N00b here: installing a sub & amp combo.

[nuron]

Hi guys, I'm planning on buying my friend's combo that comes with a 10 and an Alpine amp. I don't have a picture of the amp yet to show the different connectors and ask how to hook them up but I guess I have some questions. For some reason, he said the amp doesn't have connectors for the front speakers, only the rear. Now I've been reading and some people say that the fronts provide most of the sound, although, mines are only 3.5"s so I don't know. He said I can 'double up' the front and rear connections but they'll be weaker? Now I have to look at the big three upgrade. Do you guys have pictures of the process? I'm using this link http://forum.realmofexcursion....t=924 and pictures would reaaally help! Thanks in advance .

[nuron]

Here are some pictures:





I know the ground goes to a bare metal part in the trunk but what about the others?




I don't know where this wire goes to:


I will be heading to Walmart to get a wiring kit soon.

[WhiteRabbit]

I would run 8 ga from the battery to the power terminal. Remote terminal is ran either to the HU or accessory wire of the car. Where it says bridged - and +, those go to the - and + of your 10" sub, assuming its single voice coil - only has one - and one +

[thoughthard]

I got that exact amp to power a sub in my Explorer.

Here is the owner's manual: http://akamaipix.crutchfield.com/Man...500MRPF240.PDF

Not much power. Solid amp so far for me.

For some reason, he said the amp doesn't have connectors for the front speakers, only the rear.

It is only a two channel amp, so it can power either fronts or rears. Not just rears. You could hook the left front and rear to one channel, and the right front and rear to the other channel, which is what he mentioned later. No much power that way though, being 35W per speaker. In the basic front or rear, it is 50W per speaker.

8 gauge power wire is sufficient, as WhiteRabbit mentioned.

[WhiteRabbit]

are you trying to power a sub or speakers?

[atobe]

you can wire it up both to sub and speakers if you wish it'll be ok

[nuron]

I'm trying to power both sub and speakers. Would it be a noticable difference with 35W instead of 50W? Seeing as how my fronts are only 3.5", I might just do the rears only...

[nuron]

How would the two rears connect?

Hm, I still don't know how the data from the HU gets to the amp so it can power the speakers?

edit: haha I didnt see the inputs on the backside. I guess I'll just keep my speakers powered through my HU and have the amp power the sub only?

[Arisotezza18]

Since that amplifier is only a 2 channel, you can only use it to power your sub or your speakers. Since you would need 2 pairs of RCA's, one pair for your sub and a pair for your speakers, to power both you would need a 4 channel amp.

[nuron]

So I cant do anything with those two other connections after the sub uses the bridged ones?

[thoughthard]

No.

[thoughthard]

You could mix series and parallel wiring so you could run a sub along with two speakers, but IMO it is not worth it since the amp does not have that much power. Far from optimum also.

140 watts is not much to power a sub. What 10" sub are you using?

The 8" Goldwood GW-8PC-30-4 that I am using has ratings of 120 watts RMS/230 watts max, and this amp was a quick purchase so I could get things up and running, and it was cheap being an Open Box special from Best Buy. The salesman told me that the amp was hooked up to power, remote, and ground, but never hooked up to speakers This display model was from a board area that had no speakers to power I am kinda looking for other amps, but the price on this one was perfect to keep my "Budget Bass" project costs somewhat low.

[nuron]

Would these ways be okay of securing the ring terminals to the leads on the battery?




Also, when the nuts are clamped down the the rings, do they have to cover the whole ring or can it be like half of a ring?

[MrSo0h0o]

that ring terminal is good. did you solder the ring terminal to the wire?

[thoughthard]

You only need the power to goto the battery. Ground will be somewhere near the amp location