I dunno not an expert, but I think the first question you should ask is your amp bridgeable? In a way that sub is getting like no power, but it sounds like you aren't really a bass man(or women) if you want barley any bass, just a small amount doesn't sound like a bad idea, you just might be overworking your amp. Just go with the lowest watt sub you can find because you will be paying more for a sub you won't fully be using. If I am wrong someone here will correct me. You may just wanna upgrade to some speakers with better bass.
Running the speakers off the HU, just because the HU can give out 100 or so Watts, a lot of those watts could just be distortion. Personally I'd save up or wait for a deal(Ex. I remember best buy having a sale 12" x2 subs + amp and box for only $250Can., they weren't the best quality but it was pretty good bang for your buck I sent my friend there it he got them they sounded pretty decent) I'd just wait for a sale similar to this.
Running the speakers off the HU, just because the HU can give out 100 or so Watts, a lot of those watts could just be distortion. Personally I'd save up or wait for a deal(Ex. I remember best buy having a sale 12" x2 subs + amp and box for only $250Can., they weren't the best quality but it was pretty good bang for your buck I sent my friend there it he got them they sounded pretty decent) I'd just wait for a sale similar to this.
- Thread Starter
- #3
Thanks for the quick reply, maybe I should explain a little better. The vehicle is an expedition vehicle. So the less space I'm using the better. However, I do drive a lot of miles in this thing so sacrificing some otherwise useless space for a sub is a good idea. However, adding another amp takes more space and more money. So if I can use the existing amp I've got my problems solved.
The JBL amp is bridgeable so that should not be a problem. I don't need to win a decibel drag race competition either, I just want a nice full sound. So since the 4-ways in the back are shit at producing bass I thought I could use two of the amps outputs to power a sub.
I had the 6 speaker setup running of the HU before, and it sounded ok, the speakers in the back really didn't improve all that much with the added amp, so I guess I'm safe putting them back on the HU and freeing up outputs for the sub.
The JBL amp is bridgeable so that should not be a problem. I don't need to win a decibel drag race competition either, I just want a nice full sound. So since the 4-ways in the back are shit at producing bass I thought I could use two of the amps outputs to power a sub.
I had the 6 speaker setup running of the HU before, and it sounded ok, the speakers in the back really didn't improve all that much with the added amp, so I guess I'm safe putting them back on the HU and freeing up outputs for the sub.
100 watts from a hu? doubt it...
your amp will do 40rms x4 so bridging channels 3&4 will result in 40rms x 2 + 80rms x 1. it will do what you want it to however 80rms is really low for a sub, even an 8" sub. it should be an improvement over your current setup but i would not expect too much.
you could really use a bigger 4 channel amp and that would solve a lot of the potential shortcomings of the system. your comps up front can handle a lot more than 40rms and it would increase your bridged output for a sub as well. you may want to look into selling your amp to offset the cost of a bigger one.
the radio does around 20rms per channel so your rear speakers will be even lower than before.
your amp will do 40rms x4 so bridging channels 3&4 will result in 40rms x 2 + 80rms x 1. it will do what you want it to however 80rms is really low for a sub, even an 8" sub. it should be an improvement over your current setup but i would not expect too much.
you could really use a bigger 4 channel amp and that would solve a lot of the potential shortcomings of the system. your comps up front can handle a lot more than 40rms and it would increase your bridged output for a sub as well. you may want to look into selling your amp to offset the cost of a bigger one.
the radio does around 20rms per channel so your rear speakers will be even lower than before.
- Thread Starter
- #5
100 watts from a hu? doubt it...
60W RMS x 4 @ 4 ohms and 1% THD + N*
80W RMS x 4 @ 2 ohms, 14.4V supply and 1% THD + N*
160W RMS x 2 @ 4 ohms, 14.4V supply and 1% THD + N*
PDF: (http://manuals.harman.com/JBL/CAR/Owner%27s%20Manual/GT5A604OM19Mar08.pdf)
Does "160W RMS x 2 @ 4 ohms, 14.4V supply and 1% THD + N*" means it puts out 160W when bridged? Or is it just 120W?
