Help me select an amp please,,,,,,,
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 9,420
Likes: 8
From: Southern New Jersey, The wet part at the bottom
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10
Help me select an amp please,,,,,,,
I'm happy with the D3 head unit and the Focal V2 6x9 two ways in the doors that sound great BTW, and Focal 5 1/4s in the verts rear openings for fill, but 'am ready to amp them and add a 12" sub.
I can see that dual voice coil subs make sense to me (I would think that the sub receives right and left signals?) and would think they require 2 channels. I'll wire a 6 channel amp if that's what I should do and 'am looking at 2 models on eBay. A JL A6450 at 1320w and an Infinity 5760A, both 6 channel amps. And although the selection of subs is overwhelming, it looks like I have to stay relatively low on sub wattage and 'am thinking 400-500 watt given the rather low 5th and 6th channel outputs. Does the dual voice coil rating on a sub of 250 RMS make it an RMS of 500? Any help you can give to this Corvette owning Senior Citizen would be greatly appreciated. Kale? Where are ya!! I give Kale credit for having me remove the Focal 6 1/2" components out of the doors in favor of the Focal V2 6x9" two ways for much more mid base and a good punch
One last question for youse. Will these 6 channel amps fly with my stock '02 alternator? I hope so. and do I need a farad capacitor?
I can see that dual voice coil subs make sense to me (I would think that the sub receives right and left signals?) and would think they require 2 channels. I'll wire a 6 channel amp if that's what I should do and 'am looking at 2 models on eBay. A JL A6450 at 1320w and an Infinity 5760A, both 6 channel amps. And although the selection of subs is overwhelming, it looks like I have to stay relatively low on sub wattage and 'am thinking 400-500 watt given the rather low 5th and 6th channel outputs. Does the dual voice coil rating on a sub of 250 RMS make it an RMS of 500? Any help you can give to this Corvette owning Senior Citizen would be greatly appreciated. Kale? Where are ya!! I give Kale credit for having me remove the Focal 6 1/2" components out of the doors in favor of the Focal V2 6x9" two ways for much more mid base and a good punch
One last question for youse. Will these 6 channel amps fly with my stock '02 alternator? I hope so. and do I need a farad capacitor?
Last edited by Ol'55; Sep 3, 2008 at 10:45 AM.
Team Owner
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 51,504
Likes: 6
From: Sacramento CA
You want to use a single channel for a dual voice coil sub (NOTE this could mean 2 channels bridged into 1.) You never want to have potentially even slightly dissimilar signals to either voice coil.
250 rms rating is 250 rms rating, regardless of coil count.
Also, you can "overpower" a sub safely by some amount. Listen for distortion. Don't use bass boost. I always like having a little bit of extra power.
I think your alternator should be more than fine for your application. If you are worried about alt power, look at the PDX 5. Good enough power for your speakers plus a pretty serious sub channel, and its easy on the electrical system.
Keep in mind, some people find the PDX amps to sound "congested" which is hard to explain.. but I dont think would be noticeable when running more than 2 full range speakers.
250 rms rating is 250 rms rating, regardless of coil count.
Also, you can "overpower" a sub safely by some amount. Listen for distortion. Don't use bass boost. I always like having a little bit of extra power.
I think your alternator should be more than fine for your application. If you are worried about alt power, look at the PDX 5. Good enough power for your speakers plus a pretty serious sub channel, and its easy on the electrical system.
Keep in mind, some people find the PDX amps to sound "congested" which is hard to explain.. but I dont think would be noticeable when running more than 2 full range speakers.
Pro
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 744
Likes: 0
From: WayTooCloseToNY Northeast PA
Sorry, Kale, but that's wholly untrue. It's done quite regularly in home systems and won't hurt anything. It's an old wive's tale that keeps popping up from time to time.
Team Owner
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 51,504
Likes: 6
From: Sacramento CA
So you're saying a Left to coil1, Right to coil2, potentially not matched, won't cause any potential problems?
