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  1. #1
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    Question Need help with my system....

    I'm just starting out with this whole sound system thing and I figured that I should get it right the first time.... I just picked up two 10" alpine type-e's in a sealed box for about $100.00, I am not too sure what amp to buy... I was eyeing a Jensen 600w amp (bridgable with 4 channels) and a pioneer 200w amp for around $80.00 total.. I don't really know what would be good for the system...I am also running a 45x4 JVC cd deck along with two pioneer 6 1/2's in the front... this is all in a 96' neon... so any and all suggestions would be appreciated greatly....

    PS.. The subs are both wired to the left output of the box so that they can be hooked up to a mono block amp.... is this more efficient or should they be seperated....

    Thanks....
    Last edited by getcrz; 04-25-2004 at 15:56. Reason: Size was way too big..

  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by getcrz
    I'm just starting out with this whole sound system thing and I figured that I should get it right the first time.... I just picked up two 10" alpine type-e's in a sealed box for about $100.00, I am not too sure what amp to buy... I was eyeing a Jensen 600w amp (bridgable with 4 channels) and a pioneer 200w amp for around $80.00 total.. I don't really know what would be good for the system...I am also running a 45x4 JVC cd deck along with two pioneer 6 1/2's in the front... this is all in a 96' neon... so any and all suggestions would be appreciated greatly....

    PS.. The subs are both wired to the left output of the box so that they can be hooked up to a mono block amp.... is this more efficient or should they be seperated....

    Thanks....
    The wiring of the subs like that will allow you to bridge your amp down to lower ohms....I would stay away from the Jensen amp (unless it is dirt cheap--80 dollars for the pair ins't bad, you could always ebay the amp that you dont like). If you want decent sound quality at higher volume levels, don't run your mids/highs off the deck power--all that is goign to do is lead to distortion. with those two combinations of amps, you could probably use the jensen amp to power your mids/hights (bridge it down to 2 channels if it can), and use the pioneer amp for your 10's. THe pioneer amp probably will only push close to its rated power when bridged down to 2ohmsx1 channel. but as always, read the manual and see if it is stable.


    Hess

  3. #3
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    Sounds good.... what if I was just going to hook the tens to the amp...and just leave the deck and 6 1/2's alone... how many amps would it take to get the most out of the subs without blowing them out... and what type of amp... i'm kind of on a budget... but any suggestions are fine with me...

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by getcrz
    Sounds good.... what if I was just going to hook the tens to the amp...and just leave the deck and 6 1/2's alone... how many amps would it take to get the most out of the subs without blowing them out... and what type of amp... i'm kind of on a budget... but any suggestions are fine with me...

    if yoru running a pair of identical subs and you want to put an amp on each--you need to match up the amps for it to sound properly--else the sub that gets more power will drown out the lower powered sub.... your best bet is to run both subs on an amp that is bridged down to one channel--and wire the subs for a 2 ohm load--the pioneer should be able to handle it (again, check the manual). as for your mids and highs--you dont want to run them off deck power if you like listening to music at a high volume--you'll blow somethign (speakers cuz of distortion or the amp in the deck)---are your 6 1/2's a 2 or 3 way speaker? don't run your stock speakers off a powered amp--that is just asking for troube too.

    i would run your 6 1/2's off the jensen amp (and if the 6 1/2's aren't coaxial--2 or 3 way speakers) i would buy a pair of highs and run them off te amp also


    Hess

  5. #5
    CAR REVIEW ADMlN Registered Member Easy E's Avatar
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    Distortion doesnt blow speakers its the extra power that does. So running aftermarket speakers off his HU its hard to blow unless they are cruddy or defective or he likes to clip the HU way too much.
    Thats my 2 cents.

