just put a sub and amp in my cutlass. for some reason the sub is barely flexing and im not sure why.?

Question 1
just put a sub and amp in my cutlass. for some reason the sub is barely flexing and im not sure why.?...  For some reason it flex's a little bit but not even enough to really out pound my 6x9's. the sub is a 12 inch infinity and the 6x9's are alpine type S. I bought the sub and amp from my friend with all the wiring and he installed it all for me. In his car is pounded at full power on his explorer stock head unit. in mine its not quite hittin it. Im driving a 99 cutlass and i have a pioneer after market head unit that should support this setup with ease. what could the problem be?

Answers
1)   your driving a 99 cutlass with subs. that is the problem. - MC123

2)   His explorer is a hatch which would put the sub in the same compartment as the listener. You may need 2 12s and more power to get the same effect in car trunk - rehpotsirhc

3)   might be a short somewhere - Chris

4)   you could have the sub wired in series and the amp can be seeing an large ohm load so your amp isn't putting out much power. Also check you setting on your head unit. You could have the sub level all the way down. Its the little stuff that is usually the problem - That Guy

5)   Check the ground. If it is just a sheet metal screw to a piece of the body then it may not be sufficient for your amp. To find a better ground look for a large bolt such as a seatbelt braket or something. Sand off any paint to ensure good contact. If the ground is good then I would start checking the settings on the radio. Some have settings just for the rca out levels. - tyler

6)   I would check your head unit to see what the gain is set on. If its low then thats your problem. If not then I would turn the gain/power up on the amp, not so much that it distorts but enough to where it has some good flex. If none of this does it then id say either you have a bad connection somewhere or your amp is too small.



I would fold your back seats down to get more bass - Eric

7)   MC123, the real problem here is that your an idiot. Why talk smack about someones car. Why, do you drive a Pinto? I drive a G35. How about you?



Eric, what planet are you from? The gain is not on the stereo, the gain is located on the amp and is properly set with a voltmeter. You need to figure out what your talking about before you give advice.



Check the sub level on the head unit, check to make sure that the sub is wired correctly. The description that your giving says that the sub is not wired correct. When it is wired wrong you get barely any sound at all. - georgewillings


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Question 2
Adding aux input to stock stereo.?...  I know there's a way to add a sub out to a stock stereo but can you add a aux input to one so you can play a ipod on it?

Answers
1)   no you cannot add one. If you want to play your ipod through it you will need an fm transmitter, or replace the radio - That Guy

2)   you can use one of those tape deck things for a audio player lke ipod etc. but sounds crapy , best to buy like a 100 dollar one that already has aux there - Chris

3)   Yeah i have stock radio the only way is a FM transmitter they sound alright but that's the only way. - Hunter

4)   Yes through an FM transmitter but none of them sound that good. I had one and hated it so i bought an $80 kenwood head unit and now i have aux input and pre-amp outs and I can play cds. I would definately recommend getting a new head unit. - Eric

5)   wow all answers are WRONG, yes most likely there is a way to add auxiliary audio input to your factory radio ,you didn;t list a year or model



go here and click on your vehicle logo

http://www.oemautosound.com/c-20-auxiliary-input.aspx - conejote_99


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Question 3
how to hook up my ipod to my car stereo?...  I know how to put rca cables into the back of my car stereo but my amp is hooked to the only 2 input spots is there anyway to hook the amp and the the other rca cables to the radio? please help

Answers
1)   if you have those aux. plug-ins you can buy one of those double sided headphones that don't have the headphones but the plug part. haha. or if you have a tape inserter, then you can buy one of those tape s that have the headphone thing in that you can put in your car and plug in your iPod. - Peace_Love_AllTimeLOw

2)   You plug your Iphone into an FM transmitter, and your stereo will pick it up like a station. - Baccheus

3)   they are rca adaptors that will allow u to use both the amp and ipod cable. like this http://www.cablesnmor.com/rca-y-cable.aspx so u will need 2, u connect the black parts to the radio. then connect the amp to the white from one cable and the red from the other, and connect the ipod cable to the red from one cable and to the white from the other cable - ryaud

