DeLorean amp installation

[QuadcityDMC]

I want to installing an amp in the car this weekend. How many people have removed the front tire and installed the amp in the trunk. Is it better to install it in the back shelf or inside the cubbyhole the sub woofer sits in.

I have that DeLorean California sub woofer.

[mec]

i made a new floor for mine with the amps attached so the floor can still be lifted to get access to the spare wheel, here it is ...

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j239/mec_1985/delorean045.jpg

[DMCMW Dave]

I want to installing an amp in the car this weekend. How many people have removed the front tire and installed the amp in the trunk. Is it better to install it in the back shelf or inside the cubbyhole the sub woofer sits in.

I have that DeLorean California sub woofer.

I don't believe that you can fit an amp in the cubbyhole with that sub enclosure in there.

I've seen very thin amps behind the back panel, and on the back deck (showing) and even on the side of the front "tunnel" on the passenger side, hidden by the carpet.

[jawn101]

I don't believe that you can fit an amp in the cubbyhole with that sub enclosure in there.

I've seen very thin amps behind the back panel, and on the back deck (showing) and even on the side of the front "tunnel" on the passenger side, hidden by the carpet.

I posted this in another thread on the same topic... I haven't done it yet but *have* done the measurements and this amp will fit in the cubbyhole, with the DMCCA sub installed as well.

http://www.jlaudio.com/xd200-2-car-audio-xd-amplifiers-98260

It is also well suited specification-wise to the speaker, and *claims* to have good thermal management properties that should help it being confined in that small space.

[Bitsyncmaster]

It is also well suited specification-wise to the speaker, and *claims* to have good thermal management properties that should help it being confined in that small space.

But are the idle ECU, Lambda ECU and ignition ECU going to like that heat and vibration?

[jawn101]

But are the idle ECU, Lambda ECU and ignition ECU going to like that heat and vibration?

You tell me! :) Seems like a lot of people put the speaker in there, but the amp is a novel decision as far as I know.

[Bitsyncmaster]

You tell me! :) Seems like a lot of people put the speaker in there, but the amp is a novel decision as far as I know.

I think they can take some heat but the vibration would worry me. Components can break off the PCB if they have a lot of mass and long leads.

[jawn101]

I think they can take some heat but the vibration would worry me. Components can break off the PCB if they have a lot of mass and long leads.

Yeah I can see that. Personally I know I have no plans to thump down the street - I'm more interested in filling a frequency response hole in the existing system than I am in impressing the kids at a middle school.

Has anyone heard of any such issues with the DMCCA sub installed in the cubby?

I wonder if you could proactively put some vibration isolation around the ECUs. Rubber mounts perhaps?

[QuadcityDMC]

That amp is a great size but only 100W. I'd like to "hide" the amp, I think putting it in the spare tire area would work best.

[jawn101]

That amp is a great size but only 100W. I'd like to "hide" the amp, I think putting it in the spare tire area would work best.

It's fully bridgeable to 200W@ 4ohms, which is what I believe the DMCCA supplied component speaker requires. It's actually unbeatable for that size. I still plan to see if I can make it work in the cubby behind the speaker.

[Bitsyncmaster]

I wonder if you could proactively put some vibration isolation around the ECUs. Rubber mounts perhaps?

When subject to vibration, you put some RTV on the large components (mostly large capacitors) to "glue" them to the PCB. If other users have not had problems, you are probably OK running the sub in the box.

[QuadcityDMC]

I just ordered that Amp, should have it in a few days, with the DMC-CA sub in there is still room behind it. We will see come Sunday.

[jawn101]

I just ordered that Amp, should have it in a few days, with the DMC-CA sub in there is still room behind it. We will see come Sunday.

Oh awesome. I'm really interested to hear your results. You can do one of two things by my calculations: Mount the amp right to the back of the sub box, or bolt it down to the floor of the cubby. I was planning on making a plastic sheet the same shape as the bottom of the cubbyhole and mounting the amp to that so that it would be easily removable if I needed to work on the parking brake cables, and so that I wouldn't need to drill the fiberglass. Take lots of pictures!!

[Bitsyncmaster]

Remove the carpet insert in the cubby for more room. I did that and just got my 10 disk CD player to fit in there.

[Iznodmad]

In #16128, the amp is beneath the passenger seat. I don't have to worry about heat, b/c the amp adjusts power on its own and will shut down before overheating.

[QuadcityDMC]

Picked up a Amp install kit 500W from Best Buy. The local auto audio install business just went out of business so the only place in town is best buy. The kid told me that everything I need would be in the kit. Putting an Amp and sub in has been expensive and it's not even installed yet.

I'll also be putting in new striker pins and AC sticker on Sunday.

[jawn101]

Picked up a Amp install kit 500W from Best Buy. The local auto audio install business just went out of business so the only place in town is best buy. The kid told me that everything I need would be in the kit. Putting an Amp and sub in has been expensive and it's not even installed yet.

I'll also be putting in new striker pins and AC sticker on Sunday.

Sounds like it might be a first install for you, so just one word to the wise. Do *NOT* neglect to install the inline fuse that surely came with your amp install kit. And install it as close as humanly possible to the battery. That way when and if the huge power wires you run to the amp get chafed through and short out, the fuse will blow before your car burns.

Also, from that you can infer that you must be very careful where and how you run those power wires. If your amp kit came with some of that hard plastic wire protector stuff, *use it* on the power wires. Don't run them both inside one tube if you can avoid it.

Can't wait to hear how this goes! You're getting a jump on me with my own plan :)

[QuadcityDMC]

Here are some pre-install photos.

Items needed to complete. DMC-CA Sub in a box, Amp wiring kit, JL amp and one DMC

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/306117_420920781267778_100000495801550_1668949_178 3208683_n.jpg

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/539679_420920851267771_100000495801550_1668951_214 0801387_n.jpg

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/535102_420920941267762_100000495801550_1668953_657 104078_n.jpg

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/551046_420921021267754_100000495801550_1668955_699 77583_n.jpg

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/558868_420921091267747_100000495801550_1668956_179 4235791_n.jpg

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/416470_413462018680321_100000495801550_1646570_197 3225213_o.jpg

[jawn101]

Here are some pre-install photos.

Items needed to complete. DMC-CA Sub in a box, Amp wiring kit, JL amp and one DMC

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/306117_420920781267778_100000495801550_1668949_178 3208683_n.jpg

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/539679_420920851267771_100000495801550_1668951_214 0801387_n.jpg

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/535102_420920941267762_100000495801550_1668953_657 104078_n.jpg

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/551046_420921021267754_100000495801550_1668955_699 77583_n.jpg

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/558868_420921091267747_100000495801550_1668956_179 4235791_n.jpg

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/416470_413462018680321_100000495801550_1646570_197 3225213_o.jpg

Right on. That looks like it's going to work exactly as I hoped :) Are you going to screw the amp to the back of the box?

[QuadcityDMC]

My budy helped me install the amp today.

It was stright forward amp install. drilled through the bottom of the battery box to get the wires down. There is a spot right infront of the fuse holder with nothing there.

Hooked the radio wires up as needed and ran them on the passanger side seat along carpet.

Removed rear glove box door and installed the sub.

Hardest part was finding a good spot for the amp. To big to put in with the sub, or up by the trunk release. So we noticed the fire wall has a 1 in thick pad and if it was cut to the shap of the amp it would fit right in. So we cut it and drilled it to the back firewall, I then put high heat sealer on the back of the screw heads that went into the egine bay. I would say there is about a 1/4 - 1/2 gap between the back panel and the amp.

We drove around and I did not get hot.

Here are some photos and videos.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/539189_423592341000622_100000495801550_1677458_113 5016426_n.jpg

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/305591_423592621000594_100000495801550_1677460_116 5880773_n.jpg

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/561991_423592997667223_100000495801550_1677461_164 4828837_n.jpg

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/542934_423593457667177_100000495801550_1677463_991 645882_n.jpg

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/531425_423593624333827_100000495801550_1677464_148 0280920_n.jpg

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/544771_423593791000477_100000495801550_1677466_204 7560512_n.jpg

After everthing has been installed.

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/392461_423593961000460_100000495801550_1677468_875 168105_n.jpg

Video of sub - not great video


http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=423595827666940

Then just a video of DMCMW 2-Stage.


http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=423597664333423

[dmc3130]

Here's mine in the trunk area. Love it and out of the way, but still can get to it if needed.:Headspin:

[jawn101]

I was really hoping it would fit behind the sub itself. I still think it could be doable :)

Your solution on the back wall seems pretty elegant too, but it looked like you zip tied your audio cables to your throttle cable? That might not be a great idea.

BTW, it's not a question of whether you get hot, it's the amp you have to be worried about.

[QuadcityDMC]

That is not the throtle cable, its stero cable that came with the kit. That amp WILL NOT fit in the hole with the sub because the Lambda ECU is in the way. IF that was moved then yes it would fit. It would also fit by the engine real latch if it was removed.

The firewall mount worked out good.

Its a good amp, good power, easy install.

do my video links still work?

[jawn101]

That is not the throtle cable, its stero cable that came with the kit. That amp WILL NOT fit in the hole with the sub because the Lambda ECU is in the way. IF that was moved then yes it would fit. It would also fit by the engine real latch if it was removed.

The firewall mount worked out good.

Its a good amp, good power, easy install.

do my video links still work?

In this image here it looks like your blue stereo wires are tied to the black throttle cable, coming through the firewall (lower left corner)...

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/544771_423593791000477_100000495801550_1677466_204 7560512_n.jpg

Videos require a facebook login. Good to hear the amp powers the sub well! When I get mine I may just have to rethink my installation plans :)

[QuadcityDMC]

I guess it is, good eye, thought it was just a black tie wrap. I however did not remember doing that.

[FABombjoy]

I've been running my amp in this spot (behind the parcel shelf) for about 6 years now, no real problems except that a few weeks ago I had to go back in and space the amp away from the firewall just a mm or two, and add lock washers to the mounting nuts. After driving around for about 15 minutes, the fiberglass must expand just slightly, and I had this squeak that I couldn't place. After relubing everything on the top half of the car, it finally dawned on me that it might be the amp squeaking against the firewall.

I'm running a fairly large amp (22" x 10") so this might not be a concern with a smaller amps.

[QuadcityDMC]

Not the best but here it is.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k5dIVp0eic&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[kings1527]

My budy helped me install the amp today.