  6. #6
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    Get a Mono sub amp for the subs

    It would be great if you could give everyone here an indication of your budget.I've got the same subs in a sealed box in a '95 neon. I'm running them off of an Alpine MRP-M350 at 2ohms. It seems fine for me (at the moment). You may want to look into the JBL BP series mono amps for some relatively cheap power for those subs.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Easy E
    Distortion doesnt blow speakers its the extra power that does. So running aftermarket speakers off his HU its hard to blow unless they are cruddy or defective or he likes to clip the HU way too much.

    yoru more likely to blow a speaker by underpowering it than overpowering it (with in reason).

    for example, if your speaker is rated at 100watts rms, your more likely to blow it by listening at loud volumes with a 50watt amp (the amp will clip, which will create distortion and blow the speaker) than you would by giving it 150 watts (over time the speaker will bow).

  8. #8
    Resident Cynic Registered Member FordXplod93's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hessakia
    yoru more likely to blow a speaker by underpowering it than overpowering it (with in reason).

    for example, if your speaker is rated at 100watts rms, your more likely to blow it by listening at loud volumes with a 50watt amp (the amp will clip, which will create distortion and blow the speaker) than you would by giving it 150 watts (over time the speaker will bow).

    Absolutely dead WRONG. Underpowering does not blow speakers. If it did, speakers would be blowing left and right at low volumes. As long as the signal that the speaker sees does not cause it to behave outside its mechanical limits, the speaker will be fine. What happens when an amp clips? The signal gets distorted right? The speaker reproduces that distortion perfectly at low volumes. It sounds horrible, but it will in no way damage the speaker at low volumes. When you jack up the volume and the speaker starts bottoming out, NOW you will blow the speaker because you are forcing it to do something that it isn't supposed to. If the clipping causes the amp to produce more power than the speaker can handle (possible, but not at low volumes), you start to damage the speaker. Not by the clipping distortion, but by speaker distortion. You can fry speakers with either too much power (electrical overload) or with too much force (mechanical overload), but never too little of either. Listen to your system. The distortion from an amp clipping sounds different than distortion from an overdriven speaker.

    ~FordX
    Last edited by FordXplod93; 04-26-2004 at 15:22. Reason: More Info
    Often imitated, never duplicated.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hessakia
    yoru more likely to blow a speaker by underpowering it than overpowering it (with in reason).

    for example, if your speaker is rated at 100watts rms, your more likely to blow it by listening at loud volumes with a 50watt amp (the amp will clip, which will create distortion and blow the speaker) than you would by giving it 150 watts (over time the speaker will bow).


    FordXplod93 I dont want to nitpick, but you mised out on the "....listening at lound volumes..." of my post.

  10. #10
    CAR REVIEW ADMlN Registered Member Easy E's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hessakia
    FordXplod93 I dont want to nitpick, but you mised out on the "....listening at lound volumes..." of my post.
    Listen, Ford is right, power is power doesnt matter. Convential speakers distortion does not blow them especialy subs etc. Doesnt matter if the 50 watt amp is clipping and making 100 watts, and the other amp is not clipping and making 100 watts, a watt is a watt to a speaker. Power is Power. Now there is advanced topics of this in power handling but I wont get into it because its over your head. Distortion does not kill speakers its the power. Power will either over cook the coils or make the woofer reach its limits and start ripping it self apart thats when it bottoms out. If u have any questions ask I will answer them.
    Thats my 2 cents.

  11. #11
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    still need some help....

    Ok guys.... I I just got my hands on a Pioneer 2 channel amp (bridgeable) 760w max... will this be sufficient to power my two 10" alpine e-type's ... I am just looking on hooking the subs to an amp... I'm thinking I'll just leave the deck and the front 6 1/2's alone (JVC Deck: 45x4 max, Pioneer 6 1/2's: 180 max) or maybe not... If you guys have any more suggestions that would be great....

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by getcrz
    Ok guys.... I I just got my hands on a Pioneer 2 channel amp (bridgeable) 760w max... will this be sufficient to power my two 10" alpine e-type's ... I am just looking on hooking the subs to an amp... I'm thinking I'll just leave the deck and the front 6 1/2's alone (JVC Deck: 45x4 max, Pioneer 6 1/2's: 180 max) or maybe not... If you guys have any more suggestions that would be great....

