If I want to install A kicker, where do I go?

[Subject]
If I want to install A kicker, where do I go?
[Question]
do I just buy the amp and take it to an audio shop so they can install it because I dont know anything.

time is ticking @ 2009-02-08 23:20:29

[All Answers]
To 1999

Andy @ 2009-02-08 23:23:13

Why, so you can sound like every other cholo roller and gangbanger sleazebag out there? Kicker boxes are for guys with small penises, trying to compensate.



Spend your money on a good sound system with tweeters, high quality speakers and a good head unit.

Officer Friendly @ 2009-02-08 23:24:47

if you want to install a kicker and an amp the audio place would do it for you.

Kiloman @ 2009-02-08 23:24:51

Large electronics retail stores, such as Brandsmart, usually have the best prices and they also have installation shops. Customer satisfaction is also guaranteed, so if you have any complaints, you stand a better chance of having them resolved. Good Luck.

Emery J @ 2009-02-08 23:28:29

Officer Friendly, you are not very nice. and 1999 same...



The asker did not say he was installing SUBWOOFERS...



He said Kicker AMP!



Amp's can be used to run good Component Speakers, 6x9's, tweeters, coaxials, triaxials and yes subwoofers too.



But you guys just assumed he's running subwoofers...Which MIGHT be true, but your comments are of no use to anyway. Like telling someone what to do with their money and car is any of your business anyway....and it's not like you are going to convince the whole world that they should not use subwoofers or turn up their car audio.



Anyway to answer the question, I would suggest taking it to a respectable car audio installer in your area. Ask to see some pictures of their installs, and possibly ask some of your friends who mave have stuff like this installed in their cars to see what their opinions are. They may know just the right place or might be able to help you install etc (But make sure they know what they are doing).



There are places out their like Car Toys that will be better than the average Best Buy. But depending on the area you are located, there may be better stores that could do the install.

mrwakeup @ 2009-02-08 23:30:54

[Subject]
Brand new car speakers sound distorted nothing wrong with speakers.?
[Question]
I was wondering if anyone can help me trouble shoot this.



I had 2 older speakers in my 2001 mistubishi eclipse and had an after market cd player installed and when i turn the volume up to 25 or higher it sounds really distorted but when I have it so it only places the front speakers it plays just fine i can go up to 35 with no problems...



I added 2 new 6x9s in the back and they sound just as distorted as the old speakers when i have it higher than 25....



I was wondering if this can be because it has bad connection / wires with both of the back speakers.



Thanks a lot!
It is a Clarion DB185MP. I read reviews on this product and everyone has good things to say about it its 50x4 max and 20x4 RMS.



Pretty nice cd player. Thanks a lot for all your answers.. I'll probly add my 800 watt to the 700 watt speakers and only have half of the power going to the speakers.

pimpju1ce021 @ 2009-02-08 21:44:51

[All Answers]
you need to turn the bass down at high volume or get an amp for those 6x9s

keepinitoldskool @ 2009-02-08 21:50:23

You definately need to hook up a amp.Just a little 4 channel amp,(50x4) and you will be good to go!!

ed e @ 2009-02-08 22:21:56

a amp will definently help. because your 6x9s are new they will more then likely draw more power then anything abit older and as such will not have enough power to run at higher volume without being distorted.

also what kind of head unit did you get in? if its a decent brand then you shouldn't have to worry bout this, but wen i bought ma car they put in a brand new Axis head unit. problem was that Axis is cheap stuff and I discovered that two of the RCA preouts had distortion comeing out of then, could possibly be a cause.

phillz91 @ 2009-02-08 22:30:28

check the wires in the back of the deck leading to your back two speakers and make sure they are wired correctly. Sometimes people wire negative and positive together and will mess up the signals into either not playing loud or distorting. Also check the wires on the back of the speakers for the same issue.



The amp would be a good idea too once you get the problem figured out.

sl0wm03 @ 2009-02-09 00:07:43

[Subject]
Jl vs Alpine, Which One Is Better?
[Question]
Does Anyone Know Which Brand Is Better? Either For Their Speakers, Amps or Subs. Any Information On Either Would Be Great

Gyro_Robo @ 2009-02-08 20:03:02

[All Answers]
haha

Alpine makes better speakers

JL makes better subs

JL doesn't make head units

JL has better amps although Alpine amps are good.

The bad thing about JL is that it's way over-priced.

JL is a little bit higher quality but costs way more.

Alpine Type X speaker line is just awesome.

Hope this helped.

mxcrazy123 @ 2009-02-08 20:12:14

I would go with Alpine for the cleaner sound and reliablity.

