[greenhorn]

what are you going to use the amp to drive?
in a typical scenario, 8ga should be plenty for this amp!

[straight6]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

what are you going to use the amp to drive?
in a typical scenario, 8ga should be plenty for this amp!

Here's my entire setup:-

HU - Pioneer FH-X789BT (3 pre outs)
Amplifier - Powerbass ASA3 700.5 (5 channel)
Subwoofer - Focal Auditor RIP 300S 4 ohm DVC
Components - JL Audio TR650-CSi
Coaxials - Rockford Fosgate Punch series P1675
Amp kit and speaker wires - Earthquake Sound (surely cca and not ofc)
RCA cables - Monster (don't know if they are original or not)

Only damping left now. Will mostly get Dampmat Exceed installed next week.

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by straight6

The terminals don't seem to be big enough for 4ga but I can use gauge reducers for that.

Here are the specs of the amp:- ...

IMHO this amp won't require 4GA - 16mm2 will be good enough for a normal setup.

Gauge reducers will actually reduce the cross-section area, defeating the purpose of using 4GA.

[straight6]

Originally Posted by DerAlte

IMHO this amp won't require 4GA - 16mm2 will be good enough for a normal setup.

Gauge reducers will actually reduce the cross-section area, defeating the purpose of using 4GA.

Are you sure? As I'm pulling around 600 rms from it. 50x4 at 4 ohms and 400x1 at 2 ohms (plus I'm changing my woofer to the Pioneer champion series 400rms DVC). Most wiring gauge guides tell you that above 400 rms you need 4ga. Even here they say use 4ga under description -

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...SA-700.5X.html

Also, the gauge reducers from Stinger are very good. No power loss reported by anyone using them.

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by straight6

Are you sure? As I'm pulling around 600 rms from it. ...

You are not. You are reckoning with Max figures. If that much is really pushed through your system, you will not be able to sit inside the car. If you don't believe that, please request a demo from anyone who has an SPL system in their car (there are very few people like that). Under normal circumstances in an SQL system, one uses about 10-120W depending on music passage, sub inclusive.

Different matter if you want to use it as a SPL system (low distortion) or PA system (higher distortion but ear piercing loudness). Neither your amp nor the sub is meant for such duty.

Originally Posted by straight6

... Also, the gauge reducers from Stinger are very good. No power loss reported by anyone using them.

Not power loss, but the max current capacity. If someone says reduction in cross-sectional area doesn't reduce max current carrying capacity, one is defeating electrical engineering fundas.

The cross-sectional area of a wire carrying power is not dependent on manufacturers' power numbers. It is dependent on the amps expected to flow through, and manufacturers never declare the current that will drawn from supply when the max power is being put out. Power is a product of the voltage and current. With amps the current drawn depends on the music passage, and is never constant. Sizing the power wire based on max expected current is sending good money down the drain, as you will never reach that situation.

[::CMS::]

Originally Posted by straight6

As I'm pulling around 600 rms from it.

If your amp has fuse installed, check the ratings than the o/p, that will give you an idea about the gauge of the wire required.

Just now I noticed that you had mentioned the specs, it says
Fuse Rating 30A x 2

It needs a cable capable of carrying 60amps (gauge depends on the distance too) and the compatible fuse, nothing more nothing less.

[gkannan]

8 awg is more than enough for your amp.
It is also mentioned in page 20 of the user manual of your amp where a simple table has been given to choose the correct power/ground cable to be chosen depending on the fuse rating and the total length of the cable.

[TaureanBull]

I am planning to buy Duster RxL. The plan includes installing a navigator to include the media player and reverse camera in a single unit.
The dealer has suggested to install MMI ICENAV301A as dealer fitment at the cost of 30k. He will refund 2.5k for the existing unit. The cost includes the system, camera and installation charges.
Are there any reviews on the system? How is the pricing?

[hserus]

My pioneer avh x5890-bt HU seems to have lost radio connectivity over the past two or three days, every FM / AM channel I switch to just gives me static. Nope not because of the Cyclone Vardah that's paying us a visit, this is from well before that. Any ideas? Suddenly stopped working, basically.

The other problem I keep facing is that it occasionally (once in ever two weeks or so) just forgets to pair with my phone, especially when I switch bluetooth on AFTER the car is started and the HU attempts to pair. Even forgetting the phone doesn't work - shows you a pairing request and then errors out when the phone tries to pair.

Once I had to clear bluetooth memory and it worked - pairing was successful. The second time I had to reset the settings of the HU itself to factory default mode.

So this has happened twice in the space of like a month and a half, so far.

[deepfusion]

What should be the Time alignment parameters for Skoda Rapid.

The speakers are placed as under:

Tweeters on-axis on the A-pillars,
Mids in the stock location,
Sub facing opposite in the boot.

[greenhorn]

Originally Posted by deepfusion

What should be the Time alignment parameters for Skoda Rapid.

The speakers are placed as under:

Tweeters on-axis on the A-pillars,
Mids in the stock location,
Sub facing opposite in the boot.

get a tape measure and measure the distances of your drivers from your ears. If you have multiple drivers/channel, use the one which plays the higher frequency.
Once you get the distances, for both left and right you should be good to go.

if you need the time in milliseconds, then time = distance / speed (of sound)

[Enigmatic]

Dear All,

It seems I have landed myself in a soup. Apologies for the lengthy post.