    That amp will be enough for those subs--as for your 6 1/2's--i'd still put them on an amp (although, your JVC is "45x4" its probably only pushing 12 watts RMS)

  13. #13
    Resident Cynic Registered Member FordXplod93's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hessakia
    FordXplod93 I dont want to nitpick, but you mised out on the "....listening at lound volumes..." of my post.
    Okay, so wouldn't that be overpowering rather than underpowering? ;)

    ~FordX
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  14. #14
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    yeah you would need to put an amp on the 6 1/2 because the deck will clip hard at loud volumes, and the distortion would be unbearable. As I know from past experience using JVC decks in the past. Check ebay or ikesound for a cheap good quality amp to use for the 6 1/2

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by FordXplod93
    Okay, so wouldn't that be overpowering rather than underpowering? ;)

    ~FordX
    I hate to change the topic again, but something has occured to me here. The argument is that underpowering will cause you to overdrive your amp which will in turn cause clipping which will create excess power which will blow your speakers...right? What I'm thinking is, along that line of reasoning, it would be more accurate to say "POWERING blows speakers", period! Think about it; if you have a 100 watt amp and you clip it, how is that any worse than clipping a 200 watt amp, or a 400 watt amp? If you don't know how to set your gains or detect distortion, does it really matter whether you're underpowering or not? You'll blow the speakers either way! In my mind, it is just as easy for someone to overdrive an amp that matches their speaker's RMS rating, as it is to overdrive an amp that is well below their RMS rating. I don't see the difference, so I must be missing something. Or perhaps the whole damn argument is a complete farce.

    Oh, I almost forgot the argument that low power won't move your sub enough for it to cool itself, and the coils will cook...I won't even get into that...

  16. #16
    Resident Cynic Registered Member FordXplod93's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mike patton
    I hate to change the topic again, but something has occured to me here. The argument is that underpowering will cause you to overdrive your amp which will in turn cause clipping which will create excess power which will blow your speakers...right? What I'm thinking is, along that line of reasoning, it would be more accurate to say "POWERING blows speakers", period! Think about it; if you have a 100 watt amp and you clip it, how is that any worse than clipping a 200 watt amp, or a 400 watt amp? If you don't know how to set your gains or detect distortion, does it really matter whether you're underpowering or not? You'll blow the speakers either way! In my mind, it is just as easy for someone to overdrive an amp that matches their speaker's RMS rating, as it is to overdrive an amp that is well below their RMS rating. I don't see the difference, so I must be missing something. Or perhaps the whole damn argument is a complete farce.

    Oh, I almost forgot the argument that low power won't move your sub enough for it to cool itself, and the coils will cook...I won't even get into that...
    Clipping an amp is one thing, but clipping does not always lead to blown subs. You can have a clean signal and still destroy a sub, and you can have a clipped signal that a sub can handle all day. And as for that low-power/low-cooling argument, if your subs are playing at low power, they don't need the same amount of cooling as high power (not as much current flowing through), unless it's an extremely inefficient sub.

    ~FordX
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  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by FordXplod93
    Clipping an amp is one thing, but clipping does not always lead to blown subs. You can have a clean signal and still destroy a sub, and you can have a clipped signal that a sub can handle all day. And as for that low-power/low-cooling argument, if your subs are playing at low power, they don't need the same amount of cooling as high power (not as much current flowing through), unless it's an extremely inefficient sub.

    ~FordX
    That's exactly what I mean. Most people seem to think that running too little power increases your chance of clipping, but I don't agree with that. I just think the whole argument is pretty stupid.

  18. #18
    Resident Cynic Registered Member FordXplod93's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mike patton
    That's exactly what I mean. Most people seem to think that running too little power increases your chance of clipping, but I don't agree with that. I just think the whole argument is pretty stupid.
    Right on. You can still run as little power as you want and still be fine. (For those that don't believe me, try blasting the hell out of a factory deck on a $300 set of speakers. It'll sound disgusting, but you won't blow the speakers) Bottom line is if you act like an idiot with your equipment, you deserve to be buying another sub.

    ~FordX
    Often imitated, never duplicated.

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