General Confusion

drtone

Junior Member
When I got my new car, a 2011 Hyundai Sonata, I reversed my previous habit of buying new cars with the "premium" sound system. This time, I got the basic system, with the plan of upgrading the audio myself, saving money in the long run and maybe getting more of what I want. I am no expert on home audio, but have put together a number of systems in my life, and I pretty much know what I'm looking for and how to hook everything up. Car audio is a completely different animal. The brands are, by and large, different. The equipment is different, too, although it all performs the same function.

Despite my deficit in expertise, I moved ahead. My plan was to build the car system in stages, first with a better set of speakers in the front doors (MBQuart PVI216, 6-1/2", from Amazon) and an amplifier for those speakers; later, perhaps much later, I would add a subwoofer, as well as more speakers on the rear deck and in the rear doors. As is usual for me, I shopped and shopped for the right speakers and the right amp, knowing that I did not have enough information. I tried talking with a couple of installers, to pick their brains, but of course they were uncooperative, not wanting to undercut themselves. Based on home audio, for which one obtains the biggest, baddest amp one can, I bought the most powerful 2-channel amp I could get within a pretty tight budget (a Hifonics ZXI200.2, from Amazon), but spending more than if I had bought a 4-channel amp. More is better, and I was only powering two speakers. From my home audio experience, it did not occur to me that my 200 wpc amp would be too strong for my 140-watt speakers.

When the installer I found through Craigslist put everything in, he told me he had to turn the amp down because the speakers could not handle that much power. The first time I tried the system out, I discovered two things. The first was that, even at less than the highest volume setting and with the gain on the amp down, the speakers will shut off if the signal is too loud. The second was that the installer had failed to latch the hood of my BRAND NEW CAR, and that I was riding down the freeway in danger of having the hood of my BRAND NEW CAR fly up, block my vision, get destroyed, and forever twist the engine compartment opening of my BRAND NEW CAR. In the event, I was able to pull over before disaster hit and latch the hood; I also found that, as I expected, the speakers would reset if I shut the car off and restarted it. Nevertheless, the system does not work right and shuts down when scared by loud noises.

The installer, the same one who left my hood unlatched, says that my 2-channel amp can be configured to run a subwoofer through a third channel. That might distribute the power better, and solve the problem of the speakers cutting out when overdriven. It would also give me better sound. I've looked at the manual and am not sure if that is true, although I do see how it's a possibility, if the settings and outputs are as I understand them to be. But I am, as I say, pretty ignorant about this type of equipment. At any rate, to do that, I'd have to spend more money, which was exactly what I was trying to avoid.

The questions I have are these: Was my installer correct in saying that I can go from the amp to three channels, one for a sub? What would be the correct power rating for that sub? If not, do I now power a sub by bridging the amp I have, and get an entirely different amp to power my speakers? Should I get another 4-channel amp and a couple of more speakers? What size speakers fit in the rear doors of my 2011 Sonata? Or am I better putting in new 4X10" speakers in the rear deck, and powering them, with the front door speaker, with a 4-channel amp? I don't want to blow it again. Please help.

 
your installer is retarded...

that amp is a tad much for the PVI ( I am a dealer for the brand and would not use that amp ever for them...)

I doubt the amp is shutting down for any other reason than improper installation or settings...

IE the gain or wiring is fubar....

the deck will also have alot to do with how it all works together...

what deck? ect...

if it were me i would use that amp to power a decent sub ( a dual 2 ohm sub ran at 4 ohms will get you 800 rms from that amp ) and get a smaller amp ( 4 channel Hfi 100.4 for example....) and a set of 5.25 or 6.5 pvi in the rear to match the fronts...

 
The speakers are not cutting out, the amp is. It's a powerful amp for highs, so something is f'kd install wise if it's cutting out.

 
The speakers are not cutting out, the amp is. It's a powerful amp for highs, so something is f'kd install wise if it's cutting out.
Yup. That's why they resume play after the car and turn it back on. I bet it'd also resume play if you just turned the deck off and turned it back on. Have you noticed a protect light on the amp when this happens? As mentioned, installer just didn't know what he was doing.

 
also worth mentioning... if adjusted properly by a competent installer the speakers WILL work on that amp just fine...but install is everything!

i personally wouldn't do it but some would...

 
CADENCE ZRS-C9 600 WATT RMS 4-CHANNEL CAR AMPLIFIER AMP - eBay (item 390265866373 end time Jan-24-11 10:34:27 PST)

get this amp power your interior speakers with the front 2 channels

NEW Phoenix Gold RSd6 6" Coaxial Car Audio Speakers - eBay (item 390095785631 end time Feb-10-11 16:45:02 PST)

put these in the rears for some fill

PHOENIX GOLD RSD65CS 6.5" Component Speakers RSD 65CS - eBay (item 110576200806 end time Jan-17-11 17:16:34 PST)

these in the front for some really nice front stage

SSA Shop- SSA Dcon 10D4 Sub woofer300watt rms

one of the nicest sounding subs and use the rear 2 channels to power this bridged and you will have a nicer system then any stock premium system

 
Thanks to all who replied. As I said, the installer also left the hood of my brand new car open, with only the safety latch holding it. I mentioned it because it shows how lazy (or something) he is. What does it take to shut a hood, even if you think you might want to open it again? The point is that I don't trust him for more reasons than that the system doesn't work. So at the very least, I need to pay someone else who might do it right, because I feel completely at sea with this type of equipment.

BTW, the sound does not come on again if I merely shut off the head unit, only if I shut off the car and start it again, if that means anything. What could be wrong with the installation, specifically? The cut-off definitely has something to do with the current volume, not as set at the head unit, but as the signal comes through the system, because when I play a compilation disk, the unit cuts off when the head unit is set at a moderately high volume and a new, inherently louder track starts. Maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree, but this suggests to me that the problem is not strictly electrical (e.g., a short), but represents a bad setting somewhere in the electronics, if that makes any sense. Could it just be a matter of tweaking the switches on the amp? In which case, I'd be up for that. Any suggestions welcome.

 
if it were me i would use that amp to power a decent sub ( a dual 2 ohm sub ran at 4 ohms will get you 800 rms from that amp ) and get a smaller amp ( 4 channel Hfi 100.4 for example....) and a set of 5.25 or 6.5 pvi in the rear to match the fronts...
This is an option I have thought about, and I'm still considering it, in fact, but I was trying to limit my costs for the present. We're talking here about another $350-400 (or more) in equipment, plus installation. I know I'd have the system I really want, but...

I was thinking of the Hifonics zxi.80.4 or zxi 40.4, and a Bazooka 6" or 8" dual coil passive sub. I was also thinking of going for some good coaxial 5-1/4" speakers for the back, or would that compromise the sound too much?

 
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