate bass control as well. Thanks For everyones help.

MonkeyBoy

Actually, you may be underpowering your speakers a bit. But as long as it sounds good to you, there is no worries. Underpowering speakers will not harm them in the slightest.

As it stands, I looked at your amp and it is rated at 50Wx4 into 4Ohms at 14.4 volts. What that means is, that your alternator must be cranking out 14.4V to your amp to get the maximum wattage. While it is not an exact science, I believe most of our cars are running in that range. But if it is less, you are actually pushing less power to your speakers.

Now, what is really important besides matching your components to an amp that will drive them correctly is an amp with good slew rates and THD levels. Needless to say, A 0.1% THD is respectable, so nothing to worry about that. Some of the higher end amps have it at around 0.05-0.01%. Bang for your buck amps have it greater than 1%. What this means is that when you crank it up to the limits, you are going to get some distortion. It all depends on what you want to listen to and how it appeals to you as well.

All in all, I say you are fine. Especially if you like how your system sounds! That is all the matters, regardless of numbers.

MonkeyBoy

Your head unit is a good choice, since you want to run line level inputs into your rear speakers, sans amplifier. MP3 quality has definitely improved in the later models. Not as much pause when reading the disk between tracks.

These are relatively good speakers as well. I forgot to list Infinity; I know several board members have them and like them a lot. Powering the fronts so that you have a decent sound stage will probably take near the 100Watts that they can handle, since you might have to mount the tweeter somewhere other than where the 3/4" stocker is. I know it can be done, but since I do not have the particular tweeter in hand, I am not sure.

Good choice for running of the headunit power range.

Excellent choice in a sub. I have always loved how JL subs pound. And the W6 is about as good as it gets.

This amp, while good, would probably not be a good selection for your sub. Kicker amps generally do not sound as good as their subs do, thats for sure. The THD rating for this amp is greater than 1%. When your crank it high, you will hear some distortion in the sub, which is a bad thing when dealing with bass. It not only sounds bad, but shortens the lifespan of your sub as well. As an alternative ... I looked at the price range you were specifying, $299, and if you are willing to spend a little bit more, I would get the Phoenix Gold Xenon x400.1 which is listed around $350 at http://www.sounddomain.com/sku/PHOX4001. The advantages of this amp are ... THD non-existant in mono configuration, and the active crossover is at 24dB instead of 12dB on the kicker. This makes it recover from different frequency ranges much faster. There are a lot of amps out there that can definitely substitute ... when looking, try and find an amp with the 24dB active crossover, >90dB sensitivity, and THD levels > 1%.

Sorry to say, but this amp would not work as well. First, the power range is listed at 2Ohms, and your components will be running at 4Ohms. That pretty much means you will get half the power. Since the tweeter placement is not determined yet either, it may sound to weak at 50Watts and will be drowned out by the sub itself. Find an amp with the same criteria I listed for the sub-amp, and rated at 100W / channel at 4 Ohms. At $135, you are not going to find anything that is relatively good, and in all honesty, this is the part of the system that you should not skimp on. Most of everything you hear will be powered by this amp, so it is the most important component besides the head-unit that will make or break your system.

If price is a consideration, try the Lazar line. The VIBE220 has a THD at >0.04% spec'd at 100W into 4 Ohms per channel, SNR >90dB, and an 18dB active crossover. You can get if for $65 at http://shop.store.yahoo.com/etronics...nvibe220.html. In fact, the Lazar amps are not bad at all for the price.

Anyway, take everything I said with a grain of salt! There are a lot of differeing opinions on how to set up a system to one's taste, so do what you feel makes sense. The addage is the same in audio as it is in any other mod ... the price generally reflects the quality (but not always). Hopefully other people will chime in on what they feel is a good setup.

mofoz

iTrader: (1)

Okay, after looking things over, i think your choice of amps is excellent. Im now still planning on going Alpin HU, Infinity Fronts/Rears, JL 10W6v2 sub, The PHOx 400.1 amp for the sub, and i was considering going with another Phonix Gold amp for the fronts. what do you think of this one.
http://www.sounddomain.com/sku/PHOX1002
100W X 2 RMS

Thanks for your help!