It was stright forward amp install. drilled through the bottom of the battery box to get the wires down. There is a spot right infront of the fuse holder with nothing there.

Hooked the radio wires up as needed and ran them on the passanger side seat along carpet.

Removed rear glove box door and installed the sub.

Hardest part was finding a good spot for the amp. To big to put in with the sub, or up by the trunk release. So we noticed the fire wall has a 1 in thick pad and if it was cut to the shap of the amp it would fit right in. So we cut it and drilled it to the back firewall, I then put high heat sealer on the back of the screw heads that went into the egine bay. I would say there is about a 1/4 - 1/2 gap between the back panel and the amp.

We drove around and I did not get hot.

Here are some photos and videos.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/539189_423592341000622_100000495801550_1677458_113 5016426_n.jpg

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/305591_423592621000594_100000495801550_1677460_116 5880773_n.jpg

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/561991_423592997667223_100000495801550_1677461_164 4828837_n.jpg

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/542934_423593457667177_100000495801550_1677463_991 645882_n.jpg

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/531425_423593624333827_100000495801550_1677464_148 0280920_n.jpg

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/544771_423593791000477_100000495801550_1677466_204 7560512_n.jpg

After everthing has been installed.

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/392461_423593961000460_100000495801550_1677468_875 168105_n.jpg

Then just a video of DMCMW 2-Stage.


http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=423597664333423

Great install! I'm going to be tackling the same install and equipment in a few days. Some of your pics weren't loading. Would you mind posting them again or PM'ing me with them? I was hoping you had some good shots of the amp mount behind the parcel shelf, how you modded the battery box, and any others you might have. I have the small JL sub and I'm looking at the same location.

Thanks!

[TTait]

I don't believe that you can fit an amp in the cubbyhole with that sub enclosure in there.


I have. Its not a tiny one either. It doesn't fit flat, goes in at an angle so I still have to permanently mount it but with the right amp its certainly do-able...

[jawn101]

I have. Its not a tiny one either. It doesn't fit flat, goes in at an angle so I still have to permanently mount it but with the right amp its certainly do-able...

By all the measurements I did, I genuinely believe the JL XD300 will fit in the cubby along with the DMC-CA sub enclosure. Things keep coming up and I haven't bought the stuff yet though. But I agree with Tom here that it really seems doable.

[DeLorean]

You can hide a reasonably small amp behind the rear parcel shelf cover. I have a nakamichi PA-300 back there, totally hidden. Just had to remove some foam insulation, and replace it with an amp! you'd never know it's there.

[TTait]

By all the measurements I did, I genuinely believe the JL XD300 will fit in the cubby along with the DMC-CA sub enclosure. Things keep coming up and I haven't bought the stuff yet though. But I agree with Tom here that it really seems doable.

I don't have the enclosure, just a 10" sub installed into a spare cubby door, with an inexpensive crunch P500.2 amp inserted behind. It fits volumetrically, but its tight. The amp is not flush up against a surface but diagonally inserted and braced into the space. Its functional, but a smaller amp would fit better, and a proper enclosure might sound better at higher volumes - but it works fine for my needs.

[kobachi]

How have all of you run your powers wires? Are you wiring directly to the battery or is there an appropriate place in the fuse/relay area to get power from?

[Josh]

How have all of you run your powers wires? Are you wiring directly to the battery or is there an appropriate place in the fuse/relay area to get power from?

I have not wired up an amp in a delorean but I have wired up amps before. There is a constant and a switched power source on the amp. The constant runs directly to the battery and has an inline fuse. Some amps have the fuses built in so the inline fuse is not needed. Depending on the size of the amp this wire must be appropriately sized, but most cases you will be in the single digit gauges. The switched source is wire to the radio or any switched power source as a signal to turn on and off the amp. I do not recommend hooking the amp up to another circuit for the constant power, amps generally draw alot of current.

[Bitsyncmaster]

Most of these power amps draw very large currents. Not much existing wiring can provide that current and keep running what it was designed for. Make sure you have a fuse close to the battery in your new circuit you have added.

[DeLorean03]

Go straight to the battery for both power and ground. I am installing an Alpine MRX-V60 this weekend, and that is my plan. Here are all my goodies being installed this weekend:

Blaupunkt 3.5's (already in the car since 2006)
Blaupunkt 4 x 6's in the stock position (got them cheap)
12 foot RCA cables as seen here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/280908731474?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649
Alpine MRX-V60 (5 channel capabilities): http://www.ebay.com/itm/160956384444?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649
Pioneer DEH-P8400BH as seen here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/360692790992?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649
And the amp install kit with everything needed to make the install happen: http://www.ebay.com/itm/390549851927?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

A sub-woofer will be installed in the future in the driver's lock box with the lid acting as the anchor for the sub and the lockbox being a natural enclosure.

[kobachi]

I'm definitely aware of the need to run dedicated wiring for an amp -- my question was more about the practical details of how people have done this before. I'm not suggesting re-using an existing circuit or wire, I'm just curious if there's an appropriate and more-convenient place to wire into in the fuse box, given that it's directly above the battery compartment. Otherwise, I would like to hear how others have routed their B+ wires in the past.

