Car Audio : Everything to do with mobile audio.

Tune an L ported box!

2009-06-02T18:19:00.000-07:00

Simple tool to tune your L shaped box.

Once again this is just a resource that I will post and it works great for tuning L shaped boxes. The best thing about it is it also gives you the total dimensions of the box so you can get the material cut right. (MDF is best for subwoofer enclosures, and I don't reccomend using particle board unless you are on a budget.)

Here it is..

http://reaudio.com/speaker_box/LPort_Box_Calc.html

Soundsystem pictures!!!!

2009-06-02T18:04:00.000-07:00

My own soundsystem...

Pictures of my soundsystem in the back of my Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo.

(Feel free to post your own soundsystem in the comments using a hyperlink! The more information sharing that happens here the better.)

There are only a few pictures below, but it is of my big 3 upgrade and some of my new box as well as my old box and what the subwoofers look like...Enjoy.

My jeep.

My old box with the speakers out..

The Kinetik 800 I put in the back to help with power.

The big 3 upgrade..

My new box tuned at 32 hz.

My amplifier new in the box... :-D

Capacitors : Do they work?

2009-05-28T08:16:00.000-07:00

NO!

There is a long drawn out explanation that can prove why capacitors don't work the way that most people expect them to, but unfortunately I think it would be too boring for most of you to read let alone have me type it all out, so I'll attempt to give you some quick advice on why you should not buy a capacitor.

Why doesn't it work ?

The best sound systems are ones that are powered properly. A capacitor does not work to fix underpowered systems, it merely puts a bandaid on the problem. The best advice I can give is that if you are running a sound system with under 1,000 watts, a capacitor might help you in the smallest of ways. If you are running a sound system with 2,000+ watts, a capacitor is merely becoming a hinderance. Either way, the money spent on them will not give you the results that money spent on a new alternator will get you.

To gain the ultimate edge and power your subs even during the peak of bass hits I would reccomend getting a high output alternator and then doing the big 3 upgrade.

Car Audio : The big 3 upgrade

2009-05-27T22:04:00.000-07:00

What is the big 3 upgrade???

The big 3 upgrade is where you upgrade the power and ground wires that go from your alternator, to your battery, to your chassis, and then finally to an engine ground. This will help increase the amount of power that can flow through your system. You're only as strong as your weakest wire, this means that BOTH the power and ground wires must be upgraded, not just one of the two.

Here is a sample picture of a big 3 upgrade...

(Notice, Red is the power wire from your alternator to your positive battery post...Blue is going from the negative post on the battery to the chassis....Green is going from the chassis ground, all the way to the engine ground...and that's the big 3...REMEMBER not all engine compartments will look the same, some are MUCH harder to find where to put the engine ground.)

How to do the big 3 upgrade.

The materials you will need will be 12-20 feet of 1/0 gauge wiring (the length will vary depending on how far apart things are in your engine compartment.), any grade sandpaper , protective sleeving of the same length so that your wire will be protected, connectors for all ends of the wires, and zipties to secure the wiring. If you do the job correctly, you should have 3 runs of wire...which is why they call it the big 3.

The following bullets are instructions on how to do the big 3 upgrade. (I will provide a picture of my own setup when I get the chance to search through pictures.)

Remember, CAREFULLY measure each length of wire before you cut so that you do not end up short on wiring when you go to attach them.

Cut, sleeve, and attach one piece of wire from the power bolt of your alternator to the power of your battery.

Cut, sleeve, and attach one piece of wire from the negative of your battery to a part of your chassis nearest to it. (To get the best results, use your piece of sandpaper on the chassis where you connect the wire.)

Cut, sleeve, and attach one piece of wire from the chassis (where you sandpapered and have the other wire) to the engine ground. (This is the hardest part to do and requires getting up under the vehicle. The best way to determine the "engine" ground is to check for a bolt that has a bunch of other tiny wires running to it.)

There you go...now you know how to give your sound system a little extra juice.

