EddieC
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Posts posted by EddieC
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It's the passenger side.....over and over. The left one has never blown. I thought to begin with that the AQ200.2 may have been the issue, as it pushes 220 per channel which is way more than the power handling capability. The shop that installed them set the gains and I never pushed them beyond that point. When I was advised that something could be wrong with the amp, I switched it to the Kenwood. That one only pushes 100 per side, which is well below capacity as the tweets themselves are rated at 100 each. I need to change things up, but don't want to until I know what's causing this issue. If it was my gains or volume, shouldn't the other one have blown at some point as well? I've had these installed since November 2014.
Now that they are out of warranty I'm going to pull the panel and investigate myself. I left them alone up until now since the warranty was only covered with the shop doing all the work. What, besides the wiring should I look for? Is it possible that the driver on that side has an incorrect ohm reading that is causing the problem?
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Last year I purchased a set of Image Dynamics CTX-65CS for my front stage. I was running them on an AQ200.2 amp. The right side tweeter kept blowing so ID upgraded me to the XS-28 tweets and the matching crossovers from the CSX set. Well, after 3 more attempts the tweets kept blowing. They said it must be something wrong with my amp, so I swapped the amp for my Kenwood KAC-7005PS. I bridged the channels to get 100 watts per side so that overpowering should not be an issue. Well, after the warranty ran out my last replacement came in. It lasted a week. I don't know what the problem could be unless the driver on that side was bad, sending the incorrect ohms to the tweets. That being said.....what could be the cause of this?
Also, I'd like to know what would be something that would be a suitable replacement. I can use either the AQ200.2 or the KAC-7005PS for the front stage. Or is it possible to use the AQ for the mids and the KAC for the tweets? I'm running a 220 amp alt, Group 34 Optima Yellow Top under the hood and a Diehard P1 in the rear. Sub is a 12" DSS Ethos on a Q1-2200D @1 ohm. Is it possible to use all 3 amps safely on the electrical I have? I don't have a lot to put into this as the car has been fully built for shows now, with Seibon carbon fiber hood, spoiler, Clazzio seat covers, etc., etc.
What would be the best course of action to take here? I'd like to know why the tweets keep blowing for one. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.
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New amps.
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Amplifers come with a gain matching dial that has an input sensitivity ranging from 6v - 0.2v. It's not a volume knob it's their to match your HU RCA voltage output.
You can set your HU to it's loudest setting without hearing any distortion, turn the gain on the amp up until you hear distortion then back off on the dial until you hear no distortion. Use music that you know to do this. Let your ears decide.
I still prefer to set my gains by ear. Especially my front stage.
I know and understand all this. That's how they were set. I just wanted to know if it's safe to take the volume higher on these older recordings, as I could take Elton John's album to 52 with no distortion whatsoever and crystal clear. Could probably even go higher but I'm trying to play it safe. Like I said, if it's not safe to exceed the limits that are set I just won't listen to the music.
I would say yes go ahead but be cautious.
Thanks. That's what I was thinking. Everyone always talked about setting the gains 3/4 of the way up to leave some head room. I figured this fell into that category. While listening to the old school music at a level of 52 yesterday, there was no distortion at all and sounded clear as a bell. Music sounded just as it should have at 45 with the disc used to set the gains. Amps stayed cool, with no clipping light coming from the sub amp. I'm just trying to be cautious guys. I've never had this much power and after that bad experience with the Hifonics amp overheating with gains barely up at all I'm just wanting to make sure I don't screw up anything I have going on because this is the loudest, cleanest system I've ever had.
Taking this question further....does the volume of the music have any control at all of the power that is being put out or is the amp simply pushing x amount of power at the point where gains are set? I'm learning all these things as I go as in the past I always just had a shop throw something in and set everything up for me. I've done every single bit of this install except for having the shop install the front components and set the crossover and gains for them (due to my limited knowledge).
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Amplifers come with a gain matching dial that has an input sensitivity ranging from 6v - 0.2v. It's not a volume knob it's their to match your HU RCA voltage output.
You can set your HU to it's loudest setting without hearing any distortion, turn the gain on the amp up until you hear distortion then back off on the dial until you hear no distortion. Use music that you know to do this. Let your ears decide.
I still prefer to set my gains by ear. Especially my front stage.
I know and understand all this. That's how they were set. I just wanted to know if it's safe to take the volume higher on these older recordings, as I could take Elton John's album to 52 with no distortion whatsoever and crystal clear. Could probably even go higher but I'm trying to play it safe. Like I said, if it's not safe to exceed the limits that are set I just won't listen to the music.