4)   If you have a headphone jack labeled aux in then you can get the cable for it at radio shack or maybe even walmart. If not then the easiest way would be with an fm transmitter that attatches to your ipod (also available at radio shack or walmart). - tyler


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Question 4
It is safe to use 6 gauge wiring instead of recommended 4 gauge?...  I already have a 6 gauge wiring set up in my car.. upgrading to better amp and subs.. The amp is rated at •400 watts RMS x 1 at 4 ohms (600 watts RMS at 2 ohms) It is going to power 2 infinitiy kappa series 12" subs. Is it safe to hook these up tomorrow with the current wiring set up 6 gauge or is it necessary to upgrade to the 4 gauge wiring? Let me know. I want a safe car... lol what dangers will be present if i hook them up tonight to the 6 gauge. Hurry and Thanks ahead of time!!! By the way the amp is an infinity reference series 1600a mono amp

Answers
1)   It may blow a fuse intermitantly - Problemsolver

2)   it will be fine, but like the other guy said, it may blow a few fuses - Tiny

3)   http://www.crutchfield.com/learn/learningcenter/car/cable_gauge_chart.html

you will be fine - inktownlegend

4)   Using a different gauge of wire will not cause any fuses to blow. If you use a smaller gauge of wire than that called for in the instructions, it will simply raise the impedance (resistance) of the circuit and you won't get quite as much power getting through to the speakers on loud passages, especially in the bass, but I doubt you would notice the difference. If you use a larger gauge of wire than that called for, it won't make any difference at all; you will get maximum power to the speakers all the time, because the wire won't "eat up" any of the power. Go ahead and use the 6 gauge, it's quite safe. - TitoBob


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Question 5
is it the lower bass that shakes your body, or the louder volume...?...  I don't need a lesson on wattage...or impedance, or really the difference between sealed or ported or bandpass enclosures...



I want my subwoofers to shake your chest when you get into my small sports car. I was looking at some orion hcca competition subs, but I am not ready to drop over $1000 on some subwoofers...(I know where to get dealer pricing)...



Instead, I am looking at an orion amp, and 2 sony type r's...I was wondering if it is the louder volume that shakes your chest, or if it is the lower range...



please only answer if you know what you are talking about, ie have professional experience...I don't care if you have the loudest sound system in your high school...
I mean that lower frequency... And, I already know about covering the spectrum...I have upgraded my car speakers, and have 75 watts RMS going to each from an amplifier, so I know a good deal about car audio...its just that I have learned everything that I know from online, and really have little experience with actual applications...

Answers
1)   The lower bass makes the sound pressure waves larger so you feel them more. This also does increase with volume because the speaker strokes farther producing larger sound waves. Hope this answers your question. - king_davis13

2)   the low frequency output is what pounds yur chest, the high output is what stings your ear drums... and do u mean alpine type r? and i dont know what u mean by: I was wondering if it is the louder volume that shakes your chest, or if it is the lower range... but the higher the sensitivity of the speakers the louder they are, and in terms of frequency response, the human ear is sensitive to a frequency range of 20Hz to 20KHz; The ideal sound system should reproduce as much of this range as possible for the most realistic sound, the alpine type r's have a response of 24Hz - 600Hz which is on the lower side of the frequency range, which is good because u will want a sub that will produce as much of that low frequency as possible - ryaud

3)   Ultimately SPL is the necessity.

Regardless of the frequency if the output is low you're not going to feel a thing.



If you've got 140dB you're going to feel it throughout the subwooofer range. If you really want to feel it you have to figure out how to get loud in the 30's.

[Alpine] Type R's ported according to the mfg's specs getting 500-600w rms each will certainly do that. - N2Audio

4)   I think the ALPINE type r's would be a good choice. They have good sq and spl. Every subwoofer has a range of notes that hits the hardest. The alpines will hit low notes hard but not so much on top. In my experience its the low notes that shake your head and blow your mind but its the higher notes that really shake your chest and make it hard to break. (not talking about very high bass, just higher than low) - Eric


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