Help in evaluating and installing my budget amp.

[pavinjoseph]

This is my first car audio installation. I have to run a pair of Polk coaxials and Focal components.

I could not afford many of the pricier amps out there. I was looking for a budget 4 channel amp with at least 60 W RMS and of course good quality for the price.

After quite a search, I bought a Sony XM-N1004 Stereo Power Amplifier with the following specs:

Channel Configuration 4ch/3ch/2ch

Power Supply MOSFET Power Supply

Maximum Output Power 170Wx4 (4ohm), 500Wx2 (4ohm-BTL), 250Wx4 (2ohm)

Rated Output Power 70Wx4 (4ohm), 175Wx2 (4ohm-BTL), 85Wx4 (2ohm)

High Pass Filter / Slope 80Hz / 12dB/oct

Low Pass Filter / Slope 80Hz / 18dB/oct

Frequency Response 5-50kHz

Signal-to-Noise Ratio 100dB

Total Harmonic Distortion (1kHz) 0.05%

Line In: Input Sensitivity (V) 0.3-6

Gold Plated Connectors Yes

Current Drain 36A

Load Capability Yes (2ohm)

Tolerance +0/-3dB

Weight (kg) Approx. 2.7kg

I was hoping to get some ideas on:

1. Which gauge & brand wires to use.

 

2. Where to position an amp like this in my small hatchback (slightly smaller than a VW Polo).

3. How good of an amp this actually is, considering it cost me only 80 USD.

 

4. Any other pointers I should look out for while installing this amp.

Click to read more...

 

[fly_marlin]

I take it you're installing yourself? If no upgrades are planned, you can use 8 awg wire. I always use KnuKonceptz Home and you can just get one of their 8 awg amp kits. For quality and price, they're pretty hard to beet. General amp installation tips:

1. Run RCA cables and power cables on opposites sides of the car.

2. Use a good ground for the amp, scrape the paint off the part where you ground it.

3. Use same gauge power and ground wire.

4. Install the amp where it has good ventilation and you can access it to adjust the settings.

5. Make sure power wire is properly fused as close to the battery as possible.

Sony xplod amps are not endorsed here at all, but install it and see if it does the job. If not, you can just swap it out and get a new one once you get the funds.

If you think you may upgrade later, go straight for the 4 awg power and ground wiring.

 

[pavinjoseph]

Yes, I thought of doing the installation myself before going through the installation manual that came with the amp!! Seems too much electrical and technical information for me to process. The information really helps. I will tell the guys at the auto-shop to do it according to how you said it should be done.

And about the Sony Xplod, it was the only one that fit my budget and had great customer reviews.

BTW, is it okay to connect a 45 W RMS Polk coaxial to an amp with 70 W RMS? Should I turn down the gain or will it damage the speaker otherwise?

And, how long can I hear music without turning on the engine with this 1000 W amp running? I think my car's battery is a measly 50 Ah only.

 

[fly_marlin]

Yes, you can have a more powerful amplifier and that's preferred - this is called "headroom." However, I doubt that amp puts out that much power. If you get it installed and it does it for you...beautiful. Not sure where you saw that this is a 1000W amplifier, but it's not. On paper it says it does 70W x 4 into 4 ohms. Your stock electrical system is sufficient for this amp.

Btw good shops already know the tips I posted above and if they need to be told this, you better find another shop. My recommendation to you is to go to a shop that is reputable. Some shops do very cheap labor and when something fails, they're quick to lay the blame elsewhere. Going somewhere trustworthy will save you from all that trouble.

 

[pavinjoseph]

Thanks for the info //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

Is it possible to install another 4" coaxials in my rear door further down the road, but taking power supply from the HU? Buying a 2 channel amp for just a 4" coaxials seems too much of an overkill and waste of money. A Sub - Woofer may never happen due to the limited boot space of 230 litres //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/banghead.gif.8606515f668c74f6de0281deb475b6fd.gif

 

[fly_marlin]

Yes, you can do that, but what you be trying to accomplish? Head units normally give you 15W RMS tops, so doing this would add very little benefit, if any, to the system as a whole. You just want it to be louder I'm guessing?

 

[pavinjoseph]

I'm not exactly sure. I just didn't want to leave the rear door speaker spaces empty. I just want the music to be loud, clear and have a good sound stage in the car. WIll my current setup be able to do that. If not, what else can I do?

BTW, this is a 1000 W amp right? I mean the Max Power output specs on Sony's website (shown in my first post) is as follows : Maximum Output Power 170Wx4 (4ohm), 500Wx2 (4ohm-BTL), 250Wx4 (2ohm)

Which means when bridged together at 4 ohms / on a 4-ch at 2 ohms -- the max power output is 500W x 2 = 1000W / 250 W x 4 =1000 W. Or, am I completely wrong in thinking like this?

 

[fly_marlin]

I'm not exactly sure. I just didn't want to leave the rear door speaker spaces empty. I just want the music to be loud, clear and have a good sound stage in the car. WIll my current setup be able to do that. If not, what else can I do?
BTW, this is a 1000 W amp right? I mean the Max Power output specs on Sony's website (shown in my first post) is as follows : Maximum Output Power 170Wx4 (4ohm), 500Wx2 (4ohm-BTL), 250Wx4 (2ohm)

Which means when bridged together at 4 ohms / on a 4-ch at 2 ohms -- the max power output is 500W x 2 = 1000W / 250 W x 4 =1000 W. Or, am I completely wrong in thinking like this?

Yes, sorry, completely wrong //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif Under no circumstances will this amp ever put out 1000W. This is a common marketing gimmick used by many companies to make their equipment appear more appealing. The numbers I put out is what it'll do and a bit more if bridged. You should be fine running 4 speakers off that amp, will definitely be better than running off the head unit.

 

[pavinjoseph]

Well, then I went full retard on buying that amp!! //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wallbash.gif.1310150c49dd52e0fbe1813a0681e5c3.gif

Also, my doors can hold only 6" speakers. I understand that without much trouble I could easily fit in my 6.5" components in there, but is it possible to fit in a 4" speaker in there? I read somewhere that I could not. There just seems to be problem after problem with my first car audio install; that is even before I started my installation //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/banghead.gif.8606515f668c74f6de0281deb475b6fd.gif

 

[fly_marlin]

You can do whatever you want, just a matter of how much money and/or effort you want to dedicate to it. Why would you want 4" speakers there?

 

[pavinjoseph]

Well, I bought a 4" Polk coaxials but later realized that the doors can accommodate up-to 6 or 6.5" without cutting up anything. Just wanted to be sure of an ideal placement of the coaxials and components to have a good sound stage.

Here are some configurations I came up with :

Config 1: Comps (front doors + tweeters on A pillar) + Coaxials (rear doors)

Config 2 : Coaxials (front doors) + Comps (parcel tray + tweeters on A or B pillar)

Config 3 (with regard to amp) : Under front seats - OR - In the boot (Boot space is only 230 liters, so with an amp it would be tight to fit in other things)

 

[fly_marlin]

Config 1 will do. You can mount the amp under the seat or elsewhere as long as it has good air flow and you can access it for adjustments.

 

[pavinjoseph]

I think the manufacturer might already have the speaker cable installed in the car. Should I replace them with the 16 GA speaker wire from the amplifier wiring kit?

 

[fly_marlin]

Yea, replace it.

 

[pavinjoseph]

Will do the installation once the amp arrives. I will post some pics for now //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif