new install ~flying blind~

New here... and enjoying the forum very much.

I've been out of "higher-end audio" (home or car) for a long time, but decided that my recent purchase of a mint '94 Lincoln demanded some sort of sound system upgrade (non-JBL, cassette only, blah blah blah).

Here's what I've put in over the past 2 weeks, please tell me what you think, and what my next move should be (if you were me... everything I've bought so far can go into my wifes car as I begin to really get some air moving in the Lincoln... hehehe).

Keep in mind, I was flying blind, just using my ears/intuition/wallet with my purchases (I only found this forum this morning dammit!) :)

Sony CDX-CA810X, Pioneer TS-A1664 3-ways front, TS-A6963 3-ways rear, MTX Blue Thunder PRO50X4 driving a Kicker Comp 01C154 15" Sub (bridged for the sub, and running the rear speakers with the other two channels, crossed over, etc.)

Sub is mounted in a 20" Wide X 16.25" Tall X 13" deep MDF non-ported grey-fuzz-covered box in trunk, facing backwards.

So how'd I do?

Maybe it's just because I've been "out of it" for a while... but I'm blown away with the sound I got for about 500 bucks (MDX amp and shielded cables/power cables were bought used, but in nice condition).

Have some slight engine whine coming though (at cranked volume) during quiet portions of Korn... hehehe... perhaps a filter will cure that? I ran the RCA on the passengers side, power/remote on the drivers side, so I'm baffled at the noise, even though it's nit-picking).

Any comments, suggestions on anything/everything are welcome.

Thanks for all the cool posts/information!

Check, check and recheck all ground connections---remove any paint at the ground point for the amps, and look into creating your own ground for the deck, if not already done.. Ground is the most overlooked cause of "noise"

-Cy

Thanks Cy!

I am relying on the plug-in harness at the deck for the ground... who knows where that puppy is actually grounded.

Now I have something to do in the morning!

:)

Most helpful indeed... I owe you one!

Viper,

You must have ESPN or something... the gain for the rear speakers is indeed wide open... will back off a bit. :)

This brings me to another question... prior to powering the rear speakers with the free L/R channel of the MTX amp, it seemed like I could get more volume out of the rears using the factory amp/skinny wires going to the speakers...

Now, I must push the fader to the rear to balance the sound (I thought this might be cuz I crossed over the rear speakers and was loosing some sound as a result...).

I would have thought that with the MTX driving the 6X9's on the rear deck that I would have had to fade towards the forward speakers to get my "middle of the sound" factor happening.

Is it normal to have to send more power to a more powerful amp in order to drive the speakers?

I must admit to being somewhat confused... even though the volume (when cranked up, and balanced front to rear) is impressive.

Am I making any sense?

lol 

Well, as it turns out, there was a factory amp in the trunk, which is now bypassed completely.

I'm running right from the head unit to the front speakers now, with 12 ga. wire.

That Ford amp was boosting the front speakers, and I was loosing quite a bit of sound quality as a result... duh... that's what I get for being a newbie.

I ran a new ground to the head unit, big/beefy and short, scraped paint on the rear ground, and replaced my Y connectors in back with monster brand... I'd say the noise is almost completely gone now... ALMOST

:)

Thanks for the tips... it sounds much better now... but I still have a question...

Am I running enough amp for my sub?

Any thoughts are appreciated!

Glad to hear you got it all sounding much better.  I just noticed this post today and as soon as you said lincoln I thought "oh god it's got the factory amplifier in the trunk!!!"  As I scrolled down the page to view more replies, I was relieved to see that you eventually got the amp all figured out.

anyways, as far as the power going to the sub, it is certainly not going to cause any harm to the sub or really make it sound bad to run it with only 100 watts.  If it goes as loud as you want it to without distorting then that's really all that matters.

If, however, it's not getting loud enough for you, you could always use the mtx amp for your 4 speakers, and get another amp for the subwoofer.  Then you'd hook that sub amp up to your head unit's subwoofer preamp outputs, and you can control the volume of your subwoofer from up at the head unit.

Any 2-channel amp would work just fine and there are plenty of them out there that are good bargains for what you get.  Just look for something that puts out between 200 and 250 watts RMS when bridged to a single 4 ohm load.

Ethan,

You, my friend, are a God-send.

Thanks for the reply :)

I feel like the impulse-buy speakers I bought leave a lot to be desired as well... if you were me, and were willing to spend "a bit more cash" what would you upgrade to front and rear?

I'm thinking around 300-400 bucks for all four.

Thanks again for your advise.

Oh, while you're at it... about that sub-amp... can you suggest something so I can comparison shop a bit?

:)

don't mean to interrupt, but i figured i'd throw in my two cents...

first off, 12 guage wire from head unit to speakers? little overkill there... 14 or 16 is more than effecient for loads under 100w rms. don't gain anything with the bigger wire, just more headaches to run.

next, i'd definately get a new amp for the sub.. i agree with 200-250 rms, you should be pretty happy with the output.  you could also try building a ported box for it, it's more efficient. it's not like you'd be losing any accuracy with it being a 15...

also, before you run out and buy new speakers.. you should try running all 4 off your mtx amp.. the difference in power might be all that's needed to help clean it up. if it turned out that they still don't perform to your liking, take a look at some lower-mid level mb quarts. they are some of the most natural sounding speakers i've ever heard.. kenwood dual mags are pretty decent as well. either of those models will sound a lot better than the pioneers, and should stay within your price range as well.

hope that helps a little

if the 12- gauge is not giving you problems then just leave it, but it is certainly more than you need.  If you don't mind dealing with its thickness (w/regards to running the cables,etc.) then it won't hurt to keep it.

I agree with philaf that you should try hooking up just the 4 speakers to the mtx amp and see if that makes it sound better at all, and only then if that's still not good enough, should you think about upgrading your speakers again.

I'd go with some infinitys or kenwood dualmags--mb quarts are awesome but they can get pretty expensive.

If you're happy with the amount of output you're getting from your sub right now, there's absolutely no need for you to spend more money and get a more powerful sub amp.  However, if you find the 4-channel amp makes the speakers sound a lot better, then you'll need a new amp for the subs anyways.

Just look for 2-channel amp that puts out between 175 and 225 watts RMS x 1 channel bridged at 4 ohms.  I highly recommend you take a look at this profile amp as it's only 80 bucks but gives you 195 watts RMS.  plus it comes with a 3-year warranty.  I love my profile amp and think they are some of the best bargains out there, especially for powering a subwoofer.