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New member Username: VikingtytyPost Number: 4 Registered: Jan-06 | i've been thinking about getting a system in my car for a long time now. some people have said to get it done professionally, others have said to just do it myself. how hard would it be to set it(basically just one amp and one sub) up? any sites with how-to's or anything? |
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Anonymous | I personally didn't find it too dificult my first time. I consider myself pretty mechanically inclined however. The amp wiring kits make it pretty simple. The hardest part was routing the wires. If you think you can handle it and you have the tools, I found it a fun project, and it'll save a few bucks doing it yourself. I only suggest doing your research to get good stuff, and connect it all correctly. |
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Bronze Member Username: AlteraudiousaConcord Post Number: 66 Registered: Jan-06 | what equipment are you getting and how knowledgeable are you. it takes me a few ays to set it up but then again, my setup is a little more complex than most. Are you running active, are you using an external crossover, HU crossover, a parametric EQ,passive crossovers on your speakers or going active? Do you have any CDs to use? Do you have a good ear? Are you picky? if you need a good CD i can mail you one for 7$. Has test tones, sweeps, polarity check, left and right check, etc. |
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New member Username: VikingtytyPost Number: 5 Registered: Jan-06 | i'm not sure what equipment i'm getting. i'm fairly knowledgeable (i probably couldnt spout off specs to you or anything, but if you say things, i'll understand them). i don't need EQ's or anything, i'm basically just looking for an amp and 1 or 2 subs, just something that "hits hard" haha. i have a good ear, i'm fairly picky, and i'm not sure what kind of CD you're talking about, or if i even need it for just one sub. also, if you want to recommend a setup for me (just sub and amp, my component speakers are fine, and my head unit is fine too) i'd appreciate it a lot. nothing crappy but i don't need a 3000 dollar system either, at least not yet =) |
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Silver Member Username: B101Queen City, NC USA Post Number: 820 Registered: Sep-05 | I did my install in 1hr. But I have been installing since 12years old. =D |
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Silver Member Username: B101Queen City, NC USA Post Number: 821 Registered: Sep-05 | Also am a electrician so its very very easy. lamo |
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Silver Member Username: SolacedagonyNew Jersey US Post Number: 772 Registered: Oct-04 | Yea, if you already have components and an HU, throw a sub and amp in there. Maybe even just start with amping your components if you haven't already. There's a plethora of subs at entry-level, depending on how much you want to spend, how loud you want it to be, SPL/SQ/SQL, etc. It really isn't hard. I've never done it before and I put my own box together, (Mind you, I've done wood working ONCE before that in my life) installed and wired up my sub, etc. I think my setup sounds great too. |
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Simply put Unregistered guest | alteraudio ur g@y...u just know some big words. tyler, dont waste ur money on his cd if u really wants tones go to realmofexcursion.com...other than that dude just run ur power wire from ur battery to the trunk where the amp is, run the little tiny remote wire from ur cd player to the trunk and the ground wire just scratch off a surface in ur trunk and attach it there with a screw, bam easy as that... |
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New member Username: VikingtytyPost Number: 6 Registered: Jan-06 | but my question is, how exactly do i run the power wire from the battery to the trunk? i think that's the only thing i need help with, i understand OHM's and different gauges of wire and all that, i just need to know how to run the wire from the battery to the trunk. |
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Silver Member Username: Young_jamesCanada Post Number: 733 Registered: Sep-05 | It's easy........Just start from under your hood. Next, make a hole in your firewall(follow all the other wires going into your car) and poke the wire through. Be sure to seal up around the wire again to prevent water from getting in. Pull the wire through until you have just enough under your hood to connect it to the battery. Next, find a place to run the wire. Usually under the door guard (plastic piece that runs next to door on the floor) is the best spot. Follow that right to the back of the car, and find a way to get it in the trunk. There's usually other wires going back there so just follow them. Same goes with the RCA's and remote wire from your HU, but just run them on the opposite side of your car than your power wire, to prevent unwanted noise. |
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New member Username: VikingtytyPost Number: 7 Registered: Jan-06 | should the wire fit under the door gaurd with no problems? and when i'm going from the front door area to the back door area, should the wire just kinda come out for a second, then back under the door gaurd in the back seat area? i don't know how else to word that. and will the wire be safe underneath that? |
