Please critique my proposed amp/sub setup

[shovelhd]

Here's what I'd go with if I was restricted to Best Buy.

(1) Alpine SWR-1042D Type R 10" dual 4 ohm sub $199 retail
(1) Alpine MRP450 400W/2 ohms amp $209.99 retail

You should be able to knock off 25% with your discount.

The MRP is about 10" square so it should fit under the seat. It runs hot, though, so mount it well. It eats power, too, so use the right sized power and ground cables.

The Type R is more of an SPL sub but it sounds pretty good.

Make sure it will fit in the subthump box.

[hofffam]

I almost NEVER disagree with Shovelhd. I'm not really disagreeing here.

But that Alpine sub requires 4 times the power of the Infinity sub for the same loudness. It is certainly a more impressive looking sub than the Infinity but it's sensitivity is just 83 db for 1 watt. The Infinity's sensitivity is 89 db for 1 watt. The Alpine sub will make that amp work hard.


W A I
1 83 89
2 86 92
4 89 95
8 92 98
16 95 101
32 98 104
64 101 107
128 104 110
256 107 113

Disclaimer - I have no personal experience with either. I'm confident Shovelhd's recommendation will produce a good sounding sub.

[shovelhd]

No, that's a great point, and to be honest I didn't even look at that. I am very familiar with the Type R's though and when powered with the right amp, wired the right way, and installed properly in a solid cabinet, will make your hair stand up. It's a good sub for metal and rock. It can move a lot of air.

[dj addicted]

Originally Posted by shovelhd

No, that's a great point, and to be honest I didn't even look at that. I am very familiar with the Type R's though and when powered with the right amp, wired the right way, and installed properly in a solid cabinet, will make your hair stand up. It's a good sub for metal and rock. It can move a lot of air.

I had 2 alpine type R 10s in my civic hatch. They were each in their own cubic foot sealed box and were powered with 400 watts RMS each and they pounded pretty good. I also only listen to rock and such.

[Fruitbat]

Originally Posted by shovelhd

Here's what I'd go with if I was restricted to Best Buy.

(1) Alpine SWR-1042D Type R 10" dual 4 ohm sub $199 retail
(1) Alpine MRP450 400W/2 ohms amp $209.99 retail

You should be able to knock off 25% with your discount.

The MRP is about 10" square so it should fit under the seat. It runs hot, though, so mount it well. It eats power, too, so use the right sized power and ground cables.

The Type R is more of an SPL sub but it sounds pretty good.

Make sure it will fit in the subthump box.

This was actually my first combo I came up with when I started to research. However, I don't think that sub fits in the subthump box. I read (crutchfield, I think) that it's bottom mount depth is a whopping 7 11/16 inches. I've only got 6 1/2 to play with, according to the subthump specs.

I can also get a discount on some Infinity stuff that Best Buy doesn't carry, which led me down that path.

Originally Posted by hofffam

But that Alpine sub requires 4 times the power of the Infinity sub for the same loudness. It is certainly a more impressive looking sub than the Infinity but it's sensitivity is just 83 db for 1 watt. The Infinity's sensitivity is 89 db for 1 watt. The Alpine sub will make that amp work hard.

I noticed that as well. Out of all the subs I can get at non-retail, that Inifinity Kappa (at least to me) "reads" the best as far as specs. Mind you, I've been on a crash course for about 2 days.

BUT, the Infinity REF1052W seems good as well. It has a lower RMS rating than the Kappa (250 vs 350) but its sensitivity is better (91 vs 89)...and the REF1052 is half the price. seems to me that they would produce roughly the same amount of sound at their peak RMS handling. What am I missing here? The Kappa has a higher peak I guess.

[Fruitbat]

Originally Posted by shovelhd

Check my install thread. There's plenty of shots of the behind the seat area and mounting choices. bginvestor's is also good.

Great, thanks...checked it out....looks like there are at least several inches of space there toward the bottom...I assume that its tighter toward the top?

Those pics prompts yet another question...I see you used a bunch of deadening material. whats the scoop on that stuff?

[bginvestor]

Originally Posted by Fruitbat

Great, thanks...checked it out....looks like there are at least several inches of space there toward the bottom...I assume that its tighter toward the top?

Those pics prompts yet another question...I see you used a bunch of deadening material. whats the scoop on that stuff?

I didn't have respect for sound deadening material until I installed it.

This material is essentially a vibration energy absorber(its a viscous damper) , so it reduces rattling of panels and local speaker frame vibration. Makes a big difference!

You can install a little around the speaker, or go crazy like I did

[Fruitbat]

Thanks for the help so far, folks. I'm going to bump my own thread to get hopefully one more set of opinions.

After spending time in a local store, I'm now considering adding an amp to drive my door speakers, and upgrading the front speakers to components.

Here's the setup I'm considering right now (all Infinity as I get killer deals):

Sub: Kappa 102.7W (350W RMS; 1 or 4 Ohms; Sense 89dB)
Sub Amp: REF1600A (RMS 400Wx1@4Ohms)
Front Speakers: Kappa 60.7cs (2-way; 90W RMS sens 95dB; 2 Ohms; Freq 45Hz-25kHz)
Rear Speakers: Kappa62.7i (2-way, 75W RMS; sens 94dB; 2 Ohms; Freq 45Hz-25kHz)
Front/Rear Amp: REF475A (RMS 75Wx4@4Ohms)

1) Does this setup make sense as far as compatibility? I dont know what the 475A will push at 2 Ohms, but certainly will be above the RMS ratings of the front and rears.

2) any red flags as far as the physical install of the door speakers and tweeters? Crutchfield says they wont fit...but from what I have read, I think that just means they wont drop right in without a little work. I plan to put the tweeters where the stock tweeters are.

3) I'm feeling a little uneducated on all the crossover/filter settings. Before I was considering a separate amp for the door speakers, I knew I could just adjust that sort of stuff from my head unit (I'll be getting the Pioneer deh-p600mp). But now the amp will have all those settings as well. Any advice on what I should watch out for and what I should expect from the installer?

Thanks, all.

[shovelhd]

Your amp puts out 90W at 2 ohms x 4. The output isn't important, what is important is that it is rated at 2 ohms/ch and thus should be stable.

Use spacers when mounting the speakers. The doors need stiffening.

I would cross those speakers over at 80Hz to start. If you care about imaging, I would cut the rear speaker volume 6dB.