[Josh]

Go straight to the battery for both power and ground. I am installing an Alpine MRX-V60 this weekend, and that is my plan. Here are all my goodies being installed this weekend:

Blaupunkt 3.5's (already in the car since 2006)
Blaupunkt 4 x 6's in the stock position (got them cheap)
12 foot RCA cables as seen here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/280908731474?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649
Alpine MRX-V60 (5 channel capabilities): http://www.ebay.com/itm/160956384444?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649
Pioneer DEH-P8400BH as seen here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/360692790992?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649
And the amp install kit with everything needed to make the install happen: http://www.ebay.com/itm/390549851927?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

A sub-woofer will be installed in the future in the driver's lock box with the lid acting as the anchor for the sub and the lockbox being a natural enclosure.

4 gauge is pretty thick wire for that little amp. I would use 8 gauge.

The lockbox is not exactly an enclosure. the top of it is entirely open into the electric compartment above.

[DeLorean03]

My thoughts when it comes to wire gauge: more is always better and safer - this is one area overkill is not a bad idea. I appreciate what you're saying. For me, it's a safe peace of mind.

As for the sub, it's a 6 incher. If necessary, the enclosure could be finished with a custom-made ceiling piece. After all, soon, I won't need any of that junk in the driver's side electrical compartment. More on that soon..............

As for kobachi's question: power and ground straight from the battery. I'm not running any wires to the fusebox. The only other wire I'm running is a 16-18 gauge wire to the blue/white remote wire on the back of the head unit.

Job should hopefully be done by the end of this weekend. I'll try to take pictures for reference.

[DeLorean03]

Been done for a week, but figured I'd post:

21569

21570

Took a lil' while to do it right. Utilized a 1" hole saw drill bit and made a separate hole for all my speaker wiring and RCA cables. I utilized the already present trunk latch cable hole for the power wire. The ground wire was grounded by the front strut tower brace.

Speaker wire was 12 gauge (in case of upgrades down the road), power and ground cable were 4 gauge. Nearly everything was ordered off of eBay: amp install kit, Alpine MRX-V60 amp, Samurai RCA audio cables, Pioneer DEH-P8400BH receiver - and it was all well worth it. Buying this stuff locally at Best-Ripoff Buy would have cost you a small fortune (they wanted $400 alone for an Alpine MRX-V70 Amp - this year's V60).

Any questions, please fire away.

[kobachi]

I'm currently running a Rockford Fosgate PBR300X2 behind my rear parcel shelf to power two 6x9s back there. I'm thinking of getting a DMC-CA subwoofer box, bridging this amp to power it, and buying a PBR300X4 to power my 6x9s and my front 3.5"s (currently powered by the head unit). The PBR300X2 at 2x4Ohms is actually 100W RMS per channel, while the PBR300X4 at 4x4Ohms is 75W RMS per channel, so this seems like it should be fine to me. (My 6x9s are 75W RMS and the 3.5"s are 30W RMS -- and I'm not a loud listener.)

These two amps are exactly the same physical size. Has anyone tried to hide a PBR amp behind the glove box? There's a gap in there that seems like it would be just about right. Not much airflow back there I'm sure, but there can't be much airflow between my rear parcel panel and the pontoon, either.

I could also imagine just attaching the amp to the bottom of the glovebox itself, although even with strong double-sided tape I'd be worried about it getting kicked.

[kobachi]

Maybe I should install them in the seats for free "heated seats" :)

[DeLorean03]

Maybe I should install them in the seats for free "heated seats" :)

Tongue-in-cheek comment, I know, but I wouldn't do it unless you want a fried amp from lack of air circulation D: ...

[kobachi]

Tongue-in-cheek comment, I know, but I wouldn't do it unless you want a fried amp from lack of air circulation D: ...

I was ~40% serious :) Maybe I could thermally adhere it to a plate of aluminum to act as a heatsink/back-warmer :)

[kobachi]

I pulled out my glovebox last night. A PBR300X4 fits behind it no problem. It has about 2" airspace on top and plenty on all other sides. And probably has more airflow than behind the rear parcel wall. The only problem is finding a way to stick it down.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=km3986nsCds

[cyberflexx]

In my younger years, I used to install car stereo systems and I have been thinking on how to install a simple setup in a Delorean, if and when I get mine.
Couldnt you just build a box with two 10 inch subs and flush mount the amp between the subs? or maybe just one 12 inch sub and one amp? Carpet it to match the interior for a smooth clean look?

Here is an example I found online, I know this one is in a trunk, but it gives you an idea.. seems pretty simple to me. one thing I would worry about though is the alternator not being strong enough, so you may need a power capacitor too, if you run high wattage.
Just a thought..
24921

[aipri]

That is pretty close to what I will be doing in my car. A single 10" sub and an amp all flush mounted on the rear parcel shelf and wrapped in carpet. However, I believe a lot of people use that shelf and can't afford to give up the space.

[jfirios]

for me i basically took up my whole trunk with the amp. I removed all the components in the storage area behind the drivers seat and made that a completely sealed dynamatted box. placing all the electronics on the top section behind the seat. There i was able to fit a 10" sub.
Then again , the stereo I have installed in my D is a little more advanced and aggressive than the standard audiophile who just wants some power to their JBL or whatever speakers.