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Bronze Member Username: AlteraudiousaConcord Post Number: 79 Registered: Jan-06 | for some reason i was thinking he was trying and settin up his speakers and their imaging. As for install. Its easy just time consuming. To save you time in the future if you plan to upgrade to more amps or larger amps, run a 4 to 0gauge power wire, put one fused block about 12-30in after the battery and one back in the trunk before your amp about 30in away or so. Depending on the wire size you may or may not have room under the door guard. I had to run mine under my carpet. As for ground wire i use 8gauge on most amps and 4 gauge on the larger amps. I have two different ground spots for my car one on each side. Just scrape away the paint to get bare metal and get a good self tapping screw to hold it down. The wire should be safe as it has shielding on it but places like where you pushed it through the firewall you want to be sure the sharp metal edges aren't cutting into the wire. i run my power wire on the driver's side, my speaker and remote wire straight down the middle and my RCAs down the passenger side. HU's and speakers are dependent on each car and some are easy others aren't. New cars like VW with the Monsoon system are hard to work with due to the radio and some American cars have stupid din openings where you need expensive adapters to fit a radio in. But when you're all finished with that and want to setup your soundstage right then use my first post. As for Simply Put, i don't think i used any big words and hardly do. As for the test tones, those would be the same ones i have plus about 10 more tracks. It off the CDs that were sold on SD that combined those tracks plus 3 more CDs worth of tracks, Grand Masta made it i believe one of the mods over there. |
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New member Username: VikingtytyPost Number: 8 Registered: Jan-06 | ok thanks a lot. now, do you have any recommendations for a sub/amp? |
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Silver Member Username: Young_jamesCanada Post Number: 736 Registered: Sep-05 | whats ur budget? Do you want SQ, SPL, etc? Also, what size would you prefer? "and when i'm going from the front door area to the back door area, should the wire just kinda come out for a second, then back under the door gaurd in the back seat area?" There should be a door pillar or something coming down from your roof to the floor. It's usually plastic. If this is the case, you can get a screw driver or something and ply up on it as you work the wire in. It might not seem like it will fit, but there's usually more room on the inside then what you think |
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New member Username: VikingtytyPost Number: 9 Registered: Jan-06 | i don't really have a budget, i'll save up as much as i need to get a good sounding system. but, i'd prefer if it wasn't like 2k or even close to that. i'm not sure of the difference between SQ and SPL, and size doesn't really matter to me as long as it hits hard and sounds good. |
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Bronze Member Username: VikingtytyPost Number: 11 Registered: Jan-06 | how about this? amp - HiFonics BX1500D (2) subs - Alpine SWR-1242D would that work? a friend told me that would be great, and its all fairly cheap. any opinions? |
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Bronze Member Username: VikingtytyPost Number: 12 Registered: Jan-06 | bump! |
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Bob365 Unregistered guest | Everyone seems to be assuming that your headunit(HU) is set up for a sub and amp. 1.Is this a factory system or do you have an aftermarket HU? 2.What brand/model is it? 3.What components do you have? 4.What year/model of car is it? 5.What type of music do you listen to? 6.How much trunk space are you willing to lose? SQ=sound quality SPL=sound pressure level - basically it's so loud I don't care if the SQ isn't perfect SQL=mix of the two Alpine Type-R's are a solid sub to get. Hifonics is a popular choice for low priced amps. The other part you have to think about is if your car can actually handle a 1000W+ sub system. If your amp draws too more power than the alternator makes, you end up with flickering headlights and maybe a dead battery. Overall, it's a lot cheaper to do it yourself and not that hard for a simple system. Most of the time and amp kit with rca's will do the job, but you might need a few other things like a line level outout converter with remote trigger if your HU doesn't have RCA output. |
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Bronze Member Username: VikingtytyPost Number: 13 Registered: Jan-06 | 1. the HU is an alpine cda-9847 2. ^^ 3. i'm not sure what the components are, but i know that i really like the way they sound. 4. its a 2002 VW jetta 5. i listen to a lot of music that i wouldn't want to "bump" to, but i often find myself wishing i had subs 6. i'd rather keep as much trunk space as possible, without losing any quality. as for SQ, SPL, etc... i want it to be relatively loud (still "bumpin") but i also don't want it to sound like trash(rattling, fartiing..cant believe they block that word, etc). about the hifonics... even though it's low priced and popular, would you still say it's a good amp? or just a piece of trash for a great price? |
