MaStaMooN Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 I finally finished installing my "system".. Includes: Eclipse Aluminum 88120.4 12" Subwoofer (rated at 500wrms) Signature SS1129 .9 CuFt sealed box Phoenix Gold Zx600ti amp (mono bridged, just over 600wrms) Phoenix Gold 1 Farad Capacitor Stinger Inline Volt/Amp Meter Stinger HPM Series 4 Gauge Power/Ground Wire Remote lighted rocker switch wired off armrest cig lighter (manual control for powering on amp) Lightening Audio RCA's PAC LOC Overall sound quality is ok... running off the stock radio with no inline processing means bass is loudest in the lower volume range and doesnt increase with the volume knob. Other than that it sounds alot better than I thought it would. The gain on the amp is maybe about 1/4 turn... and "bass boost" is about the same. Havent had time to really tweak it for max performance.. but sounds good enough. The LOC has some gain settings also, I left these at the default value, dont konw if that means its maxed or min or somewhere in between. But the signal seems strong enough to not need alot of gain so hopefully it was set from factory at a "good" level. It sounds really clean on FM or CD, a little muddy with sirus... My sirius is wired via the Jazzy mod and the level is lower than it should be unfortunatly. But does sound good enough for general listening. The remote switch has come in handy thus far. My 6 y/o son isnt enjoying the back massage thus far, so ive had to either dial the bass level down or turn it off all together. Its a lighted rocker switch from radioshack installed in my armrest off of the cig lighter. I may try the ItalynStalion box being released though, this box sounds ok I guess... but now that I see half my trunk space being unusable, getting this box in the spare tire well would be great. And I believe this sub needs just a hint more airspace. Here are some pictures. Nothing special but worth the effort. Jon - vBGarage Profile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaStaMooN Posted May 27, 2008 Author Share Posted May 27, 2008 The 2 car pics at the end are just posted cuz I just washed/waxed the car for the first time in about 2 years.. Ive quick washed it a few times inbetween, but never a good scrub down.. and no wax.. I used the NXT Techwax... Results were ok, hard to capture, but silver isnt much of a showcase for carwax anyway. About 2 hours later the car was covered in pollen either way, and today its raining... so oh well. Jon - vBGarage Profile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hutru01 Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 hey man, check this out. It makes a huge difference with sedans. http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=62893 I can attest to it sounding great as this was my previous LGT. I was pushing (1) JL Audio 10W6V2 with a JL500 Watt amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaStaMooN Posted May 27, 2008 Author Share Posted May 27, 2008 I thought about doing that... but all the fabric work makes me not wanna... I didnt notice all that big of a difference with the pass-through open... Not enough to warrant all that work anyway. But who knows.. ill get used to this quickly and might want more. Jon - vBGarage Profile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NatesGr8 Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 nice setup, love that amp!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hutru01 Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 I thought about doing that... but all the fabric work makes me not wanna... I didnt notice all that big of a difference with the pass-through open... Not enough to warrant all that work anyway. But who knows.. ill get used to this quickly and might want more. I hear ya totally. I will say that the vent makes a bigger difference than just the ski hole being open. With the bass coming off the glass as opposed to just coming straight out of the ski hole, it sounds different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaStaMooN Posted May 27, 2008 Author Share Posted May 27, 2008 Thats true, didnt think of that aspect of it. Jon - vBGarage Profile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hutru01 Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 With your trunk dynamated, which my trunk lid and rear section of the trunk was, it is essentially like using your entire trunk as a bandpass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaStaMooN Posted May 27, 2008 Author Share Posted May 27, 2008 nice setup, love that amp!!! thanks, I love it too and like to show it off as its just a nice amp to look at... Its so old though.. got it in like 00/01 I believe.. along with the sub. I was actually amazed they both still work. http://www.legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=59255&highlight=fire+amp Jon - vBGarage Profile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basmoq Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 I highly recommend using an oscilloscope to adjust the gain so that you do not clip the signal, especially when running off the stock system... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaStaMooN Posted May 27, 2008 Author Share Posted May 27, 2008 Maybe we will be able to buy this 09 specB rear shelf to get the vented rear deck without cutting up our cars.. haha Jon - vBGarage Profile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ItalynStylion Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 I highly recommend using an oscilloscope to adjust the gain so that you do not clip the signal, especially when running off the stock system... an o-scope is overkill for what he is doing. I think a DMM would work just fine if he was really serious. Other than that tuning by ear should be just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark34 Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 You could mount to the amp to the back seat or under one of the front seats if you are worried about trunk space. I had a similar situation when I had mine installed. Shoulda just done the install myself...... I actually wound up removing the storage piece between the deck and the spare tire and building an amp rack like some of the guys with wagons do. Kind of like here.... http://www.legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=72144 Now it looks like this http://legacygt.com/forums/vbpicgallery.php?do=hall&u=18541 but of course we have somewhat less space. It's hinged and rests perfectly in the well so there is no problem accessing the spare or any of the wheel tools. You should be able to fit that one amp and the capacitor in there no problem. And since it looks like your pretty handy at building boxes, it