[papanoel]

for me i basically took up my whole trunk with the amp. I removed all the components in the storage area behind the drivers seat and made that a completely sealed dynamatted box. placing all the electronics on the top section behind the seat. There i was able to fit a 10" sub.
Then again , the stereo I have installed in my D is a little more advanced and aggressive than the standard audiophile who just wants some power to their JBL or whatever speakers.

Do you have photos of your interior. would like to see your setup.

[GS450-Junkie]

So today I am attempting to install my VERY FIRST EVER sub and amp setup. I really am unsure of some things and have read about 1,000 posts on the topic but I still doubt my work. Please check my progress before I attempt to fire it up.

I'm running a very small JL Audio amp (under the passenger seat) which has power connected to the (+) terminal on the battery and it also has an inline 50AMP fuse about 12" from the battery. Ground wire is run to the (-) side of the battery.

RCA plugs run from the SUB output on the back of the deck to the input on the amp. Then RCA plugs from the output on the amp run to the 8" sub in the cubby door. The sub has spade connectors on it so I'm not sure how to make that connection quite yet.

The small blue remote wire runs from the amp to the back of the radio head unit and connects to the ?? wire. I think this needs to be a switched wire, perhaps the red wire coming out of the radio?

My three questions (as long as everything else looks good) are:

My new radio has a 10AMP fuse on the back of the head unit. The inline fuse near the battery is 50AMPS. Is that too big?? It's what came with the sub/amp install kit, no idea if that is the proper size.

Where exactly does that small blue remote wire supposed to go if there is no "remote" jack on the back of the radio?

How to connect the amp to the sub. Do I hack up some RCA cables and put spade connectors on one end?

Thanks.

[jawn101]

So today I am attempting to install my VERY FIRST EVER sub and amp setup. I really am unsure of some things and have read about 1,000 posts on the topic but I still doubt my work. Please check my progress before I attempt to fire it up.

I'm running a very small JL Audio amp (under the passenger seat) which has power connected to the (+) terminal on the battery and it also has an inline 50AMP fuse about 12" from the battery. Ground wire is run to the (-) side of the battery.

RCA plugs run from the SUB output on the back of the deck to the input on the amp. Then RCA plugs from the output on the amp run to the 8" sub in the cubby door. The sub has spade connectors on it so I'm not sure how to make that connection quite yet.

The small blue remote wire runs from the amp to the back of the radio head unit and connects to the ?? wire. I think this needs to be a switched wire, perhaps the red wire coming out of the radio?

My three questions (as long as everything else looks good) are:

My new radio has a 10AMP fuse on the back of the head unit. The inline fuse near the battery is 50AMPS. Is that too big?? It's what came with the sub/amp install kit, no idea if that is the proper size.

Where exactly does that small blue remote wire supposed to go if there is no "remote" jack on the back of the radio?

How to connect the amp to the sub. Do I hack up some RCA cables and put spade connectors on one end?

Thanks.

RCA from the head unit to the amp, that much is right.

The sub will be hooked up to the screw-down terminals on the amp via bare speaker wire, not hacked up RCA.

50A inline fuse is fine for the amp. Install it as close as possible to the battery in the + wire to protect against rub-throughs.

"Remote" is for the remote turn-on for the amp. Connect that to the wire from your head unit that goes to the power antenna, it's what powers up the amp for you when the head unit turns on.

[GS450-Junkie]

The sub will be hooked up to the screw-down terminals on the amp via bare speaker wire, not hacked up RCA.



"Remote" is for the remote turn-on for the amp. Connect that to the wire from your head unit that goes to the power antenna, it's what powers up the amp for you when the head unit turns on.



Would those speaker wires on the amp be hooked up where it says "Bridged L & R" ? I assumed that was for hooking up a second amp, but are you saying that is where the sub wires go on the amp? I see no other screw down options for speaker wires on the amp.

I haven't gone out and looked at the antenna wiring yet tonight, but do you recall what color the trigger wire is on the antenna?

One more question regarding new speaker wires. I have new front dash speakers, as well as new 4X10's in the rear. I would also like to run additional 6X9's in the rear parcel shelf in addition to the 4X10's behind the rear armrests so essentially 4 speakers in the back. Do I run 2 sets of speaker wires to the rear (1 6X9 & 1 4X10 on the Left, and 1 6X9 & 1 4X10 on the Right) or should each speaker have it's own set of wires tied in at the radio meaning 4 sets of speaker wires run to the back?

[jawn101]

Take a photo of the screw down block, but yes - those are your speaker output terminals. If you got the sub from DMCCA then you don't need to bridge - just connect one set of +/- to the speaker.

As for the rear speakers it's up to you. Does your head unit have 6 outputs? Probably not - so I'd personally make up a branched wire that branches close to the speakers themselves to eliminate cables under the carpet. Just make 2 sets of 'Y' shaped speaker wires so you have 2x + and 2x - from each set of speaker outputs at the head.

[NightFlyer]

So today I am attempting to install my VERY FIRST EVER sub and amp setup. I really am unsure of some things and have read about 1,000 posts on the topic but I still doubt my work. Please check my progress before I attempt to fire it up.

I'm running a very small JL Audio amp (under the passenger seat) which has power connected to the (+) terminal on the battery and it also has an inline 50AMP fuse about 12" from the battery. Ground wire is run to the (-) side of the battery.

