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$50 to $60 for 3 feet. No thanks, I'll keep using what has been working just fine. When are you going to realize nothing these guys do is to bring forth the cheapest products. Better? Innovative? Original? Game changing? Maybe, cheap? Not by any means. Your opinion is of course valid, regardless of how skewed, but it just seems intentionally abrasive. So...just don't buy it so for the person like me who can't understand, what are the benefits of using a higher quality RCA cable? I have some RF RCAs in mine so I am thinking this would be more of a lateral move for me. When I did upgrade them, I don't remember hearing a difference in what everything sounded like. Is that because there are other factors in my install that is limiting how good my car sounds or is the difference not about the sound? I know my RF cables are FAR more durable than the walmart shitty ones.

Quick suggestion: How about making a sticky thread so people can add what amp or head unit has SE outputs or Diff outputs? Then people could know what kind of rca to buy before they get their amp.

When someone bumps this and there is no progress from Steve a little piece of me dies...

For SPL competition and maximum thermal capacity the Z v.3 is still a superior driver. For low-frequency output the X would be superior.

I've skimped before and really didn't realize at how much I was missing. Of course someone could spend less money, but if we're looking for good products I just can't find cheaper prices. Same with my voltage meter...people complain about the price but compared to the Dakotas I purchased...pfft, nothing

this....

Awesome vid Tony! I just received my custom 20' SMD COAX cables and love them. I haven't had a chance to install them yet, but I do have some very detailed measurements comparing them to the regular RG6 coax that I was using. Resistance-wise the SMD COAX cables are better then RG6 which is impressive since RG6 has a very thick center conductor. RG6 has less capacitance (better) then the SMD's, most likely due to the increased diameter it has. This is a very minimal difference though and the MUCH better flexibility of the SMD cable far outweighs the RG6 in my opinion. The RG6 had about twice the inductance of the SMD cables which adds up to more inductive reactance in the upper frequencies. All measurements were swept from 20Hz to 20kHz. I've used two different types of RG6 COAX before and to me, these SMD COAX cables are much better. They are MUCH more flexible and very well made. I'll post more details after I install mine and do some more measurements. For anybody interested or new to these cables: Make sure you also check your HU for its output as well. To make the best use of each cable type, you'd want to match the HU output to the amplifier input along with the correct cable type.

since this happens time and time again, someone bitchin that their local store told them their HO alt wasnt working right i thought i would paste this from TermPro. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- I was once asked why can a rebuilder or store like Autozone not properly test an alternator?.. I figured this would be a good place to post.. Here was the question "Dom If you don't mind, I'd like to ask your explanation of why it is difficult to test alternators and how one can go about getting one properly tested? I know you're busy with work, but your contributions in the electrical arena could greatly help increase the knowledge base on this forum. Thanks!" No problem, I would love to answer this question.. Here are the main reasons for each party that tries to test an alternator. Your hometown rebuilder. 1. They are just that, a rebuilder. They know very little about the design and function of an alternator. They just repair factory alternators by replacing parts. They also will tell you your crazy when you tell them an alternator can do 200 amps. They dont understand what they dont know. 2. When they do test an alternator,(on their bench), they almost always use small aligator clips to the battery post of the alternator. Probably 8 or 6 gage. Would you connect your 2000 watt amplifier to your battery with 8 gage? I dont think so....for obvious reasons. 3.On their bench test, they more than likely will never go over 3500 to 4000 rpm. Dont freak out, this is alternator rpm, not engine rpm. An alternator should spin atleast 3 times faster than your motor. The industry standard for max output is to be tested at 6000 rpm. Approximately 1500-2000 engine rpm. 3500-4000 is just above idle. 4.When a load is applied, it should be gradual. 75% of the test stations that are common to rebuild shops are either on.... or off when it comes to loading. (typically 300 amps) There is no way to ramp up the load presented to the alternator. When you load an alternator with an instantaneous 300 amps, the regulator does not have time to react and the reading will be substantially lower. It also depends on the type of regulator used. Some vehicles must have a time delay type regulator due to the car either being so new or aftermarket not available yet. When you load the alternator down, you keep going until the voltage level falls to that of the battery. Which is typically 13.0-13.5 This way all current being pulled is is being produced by the alternator, not the battery. You then take the current reading off the battery post of the alternator. Your local "Autozone" or "Advanced" I have taken my personal vehicle to both of these parts stores just to see why I get so many calls and emails stating "I had my alternator tested and it doesnt work or only does 20 amps". Both companies are improperly trained in how to test your alternator. 1.The first thing they do is roll out their tester and connect it wrong. They put the current clamp on the battery negative. Why they want to know how much current is going through your negative battery terminal is beyond me..... I personally like to know how much current is coming out the alternator OUTPUT terminal...which is the positive one. While your sitting there at idle, before the test even begins, the tester is telling you how much current is going through the negative battery terminal. This is how much charging current your battery is pulling. They all confuse this with how much current your alternator is doing at idle. You need to first load the alternator down before you can determine how much current your alternator is capable of producing. Just for example....I have 3-300 amp alternators on my Suburban. They told me I was doing 55 amps at idle and 168 amps max. He did admit tho after seeing under the hood, he didnt really know anything about setups like mine. I would type more, but I gotta go. If anybody would like some explanation of other issues, let me know. Hope this post helps. Thanks, Dominick Iraggi Post edited to add alternator testing procedure. Ok, I guess I forgot to actually explain how to test an alternator. I will explain it two different ways. One is how to test your own alternator and make sure its producing current and the other is how an alternator shop should test your alternator. 1. Put a voltmeter as close to the alternator as possible. (Positive and Negative both.) If you can put the meter leads directly on or in the wire coming off the alternator that would be optimum. 2. Now start the car and turn all accessories off and check the voltage level. It should be between 13.5 and 15.1 volts. (depends on your make and model of car) It is a good idea to write down all voltage readings your taking. The main thing your looking for is a drop in voltage. Once you hit around 12.5, your alternator is not going to produce any additional amperage. 3. Now turn on one accessory at a time. Write down that accessories fuse rating. Keep turning on accessories and adding fuse ratings until the voltage falls to 12.5. Now add 15 amps if your electric cooling fans are on and 10 amps per battery in your system. Your numbers may look like this. 2 batteries- 20 amps Cooling fan- 15 amps Headlights - 10 amps A/C blower - 10 amps Rear Dfrst - 15 amps High Beams - 10 amps Fuel Pump - 10 amps --------------------- Total not including stereo system 90 amps. If you can turn on all these accessories and your voltage does not fall below 12.8 your alternator is capable of producing more than 90 amps of current. You can now turn on your system and start slow on the volume. Its hard to say how much current your system pulls unless you know how much power your amps are producing at a given volume level. You will need to do all these measurments at idle and at 2000 rpm. This way you can test idle output and max. NOTE: When testing output at idle your numbers may appear a little low. It is probably because your alternator is making your motor bog down and when you spin an alternator slower it can not produce as much amperage.

