What Am I Going to Do Right - Audio Version

[OHP]

Those ANL fuses are only a couple of bucks on Amazon. Just make sure they are a lower amp rating than the one under the hood.

It has been a long time since I installed a power antennae. If I remember correctly the red wire goes to a switched 12volts. (A source that is energized when the key is in the ACC or Run position) The blue goes to the remote wire out of the new head unit. Some head units used to have an antennae wire and a amp remote wire. Either will work for the antennae.

Be sure you tune the door speakers first with the sub completely off. Tune them at all volumes with every type of music you listen to. About 80hz on the high pass crossover is a good starting point. I think that has been mentioned previously. Let us know how it sounds.

 

[BrianSD_42]

When it comes to tuning that Alpine amp,

A good starting point is to just set the cross-over to 80HZ and the gain to neutral (I believe is 1.0v).

You can read up on all the different ways to fine tune a sound system but you will be best off saving the time and effort by just following this suggestion first. Then after listening to the stereo for awhile (like 2-4 weeks) consider doing a "full tune" with a multimeter.

Keep in mind that when you set the Alpine X-over to 80HZ you are only "centering" the curve, not actually cutting off all HZ below 80. Basically it creates a curve that drops the db below 80.

Do you know how high your head unit goes in volume numbers? My Alpine is ~ 1-30. I think ideally you would never turn it past 2/3 volume. On my deck I try not to turn it up past 22 ever. My Kappas still sound crystal clear at 22/30 but that is really really loud and I usually have to turn down the bass so the subs (not Kappas) stay clean that loud.

To find out how loud your stereo goes WITHOUT damaging your speaker just pause the CD or unplug the RCA cables from the amp then turn it up and down again. Like I said 2/3 volume should be very very loud with the gain set at neutral on that Alpine.

Did you read the Alpine users manual? The english section is probably not that long and it is worth reading.


Good luck.

:girl:

 

[tbst]

So finally got everything back together.

I have no garage, I am basically doing it on street parking. So my truck is full of boxes.

Got sound and the subwoofer to work. Honestly, other than the settings brianemc2_42 said, I haven't done much.

And it rains every damn day in Morgantown, along with it getting dark at 5.

However, we are up and running.

brianemc2_42, I clocked your exact settings in, and it didn't seem that "loud". Am I doing something wrong? It is by far louder than I would listen to at, however it isn't as you seem to get at, unbearably loud.

Should have gotten the dynamat equivalent was you said...?

 

[BrianSD_42]

brianemc2_42, I clocked your exact settings in, and it didn't seem that "loud". Am I doing something wrong? It is by far louder than I would listen to at, however it isn't as you seem to get at, unbearably loud.

Should have gotten the dynamat equivalent was you said...?

The Dynamat will not affect the db level, it will increase the bass quality in the doors, and quiet the background sounds like road noise ect.

As far as the loud settings go ... I would think the neutral position might be just right but I am not sure for your head unit. You have 2V pre-outs correct? If so you may need to go slightly higher.


The way I would test is it this ....
* On the Alpine with the gain position at center (1v I think) slowly turn the head unit volume up to 2/3 while playing a clean song, if it distorts then it is maxed out, if it doesn't and could be louder then you may want to turn the gain up. You might try this several times until it gets right, each time turning the head unit slowly up to 2/3 and seeing how it sounds then going back to the amp and adjusting.


MUSIC SELECTION:

Don't use music that has a lot of background or "sounds noisy". You want a song at 320 kbps that has parts with no sound. The quiet parts of the song will allow you to listen for static. No all songs are recorded "great", many are just ok.

A great song would be Vicarious by Tool @ 320 kbs or almost any song off of Queen's greatest hits.

I mention these artists because I know those CDs were recorded very well with almost NO static on the CD track.
* do this with the SUBs unplugged. You only tune one amp at a time.


Differences in loudness:
I am running 4V pre-out and 75W x 4 RMS, so that is roughly 50% more power but that doesn't mean my stereo is 50% louder. Decibels are logarithmic based on power. Use Wikipedia to learn more (sorry).



