amp question

[2muchbass]

currently i am running 2 12inch audiobahn subs, an 800watt mtx amp and a capacitor. i just ordered a 15inch 1000watt audiobahn sub to ad to it and im having trouble finding another 800 or even a 1000watt amp for it. i do realise its gonna cost alotta bank reguardless but im not tryin to pay $600+ for an amp. any suggestions? thanx

[chuyler1]

I realize that your screen name is 2muchbass but why on earth do you need that much bass?

Combining subwoofer sizes is not recommended. It causes phasing issues and rarely gives you the result you are looking for. If you want deeper bass, try sending more power to the subs you already have or try building a better box for them (i.e. larger sealed, ported, or band-pass).

If SPL is your goal, take a look at some of the SPL front runners by reading a few magazines. They always create a wall using several of the same size and same model subwoofers.

If Sound Quality is your goal, take a look at some of the SQ front runners by reading a few magazines. You will never see more than 3 subwoofers and they will again be the same size and same model.

For all practical purposes a single subwoofer is all you need. 500 watts RMS from a solid amp to a mid to high-end subwoofer will give you all the bass you coud possibly want. If you are already running this and aren't getting enough bass, then your install needs some work.

Anyway, if you plan on running 1600watts in your Protege you might want to rethink your budget. To do this properly you will need at least a new battery and most likely a new alternator. However, there is a discussion in the main CA&E section as to whether installing a new alternator is even possible on the Protege.

If you don't upgrade the electrical system you are just waisting money on this equipment.

[Breeegz]

Anyway, if you plan on running 1600watts in your Protege you might want to rethink your budget. To do this properly you will need at least a new battery and most likely a new alternator. However, there is a discussion in the main CA&E section as to whether installing a new alternator is even possible on the Protege.

If you don't upgrade the electrical system you are just waisting money on this equipment

Well.. installing a new altenator IS possible, just a huge PITA to get it to fit.

A close personal friend was hitting 154db in a trunked 2000 Protege ES. Luckily his dad is the sales manager for a Mazda dealership and convinced the mecanics to get it in. I have no Idea how it got there, and it looks like it's impossible... (his upgraded electrical system included new alternator, optima yellow top, and 2 other two cell batteries (counts as 4 extra))

to 2muchbass:
if you decide to mix&match subsizes (not reccomended, but it is possible) and are looking for an amp, it would be useful for us if you were a little more specific. I.E. DVC or SVC, what is the resistance of each voice coil. That way we can do a search and maybe help you out.

Or if you can let us know about your current setup, we may be able to help you improve it.

[hurleyblink]

lol 2 muchbass... hah with audiobahn subs, atleast you have a good amp.. get some kicker cvr's those are alot louder then all audiobahn subs, right now i have a mtx 942.2 amp two kicker cvr 12's loud as hell ..

[chuyler1]

Audiobahn subs aren't bad. They're not good either. In any case, it isn't worth the money to sell them and buy a set of Kicker CVRs. Once you have paid for something, its best to make the most of it. The CVRs aren't anything special either. The same goes for any subwoofer under $100. If you were going to trade up, I would expect you to pay at least $150-200 per sub...but that might change your amplifier requirements.

What model audiobahn subs do you have and what model MTX amp is it?

[2muchbass]

ok in respose to Breeegz:
15"
-dual 4 ohm voice coils
-2"dual layer asv voice coil
12"
-single 4 ohm voice coil

thanx agian for everyones help on this i appreciate it

[hurleyblink]

ok in respose to Breeegz:
15"
-dual 4 ohm voice coils
-2"dual layer asv voice coil
12"
-single 4 ohm voice coil

thanx agian for everyones help on this i appreciate it

Whoah, um wait here, so your gonna use a 15 and two 12's, uhmm, you know thats gonna sound like right? your bass is going to be a little off 12's hitting faster then the 15, not to sound like a dick, but you are prolly better off getting another 12, well is that 15 1000 watts max rms? or what yeah and i wouldnt put a true 500 into any audiobahn sub, they are way overrated.

[2muchbass]

yea well i would get a 12 but the 15 was a early christmas preasant so im tryin to make due with what i got and it turns out its only a 500watt instead of a 1000

[Breeegz]

if's it's possible to trade (or exchange) this 15" then I would, if not, you could slap it in a box, remove the 12's and install the 15 using the same amp you have (be sure to start the amp at min gain at first tho)

This way you will be able to see, er I mean hear the difference between a 12 and a 15.
It may be more enjoyable than the 2 12's depending on the kind of music you play, and you wouldn't have to buy another amp.

With the removal of the 12's you could get a bigger box for the 15 to fit (shoot for the middle of the reccomdations if you are unsure, but generally a smaller box can give a sub more powerhandling, and a larger box gives more bass response) Wire the 15 in parallel (if this is the way you have your 12's wired, I may be mistaken, but I think most MTX's can handle 2 ohms, check your equipment if you are not running 2 ohms.)

