tortoracer

sorry i havent updated in a while, but il check into the job, but before i do that, should i try to up my amp's ground and see if it helps? 1800W peak, and a 400W peak (in theory 2200W potentially) going through one 4 gauge wire to the negative terminal in my car. 4 channel ground to ground of sub amp, sub amp ground to battery. i was thinking of trying to neaten things up a little by 0 gauge from battery positive and negative to a distribution block that separates each wire into its respective amp. (2 dist blocks in reality) [+ batt -] battery, with positive and negative terminal ..|.........| one wire to positive one to negative....both 0 gauge (for overkill purposes) ==dist== a pair of distribution blocks, one to each wire |.|.......|.| now two wires out of each terminal, but sepearated closer to my amps. ^2 pos ^2 neg everybody tries to discourage me from this idea....why?

how nessesary is batt to engine? the batt is all the way in the trunk..not a fun job for a car i only want for a year...where do i get the 0 gauge?

what wires exactly are the big 3? from the factory there is a 0 gauge from the alt to the batt, the batt is in the trunk also.

how do i test voltage drop before i buy another amp? positive to negative with a multimeter set to appropiate setting? EDIT: and i know my subs being able to handdle more isnt causing this, but i would like to upgrade because of that. i am pretty sure it may be a ground issue at this point, perhaps a voltage drop issue...or trying to pull too much power

oh yeah, i already did that...followed the instructions on that one haha

another reason i came here where people know what they are talking about..hehe voltage drop i will try to get tomorrow, should that be right where the amp shuts off in terms of volume where i measure? big 3 may be covered by the factory, not entirely sure if 0 gauge from alt to batt warrants it (thats how the car comes). gain is a little more than half way up, my trunk is very sealed, so it is tough to get bass in the cabin connections are solid, but i dont think my ground is thick enough...ground for the 4 channel diddnt reach, so i spliced the 4 gauge ground of the sub amp and that 4 gauge wire is carrying the ground for both amps. the ground is directly to the negative terminal of the battery because it is right there anyways. looking at the subs and the amp, i have reason to believe that my subs handle a higher rms than my amp is providing, so im pretty sure that is the problem.

im more of a mechanical man in terms of vocabulary, so please tell me what wires are going where, specifically the "wire the coils in parallel so then each sub is 2 ohm then run them into the amp" as i understand that is how i currently have it, just with the underpowered (i think?) amp. my budget is as cheap as possible while getting a quality product. i got my amp from crutchfield, and since the amp is not too old they might take it back; i dont so much need an specific amp recommended, just power ratings i should be looking for. i also dont wanna cook my subs. thank you all so much for your effort by the way also i read that it basically masks the problem, so i wasn't planning on using a cap...i just diddnt wanna say useless when i dont REALLY know.

i do not have an extra battery in the back, nor any capacitators (useless?), nor the big 3 upgrade. i plan on selling the car somewhat soon (yearish) and removing everything and putting it in my next car. although i do not have the big 3 upgrade, i have read from the alt to the battery is already 0 gauge wire....not sure if there is any more to that upgrade.

oops a few posts, so most likely no looks at my edit the alt. is 120 amps according to realoem.com (the oem parts site for bmw's) not sure about voltage drop, but i think that the alt power is known so i dont need to check now? (i can if i need to) gains set properly, but whether the gain is high or low on my subs' amp when they reach that special volume they cut out, this does point to volume, right? if you look at the picture of the amp, it is a 1 channel, but it has 2 outputs (they are wired together internally im pretty sure), and i just hooked up the sub's to those...so yes wired parallel.

i have found no information on my alternator even after a bit of research, but it is a 1999 BMW 528i, nothing too big for an engine, so cant be too powerful of an alternator...any way to tell for sure? also, i have these exactly (but dont remember getting them that expensive, even on sale) http://www.crutchfie...124.html?tp=111 EDIT: i think its 120 amps

hey guys, i have a pair of kicker CVR12's paired with a kenwood KAC-9105D. At high bass volumes the amp just cuts out, and i end up with no bass until i lower it down...i need more power im pretty sure. what can i safely push for wattage without damaging the subs, overloading my alternator and needing a new one, or breaking the bank. about my car, its a 1999 BMW 528i, so its hard to get bass in there anyways, stock alternator, and for a 4 channel amp i have a sound-ordinance M-4075. my headlights dim barely at the highest demands (havent noticed it too recently, but at one time i have seen it). main concern is my subs, i dont want to blow them, and my alternator, i dont have the money for a new one.

i honestly have no idea how to do that...it is for a pair of subwoofers. it would be great if you could tell me how without tearing apart my car, because the head unit needs adapters to work with it...i dont have the aftermarket head yet. i am pretty sure i woke up some neighbors with swearing...then continued to tell them a story with them... i dont wanna open it up because of the warranty, if it doesnt work i want to see if i can possibly with any luck send it back, and try my luck... there was no rattling, and it felt pretty solid...i just hope this is an accurate test

i was carrying 2 12" kicker subwoofers (in the original boxes) and on those a wide open box with a kenwood amp (no padding, there was a wiring kit, completely out of the package, so alot of wires in there)and the wiring kit box, couldnt get around my car so balanced it on the roof of my car. i went onward, and heard the box fall; a rainbow of vocabulary later i picked up the box and inspected it, no obvious damage. it was a refurb unit so there were just the scratches it already had, minor ones. i cant install it/test it until i save up another $500 to buy everything else i need, so what are the odds it is broken? no external damage visible. how sturdy are the internals? basically scared that i just burned through a $300 amp without ever turning it on.

i just had to haha there is a problem with that (as i finally realized after hours of research), it has to do with what the dsp system is doing behind the scenes. the stock head unit sends out a constant signal for the left side, and the right side. (4 wires in total, positive negative each side) when this signal gets to the amp, it makes it louder according to the data signal which is through the dsp. if i just hook up the head unit, not sure exactly, but my prediction is the amp will end up getting destroyed by the head's preamp, and the adjusting signal when i adjust the volume. this would also make the dsp redundant...so i know the basic answer to my question is no, but there might be some way before i ship the head unit back.

as of tonight i officially own it, im STOKED! dealership still needs to detail it, fill the tank, etc. anyways. any way possible i can use the head unit i purchased, the 2 subwoofers (and amp to go with them), and keep the stock amp and speakers for now? the display on the stock head doesn't work, so my options are relatively slim for now. keep in mind the radio is a dsp one, so it is quite difficult to work around it.