Sound System Setup Help

bdalton · TweakNOOB Joined: 15 Apr 2004 Posts: 2

I drive a ford ranger 2000 regular cab. Ive got a truck box and an mtx 6000 10'' sub. Im looking for some advice on a mid range amplifier to buy. Thanks.

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JayDubya · Posted: Thu Apr 15, 2004 3:59 pm Post subject:

how many voice coils does that sub have? (single/dual 2 or 4 ohm?) you'll need to know that so you can get the right amp at the right resistance.

are there any particular brands that you are looking at?

just make sure it is a good brand name amp (mtx, rockford, memphis, etc) that can put out 250watts rms at the desired resistance.
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Sally · UberTweaker Joined: 31 Mar 2004 Posts: 1158 Location: WA

do you want an amplifier for midrange speakers or a midrange amplifier for the subs?
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bdalton · TweakNOOB Joined: 15 Apr 2004 Posts: 2

A mid range amplifier for the sub. Here is a link to the specs of the thunder 6000:
http://www.mtx.com/caraudio/archive/2003thunder6000sub.cfm

Sally · UberTweaker Joined: 31 Mar 2004 Posts: 1158 Location: WA

well, first off, as JW said, we need to know if it is single or dual voice coil so as to be able to recommend accurately an amplifier. For instance, if it is a DVC with dual 4 OHM voice coils, wired to 2 OHM, then you'll get a greater power output of a given amp than you would if it were just a 4 OHM Single Voice Coil sub. Also important is the box type. Is it ported or sealed? Ported boxes, in general, won't allow the sub to take as high of power as is possible in a sealed due to the lessened resistance that the port offers (the cone is granted more excursion b/c there is less resistance on the back)

Things to look for when buying an amplifier:
-RMS POWER at your given impedence (we assume 2OHM if its a DVC and wired as such)
-SUBSONIC FILTERs allow you to filter out all of the frequencies below a certain point (usually a dynamic point which is adjustable.
-LPF (or Low Pass Filter) This will allow you to get rid of the frequencies which are too high for the sub to actually reproduce. Both this and the subsonic filter extend the life of the sub b/c these extraneous frequencies make it do work to reproduce a sound you can't or don't want to hear, thus you gain efficiency and the speaker is able to work as it is intended.
-Remote Gain is not always neccessary, but if your CD player doesn't have enough options to where you are able to adjust the output to the amplifier, you can TWEAK your sound on the go w/ a knob that you can mount under your dash or really anywhere to turn up and down the gain (and the bass) so as to tailor your ride from driving mom to being a bad ass.
-A low THD is generally important, but not as crucial in a sub amp. It is a good idea for it to be .1% or less (Total Harmoic Distortion measures just that....total harmonic distortion).

Assuming that it is a DVC, here are a few options:

This JBL BP-600.1 amp has 600W x 1 @ 2 OHM
Although there is not low pass filter, most head units have some amount of filtering for the sub line level outputs. Its a good quality amp and is relatively inexpensive.
http://www.sounddomain.com/sku/JBLBP6001

The MTX Thunder311D also is a totally decent 310W x 1 @ 2 OHM
MTX tends to under-rate their amps on their specs, so don't be surprised if this sounds like a very might 310W!
http://www.sounddomain.com/sku/MTX311D

I have used enough subs and amps to know a few things.
1. ALWAYS buy subs locally if you can get an over-the-counter replacement policy from the seller. (sorry crutchfield). No matter how nice you think your sub is, s*** does happen. For instance I blew a well broken in Infinity KAPPA 12 DVC in my trunk last summer. Although it had a ceramic coated aluminum cone (supposedly GOOD for heat dissapation), she siezed up. Oddly, that same amplifier powered an ORION XTR 10" sub in similar box for a year w/o blowing (only creasing the cone from over-excursion).

2. Max power ratings don't mean s***. RMS is the only indicator of power consumption, and then only when the manufacturer is accurate.

3. BASS BLOCKERS are a must if installing a sub. Whether you have high end coaxials or factory speakers, blocking the bass signals by use of small capacitors in line to the speakers allow then to more effectively do their job and leave the low end fortitude to the big dog. The result, your interior speakers get louder w/ distorting or peaking due to un-needed, dirty bass.

word.
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Yoshida · UberTweaker Joined: 24 Dec 2003 Posts: 1219

I seem to be having a problem with my subs, I just bought a new setup 2x 10"s 500watt each. and a 1600watt 4 channel amp. And for as much as 1600watts should be there seems to be interference on my system some where that is coming from the car, and the subs arent banging as they should. Any ideas? if you turn the subs all the way up and have no music playing you can hear static. Has anyone had this problem before?

Logi · TweakNOOB Joined: 11 Apr 2004 Posts: 67

i'm guessing a loose connection somewhere
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JayDubya · Posted: Tue Apr 20, 2004 12:21 am Post subject:

what kind of amp is it?

300watts of RMS MTX power will kick the s*** out of a 1600watt max no-name brand amp. i am guessing that is the source of your distortion too.

always go by the RMS (continuous power rating) rather than the maximum wattage. find out the RMS rating of your amp along with the THD (total harmonic distortion) as Sally so nicely provided for us.

MTX, planet audio, orion, memphis, alpine, rockford, and a few other manufacturers make very good quality amps. you may want to try one of those if you can.
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Sally · UberTweaker Joined: 31 Mar 2004 Posts: 1158 Location: WA

That's something that could lie in alot of areas. Things to try in order to effectively diagnose:

1. HOW IS IT WIRED?
Is it bridged or just operated in two channel mode? Are the subwoofers DVC or SVC? parallel or in a series?

2. Is the static constant? Does it happen consstantly? Is it only when the bass hits? Does it come from both speakers? is the amp connected signal level to the head unit or to the speaker level of the rear speakers?

3. What brand/model of subs and amp are you using?

4. any other description of the sound it makes?
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JayDubya · Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2004 10:31 pm Post subject:

you guys figure your stuff out bdalton or Yoshida?
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