Noob question about active crossover and amp settings

[jwark]

I'm also now paranoid about my amps having an issue or not being grounded. Read so many bad things about engine whine and what could cause it. Very confused why it started off with one speaker and now it's all speakers, like something is jacking it all up and I don't know how to tell what it is.

 

---------- Post added at 12:47 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:46 AM ----------

 

Sorry, I'm not 100% clear on the 1 ohm sub deal. What's the situation there?

I should have bought the 2ohm hds212 and wired it to 1 ohm I guess.

 

[fly_marlin]

I'm also now paranoid about my amps having an issue or not being grounded. Read so many bad things about engine whine and what could cause it. Very confused why it started off with one speaker and now it's all speakers, like something is jacking it all up and I don't know how to tell what it is. 

---------- Post added at 12:47 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:46 AM ----------

 

I should have bought the 2ohm hds212 and wired it to 1 ohm I guess.

Is the 80prs still in or what do you have in?

 

[fly_marlin]

I'm also now paranoid about my amps having an issue or not being grounded. Read so many bad things about engine whine and what could cause it. Very confused why it started off with one speaker and now it's all speakers, like something is jacking it all up and I don't know how to tell what it is. 

---------- Post added at 12:47 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:46 AM ----------

 

I should have bought the 2ohm hds212 and wired it to 1 ohm I guess.

Can you list all of your setup or maybe add it to your signature for future?

 

[blazian87 10+ year member]

I don't know I didn't know what I was doing. Really regretting trying to do any of it to be honest. Wish I would have just paid someone to do it. I've put in like 80 hours so far and everything is all jacked up. People gave me bad advice as well. Seems like so many people don't know much about car stereos and think they do. I ran the build by many people and everyone said it was great, no one mentioned I could run at 1 ohm.

I was feeling the same thing when I was first starting this but don't let yourself down man. You're only gonna improve from here. A lot of us including myself has made many mistakes getting into this hobby but you will learn as time progresses. You just can't give up. I'm sure there's alot more jacked up systems than what you have right now. A great system is not just about buying stuff and expecting it to work right out of the box, you have to actually put in time and work for magic to happen. Many of us have spent way over 80 hours on tuning because it's our passion. That's why I think you should've just stuck with a passive setup first and learn the ropes along the way.

 

[jwark]

Is the 80prs still in or what do you have in?

Yes, I added my signature too.

 

---------- Post added at 12:56 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:55 AM ----------

 

I was feeling the same thing when I was first starting this but don't let yourself down man. You're only gonna improve from here. A lot of us including myself has made many mistakes getting into this hobby but you will learn as time progresses. You just can't give up. I'm sure there's alot more jacked up systems than what you have right now. A great system is not just about buying stuff and expecting it to work right out of the box, you have to actually put in time and work for magic to happen. Many of us have spent way over 80 hours on tuning because it's our passion. That's why I think you should've just stuck with a passive setup first and learn the ropes along the way.

ok but I'm really not having frustration with the active setup. I love it. My frustrations are elsewhere. I just haven't spent a lot of time with it because I'm trying to figure out this whining noise from my speakers.

 

[fly_marlin]

Yes, I added my signature too. 

---------- Post added at 12:56 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:55 AM ----------

 

ok but I'm really not having frustration with the active setup. I love it. My frustrations are elsewhere. I just haven't spent a lot of time with it because I'm trying to figure out this whining noise from my speakers.

Some Pioneer HU owners have experienced noise problems. One thing that's been documented is that grounding the RCAs sometimes works.

 

[jwark]

Some Pioneer HU owners have experienced noise problems. One thing that's been documented is that grounding the RCAs sometimes works.

It absolutely works. That completely eliminates the noise. I've read that's a VERY bad idea though and is just masking a more serious issue so I'm paranoid about it. Is that not true?

 

[blazian87 10+ year member]

^^ yes, plenty of people have said this about pioneer HU. There may be a remedy for your alternator whine before you go out and buy another HU. I would still re-check everything just to be sure. Where did you buy your headunit? If you bought from an authorized dealer, you could probably return it or exchange it.

 

[fly_marlin]

It absolutely works. That completely eliminates the noise. I've read that's a VERY bad idea though and is just masking a more serious issue so I'm paranoid about it. Is that not true?

Ohhhh so you have done it? lol

What serious issue does it introduce? If it makes you feel any better, when I first got the PS8 installed, I thought it introduced noise to the system, but in reality it was adding the 2nd USB cable to my pioneer HU that did that. Not knowing that, I called ARC support and he suggested I ground the RCAs on the pioneer. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't suggest that knowing something can go wrong. I recommend you ground them.

 

[blazian87 10+ year member]

It absolutely works. That completely eliminates the noise. I've read that's a VERY bad idea though and is just masking a more serious issue so I'm paranoid about it. Is that not true?

How is it a bad idea if it works? Grounding your RCA's can't hurt anything.

 

[jwark]

yeah I bought it from amazon. I can return it. I'm going to go test the voltage on my preamps right now at 1 AM, boy my neighbors will think I'm completely sane. I've read it's caused by the pico fuse blowing out which causes other issues like voltage problems on the preamps. I shall return with the results.

