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#1 |
Member
![]() Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Canada
Posts: 260
2004 VUE Red Line
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Hey All,
Installing a mono channel amp to a single sub. Not great quality or anything, I'm not trying to compete, just want to take my tunes to the next level. I need a few pointers: -What type of wire kit do I need (gauge, etc.) I think my amp is 800 watt at 4 ohm. I need the best balance between cost/quality. -Where do I run the wires and what do I connect to what? Pictures would help. -I would like an easy way to adjust the 'level' of base without having to go to the back and turn dials on the amp itself. My head unit may have a function for this, its fairly new. Any othet tips would be great, thanks.
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____________________________________________________________________ Black '04 Redline: Tint- HIDs- Quad Light Mod- Signal Mod- Badges Shaved- Smoked Tails/Corners - Dipped Rims |
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#2 |
Member
![]() Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Boston
Posts: 249
2003 VUE 3.0L
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Hello again my friend. Firstly let me share with you a little bit of information that you probably already know, but some people do not know. Please disregard, for instance, the Sony amps that claim 1200 watts. That is peak wattage in ideal conditions at 14.4 volts for a split second. You need to pay attention to RMS wattage. For instance at the store I work at we sell a "Dual" amp that claims to be 400 watts. Read your way down the side of the package and you will find that it is 50 watts rms at 4 ohms. Not very good, but then again it is a $60 amp.
Now a little dit bit about rms wattage. The radio in your car, regardless if it is factory or not, is capable of putting out about 15-20 watts peak for a brief period of time. And that isn't per channel, that is for all channels (If I am wrong feel free to correct me). So that works out to about 5 or less watts per channel, but it is still pretty loud yes? I have a small Harbinger PA speaker setup that is 80 watts rms per channel x2. It is true 80 watts per channel and in a decent sized room it is uncomfortably loud. This little PA setup has annoyed my friends with their Sony explode or other crap car setups that claim 1k watts, because it is clearly louder and better sounding at only 160 watts total. I am going to recommend Alpine to you since all of the products I have ever owned from them have been rock solid and have lasted me forever. If you aren't trying to win any competitions I suggest going for the Alpine MRP-M500 amp. Yes it is only 500 watts at 2 ohms but that is RMS wattage, which is a lot of power. You would only need to run 8 gauge wire since the amp is extremely efficient being a Class D Amp. It would provide enough power to make your Vue rattle like a teen with 4 12" woofers in his civic. If you are aiming for 800 watts I would suggest the MRP-M1000 which is a bit more expensive. The only reason I suggest the MRP-M500 is that you can find it for less than $150 U.S. since it is last years model. The 1000 watt bigger brother is around $200+. I am just trying to get you to realize how loud 800 watts rms will actually be. Personally I dont ever see you utilizing all of that power unless you want to compete. 800 watts will be pretty uncomfortable. I have the alpine 500 watt monoblock with the gain only a quarter of the way up and it still gets uncomfortable at times. If you wire your woofers up correctly with the right impedance you can get a lot out of an amp like the MRP-M500. If you need help with that I am more than willing to lend a hand.
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2003 VUE 3.0 Pink Line 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo(Converted to Overland) 1991 Mazda MX-5 1990 Mazda MX-5 |
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#3 | |
Member
![]() Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Canada
Posts: 260
2004 VUE Red Line
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I already have my amp, sub, and deck. Just need to know what kind of wiring kit, and how to wire.
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____________________________________________________________________ Black '04 Redline: Tint- HIDs- Quad Light Mod- Signal Mod- Badges Shaved- Smoked Tails/Corners - Dipped Rims |
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#4 |
Member
![]() Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Boston
Posts: 249
2003 VUE 3.0L
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how many voice coils
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2003 VUE 3.0 Pink Line 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo(Converted to Overland) 1991 Mazda MX-5 1990 Mazda MX-5 |
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#5 |
Member
![]() Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Canada
Posts: 260
2004 VUE Red Line
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One amp, one sub.
Just need to know how to wire in an amp.
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____________________________________________________________________ Black '04 Redline: Tint- HIDs- Quad Light Mod- Signal Mod- Badges Shaved- Smoked Tails/Corners - Dipped Rims |
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#6 |
Senior Member
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I used a Scosche kit from Walmart in both of mine. Some on here would say they're complete garbage, but I haven't had any problems with them in several cars I've put them in.
