Finally Almost Done

So, i've been waiting for something major to happen to my system before I posted my lastest pics. With the addition of my new 4-channel front stage amp, I am able to adjust time-delay to each individual drivers. That is good enough for me! It made a huge improvement. Not only can I adjust each drivers' time-delay, but I can now attenuate the tweeters via fader control -Whoo Hoo!

Here's the setup!

The power source - Factory 105amp alternator, Big3 in 4g, dual Yellowtops.

HU - Alpine CDA-9830 The only processing i'm using is the time-delay.

Front Stage Amp - Alpine MRP-F240

Front Stage - Silver Flute W14RC24 4ohm and Alpine SPS-1015

Front Stage X-overs - Original passives (12dB per octave @ 4,000Hz) on tweeters, handmade Jantzen passives for midwoofers (waiting on caps to complete them - 12dB per octave @ 3,500Hz)

Sub Amp - Directed XA8001 (300 @ 4ohms, 420 @ 2ohms. It's loaded @ 4) *I'll spare you the pic. The amp serves its' purpose, though.

Sub - 10" Boston G5 (dual 4ohm, 1 coil is fried...) in 1.5cubic feet @ 26.6Hz. This little 10" rocks! Goes DEEP, and sounds great!

Upgrades? - Waiting on caps to complete l/p x-over for midwoofers. Waiting on Harrison FMods to have the correct subsonic filter (@ 25Hz). I may install an Alpine 9 band EQ. That is, if it has no alternator whine. I'll have to see. ACTIVE!! I'll go active before I build new passives for the Alpine tweeters...

I'll guess that everything you see here I got for under $700. Wiring, box, everything... All installed by ME! It sounds great to me. Plenty loud (windows down @ 70mph) and sounds great. All the time do I get jealous looks from guys in their mid-life crisis driving their beamers appreciating my clear sound when I pull up to them! Nothing like it!

Let me know what you think! If I upgrade anything, i'll post it!

EDIT: I would like to thank haemphyst and i am an idiot for all the help!

i am an idiot wrote:

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Cool, I hope you have NO engine noise?    Fingers crossed!!

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NONE! It must've been the old Clarion amp.

New upgrade possible! I just aqquired an Eclipse EA3422. It does 50 x 4 @ 4ohms, 70 @ 2.

I really want to swap it in place of my MRP-F240 (40 @ 4, 50 @ 2) and see how much cleaner the sound will be, but I want to at least bridge 2 channels to my Boston to see if it would be worth it there...

Any suggestions? Comments?

I appreciate the advice, but yellowtops are sealed...

Why are you only using the trunk battery for your entire car?

Gotta love the 9830.  I have one also.  I dig mine.

You got the makings of a smooth trunk,  i would redo some of it though.  Get some MDF and build some cover panels.  Those wells the one where you have your battery and on the other side make killer places to do amp racks, and other stuff.

How do those Boston subs sound??  I have often thought about trying them out.

Other than that looks great.

upscaler.

Thanks for the reply, upscaler. I'm glad I was worthy of your first post here. Welcome to the12volt.com! I love my 9830, also. The only thing I wish it has is 3way crossovers. Oh, well! It's an '04 model and it's still up to par with newer models! Anyway, I don't want to trim out my trunk area as my car is a junker. I've been having tire problems lately (3 flats in about 2months. allright now...) so getting to my jack, etc... is important to me. Nothing like getting a flat and then having to remove everything from the trunk just to change the tire. Also, my sub amp is mounted the the back of the rear seat to allow better cooling (very inefficient amp! gets hot!) for it, so I don't need an amp rack or anything in the trunk. I can't speak for the lower model Boston subs (G3, G2, G1...) but my G5 is awesome! It shakes the dash @ 20Hz, and sounds great all the way up to where my midbasses kick in. I'd like to hear the SPG555 one day.

twigsound, I'm sorry to hear about your battery blowing up on you. Now is the chance to get a battery identical to your rear one, within 6months old of it. Get on it! Whoo-cha!

Oh, and I did upgrade to the Eclipse EA3422 (50 x 4 @ 4ohms, 70 @ 2) for my front stage...

