car audio questions

so heres the latest, double checked everything, got it working put everything back together start my car and same problem, amp just hums, nothing from the subs. everything works fine but that. think the problem may be in the rca, i was thinking that the problem may be that the small stereo harness and car harness arent plugging together properly or something is loose somewhere between my avic sub out put and the car harness, anyway to test this?
 
so i narrowed the problem down to the plug from the stereo harness(small one with amp turn on and rca's) to the car harness. you can hear the electricity jumping(not sure the exact term) like something is loose and the connection is struggling. i think it is coming from the car harness. there r 6 wires coming out of the stereo harness plug(2 turn on, 2 for each rca) but there is 8 in the car harness. i'm not sure what wires in the car harness r used. looks like there r 2 black wires that aren't used, 2 yellow/red are amp turn on wires, and other 4 r the subs. anybody comfirm this or know where to find a wiring diagram (could only find on for the main harness)
 
There is one audio input for the subs, not two. The other input is for the center channel under the dash.


Connector C290d

1 - white/red - subwoofer + (line level)
2 - gray/red - subwoofer - (line level)
3 - subwoofer amplifier shield
4 - yellow/red - subwoofer amplifier turn on
5 - white - center channel + (line level)
6 - gray - center channel - (line level)
7 - Center channel amplifier shielf
8 - Yellow - center channel amplifier turn on
 
Okay, I'll try again.

The Center channel amp is mono. It only can use a single mono signal. You can not connect just the left or the right audio output and have it work correctly. If your headunit does not have a mono output for the center channel, you will have to buy or make a "Y" adapter to sum the left and right signals into one mono signal.

The subwoofer amp is mono. It only can use a single mono signal. You can not connect just the left or the right audio output and have it work correctly. If your headunit does not have a mono subwoofer output for the subwoofers, you will have to buy or make a "Y" adapter to sum the left and right signals into one mono signal.

If you do not use mono outputs are make/buy a "Y" adapter to sum the stereo outputs into a mono signal, then it's not going to sound right. I suspect that right now you have only the left sub output driving the subwoofers (so you won't get any of the right channels sounds out of the subs), and only the right sub output driving the center channel speakers (so you won't get anything out of those because they don't really work at low frequencies).
 
right now i have the 2 rcas coming from the stereo wiring harness both going to my subwoofer output, which i am assuming is wrong.

if i understand what your saying, i need to buy 2 Y adapters and connect 1 to each of the rcas of the stereo harness. Correct?

then do i connect both rcas coming off the Y i put to the red to the white and red (subwoofer output) on the avic harness or would i connect 1 from each Y to the subwoofer output?
 
It seems like you are not interested in the center channel speakers (which is good, they don't do much). That makes it simpler. First, don't connect the turn on wire to pin 8, the yellow wire on the factory harness. Also, don't connect anything to the RCA at pins 5 & 6, white and gray wires on the factory harness.

Now, first see if your headunit has an option for mono output for the subwoofers. Many do. If yours does, then set that and use whichever subwoofer output is indicated as the mono one. If it doesn't have this option, then get a Y adapter and connect the red and white subwoofer RCA cables from the headunit to it. Now, connect the single output of the Y adapter to the subwoofer RCA connected to pins 1 & 2, white/red and gray/red wires in the factory harness.


If you really wanted the front center channel speakers, then you would need to connect the front line level outputs (red and white) from the headunit to a Y adapter and then connect the single output from it to the RCA at pins 5 and 6, white and gray wires in the factory harness.
 
ok i got it, had no idea about the mono output thing. if i cant get it now, its hopeless lol. thanks for the help, much appreciated!!
 
so on to my next audio product. i wanna add a sub, probably just one 12, nothing serious. i'm not looking to have a serious system just a but more bass. i was thinking or adding just a 250w 12" but just wasn't sure how to go about it or if i need something more powerful.

would the 250w give me enough bass to notice a difference and should i still run the stock subs or just not use them anymore?
 
I'd recommend disconnecting the factory subs and going to an aftermarket solution (speaking from experience here). I ran an Avic F90BT with all the factory speakers (including subs) - and while it definitely sounded better than the factory stereo, things went to a whole new level when I put my Infinity Kappas in the doors with an Alpine amp, and 2 Alpine 10" Type R subs in the trunk with a Kicker ZX750.1 amp.

Personally, I'd recommend 2 10's over 1 12", but you're gonna find that people's opinions will be all over the place on this. Sound is very subjective, and what you hear/like with your ear may be totally different that what I hear/like with mine. Your budget is also going to be a big factor here - new/used/etc. You're definitely going to want to get a dedicated aftermarket amp and stop using the factory sub amp. It's only a 90 watt amp and is not going to effectively drive any aftermarket sub solution.

Another thing I will tell you is this - if you get any direct advice from 1LoudLS - either on this thread or through PM's - listen to him. He's a professional installer that really knows his stuff. He's a great guy that's willing to listen to your questions and give you straight-up advice. My system would not have come out half as good as it did without it.

Tru - 'Ears to ya!
 
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whoa whoa whoa, did you ever figure out and remedy the original problem, if you have a problem with your unit not outputting anything from the sub channel, then you wont be able to add an aftermarket sub.

if you are going to be running a aftermarket sub of some kind, i would recommend either disconnecting the factory subs (because they really wouldn't be too noticeable over the more powerful aftermarket solution) or remove them completely (this can actually free up a lot of room for certain sub enclosures, and the taller the box can be the less floor space it will take up)

i also would recommend looking at something with a tad bit more power, because of the large size and increased amount of sound deadening placed every where, this car will need a lot more power to fill up with sound than a small plastic car like a focus would. removing the factory subs also help here. if you have looked at anything, ignore all max power numbers, only go by RMS power rating

one option i would consider if going for the single 12" setup would be a single 12" dual 4 ohm Type R (alpine SWR-1243D), a 500W RMS @ 2 ohm mono amp (Alpine MRP-M500) and a good tuned box. Typr R's really shine in a box built just for them but preform pretty damn well in just about any box that's close. crisp, clear, and powerful for sure.