Just wondering what you had for a Blaz, 4.3. 2002. Any love there??? Show me what you have. Thanks in advance guys...... Kyle

just some eyebrow flexing BASSSS - man, i can't say enough about how this one sounded. Just so clean and effortless. Very low and mids/highs were blended nice. My first demo of the day at the Autorama and it was a good one!

Sup guys... My name is Luccas, and I'm from Brazil....This forum will be my guide to build a Perfect Sound System for my car ^^

Do something like the psychlone from hell!!! like make it look a huge tunnel if 12's and a mirror on the end!

Can you email a link to the "$100 bracket" to [email protected]

i know its worth the wait and im sure we will all drool over it but plz everyone dont get drool on it, the moister isnt good for the electrical.

Site: http://www.wccaraudio.com coupon code: SMDRCA15 15% off. I do have matching Y adapters now too but i they aren't up on the site yet.

i like the 40 rf subs idea

lol, yeah but they cant hand him a sub that might not last with a whole lot of power or one that doesnt move enough air. they have to make sure its big an bad enough for his testing first.

call Scott, at ascendant, and tell him you would like steve to quit sandbagging. I could have put 40 RF woofers in the van by now but like everything, i wait, and wait, and wait.......even the spiders that moved in, moved out (cob webs). i guess its a work van until i get my woofers. Then i can start planning. think maybe a petition for them to hurry up could work? would also like to point out that they didnt move out because of it taking to long, they heard its gonna be your next big build and didnt want to get caught in the airflow. if he has a plan he is making us wait. if he doesnt i would say its because they are still doing testing on the subs he is gonna be using.

$50 to $60 for 3 feet. No thanks, I'll keep using what has been working just fine.

Yeah and N8's build log was in it?

Thank you for this information, I did not know this and like to learn new things like this, and thanks to Steve for sharing a link on facebook otherwise I may have missed this one.

Hook a fellow basshead up!!! I need a bunch of RCA cables lol.

Wont get into details other than, think of a See Saw thats the basic idea of it. Any further info and I gotta kill you

I dont know who a sub should be more scared of, Rob or Jon!

so i guess its 1, maybe 2 large alternators and a battery bank huh? It doesn't look like there is much room under there. I might step up my game to a 16/18v setup in this one. Time will tell, i really haven't even decided ANYTHING yet. I made my friend an offer on the van, he took it, and here i am LOL...no thought at all on what im gonna actually do. Yep, battled with it for a while but Matt @ Mechman came through. You'll need to ditch the entire AC setup. AC evaporator, heater matrix and blower. If you can live without that then Matt has a double bracket setup which replaces stock alt fixture for a new item. You will need to cut some of the firewall but it fits.. its designed to work in other Chevys with the same motor. I have 3x SMD Spec 350A Alts, along with the double bracket I ditched the AC pump for the 3rd unit. I can see room for a 4th if the firewall is cut some more, just need to adapt the Mechman bracket little more.. My Astro isn't used daily its a purely 'Audio' only so the finer luxurys need not matter.. well for me at least! thanks so much for the advice man!!! i really need that!! I don't mind taking out the AC, it doesn't work anyway........and i didn't buy this thing for transportation, i bought it for teh boooomm. So out comes anything that needs to come out

18-18s....