AquaSpirit
New member
Im gonna be buying a sub this weekend, but until i can afford the amp, can i run it off the head unit?
Thanks!
Thanks!
Wiring
- Thread starter AquaSpirit
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Wiring
Simple answer is no...
The only way you would be able to run a sub straight off the head unit would be if it was an active unit (i.e. sub with built in amp) in which case you just hook up the power and RCA connectors and away you go.
If you just try hooking the sub up to the speaker outputs than you can guarantee that it will sound s**te as the head unit alone won't have enough grunt to drive the sub properly and also you may find that the impedance of the sub is different to that of the speakers anyway.
The only way you would be able to run a sub straight off the head unit would be if it was an active unit (i.e. sub with built in amp) in which case you just hook up the power and RCA connectors and away you go.
If you just try hooking the sub up to the speaker outputs than you can guarantee that it will sound s**te as the head unit alone won't have enough grunt to drive the sub properly and also you may find that the impedance of the sub is different to that of the speakers anyway.
mckrob
Member
Big no no. It'll end up killing your head-unit.
AquaSpirit
New member
i got my sub for £30, its a SPLX 500W. Where can i find a good cheap(ish) amp to run my sub?
The XS amps are pretty cheap from motorworld. However STAY WELL CLEAR from the SPLx amps. The heat up, they overheat, they BURN! I had a 1000watt SPLx amp for about 3 weeks before taking it back. It sounded s**te and overheated after 20 mins and cut out. Everyone I know has had problems with them. STAY CLEAR
I went for a 900watt XS 4 channel amp which has been great. Only cost £140 and gives out a decent sound
I went for a 900watt XS 4 channel amp which has been great. Only cost £140 and gives out a decent sound
Has to be said that the standard amps from Motorsavers (purple ones I can't remember the name of) are fine as had one in my Vectra and is sounded fine driven by my Sony head unit,
AquaSpirit
New member
i found this :
Compact 400Watt Car Amplifier
2 channel (2x200w)
Frequency Range 20-30,000Hz
High+Low Level Inputs
Adjustable Input sensitivity
Thermal Protection
Remote-on Power
Speaker Short Circuit Protection
Non-Bridgeable
Dimensions: 196x62x170mm
Gold Plated RCA
50w RMS
would it be ok?
another question - being new to modifying (only been driving a month!) - how can i wire 2 channels into one sub? I dont know if i got that right at all, can someone please explain the basics for me?
Compact 400Watt Car Amplifier
2 channel (2x200w)
Frequency Range 20-30,000Hz
High+Low Level Inputs
Adjustable Input sensitivity
Thermal Protection
Remote-on Power
Speaker Short Circuit Protection
Non-Bridgeable
Dimensions: 196x62x170mm
Gold Plated RCA
50w RMS
would it be ok?
another question - being new to modifying (only been driving a month!) - how can i wire 2 channels into one sub? I dont know if i got that right at all, can someone please explain the basics for me?
Hei.
You can't use this amp to drive your sub. It says "non-bridgeable". That's the deal. You have to bridge the two stereo channels into one mono channel. Stay clear of the watts, it's confusing, but look at the RMS watt. The amp above is 50 watts, not 400 watts. And sometimes the RMS watt is confusing as well: It may say 50 watts RMS at 12V and 60 watts at 14V. This is because when you're driving, the alternator charges the battery, and the voltage gets to about 14V, making the amp more powerful. So the most honest voltage is at 12V RMS.
Check your sub if it peaks to 500W or is continously delivering 500 watts. Anyway - the more powerful amp, the better. A too weak amp "clips" the sound and devastates both the amp and the speakers. A powerful amp may blow the speakers, but you will have plenty of time to prevent it from happening because you won't listen to overdriven music. (I guess).
Anyway, 50 watts RMS bridged may deliver enough power to run your sub, but then ofcourse you'll ned an amp that is bridgeable.
Morten.