 

[blazian87 10+ year member]

So to answer your question about running at 1 ohm or 2 ohm. There's nothing wrong with running at 2 ohm. Everyone ran at 2 ohm back then because none of the amps were 1 ohm stable. Nowadays almost every amp is 1 ohm stable so you're just wasting money by running it at 2 ohms is how I look at it. So instead of getting the 1000w that you paid for, now you're only getting roughly 725w or less according to specs. With impedance rise from your box and the fluctuation of music frequencies, you're very likely getting less than that. But the good thing is you spent the money towards a good custom box and that alone will make up for the wasted power. May I ask what your specs are for the box?

 

[jwark]

So to answer your question about running at 1 ohm or 2 ohm. There's nothing wrong with running at 2 ohm. Everyone ran at 2 ohm back then because none of the amps were 1 ohm stable. Nowadays almost every amp is 1 ohm stable so you're just wasting money by running it at 2 ohms is how I look at it. So instead of getting the 1000w that you paid for, now you're only getting roughly 725w or less according to specs. With impedance rise from your box and the fluctuation of music frequencies, you're very likely getting less than that. But the good thing is you spent the money towards a good custom box and that alone will make up for the wasted power. May I ask what your specs are for the box?

Specs? like measurements? I haven't measured it. It's ported. it takes up over half of my trunk. CSCStang made it for my sub and car specifically. It sounds pretty awesome, only problem is it's so loud my trunk rattles so that's something I need to work on.

I guess I'm not testing the preamps right it's reading .1 volts. I thought they were supposed to be 5 volts. I just stuck leads from my DMM in the rca ports on the prs80.

 

[blazian87 10+ year member]

Specs? like measurements? I haven't measured it. It's ported. it takes up over half of my trunk. CSCStang made it for my sub and car specifically. It sounds pretty awesome, only problem is it's so loud my trunk rattles so that's something I need to work on.
I guess I'm not testing the preamps right it's reading .1 volts. I thought they were supposed to be 5 volts. I just stuck leads from my DMM in the rca ports on the prs80.

I guess you didn't need the extra power from a 1 ohm load since you're happy with the output already. When I say specs, I mean how much airspace is inside the box and what tuning frequency. CSCStang is a great guy and knows his stuff. I had him build a box for a friend of mine and he absolutely loves it.

Trunk rattle is inevitable when dealing with big bass in your trunk. Once you add mass to it aka sound deadening, it will harden up like a rock and make your bass sound so much cleaner and will increase a bit more SPL actually. The vibrations are pretty much getting soaked in the metal and creates a rattling noise, which is super annoying. Adding deadener to your trunk and car doors make a huge difference in sound quality so I suggest you do that when you get around to it. There's many brands to choose from. Just depends on your budget. You might wanna try Stinger roadkill for its bang for buck value. Amazon.com: Stinger RKX36B Roadkill Expert Series Sound Damping Material Bulk Pack: Car Electronics There's also RAAMaudio - Automotive sound deadening products or Vehicle Sound Deadening Materials for Noise Reduction, and Thermal Insulation. Call 800 679-8511. | Second Skin Audio, Made in the USA. but it will depend on your budget. I say go for the Stinger because it's a great price for what it is.

The 5 volt preout will only come out once you turn up your volume close to max. That's why you should set your gains with about 3/4 volume or higher if it's a clean signal. I believe the 80prs is clean 65/65 from what I've seen so you should have no problem using most of it. You should reset your gains doing it this way. It'll be way cleaner

 

[jwark]

I guess you didn't need the extra power from a 1 ohm load since you're happy with the output already. When I say specs, I mean how much airspace is inside the box and what tuning frequency. CSCStang is a great guy and knows his stuff. I had him build a box for a friend of mine and he absolutely loves it.
Trunk rattle is inevitable when dealing with big bass in your trunk. Once you add mass to it aka sound deadening, it will harden up like a rock and make your bass sound so much cleaner and will increase a bit more SPL actually. The vibrations are pretty much getting soaked in the metal and creates a rattling noise, which is super annoying. Adding deadener to your trunk and car doors make a huge difference in sound quality so I suggest you do that when you get around to it. There's many brands to choose from. Just depends on your budget. You might wanna try Stinger roadkill for its bang for buck value. Amazon.com: Stinger RKX36B Roadkill Expert Series Sound Damping Material Bulk Pack: Car Electronics There's also RAAMaudio - Automotive sound deadening products or Vehicle Sound Deadening Materials for Noise Reduction, and Thermal Insulation. Call 800 679-8511. | Second Skin Audio, Made in the USA. but it will depend on your budget. I say go for the Stinger because it's a great price for what it is.

The 5 volt preout will only come out once you turn up your volume close to max. That's why you should set your gains with about 3/4 volume or higher if it's a clean signal. I believe the 80prs is clean 65/65 from what I've seen so you should have no problem using most of it. You should reset your gains doing it this way. It'll be way cleaner

I'm not sure how to answer about airspace. It is big, haha. I have the crossover frequency set to 80hz, that's what he recommended.