New to Car Audio scene -- I got a few questions.

[Chris Washburn]

Hello SMD Forum, names Chris, and I'm Glad I finally got around to making an account on here. I recently got into the car audio scene, and I have 0% knowledge on the topic. Keep in mind, my '99 Ford Explorer is completely bone stock.

So far the equipment I'm working with is:

2x 12" Rockford Fosgate P2 Punches -- These (In a tiny vented box)

1x Rockford Fosgate R1200-1D Mono Class-D Amp -- This

4x Kicker CS68 6x8 2-Way Door Speakers -- These (No AMP for door speakers, ran off STOCK adapters in doors.)

1x Odyssey 1750T AGM Battery aka Sears DieHard Platinum -- This

Valor ITS-700W Head Unit -- This

4 Gauge Monster Cable w/ 150A fuse running from battery to rear of Truck.

Stock 95 Amp Alternator

--

My questions are fairly simple.

Does the sub enclosure size matter?

Is my amp big enough for my subs? Even though they're rating 300w RMS and 500W Peak?

My headlights dim. Even with one sub hooked up, my headlights always dim. I just purchased 0 gauge wire & ring terminals to do the BIG 3.

I've checked the ground from my sub to the metal frame of my truck; the area is sanded and is mounted via nut & bolt.

Should I leave my stock battery under the hood, and put my AGM battery in the back?

My most CURIOUS QUESTION. Does BATTERY TERMINALS matter. Can they be stock? Or should I get Military/Marine battery terminals?

The wire that connects my subs to my amp is approx 16 AWG. Is that an issue?

And the final cringe question, could somebody please explain, in layman terms the concept of Ohms, Channels, RMS & Peak, and Clipping..

I hope I've provided sufficient information. I am open to and subjected to your criticism. Enlighten a rookie with knowledge.

Chris.

[reedal]

Does the sub enclosure size matter? Yes, your enclosure should be tailored to the subs. There are modeling softwares that enable us to design and build enclosure that are ideal for the subs we have and the output we desire.

Is my amp big enough for my subs? Even though they're rating 300w RMS and 500W Peak? You have a 1200w amp, for two 300w subs (don't pay attention to the MAX or PEAK ratings, ever, it's a sales gimmick). Your amp is more than enough, just set it up correctly, using an Oscilloscope or DD-1, with the gain set conservatively to account for having an amp that is twice the RMS of your subwoofers combined. Remember, the gain is not volume! It is meant to match the output voltage of your head unit RCA preouts.

My headlights dim. Even with one sub hooked up, my headlights always dim. I just purchased 0 gauge wire & ring terminals to do the BIG 3.

I've checked the ground from my sub to the metal frame of my truck; the area is sanded and is mounted via nut & bolt. The big three may help, but it doesn't always. You should do it regardless, since you're adding extra load to the OEM wiring

Should I leave my stock battery under the hood, and put my AGM battery in the back? You can do that, but i would recommend using an AGM in the stock location as well, given the two different type batteries have different resting voltages. The extra battery will provide you with a better reserve capacity, and go a long with with preventing the dimming of lights.

My most CURIOUS QUESTION. Does BATTERY TERMINALS matter. Can they be stock? Or should I get Military/Marine battery terminals? stock terminals are fine as long as they are clean, not corroded

The wire that connects my subs to my amp is approx 16 AWG. Is that an issue? depends on the length of the wire.

And the final cringe question, could somebody please explain, in layman terms the concept of Ohms, Channels, RMS & Peak, and Clipping.. To get a good explanation of those things without mixed views and opinion, go to www.bcae1.com

[DLHgn]

Hello SMD Forum, names Chris, and I'm Glad I finally got around to making an account on here. I recently got into the car audio scene, and I have 0% knowledge on the topic. Keep in mind, my '99 Ford Explorer is completely bone stock.

So far the equipment I'm working with is:

2x 12" Rockford Fosgate P2 Punches -- These (In a tiny vented box)

1x Rockford Fosgate R1200-1D Mono Class-D Amp -- This

4x Kicker CS68 6x8 2-Way Door Speakers -- These (No AMP for door speakers, ran off STOCK adapters in doors.)

1x Odyssey 1750T AGM Battery aka Sears DieHard Platinum -- This

Valor ITS-700W Head Unit -- This

4 Gauge Monster Cable w/ 150A fuse running from battery to rear of Truck.

Stock 95 Amp Alternator

--

My questions are fairly simple.

Does the sub enclosure size matter?

Is my amp big enough for my subs? Even though they're rating 300w RMS and 500W Peak?

My headlights dim. Even with one sub hooked up, my headlights always dim. I just purchased 0 gauge wire & ring terminals to do the BIG 3.

I've checked the ground from my sub to the metal frame of my truck; the area is sanded and is mounted via nut & bolt.

Should I leave my stock battery under the hood, and put my AGM battery in the back?

My most CURIOUS QUESTION. Does BATTERY TERMINALS matter. Can they be stock? Or should I get Military/Marine battery terminals?

The wire that connects my subs to my amp is approx 16 AWG. Is that an issue?

And the final cringe question, could somebody please explain, in layman terms the concept of Ohms, Channels, RMS & Peak, and Clipping..

I hope I've provided sufficient information. I am open to and subjected to your criticism. Enlighten a rookie with knowledge.

Chris.

Things I can answer for sure.

Yes, enclosure size matters.

What do you mean by the ground from your sub to the frame?

You can put the battery in the back. It wouldn't hurt to replace the stock battery with another good AGM

The AWG from sub to amp really depends on the current being pushed through them. I couldn't tell you if it's an appropriate size but to be safe you could run the largest wire your subs/amps will take

RMS is Root Mean Square. It basically means the amount of power your amplifier can continuously put out at the specified ohm/voltage. Peak is the maximum amount of power the amplifier can put out in bursts at specified ohm/voltage. For subs it's the same concept but instead of putting out it's how much it can take

Clipping is when you start turning a sine wave into a square wave by cutting, or clipping, the peaks and troughs.

Answered these to the best of my knowledge.

[Chris Washburn]

Thanks for the info guys! I really appreciate it.