Printer Friendly Forum Posts - best sound w/Sony subs/amp setup?

Hey guys, i was curious to ask if anyone could help me out real quick. I bought a 2 sony 12" subs (L121P5), and a sony xplod 1200 watt 2 chan amp. I wanted to get the best sound out of this setup, but i'm not sure how to go at it. How should i wire everything to get the best sound and quality out of my subs/amp? Thanks for all your help in advance

Well they are Xplode products, not the best quality around. You can still get some decent sounds, but they wont be anything spectacular (for example, that amp is nowhere near 1200W). Just make sure you use big wire for everything (2 or 4 gage) and quality, brand name wiring etc. for the install. Also make sure the box that you get is the right size for the subs. Some of the experts on here should be able to tell you more about that.

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U would be way better off to design and build a custom box, rather than just plop them in a generic one. I can help u with a custom sub box design if u have the ability to construct it yourself. I need to know what vehicle u have, and what kind of music u listen to.

i already have a custom sub box here... my car's a 1990 iroc-z camaro. i spent about a good year and a half getting the car into the low 12's, and now that it's plenty fast for me, i want to put a system in it so i can enjoy my music =)

i know the xplods aren't the best, but i got both the subs for 100$, brand new, and the amp for 100$ (brand new, too) as well. i bought the rockford wiring kit (Rockford Fosgate 4-Gauge 800W Car Amp Power/Signal Kit Model: CP4CKDS). ive been trying to look for a place online that shows how you can install the kit in a car, because ive never done anything like this before... i just need to know how i should wire both the subs to my amp to get the best sound, and ill try to figure out how to install the wiring kit myself (unless someone knows of a website that explains it, i would appriciate that as well) thanks guys

...and by the time you get that system and sound-deadening in the car you'll be hitting high 16's...... ;)

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Build the box so that it performs well in the worst case scenario and, in return, it will reward you at all times.

lol, i expect it to slow me down just a little... but with the ammount of cops roaming around in miami, it really doesnt matter how much the system slows me down. if im going to run my car against someone, it'll be against someone i know... and if i know im going to race, i'll take out the subs/amp/box, but yeah....

since my amp has 2 channels, could i wire each sub up to a different channel and get 200w @ 4ohms, or should i bridge them to one chan to get 250w @ 2 ohms and use the other channel for my rear speakers? thanks guys

Hey there, im running on some sony xplods, your a new member, a while back i encountered some
conflicts with some people in this forum. I posted up about getting some help with my sony system. and all they did was BAG on them instead of helping, but i'm over that. My whole systems sony, the deck, the subs, the amp. they're decent.

Anyways i'm running the xm-2200gtx and (2) of the 10" subs.

The best way to run it so you would get the most sound is wiring them

Bridge them to one chan and get 500 watts RMS x 1

https://www.sounddomain.com/sku/SONXM2200GTX

thanks a lot bangbang... lol ive noticed that not everyone likes sony, but i had a limited cash supply for a system, so this is what i got. again, thanks for your help, i appriciate it

Sure. No problem. Let me know if you need any more help.

Good Luck

^_^

is this how i should wire them? posted_image

damn... coppied the wrong link for the first one, so scratch that one... the one i ment to post was the (2) 4 ohms SVC speakers = 2 ohm Load

Yeah I noticed. I was thinking what the heck was the first one.

Wiring parellel like that is perfect. Heres another picture.

https://international.jbl.com/car/SubwooferWiring/2-4-2.asp?language=ENGLISH

Oh yeah make sure that channel "R" is the negative

and the channel "L" is the positive

would it be a good idea to wire the rear speakers to the 2nd channel on my amp? or is there another way of going at it?

What is the exact model of the sub amplfier? Do not continue to wire things blindly until we can verify the amps capabilities.

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Top Secret, I can tell you but then my wife will kill me.

posted_image

woah woah , u dont wire whats shown above into one channel.
your using the xm-2200gtx amp right? the "1200" watt sony amp right?
If so you do not wire that set of subs just to one channel and leaving the other channel open free.
the positive wire from the subs to the amp is connected to the "L" channel. which is to the left
of the high level input slot.
Then you would connect the negative wire from the subs to the "R" channel of the amp. which is
to the left of the orange 40amp fuses.

But correct me if i'm wrong?

forbidden wrote:

What is the exact model of the sub amplfier? Do not continue to wire things blindly until we can verify the amps capabilities.

Hey mentioned about 1200 watt sony amp.

