Massive newbie. Please help me out.

[Jaames93]

Hi guys, as your going to very shortly find out I’m very very new to this audio game.

this evening I picked up my first “proper” subwoofer setup, I’ve had schoolboy setups in the past years ago and fancied doing it again. This time with more power.

I’ve just picked up x2 Orion H2 15” subwoofers with an Orion XTR PRO 2400 amp. Now I understand I’m probably going to need another battery, big 3 mod and various other things for this setup. Is this the case? The car in question is a 2009 Astra VXR so the alternator I believe to be 120/140 amps as standard which will probably need upgrading right?

i don’t plan to use the setup with the engine off etc purely when the engine is running. If I don’t need 2 battery’s and just to upgrade my own, what shall I go for? Finally would a power capacitor be better and easier than wiring a new battery? I’ve done a little reading but it’s easier to ask the questions regarding this setup.

photo below, ignore the box. That come with it, I’m looking at running a better custom box.

Click to read more...

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

2nd battery and big 3 upgrade. No capacitor those 100 farad and under caps are utterly useless for power supply.

 

[Jaames93]

2nd battery and big 3 upgrade. No capacitor those 100 farad and under caps are utterly useless for power supply.

okay cool Thankyou, so power caps are absolutely useless bottom line? Fit a 2nd battery instead of a cap?

would it be a case of wiring in a battery that’s the same aH etc as my current battery or upgrading the main battery and having the same as a 2nd?

 

[Louisiana_CRX 5,000+ posts]

Hi guys, as your going to very shortly find out I’m very very new to this audio game.

this evening I picked up my first “proper” subwoofer setup, I’ve had schoolboy setups in the past years ago and fancied doing it again. This time with more power.

I’ve just picked up x2 Orion H2 15” subwoofers with an Orion XTR PRO 2400 amp. Now I understand I’m probably going to need another battery, big 3 mod and various other things for this setup. Is this the case? The car in question is a 2009 Astra VXR so the alternator I believe to be 120/140 amps as standard which will probably need upgrading right?

i don’t plan to use the setup with the engine off etc purely when the engine is running. If I don’t need 2 battery’s and just to upgrade my own, what shall I go for? Finally would a power capacitor be better and easier than wiring a new battery? I’ve done a little reading but it’s easier to ask the questions regarding this setup.

photo below, ignore the box. That come with it, I’m looking at running a better custom box.

I have one of those amps . That thing is a beast

 

[Jaames93]

I have one of those amps . That thing is a beast

Are they good? That’s what I like to hear. I’ve heard they are powerful amps. Hence why questioning about the second battery etc

 

[Louisiana_CRX 5,000+ posts]

Are they good? That’s what I like to hear. I’ve heard they are powerful amps. Hence why questioning about the second battery etc

They are very powerful..A 2nd battery would be a must .. i haven’t used mine in a while but if I remember correctly they are only two ohm Mono stable .. also I think the input plugs fit only 8g power wire which is crazy on an amp that is so strong

 

[Jaames93]

They are very powerful..A 2nd battery would be a must .. i haven’t used mine in a while but if I remember correctly they are only two ohm Mono stable .. also I think the input plugs fit only 8g power wire which is crazy on an amp that is so strong

ive had to order the input plugs from the states as they were missing from the amp. I was going to run 0 awg on it as that’s what I have here. No idea how I’m going to fit that then lol. That’s ridiculous 8 awg on an amp of that power

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

okay cool Thankyou, so power caps are absolutely useless bottom line? Fit a 2nd battery instead of a cap?

would it be a case of wiring in a battery that’s the same aH etc as my current battery or upgrading the main battery and having the same as a 2nd?

caps are good for noise filtering if you have a noisy electrical system with bad ac ripple. Batteries actually store proper power that actually does something for your amps. Two totally different uses. You can use two different sized batts it doesnt matter. Just keep them AGM.

 

[02WS6]

Depending on the battery you go with, there is a high likely hood you could get an HO alternator for about the same price.

