Hi!
Wrapping up the first audio job I've ever tried, replacing all the sound system on my 1990 colony park wagon.
Just before I hook everything up:
how do the settings on an amplifier work?
It has five channels (4 stock speakers + my sub), it says it's good for 1200 watts.
My front speakers are good for 45watts RMS, my rear speakers are only good for 40watts RMS (~135 peak for both, I think). I don't actually like my music very loud: even with the stock system I kept it to 1/8 full volume.
I need to look up what the sub can take; it's a 10" made by kicker, and is 5 years old.
I was looking for some peak wattage setting on the amp, but it doesn't exist: how do I make sure that I don't blow out my speakers? Is there a way to limit the output of the amp to a certain amount, so that my front speakers never do get more than say 120 watts to be safe?
And, there are channels for frequency cutoffs... my front speakers are respectable but not terribly pricey 5.25" polks, coaxial (one tweeter each). My rear 6x9s are super cheap insignia branded (best buy's house brand?), that are 4-way: 2 tiny tweeters, 1 larger center tweeter, then the main speaker. I sit in the front, and the sub should take care of my bass: saw no need to splurge on the rear speakers. Anything was better than the paper-coned factory originals, my they were pathetic!
And of course, the sub.
How should I rig the frequencies sent to each speaker?
I was curious about several other things, too.
I assume this is all 12V. Now, best buy was going to sell me a $100 wiring kit made by kicker, came with a 4 gauge cable that the package claimed was good for 1000 watts (83 amps). Fascinatingly, the fuse that came with it says it's rated for only 30 amps! So I'd only get 360 watts to my 1200 watt amplifier. Not that I need my music very loud: but still, you see how this doesn't quite add up?
Home depot btw would agree with the fuse, and not with the optimistic 1000 watt rating: their 4 gauge copper cabling I think is 40 amps, not 83.
The best buy kit was expensive, and actually too short to run to the back of my wagon; so I bought 2 gauge wire at home depot. But I'll probably still put a 30 or 40 amp fuse on it. If I REALLY need it loud I can always get a heavier fuse in the future after this one burns!
I was also puzzled by the presence on the harness of TWO dimmer wires, the dimmer ground (should I wire that into the regular ground?), and --oddly-- an amp turn-on wire, already there, disappearing into the dash! Is there an external amp already in the stock sound system, that I don't know about...?
Wrapping up the first audio job I've ever tried, replacing all the sound system on my 1990 colony park wagon.
Just before I hook everything up:
how do the settings on an amplifier work?
It has five channels (4 stock speakers + my sub), it says it's good for 1200 watts.
My front speakers are good for 45watts RMS, my rear speakers are only good for 40watts RMS (~135 peak for both, I think). I don't actually like my music very loud: even with the stock system I kept it to 1/8 full volume.
I need to look up what the sub can take; it's a 10" made by kicker, and is 5 years old.
I was looking for some peak wattage setting on the amp, but it doesn't exist: how do I make sure that I don't blow out my speakers? Is there a way to limit the output of the amp to a certain amount, so that my front speakers never do get more than say 120 watts to be safe?
And, there are channels for frequency cutoffs... my front speakers are respectable but not terribly pricey 5.25" polks, coaxial (one tweeter each). My rear 6x9s are super cheap insignia branded (best buy's house brand?), that are 4-way: 2 tiny tweeters, 1 larger center tweeter, then the main speaker. I sit in the front, and the sub should take care of my bass: saw no need to splurge on the rear speakers. Anything was better than the paper-coned factory originals, my they were pathetic!
And of course, the sub.
How should I rig the frequencies sent to each speaker?
I was curious about several other things, too.
I assume this is all 12V. Now, best buy was going to sell me a $100 wiring kit made by kicker, came with a 4 gauge cable that the package claimed was good for 1000 watts (83 amps). Fascinatingly, the fuse that came with it says it's rated for only 30 amps! So I'd only get 360 watts to my 1200 watt amplifier. Not that I need my music very loud: but still, you see how this doesn't quite add up?
Home depot btw would agree with the fuse, and not with the optimistic 1000 watt rating: their 4 gauge copper cabling I think is 40 amps, not 83.
The best buy kit was expensive, and actually too short to run to the back of my wagon; so I bought 2 gauge wire at home depot. But I'll probably still put a 30 or 40 amp fuse on it. If I REALLY need it loud I can always get a heavier fuse in the future after this one burns!
I was also puzzled by the presence on the harness of TWO dimmer wires, the dimmer ground (should I wire that into the regular ground?), and --oddly-- an amp turn-on wire, already there, disappearing into the dash! Is there an external amp already in the stock sound system, that I don't know about...?
Comment