newbie, new system, terminology?

hey im looking into getting a system for my car and i have been searching and reading about amps and subwoofers but something always starts to confuse me...

can someone explain what ohm is to me?
and
say i were to buy two 300 watt 12" kicker comp subwoofers ...they are 4ohm a piece

what would be a good amp to power them? how would u know what would be a good amp to power them? just incase i change my mind about the subs

also what does the mono, 2, and 4 channel mean?

say i were to buy an Xplod 1200watt amplifier which puts out 200 watts RMS per channel at 4ohm

so if i were to buy two 12" kicker comp subs that have a 300 watt peak

would that be bad since each channel is only putting out 200 watt

in power if the amp 200 watts rms will not hurt a 150 watt kicker. go by the rms rating of both amps and speakers/subs. never use max ratings as a reference. and if it were me i would not buy a sony.

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any suggestions to a good amp that will power the two Kicker 12” Comp Subwoofers without like stessing the amp or subs

ohms is a must you have to learn before you do any type of set-up.  a mono amp has one output or one channel. 2-4 channel means you have 2 or 4 speaker outputs. the easy way to set up your subs is with a small 300 watt mono amp at 2 ohms.   check out ohms law at the left hand side of this screen and then check out woofer calculators.

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i just found out the subs are 150 RMS each

im just wondering should i get an amp that puts out more or less RMS per channel?

and thanks ill go read that

the alpine mrp-m350 would be a great match.

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more than the rms

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ya, you would want an amp somewhat bigger that what the total rms is. so if u have 150watts rms per speaker then thats total 300..  so the Alpine MRP-M350 would be a great choice. 350watts x 1. thats 175 per sub.

you want an amp which is somewhat bigger than what you need so you are pushing your amp to the limits. got me?

hey himhim, you dont really need a 2 channel amp for subs cuz.. you dont need a left and a right.

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SSounds

i dont need a left and a right?

ill have 2 subs so one would be on the left and one would be on the right....right?

also how would i wire the 2 subs to a mono amplifier in a parallel circuit?

I suggest the following.  If what you want is a system in your car first decide how much money you want to spend and what you want out of your system, then go to a good car audio shop in your area (not Best Buy or Circuit City, a car audio shop) and make a deal with professional installation included.  Expect to spend a little more than you planned, but it will be worth it in the long run.

If you want to learn, start reading with the links on the left side of this site titled "Car Audio."  Also read everything you can on THIS site.  Spend the time to go through these things and come back here with your questions.

It's good to want to do it yourself, it's good to want to learn, and if you can spend the time and exercise some patience to read first before you start jumping in you will be happier, safer, and have a better system for it.

Cheers.

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well see im installing it myself its just im getting confused with the ohm and stuff which i think i understand now but... im just wondering how a parallel circuit would work...

are there like 2 pos/2 neg teminals on the sub?

like now im thinking two 12" kicker comp subs and a bazooka monoblock amplifier which puts out 300 RMS and each sub is 150 RMS

150 x 2 = 300 so sounds good to me, if im not mistaken

its just when i looked at the diagram of wiring a parallel circuit it confused me

Like I said...

DYohn] wrote:

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f you want to learn, start reading with the links on the left side of this site titled "Car Audio."  Also read everything you can on THIS site.  Spend the time to go through these things and come back here with your questions.

It's good to want to do it yourself, it's good to want to learn, and if you can spend the time and exercise some patience to read first before you start jumping in you will be happier, safer, and have a better system for it.

Cheers.

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alright thanks i mean i have been reading...just a little confused about some things.. but then again this is probably the best site i found with info so ill just read around for a little while

last things i have to ask

is an RCA cable required to connect ur amp to the head unit? if so, any suggestions to a good buy?

and

im looking into buying a Tsunami power kit and i see the power wire, ground wire, and a set of 18 gauge blue and black wire...if that the wire i use to connect the amp to subs with? by cutting, stripping, and soldering them

If you are running an after market head unit with pre amp outputs, I would suggest you use RCA's. The other option is to use a high to low converter, but there will be loss of sound quality this route.

The speaker wire must be cut and stripped. However depending on the speaker, it can vary. Some have spring connectors that simply require bare wire, whil others require soldering or crimp on conectors.