RCA plugs run from the SUB output on the back of the deck to the input on the amp. Then RCA plugs from the output on the amp run to the 8" sub in the cubby door. The sub has spade connectors on it so I'm not sure how to make that connection quite yet.

The small blue remote wire runs from the amp to the back of the radio head unit and connects to the ?? wire. I think this needs to be a switched wire, perhaps the red wire coming out of the radio?

My three questions (as long as everything else looks good) are:

My new radio has a 10AMP fuse on the back of the head unit. The inline fuse near the battery is 50AMPS. Is that too big?? It's what came with the sub/amp install kit, no idea if that is the proper size.

Where exactly does that small blue remote wire supposed to go if there is no "remote" jack on the back of the radio?

How to connect the amp to the sub. Do I hack up some RCA cables and put spade connectors on one end?

Thanks.

The fuse for the radio and fuse for the amp are two completely separate things. Use whatever came with each on the corresponding component when wiring everything in.

This is how the hook-up should go:

RCA (low-level line) output from the radio and into the amp. Two wire speaker wire (high-level line), a positive and a negative, from the amp to the sub.

Whether or not you want to drive the sub in bridged mode on the amp depends upon the RMS power ratings of both the sub and the amp (in bridged mode). Run the amp bridged only if the sub is capable of handling the RMS power output of the amp when in bridged operation. To run the amp bridged, you simply hook up the sub to the positive on one channel and negative of the other channel on the amp - the exact terminals used should be clearly marked on the amp. This is opposed to using only a single channel of the amp, in which case both the positive and negative connections would be of the same single channel on the amp.

Bridged operation simply means this - on multi-channel amps (example 2 channels x 100W RMS @ 4 ohms), if you're only going to be driving one speaker (channel) with the amp, in your case your sub, then you can combine the power of the two (or more) amp channels into one single output channel (example 1 x 200W RMS @ 4 ohms bridged), thus doubling the power that will be reaching the sub, as opposed to if you hooked it up in non-bridged mode and only utilized a single channel of the amps' power to drive the sub. Using the above example, you'd have 200W RMS running into your 4 ohm sub rather than only 100W RMS.

Additionally, depending upon the amp that you have, it may be best to run only a single channel of input (RCA from the radio) into the amp for single channel sub operation, as opposed to a stereo signal. In this case, you'd use the L (left) output from the radio into the amps' L RCA input only. Or sometimes 'y' cabling the RCA input on the amp produces the best result (in this case, you'd put a 'y' cable on the L RCA from the radio and hook up the 'y' to the amp's L and R RCA inputs. Or it could be that a stereo signal from the head-unit is best, in which case you'd run the L and R RCA outputs from the radio to the corresponding L and R RCA inputs on the amp. It's honestly hard to say which way will work (sound) best in your application, but trial and error experimentation of this is easy and won't hurt anything. Just make sure that you're running both a L and a R RCA from the radio to the amp's location, and then you can play around with how best to ultimately hook it up and run things.

The remote wire is a trigger wire - it simply turns the amp on/off when the radio is turned on/off. Either tell us a little more about your setup - make/model of your head-unit (radio) - or check the book / online for what color the remote wire is on the back of your head-unit's harness. If there isn't a dedicated remote wire on the harness, then usually the antenna wire is used.

Regarding your other question about adding two additional speakers (channels) on the rear parcel shelf - how do you plan on powering those speakers? Your head-unit is most likely a 4 channel unit, which you're already fully utilizing with the 3.5" dash speakers and 4x10 rear panel speakers. Thus, you'll need some way to power the two additional speakers (channels) that you're adding to the system - in your case, your 6x9s. Regardless of what you're using to power the 2 additional channels (speakers) on the parcel shelf, yes, you'll need to run a 2 wire speaker wire, positive and negative, from the power source (and amplifier of some kind) to each of the 6x9s.

If you're wondering whether or not you can drive the 6x9's off the same channel as the 4x10's, the answer is definitely NOT. Each coaxial speaker will need it's own channel of power for proper operation.

Of course, it would be extremely helpful if we knew the make and model numbers of everything in your system.

Hope that helps and best of luck :smile:

[GS450-Junkie]

Thanks Nightflyer...that helped quite a bit.

I am running a Kenwood deck. Model KDC-MP342U.
Amp- JL Audio XD200/2.
Subwoofer is Infinity Reference 860W 1,000W High Performance.


In regards to the additional 2 speakers on the rear speaker shelf.... If I can't run 2 speakers off of one channel I guess my options are now to ditch the stock location 4X10's and just use the forward facing 6X9's which might be better anyway or.... use the remaining wiring spot on the amp to power one additional speaker and use it as a center speaker on the rear parcel shelf. Or... if I could use the RCA outs on the amp to run to the sub that would leave the two free wire hookups to power the additional 6X9's. Not sure if that is an option tho. Perhaps the pre-out on the amp is intended to run to a second amp?

[Tomcio]

In regards to the additional 2 speakers on the rear speaker shelf.... If I can't run 2 speakers off of one channel I guess my options are now to ditch the stock location 4X10's and just use the forward facing 6X9's which might be better anyway or.... use the remaining wiring spot on the amp to power one additional speaker and use it as a center speaker on the rear parcel shelf. Or... if I could use the RCA outs on the amp to run to the sub that would leave the two free wire hookups to power the additional 6X9's. Not sure if that is an option tho. Perhaps the pre-out on the amp is intended to run to a second amp?