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@eddieC check out Amazon
Thanks for the heads up! 3 sets ordered.... just hope they arrive before Santa. BTW.... thanks for the amps. Installed them both last weekend and am totally blown away! I have friends who refuse to even get in the car to listen once they hear the doors open.
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You should never exceed the gain capability of your amps; however, your post clearly shows how stupidly useless a DD-1 is EVEN if they actually worked.
Please explain. I asked this for the following reason. I purchased a set of Image Dynamics components and had the shop set the gains. At first they were installed on the Hifonics POS and the tweets blew 15 minutes into the ride home. I replaced the amp with the AQ200.2 and had the replacement tweets installed and gains set by the shop. No problems since.... and I don't want to create any myself by pushing things past thermal capability. I noticed when playing older Elton John and Pink Floyd music that at HU gain set max volume of 45, it sounded more like it was set at 30. I simply wanted to know if it was ok to turn up the volume past 45 to be able to actually hear it or would I just be pushing the amp to clipping due to thermal overload. That's it. If I can't turn any of the older music up past where the gains are set, I have a lot of music that will never be played again.
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Yes it is safe. (as long that you keep in mind that overpowering can happen at lower volumes too, just always keep a nose on weird smells and listen for distortion)
Thanks.... and will do. Seems that most music recorded back in the analog days just doesn't have the volume of todays music. I guess that's why a lot of older music gets remastered when it's re-released digitally.
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I finally have most of my equipment in and now that I'm actually pushing some power this is a question that I can't seem to find a straight answer by searching the net. Is it safe to turn the volume up past the gain limits you've set when listening to music that's recorded at lower volumes? I find that when listening to a lot of music, especially older music, the volume seems to be half of what is recorded these days. Is this part of the "head room" that I've heard everyone speak of? This may be a stupid question to some but after my experience with that POS Hifonics amp I want to make sure that I'm not just building heat rather than pushing power. I will say that this AQ200.2 is a beast and barely gets warm to the touch. The Q2200.1@ a 4 ohm load on these Dcons doesn't even warm up at all. Best power I've had to date, and loud as ****!
Side note..... finally hearing these Dcons on full power has blown me away! I had them both running off 300RMS total for a year before changing to the Hifonics which was supposed to net me 600 to the subs (the 300 watts from the Kenwood was louder). On this Q2200.1 these things pound!
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If you have a battery in the rear then ground amps to the battery.
Grounding to the battery is only as good as the battery is grounded.
Grounding to the battery is only as good as the battery is grounded.
Thats a no brainer otherwise your battery would have a horrible ground.
Thanks guys. I have found a perfect spot for grounding the battery. Just wanted to make sure I didn't need to ground the amps there as well. I have battery terminals with all the inputs for the amp wires. Man I can't wait to get this going. Think I'm gonna see how much these Dcons can handle until the Ethos gets here.
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A few pics showing how my current ride is done, to give you an idea. I did two runs of 1/0 ga, both fused with a 200 amp fuse, for the front to back run. The rear battery is the distribution block. Then fused after the rear battery to each amps rating. I think I fused my alt also now that I think about. Was cheap insurance.
Question.... you say the rear battery is your distribution block. Are all your amps grounded at the negative battery post? Or did you run those to the chassis? Can't really tell from the pic. Kinda hoping that it's as simple as grounding the battery, then running all the amp grounds to the negative post. I ordered a Q2200.1 for the sub and an AQ-200.2 for the fronts. Picked up a set of Image Dynamics CTX65CS locally on Black Friday for $190 and man, what a difference! Just wish the guy hadn't set the gains so high. I was only able to hear the tweets for around 15 minutes before they both blew. I told the guy the gains were too high, but he said to try it and see how it went. Now he knows and has ordered new tweets from the company to replace these. I'll be glad to get that AQ-200.2 in and get this Hifonics POS outta there.
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My 2200 is on the truck for delivery and my 200.2 should hopefully arrive tomorrow. Just hate I missed out on the earbuds. I was too excited about getting the 2200 that I totally forgot to order a couple of sets for the boys. Oh well..... Thanks for the deals guys. Can't wait to get these in and bumpin'!