MonkeyBoy

Looks good! Have fun with the system!

mofoz

iTrader: (1)

thx for all your help.

mofoz

iTrader: (1)

Monkeyboy, sorry to keep botherin ya, but i was looking at getting a different amp for my fronts, because im trying to limit the amount of money on the stereo, but not going really cheap. I was looking at the Alpine amp, pictured here. http://www.hookedontronics.com/show_...s.jsp?cid=1024

Something in the sub $200 range would be what im looking for. That one has 110 RMS watts at 4 Ohms. Can you turn down the watts to 100? Or would it not really make a difference. I dont know much about amps. Thx!

mofoz

iTrader: (1)

Anyone? Does anyone know if you can turn down the amp power, or if the 10watts extra will make a difference running Infinity Perfect 6.1s?

MadneZz

All Amps should have a gain control where you cant tune the volumn to fit ur needs.

When either the amp or the speaker cant handle the power, it will go into distortion. Distortion is the thing that kill most speakers.

DrCold

Hey Monkey, I've been wondering how that Diamond setup works with the rear fills. Did you just put them where the stock rear speakers where? And does this mean that you don't use the rear speaker out put on your head unit? Seems like you would want control over delay and fade, but if its running off the front channels you wouldn't be able to do that. I'm still in the very early stages of building up my audio system, I'm just trying to get everything figured out first. I'm pretty much sold on the Diamond audio stuff, so now I'm just trying to figure out if using the ARF system is the better way to go. Thanks man.

nissan_fanatic

iTrader: (4)

mofoz,
If I may I would like to make some suggestions. First I agree and Monkeyboy and like him I am pretty loyal to JL, in fact my entire system is all Alpine and JL which includes a 10W7

With that being said, I would like to add with your HU, you can get some really cool features from certain Alpine Amps, thier MRD models in combination with the 9831 and up you can get some valuable AMP readouts right from the HU, including the Temperature, Voltage, Currents etc... Sure they are a little bit more expensive but you have to decide if that kinda of stuff is important to you. Also, image the end result, if having a hodge podge of stuff doesn't both you because you are not showing it (meaning amps in the glove boxes), then by all means go for it and save the money and have an awesome sounding system. If you like the fact of having all JL subs & amps (like me) then do that. I personally think it's tough to recommend audio stuff to people b/c it's all relative to the person. For example, I am spending about $9 g's for everything including the crazy install that is underway as we speak. Some people think what an idiot, could have had a TT's for that price, but I perfer sound because I love it, it's my life.

If you curious, here is what is being instalalled as we speak:

Alpine HU 9831
Apline SPR-176A componets for the front and rear
Farenheit TV Tuner
Modded XBOX (what a fun project for an IT geek like myself)
Custom Xbox install (wait till you see this one)
JL Audio 10W7
JL Audio 500/1
JL Audio 300/4
Viper 791 Alarm
3 Optima batteries
All Monster Wiring
And last but definetly not least over $4.5 g's in the install b/c it's going to be nothing like what you have seen before in a Z. I am serious when I say I want to be in Car Audio or Mobile E, thank god it's a close friend of mine doing the install or it would be twice that. Every speakers is going to be custom mounted, every speaker and this is no ordinary Xbox install either. I almost soil myself everytime I think about it.

This is about my 5th serious system. I have done all the installs before, but never any fiberglass work, this time the install I wanted was way outta of my league. I figure a car like this, deserves an install like I am going to do and I want to do it right the first time.

So after all this, what am I suggesting to you?? Spend a little more in the beginning will save you a lot in the long run. Please don't consider anything less than the 10w6 and seriously consider the 10w7.

mofoz

iTrader: (1)

ya the W7s are really nice, but i didnt want to do to crazy of a system. My amps and subs are gonna be hidden, and im not to crazy about needing a brand over another. Compared to the phonix amps, the Alpines are cheaper. I just didnt know if i could use the 110watt sub with 100 watt speakers. I havent read to many reviews about the alpine but the specs on their amps look pretty solid.

mofoz

iTrader: (1)

I was looking at this amp. Its a 4channel Phoenix Gold, and is rated at 200X4 At 4OHMs. My fronts max out at 100W at 4 Ohms, and the Sub maxs out at 400W at 4 Ohms. Im just clarifying, but this means that i could use just this amp, have 200x2 at 4OHMS for the fronts, and the other 200x2 briged to be 400x1 at 4 Ohms for the sub, and this would be the only amp i would need, correct? Thx.
http://www.cardomain.com/sku/PHOX2004