shouldn't be a problem for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaStaMooN Posted May 27, 2008 Author Share Posted May 27, 2008 I was halfway done with the over-spare install.. but didnt like the idea of the amp down there with no vents.. and the trunk cover not having some supports... So it was going to get elaborate trying to put some fans in the box and build a top or supports. Plus this amp is great lookin so I like to have it in view. Jon - vBGarage Profile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark34 Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 I know what you mean.... I still haven't quite figured that part out. I just use my head to support the rack, lol. I haven't experienced any problems yet with heat down there. It is a nice looking amp. Phoenix always made nice stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaStaMooN Posted May 27, 2008 Author Share Posted May 27, 2008 If it was a passively cooled amp I wouldnt be so concerned.. since it uses a fan, there has to be over an inch of space all round.. and a source for cool air too... so a box would work but would need to be about 5" tall or so, and thats inside the box.. so add 1/2" for the top and bottom, now the box has to be 6".. then you worry about supporting the floorboard... and pulling in cooler air ... that means fans or lotsa vents.. just too complicated. Eventually I do want a passivly cooled amp for the spare tire install and a WickedCAS style box.. but this install was cheap and effective. About 150 bucks all said and done only thing I owned was the sub itself, the amp and the cap. Jon - vBGarage Profile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HighlineCA Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 Looks good thus far. Just wait till a new radio goes in.. mmm, you will love the sound then. basmoq is right. That is the best way of doing it (I learned that way). But in this case, I agree with Italyn. If you have access to an o-scope, check it against your ear/DMM anyways. Never hurts. There is certainly places to hide that amp. The less space you have, the more creativity you need . You can easily mod your rear deck to accept a grill. Heck, it would be much cheaper, and gives you the opportunity to make the hole bigger, and flatter (without the use of a speaker grill). I know exactly what you mean about silver cars... http://inlinethumb10.webshots.com/43081/1110274437053137009S425x425Q85.jpg ALWAYS: Handwashed every week, waxed/clay bar once every 3 months. Never seemed like it was getting any shinier. Great color though.. Sunlight Silver Metallic. Thanks, Rich @ HCA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basmoq Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 I stuck a temperature probe down with my amp, even in the heat of the summer it never tops 100 degrees in there, so I haven't bothered to vent it. I probably will if I end up going the carputer route, but I'm not certain. I have the wagon BTW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaStaMooN Posted May 28, 2008 Author Share Posted May 28, 2008 DMM = ? http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Btdib6IlL._SS260_.jpg How do you use something like this to check for clipping? Much cheaper than an oscilloscope.. Ive never used something besides my ear for distortion/clipping.. but my ears arent what they used to be thats for sure. I really cant wait to get an aftermarket radio in the car... My wife has my old alpine deck in her car, a 2002 Elantra, and it kills my stock stereo in every way... sad. Yes, silver cars are great and evil when it comes to cleanliness.. they are great because they hide the dirt and grime better than any other color car... but are evil because when you wash/wax... you dont get that awesome look reward like you do with a black car. But there is a reason my past 2 cars and my wifes car is silver... I wash/wax only a few times a year... and thankfully inbetween those washes/waxes... you really cant tell to much its been awhile since you did it last! Jon - vBGarage Profile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaStaMooN Posted May 28, 2008 Author Share Posted May 28, 2008 http://mobile.jlaudio.com/support_pages.php?page_id=143 Found a tutorial for checking for clipping with a multimeter.. Ill have to try it and see what happens.. anybody know where to get a sine-wave, 0db, 50hz or close to that, test CD for free? Im guessing Audacity can do it.. ill have to do some more research. Jon - vBGarage Profile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ItalynStylion Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 This thread has a ton of stuff that will help you out. http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86710 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaStaMooN Posted May 28, 2008 Author Share Posted May 28, 2008 Thanks, i got the software... you think the mic that comes with ROCKBAND for Xbox360 is a "good mic"? There was also a link for test tones.. got a 40, 50, 60, 70 & 80. Jon - vBGarage Profile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ean611 Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 MaStaMooN, no, the RockBand Xbox 360 mic is NOT a good mic. It is a unidirectional pickup mic, which is not good for a car. You want an omnidirectional mic. I've been using my Denon receiver's mic (it's for tuning my receiver to the room) for this recently. With all the odd reflections you're dealing with, you really need something omnidirectional, or you're not going to get the whole picture of what your car sounds like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ItalynStylion Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 I've been using my Denon receiver's mic (it's for tuning my receiver to the room) for this recently. With all the odd reflections you're dealing with, you really need something omnidirectional, or you're not going to get the whole picture of what your car sounds like. You know, I've been trying to get the Mic that comes with my Harmon/Kardon receiver (used for tuning as well) with that program as well. I can't get it to work though. My computer has a small hole in it that is a Mic but when I plug the Harmon's Mic in it doesn't seem to pick anything up. Do I have to install something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaStaMooN Posted May 28, 2008 Author Share Posted May 28, 2008 Probably have to unmute it in the volume control panel... double click the speaker icon next to the clock... one should be a mic level (line-in).. make sure its not muted.. i think they usually are. Jon - vBGarage Profile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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