You can't use this amp to drive your sub. It says "non-bridgeable". That's the deal. You have to bridge the two stereo channels into one mono channel. Stay clear of the watts, it's confusing, but look at the RMS watt. The amp above is 50 watts, not 400 watts. And sometimes the RMS watt is confusing as well: It may say 50 watts RMS at 12V and 60 watts at 14V. This is because when you're driving, the alternator charges the battery, and the voltage gets to about 14V, making the amp more powerful. So the most honest voltage is at 12V RMS.
Check your sub if it peaks to 500W or is continously delivering 500 watts. Anyway - the more powerful amp, the better. A too weak amp "clips" the sound and devastates both the amp and the speakers. A powerful amp may blow the speakers, but you will have plenty of time to prevent it from happening because you won't listen to overdriven music. (I guess).
Anyway, 50 watts RMS bridged may deliver enough power to run your sub, but then ofcourse you'll ned an amp that is bridgeable.
Morten.
i got an spl amp and its crap overheats v quick dont bother wi one im on the hunt for a new one
James
www.clubcento.co.uk
James
www.clubcento.co.uk
AquaSpirit
New member
thankyou morten, i think i understand a little better now.
http://www.motor-world.co.uk/kroozin/mmediadet.asp?pg=Products%3A+I%2EC%2EE+and+multimedia&articleno=165&class=XS&options=0
so this would be a good amp to buy?
i found another place to buy from, it has a description, but i dont understand all the words used.
8-gauge power input: [?]
Bridgeable:
Low Pass filter: [?]
No of channels: 2
Mosfet: [?]
http://www.motor-world.co.uk/kroozin/mmediadet.asp?pg=Products%3A+I%2EC%2EE+and+multimedia&articleno=165&class=XS&options=0
so this would be a good amp to buy?
i found another place to buy from, it has a description, but i dont understand all the words used.
8-gauge power input: [?]
Bridgeable:
Low Pass filter: [?]
No of channels: 2
Mosfet: [?]
Gauge is a measure of how thick your power cable is. 8 gauge is enough for amps up to 100 watts (my opinion - I guess some people might disagree with me on this one, and wants to use thicker cables). Be aware that if the cable is over 5 or 6 meters, you should use a thicker cable. It is like the amp - the thicker the better. Gauge is also a bit backwards, the smaller gauge, the larger cubic-mm (mm2) or cubic-inch. You might find a comparison chart somewhere on the net. Remember to stretch the power cable from the battery (+) and use a fuse within the first 30 cm of it. If the cable is earthed the battery is shortcutted, and might produce 1000 amperes which could set your new car on fire. Also use the same thickness on the ground (-) wire.
A low pass filter makes you run a subwoofer (or a pair of subwoofers) through your amp, and only deliver the low frequency tones to it, so it won't try to play mid-range og high frequencies. This makes the sound quality much better, and it is very good for the speaker element itself. Check if the filter has adjustment possibilities. Then you can finetune the bass' sound. Else you might want to consider a crossover. Phoenix Gold's amps have very good adjustable filters.
I really can't explain the mosfet. But it is a shortening for metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) field effect transistor (FET). I'll try to find out. Mosfet is usually more expensive than "not mosfet".
I don't know if the above amp is a good buy. You must try to find out the honest watts. I will again recommend Phoenix Gold, because of great sound quality, and it has never failed. It may cost a bit more, but you won't regret it after a month or two. Anyway, when you bridge the amp it may deliver enough power for ONE sub.
Morten.
A low pass filter makes you run a subwoofer (or a pair of subwoofers) through your amp, and only deliver the low frequency tones to it, so it won't try to play mid-range og high frequencies. This makes the sound quality much better, and it is very good for the speaker element itself. Check if the filter has adjustment possibilities. Then you can finetune the bass' sound. Else you might want to consider a crossover. Phoenix Gold's amps have very good adjustable filters.
I really can't explain the mosfet. But it is a shortening for metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) field effect transistor (FET). I'll try to find out. Mosfet is usually more expensive than "not mosfet".
I don't know if the above amp is a good buy. You must try to find out the honest watts. I will again recommend Phoenix Gold, because of great sound quality, and it has never failed. It may cost a bit more, but you won't regret it after a month or two. Anyway, when you bridge the amp it may deliver enough power for ONE sub.
Morten.