I think its the xm-2200gtx amp

If that is the amp here is a link to the specs.

https://www.sounddomain.com/sku/SONXM2200GTX

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Do not wire it in any other fashion than running the amp in 2 channel stereo - meaning one sub hooked up to each channel or running it in bridged mono at 8 ohms like your first diagram showed. Any other wiring method other than these on the amp that bangbang listed will result in either failure of the amp and or subs.

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Top Secret, I can tell you but then my wife will kill me.

yeah, it's the xm-2200gtx amp

Perfect just wire those subs up like i wrote earlier.

BangBang wrote:

The best way to run it so you would get the most sound is wiring them Bridge them to one chan and get 500 watts RMS x 1

No, you wire bridged to 2 channels, not 1. That's what bridging means...bridging between two channels. You will not have another channel left over after bridging.

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Build the box so that it performs well in the worst case scenario and, in return, it will reward you at all times.

would it sound better if i bridged the subs? or put one sub on each channel?

You cannot bridge subs, you can bridge an amp. What this means is that in the case of a 2 channel amp, one channel is the negative and the other channel is the positive. In this case should you choose to bridge your amp there is only one possible safe way to do so, here it is. Failure to do this in this fashion will almost guarantee a failure of the amp or subs. I still however would put one sub to each channel.

Wiring Option #2
posted_image

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Top Secret, I can tell you but then my wife will kill me.

stevdart wrote:

BangBang wrote:

The best way to run it so you would get the most sound is wiring them Bridge them to one chan and get 500 watts RMS x 1

No, you wire bridged to 2 channels, not 1. That's what bridging means...bridging between two channels. You will not have another channel left over after bridging.

here incase you missed what i posted earlier.
This will help you understand what bridging means

Posted: May 26, 2004 at 6:23 PM - IP Logged

posted_image

???

If this is the same setup question that you IM'd me on earlier then your safest bet is to wire each sub to it's own channel for the 200x2@4ohms rating.

With (2) 4ohm SVC's you're limited in your wiring capibilities to wiring each sub independantly (stereo) at 4ohms per sub, wiring both subs in parallel mono/bridged at 2 ohms total, or both subs in series/parallel mono/bridged at 8ohms total.

With the amp specs you posted, you wont get squat out of the subs if you wired them in series/parallel at 8 ohms. You would maybe get 300 watts total, or apx 100 to 150 watts per sub.

You're amp isn't stable at a 2ohm mono load, so that counts out wiring them in parallel at 2 ohms. If you wired them in parallel at 2ohms, then you run a serious risk of damaging your amp and/or subs.

Thus, your best bet is to wire each sub to it's own channel in stereo at 4ohms per sub, and receive the apx. 200x2@4ohms rating.

Unfortunately your subs and amp are poor match for each other (and don't worry I'm not going to blast Sony in this post posted_image

). The diagram below is you're best (and safest) chance for success using your current equipment.

posted_image

Everyone has to start somewhere. Some people choose Sony, some Crunch, etc. No one gets into this game knowing everything there is to know, and no one can afford the best right off the bat! Don't let it get you down, keep learning, and boom responsibly.

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Squirrel
"No more Cpt. Kirk chit chat"
If its too loud, then you're too old
Donate to the12volt.com

for the record i have wired up my sony 10's with the new sony mono sub amp and a sony 5700 deck and it sounds very very nice

Each of my subs are getting 250watts rms (or there abouts) from the amp, so I would think yours would need more. Its actually pretty easy to install subs if you already have a deck wired. Just round the rca's from the back to the amp, run the turn on lead from the blue or blue/white wire from the deck harness (check which one it is) and run the power wire through your firewall to the amp. Make sure to fuse it with a 80amp fuse or so about a foot from the battery, use an inline fuse that came with that kit. Then just wire the speaker wires from the amp to the subs and you are set.

best of luck

Do your wiring, box building and get the stuff installed, then come back on here and we'll help you with setting the amp gain.

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Build the box so that it performs well in the worst case scenario and, in return, it will reward you at all times.

stevdart wrote:

BangBang wrote:

The best way to run it so you would get the most sound is wiring them Bridge them to one chan and get 500 watts RMS x 1

No, you wire bridged to 2 channels, not 1. That's what bridging means...bridging between two channels. You will not have another channel left over after bridging.

ignore stevdart he does not know mexican beans about this subject.

hez trying to correct me.

I wired up my subs exactly how i described.

and there not working.......??

cough* idoit cough*

stevdart wrote:

Do your wiring, box building and get the stuff installed, then come back on here and we'll help you with setting the amp gain.

Do your reading in this forum and stuff, then come back and try TRY to correct me.

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Setting gains

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Squirrel
"No more Cpt. Kirk chit chat"
If its too loud, then you're too old
Donate to the12volt.com

thanks for all your help guys. i have another question... there's a connector on the back of my amp with two white wires and two grey wires... since im new to this whole crap, what would i use those wires for? the rear speakers?

No problem.

Hey there stevdart Maybe you can do me a favor and help answer his question.

and i'll just follow along and learn something.

^_^

Chances are that these wires are on a small plug in molex? If this is the case they are probably a high level input and would not be used unless the cd player you are hooking up to does not have a rca preout.

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Top Secret, I can tell you but then my wife will kill me.

if it's the XM-2200GTX (the one that BangBang linked to earlier) then they're more than likely for the speaker/line level inputs. These are High Level inputs that are used if you are unable to run Low Level RCA's. Using RCA's for the input signal is the perfered method.

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Squirrel
"No more Cpt. Kirk chit chat"
If its too loud, then you're too old
Donate to the12volt.com

Sure, no problem Bang. But I'm just gonna have to take a guess at this because my mexican beans ran out. I would venture that those wires are for optional high-level connection and you won't use those. You will use RCA connectors to the head.

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Build the box so that it performs well in the worst case scenario and, in return, it will reward you at all times.

Hey sorry i dont have answer to your question about that one. because i dont have my owners manual to the amp with me. sorry i'm at work right now but as soon as i get home i will be able to answer your SONY questions .

ok, i think you guys are right about it being the optional high-level connection.

another question... on my amp wiring kit i bought... im kind of confused. i looked online for installation help, but i cant find any. my kit came with a fuse, but i have no idea where it goes. someone told me it goes on the wire that goes from the battery to the alt, but... as pictured, i dont see how it goes on the wire. is it supposed to be empty in the middle like it is, or am i missing something? =\ thanks for not throwing rocks at me for my stupid questions, lol

posted_image

Ummmm dude, tab A does not fit into slot B. What you have is an incompatable fuse. You have an AGU fuse holder, thus you need an Agu fuse. AGU fuses can go as high as 70 amps that I have seen. If the amount of fusing in the amplifier is greater than this then we will need a different type of fuseholder. What is the fuse rating of the fuse that is shown there? The fuseholder goes on the power line between the amp and the battery. It should be no more than 18" away from the battery. It is there to protect the vehicle from meltdown, it has nothing to do with the amp.

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Top Secret, I can tell you but then my wife will kill me.

1.             Ok, the amp kit you have, holds a AGU fuse in it.
2.             the green fuse that you have is a blade fuse. and will not fit in it.
3.             That wire that you are showing me does not go from the battery to the alternator.
          it goes from the battery to the amp.

let me see if i can get you a picture of what the fuse looks like

that is supposed to go in that fuse holder.

An AGU fuse is a round fuse (basically a glass tube with metal end caps). Forbidden and BangBang are correct, you need an AGU fuse to use with that holder, not a blade fuse. And also that the inline fuse goes between the battery and amplifier (within 18 inches of the battery), not the battery and alternator.

Here's a pic of AGU fuses
posted_image

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Squirrel
"No more Cpt. Kirk chit chat"
If its too loud, then you're too old
Donate to the12volt.com

the fuse says 60A on it...

i know im asking stupid questions, but thats because i don't know anything about this stuff, and im trying to learn instead of having someone do it for me. am i missing something in the pic?

damn im slipping =\ i ment to say amp lmao, not alt... i dunno how i made that mistake... but yeah

so i buy the fuse, but it in, and all goes well right? let me see if i get this right...

that wire goes from the amp to the battery with an AGU fues. black wire goes from amp to ground. there's another connector behind the amp that says REM. have no idea what goes there. these damn things don't come with installation instructions =\ RCA wires go from the output wires from the head unit (pioneer P760MP) to the input plugs of the amp. connect the subs to the channels the way that wvsquirrel showed me... is there anything else, and am i missing anything? like i've said sooo many times before, thanks in advanced... you dont know how many problems you guys have saved me from possibly having =)

what you are missing is the propper fuse posted_image

That fuse holder should unscrew on both ends. Inside it you should see a round connector on each end for holding the fuse.

And don't worry, there are no stupid questions except for the one you don't ask. No one started out knowing all this stuff. Good job trying to figure out how to wire everything yourself, it's fun to do (although it can be tedious at times!) And don't get discouraged if it doesn't work right away, you can always come back here and ask for more help!

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Squirrel
"No more Cpt. Kirk chit chat"
If its too loud, then you're too old
Donate to the12volt.com

the REM connection is for the remote wire. This wire is essential for the amp to work (it tells the amp to turn on and off!). There is a wire on the back of the headunit (usually blue with a white stripe) for the remote wire.

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Squirrel
"No more Cpt. Kirk chit chat"
If its too loud, then you're too old
Donate to the12volt.com

hmm... i know to get an AGU fuse, but i don't know how to figure out what size fuse to get. got any ideas?

there is a specific formula that is used but I can't remember it right off hand (I'm not a professional installer so I don't have them memorized!)

Let me see if I can find it and I'll let you know

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Squirrel
"No more Cpt. Kirk chit chat"
If its too loud, then you're too old
Donate to the12volt.com

I think a 60 amp fuse would do fine for you. The inline fuse protects your power line (based on the size), not the equipment that the line runs too (that's why you have fuses on the amplifier itself). Without an inline fuse you run a strong risk of frying your power wire if you pull more than the intended current through it (or if there's a short circuit).

Before anyone jumps on me here for the above statement, yes an inline fuse helps protect your equipment in the "overall" picture because it helps prevent problems before the current reaches the hardware. However, the immediate use of one is to keep your power wire from melting and/or catching on fire.

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Squirrel
"No more Cpt. Kirk chit chat"
If its too loud, then you're too old
Donate to the12volt.com

(Nobody here going to jump on you, my man, you are A-right on.) Fuse the wire to protect the car. And I will add that you can under-fuse the wire, but not over-fuse it. That is, you can use a smaller fuse if you wish, as long as it is large enough to equal the fuse rating of the amps that are using the wire. This 12volt chart is conservative, and you can't go wrong following these guidelines.

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Build the box so that it performs well in the worst case scenario and, in return, it will reward you at all times.

Here's some more info on fuses...
Basic Car Audio Electronics

There's another list similiar to the12volt list part way down the page.

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Squirrel
"No more Cpt. Kirk chit chat"
If its too loud, then you're too old
Donate to the12volt.com

something seems weird... i dont know how i would be able to fit an AGU fuse in there... it doesnt look like it would fit. posted_image

if you can, take a picture of the inside of the holder. Particularly where the fuse attaches.

What I'm woried about is that we may have jumped the gun based on your initial picture of the holder. Most inline fuse holders like that are either AGU or ANL (the smaller holders are usually AGU). We all just assumed that yours was AGU. Even more complicating is that I have seen some inline holders like yours that WILL accept the blade type fuses like the green one that you showed. Get me a picture of your holder opened and I can help more.

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Squirrel
"No more Cpt. Kirk chit chat"
If its too loud, then you're too old
Donate to the12volt.com

I need to see the inside section. Unscrew the endcaps and see if you can remove the center piece, then take another picture. Where did you order this from?

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Squirrel
"No more Cpt. Kirk chit chat"
If its too loud, then you're too old
Donate to the12volt.com

got it at best buy, ill take more right now hold up

posted_image

OK, we were wrong. That looks like an ANL fuse holder. ANL fuses will handle a higher current and AGU fuses and come anywhere from 60A - 300A
posted_image

On behalf of all of us that automatically assumed AGU, I apologize! That is definitely one of the smaller (length-wise) ANL holders that I've seen!

I'm still lery though, because the available length in the picture looks too small for an ANL fuse, but I haven't seen any other wafer-type fuses that would fit in there. My immediate suggestion is to take that holder into your local audio shop and ask to see an ANL fuse then make sure it fits (length-wise) before buying one.

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Squirrel
"No more Cpt. Kirk chit chat"
If its too loud, then you're too old
Donate to the12volt.com

it's ok =) you don't need to appologies, i appriciate all the help you've given me thus far. 60a fuse would be fine for my application correct?i guess i've asked all the questions i needed to ask =D thanks guys

Make sure to look where I updated my last post.

There are also bolt-on fuses that have a wafer-like appearance. The bolt-on fuses are about 2.68 inches long according to the bcae site. I've never used these before (or even seen them), but that holder is still bugging me as being an ANL holder and still so short.

And yes, a 60 amp fuse should still be fine if you're using 4awg wire and only pulling 300 watts RMS from the amp.

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Squirrel
"No more Cpt. Kirk chit chat"
If its too loud, then you're too old
Donate to the12volt.com