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Gold Member Username: InsearchofbassPost Number: 4509 Registered: Jun-04 | from the sounds of your tastes id say do a jl amp and be done with it.....if you buy a mono block buy at least the 500/1 it has all the features you want to have in a amp esp adjustable bass boost frequency that you choose not a fixed 40 or 45 hz and they also put out the same power from 1 to 4 ohms and they have other nice features like subsonic filters...if you want an amp that will do the whole system try the jl 500/5 |
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Bronze Member Username: Safe_crackerChicago, IL US Post Number: 56 Registered: Jan-06 | Sean has a point but the Xenon series amps by Phoenix Gold does the same and puts out like a well trained wh0re and do it cheaper. I saw a Xenon 1200.1 for $404, which is dirt cheap. I do a little repair work on amps (still learning) and have to say that these amps are well built, just like the Jl. JMHO Polo.. |
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Gold Member Username: InsearchofbassPost Number: 4510 Registered: Jun-04 | they are almost as good but dont have all the features jl has |
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Bob365 Unregistered guest | I've got the same car. Since you've already got an Alpine HU in there, all of the funky stuff with the power, antenna, etc. is done. I ran rcas and remote turn-on wire from HU under the dash to the right under the carpet all the way back. I connected the power to that power distribution block above the battery to a hole (which fits 4 gauge with no problems) in the firewall that's almost straight back http://mywebpages.comcast.net/zero12345678/z/radio/doubledinmonsooninstall/Gromm et%20LR.jpg then to the left under the dash then under the carpet back. The Jetta does a good job of keeping sound in the car, but it does dampen the sound from the trunk too. The rear deck will vibrate if not dampened. The alternator is between 90-120 amps depending on the engine and AC. http://forums.vwvortex.com/ is a great resource if you don't go there already |
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Bronze Member Username: BuckshotPost Number: 18 Registered: Nov-05 | i ran my power wire along my steering colum or w/e its called the big rod that connects to your steering wheel...ran it through the firewall there so i dont have to drill then under the carpet and the back seat into the trunk then up through the carpetwhere the amp is...just make sure u get the wiring kit so u get all the stuff u need(fuses rcas power/ground remote) dont try and buy it all sperate saves alot of time just buuyin kit |
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Bronze Member Username: VikingtytyPost Number: 14 Registered: Jan-06 | thanks bob. i post on the vortex but never thought to ask about audio. how would i go about dampening the "rear deck"? |
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Bob365 Unregistered guest | I still haven't done it, but I need to when I get my new sub this month, so you should check around before doing this. Separate the covers on the three bolts on the rear deck then remove the bolts. Slide the rear deck cover off. Be careful I broke a tab last time and the top brake light wire is also there. Use sound deadening material on the metal grid. **I'm not sure about this part. - I thought about using sound deadening material on the rear deck cover itself and weatherstripping to keep a little room between the deck and cover** The other odd option I thought about was to actually cut ports in the rear deck to allow better unrestricted airflow from the trunk. I'm afraid this might cause it to sound bad due to the fact you're making the trunk a ported box. Of course, dropping the seat makes it ported too and windows down makes your whole car a ported box. So??? I still want to line up a replacement deck before I go cutting. Right now, I'm running an Ascendant Audio Atlas 12" sealed off 300W for sound quality. It blends really nice with the components. When they ship it, I'll have an 12" Arsenal on 600W first sealed then probably ported to satisfy my hunger for a little more bass, but you'd still be surprised at the Atlas on 300W. After that I might try and see how the electrical system likes supplying my amp with 1100W. I had Type-R's before and was happy with them. I got into Ascendant Audio because I was looking for something different and the price compared to RE and Adire was nice. I haven't heard the Arsenal so I can't recommend it yet, but the old line of Atlas and Avalanche was really good. |
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Silver Member Username: ShawnomakHB, SK Canada Post Number: 184 Registered: May-05 | I dunno if anyone said anything about this.. But what about running the power wires and rca's down different sides of the car to make sure there isnt any noise from it? |
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Bob365 Unregistered guest | Yeah, I did. Plus it's easier to hide under the carpeting if you're running them on separate sides of the car. |