Ok, I hope I don’t sound too dumb, but here goes. I bought a slightly used subbox and JL 10” sub. I haven’t bought my amps etc yet but I want to make sure this works ASAP. Can I just connect this to one of the front speaker outputs on my home theater just to test that it at least works? The receiver spec are as follows:

All channels: 100 watts per channel min. RMS at
8 Ω, 2 channels driven from 20 Hz
to 20 kHz with no more than 0.08%
total harmonic distortion.

Dynamic power output: 230 watts × 2 at 3 Ω
170 watts × 2 at 4 Ω
115 watts × 2 at 8 Ω

Thanks yall.

 

looks like it's stable to 4 ohms so you should be good to go. in case the sub is a two ohm sub i wouldnt really let it run for that long, but just for testing you shouldn't have a problem

 

Thanks Scott.

I hooked it up briefly and it works. Now, I guess I have to figure out if I think I can install my new system myself. Unfortunatly, my knowledge is pretty limited.

 

fortunate for you that you have the CF. we'll help you with any questions you have if you decide to install it yourself.

 

So what do i need to know? I have been planning on trying to do it myself, but recently, i have been getting cold feet as even Ohms are foreign to me. I'm hesitant to run a powerline through my firewall and then I assume I have to ground it somewhere?

Heres my plan, a stealth box in the back powered by one of the new alpine digital amps. Using this amp to power the front components. Then powering the rear speakers with the HU, likely alpine.

I know I have a ton to learn. And this is something I would like to learn. But, mines a daily driver, so I really cant be without a ride for to long. I'm ok with driving a car "stripped". What should I know. Anything I should read to help?

Oh and another question.....Scott, your car PC is awesome! How hard s this to do? Is this a lot more expensive than a regular nav system?

Thanks for your help!

 

well lets see. first we'll need to know your budget. I'm not to sure about the new alpine digital amps they seem really expensive, but i havent had any first hand experience with them.

for a nice amp at a nice price check out the www.edesignaudio.com website. they have some great amps.

if you're going with components in the front and a sub in the back you may want to hold off on rear speakers for now. most of us tossed out the rears for improved soundstage. If you think that something is missing after a good solid month or two of going with out then you can always add them in. but i'm sure when you stop thinking about the rear speakers you'll begin to enjoy the sound a bit better. (and you saved yourself some $$$$)

ohms...dont worry about it, we can direct you to the right sub for the amp you have choosen.

running a power line through the wall is pretty easy if you can take out your batter. just drill one hold and put a grommet in there and you have a clean place for your wire to slip through (you drill it from the inside of the car toward the battery compartment so you dont risk cutting any wires)

grounding...seat bolt will work fine for you

there are some great amps that will power your system nicely. i had an amazing xtant amp that had 75 watts x2 and 300 watts x1 and it sounded great. You are at a bigger advantage then i am because you dont have a soft top so the power will be great for you. (i also have long tubes and straight pipes so my car gets loud!)

You should be able to do most of the install in a weekend or two (depending on you actually being able to get up before noon )

f.w.i.w I have been without any music in my car for about a month and a half now (luckily i ride a bike so the car sits at home most days) so you can live through an installation that spans over two weekends.

 

[/QUOTE] f.w.i.w I have been without any music in my car for about a month and a half now.[/QUOTE]

Dude.....thats just wrong.....

Makes a Forum brutha want to fly out there just to help you finish up.
Scott

 

Getting up before noon isnt a usually a problem, but not being hungover sometimes is an issue. Knowing where to start is the problem.

My budget is approx 2k. If i can go cheaper and get as good of sound, i'm ok with that too! I have a JL steath box already for a sub. It's not installed. I know it's not great, but I got a really god deal on it. The reason i mentioned the Alpine digital amps, is that I live in a high rise condo. So custom fab is a bit difficult, but we do have a small shop. I was thinking I could easily hide the amp in a side compartment. But again, bridging an amp to power the sub and then running wires to the fronts is all new to me. Drilling in my firewall makes me a bit nervous. Cant I run this through a hole already there?

The current plan was to run this all through a cheap Alpine HU until i decide if I want to do a Pioneer or Alpine unit or go the car PC route. I hadnt really thought about the car pc route until I saw your car and some of the cars at work here. Since I get our OS reasonbly and our GPS mapping software seems pretty good, I'm debating going the PC route.

Thoughts? Where do I start?

 

i'm really not sure about the running it through any existing holes. anyone have any input on this?

2k is a respectable budget. Based on pentavolvo's (and some others) experience I would look at the ED line of components and amps.

6500's components @ $250:
http://edesignaudio.com/product.php?...pid=29&cur=USD
nine.4 amp @ $235 (for the components):
http://edesignaudio.com/product.php?...pid=10&cur=USD
nine.2 amp @ $215 (for the sub):
http://edesignaudio.com/product.php?...pid=24&cur=USD

that's $700 right there. you can build a nice car pc for $1200 or less (or get an amazing single din non lcd head unit, or you could pick up a pioneer n2 for about that price as well) Finally about ~$100 on cable will get you right in your target budget.

oh yeah..based on my experience i'd also look at the cdt line of components

oh...and as far as being hung over...i did most of my sound deadening hung over in the cali sun.

 

Yes...you can run the power wire through the firewall without drilling any holes. Look at the FAQ for pictures. I followed those directions and removed my battery. Unwrapped the black electrical tape on the main wire loom. Slide the 4 ga power wire through the factory grommet and re-wrapped the wire loom.

I then ran the wire down the passenger side under the plastics and over the right rear wheel well. My amp is in the right trunk compartment. I grounded to the passenger rear right seat bolt.

We'll definitely hook you up with info here. Keep asking questions and we'll get to them.

Dave

 

my memory is fading!

 

Thanks for all the help and suggestions. The reason I was thinking the Alpine digital amp was due to it's size. I dont have the tools and ability to build an amp box behind the seat. I was hoping due to the size, i could hide the amp in a side compartment. And bridge 2 channels to the 10w3 and use the other 2 to power the components. Is that possible? If I decide to add cheap rears can I power them from the HU? I think I am going to go with an Alpine single DIN HU until i decide to attempt to mod the dash.

Thanks again for all yalls help.

 

thats how im running my amp. bridged rears for the subs and components up front. You can always run off the HU for the rear speakers if you decide to go with it. but in all honesty, try it without the rears for at least a month and you wont even know that you need them. With a quality front component system, you wont need rear speakers. I dont miss my rears at all. now whenever i hear rear speakers in others cars, i think man, am i glad i got rid of em. draws your attention in too many directions instead of upfront where it should be

oh i also put my amp behind the pasenger seat. i lost only the room that the amp takes up as far as leg room. I have no heat issues and my seat touches the amp too.