Subwoofer\Amp\Speaker Help?!

I second that!

 

He has alot of memphis audio stuff, seeing your sig. i know you have that. How do you like yours?

 

I have a memphis sub and it hits very nice. I <3 it BUT let us here on TW help you give advice and not the sound dudes. sometimes they just want to sell you crap. they sold me a performance tecknique 788 or some crap like that with my memphis sub and i blew it 3 times and got it replaced 3 times. Like everyone says its all about how much you want to spend. make sure you get a GOOD amp.

edit: and a capacitor if you tend to push a lot of power. sucks up battery power if you have a high watt amp. ( mine is 4000)

 

negative ghostrider...a cap will not help save your battery. All a cap does is provide short periods of power when your charging system cannot keep up with the demands of the amplifer power. VERY short bursts (ever see a cap discharge?). It is supposed to keep your power supply to the amp very steady.

If you have adequate charging system (alternator), you won't need a cap. A cap is nothing but a bandaid for a weak charging system.

Your battery comes into play when you don't have your car running and you are not getting power from your alternator. Either way, the cap functions the same...and once it discharges and does not recieve (from your charging system) sufficient power to recharge itself...it's of no use at all.

Bottom line...make sure your charging system (power supply) is up to snuff.

 

To sum up what GoBlueFan said, you don't need a cap unless you are trying to use a cheesy vehicle or doing something retardedly powerful.

I like my Memphis stuff, I believe that they sell a very solid product for a very economical price. They take a minimalist approach - amps will look very simplistic, but the focus is on what's inside. I will say that there's products that can be clearer than Memphis, but their price point is hard to beat and you get more than you paid for.

 

Wish i understood the sound system stuff, (ohms, watts stuff) I don't get it but I hope I figure it ou!

 

Just to piggy back on this cap discussion, I am planning on running 200 watts on a multi channel amp and either 500 or 900 watts on a mono block amp. What is the best way of ensuring sufficient power/charging supply. I have an '07 TRD Sport 4x4 with the towing option which I believe has the larger alternator. I'm glad to hear that a cap won't help much because I really don't know where I'd install it. The amps are going to be under the seats if there is room. Will an optima battery help with all this power?

 

With the big alternator...you should be good to go if you use proper sized power wire and ground.

Make sure you have solid ground points as well.

 

You think running 4 guage off the battery and splitting at the distro block into 8 guage for each amp will suffice?

 

depends on the length of wire and what the max amp draw is.

 

Thanks Man. I'll make sure to make note of that when I get everything in.

 

Can anyone tell me if this is an accurate way to measure total current draw for a car audio system?

I got this from Crutchfield -

Multiply the # of channels by RMS watts (450 Watts RMS x 2 Channels = 900 Watts, 50 Watts RMS x 4 = 200 - A total of 900 + 200= 1100 Watts RMS)

Double that amount to account for amplifier ineffeciencies (1100 x 2 = 2,200 Watts)

Divide that number by the average output voltage of running alternator, 13.8 volts (2,200/13.8 = 159.4)

Divide that amp output by 3 to account for 1/3 signal requirement for average power in a test tone (159.4/3 = 53)

So I end with a current draw of 53 amps. This seems kind of low for an 1100 Watt RMS setup. Can anyone confirm this?

GoBlueFan - I'm planning on running 2ga power and ground wire and splitting off to 4ga to each amp from my distribution block. My alternator has a 130 amp rating and I have the heavy duty battery provided on the TRD Sport Towing Package. You mentioned earlier that I wouldnt need a cap or a deep cycle battery. Does this information change your opinion and can you tell me what the difference between the two is?

 

You'll be more than ok with that. Never skimp on wiring.



A cap is only there to cover the minor voltage dips that the power source (alt or battery) can't cover. Again, just a bandaide for a weak charging system.

A deep cycle battery allows you to maintain a solid power source for extended engine off play time and can handle mulitiple discharges/recharges. The way you use your system really dictates if it's needed. If you get one, not a bad thing.

 

Any thoughts on whether to upgrade the "Big 3"?

 

My gear is running more watts than what you mentioned, I have basically the same truck, and I don't plan on upgrading any of that. I've got 4ga. from battery to distrib. block to amps. I went over it with Marv and he gave me the thumbs up.

hope that helps?