altoncustomtech

After getting used to hearing and KNOWING the difference it will make it hard to every go back to anything that doesn't sound that good ya know, lol. This is the kind of comment I love to see too. When a person hears and realizes the difference in what quality actually is it's one of my favorite things to see!

What's the model # on the amp? EVERY amp has a gain dial...

Congrats on the great purchase! There's gotta be something off somewhere, that sub should be pounding hard without having to touch bass boost at all. How did you guys set the gain? Are you sure the amp puts out 500wrms @ 4 ohms? Try getting an RCA to headphone adapter cable and connecting an MP3 player to the amp and seeing if maybe the RCA's you used between the HU and amp are bad. With the power you should have on tap that sub should EASILY be beating the hell out of ya....

The only stupid question is the one that isn't asked IMHO. It is true though that it does get pretty annoying when people ask a lot of This VS. That questions and the same question that keeps coming up over and over and over again like you mentioned Jake. On the same note though, everyone here was at one time a beginner. Asking the same types of questions themselves before getting experienced and learning the craft for themselves. It's just part of the learning, growing and developing we all do. I know I did, not even all that relatively long ago. The only thing that is discouraged is asking questions about things that could obviously be answered by doing a little searching. We want people to learn, but they'll likely learn much more if they put in the effort to learn themselves as apposed to simply asking the question and getting quick answers back. Plus it can help boost a persons confidence to learn/figure it out on their own as well.

I have to say this and I mean absolutely NO disrespect to you Vieceli in saying this, but it's fairly obvious by the content in the questions you've asked and your answers to the questions others have asked that you are very new to this hobby and/or don't understand many of the basics involved. Now, there's nothing wrong with that and quite honestly this forum is the best place to be to learn, but I honestly believe that trying to purchase a BTL and power it with an amp capable of delivering it's rated power is putting you in WAY over your head. There's much much more to the installation and setup of a system that powerful than just buying some nice stuff and throwing it together. I would HIGHLY suggest trying out some of the lower powered subs offered by Fi such as the X or SSD's for example. They will offer fantastic performance and not require as nearly as much in the setup to run them to their potential. The BTL's and SP4's will have to have VERY well built, well braced and well sealed enclosures, much better built and braced than the others would require. Running 2k+ watts of power will require a great deal of electrical upgrades to properly power without potentially damaging something. All these things require build and installation experience that, though I could be wrong, doesn't seem like you have at this time. I make the recommendation to try a lower powered quality sub and setup only to help curb the blown sub, blown amp, or both situations that we've seen many times with other people who simply weren't experienced enough for such a setup. Just my .02 but I think you'd be very impressed with a pair of SSA DCON's or Fi X series subs in a properly built custom enclosure (like one from a vendor on this site) on the amp you currently own. Then as you learn and develope the skills upgrade your amp, subs, electrical and such until you have the setup you are truly desiring.

dude that really sux..... you've been waiting about as long as I have for mine to get those installed and hear them....

What do you mean by dies? Is this during running or sitting with the engine off? If it's happening while it's running then you definitely need to beef up your electrical, starting with an HO alt to keep up with the demand of the system and the vehicle itself. If it's happening while you're sitting then what you need is a second battery and an isolator so that it doesn't run down your starting battery.

The problem with that is that it won't really make it any more rigid. The MDF ring would still be mounted to a flimsy piece of plastic. Better than nothing I suppose.

It's just my opinion, but I would highly recommend ditching the plastic. It's not that hard to make a few rings and glue them together to make a good solid baffle and it's well worth the small effort and cost. I've never seen any plastic mounting ring that was nearly as strong as a well built wood/ply/MDF one. Part of the big picture when considering it a "proper" installation in my opinion.

Alrighty, things are kind of moving along. At least now they're close to a snail's pace. I have placed the orders for the two passive radiator's with Nick at Fi and just moments ago placed the order for the XCON itself!! Can't wait to get all this in and play with it!!

It's Aaron, he's just really happy, for you and the DCON shoutout!!

