What way should i go with my subs?

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Thatman

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All right here’s the deal, I had got my cd player a little while ago, and it has sub output as well, so have these two 12 inch subs both, although new, pretty much garbage because I spent like $50 bucks on them, now I already have an amp and it produces 450 watts hooked up to the 6x9s in the back. Now should I get another amp for my 2 subs and run it off the battery?, Or, do I get a two channel 700 watt amp and power 1 or both subs? If you didn't know already I have a cheap setup with a cheap car and 1 sub will probly get the thumpin' job done. What should I do?
 
Since you already the box for the subs, which can be pretty expensive on its own, I'd pick up a set of cheapish subs (Pioneer, Kenwood, etc) and just add on to the system you already have. Keep the 450 watt amp on your 6x9's and pick yourself up a cheap 600-1000 watt mono amp. You can usually pick them up for pretty cheap when they're on sale. Split the RCA's/audio cables with a splitter from any audio shop ($10) and jump the remote wire from one amp to the other. Whether you get a 2 channel or 1 channel amp is up to you, but simply add a splitter box on the power and ground wire ($10-15) and run each to the new amp aswell as the old one. Then simply run the speaker wires to the new subs and bump away.

Just remember, 2 subs are louder then 1, and if your box is a sealed one chamber type, make sure to run both subs to the same speaker connection on the box to avoid the subs damaging themselves. Any other questions, feel free to ask.
 
Hey thanks, well I already have the subs. Uhh, so a 2 channel amp doesn't mean it goes out to both, okay then so would that 700 watt work for the subs alone? Then Like I said the Deck has "subwoofer output" so can I just buy more red/white cables? Then just pick up a "splitter box" from our local car audio store? I'll post a pic of them later, Image shack is not working.
 
A 2 channel amp means that the amp has 2 speaker outputs. Usually if an amp is 2 channels (ie. 2x350 watts@4ohms), it most likely can be bridged as a 1 channel at either 4 or 2 ohms (most subs will run at both). There should be lines above the speaker outputs showing where to connect the 2 wires if you wish to bridge the amp.

Aslong as your current amp isn't plugged into the Subwoofer preouts, then yes, all you have to do is connect the cables for your subwoofer amp to that preout and go. If your current amp is connected to that preout, then you will have to get a splitter (basically a female end with 2 male ends, and you will need 2, one for the red, and one for the white cable).

When you ask for a splitter box for your power and ground wire, make sure you get the right guage wire. Always half the wires when you split them aswell. Basically, if you run 4 guage power wire from the battery to the splitter box, run 8 guage wire from the box to your amps (so yes, you will need to pick up a couple more feet of power cable too).

Hope that helps...
 

Yep there they are, sooo, the best way to go it A: Get the 700 watt 2 channel amp B:Get a splitter box then I get shady, Umm I have a few cables already, how can I tell what guage wire it is? And then, does the subs use the same type of wire as the RCAs(red/white) But either way the deck does have its own outputs. Umm then when I do get that wire, should I run it on the same side of the car as the RCA's or the side with the power?

Other then that I dont think theres anything else I can think of at this moment.
 
You will need 2 splitter boxes, 1 for the power and 1 for the ground wire, simply mount the splitter boxes in your trunk, it may also be a good idea to get a power splitter that has fuses in line with the power as a secondary fuse so you never have worry about blowing your amps. The power and ground wire should be the same guage, and the guage is usually printed on the wire itself. Run the RCA's for the subwoofers on the opposite side as your power wire to avoid "noise". Your subs should use speaker wire, usually 16 guage +/- wire that can be bought by the foot at a audio store.

Check the guage of your power and ground wires and report back with the info and I might be able to help you out more.

Also, when I'm talking about splitter boxes, this is what you should look for:
SPGDPT-2.jpg

This is a 2-in-1 from stinger. The power and ground wires connect at the top, and split into 4 wires (2 power, 2 ground) and 1 of each goes to both amps.
 
Allright got ya ;), might be a small about 2weeks though since I wont get the good amp until my next check. But thank you soooo mutch for all the help!!

Edit:One more thing, around how mutch is that splitter box you have there?
 
That one there is $50, but like I said, its a dual splitter (both power and ground). Cheaper no name splitters can be bought at your audio store though, I think my power (2 guage inlet, 4 fuses, 2 or 4 guage outlets) was only $25 (you only need a 2 outlet splitter though) and my ground (2 guage inlet, 4 x 4 guage outlet, again, you only need a 2 outlet splitter) was only $15. Also, for reference, that one has a 4 guage inlet and the outlets will hold a 4 or 8 guage wire.

I can't really tell from your picture, but is the purple wires your speaker wires? If so, it looks like they're a 10 or 12 guage wire, which is good, bigger wire means better power transfer. Also, check the wattage of your subs. With your new amp, you may find yourself blowing one or both subs, but thats good, as they don't look to be that good of quality anyways. When/if that happens, i'd suggest going with a cheaper, but brand name subwoofer. Stay away from Sony Xplode crap, as i've learned from the past that they can't handle the power they say they can (I blew two 12" Xplodes in less then a week in my first car with an amp that had an RMS power of less then both subs RMS rating combined). A good cheap alternative would be a set of Pioneer DVC (dual voice coil) or single voice coil 12" subs. I've found in the past that they will handle the wattage they claim, and can usually be picked up for under $100 each, and come with a 1 year warranty.

Any more questions, feel free to ask, and if you need one, I might be able to draw you up a wiring diagram sometime this week when I have some free time.

Found this on the site. This is sort of what my ground wire distribution block looks like, only mine is gold plated and accepts larger diameter guages.
PS42-2.jpg

This particular one is $20, but again, you should hopefully be able to find something cheaper in your local audio shop.

And for reference, when i'm talking about a fused splitter box, this is what they look like:
SFPD2-2.jpg

It gives you added protection on your power wire by adding an additional fuse in line from the battery (make sure to still have the power wire fused within 1 foot of your battery though) and the extra inlets allows for the addition of a capacitor in the future, aswell as different mounting locations (power in from the left, center or right of the block, which comes in handy when you start running out of room like I did).
 
Thank you soo much, it will really help me out. But yeah I got that box and wires when my dad bought his car, I know they are good wires because I think they just bought'em and tried intalling them but screwed up somewhere and they didn't work. But ya, those subs are the cheapest you can buy soo :) anways, I hope to get some of the equpment soon, maybe I can find out if the amp they used really doesn't work or not as well, Its only 260 and I'm sure bad, but somebody would maybe buy it. Thanks again. Oh and as for the wiring diagram I should be good for now, that is until I buy the stuff I need.
 

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