Sub
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_24187_Alpine-SWR-1243D.html

Amp
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_12018_Alpine-MRP-M500.html

and a cheap box for those that cant build
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_28124_Absolute-PSEB12BK-Black-Black.html

just thoughts
 
yeh i had that basic set-up and my old car 2 10" type r and 1000w alpine amp, (kinda wishing i didn't sell it now), thought about going with 1 12 type r but wasn't sure how it scaled down because the reason i sold them in the first place was i didn't want that serious of a system.

with the 2 10s i had i tought it was too much so had the gain just under half, would that be like having 1 10 with the gain turned all the way up because if thats the case i think the 250w would be perfect.

useing the 2 10s at half gain as a reference, how would 1 500w measure up assuming the gain was at full, and what about 250w how would that compare?

**and yes i got the previous problem fixed after i realized the rcas were mono.
 
well first off, a gain knob isnt a volume control, every amp has a specific setting that the gain should be set at for each specific install. and if your gains are "at full" then you dont have it set up right.

second, subs with that low of power handling are usually not that good of quality, and dont produce as good of sound, more power doesn't necessarily mean louder, quality subs have heavier internal parts and need more power just to be at the same sound level, however they will also have much better control over the movement which translates into better quality, and more accurate sound.

you never want to run any system at 100% (which i think would be the case if you only had 250w) you will have a high amount of heat distortion and no clarity doing so, which will significantly reduce the life span of the equipment, having plenty of headroom with the power will allow the amp to run cooler, and play cleaner, while not having the sub ran at 100% all the time will increase sound quality, reduce heat build up which will increase the lifespan.

but in the end its all up to you and if you think 250w is gonna be enough, then go for it. i definitely would'nt try to run 250W to a sub like a Type R, maybe a Type S, but a R would sound like rubbish with that amount of under power going to it.
 
Is it possible to replace the 2 6x9's in the rear deck with 2 12's? Would it sound good?
 
FASTLLS said:
I would put the 2 12s in the trunk.. Imo, they wouldn't look good on the rear deck
Click to expand...

They would be hidden under the panel like the 6x9's. I want to keep the trunk empty, attach the amp to the back seat, and have the 12's in place of the 6x9's.
 
You can't simply just put two 12" subwoofers into the rear decklid, they need a box.

What you could do, is build the box up in the back of the trunk and have the subs "ported" through the rear decklid, but that is some hard work as the space is very awkward shaped.

I simply took out the factory subs, leaving the grills in the rear deck. This works as a pass-thru for the air pressure from the sub in the trunk. It sounds good. Eventually I will attempt some type of box build that tucks up under the rear deck giving me back most of my trunk space that is wasted by an awkward box now.
 
With my custom box, I have the majority of my trunk space available to me, and can take the box out if I need to. The box (which can support 12's) doesn't even come half-way under the factory sub deck. Granted, the box is right up against the back seats, but I still have a ton of room in the trunk.

Tru

IMG00040-20110124-1541.jpg
 
I think i have the same box as Tru (the one of from customboxman?) and if it is that box its perfect for the car. and it can be found on ebay for 135 if i remember correctly. and he can make it for two-one sub either 12 or 10"
 
1LoudLS said:
yes sir, free air (having the trunk as the sub enclosure) = Rubbish
Click to expand...

Andrizzle said:
You can't simply just put two 12" subwoofers into the rear decklid, they need a box.
Click to expand...

I just liked the idea of having people in my car and not realizing there are subs in the car, and then turn up the bass when they least expect it to scare em s.h.i.t.less.:D
 
I have one for the audio experts...

I have the stock 6 disk and didn't plan on upgrading really. Is there any advantage to upgrading my factory 6x8's to the Infinity Kappas I have seen several members mention without a new headunit? Would you be able to run them fully off the stock unit or would I need an external amp?
 
Thirdworlddoug said:
I think i have the same box as Tru (the one of from customboxman?) and if it is that box its perfect for the car. and it can be found on ebay for 135 if i remember correctly. and he can make it for two-one sub either 12 or 10"
Click to expand...

I have that same box as well.....i like it because i can still use my trunk unlike with other boxes.

Mr. Lincoln said:
I just liked the idea of having people in my car and not realizing there are subs in the car, and then turn up the bass when they least expect it to scare em s.h.i.t.less.:D
Click to expand...

There are a couple solutions you can use.....keep in mind they will not hit hard like a real sub inside a wooden enclosure but they will add some low en response:

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_12058_Kenwood-KSC-SW10.html

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_23646_Boss-BASS900.html

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_9057_JVC-CS-DA1.html


To be honest i dont think you will be happy and get the sound you are looking for. The box from ebay that we have with a single 10" sub will give you much better results and plenty of space.

bullschmidt said:
I have one for the audio experts...

I have the stock 6 disk and didn't plan on upgrading really. Is there any advantage to upgrading my factory 6x8's to the Infinity Kappas I have seen several members mention without a new headunit? Would you be able to run them fully off the stock unit or would I need an external amp?
Click to expand...

They will sound better but if you are going to spend money to upgrade the speakers you might as well spend $250 extra and get a nice pioneer double din dvd unit.

You dont even have to be a hardcore audiophile to enjoy it....very nice unit and it is nav ready so later on if you want to add you can.
 
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