Just finished installing everything last night into an '03 S10.
Hybrid Audio Imagine mids in the doors, tweeters in the dash. MB Quart ONX1500D powering 15" SI Mag MB Quart ONX4.60 Bridged for 200x2w powering the components SI Mag in 2.3CuFt sealed box with 2lbs polyfil
New head unit to come in a few months... Review next week sometime.
*** Resizing kinda F'd up the pics.. you get the idea.. ***
On to pictures!
Out with the old...
In with the new!
Screws were temp, had to go get some black ones...
1. When setting gain on 4.60, I used 1000Hz tone to set gain but was getting weird voltages(like only 4v), where the 1500D was easy to set @ 38v. Ended up just setting it at 1.8v by looking at the dial.. Never set gain on a 4 channel before.
2. When using a 4 channel bridged, do I need the front & rear RCAs plugged in? in pics only the front RCAs are hooked up. Maybe this is why setting gain was weird?
3. Should there be an isolator or something in between the batteries? Right now it's just direct.
When setting gain on the 4.60 you want to use the same method as the subwoofer, just with a different frequency tone. You chose to use 1kHz which is the most common for tuning the highs amp.
1) So, assuming those comps are 4-ohm nominal (im like 99% sure they are) and you want to find the sweet spot where you will be getting ~100 wRMS of output from your amp bridged... you use this formula...
So with your EQ set to however its going to STAY, and your volume on your head-unit set to ~80% (or whatever your MAX listening level will be, as long as this volume level does not drive the headunit into clipping) play the 1kHz - 0dB tone and slowly turn the gain of the amplifier up until your output voltage gets to ~20 volts between the bridged terminals. Remember though this is a very rough estimate for amplifier power output so take it with a grain of salt, you SHOULD be able to distinguish a clipped signal when playing a 1kHz tone so.
2) You should only need one set of RCA's, but what you want to do (at least what I would do...) would be to get a pair of RCA Y-Splitters like these: And split your right (red) signal into channels 1 & 2, and the left signal (white) into channels 3 & 4. Leave the mode switch on the amp on "4", that way you will not lose your left and right imaging.
Of course if you allready have a second pair of RCA's coming from your head unit, yes plug them in. But make sure you are plugging them in the same way that you set up your speakers... for example if your channels 1&2 are bridged for your RIGHT set of components, you want channels 1&2 to be getting the RIGHT signal from the head unit, which would mean you would plug in both RED RCA's into channels 1&2 respectively, and both WHITE into channels 3&4.
3. Idk much about batteries so ill leave that alone.
If you are using equalization I don't think that method will be very valuable, in any case the test frequency should be at the band on the equalizer that is boosted the most within the crossover bandpass for a particular speaker.
Also why would you put "isolators" between batteries.
Okay, but if using V=sqrt(PR) then would the formula not be: V=sqrt(200x4) ? Because in bridged mode it is putting out 200x2?
Or should I unbridge and set gain on single channel? I set gain with speakers unhooked, so it is hard to tell if it is distorting at the volume it's at while playing 1KHz tone
I thought maybe because there is such a big draw on my back battery the alternator would try to keep charging that one, possibly overcharging the front one or stressing the voltage regulator? This is just my best guess, thought I've heard of isolators being used but don't know the exact purpose.
And yeah I can tell when my equipment is distorting, I tried to match gains on both channels and both amps.
I have RCAs for the rear that are being unused, I'll hook them up tomorrow and see if it makes a difference.
Right, you would use 200 rather than the 100 I used, still checking the voltage over the bridged terminals, I just figured you wanted to leave it at 100 since those comps are rated to handle 100 wRMS.
If you are only using 1 set of RCA's what "Mode" are you running the amp in, if you don't mind my asking.
The imagines are incredible, easily my favorite component I've ever heard. I paid $250+shipping here in canada, think they're about $200 in America. Well worth it for the price, IMO you would have to spend AT LEAST $400 to get as good quality.
They keep right up with the mag, but I am doubling their RMS, and cannot get them to distort. I know a lot of people on other forums like to double rms, figured I would try it cause I can always back off a bit.
The mag is a beauty, but in the somewhat near future I can see myself downsizing to 2 10s or 1 12, the sealed box is okay for the mag but once my windows drop down halfway, it gets easily twice as loud, I almost don't like it when my windows are up lol. I want to try something ported but don't got the room to do it with the mag
I'm using my iPhone and I can't find a link to the forum anywhere on the mobile homepage?
SkieZ, I was wondering how did you find the infinitys against the HATs, not talking about SQ obviously, but balance, most people find the infinitys harsh or at least bright, and poor on midbass.