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ok also isn't there supposed to be a thin wire going from the amplifier, i think in a spot labeled REM, and then to the receiver?

Your remote wire can be run with the RCA's from the deck to the amp.

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is it a must to have even if i dont have an aftermarket head unit

What are you referring to?

The remote yes, other wise the amp won't run on.

The RCA's, no. Like I mentioned above your alternative is to use a high to low converter. Either way you will need signal to the amp.

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well your remote wire turns your amp on and off. i'd say it's a must.. just buy some rca's that have it built into the rca's. or just grab some say 16guage wire and connect it to your remote lead on your after market Head Unit. run it back to the REM terminal on your amp.  there are many ways to turn your amp on and off.. keep it simple..

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SSounds

himhims3lf, since you don't seem to want to take my advice and look for yourself, I'll spoon feed you.  Please start here:  https://www.bcae1.com/installationprimer.htm

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Dyohn, thanks... make things much easier huh.... but by the way.. was that a golden spoon?

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SSounds

lol sorry Dyohn i have been reading on the site but i just quite find what i was looking for

himhims3lf wrote:

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lol sorry Dyohn i have been reading on the site but i just quite find what i was looking for

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Cool.  But really, since you are an obvious newbie and don't seem to understand the basics, your best bet is to pay for a pro to help you out.  No offense, but that'd really be your best bet.  We all started out that way.  Cheers.

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I agree here its not a thing you can do straight away. I strongly agree you should not try it. You don't even know ohms law which is the most basic knowledge needed. You might cause a fire, and loose your whole car. Just go to a shop, and ask to observe the install saying you want to know basics.

i have been looking online at the set up i want to buy...

amp
subs
wires power/ground and rca)

one thing i can't find though is the REM wire ... and then something occured to me that either the website im looking on sucks...or!...

does it come with the amp? lol

A remote turn on is nothing more than a wire from a sepecific output (usually called "sys. rem.") on the deck that goes straight to the amp. It sends a 12volt signal to the amp.

A wire between 18-12 guage, in any color you like may be used! 

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well...most amp wiring kits do come with a remote on wire (any deicent kits)  all the ones i've used and sell include the fuse and holder, power wire, ground wire, rca's, remote wire, wire loom, zip ties, and terminals.  nice little bundle. 

himhim : i agree with the others about takeing it to the shop, my knowledge is only a fraction of dyohns and dwarren's and if i get stuck i go to higher people. but my first system i installed without knowing what to do almost cause me to trash my car,, (sure, it was only a hyandai excel 1991 ) but i was driving and the wires were run under the box and they eventually rubbed all the insulation off and crossed blowing my orion 250SX amp (luckly i got it fixed, just the power supply) but i was driving when that happend and filled the car with smoke causeing vision problems.  befor i did that i read all i could. but there is some things that you will not read, only experiance can teach you. and with you takeing it to a shop you can ask what he's doing and maybe pick up on some of those things. even if you just have him wire up the deck and run all the wires for your amp. just to make sure it's done right and you wont have to worry about letting the magic smoke out of your equipment for something as little as not securing the box down.

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Tri County KustomZ
certified installer

is this setup a good choice

two kicker 12" comp subwoofers series C124
Alpine MRP-M350
kicker 8 gauge amp power kit

amps are in a sealed enclosure

Amp runs at 350 RMS and the subbs are 150 RMS each

also i have a question...as i was looking at powering kits they had powering kits from 2 channel and 4 channel...both had the RCA cables

but the amp is a mono ...yet all RCA cables say 2 or 4 channel on their desciptions...can someone explain this to me?

himhims3lf wrote:

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amps are in a sealed enclosure

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I am going to assume you meant the subs...So have you actaully listened to this setup? That would be the first thing to do. People can give you opinions on the quality of the gear all day, but your taste in how it sounds will vary.

I think this is a very reasonable starting point. It isn't an overly powerful setup, and the products chosen aren't bad at all. (no a-bahn, pyle, jensen, etc).

As far as the rca's go, if a mono or two channel amp is the only one in use, all you will need is a two channel rca cable.

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