Question About What AMP I Would Need...

[Butterfingers]

http://www.sounddomain.com/sku/JBLBP6001

more info...

[Miscue]

Originally posted by SlipknotX556
If I am only going to get one sub and will I still need the 600W at 2 ohms AMP or will I need a different AMP?

You want a 1100W+ @ 2 ohms (D-Class) to power that sub. If you were to get two subs, you would have needed two amps.

A 1 farad cap will do the trick. The general rule of thumb is 1 farad per kilowatt.

Other amps to consider:

http://www.sounddomain.com/sku/XTAX1001B

(Note that this has 3-month versus 1 year warranty)
Sure beats paying $1000 for it though.

http://www.sounddomain.com/sku/CRUP20001D

[Butterfingers]

Miscue is correct but, your car wont handle 1100 watts without some power system upgrades.

As a rule of thumb I dont go over 600 watts on a stock battary and stock alternator.

The 600 will run the sub not to its full potential but it will hit hard...

If you will be doing somthing for the power system id say go all out and get a JBL 1200.1 if you can afford it.

You might be able to get away with running a 1kw setup with a bigger battary and a cap though.

[tobz]

lol

No offense.. but I love automags.org because I get hype free answers about paintball.. but you're all newbs when it comes to car audio. It's hilarious.. caps? might be able to get away with 1kw? Needing 2 12's? That's funny stuff, no, it is really.

If you have car audio questions, please PM or email me: [email protected] and I will answer them personally. This is just way too funny.

T.J.

[tobz]

Let me rephrase that.. You're not all newbs about it. But when you answer questions about paintball stuff, I always see facts, good answer from experience, etc.

But the answer about the car audio stuff is: "This looks right", "Yeah that should work", and "No upgrade this.. that..".

I realize that I started my post with "No offense" then I went on to offend everyone...

It was just really funny and I meant no harm. Peace.

[Butterfingers]

hmmm how would you do it...

This sub probably designed for SPL handles 1100 watts RMS

His car most likely wont handle more than 600 watts RMS...

Tell me what am I doing wrong?

If I reccomend a 1200 watt amp he will be dissapointed when his car cant handle it.

I reccomend a 600 watt because it will drive the sub but not overtax his car. And given he has a limited budget and isnt competing it would prob be a good choice...

I also dont find a problem with telling him to run his 1 Killowatt system with a larger battary and a capacitor.... hmm...

Tell me whats so funny about my comments....

[Miscue]

Originally posted by tobz
Let me rephrase that.. You're not all newbs about it. But when you answer questions about paintball stuff, I always see facts, good answer from experience, etc.

Now what is your solution?

[tobz]

Well, from experience I ran a 1500w RMS amp to power my competition grade Digital Designs 9512e series subwoofer. At the loudest volumes I got very slight headlight dimmage. I only had a 90 amp alternator which is stock for my 2000 dodge stratus with a 2.5 V6.

In short, he will have no trouble with an 1100w RMS amp for his sub on his stock altnerator, unless his car is a 3 cylinder geo metro with like a 40 amp alternator.

A second battery does not help much unless you run your system when your car is off, or if you compete. Since the alternator provides power for your system, and not the battery, (while the vehicle is on).

A capacitor is a great way to top off an already "well-designed" system, but is more of a band-aid when used to patch up a poorly designed system (and doesn't get to the root of the problem). If you feel you need more power from your electrical system, you would be better of upgrading the magic 3 wires first. Then look into a different alternator. Remember, a cap can provide the voltage you need for big bass hits.. but it is ALSO a load on the system, as it needs to be charged.

For your amp, a 4 guage wire kit will be plenty big. If you later get a second amp for component speakers.. you might run into trouble if your component amp draws a lot of current.

On a related side note, I wanted a loud system but I don't personally compete. I found my sub to be too loud, and now I'm downgrading the power in effort to setup a budget friendly system that will sound great, with lots of bass, however not so much that it hurts. Because my 1 12" sub would make my ears, head, neck and stomach hurt after listening to it loudly.

Yes, it's cool to be able to rattle the insides of someone's house with your car system, but not very respectful. Not too mention if you have a system that is THAT loud, all of your friends will think it's so cool, and they'll want you to turn it up everytime their riding with you. That results in hearing loss. Trust me.