BASICALLY,

You may need to turn up your gain slightly to maximize the setup. What you don't want is to have the amp set at max gain (bad idea) or to turn the stereo up past 75% with the gain way down.

Having only 2V pre-outs is not the end of the world, you just (may) need to turn the gain up slightly until you find that sweet spot.

When I say my stereo is unbearably loud I mean when you are sitting in the drivers seat. I can turn it up very cleanly and loudly to the point no-one would listen to it. Do I blast the neighborhood or expect it to be "loud" 10 feet away? Nope.


Lastly, you may want to try calling Alpine tech support for tips. Unlike some companies, Alpine will answer your questions over the phone at no charge and they don't care how you obtained your amp.


:spider:

 

[tbst]

So, I blew a fuse being a dumbass. That was a pain in the ass.

Then I was having some problems getting up and running again. There is something wrong with my power distribution block setup, as MUCH troubleshooting.

Also, the 4 gauge wire I ran to the Alpine MRP F300 broke on of the little center divider things, and seemed to be putting unecessary strain on the connections. So, I ordered some 8 gauge wire (per Alpines mfr recs) and the necessary connectors.

And also ordered a no fuse power distribution block (really just a ground block). Another $10 but worth it.

So until that comes, hopefully tomorrow form KnuKonceptz, I am in limbo.

 

[BrianSD_42]

instead of switching to 8g, why not just cut part of the thread off at the connector until it fits fine.

that is what i did. it does not matter if lower the thickness or wire directly at the connection point. what matters is the diameter of the long part of the wire because of impedance.

for every inch of 8g you lose power due to impedance.

i know alpine designed the connectors for 8g. I originally ran 8g. When i turned up the amp it would shut off. as the amp tried to draw more power and couldnt get it, it would then shut off.

i solved this by simply making my whole system 4g.

note that my Alpine amp is slightly more powerful.

 

[Qyota]

If the +12V input is designed for 8 gauge, the amp will output it's rated power (or more) with 8 gauge wire.

The voltage drop on a ~16 foot run of 8 gauge won't be enough to affect the current consumption and power output of an amplifier that has 8 gauge inputs. Simple as that.

Please don't burn down your ride!

 

[Qyota]

Qyota, why does he need fuses for the d-block? he alreay has 2 fuses in that circuit, there is no need for a 3rd.

This is a LOW power system, probably running 600 W RMS. If he was running a lot more then it would be different.

(sent via Z Droid X2)

The output of the amplifier has little to do with needing a fused distribution block. We're talking about protecting a circuit where it splits...a point of vulnerability. 600 watts, 3000 watts, you're still dealing with ~12 volts DC. Fuses protect equipment, but they also protect cable from carrying too much current and/or faulting to ground in the even of an accident. Which, it sounds like the OP might have already had (a blown fuse by doing "being a dumbass").

I'm not trying to preach...just an advocate of using the appropriate equipment for the job.

 

[BrianSD_42]

i realize we are splitting hairs on this thread but doesnt the fact that he blew the fuse without burning down the car mean it is protected fine?

You dont need a fuse at every place two electrical connections meet.

With regards to the 4g/8g, it is not so much about the voltage but that the added impeadance of smaller cable will result in less power at the same voltage. R goes up and I goes down. I = V/R.

You are right that on such a short cable V is not an issue.

 

[Qyota]

You dont need a fuse at every place two electrical connections meet.

With regards to the 4g/8g, it is not so much about the voltage but that the added impeadance of smaller cable will result in less power at the same voltage. R goes up and I goes down. I = V/R.

You are right that on such a short cable V is not an issue.

I agree that a fuse isn't necessary, but it is peace of mind...and a MUCH better solution than what is currently rigged up on his distribution block.

