Car Audio Guys Please Help!!!

[10banger]

Hey Fellas,

Me and my brother are going to install the following items below into his Trans Am WS6 this weekend. I'm trying to figure out the best way to get the most out of the sub and amplifier. I've googled & youtubed - I'm still confused.:dontknow:

This is going into a sealed custom made box which I will post pics of after installation is compete.

I'm not really sure what's the best way to wire it, series or parallel. I'm thinking series is the best way but I'm unsure. Any and all help is appreciated.

Alright so I have this:

1 KICKER 1500 WATT MONO CLASS D CAR AMPLIFIER AMP ZX500.1. 500w rms 1500w peak @ 2 ohms.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...n&item=300338575749&view=all&tid=389988621020

And I want to wire it to this:

1 KICKER 12 inch L7 750 watts rms. Dual voice coil 4 ohm.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemVersion&item=350277615210&view=all&tid=199927026022

Thanks Guru's... :elefant:

 

[10banger]

This is what the Kicker support guy said:

"Tim, you would need to wire the sub parallel. Like the one attached. That sub needs a ZX750.1 amp as well. If you have any further questions let me know. Have a great day."

My response to him:

"Brett, When you say needs a ZX750.1, does that mean it will not function without it or does that mean it will just not be pushed to it's full potential?

Thanks for the quick response,
Tim"

His response back to me:

"The output will be poor in a sealed box. Even with a vented box the output would be low."

So here's the thing - I do understand that we should've got the ZX750.1. But to my knowledge - in a hatchback vehicle, a sealed box is the very best way to go.

I've had band-pass, ported, & sealed boxes. Out of these 3, in my previous hatchback, the sealed box performed the best and had the best sound quality. Does this guy not know what he's talking about or do I not know what I'm talking about??

 

[Smokey]

the 750.1 is just a more powerful amp, but the 500.1 you have should work fine. I think sealed sound much better then ported, just make sure its the right size box

 

[bigredv10]

you said zx500.1 will push 1500peak? that doesnt sound right my zx750 mono was tested at 928watts its hooked up to dual 12" CVR's with a ported box I just hooked up postive to positve and negative to negative and its sounded awsome f'n loud but I did damage them with to much bass watch that remote bass control DONT turn it up past your limits once you pass a certain threshold there no going back but that L7 is a beast so you might be ok no sure on parrallel or series thing

 

[bigredv10]

bigger the box the better ported will sound louder but the sealed with produce a cleaner sound

 

[10banger]

wire it up like he said, you just have double the rms rateing tho on the amp so be careful not to blow the sub up. you doo nee a little more power for a sealed box, but it should sound decent in the WS6

Does a sealed box require more power? The box is solely for acoustics. It shouldn't matter how much power you have going to it, as to which box you choose, correct?:dontknow:

The sub is 750 rms 1500w's peak.
The amp is 500 rms 1500w's peak (The 1500w I highly doubt).

These are both the ratings from the factory. I don't think it will affect the sound quality that much. But I will let you know Saturday.:rock:

 

[bigredv10]

be sure not to cross your 12v with the RCA's lets see what else...shorter the Ground from your amp the better....the pro3 kicker wiring kit is well worth it ($100) but it has everything you might need including -0 guage wire for power. the zx500.1 will be safer for your L7 but it wont be at its full potintial I had the zx400.1 and it wasent enough for me so I upgraded I was out $700 before it was over with. still have the zx400.1 if someone needs it Ill make you a hell of a deal $50 plus shipping

 

[10banger]

you said zx500.1 will push 1500peak? that doesnt sound right my zx750 mono was tested at 928watts its hooked up to dual 12" CVR's with a ported box I just hooked up postive to positve and negative to negative and its sounded awsome f'n loud but I did damage them with to much bass watch that remote bass control DONT turn it up past your limits once you pass a certain threshold there no going back but that L7 is a beast so you might be ok no sure on parrallel or series thing

I bought the ZX500.1 off of Ebay and it said 1500w's max. But I know better than to believe that based off of what the RMS is.

With the + to + and - to - it creates a parrallel series. The document I attached will better explain that. I think I understand this finally. I just didn't know which one was better but the Kicker tech helped me with that.