Let me know if you have more questions, as I will be happy to answer them. Sorry if I came off as a jerk, I really do love AOers.

peace

tobz

[tobz]

Just a reminder...

Car audio systems are approximately:

15% Signal Processing
15% Raw Drivers
70% Enclosures/Install Quality

Don't forget that...

[Miscue]

Originally posted by tobz
Well, from experience I ran a 1500w RMS amp to power my competition grade Digital Designs 9512e series subwoofer. At the loudest volumes I got very slight headlight dimmage. I only had a 90 amp alternator which is stock for my 2000 dodge stratus with a 2.5 V6.

In short, he will have no trouble with an 1100w RMS amp for his sub on his stock altnerator, unless his car is a 3 cylinder geo metro with like a 40 amp alternator.

A second battery does not help much unless you run your system when your car is off, or if you compete. Since the alternator provides power for your system, and not the battery, (while the vehicle is on).

A capacitor is a great way to top off an already "well-designed" system, but is more of a band-aid when used to patch up a poorly designed system (and doesn't get to the root of the problem). If you feel you need more power from your electrical system, you would be better of upgrading the magic 3 wires first. Then look into a different alternator. Remember, a cap can provide the voltage you need for big bass hits.. but it is ALSO a load on the system, as it needs to be charged.

For your amp, a 4 guage wire kit will be plenty big. If you later get a second amp for component speakers.. you might run into trouble if your component amp draws a lot of current.

On a related side note, I wanted a loud system but I don't personally compete. I found my sub to be too loud, and now I'm downgrading the power in effort to setup a budget friendly system that will sound great, with lots of bass, however not so much that it hurts. Because my 1 12" sub would make my ears, head, neck and stomach hurt after listening to it loudly.

Yes, it's cool to be able to rattle the insides of someone's house with your car system, but not very respectful. Not too mention if you have a system that is THAT loud, all of your friends will think it's so cool, and they'll want you to turn it up everytime their riding with you. That results in hearing loss. Trust me.

Let me know if you have more questions, as I will be happy to answer them. Sorry if I came off as a jerk, I really do love AOers.

peace

tobz

An alternator does not constantly produce electricity, and is not solely responsible for powering your electrical system. The battery is a buffer between your alternator and electrical accessories... together they share responsibility for providing power. Also, the battery provides current when your system overdraws what the alternator can put out.

Your alternator, and battery... regardless of what you have cannot handle with complete effectiveness the instantaneous power requirements of a high end system. This is the purpose of a capacitor, it has nothing to do with a bandaid fix. Your 1100 watt amp ain't gonna be putting out 1100 watts when the bass hits, it's going to take a power hit and run under it's rated RMS output. This isn't just a headlights issue.

[tobz]

rate your voltage that your power wires for your amp get..

does that ever drop below 12v? No, meaning your alternator is doing ALL the work. Unless your car is off. By discharging your battery so it drops severely below 12v you basically would damage it. Main car batteries are not deep cycle and are not made to be charged/discharged a lot. They start the car, then are quickly charged back to full power and the alternator provides power (i.e. why the wires will get 13.8-14.4 volts instead of just 12).

[Miscue]

Originally posted by tobz
rate your voltage that your power wires for your amp get..

does that ever drop below 12v? No, meaning your alternator is doing ALL the work. Unless your car is off. By discharging your battery so it drops severely below 12v you basically would damage it. Main car batteries are not deep cycle and are not made to be charged/discharged a lot. They start the car, then are quickly charged back to full power and the alternator provides power (i.e. why the wires will get 13.8-14.4 volts instead of just 12).

Then why did your headlights dim? Surely a 1100w amp will be affected by a brown-out condition before your headlights will.

[tobz]

Your headlights dim because they are brighter at 14.4 volts than at ~12v.

*edit* I also believe that the brown out condition of the headlights is caused by the amp "stealing" the headlights power.

[Miscue]

Originally posted by tobz
Your headlights dim because they are brighter at 14.4 volts than at ~12v.

*edit* I also believe that the brown out condition of the headlights is caused by the amp "stealing" the headlights power.

And if headlights are not being fully powered, would you believe that the amp is being fully powered? Or it too is not fully powered, and is not outputting 1100w like rated?

[Butterfingers]

Right... the only way for that to happen is if you arent producing enough current causing a voltage drop.

It has nothing to do with stealing... Thats the way electricity works. Its called Ohms law