Glad to hear that you like them! They truly are great subs!! As you now realize as well, people put too much emphasis on the fact they're lower power rated subs when looking around. They simply don't believe that a sub with that low of a power rating could perform like they do. You're now one of the believers though. Enjoy them!!!!

^^^^ Exactly, that's the only way to figure it out. How does the CD changer connect to the HU? If it uses a standard type audio cable (such as RCA's) then connect something like an MP3 player to them and see if it still does it. If so it's the cable, if not then it's the changer unit. Not much of any other way to figure it out besides doing that.

It did that because there was a big inrush of current charging the capacitors in the power supply of the amp. The easiest way to avoid this from happening is to take a simple 12v test light and connect it between the fuse terminals. You'll see it go bright for a moment then slowly dim out to off. That slowly charges the capacitors in the power supply instead of an inrush of current. Once the light goes out then simply install your fuse and you're done.

I think simple yet impressive is doable for $1k or less and what would make it impressive is not just the added bass but the overall improvement in the system. You never mentioned the year and I couldn't find any information on the speakers in anything newer than an 2003 Audi A6 so these recommendations are based on that. If it has different speakers in it, well, you'd just have to adjust for the changes. Here's my suggestion: Cadence F100-5 5 Channel amplifier $169 This amp can run an entire system, is affordable, and has it's own high level inputs for use with a factory stereo system so that you don't need to use some crappy LOC to connect to it. 15" SSA DCON $138 This sub is a great sub, sounds awesome, gives plenty of output, and is a great match to the goals. DC Creations Custom built 4.5cuft ported enclosure $200 A reputable place to get an enclosure designed and built, one of several available here on the forum, I just grabbed the first one that my mouse hovered over. Alpine SPR-17S 6.5" Type R 2-way component set $190 A component set that has carried a good reputation for quite awhile now. Should blow away anything the factory speakers could dream of doing. KnuKonceptz 4AWG amp installation kit. $60 An amp installation kit for the amplifier. The RCA's won't be necessary since he's keeping the stock HU but could be useful in the future. SDS CLD Tiles Qty. 10 $24.50 SDS CCF 13.5sqft sheets Qty. 4 - $59.80 SDS MLV 13.5sqft sheets Qty. 2 - $52 Complete sound deadening system, enough to do the front doors for the best response possible from the Alpine Components. That totals $895 for everything. I think that this complete setup would yield a much more "impressive" setup than just an amp and subwoofer(s) could offer any day. Changes could be made to any part of this of course, but I made this list to give an example of what can be done for a complete setup for less than $1k instead of only concentrating on a single part of it.

That sux, Boston has nice equipment. At least we might be able to pick up some great gear at some closeout prices!

When it comes to any aftermarket amp install a good battery and the BIG 3 are a must in my eyes. They always help, and quite frankly most factory electrical systems are pretty piss poor to start with. Now, are you asking that question about the Soundstream, the AQ or the Cadence? The latter two it's not a big deal, but on the Soundstream it will definitely have to have some electrical upgrades up to and including an HO alternator if you plan on running it at 1 ohm and full tilt. The Soundstream is rated for 1 ohm so it will handle it with no problems, IF, the electrical backbone is there to support it. That's where the law of diminishing returns comes to play in my book. No more output than a person is going to gain by having that much power on the same subs it's not worth all the extra money AND work for that electrical upgrade, at least not to me.

I'm getting at least one of each color, I love that design!!!

djtom has a fair recommendation in the Skars and SoundStream. I've not had any personal experience with the Skar subs or the amp so I can't and won't comment on them past that. I still honestly think your friend would be very happy with either DCON's or Fi X's in a proper ported enclosure. I have had experience with both of those and they're at the top of my recommendation list for many reasons the main one being that I don't think a better sub can be bought for the same money. Of course that's just my opinion, but I think anyone who's had real hands on experience with either sub would say the same. I have no doubt someone could find a better sub for the same money out there somewhere, but I am pretty sure that list would be very short. I also doubt they would be 100% American made or offer the same warranty and customer support. Just about any reasonable suggestion from this forum would be a worthwhile investment so lets get more suggestions in here and see what you and him are comfortable with. My suggestion is as said above, powered by something like an AQ750, would leave plenty of extra money for other upgrades or purchases as well with a $1000 budget. Picking up a 5 Channel amp like the Cadence F100-5 and a 15" DCON would leave even more room in the budget and more expandability.