Some info from the internet... A MOSFET is a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor. There are different types of transistors used in amplifiers and MOSFETs are better, more reliable, etc. than other transistors for most solid state electronics. They don't really have anything to do with an amplifier's power supply, as MOSFETs are used in the output stages of amplifiers.
AquaSpirit
New member
Thanks again morten!
Hei.
MOSFET er en type transistorer som brukes for å oppnå større båndbredde (forsterkeren kan gjengi større frekvenser), høyere effekt og mindre forvrengning.
And in english... MOSFET is a transistor used to achieve larger bandwidth (the amplifier can deliver a wider frequency range), higher effect and less distortion.
That's the simplest way to explain it... Enough for now...
MOSFET er en type transistorer som brukes for å oppnå større båndbredde (forsterkeren kan gjengi større frekvenser), høyere effekt og mindre forvrengning.
And in english... MOSFET is a transistor used to achieve larger bandwidth (the amplifier can deliver a wider frequency range), higher effect and less distortion.
That's the simplest way to explain it... Enough for now...
Robin
New member
Have a look in halfords, they are having a clearence, i have always run Phoenix Gold as they are a quality amp, i wanted a bigger amp 4 weeks ago, 4 channels, bridgeble, and 2ohm stable 600watts, in halfords £130 i almost fell over, the amp is worth £200-£250 in any other shops, shoud check it out they also had a vibe 1 for £140 that was just a mono amp for 1 sub.
The devil made me do it officer
The devil made me do it officer
AquaSpirit
New member
http://www.maplin.co.uk/products/module.asp?CartID=030817095512423&moduleno=33139&Products=1
found this today, it seems good (too me lol) but is it?
Seicento Sporting 1.1 | Current Project : ICE Install
found this today, it seems good (too me lol) but is it?
Seicento Sporting 1.1 | Current Project : ICE Install
Sorry to butt in like this, but a mate of mine has an SPLX amp, been running it for about a year.
I will first admit that it is bugger-all use for running a speaker above sub range (eg: 6x9s), but It was fairly punchy for frequencies below 250Hz (Max Sub Frequencys).
As for overheathing, my mate ran his with the fins pointed down- the one position you are told not to as the heat produced rises and cooks the amp circuits!. It was doing that for ages (at least 6 months) in use every day. Now its being used in another car, sat in the right position, working fine.
It did have some problems with shurting off when we were setting it up. I traced it to the fact that the input gain was set too high, or the speaker terminals were shorting out.
Look at your supply fuses, check all your connections aand set your gain and it should work fine.
Check this link for a good way to set up your gain http://www.eatel.net/~amptech/elecdisc/gaincon2.htm
Be warned, its nice and complicated...
Arse
1993 Cinq SX, with the world's dodgiest fuel tank! Free fuel? Folllow Me!!
I will first admit that it is bugger-all use for running a speaker above sub range (eg: 6x9s), but It was fairly punchy for frequencies below 250Hz (Max Sub Frequencys).
As for overheathing, my mate ran his with the fins pointed down- the one position you are told not to as the heat produced rises and cooks the amp circuits!
. It was doing that for ages (at least 6 months) in use every day. Now its being used in another car, sat in the right position, working fine.It did have some problems with shurting off when we were setting it up. I traced it to the fact that the input gain was set too high, or the speaker terminals were shorting out.
Look at your supply fuses, check all your connections aand set your gain and it should work fine.
Check this link for a good way to set up your gain http://www.eatel.net/~amptech/elecdisc/gaincon2.htm
Be warned, its nice and complicated...
Arse
1993 Cinq SX, with the world's dodgiest fuel tank! Free fuel? Folllow Me!!
AquaSpirit
New member
I found a Kenwood KAC-821 on ebay going for a really cheap price, but is it bridgable and whats the output? Ive contact him about it, and couldnt find any info on the net.
Seicento Sporting 1.1 | Current Project : ICE Install
Seicento Sporting 1.1 | Current Project : ICE Install
AquaSpirit
New member
found a pdf on kenwoods site, does anyone think its worth going for (only as a temp til i can afford a better sub)
Seicento Sporting 1.1 | Current Project : ICE Install
