Amplifiers / Head Units / Processors / Electrical

So I've been looking at a bunch of nav head units, and these two seem like the best out there. I haven't had a chance to use either as I can't find any local shops that have either in stock. What is the general consensus on these two? Is there a clear cut winner? I've heard that the pioneer's have a high failure rate, and they often times freeze up, is that true? They have a gorgeous UI, but if it doesn't work I guess it's not that great. My other concerns with the pioneer are the low RMS power output, no name GPS, and only a single USB input. Would I need an amp with the pioneer or is 14 watts RMS enough for components and mid basses (no subs yet)? Is the GPS comparable …

i have a 5000w 15 inch candence beastmaster sub and i need a amp with at least 1200 rms and i wanted some help with what would be the best choice for me and this all needs to fit into my 1997 neon

So Ive bought and returned every solder gun in home depot and none of them work for what Im doing. I want to solder the ring terminals to my 0/1 wire but the guns dont heat it up enough. Where do i get a decent solder gun for doing 0/1 wire and how many watts should it be? The highest I found at home depot was 75. Two weekends in a row now its starting to get frickin annoying. Any ideas?

First off I just discovered this site and it's great! I've read through 10 pages in this section alone for some answers and got some good ones but some were unanswered so I'm going to through a bunch of questions out there and hopefully some of you can help me out heres a quick rundown of what my plans are 15" btl sundown saz3000 2x sundown 125.2 big 3 150 or 280 amp alt (will explain) ok so I am unsure on the battery situation. I want to keep my voltage as close to 14v as possible for extended periods of time. I drive around the country so 8-10 hour trips aren't unusual. the largest alt I could find without breaking the bank is 150amps BUT someone told me they had a cust…

So im about to buy a daily BTL 18 with cooling, the HiXm coil, and whatever color dustcap. (any one color look awesome to you guys?) I don't have much money for an amp, only about $400 so i'll probably buy a temporary one untill i get enough money (that sundown audio stuff is WAY too expansive...). Either way it's going to be at 2000 rms. This is the only aftermarket thing on my stereo (2009 mustang w/shaker 1000). The BTL will replace two pioneer premier 12's (begginer subs only about 400 rms). From what i've read, im going to need to some electrical upgrades. The Big 3 i can do. Am i going to need a high output alternator?? and how many amps am i looking at? Is it absol…

hi, a week ago i decided try to make my Polk MM6501 active. all was going well until i went for a drive around the block and i noticed alternator whine. i am using my alpine 9887 for the processing and my sax100.4 for the amp. and then i have Monster 402 series RCA connecting the two. Now i am having trouble finding out the Cause. i re grounded the head unit to a better spot. I tightened my ground for the amp as tight as i could. i replaced the RCA's with some 8 dollar ones from walmart. and i still have it. and it is only my rear/Highs that have the whine. and i don't really want to have to add a filter because i heard that it affects the quality of the signal…

ok guys im starting a thread here to discus some real cheap amp, new and used, that would be acceptable for a budget setup like mine. also, the new option must have some significant advantages for justifying the purchase. i have to run off shortly so i cant type up to much right now. what i have now is a kicker zx100.2 and kx250.2 powering sls8's and peerless 3" full range. my dad is interested in the 100.2 for 30 bucks (baught for 50) and my bro is interested in the 250.2 for 70 (paid 90) and im willing to throw in 100 bucks tops for a $200 budget. some things that id like to get out of this are, 1 a good quality amp that i can expect to last thru college (3 years), …

Will it make a big enough difference in upgrading quality of my midrange amp but not power to be worth it? Will it make a difference in the sound of my? Or is 400 watts 400 watts and switching amps to a higher quality amp of the same power not make a noticable difference?

I have a PPI pc1800.2 that burned out. I haven't opened it yet to see what fried but it's definitely dead. I was wondering if anyone knew of a place down in Glendale or LA or even OC that knows where I can get it repaired? It's a sexy amp and I'm not willing to let it go.

I have 2 sets of re xxx 6.5 components ... i was thinking about going active but i do not know what the benefits would be and if it would be worth me spending the extra money for another amp ... would these speakers do well with an active setup? they are rated at 150 rms each (mid+twwet combined) ... how much power should i put to each mid and each tweeter? the ohm rating on the set is 2 ohm but will that change each speakers impedence?

I recently purchased a fi bl 15 with the cooling option and was wondering what might be a good amp for it thats under 300 shipped. I was looking into the audioque 1200 but it seems as if not many people have experience with them. All sugestions are welcome. The sub is a dual 2 ohm and going into a ported enclosure around 3.5 cuft(tuning suggestions welcome as well) maybe bigger if i can fit it, theres not too much trunk room in my saturn sc2.

So, I'm currently in the process of setting my gains for my 4 channel amp and mono amp. I've been researching on how to properly set your gains using a digital multimeter, and it seems like every forum and website tells you a different way to do it. The SSA forum stood out to me and made the most sense about gain setting, but it still left me with a few questions. My first question is should i set my gains for the 4 channel amp first or the mono, or does it even matter? When i set my gains for the 4 channel amp i will be using a 0 dB 1000Hz test tone, but what i'm not sure of is what settings should i use for my head unit? A lot of people say to set everything to 0. I'm …

Hey guys, I'm going to be purchasing three 10" FI SSD's soon and I was thinking about running them with a Rockford T1500-1bd but i'm not sure if I need dual 1-ohm or dual 2-ohm vc's and how I would go about wiring them up. This is also my first post and love the forum so far guys, keep up the good work. i'm open to all suggestions but am on a budget so plz try to keep that in mind. Also the sups will be in a mono ported box going in the bed of a single cab ranger doing a blow through setup.