Well, everyone has a different opinion on what's "pretty impressive". It's a very subjective measurement as to what constitutes the amount a person is impressed and what it is that impresses them. To give you some form of an example, my two 12" Q's on an SAZ-2000 is the loudest and best sounding sub setup I've owned yet. My sister's single 12" DCON sounds pretty much just as good and gets loud enough that if I had to trade one for the other I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't be disappointed by the difference in output 90+% of the time. That's what impresses me about the DCON's. She also gets comments from some of the people she goes to college with on how impressed they are about what it does for a single 12 without knowing anything about the enclosure or the power the sub is receiving. Now, that being said, any one person on here is going to have a different feeling on that. So, if he wants something that's "pretty impressive" what is the baseline on his take of impressive that we're looking at?

The amp will draw it down on hard pulls such as a sustained bass note at full volume. You'll want to check it like that at the terminals of the amp for the most accurate idea of what's happening since the voltage drop will be worse at and on the amp than anywhere else in most cases.

That's good enough for a rough estimate. There's a LOT more to it than that, but he's right, you should be just fine with 750 watts on a 105A alternator. In my relatively short experience I've found that most stock electrical systems can handle up to about 1,000 watts without too much trouble. EVERY vehicle and situation is different though so you'll have to watch your voltage and see how it does. You should do a BIG 3 upgrade for good measure to help the stock backbone and be sure you have a good battery too. If your voltage drops badly, then you'll have to look at a solutions to the problem, if not then bump away happily.

$800 should be plenty for a first time modest setup... Hell, I've done complete systems with new speakers, amps, subs, box, wiring and a little sound deadening for right around $1K for several people... The SSA DCON's, Fi X's and IA 187's get overlooked all too often simply because they're lower powered subs. They offer great sound and very good output without breaking the bank and not just for the initial cost either but because they don't require a ton of power the amps are cheaper and there's less electrical upgrades and work that has to be done to support it too. IMHO a pair of 12's in any of the aforementioned series on an AQ750 would leave room for wire, a box, and if he's up for it upgrading the highs as well as possibly amping them too if he's smart about the products he chooses. A pair of 12" DCON's for example would only be $250, the AQ750 is $200 which barely gets over half the given budget and would be a great setup. When it comes to trunks I prefer to seal everything into the cabin. It helps prevent trunk rattle and typically sounds better IMHO. Sealed works well for most anything although a properly built ported enclosure will outperform the sealed in almost every way. If he wants to build it himself it's not that difficult at all if he can already build a sealed enclosure. You'll just need a good design to go by and that shouldn't be too hard to attain here. Hope that answers a few of your questions. I've always had a hard time understanding why people think they need so much power for a daily driver, especially on their first setup. The gains of going with more power versus the cost are typically not worth it unless a person is competing. Even then adding more power is the least economical way to get louder. For what it's worth this is just my .02

LOL @ stefan, who brings up some very valid points. I have to honestly say, I'm wondering all the same things. There's never any one answer for something like this, but as always the best answer is the one that best fits all the goals and requirements, both of which are a little tough to get from the info given if they were even in that bit of info.

It's as easy as a phone call to get it straightened out. I'm surprised they haven't voided the transaction already. As part of the fraud protection they'll do that from time to time, especially if you use paypal in multiple places such as as home and at work. I ran into this because I have two office locations for work and of course at home and was buying a few things logged in from all three places. They saw the different IP's popping up and did the same thing. I called them up right away and got everything taken care of very quickly, they were actually very easy to deal with in the matter and I also had them log the IP's for all three locations so that it wouldn't happen again and it hasn't for quite a long time. Just call them up, they'll get it taken care of in seconds.