I installed my sound system on my car last week but I was disapointed with the results.
Here's what I have:
Stock 2004 Hyundai Elantra GT Stereo (Kenwood KDC-MPV622)
All my speakers are sony since I liked how they sound at Best Buy which are:
6x9 xs-v6933 50rms/240max @4ohm
5 1/2 FRC4306 50/100 @4ohm
12" subs xs-l121p5 350/1200
I have 3 RF amps:
P8002 2400max, 200x2 @4ohm, 400x2 @2ohm, 800x1 @4ohm
I have two small amps my borther gave me which say 45w RMS
I'm not sure what model they are.
DEQ-9200 EQ.
Marine Blue Top battery (the biggest 12v they sell).
Sound dampening material troughout.
Problems
It sounds bad, as in not good. I have really deep bass which is becoming disturbing.
The EQ has some anoying static at low levels which I now discovered that it was common.
I'm getting alternator noise when accelerating, and I think I heard my belt spinnig twice.
I used some RF RCA's from the head unit to the EQ but the rest of the wires are cheap from ebay and osh.
Questions.
Does the number of strands a wire has matter with ony heat diffusion and flexibility, or is there something else?
If I run 3 6gauge wires is it the same as a 4 gauge?
Are there any shielded power cables?
I was wondering if the head unit I have is good enough for my system or if I should install a sony cdx-f7700 I have. With the eq in place will it make a difference?
Does anyone have any suggestions on what to change on my system? I bought all my speakers an my amp from Best Buy with an extended warranty (4yrs). They have been defective but I just retun them and get a new one or upgrade. This is the 3rd amp I have. One I just retuned and the RF 801 I last had blew. This is my third set of 12" I have and the second stereo. You gotta love waranties.
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Poly Dollies
(1) the # of stands in the wire has alot to do with flexibility of the wire and the amount of current that wire can carry. The higher the strand count, the more surface area that particular wire has to carry current in.
(2) No it is not, it is probably more that a single 4 guage.
(3) Not that I have ever seen.
(4) you have major issues with how you use your system and how it is set up. If we can get you to use the system properly and get it set up proerly, this should keep you from blowing things up.
Alternator noise is not your friendd by the sounds of it. This is problem#1
You have a cluster**** of stereo equipment that is not matched together properly. This is problem #2
You are not happy with the sound. This is problem #3
Address problem #3 first. It will affect #2 and #1
I would start by eliminating that eq altogether. What are the other 2 amplifiers that you are using? Who installed the equipment? Where is the equipment grounded to?
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Top Secret, I can tell you but then my wife will kill me.
Welllll......yes warrantees are good. BUT if your blowing stuff every other day, you might want to come to an understanding that, maybe the reason why some of the stuff is becoming defective is due to improper installation. With that said, as far as the engine noise... it is more than likely coming from 1 of 2 things, or both.
1. bad ground(s)
2 .RCA wires crossing power wires
But like Forbidden asked...Who installed the equipment?
Installation is the key to making you system sound decent.
I grounded all of my components to the same point on bare metal. My EQ has a control unit with a separete face plate extension. Now I realized that I ran the RCA cable right next to it and it provably has some power since it has to light up the face plate. I also ran the speaker cables to my front speakers righ next to the RCA on the right side of the car. I ran the rest of my power cables on the left side of the car.
My grounds are good but I need to separate the EQ faceplate line away from my signal wires. But I still get an alternater whine with the EQ disconnected.
Why do you think that my system is mismatched? I have all sony speakers, all RF amps, I'll try the sony deck in a few days, and I'll provably get rid of the EQ. I'll just have sony and RF. Isn't that a good match?
When I install systems for my friend I take all the precautions to protect their systems but I like to push the little that I have to it's limits. It's not like I blow things frequently. This has been over the span of 2yrs.
Should I upgrade to higher quality power cable? What do you recommend for the amount of power I'm pulling?
Hope you can help.
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Poly Dollies
I would take out the EQ, and see what happends then, or find a way to ground your stuff straight to the chassis of the car, but im pretty sure that your engine noise is coming from a bad ground somewhere.