I was planning on upgrading the stock system in my civic and was in conversation with Ramie of Sound Factor for the same. He gave some pretty impressive options and after a while we were able to figure out a system for which I wouldn't have to stretch a lot.

The items to be installed were as follows:

1. Memphis Audio 2-way components in the front;
2. Memphis Audio 2-way coaxial in the back;
3. Boston Ref 12 inch subwoofer;
4. Powerbass 5 channel amplifier;
5. Damping, wiring etc.
(The headunit was to be changed to Pioneer AVH-X5890BT after running this set-up for a while)

Things looked good and I was all set to meet Ramie on a Saturday and go ahead with the installation. However, this was not to be.

An unscheduled meeting was called and there went my Saturday. This is where the landing in the soup part happens. A very caring senior of mine, who is equally interested in cars, decided to borrow my Civic that day and he gave it to his driver who took it to his accessory guy for installing audio equipment in the car. All of this was happening whilst I was in the unscheduled meeting cursing the clients for ruining my Saturday. Later in the day when I got done with work and got into the car, I saw Focal tweeters mounted on the dash. For a moment I thought, this cannot be my car. Later I realised what had actually happened.

The following things had been installed in my car:

1. Focal components in the front (I am not aware of the model number. Have pestered the senior and his driver enough and the reason for not disclosing is that I will get to know how much it costs);
2. JBL coaxial in the back (Again not aware of the model number, however since these are mounted on the parcel tray, I can try looking on the back-side of the speakers for some indication);
3. JBL CSX-1400BP - 12 inch subwoofer in a JBL enclosure (its pretty big and takes up most of my boot space);
4. JBL GX-A646SI - 4 channel amplifier;
5. I am not sure about the wiring kit, but I have reasons to believe it is a focal wiring kit.

Upon realising what had transpired, I confronted the senior who congratulated me and said this was a new years gift and I shouldn't even "dare" to offer him any money for this. Tried to reason it out with him but this predicament hasn't changed yet (I will be gifting him something in return now).

Happy and excited, I return to the car, start it up and all I can hear is irritating and mind-numbing engine/transmission whine from the tweeters. I start playing some music and behold bass. Bass enough to move Earth out of its axis. I like bass, I love bass, but I also like to listen to vocals. As you would understand, all I could do was smile in front of the senior for the "amazing" gift he had bestowed upon me.

I have tried to tune the system ever since, I have also tried to change my expectations of the music I wanted, but this all has made little difference. I have managed to reduce the engine/transmission whine by about 80% by lowering the gains. However this has resulted in lower output from the Focal components. If I reduce the gains any further, the whine does go away but then so does the output from the components. I have also managed to reduce the back-massaging bass to acceptable levels to bring truce between the speakers and the sub-woofer. However, I am not satisfied with the system.

My reason for going to Ramie was to get a clean install with precisely the sound output I was looking for. However, now I cannot get rid of the equipment already installed for the following two reasons:

1. This might seem like a free lunch, however I will be gifting something back to him of the equivalent amount (Have zeroed on a boss sound touch speaker system). This essentially means that I have spent somewhere around 35-40k on a system which is not satisfactory.
2. If I completely change the system, the senior would eventually get to know when he travels in my car. And for what its worth, It was a gift and I wouldn't want to change it completely.

So now I seek your advice on how I should play around with the equipment already installed on the car. I was planning on moving the Focal components to the back (they are a bit too bright for my taste) and install new components in the front.

P.S. The Pioneer 5890 has been ordered and is on its way.

[greenhorn]

I'd say keep the JBL speakers (they're the most visible, and probably the only thing people notice) in the back and swap the rest into the senior's car

If you can use the jbl grille with the memphis coax, even better.

if the focal tweeters have been installed in the A pillar with cutting and the memphis tweet is not an exact replacement in the hole, you might be stuck with the focal comps (hey they're not that bad)

install what you had planned in your car.

Next time the senior travels in your car, do note to him how awesome the JBL Speakers (point to the back) sound

[Enigmatic]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

I'd say keep the JBL speakers (they're the most visible, and probably the only thing people notice) in the back and swap the rest into the senior's car

...
Next time the senior travels in your car, do note to him how awesome the JBL Speakers (point to the back) sound

Thanks, greenhorn.

Apologies if I wasn't clear in my post. The JBL speakers have been mounted under the parcel tray on the stock speaker location and not over the parcel tray.

Yes, the Focal components are good but are too bright. Hence I am planning on moving them to the back and getting another set of components in the front.

Another outlook to all of this is to install the Pioneer 5890 (should arrive by this weekend) and see if it changes anything. Not sure how much of a difference it will make though.

P.S. Will changing the stock headunit get rid of the horrendous engine/transmission whine?

Best,
Enigmatic

[greenhorn]

not sure - might be at the amplifier/wiring side also
try eating the head of the original installer. If the HU Swap doesnt cure things, it might also be worth trying a ground loop isolator

hey, if the parts are not visible, how is he going to know if you've swapped them