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After 17 years with no bass I began searching Google for the best budget sq sub and the Dcon kept showing up in post after post. Purchased a couple and been here ever since. Those reviews were right.... AMAZING subs for the $. Plus those vids of Justin's Blazer with the Evils in it totally dropped my jaw. Can't get any better advertising than that! ;-)
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My first attempt at building an enclosure (with help from a friend). 4 cubes tuned to 32 Hz.Looks nice from here.
Thanks Aaron.... SOUNDS great over here!
My first attempt at building an enclosure (with help from a friend). 4 cubes tuned to 32 Hz.Looks nice from here.
15" DCON in 4 cuft. tuned to 35hz with 82in of port.
These subs are crazy efficient and sound extremely smooth on so many different genres of music. People seem to get carried away and think they need the highest power rating sub available to get loud and sound good. These people have never demo'd a DCON as it would change their minds real quick. I am stoked I gave this sub a try. I have been very impressed with the performance AND output. Thanks SSA for an above average sub in this class!!
Nice work man.... looks great!
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My first attempt at building an enclosure (with help from a friend). 4 cubes tuned to 32 Hz.
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I have thoroughly enjoyed every moment with my Dcons (a year and a half now). Best budget subs I've ever owned. Every person to sit in my car always asks the same question.... Just what are you running back there??!! Noone ever believes it's only 300 watts worth of bass that they're hearing. Dcons get LOUD on low wattage, perfect for someone wanting to add some quality bass without breaking the bank. Great to hear they're in stock now.... I waited a couple of months for mine. But it was well worth it!
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Called today..... no luck. She said to call back in a few weeks and check as they do get them occasionally. I have run across a 20.1v2 at a pretty good price, but I see that the specs for that version were only 1800@1 instead of 2400. Did the v2s produce more than rated, or are those numbers real?After seeing that the Ethos motors won't be arriving till late November I think I may hold off for the Black Friday sales unless I run across a deal too good to pass up. I see the Q2200.1D was 20% off last year on Cyber Monday. Not to mention the IA deals here on SSA. Think I can hold out till then. I'm sure there will be one suited for my needs at a good price. Plus having a warranty is always nice to know.
Call IA and talk to Tricia. Tell her I told you to call and ask about any B stock available. It normally cones with full warranty.
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Will do. Thanks for the heads up! I've had my eye on that 20.1 for some time now.
Call IA and talk to Tricia. Tell her I told you to call and ask about any B stock available. It normally cones with full warranty.After seeing that the Ethos motors won't be arriving till late November I think I may hold off for the Black Friday sales unless I run across a deal too good to pass up. I see the Q2200.1D was 20% off last year on Cyber Monday. Not to mention the IA deals here on SSA. Think I can hold out till then. I'm sure there will be one suited for my needs at a good price. Plus having a warranty is always nice to know.
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After seeing that the Ethos motors won't be arriving till late November I think I may hold off for the Black Friday sales unless I run across a deal too good to pass up. I see the Q2200.1D was 20% off last year on Cyber Monday. Not to mention the IA deals here on SSA. Think I can hold out till then. I'm sure there will be one suited for my needs at a good price. Plus having a warranty is always nice to know.
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I'll try to do that. If he really wants the $ I don't see why he wouldn't. (Unless it's bad to begin with.)Have the seller hook it up, don't hook it up yourself. Play the amp until it warms up and even after to make sure it doesn't overheat.
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It's an individual. Pics show it still installed in his vehicle, but doesn't say so. I'll definitely take a look to see if the screws look like they've been removed several times, as well as smell for any burnt smell. Hopefully he'll let me check it out good first. Well, he will if he wants to sell it to me... I'm not just taking anyone's word for it.
See if they will open it up if it's from a dealer and look inside of it.
I've heard nothing but good things of this amp. If I can get it for $300 in good working condition I think that'd be a nice upgrade.I like my IA 20.1. I can't say if it puts out rated power, close to rated power, or more or less !!! But it has a small footprint, it's a reputable brand, and I have no problem with it so far. I bought it on sale.
You can't be disappointed with it.
SQ seems to be loved in this car audio market. Good reputation.
Buy what you like and what you can afford. There is no need to break the bank for an amplifier !
And how long would you play it to see that there are no issues of cutting out? 5-10 minutes?Ask the seller if he/she can hook it up or if it's all right with them if you hook it up
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I've heard nothing but good things of this amp. If I can get it for $300 in good working condition I think that'd be a nice upgrade.I like my IA 20.1. I can't say if it puts out rated power, close to rated power, or more or less !!! But it has a small footprint, it's a reputable brand, and I have no problem with it so far. I bought it on sale.