MICHAEL S @ 2009-02-08 20:14:36

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wdhf h @ 2009-02-08 20:23:10

alpine baby!!!

alex a @ 2009-02-08 21:25:59

[Subject]
Does the pioneer sub sound good?
[Question]
Pioneer TS-W256DVC

10" subwoofer witha 800 watt peak and 350 rms. 4 ohm and 4 layer aluminum voice coil.Sensitivity 87 dB

Frequency Response 18 Hz - 2.5 kHz

83 oz. Double Mass High-Power Magnet Construction

dmurguia22 @ 2009-02-08 21:13:16

[All Answers]
im not sure to tell you the truth because pioneer subs arnt all that. pioneer is mainly good at speakers and head units. not that well at making good hard hitting subs. when it comes to good subs i would go with kicker, mtx, alpine, rockford fosgate, or jl audio.

lilspic_91 @ 2009-02-08 21:18:02

to tell u the truth its all about kicker or alpine!!

kicker is one of the bes brands out there

alex a @ 2009-02-08 21:20:37

Honestly-In that same price range, I would go for a MTX.I have a 12"

sledgehammer running on 300 watts,and it sounds awesome!!!

ed e @ 2009-02-08 22:29:10

From having no bass, or no subwoofers, these will sound fine. Now if you are comparing it to OTHER subwoofers, these are not very good sounding subs.



Some things to think about when hunting/shopping for subs...



What do you want the sound of the bass to sound like. Range of the bass? Are you into just wanting to add to your sound...and not care weather bass is accurately portrayed or how low and loud it gets? Or are you into SPL (Sound pressure level?) SQ (Sound Quality) or SQL (both SPL and SQ)?



If you are into SPL or SQ or Both, this subwoofer is not any of these. It is more along the lines of to get you buy type of a sub and more along the lines of just giving you some bass response and sound etc.



If you could give us an idea of the types of music you like to listen to or the application that you want to use these subs for, then that could help us figure out what you are really looking for.



Also some other brands out there aside from Kicker, JL, MTX, Rockford Fosgate etc, are Fi Car Audio, Resonant Engineering (RE Audio,) Digital Dimensions (DD Audio), Elemental Designs (ED), Phoenix Gold, Memphis, MMats, Atomic, Sound Solutions, and Quite a few more. Some of the ones listed above are found amoung the car audio enthusiasts. Most of these lines of subs etc, are not found in the average Best Buy or Circuit City stores.



And are generally considered SOMETIMES better than the traditional Alpine, JL, MTX, Rockford Fosgate etc...

mrwakeup @ 2009-02-08 22:48:23

[Subject]
Would I be safe doing this?
[Question]
Would I be safe if I did 2 x 1000 Watt RMS amps, and 2 15" Kicker L7's on a 110 AMP Alternator?



I am currently doing 1000 RMS on 1 15" L7 and am having no problems at all, no dimming...

Any help would be appreciated.

MJ_3000 @ 2009-02-08 20:40:01

[All Answers]
it would probably be pulling to much but its not that bigger deal im running basically the same system in a kombi and still haven't up graded the alt (not recomending that though)

good luck

caveman @ 2009-02-08 20:51:46

That's alot of power for a little alternator, but you have a battery to help....check the side of the amps and see what the total amperage of the fuses will take...if you have 2 40 amp fuses on each, that's 160 ampres. That's what they will pull on a strong bass note and heavy load. Also check the ohm value of the speaker. The lower the ohm load, the more power the amp will put out. So if it's 1000wattsx1@2ohms, and your speaker is wired at 2 ohms, your gonna pull that full 80 ampres on each one. If you have a good battery, that will be the only thing that helps. Your battery is where your amps pull power from, the alternator just charges the battery. Make sure you have a good battery, like an Optima yellow top, Stinger, Odyssey, or a new one called Shuriken. These are designed just for big systems. If you have a problem w/ your lights dimming or your amps clipping/turning off, then look into a bigger alternator.

prodoffl @ 2009-02-08 20:59:13

You could do it but you won't really be getting 2000w RMS from your amps. It could cause premature failure of your alternator and/or battery.



2000w output / 0.8 (80% efficient amp (class D)) = 2500w input.

So you need 2500 watts to fully power your system.

2500w / 14.4V (running voltage of car) = 174A.



That means you need 174 amps just to power your system. That does not include what your car needs for it's regular duties.



As you can see, the only way to fully power your amps is to get a bigger alternator. You would need a high output alternator in excess of 250A in order to fully power your system.



You should also do the "big 3" upgrade. It is a must when running that much power and if you upgrade your alternator.



http://www.highoutputalternator.com/TechCalcs/alternatorcurrentratingcalculator.htm

http://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp~TID~73496~PN~1



Good Luck!!!



Edit: I just wanted to comment on a statement prodoffl made....



prodoffl said that the power comes from the battery and not the alternator. Well this is partly true but not really the right way to look at it. The alternator is hooked up to the battery and your system. The alternator is wired in parallel with the battery and your amp(s). So your system is really hooked up to both.



The alternator is what produces all electrical power in your car. The battery is just a storage device.



One way to think about it is this...

Say you have a water pump producing 100 gallons a minute. Now say that water pump is hooked up to a storage tank. The storage tank is hooked up to a hose. Now say you want the hose to spray 150 gallons a minute. The hose will be able to do this for a little while if the tank is full to start with. However, after a while your tank is going to get lower and lower. Unless your water pump can put out 150 gallons a minute or more you will not be able to continue to spray 150 gallons a minute from the hose.



In that analogy the water pump would be the alternator, the water tank would be the battery, and the spray from the hose would be the demand from your system.

MDC @ 2009-02-08 20:59:20