There is a way to drive two speakers from one output. Actually there are three ways.
One is a very common way of running more than one speaker that is used in all speakers that have more than one actual driver in one enclosure. What you need is an impedance matching board and you can use two or three speakers from one output.
Two other methods are also used but usually in cheaper speakers. You run them in series or parallel. Your head unit is designed to be used with 4 ohm speakers. Here's how you can do it:
1. Use two 2 ohm speakers and connect them in series - positive lead from the head unit goes to positive terminal on speaker 1, negative terminal on speaker 1 goes to positive terminal on speaker 2. Negative terminal of speaker 2 goes to negative lead from the head unit. You add the impedance when speakers are connected in series and you get 4 ohms.
2. Use two 8 ohm speakers and connect them in parallel - positive lead from the head unit goes to positive terminal on both speakers. Negative lead from the head unit goes to negative terminal on both speakers. Running 8 ohm speakers in this parallel configuration you again get 4 ohms.
If you connect 4 ohm speakers in parallel you will end up with 2 ohms total and that will damage the amp in your head unit. Running them in series will give you 8 ohms. This will not damage the amp but the output volume will be half of what it should be.

You cannot use the RCA output to drive a speaker. RCA connectors carry a low level signal and will not drive a speaker. This type of connector is always used to connect an amp to a source. If your amp has an RCA output then you can connect another amp and drive your two additional speakers that way.

[NightFlyer]

Thanks Nightflyer...that helped quite a bit.

I am running a Kenwood deck. Model KDC-MP342U.
Amp- JL Audio XD200/2.
Subwoofer is Infinity Reference 860W 1,000W High Performance.


In regards to the additional 2 speakers on the rear speaker shelf.... If I can't run 2 speakers off of one channel I guess my options are now to ditch the stock location 4X10's and just use the forward facing 6X9's which might be better anyway or.... use the remaining wiring spot on the amp to power one additional speaker and use it as a center speaker on the rear parcel shelf. Or... if I could use the RCA outs on the amp to run to the sub that would leave the two free wire hookups to power the additional 6X9's. Not sure if that is an option tho. Perhaps the pre-out on the amp is intended to run to a second amp?

Tom is of course correct - you can drive multiple speakers off a single channel of power, and there are many ways to do so.

I was trying to keep my previous post simple and not make it longer than it already was, by making presumptions about the equipment available in giving you my answer on the issue.

If you have a plan in mind about an audio system, like how many speakers you want to run, but don't quite know what you're doing, it's best to get advice from someone knowledgeable prior to purchasing equipment. But that's neither here nor there now.

So, let's take a look at what we're working with:

Kenwood KDC-MP342U Head-Unit: 4 channel x 22W RMS, 50W Max @ 4 Ohms
JL Audio XD200/2 Amplifier: 2 channel x 75 Watts RMS, ??? Max @ 4 Ohms
_______________________2 channel x 100 Watts RMS @ 2 Ohms
_______________________1 channel x 200 Watts RMS @ 4 Ohms Bridged
_______________________In 2 channel operation, the amp is stable to 2 Ohms
_______________________In 1 channel bridged operation, the amp is stable to 4 Ohms
Infinity 860W Subwoofer: 4 Ohm, 250W RMS, 1000W Max

As we don't know what the installed 4x10s and 3.5" dash units are, or the proposed 6x9s are, this is still going to be somewhat nebulous, but we'll make some reasonable presumptions.

Presumption that the installed 4x10s and 3.5" dash units are all 4 ohm coaxials.

Under the above presumption, the only way that you could conceivably drive the additional 2 6x9 coaxial speakers with the equipment you already have, without additional expensive electronics, is if they're either 2 ohm or 8 ohm speakers and if you wire them in series or in parallel respectively on the remaining amp channel. By doing this though, both 6x9s would function as a mono channel, as opposed to a stereo (separate left and right) channel, and may sound 'funny' in conjunction with the rest of your setup.

Any other configuration would require the purchase and installation of additional separate equipment, or changing out the 4x10s and 3.5" for different units (if you can even find 4x10s in 2 or 8 ohms).

As Tom stated, you can't drive a speaker off an RCA output, as it's a non-amplified (low line level) output. The RCA pre-out on your amplifier is designed to provide signal to another outboard amplifier (or other piece of audio equipment that you'd use with a low line level signal).

Best of luck and have fun!

[NightFlyer]

Oops - forgot to further assist you with the remote wire. According to the Kenwood schematics, the blue/white wire on the head-unit harness is the remote signal wire, thus you'll want to splice into that and run the other end into the amp's remote terminal, which is located right next to the power's ground terminal on your amp.

[GS450-Junkie]

Oops - forgot to further assist you with the remote wire. According to the Kenwood schematics, the blue/white wire on the head-unit harness is the remote signal wire, thus you'll want to splice into that and run the other end into the amp's remote terminal, which is located right next to the power's ground terminal on your amp.