XS3400 ~$300

QSALTS AD244 210 Amp Alt - $300

A battery will provide a reserve of power but if you play it loud for an extended period of time you'll only drag your stock alternator down further than if you just spent the money on a HO alternator first. If you still need additional power reserve then add a battery to act as a load balancer after.

 

[Jaames93]

Okay cool, I presume AGM is deep cycle/leisure battery? And would j need to replace my originally fitted battery with an AGM too? Or just the secondary? Sorry for this ridiculous questions we all start somewhere.

I’ve tried finding HO alternators for my car but struggling to find anything. So in theory I could run a HO alternator instead of a 2nd battery or as well as? I’m not really interested in going absolutely crazy with the build. More along the lines of making it work correctly

 

[n2audio 5,000+ posts]

Massive newbie, please help me out.

Lower your carb intake and exercise more

Seriously though...
The electrical system literally revolves around the alternator. The purpose of the battery is to start the car, and power the accessories with the engine off. Otherwise the alternator carries the electrical load.
Extensive aftermarket electrical accessories sometimes dip into the battery as a reserve because they exceed the alt's output or they demand too much current too fast for the alt to respond in time (like 1000w+ worth of bass).
Your stock alt is sized to power the stock electrical system, maintain the battery's charge, and last ~100k or so. When you add electrical load that 100K is reduced because the alt will run hotter and wear out faster. Adding a battery may help the amp run a little better by reducing voltage sag when the alt's output is exceeded, but it will not reduce the load on the alternator. Your options are either find an HO alt that can keep up with the demand, or expect to replace your stock alt every year or so.

 

[02WS6]

Lower your carb intake and exercise more

Seriously though...
The electrical system literally revolves around the alternator. The purpose of the battery is to start the car, and power the accessories with the engine off. Otherwise the alternator carries the electrical load.
Extensive aftermarket electrical accessories sometimes dip into the battery as a reserve because they exceed the alt's output or they demand too much current too fast for the alt to respond in time (like 1000w+ worth of bass).
Your stock alt is sized to power the stock electrical system, maintain the battery's charge, and last ~100k or so. When you add electrical load that 100K is reduced because the alt will run hotter and wear out faster. Adding a battery may help the amp run a little better by reducing voltage sag when the alt's output is exceeded, but it will not reduce the load on the alternator. Your options are either find an HO alt that can keep up with the demand, or expect to replace your stock alt every year or so.

 

[Gunk]

Hi guys, as your going to very shortly find out I’m very very new to this audio game.

this evening I picked up my first “proper” subwoofer setup, I’ve had schoolboy setups in the past years ago and fancied doing it again. This time with more power.

I’ve just picked up x2 Orion H2 15” subwoofers with an Orion XTR PRO 2400 amp. Now I understand I’m probably going to need another battery, big 3 mod and various other things for this setup. Is this the case? The car in question is a 2009 Astra VXR so the alternator I believe to be 120/140 amps as standard which will probably need upgrading right?

i don’t plan to use the setup with the engine off etc purely when the engine is running. If I don’t need 2 battery’s and just to upgrade my own, what shall I go for? Finally would a power capacitor be better and easier than wiring a new battery? I’ve done a little reading but it’s easier to ask the questions regarding this setup.

photo below, ignore the box. That come with it, I’m looking at running a better custom box.

How was it fitting that box in the trunk?

 

[Jaames93]

How was it fitting that box in the trunk?

interesting to say the least lol, had to put it in sideways and fold the rear seats down then slide the box back into the boot, a lot of messing about but it’s in there, probably for good too lol going to be fun removing it again.

okay cool so a high output alternator would actually be a better idea than a second battery? As like I said it wouldn’t be used when the engine isn’t running. I just want the most cost effective solution to using this system correctly, it won’t be used at shows etc purely for my own entertainment really. I’m really struggling to find and alternators for my car over the stock amperage. Im guessing these HO alternators are custom made e.g send off a stock alternator and the internals get changed to become HO?

 

[Jaames93]

Quick question - on the amp is a 3.5mm jack lead as a remote cable, my HU has the same input for a remote too. Is this just a standard 3.5mm jack lead that I will need or is there a specific 3.5mm remote lead?