You can't be disappointed with it.
SQ seems to be loved in this car audio market. Good reputation.
Buy what you like and what you can afford. There is no need to break the bank for an amplifier !
And how long would you play it to see that there are no issues of cutting out? 5-10 minutes?Ask the seller if he/she can hook it up or if it's all right with them if you hook it up
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So is it reasonable to ask someone to let me hook their amp up to my electrical? I know it's up to par, but I can see someone not wanting to risk blowing their equipment by doing so. I'd just be happy to see it power up and play (hopefully in their ride) to ease my mind.Well if that's all you want to know then make sure the amp works.
This guy wanted to do nothing but promote Audison, as that's what he had in the store. I knew when I walked in that was what I'd be in for. I had originally decided on the q2200 because the price fit my budget, that was all. Just wondering now if I should put my money into something nicer used that would be better suited for my needs.Just because an owner of a shop talks bad about a product has nothing to do with the performance, obviously he knows nothing about it or just wanted to make a buck. Again stop letting people make a decision for you and make one for yourself.
That's what I was thinking. I can get more power for over $100 less. A $750 amp for $300 is a bargain in my book, so long as it works. That's why I was wondering if there are some tell tell signs of problems to look for, as I've never purchased a used amp.
If you can find a comparable quality amplifier that is similar to your power requirements for less money, then that is a viable solution. Not so much for performance reasons, but more money in your pocket is good and buying used you don't take as much of a hit in the resale value compared to new...as long as you are comfortable with no warranty. If you can test it and it works okay you are pretty safe for the most part. Aside from bulging caps or previous shoddy repair work it's pretty much impossible for foretell future issues with an electronic device.
I ran across a thread with clamped numbers for several of the amps I was looking at. Seeing the numbers on what I had originally planned on fall short of others, I began thinking maybe I should be looking for a higher priced used amp to get the most power for my money. That's all this was originally about. Everything in this thread has gone over my head and beyond what I expected. I know I've heard people say plenty of times that clamp tests are meaningless, and should not be a concern. But last weekend I went to a local shop to check out some Hertz and Focal speakers for the front and the owner did nothing but rag on Soundqubed. So I was questioning my decision. I've run across some pretty good deals locally on some amps that should be better than the SQ for less $ (IA20.1, etc) and was just wondering what to look for when buying a used amp as I know plenty of people have been burned in the process.
More like confusing reality. Everything you read that you based this thread on is misinformation and pointless. The ONLY answer is to buy something reputable and don't look back. All "scientific" reasons you are using to make yourself feel better are wrong. Stop reading wherever you are getting that garbage information and think instead about what matters.You're right. I'm overthinking all this.
FYI majority of shops talk crap about brands they don't sell so they can talk you into buying one from them. Especially if they sell hertz/Focal as those are pretty snoody brands in general.
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I ran across a thread with clamped numbers for several of the amps I was looking at. Seeing the numbers on what I had originally planned on fall short of others, I began thinking maybe I should be looking for a higher priced used amp to get the most power for my money. That's all this was originally about. Everything in this thread has gone over my head and beyond what I expected. I know I've heard people say plenty of times that clamp tests are meaningless, and should not be a concern. But last weekend I went to a local shop to check out some Hertz and Focal speakers for the front and the owner did nothing but rag on Soundqubed. So I was questioning my decision. I've run across some pretty good deals locally on some amps that should be better than the SQ for less $ (IA20.1, etc) and was just wondering what to look for when buying a used amp as I know plenty of people have been burned in the process.
More like confusing reality. Everything you read that you based this thread on is misinformation and pointless. The ONLY answer is to buy something reputable and don't look back. All "scientific" reasons you are using to make yourself feel better are wrong. Stop reading wherever you are getting that garbage information and think instead about what matters.You're right. I'm overthinking all this.
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front stage recommendations
in Subwoofers / Speakers
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Up until now, I've always gone by the rule of setting the gains at 75% of the head unit's max volume. Turning the gains up to the point of distortion and then backing off until they were clear. I had the shop set the gains, as the speakers were only covered under warranty so long as they did the setup. The gains were set identical, left and right. The head unit HPF was set at 100, as well as the LPF. Crossovers were set to -3 after the first couple of times blowing the tweeter. Is it possible the shop connected the wires wrong? (neg to pos and vice versa) I asked them that question when it was under warranty and they said it was possible but highly unlikely. I watched them do the work and they never bothered to even look at that.