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mikecdm

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Everything posted by mikecdm

  1. Well I finally got a chance to look at it today. Been driving with the radio turned off ever since I noticed the problem. After looking at it, nothing really seemed loose or strange. Only one side of the fuse holding was doing it and all the other connections were fine. Inside the fuse holder were the bare wire goes, there was a little bit of corrosion. The cable also had some sort of pinkish/redish tint on it. Might have been some of the red plastic stuff from the cable that melted on to it. It had to of just started doing this when I put the new sub and amp in. The fuse holder was fine prior to that. Only thing that has changed was the ground wire going to the amp and the amp itself. I took some pics to show what the damage looks like. This was on the side that goes to the battery. This was a fuse holder I bought a couple of years ago and have been using it ever since. The digital readout hasn't worked for a while. The spot right in the middle is where it was sitting and kind of melted the plastic a bit.
  2. Honestly I didn't get a chance to see why. I noticed it around 9pm and I was leaving the house. It was too dark and I didn't feel like messing around with it. Normally I would try and figure it out before I make a new thread, but i was wondering if there is a slight chance that something other than the connection might have something to do with it. I also meant to say that I replaced the 8awg with 4awg. I'll have to edit the first post.
  3. Well cpu's have dropped in price a lot recently, as they always do. A good dual core cpu is the Intel E8400 which now costs around $180 or maybe even less. The Q6600 was around $200 but I'm not sure where it's priced at now. I'm not completely positive but I think the interpretation of how a dual core works is a little off. Some applications are made to use multi cores while some only run on one core. So you might be using 80% of one core while the other only is using 5%. You can manually set affinity on each core so that some apps run on a certain core while others run on the other. I don't really see the need to have dual gpu's on a htpc, and it's not completely needed on games unless you play at very high resolution or you max the settings on the most demanding games. I feel that one good card is better than two average cards. There is also more potential for driver errors when running dual gpu's. Since it's main purpose is HTPC, dual GPU's also put out a lot more heat. A good idea to keep heat down, which really means noise would be to buy a MB that has a decent amount of options in the bios and undervolt the CPU to produce less heat. You could still have a dual or quad core at 3.0ghz running less voltage than stock while being 100% stable. Should be plenty for a HTPC and HD movies.
  4. mikecdm

    Picking out a Sub and Amp

    the sae 1000D's msrp is a little higher than what they actually sell for. I think the ssa shop was selling them for a little over $300. The 12" Q cost $260, so that would put you a little under the $600 mark. The shop was also selling the Icon/1000D combo for $500 but they are out of icons at the moment. You can also try and see if Jacob has any more used amps. I bought a used 1000D for $240 and plan on buying either a Q or Icon when I get the money.
  5. mikecdm

    Denon AVR-686S

    I don't see anything wrong with denon. I bought an avr-587 a few months ago at CC when they were they were on clearance. It's ok, but the only other receiver I have used is a Denon avr-3803 which is in another league. The 587 fails in comparison to the 3803 in features, SQ, ease of use... pretty much in every category. It honestly doesn't come close and I don't see how a receiver can get any worse. Frankly I'm very disappointed in it. Maybe it's because I was expecting more or it's just that bad. I was expecting similar sound but less features and less power. I still think denon is a good brand though. Pretty much on the same level as onkyo, yamaha, pioneer elite.
  6. mikecdm

    So I downgraded...sorta??

    I think its a nice looking box, not too big either. But don't she me these things, I have been tempted to buy an Icon for a while now and haven't pulled the trigger. I was hoping that a radio alone could fix my problem but I know deep down inside that I still need an Icon. I still don't have either though.
  7. mikecdm

    SAE-1000D Questions

    I like the fact that the 1000D is small. With my budget and what I plan on doing the 1000D is the perfect candidate as far as price/performance, but the small footprint is an added bonus. If I had to choose between one of the used 1500's that you are selling and a new 1000D for say $300 I'd take the 1000D just because it's smaller even though I would like the added power and $65 isn't much more to spend for a more powerful amp.
  8. mikecdm

    Can a sealed box be used with the SSD15?

    Damn I'm an idiot, for some reason I was thinking you wrote Q instead of SSD
  9. I honestly wouldn't be able to tell you anything about the amps themselves as I have never used them. Outside of value, cost, a performance I'd say the most noticeable difference is that with the sundown you can contact the owner of the company directly on this forum and get a response very quickly. I have only bought subs from Jacob but he seems to be a great guy and nothing but great things are said about him. Every question I have ever had, he took car of it. I'm sure with sundown you would get more personalized customer service. I'm sure the amps all perform well with some of them being a better value than the others. What probably sets them apart the most is not the product but the people behind the product.
  10. mikecdm

    Post Your Home Audio Setups Here!