Got everything hooked up. The complete system seems kind of .... eh. Granted all along I wasn't looking for huge mega power or anything before I even started, but I'm kind of disappointed. Don't get me wrong I was running an original Craig Stereo with 1 of 4 functioning factory speakers so I'm really grateful it's as good as it is now that it's finally finished....but the sub seems average at best. I unhooked it and bridged it. Seemed a tad better, but not much. I still have to fiddle with the frequency and settings on the amp yet. Rear speakers are nothing great, but I understand they have limitations with size, as do the fronts. Fronts seem to rattle and vibrate like crazy...perhaps it's my old and broken down brittle dash. I actually unplugged them after my maiden trip around the neighborhood to try the system out. Now I'm sitting here contemplating ditching the 4X10's and just putting something bigger on the rear wall. I'd also like to ditch the dash speakers, and perhaps stick some speakers in the footwell. Time to start looking up some old threads.....

Thanks everyone for the help!

[NightFlyer]

The complete system seems kind of .... eh.

Well, then you need to do something like this :biggrin:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yq3tVgKW9jI

[DMCMW Dave]

Got everything hooked up. The complete system seems kind of .... eh. !

Do you have the rear side panels installed? If you are just listing to the rear speakers in "free air" they will sound "eh".

When you installed the front ones, did you space them so they don't push the dash up?

[GS450-Junkie]

Do you have the rear side panels installed? If you are just listing to the rear speakers in "free air" they will sound "eh".

When you installed the front ones, did you space them so they don't push the dash up?

Rear panels are not installed yet. Wanted to decide on speakers before i sealed them up for good. Passenger side seatbelt wont retract so I need to replace that as well before I install. That rear panel job Seems intimidating to me so I am dragging my feet a bit on it.

Front speakers are raised a bit so maybe they are shaking the dash a bit. Maybe the replacement dash will perform better. (If that is possible ;) ) still might head via the footwell route.

The thing that sucks is that there are quite a few adjustments to make on the stereo for a better sounding system. But if you are running a battery cutoff switch you get to redo all these settings each and every time you want to drive the car....

[NightFlyer]

Rear panels are not installed yet. Wanted to decide on speakers before i sealed them up for good. Passenger side seatbelt wont retract so I need to replace that as well before I install. That rear panel job Seems intimidating to me so I am dragging my feet a bit on it.

Front speakers are raised a bit so maybe they are shaking the dash a bit. Maybe the replacement dash will perform better. (If that is possible ;) ) still might head via the footwell route.

The thing that sucks is that there are quite a few adjustments to make on the stereo for a better sounding system. But if you are running a battery cutoff switch you get to redo all these settings each and every time you want to drive the car....

Yep, as Dave said, listening to a free air coaxial isn't going to sound all that spectacular - mid-low and bass output are greatly reduced when driven in free air

And yeah, there are a lot of 'set-up' functions on your head-unit. Depending upon how you have the head-unit set up, you could be limiting your subwoofer. If you're not pleased with the sub output or frequency response, then you may want to try this - if you have the RCAs hooked up to the head-unit's rear/sub pre-amp outs, then set the head-unit to treat the output as rears (R) as opposed to set to sub. That way, you'll be sending a full range signal to the amp and then you can exclusively use the amp's low-pass filter and gain to control the sub, instead of imposing a double filter and double gain control upon it.

[papanoel]

Was toying with idea of putting 6x9s and an amp behand rear parcel shelf wall. How much space is there between the wall and and the panel?

[NightFlyer]

Was toying with idea of putting 6x9s and an amp behand rear parcel shelf wall. How much space is there between the wall and and the panel?

Plenty of room for an amp, but not enough to mount a set of 6x9s to where you'll get a good response from them without either moving the rear wall forward some OR flaring out the speaker mount locations some - unless they're making an extremely shallow depth 6x9 that sounds good that I'm personally unaware of (which is completely possible). There was a member of the forum who was building a fiberglass replacement wall that fared out the mounting locations so that you could mount a set of 6x9s properly without having to bring the wall forward, however, I don't think that he's doing that anymore.

Instead of 6x9's, you may want to consider mounting a 6.5" component speaker set - either two way or three way. Not only should they be easier to mount in the existing space without any radical modifications, but they should also provide you with better sound quality in the end.

Best of luck!

[papanoel]

Plenty of room for an amp, but not enough to mount a set of 6x9s to where you'll get a good response from them without either moving the rear wall forward some OR flaring out the speaker mount locations some - unless they're making an extremely shallow depth 6x9 that sounds good that I'm personally unaware of (which is completely possible). There was a member of the forum who was building a fiberglass replacement wall that fared out the mounting locations so that you could mount a set of 6x9s properly without having to bring the wall forward, however, I don't think that he's doing that anymore.

Instead of 6x9's, you may want to consider mounting a 6.5" component speaker set - either two way or three way. Not only should they be easier to mount in the existing space without any radical modifications, but they should also provide you with better sound quality in the end.

Best of luck!

Thanks. Yeah i was looking at the 6x9 Infinity Kappa 693.11i. says it needs a top mount depth of 3 3/16". Obviously i need a bit a room on top of that.
I guess my other choice is the round 6 3/4" Infinity Kappa 62.11i. Only needs 2 1/8" if top mounted. My understaning was even though they are elipitcal speakers they perform 6x9s perform better than 6.5" speakers. But i'm no audio engineer.

Protodelorean was the user you are thinking of who was building those rear parcel shelf speaker boxes but he never updated anyone on his project and hasn't responded to any PMs. I guess life got in the way as it sometimes does.