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 2,595
Likes: 0
From: Hills of Anaheim CA
Pro
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 744
Likes: 0
From: WayTooCloseToNY Northeast PA
There's no problem with it whatsoever. In fact, the whole point to the invention of the dual voice coil was to be able to run one subwoofer with a stereo signal. The signal doesn't have to be mono. Home audiophiles have run similar setups for 40 years or more.
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Team Owner
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 51,504
Likes: 6
From: Sacramento CA
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 2,158
Likes: 1
From: Always In Front, Colorado
People who select an amp based only upon the RMS rating of a sub make me laugh. Ignorance is bliss however.
Elemental Designs…..when they are not stealing other people’s designs they are posting absolutely incorrect specifications for their products and not responding to customer inquiries. Buy at your own risk.
No problems whatsoever with running independent signals to a DVC sub? I certainly see potential issues related to phase and the difference in source input at different frequencies. While I agree that it may be the only solution in a home audio context, there are certainly far more options in a car audio context.
At least run a summed mono signal to the sub if that is the route you are going to take.
Elemental Designs…..when they are not stealing other people’s designs they are posting absolutely incorrect specifications for their products and not responding to customer inquiries. Buy at your own risk.
No problems whatsoever with running independent signals to a DVC sub? I certainly see potential issues related to phase and the difference in source input at different frequencies. While I agree that it may be the only solution in a home audio context, there are certainly far more options in a car audio context.
At least run a summed mono signal to the sub if that is the route you are going to take.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 2,595
Likes: 0
From: Hills of Anaheim CA
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 2,158
Likes: 1
From: Always In Front, Colorado
Research the original eDead fiasco regarding whether it was asphalt or butyl.
Research the first pre-order which resulted in customers being charged for product and then eD holding the money despite significant delays in production (as a result, they now no longer charge the full amount until the product actually ships).
Research Ben walking away from the contract for the flatcone with TC Sounds leaving them with a substantial contract balance due.
Research how the original T/S specs for their stamped basket subs proved to be false.
Research how Ben requested that Tang Band design their slim mount SQ10 and then took the prototype, without permission mind you, to another (cheaper) manufacturer for actual production.
Research the eDead v1 adhesion failures.
Research the most recent series of failures involving the eDead v1SE2 involving the Mylar backing delaminating from the substrate.
Research the “close out” eNetic cable and how significantly less stands were included but yet that was never posted on the eD site.
Research how eD had to redesign their flagship 13av.2 after JL Audio noticed the incredibly similar basket design and threatened litigation.
…..that is just off the top of my head. Their business ethics are all but non-existent.
Research the first pre-order which resulted in customers being charged for product and then eD holding the money despite significant delays in production (as a result, they now no longer charge the full amount until the product actually ships).
Research Ben walking away from the contract for the flatcone with TC Sounds leaving them with a substantial contract balance due.
Research how the original T/S specs for their stamped basket subs proved to be false.
Research how Ben requested that Tang Band design their slim mount SQ10 and then took the prototype, without permission mind you, to another (cheaper) manufacturer for actual production.
Research the eDead v1 adhesion failures.
Research the most recent series of failures involving the eDead v1SE2 involving the Mylar backing delaminating from the substrate.
Research the “close out” eNetic cable and how significantly less stands were included but yet that was never posted on the eD site.
Research how eD had to redesign their flagship 13av.2 after JL Audio noticed the incredibly similar basket design and threatened litigation.
…..that is just off the top of my head. Their business ethics are all but non-existent.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 2,595
Likes: 0
From: Hills of Anaheim CA
Research the original eDead fiasco regarding whether it was asphalt or butyl.
Research the first pre-order which resulted in customers being charged for product and then eD holding the money despite significant delays in production (as a result, they now no longer charge the full amount until the product actually ships).
Research Ben walking away from the contract for the flatcone with TC Sounds leaving them with a substantial contract balance due.
Research how the original T/S specs for their stamped basket subs proved to be false.