I just picked up a memphis digital display voltage meter and I'm not too sure how I should hook this up.. I'm thinking the positive 12v wire should be ran from the battery to the gauge and the negative to a ground somewhere? And can I just use speaker wire? I'll post a pic while I'm waiting for a response from you guys. Those posts on the bottom are positive and negative, they are also removable.. I was hoping to take those posts off so i could fit the meter in a little nook in my dashboard.

so im shopping around for a new headunit and i came across this, which has all the options i want, but i havent used jvc before. it has good customer ratings, but has anyone on here used them before? should i just leave it be and stick with alpine and the good stuff or what? i would rather save the hundred dollars, but if its garbage ill leave it alone. http://www.crutchfield.com/p_105KDS100/JVC-KD-S100.html?tp=5684&tab=features_and_specs if anyone has used the bongovi (sp) sound thing, if so how does it REALLY sound?

Hi I have a Pioneer AVH-P4000 headunit and I love everything about it except I have not found a way to bypass the dvd player. Does any1 have some ideas on how it can be done, or does any1 have this headunit and know how? Any input will be appreciated. Thanks!

So I am about to purchase the BL18 Dual 1 ohm, but I am not sure on what amp and head units fit this sub the best. Can anyone give me any suggestions? I need the sub for rap and hip hop that involve a lot of bass to pump me on my way to the gym, because I bodybuild. I drive a 98 Lexus es 300 and will probably throw it in my trunk. And I am also unsure of what kind of box to use, and what dimensions. Can anybody give me some suggestions? (you might be a poet and not even know it- wow that was gay)

Ok so I have an Adassa Audio The Warlord amp and I was setting the gains with a 50hz test tone and a dmm and right when I got it at 70 volts it started to fluctuate. It went down to 66v then 60v then 50 and so on. It got to the point where I turned up the gain 100% and it was only giving out 51v!! I shut everything down and waited a while because the amp was hot and when I tried to set the gains again it worked for a while (stayed at 70v) but then dropped back to 60v. I now think something is wrong with the amp. Has anyone heard of this problem? I am thinking about sending it to Chris at db-r.... opinions? Thanks!

Hey guy! I'm upgrading my electrical system, and I want to know what size pulley should I get for a 250amp alt going into a 2002 ford expedition xlt. What I will have running in the truck when I'm done are two saz 2000d powering 4 ascendant audio havocs 15 inch subs. Any help and infos are welcome. Thanks

I've been having problems with my stock battery and I want to replace it. So I want something good to replace it. I just measured and I have a max 12" long x 7.5" wide. I'm just a little unsure what to go with. My budget is around $200 but I don't mind spending a little more if need be. This is my first battery purchase so I'm not sure what the best place to order from either. I was thinking a Kinetik 1800 but I'm not sure, I just don't want to make the wrong decision and regret it. Appreciate any help.

I was wondering will the memphis mojo 4kw run at a 1/2 ohm on burps with proper voltage. I do know that the 08 version will run at 1/2 ohm but they changed a few things on the new mojo.

Knowing I would at the very least replace the factory speakers in my 2008 Mazda MX-5 Miata I did not go with the Bose System when I purchased the car. It does have the PRHT or power retractable hard top as well as system controls on the steering wheel which is why for now I am going to try to keep the factory head unit. A couple of local installers have suggested I replace the current four speaker system with a better component system and amp. The factory four speaker system is all in the doors and consists of a a 3 1/2 tweeter and a 5 x 8. I need the little bit of trunk space I have so a sub box and amp board in the trunk are out. I have a passenger enough that a sub …

I have a fi bl and a sundown 1500d and lately my sytstem hasnt been playing as loud as usual. it just dont have the edge it usually does. If i had to guess i would save ive lost a full 2 db. its not my voltage cause it stays right around 13.3 a lil wire came loose on my old rca's but i bought some new ones and it STILL sounds the same. What other reasons could be causing this not to play as loud?

Hey everyone, I have two 12" Fi SSD's on their way...I ordered 1-ohm DVC so I could wire them to 1-ohm with my amp. I found a diagram of how to wire them, but I have a problem. I made my box so that each sub has its own airspace, so I'm going to need a seperate terminal cup for each sub. Would I wire it like this? (I didn't put the terminal cups in the diagram...but you get the point) This is the original diagram I found. I guess what I'm asking is, are both diagrams the same? Thanks!

2004 Explorer 4.0 Yellow Top Big 3 will be done in 1/0 when installed Stock 135A Alternator 2 15" Icons Sundown 1500 Sundown 100.4 Couple quick questions before I get a alternator & everything installed: 1 - How do I calculate how big of an alternator I need? Ive seen a couple different way but whats most accurate? Also have a 100.4 2 - Would a 200A alternator and a yellow top suffice for the two amps to stay above 13v at idle? I can try 250A if need be. 3 - Anyone ever use qualitypowerauto.com to get an amp? I want to upgrade to 200A for no more than $300 if I can