AMP, Subs, and sound system help

[MacTavish]

I have acquired two rather old and beat up amps.

They are:

http://www.kicker.com/sites/default/files/654xi, 354xi 4-Ch Power Amplifiers.pdf

And

http://www.lightningaudio.com/produ..._id=100499&locale=en_US&p_status=discontinued

I don't have subs yet though. Any cheap, but quality recommendations?

Anyways, I have no idea what I'm doing. does one AMP go to the 4 small speakers in the doors while the other powers the 2 subs? I also have a power capacitor left by the previous owner of the vehicle, how does that work and what is it? lol

Do I connect the amps and speakers together with simple 12 gauge speaker wire? Any and all advice is welcome! Thank youuuuuuuuuuuu

 

[jeeptech1]

you can use one amp for the speakers and one for the subs. i have a 750 watt (max amps normally runs around 400 watts)lightning audio amp pushing 1 10" power bass sub in a truck box(skinny to fit behind a truck seat, aka sealed box with no ports). and a nice pioneer deck running my 4 rockford fosgate 5 /14" speakers and it is amazing the sound quality and depth i get from it. i even have my sub turned back on the deck to -15 on a -25 to positive 25 scale! other wise i would have nothing but bass! in my opinion if you dont listen to rap you dont need two subs. and with a good deck you dont really need an amp (especially with the factory sized 5 1/4"). the capacitor basicly takes your battery voltage and multiplies it to run high powered amps and also acts like a buffer so your car doesnt die every time the bass hits. and you use speaker wire going from the amp to the speaker (or sub) but use rca lines from the deck to the amps (so make sure you have a deck with enough rca outputs to run both amps).

 

[MacTavish]

ok thanks mate, some good info there. I guess i'll put my amp under my driver seat? And if I don't have a box for my sub, what are my other options?

 

[Doc Holliday]

For subs, I have always ran Alpine. I currently have a 10" E-series powered by a 210 Watt amp, sub only cost me $79 I think on sale at crutchfield, sounds real good, I will probably buy another one for my ride.

 

[JDobrich]

ok thanks mate, some good info there. I guess i'll put my amp under my driver seat? And if I don't have a box for my sub, what are my other options?

You have to have a box for your sub woofer. You can make your own using Meduim Density Fiberboard (MDF) which is available at most hardware stores. I would try getting some info on the sub to see what kind of air space (interior volume of the box) the manufacture recommends. Now go build a box, crank that shit up, and piss off your neighbors!

 

[BrokenSockets]

Technically speaking, the cap doesn't increase your battery voltage - it just stores energy like a reservoir while powered therefore helps prevent voltage drop during short duration peak draws. At high volumes while playing complex musical content, a large amp with an insufficient internal capacitor bank will starve for current resulting in extremely poor dynamic range and transient response. They will also cause voltage drop on the line during these peaks draws. (flickering headlight syndrome)

Caps are also used to filter electrical noise from the rest of the vehicle, keeping it out of the audio system.

They are best placed as close as possible to the amps - if you need them at all. Good amps will have a built in capacitor bank suitable for any reasonable listening level.

I have my amps mounted to my rear seat back taking up the entire surface area and pushing a reasonable amount of power. I have a one piece hard cover over the amps with steel bracket standoffs so I can still fold the seat down and pile in the cargo.

x2 on building a box for the sub. Plenty of DIY info on the web to put together a nice one dirt cheap.