Audio install help
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 2,681
Likes: 851
From: Puyallup, wa
The mids you are really under powering with that AMP They are 200W RMS and your amp is 80W. Set your gains for the amp at 17.3V and play with them at 3 clicks from full on your deck. The horns you will want to blend them to sound good once the mids are set.I maybe wrong but I see that amp as a weak link in your system.
Thread Starter
|
Advanced
Joined: Jul 2021
Posts: 89
Likes: 7
From: WI
The mids you are really under powering with that AMP They are 200W RMS and your amp is 80W. Set your gains for the amp at 17.3V and play with them at 3 clicks from full on your deck. The horns you will want to blend them to sound good once the mids are set.I maybe wrong but I see that amp as a weak link in your system.
Thanks for the info. That's watts (80) x ohms (4) square root, correct? They recommended this amp and said it had plenty of power, idk
Thread Starter
|
Advanced
Joined: Jul 2021
Posts: 89
Likes: 7
From: WI
Not exactly plug and play but if you follow the manual(s) not terribly difficult to set up. Who sold you the system? They should be prepared to assist you with any questions you might have. Some thoughts:
-the largest hurdles will be 1) installing the amp rack and amp. As Fireball pointed out you'll need to get the outer fairing off and radio out to do that but not a big deal. 2) mounting the horns. What's the plan? Cutting holes in the speaker grills? Again not a huge job but you'll want to mentally walk through this before jumping in with both feet.
-the amp manual doesn't really show a system configuration example exactly like what was described by whoever sold the system but no worries. You're going to use the front channel inputs and set the CONFIG switch to 2CH (to get 4 channel outputs from only 2 channels in). Set the front X-OVER switch to HP and the FREQ dial to 100Hz (probably somewhere around 10 o'clock). Gains (SENS dial) to minimum until it's time to set the gains up. Alternatively, you could try setting the X-OVER to FLAT (the FREQ dial has no use with this setting) just to see how it sounds. Your amp isn't so powerful that you'll blow those mids mids if you don't set up a HPF but maybe try this option later just to hear the difference in sound at the low end.
-wire the speakers as described in the horns manual for "Passive/Active" on page 8. Note that the HPF included with the horns is wired out of phase to both the amp and speaker (not + to + or neg to neg as you would normally think). Also pay attention that the capacitor side of the HPF is wired to face the amp. You don't have to set up a low pass filter (LPF) to the mids as shown but I would (why run frequencies to the mids that are to be handled by the horns?) so go out and by 2 of those .1mH inductors at your local electronics supply shop.
BTW there are a few other ways this system could be set up as well to get more power out of that amp but I'm thinking you'll find this configuration plenty loud as is.
-the largest hurdles will be 1) installing the amp rack and amp. As Fireball pointed out you'll need to get the outer fairing off and radio out to do that but not a big deal. 2) mounting the horns. What's the plan? Cutting holes in the speaker grills? Again not a huge job but you'll want to mentally walk through this before jumping in with both feet.
-the amp manual doesn't really show a system configuration example exactly like what was described by whoever sold the system but no worries. You're going to use the front channel inputs and set the CONFIG switch to 2CH (to get 4 channel outputs from only 2 channels in). Set the front X-OVER switch to HP and the FREQ dial to 100Hz (probably somewhere around 10 o'clock). Gains (SENS dial) to minimum until it's time to set the gains up. Alternatively, you could try setting the X-OVER to FLAT (the FREQ dial has no use with this setting) just to see how it sounds. Your amp isn't so powerful that you'll blow those mids mids if you don't set up a HPF but maybe try this option later just to hear the difference in sound at the low end.
-wire the speakers as described in the horns manual for "Passive/Active" on page 8. Note that the HPF included with the horns is wired out of phase to both the amp and speaker (not + to + or neg to neg as you would normally think). Also pay attention that the capacitor side of the HPF is wired to face the amp. You don't have to set up a low pass filter (LPF) to the mids as shown but I would (why run frequencies to the mids that are to be handled by the horns?) so go out and by 2 of those .1mH inductors at your local electronics supply shop.
BTW there are a few other ways this system could be set up as well to get more power out of that amp but I'm thinking you'll find this configuration plenty loud as is.
Where are the manuals showing this?
Road Warrior
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 1,354
Likes: 399
From: Vancouver, BC
Again IMO, unless your trying to squeeze every last drop of power/volume out of your system (sound competitors and parking lot pimping come to mind here), you are going for volume that is “loud enough” with no audible distortion. It’s not rocket science.
While those mids are able to handle more power than your amp puts out I think that you’ll be fine
Last edited by hamah; Dec 21, 2021 at 07:00 PM.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 5,749
Likes: 1,603
From: High Point, NC.
Im much more interested in the clearance between the horn terminals and the 6.5 cones once the grills are installed.
Check out the setting gains sticky in this forum for expected volts to your speakers.
As for the horns....not sure how this set up is but I set mine just by ear. After i got my 6.5 gains set where they needed to be, I just started turning up the gains on my horns and just blended them in. Mine are running off an SD 250. I think my gains might be cranked up 1/3 turn, then I blend everything more precisely with my dsp.