They come with just about everything you need to install. You'll need your own speaker wire... Power w/ fuse: Red Ground: Brown Remote: Blue R & L RCA I ran the red power wire from the (+) terminal behind the under hood fuse block - through the top of the fender and into the grommet for the door wires - you may want to feed it through the firewall. I plan to switch both of mine soon. Run the RCAs from the back of the deck. Wire the blue remote wire to the stereo harness - it should have a blue remote wire. I connected the ground to the driver's side rear seatbelt bolt under the floor panel behind the seat. Connect them to the corresponding connections on the amp. You'll need speaker wire to run from the amp to the sub box... not included with the kits. I have my single sub connected to the left channel of the amp. I get better sound by not bridging it, and I plan to add a second sub at some point. I ran the wires under the doorsills/panels. Be careful not to pinch any of the wires in clips. That's a brief rundown of how I did mine. You'll get several other tips from others.
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Avid Apple, car and vacuum enthusiast. Don't hate! ;) Current: '04 FWD 3.5L Previous: '05 AWD Red Line '02 L200 http://www.facebook.com/SaturnFansNorthEast |
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#7 |
Member
![]() Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Canada
Posts: 260
2004 VUE Red Line
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not having any luck with the amp turning on...
tested my power supply against my ground point, and it arced, so I must have the hot and ground right. Is the amp remote on wire the only blue one, solid blue? I think I'll need to connect before the aftermarket wire harness, as I'm not having any luck as it is.
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____________________________________________________________________ Black '04 Redline: Tint- HIDs- Quad Light Mod- Signal Mod- Badges Shaved- Smoked Tails/Corners - Dipped Rims |
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#8 | |
Master Member
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And the blue wire would also go to your power antenna motor (if you had one). Turn your radio on, power antenna goes up. Turn your radio off, power antenna goes down. Same thing with an amp.
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Not a Saturn. |
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#9 |
Member
![]() Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Canada
Posts: 260
2004 VUE Red Line
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I'm still a little hazy on where I wire in the remote to the amp: wire it to the harness, before the harness, or to the head unit?
I tried all the wires from the harness that DONT connect to my HU with no luck.
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____________________________________________________________________ Black '04 Redline: Tint- HIDs- Quad Light Mod- Signal Mod- Badges Shaved- Smoked Tails/Corners - Dipped Rims |
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#10 |
Master Member
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You need it coming out of the HU. The HU is what tells the amp (or power antenna) to turn on.
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Not a Saturn. |
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#11 |
Member
![]() Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Canada
Posts: 260
2004 VUE Red Line
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Well, got everything hooked up proper.
I would like to know how to run both 'L' and 'R' sound to my sub. Is this what is called 'bridging'? I've attached a pic of my amp settings; I would like a clear, punchy, sharp sound, but don't know what each setting specifically adjusts. Can someone give me a hand nailing down what each dial is for? Thanks.
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____________________________________________________________________ Black '04 Redline: Tint- HIDs- Quad Light Mod- Signal Mod- Badges Shaved- Smoked Tails/Corners - Dipped Rims |
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#12 |
Member
![]() Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Robbinsdale
Posts: 264
2002 VUE 2.2L
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hey man you need to text me quick, ill help ya out. 763-227-0811
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#13 |
Member
![]() Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Canada
Posts: 260
2004 VUE Red Line
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Ok, thanks everyone for your help, got everything up, running, and sounding good.
But, when re-assembling my dash, I seemed to have a wire that is unattached to anything... Is it something important, or a hold-over for a feature I don't have? Far2Grumpy: Any ideas? I know you're the man on this! See pics for reference, the wire is right above/behind my HVAC controls.
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____________________________________________________________________ Black '04 Redline: Tint- HIDs- Quad Light Mod- Signal Mod- Badges Shaved- Smoked Tails/Corners - Dipped Rims |
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#14 |
Member
![]() Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Canada
Posts: 260
2004 VUE Red Line
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Also, I 'dipped' my dash piece.
Looks pretty good, I think. Looks stock, but better.
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____________________________________________________________________ Black '04 Redline: Tint- HIDs- Quad Light Mod- Signal Mod- Badges Shaved- Smoked Tails/Corners - Dipped Rims |
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#15 | |
Senior Member
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Avid Apple, car and vacuum enthusiast. Don't hate! ;) Current: '04 FWD 3.5L Previous: '05 AWD Red Line '02 L200 http://www.facebook.com/SaturnFansNorthEast |
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amp, amp gauge wire gage, amplifier, stereo |
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