Subwoofer Wiring Diagram Resource

2009-05-24T02:41:00.000-07:00

Many ways to wire your subs...one place to learn how...

Since this is simply a link to a way to wire your subs I will keep it short and sweet. The more subwoofers you put together in your sound system the more complicated the wiring will be. Making a mistake could be costly because if you were to wire them wrong, your amplifier may have been wired at such a low resistance that it would literally blow your amplifier. A great way to learn how to do this type of wiring to set the speakers at certain ohms is to visit JL's website at....

http://mobile.jlaudio.com/support_pages.php?page_id=145

Best Bargain Subwoofer Amplifier?

2009-05-24T02:04:00.000-07:00

A touchy subject..

I know that this subject, along with any other subject that has the words "best" in it will come with a little bit of a warning. That warning is that many people have many opinions and I am no different, so take everything I say with caution and use it only as a guide to research further.

That said....I have very strong feelings for..

HIFONICS

This is my brand name subwoofer amplifier of choice. In this brand you will find the most bang for your buck. Not only does Hifonics have a very high quality standard, they also keep their prices low. To find out more about them visit http://www.maxxsonics.com/ then click on their "hifonics" logo on the home page. To actually purchase a Hifonics amplifier you will find the cheapest prices on http://www.ebay.com/

Hifonics has all sorts of amplifiers from monoblock subwoofer amplifiers to midrange amplifiers for your door speakers. Below I will discuss a popular subwoofer amplifier they make that is a real bargain in my book.

The HIFONICS Brutus Bxi2006D

This bad boy costs only $250 on http://www.ebay.com/

The reason this is such a bargain is because the rated power you recieve to your subwoofers will be 2000 watts RMS at 1 ohm. You can count on me dicussing the rating that most amplifiers get because there are alot of cheap amplifiers out there that claim big numbers that are all fairy tales and lies to get you to buy it because it is cheap. Believe me, this is a very good deal for a class D monoblock amplifier.

Of course I can say through personal experience having owned an Bxi2600 that they give out very close to the rated power. That is the most important part of an amplifier, what it is rated at. Alot of companies that try to lie and say their amplifiers produce more than what they do on a normal car, is because they used amped up ratings.

What I mean by amped up ratings is that, yes, that legacy amplifier runs at 6,000 watts....But it runs at 6,000 watts when the power is at 18 volts. The problem is, most normal cars will run somewhere between 13.5-14.2 volts. That means the 6,000 they claim, is only pushing about 1,000 with your normal voltage car. To get your car up in volts, especially 18, would take a very strong alternator and a bunch of batteries.

This amplifier is very strong, so please remember to check the RMS your subwoofers can handle, which is usually about half of the max wattage the speaker can take.

Below are the ohms that this Bxi2006D will run at, remember to consult the wiring diagram on my other post for help if you do not know how to set the ohms of your subwoofers. I hope you find Hifonics as good of a bargain as I do.

1 (channel) x 650 watts @ 4 ohm
1 (channel) x 1300 watts @ 2 ohm
1 (channel) x 2000 watts @ 1 ohm

List of Car Audio Resources

2009-05-24T01:23:00.000-07:00

Subwoofers and amplifiers...(and much more)

I found that one of the best websites you will want to visit to find videos of subwoofers in action, a forum for audio discussion, and also components of the inside of amplifiers to be...

http://www.realmofexcursion.com/.

Once on the main page just beneath the header is a "components" section, mouse over this button and then select the "amp guts" section.
This will show you a large selection of amplifiers with pictures of the inside and the outside of the amplifier, and also includes the specifications of the watts they produce.

To access the subwoofer resource for videos all you have to do is click on the "videos" section near the top of the main page. Once there you can navigate using the left section from A-Z on any brand name subwoofer being tested.

A great place to research car audio equipment.....

Prices on this website are not always the lowest but you can be sure to find what you need; Subs, amps, speakers, wire, sub boxes, head units, and many other pieces of fine car audio. On the main page simply click on the "car audio & video" section.

http://www.crutchfield.com/