Research how Ben requested that Tang Band design their slim mount SQ10 and then took the prototype, without permission mind you, to another (cheaper) manufacturer for actual production.
Research the eDead v1 adhesion failures.
Research the most recent series of failures involving the eDead v1SE2 involving the Mylar backing delaminating from the substrate.
Research the “close out” eNetic cable and how significantly less stands were included but yet that was never posted on the eD site.
Research how eD had to redesign their flagship 13av.2 after JL Audio noticed the incredibly similar basket design and threatened litigation.
…..that is just off the top of my head. Their business ethics are all but non-existent.
Research the first pre-order which resulted in customers being charged for product and then eD holding the money despite significant delays in production (as a result, they now no longer charge the full amount until the product actually ships).
Research Ben walking away from the contract for the flatcone with TC Sounds leaving them with a substantial contract balance due.
Research how the original T/S specs for their stamped basket subs proved to be false.
Research how Ben requested that Tang Band design their slim mount SQ10 and then took the prototype, without permission mind you, to another (cheaper) manufacturer for actual production.
Research the eDead v1 adhesion failures.
Research the most recent series of failures involving the eDead v1SE2 involving the Mylar backing delaminating from the substrate.
Research the “close out” eNetic cable and how significantly less stands were included but yet that was never posted on the eD site.
Research how eD had to redesign their flagship 13av.2 after JL Audio noticed the incredibly similar basket design and threatened litigation.
…..that is just off the top of my head. Their business ethics are all but non-existent.
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 9,420
Likes: 8
From: Southern New Jersey, The wet part at the bottom
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10
Thanks for the help guys! I'm really a noob to the hardware of car audio and being retired I'd like to improve the system (I know they're NEVER done) without doing any damage to components and actually improve the sound rather than compromise it.
Why do we see the 4 power connections on the DVC subs (is that for a bridged channel 5 and 6? And if I did do a DVC sub can it be wired from a single 5th channel amp or should you buy a mono sub for a 5 channel amp and only do a DVC when bridging a ch5 and ch6 from a 6 channel amp. Also looking at both 6 channel amps and 5 channel amps of similar brands and power models (price seems close too) what should I buy, a 5 channel or a 6 channel given I'm only planning a single sub rather than two subs? (I'm guessing the channels 5 and 6 would suit themselves to a multiple sub system.) TIA
Why do we see the 4 power connections on the DVC subs (is that for a bridged channel 5 and 6? And if I did do a DVC sub can it be wired from a single 5th channel amp or should you buy a mono sub for a 5 channel amp and only do a DVC when bridging a ch5 and ch6 from a 6 channel amp. Also looking at both 6 channel amps and 5 channel amps of similar brands and power models (price seems close too) what should I buy, a 5 channel or a 6 channel given I'm only planning a single sub rather than two subs? (I'm guessing the channels 5 and 6 would suit themselves to a multiple sub system.) TIA
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 8,718
Likes: 20
From: Dyer IN
Cruise-In IX Veteran
some ppl hate ED some ppl love em. Ive been using there stuff for over 5 years now and while i did wait a long time on the K/O series prebuy I was always updated of any delays and received my stuff when it was available and was always offered the chance to get a full refund
Team Owner
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 51,504
Likes: 6
From: Sacramento CA
Well.. ED has done some things many people see as shady. I'll withhold judgement on that. What I can comment on - is the wire was decent. Customer service is a solid B in my experience, and the deadening is useless compared to raamat,secondskin,dynamat.
A subwoofer is wired "to itself" then just a single + and - lead to the amp. JL's website has some great information on that.
A subwoofer is wired "to itself" then just a single + and - lead to the amp. JL's website has some great information on that.
Race Director
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 14,137
Likes: 2,984
From: Iowa
St. Jude Donor '03 thru '26
Hmmmnnn
It's been way too long since I posted on this site but this is worth writing about.
First of all, the stock alternator on a C5 will handle a 1300 watt amp with no problems. However, the stock wiring should be replaced (do a search on "the big three". A two (or more) Farad capacitor would be a added benefit.
