Gilgamesh

What kind of an amp load can we put on teh stock alternator battery without having to get it rewound...also how much would that go up with an Optima Yellow Top and I heard there were some issues with that battery?

dnd2984

iTrader: (6)

Dude your fine, you just got a 300/4 and a 500bd correct. My amps pull more amperage and i am still fine. your stock alt puts out 120 amps

Gilgamesh

That is just it...the bd is gonne be either a 500/1 or 1000/1 VERY soon. I worry about that, I would like to stay with the 500/1 since that will let me stay with the single one farad cap. That 500 is more powerful than the BD, and it needs to be since the subs are now (2) 2 ohm Boston pro 10.5's in series.

dnd2984

iTrader: (6)

that BD should have produced close to 600 watts. THe Jl500/1 will give u about 550 watts. As I am gettin older (hell only 19) 600 + watts of bass is just overkill

systek

if ur lights dont dim, ur ok.

Gilgamesh

I did, when it ran 2 ohms. Now with the Bostons in there, I needs to run 4 ohms and it was only giving me about 300 watts. Now I am back up to 550 with a more efficient sub, and its sounds way better, thanks to the sub and I think that the JL is cleaner. This is plenty of bass, it fights through the seat just fine. I had to do it to match the components, they were overpowering once the 500X came out and the 300/4 went in. The RF amps had the gains up pretty high and the deck was maxed, the new JL's sit at half or lower.

shawhite

i have been told that as long as you are under 120 amps you will be fine...

dnd2984

iTrader: (6)

Yea I had the same problem with RF the gains. All my gains where a lil over half way up. Amps got warm never over heated and never distorted but jus the fact that it was that far up.

systek

all amps are different. their input sensitivities are different, so that is no measurement of their capabilities or quality

SlyTLS

I'm running 4 amps on the stock alternator but I am using a 15 farad cap to help with the deep bass notes. I've had no problems...lights don't dim, nothing cuts out and it's been just over a year and my battery has never died.

The amps are as follows:

Zapco 200
Zapco 350
Zapco 360
Zapco 750

Gilgamesh

I know, but fact is with the JL I can get the volume I want without distortion, and I don't have to have the amp gain or the beck up very far to do it. I now have the range that I want, and there is still more roon to go on the amp gain dial, should I want more.

systek

in that case, you werent level matching your hu's output to the amp's input. thats a big nono cause as u stated, u will get distortion.

THE GAINS ARE NOT VOLUME KNOBS...

dnd2984

iTrader: (6)

Its like why mess with perfection. IF u are happy and your gains are down then thats good and just leave it alone. Like systek said its not a volume knob.

I really hate it when kids with no audio knowledge say "man my system can be alot louder I just need to turn my amps up".

systek

exactly...!

if u feel you need to turn ur "amps up" then what u really need is a better job which will afford ya the luxury to buy a more powerful amp

Gilgamesh

That was the point. I put in a new amp for the components, and when it was adjusted up to where I wanted it, where it sounded good, it began to overpower the old sub amp, because I pretty much double the power to the comps. The Diamonds did not like running on what the RF was giving em, it did not seem like it was enough to get them off of the ground. As for the sub amp, there were a few other things I did not like. For example, not being able to vary the subsonic filter, just On/Off...sorry I want more control than that.

Better yet, lets compare the amps that I used to run to what I run now, these are taken DIRECTLY from the manufacturers websites: www.rockfordfosgate.com and www.jlaudio.com

I am going to quote the 4 ohm numbers for the comp amp since that is how most people run a 4 channel amp.

500X:

62.5 W X 4 @ 4 Ohms RMS
Wire gauge - 8 (not a big deal, but I would like 4 thanks)
S/N 100dB A-weighted
Damping Factor >200
Slew Rate 30 Volts/ms
IM Distortion <.05%

300/4:

75 W RMS x 4 @ 1.5 ohm-4 ohm
THD: <0.03% @ 4 ohm
S/N >108.5 dB below rated power
Damping Factor:
>200 @ 4 ohm per ch./50 Hz
Wire Guage - 4
And a regulated PS.

Which amp do you think is better?

That got the compnents off the ground a little better, and the JL distorts less...I was not trying to effect the volume with the gain on the amp directly. The first RF amps were installed/tuned by a prefessional shop (Innovative) and the JL's by me. I did not want to do a waire drop nor did I want to try and fashion a faceplate for the 7998, so I just had them do it all at once. The sub switch was made so that I could get more out of them, and the BD could not push the new subs, that is it. I am sure that a 1000BD could have just fine, but since I was already on the JL 300/4 and the prices were similar on the 1000BD and the 500/1 I made my choice.

It seems that RF for 2003 has changed their cockeyed naming scheme, but it still seems odd to me. IMHO, if you have an amp with a 500 on it, that amp should be able to put out 500 watts of power at a 4 ohm load. Also, if RF wants us to run 2 ohm loads, I have to run 2 4 ohms subs in a parallel configuration, fine, great, but they only give you 1 block of outputs. JL gives you two so you don't have to twist two wires together or otherwise splice them to get the subs to run parallel.