I'm not trying to talk you out of this, just realize what the results could be by mixing different sub sizes...

[2muchbass]

well ive allready opened the box for the 15" and it ripped.......so there might be an issue tryin to resell it but thanx for all the help i appreciate it

[2muchbass]

oh yea and one more thing am i gonna have to run the 15" off a 2 channel amp sence its a dual voice coil?

[Hughes412]

You don't have to run a 2ch amp because of the dual voice coils. But the question I have is how are you going to fit the 15 in the trunk with the 12s? I looked at a 15in R/F and the box required was way to big, and no way would 2 12s fit at the say time. I would do like the other guy said, run just the 15 in a good box. Or try to sell the 3 subs and amp and get something like this.

http://www.acaraudio.com/product_info.php?cPath=24_47&products_id=176
with the JL 500 1ch amp. That will be enough to rattle the emblem off your car.

[Breeegz]

Ask yourself, What is my favorite kind of bass? and make that your goal.

Tight punchy bass
-or-
Deep Rumbly bass

[2muchbass]

both. i want both. i wanted to add the 15 because i figured my two 12's hit pretty tight but i wanted more "force" behind it so i thought why not adda 15? ittl give me the force i want in combonation with my two 12's. i kinda figures it would be off a little bit the more i thought about it immediatly after i made this post. and i just had an idea. if i run the 15 at a low power, instead of at its full capacity,i know it will still be off, but do you think it would sound as bad?

[Breeegz]

If your 12's have separate airspaces (maybe one encloser, with a divider) you could try this to simulate what it would sound like. Reverse the polarity of one of your 12's.

That should give you an Idea how 2 different speeds of bass would sound.

IMO I think 12's are the best all around sub, you get both a little low end rumble, and some nice punch. 10's have better punch, and 15's have better low end. But a lot of it comes down to the build of your box, try reading this tutorial from JL audio (http://mobile.jlaudio.com/support_pages.php?page_id=146) because they will explain it much better than I can. In fact JL Audio's Tutorials (http://mobile.jlaudio.com/support_pages.php?page_id=127) contain a lot of free information that you might find useful.(cabpatch)

[2muchbass]

yea i agree that 12's are the best and thanx for the tip about reversing the polarity for the different bass speeds im definatly gonna try it

[Blade4804]

since we are on the topic. I bought a ported box with two 12" subs from DUAL with a DUAL amp.. and was wondering what amp setting are beneficial? I did notice that if I turn up the volume to a comfortable setting my headlights dim with the beat of the bass, is that bad?

[2muchbass]

since we are on the topic. I bought a ported box with two 12" subs from DUAL with a DUAL amp.. and was wondering what amp setting are beneficial? I did notice that if I turn up the volume to a comfortable setting my headlights dim with the beat of the bass, is that bad?

yeas that is bad. get another battery or a capacitor torun your subs off of because if you dont you might run into a dead alternator (or however you spell it)

[Blade4804]

another battery? like go to the store and hook a second battery up with my first one? or get a bigger battery?

[chuyler1]

He is suggesting you replace your stock battery with a better one...check out Optima Batteries (or do a search).

How many watts RMS is the amp you have? Dimming should be minimal if you are under 500w RMS. If you are at 1000 or more then nothing will help your dimming problems short of a new alternator (which if you do a search is not easy).

Replacing the stock battery will help alot.
Beefing up your ground cabling with a grounding kit will help a little.
Adding a capacitor will help a little.
Using a class-D amp instead of a class-A/B amp for bass will help a little.
Properly sound dampening your trunk and door panels and installing the woofers so they fire directly into the cabin will help alot.

[2muchbass]

also my back dash is rattling alot as well as my trunk. i bought a dinomat but it didnt do shit so i bought som of that spray foam aepanding insulation and it worked really good only after a few days it lost its seal from the vibration of the bass. i was told caulk might work good but it aint to cheap. should i try the caulk of keep pulling out my dash and putting in more foam or is theair another way? thanx

[02Protege'5]

I had two 8's and two 12" installed in my protege'5 it sounded like shit, i took the two 8's out and what a difference. The headlight dimming is all but gone and the sound quality is like night and day. I have two 1230 infinity 12's wired in parallel to an audibahn A8000T amp at 2 ohms, it hits hard and is very clean.

Listen to these guys. Go with one or the other, 12's or the single 15. Not both.

Your situation is damn near the same as mine. Here is a link to a thread over on pbnation where i asked the same question.

http://www.pbnation.com/showthread.php?t=1313767&highlight=skell

[2muchbass]

ok but that still doesnt answer my question about the caulk

[chuyler1]

If dynamat didn't solve your rattles then you applied it in the wrong place. Did you heat it up beforehand with a heat gun or hair dryer?

What kind of caulk were you looking at. I don't remember seeing anything expensive at home depot.

[2muchbass]

yea i heated it witha blow dryer. and it was silicon caulk noth out of the oredinary. i dont knowi guesws i just got screwed over last time i bout some for some household work. anyway do you think it will work?