    Never saw this thread but I guess I will contribute. This first pic is of my bedroom. Some things have changed around a bit, new computer and I have a denon Avr-587 isntead of that antique thing that sound better than the denon. Denon AVr 587 Insignia speakers from BB AKG K701 w/ corda headfive 42" sony grand Wega Cheapy Pioneer DVD player before all included progressive scan and this is the very plain home theater. All of this stuff minus the tv used to be in my old bedroom and it sounded a lot better than in this big room. B&W 805 B&W HTM2 B&W 601s3 SVS 20-39 PC+ Denon AvR 3803 Denon DVD 1600 Monster power thing (can't remember the number but probably money not so well spent) Samsung 50" dlp (don't know number) Dish network box is gone now
  11. mikecdm

    My NEW car ( CRX )

    Those seats are flawless.
  12. mikecdm

    Distribution blocks & such

    Well I am slowly trying to improve the sound in my 2001 bmw 325i and I think I know the answer but I'm not completely sure. Currently I only have one amp which is powering my subs and then there is the factory amp thats connected to all the factory locations. Since my battery is in the trunk I have a big fuse holder about 1ft away from the battery then it runs to the amp. Today I should be getting some of those PG rds components and when I finally by some sound deadening I will be installing a 4ch amp to run those speakers. In the past I used a fused distribution block as well as the single fuse holder by the battery, but this was in a camry. I was wondering if I would still need to have a both since everything is going to be in my trunk and the longest run is probably going to be around 5ft. I plan on running 1/0 gauge then splitting it into 4 gauge to each amp. I probably don't need to, but I figure that I might as well do it right the first time. Could I use the fuse holder by the battery then one of those blocks that just splits it into two w/out fuses or do they need fuses. The other option would be to run the power cable all the way to a fused distribution block with no immediate fuse holder by the battery. The amps I have are cheap amps which I plan to upgrade in the future. I will probably upgrade my subs and amp to the icon/sae1000D but before I do that I really want an alpine 9887 then eventually I'll buy a better 4ch. But in the meantime I am going to run things of the factory head unit using a LOC. I was also thinking of bridging the 4ch to run the components, does this sound right. I don't plan on using any rear fill either.
  13. I used two bolts in my box and it seems to work fine.
  14. mikecdm

    Do work son!

    At first I thought they were going in the expedition thinking there is no way it's going to hold up against that kind of power.
  15. mikecdm

    Pioneer W2502SPL common chamber (VW Rabbit)

    Damn thats pretty, I wish I had the skills to make a box like that. I like the car too.
  16. mikecdm

    Im frickin lost

    I like 4 BM's, only need 2. ft^3 and should sound great.
  17. mikecdm

    Baby friendly suggestions.

    I'd look into a wagon, but something euro. Maybe an A4 Avant Quattro or A6, if you got the extra loot an S4 Avant would be very nice. They look cool and you would still have the room you need for the child, tools, and stroller. Maybe a volvo, 3 series, or even a Wrx/Saab would be cool and I think better than a neon. A 4dr gti would be cool too.
  18. mikecdm

    Best sub for under 200?

    Fi SSD are right in your price range with the 15" being $9 over budget.
  19. mikecdm

    Any beer snobs here?

    I'd like to be more into beer but its a pita to go out and find beer. I try out new stuff when ever I can but I really don't know much about all the micro brews and craft beers.
  20. mikecdm

    Good sub recommendations for SAZ-1500D

    I'd say go with a ported Q or ICON. Honestly though, most people that come to this forum and mention SQ really don't know what they are actually asking or how the more experienced member interpret it. If someone mentions SQ, ///M5 probably knows that they really don't mean SQ but his interpretation of SQ is true audiophile reproduction of the material as it was intended to be heard. Most people, IMO, when they mention SQ they just want improved sound and better quality. I want better speaker to improve the sound and hopefully improve my midbass hopefully shorten the gap between sub stage, but in no way am I going to say I have a SQ system. It's just merely a way to improve the sound without going all out and still retain that bass that I like. This forum has a few members who are into SQ, but I feel that a larger percentage are into SPL or somewhere in between, "LSQ." Now if this were a different forum like DIYMA, I feel that the population is more into SQ, and from what I have seen they will quickly jump on SPL people.
  21. mikecdm

    Future Amplifiers

    Any guestimate of when the sae-800d might be coming out? I have been really tempted to buy an Icon/sae-1000d combo from the shop but if the 800D is going to be cheaper I might just wait. I'm still enjoying the pair of SD-1's that I bought from you but the Icon just looks so tempting.
  22. mikecdm

    Some new BTL info up for pricing and ordering...

    The motor is bigger than the cone on the 12"
  23. mikecdm

    300C Grille

    I like #1 but it has to be accompanied by the drop in the pic
  24. mikecdm

    My build log/review for the lincoln mark vii

    Those videos worked out nicely, thanks for taking the time to make them. I think one of those orange colors will flow well with the interior lighting scheme of my bimmer. I also enjoyed listening to the music on the color demo. Haven't heard that music in a while, out here in TX nobody really listens to that and they don't even play it on the radio. When I lived in cali they'd always have stuff like that on 99.1, and I remember on the weekend they'd have the art leboe (sp) stuff playing for hours. I do have one more question though, does the radio let you just shuffle the entire ipod library. Thats how I usually have it in my car right now, I just put it on random and skip through all the songs I don't feel like listening too.
  25. mikecdm

    My build log/review for the lincoln mark vii

    hmm, intersting. I'm thinking about buying this head unit but I'm not completely convinced on the direction I want to take. How well does the ipod interface work? I am also curious on what other colors can it display. I have an older alpine that does either green or orange.
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