If I would go with any other amp it would be this one: http://www.jbl.com/car/products/product_detail.aspx?prod=GT5-A3001&Language=ENG&Country=US&Region=USA&cat=AMP&ser=CSS
and it puts out 175rms. So I'd say the difference isn't that dramatic, right?
The amp should do 60W per channel, according to the jbl specs:
60W RMS x 4 @ 4 ohms and 1% THD + N*
80W RMS x 4 @ 2 ohms, 14.4V supply and 1% THD + N*
160W RMS x 2 @ 4 ohms, 14.4V supply and 1% THD + N*
PDF: (http://manuals.harman.com/JBL/CAR/Owner%27s%20Manual/GT5A604OM19Mar08.pdf)
Does "160W RMS x 2 @ 4 ohms, 14.4V supply and 1% THD + N*" means it puts out 160W when bridged? Or is it just 120W?
If I would go with any other amp it would be this one: http://www.jbl.com/car/products/product_detail.aspx?prod=GT5-A3001&Language=ENG&Country=US&Region=USA&cat=AMP&ser=CSS
and it puts out 175rms. So I'd say the difference isn't that dramatic, right?
Well, I ran this setup on the HU before and the fronts really improved with the new amp, but the rears still hardly put out bass, only mids and highs. It hasn't changed much, so I thought a sub would complement them and the 4-ways will supply the mid and high in the back.
sorry about that, the first link google showed me for was from onlinecarstereo.com and they listed it at 40. you are correct, it is 60 x 4 @ 4ohm. you can run the amp 3 ways:
40 x 4 @ 4ohm (or 80 x 4 @ 2ohm)
160 x 2 @ 4ohm (bridging both sets of channels)
(40 x 2 @ 4ohm -or- 80 x 2 @ 2ohm) + (160 x 1 @ 4ohm [3&4 bridged])
now that the bridged power has doubled (in my mind
) you can easily power an 8" or 10" sub and have it produce sound you will be happy with. there reall is no need for the mono amp, but if you do buy it you should buy a dual voice coil sub with each being 2ohms to take full advantage of the amp's capabilities.
nothing personal but it's a given that most sony equipment is on the lower side of the spectrum and usually has over rated power numbers. even if that is the case those 6x9 speakers could probably easily take almost double the power that amp is giving them. it also takes more power to produce lower end sound. those 2 things are working together against you.
one last thing to do is to check the crossover settings (high pass and low pass) on the amp and hu. you might get lucky and find that the rear channels are crossed over too high.
40 x 4 @ 4ohm (or 80 x 4 @ 2ohm)
160 x 2 @ 4ohm (bridging both sets of channels)
(40 x 2 @ 4ohm -or- 80 x 2 @ 2ohm) + (160 x 1 @ 4ohm [3&4 bridged])
now that the bridged power has doubled (in my mind
) you can easily power an 8" or 10" sub and have it produce sound you will be happy with. there reall is no need for the mono amp, but if you do buy it you should buy a dual voice coil sub with each being 2ohms to take full advantage of the amp's capabilities.nothing personal but it's a given that most sony equipment is on the lower side of the spectrum and usually has over rated power numbers. even if that is the case those 6x9 speakers could probably easily take almost double the power that amp is giving them. it also takes more power to produce lower end sound. those 2 things are working together against you.
one last thing to do is to check the crossover settings (high pass and low pass) on the amp and hu. you might get lucky and find that the rear channels are crossed over too high.
- Thread Starter
- #7
Yea, I know Sony is the cheap stuff. My priority wasn't really to get an awesome sound, two years ago when I first installed them.
But priorities change... //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif
Anyway, thanks for the advice. I finally made up my mind and I'll bridge the rear outputs on the amp for the sub, for which I'll use a sealed enclosure to save space. I ordered the sub, so no turning back now //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif I'm curious as to what it'll do performance wise. I'll get it fitted near the end of the month, I'll let you know how it turns out.
Cheers!
But priorities change... //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif
Anyway, thanks for the advice. I finally made up my mind and I'll bridge the rear outputs on the amp for the sub, for which I'll use a sealed enclosure to save space. I ordered the sub, so no turning back now //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif I'm curious as to what it'll do performance wise. I'll get it fitted near the end of the month, I'll let you know how it turns out.
Cheers!
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