It sounds a good bit better than the Alpine MRP-F240 (40 x 4 @ 4ohms, 50 @ 2), and has better midbass -mostly due to the adjustable h/p filter (the MRP-F240 is set @ 80Hz, blah!).

Let me know what you think! Tell my about experiences with any of this gear that you may have had...

I am like you I dig the 9830 and yeah it is still on par with the newer models.  I have never tried the Boston subs, but their coaxes and plates are amazing.  I hear good stuff about the Eclipse amps, never used one though.

I understand your dilemma with the tires, I don't blame you I wouldn't want to haul everything out just to change a tire either.

Thanks,

Upscaler

Pic, so you guys don't think i'm lying...

https://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb103/jmelton86/Stereo%20Junk/ea3422.jpg

Dual Orbital yellowtops. Front battery grounded in 4g. Rear battery grounded in double 2g. Big3 in 4g. Batterys are paralleled with 4g, fused d-block in between for sub-amp power. 8g (fused @ 80a) from d-block to sub amp. Mains amp has dedicated 8g from front battery. Both amps grounded in 8g (soon to up to 4g for amp power/gound).

16g wire ran to each front stage speaker (4 runs, one for each tweeter, one for each mid). 12g wire for sub.

All wiring is Monster, RF, and Raptor (get it through my work -decent wire). All fuse blocks are Monster, RF, and Belden.

Why would we think you are lying??

Upscaler

upscaler wrote:

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Why would we think you are lying??

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I was wondering the same thing.   I would hate to see you guys if you ever got your hands on a real Alpine Deck.  CDA-9815 here.  No it is not for sale.

...Just looked up that 9815. Grrr! It just has to have 6channel TD and 6position crossovers...

GRRR! lol

Update!

I've removed my SSF. I had an MTX active x-over for my SSF @ 32Hz and was using the amps' LPF. Well, the amp is of low quality (DEI Xtreme) so it was killing my SQ.

I now have turned the amps' x-over off and am only using the MTX as the LPF.

SQ has gone WAY up, and the low-end is much (MUCH) louder! I did test for bottoming out by playing Late Nite Tip (slowed, hehehe) with the volume cranked and it was all good!

I can't explain in words how much better the lows are. I can finally get my trunk lid, dash, steering wheel, and rear (speaker) panel moving

After removing the SSF and upgrading my amp wires to 4g, the bass can sometimes make me feel kinda nauseous (sp?) at times. Especially on screwed music.

It's not too bad, but barely noticeable. It  just moves so much more air!

It's freakin awesome! One 10"!

Well, i've been thinking that one of the coils on my sub was blown, but it's not!

I figured 'WTH', so I removed the sub from the box and checked each coil... they both read 3.2ohms. Woot woot.

Sooo, I wired the sub to 2ohms and let me tell you, it is MUCH louder. It's gotta be about 4- 6dB's louder. It's got my rear speaker deck as well as the trunk lid bouncing pretty well! I'll update with a video as soon as I can get ahold of a camera.

pretty nice numbers.  Congratulations.  The term lab is the bomb ain't it.

Tim

Thanks.

I didn't get much time with it, so those are the only tones/ only song I played. I could've hit 140 with a different song, or with both windows down, or something. But i'm satisfied.

yeah i dont blame you, one 10 and 400 watts and some change, that is pretty good.

Tim

Upgrade! I removed the (crap) Directed Xtreme XA8001 and replaced it with a Rockford Fosgate Punch 601S. It's a 2channel. I traded a RF Punch 75.2 and a Concept CC-504A for it.

I've got it bridged @ 8ohms -for ~300watts (it claims 600 bridged @ 4) and it's just as loud as the XA8001 (pushing ~420watts), but it sounds MUCH better! It is FAR more musical.

I like those PDX amps, everything about them is nice, the look, the power, the footprint.

Nice upgrade,

Tim

Alright, I got an Alpine MRP-M450 (400watts @ 2ohms) on my sub now. Sounds good.

I'll be changing out the Eclipse 4channel for the PDX4.100 tomorrow. My front stage will be getting twice the power. I'll update when I can have a good listen to it. I'm really excited! I'm sure the PDX will really liven up my front stage!