My argument about 4 vs. 8 is this. If the amp is designed for 8 gauge...use it. You will see no improvement from using 4. In fact, you'll run into problems like the OP discovered, with trying to attach 4 gauge into a receptacle designed for 8. If we were talking about a high current amp and several thousand watts, then the gauge of the power cable is more important when battling voltage drop. There's a table somewhere that lays out current and voltage over different lengths of various size cables...

Let's put it this way. A cranking starter consumes about how much current? I dunno, depends on the car/truck...but it can be in the hundreds of amps. You rarely see the power cable running to the starter any larger than about 4awg. Some diesels might be larger. We're talking about an amplifier that MIGHT draw 60 amps max...right? 8 gauge will be plenty.

 

[BrianSD_42]

on my alpine amp i was running about 12" feet of 4g to a d-block and then 3-4 ft of 8g (+) with an 8g ground.

the amp would clip out out. i cant explain it but as soon as i switched to 4g i never had an issue.

i can only speculate that the amp internals might need a bigger gauge than the connection.

 

[IanB]

on my alpine amp i was running about 12" feet of 4g to a d-block and then 3-4 ft of 8g (+) with an 8g ground.

the amp would clip out out. i cant explain it but as soon as i switched to 4g i never had an issue.

i can only speculate that the amp internals might need a bigger gauge than the connection.

Unless you are running multiple amps, why in the world would you use a distribution block? I'm not saying anyone was or wasn't, but it just doesn't make sense to me at all.

 

[BrianSD_42]

yes i was running two amps. so is the OP.

 

[tbst]

Yeah, what brian said.

The run from the distro block to the second amp is around 6.5 feet.

My long term plan is to run 0 wire the the new distro block (ground block) and then use the distro block I have now to go to the two amps with two properly size fuses for each of the amps. And then change out the inline fuse next to the battery with a larger fuse. From the "main" distribution block I will run 4 gauge to an inverter in the back "hatch" area.

But that is the long term plan.

However, for now, getting up and running will be the key. Will try again this weekend.

Just went to Sams club and bought one of their Big Red 3.5 ton jacks. Using the little bottle jack gets old.

GF says I can't have the jack in the middle of our 650 sq ft apartment, so I guess it is going to be in the back for the Runner for now.

 

[tbst]

I am about 20 seconds away from giving up.

****ed around with the wiring for two hours. Finally got it down to being the fuse. Went and got a new fuse (new new fuse, for those keeping track).

Front speakers work.

Now subwoofer amp wont work.

Did I toast the amp when I shorted the wires the other day?

No voltage coming out of the speaker outputs.

I tested the inputs on the amp, 12.5V.

I checked the RCA cables and switched them.

Nothing.

I pulled out both the fuses and checked them. They look good.

I don't know what to do next. There may be a "Free" thread soon...

Seriously, help.

 

[OHP]

Are any lights on on the sub amp? Is the ground still good and tight? Does the remote wire have 12 volts?

 

[tbst]

Yes, blue light turns on when stereo is on.

Ground seems good and tight. I would say yes. But I could check, however I am 98% sure it is tight as hell.

Is the remote wire having 12V crucial?

By all means I will go check right NOW and report back.

I am at my wits end.

 

[OHP]

Gotta have voltage at the remote unless the amp has auto on, which senses power at the RCA input. Check it anyway. Make sure you have audio at the RCA's.

 

[BrianSD_42]

I'm sorry dude but I have to say this. Did you thoroughly read the Alpine manual that came with your amp? The english section is only 15 pages at most. READ IT.

If you cannot get it to work then google "how to install an amplifier" and read some guides.

I'd be glad to help but we have no way of telling what you are doing wrong based on this description.

As a final resort call Alpine on Monday. They offer free english speaking tech support for their products.

 

[tbst]

Checked the remote. Its 11.8. Checked the ground. It is good. I switched the RCA on the back of the headunit, is that enough to check the RCA? Should I check for 2V back there?

Can the fuses be toast even though they are still connected? Could I blow the amp by shorting it like I did. The 80 amp fuse blew though.