Thanks for the comment. I think the L7 is going to bow the back window!:rock:

 

[bigredv10]

yeah there web site is pretty good post some pics when done:rock:

 

[10banger]

be sure not to cross your 12v with the RCA's lets see what else...shorter the Ground from your amp the better....the pro3 kicker wiring kit is well worth it ($100) but it has everything you might need including -0 guage wire for power. the zx500.1 will be safer for your L7 but it wont be at its full potintial I had the zx400.1 and it wasent enough for me so I upgraded I was out $700 before it was over with. still have the zx400.1 if someone needs it Ill make you a hell of a deal $50 plus shipping

That's one hell of a deal for sho! I don't think I really need one right now.

I'll update with pictures when we finish. Everything should turn out real swell. We're thinking about, after we finish, mounting the trans am logo in between where the sub and amp are going to be mounted.

 

[10banger]

Don't get me wrong though - he still get's his wings blown off by the 10.

 

[Demon 8]

How big a box are we talking? I have a custom built box that Lbstone had made for 2 L7's that I havent gotten around to installing yet. I am guessing the box might be 5 cu ft, it fits snuggly behind the seats of an regular cab

 

[10banger]

How big a box are we talking? I have a custom built box that Lbstone had made for 2 L7's that I havent gotten around to installing yet. I am guessing the box might be 5 cu ft, it fits snuggly behind the seats of an regular cab

The box is built to fit perfectly in the hatch of a Trans Am WS6.

 

[Demon 8]

And you are only going to have 1 12 inch L7 in there. Not thread jacking just following along. I am thinking there is no way the box I have will handle 2 or at least that 1 12 would possibly be better. I havent been into stereos since the mid 90's so I am out of the loop.

 

[Vman455]

To get the most out of your amp, you will need to wire the voice coils in parallel--two 4 ohm coils in parallel will present a 2 ohm load to the amp. (I just went through this last week with a 12" CVR DVC in my RC).

 

[10banger]

And you are only going to have 1 12 inch L7 in there. Not thread jacking just following along. I am thinking there is no way the box I have will handle 2 or at least that 1 12 would possibly be better. I havent been into stereos since the mid 90's so I am out of the loop.

Yes, it will be 1 12" L7. Two L7's may rattle your balls loose.

I'm not really sure how the box you have will handle 2 L7's. I know they are very powerful. Is your box manufactured by Kicker?

 

[10banger]

To get the most out of your amp, you will need to wire the voice coils in parallel--two 4 ohm coils in parallel will present a 2 ohm load to the amp. (I just went through this last week with a 12" CVR DVC in my RC).

That's what we're doing. Thanks for the help!:top:

 

[Demon 8]

Yes, it will be 1 12" L7. Two L7's may rattle your balls loose.

I'm not really sure how the box you have will handle 2 L7's. I know they are very powerful. Is your box manufactured by Kicker?

Nope not sure where Derek had the box made...not sure it can handle it either

 

[5_0_BAIT]

Does a sealed box require more power? The box is solely for acoustics. It shouldn't matter how much power you have going to it, as to which box you choose, correct?

A sealed box requires more power than a vented or ported box. (Vented and Ported are different). The last competition vehicle I made, the vented setup required 25 percent less power. This info was straight from Kicker. Kicker (or rather Stillwater Designs) has two levels of tech support. You talked to the reg. guys. If you buy their high end stuff, then you can talk to their engineers and stuff.

Make sure you make that box with extra bracing. Very important. I ran two 12" Solo X's with 4800 RMS watts and had to bolt the box with 3/8 inch bolts to the frame of the truck. See pic of the inside of my box I made. Keep in mind, my box was made of 1 inch MDF. (Mainly due to me seeing other boxes blown apart and the engineers at Kicker recommended it.)

 

[5_0_BAIT]

Whoopps! Forgot to tell you why. A sealed box is less efficient than a vented or ported box. Most people think that sealed boxes produce more pressure. Nope. Vented boxes in particular have been measured to produce more pressure. Ever been to a concert? They use "shell" shaped speakers (or vented designs)

Now to be honest, I personally prefer punchy hard hitting bass on all frequency levels as well as great subsonic notes (subsonic is below what we hear but we still feel them) So i use sealed boxes. Vented boxes must be tuned to a certain frequency range and perform the best at those frequencies. That is why in competitions they usually "burp" a tone at one frequency.