Yes, an amp needs to be matched to the speaker or visa-versa. You don't want to use a 500 watt amp with a 50 watt speaker or a 500 watt subwoofer with a 50 watt amp.
You also want to match the amp channels to speaker or visa-versa. Personally, I would never use stereo channels to dual voice coil subwoofer. Heck, why do you guys think there is so many mono subwoofer amps out there? In car audio, most amps are bridgeable. I'll use my old PPI amp's output for example. It will put out 150 watts per channel or 600 watts mono, both into a 4 ohm load. I'm sure both 6-channel amps you are looking at have bridgable outputs. Let us know what you choose.
Jay
P.S.
A "true 400-500 watt amp with a sub is not low, esp in the confines of a C5. Rock on! 
It's been way too long since I posted on this site but this is worth writing about.
First of all, the stock alternator on a C5 will handle a 1300 watt amp with no problems. However, the stock wiring should be replaced (do a search on "the big three". A two (or more) Farad capacitor would be a added benefit.
Yes, an amp needs to be matched to the speaker or visa-versa. You don't want to use a 500 watt amp with a 50 watt speaker or a 500 watt subwoofer with a 50 watt amp.
You also want to match the amp channels to speaker or visa-versa. Personally, I would never use stereo channels to dual voice coil subwoofer. Heck, why do you guys think there is so many mono subwoofer amps out there? In car audio, most amps are bridgeable. I'll use my old PPI amp's output for example. It will put out 150 watts per channel or 600 watts mono, both into a 4 ohm load. I'm sure both 6-channel amps you are looking at have bridgable outputs. Let us know what you choose.
Jay
P.S.
I have to stay relatively low on sub wattage and 'am thinking 400-500 watt
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 8,718
Likes: 20
From: Dyer IN
Cruise-In IX Veteran
Hmmmnnn
It's been way too long since I posted on this site but this is worth writing about.
First of all, the stock alternator on a C5 will handle a 1300 watt amp with no problems. However, the stock wiring should be replaced (do a search on "the big three". A two (or more) Farad capacitor would be a added benefit.
Yes, an amp needs to be matched to the speaker or visa-versa. You don't want to use a 500 watt amp with a 50 watt speaker or a 500 watt subwoofer with a 50 watt amp.
You also want to match the amp channels to speaker or visa-versa. Personally, I would never use stereo channels to dual voice coil subwoofer. Heck, why do you guys think there is so many mono subwoofer amps out there? In car audio, most amps are bridgeable. I'll use my old PPI amp's output for example. It will put out 150 watts per channel or 600 watts mono, both into a 4 ohm load. I'm sure both 6-channel amps you are looking at have bridgable outputs. Let us know what you choose.
Jay
P.S. A "true 400-500 watt amp with a sub is not low, esp in the confines of a C5. Rock on!
It's been way too long since I posted on this site but this is worth writing about.
First of all, the stock alternator on a C5 will handle a 1300 watt amp with no problems. However, the stock wiring should be replaced (do a search on "the big three". A two (or more) Farad capacitor would be a added benefit.
Yes, an amp needs to be matched to the speaker or visa-versa. You don't want to use a 500 watt amp with a 50 watt speaker or a 500 watt subwoofer with a 50 watt amp.
You also want to match the amp channels to speaker or visa-versa. Personally, I would never use stereo channels to dual voice coil subwoofer. Heck, why do you guys think there is so many mono subwoofer amps out there? In car audio, most amps are bridgeable. I'll use my old PPI amp's output for example. It will put out 150 watts per channel or 600 watts mono, both into a 4 ohm load. I'm sure both 6-channel amps you are looking at have bridgable outputs. Let us know what you choose.
Jay
P.S. A "true 400-500 watt amp with a sub is not low, esp in the confines of a C5. Rock on!
long time no post how have u been man
Pro
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 744
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From: WayTooCloseToNY Northeast PA
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