New to the world of car audio, question about an amp/speakers/subwoofer

[dan553]

Hello all,

I'm new to the world of car audio electronics and everything. I replaced all 4 door speakers in my 97 honda accord LE about 2 years ago at best buy and for some reason one of my speakers in the front stopped working. I do like to put my volume up high sometimes but I'm not sure if thats the cause. It became fuzzy for about 2 months and eventually stopped working all together.

Recently I bought a pair of Sony Xplod 6.5 inch XS-R1644 4 way speakers (270 watt peak, for the front and also
a pair of Pioneer 6" X 9" 5-Way Speakers, 600W/80W RMS (I think. 2 different sites said 40 RMS and 80 RMS so Im not sure) for the back

I also purchased a SONY XPLOD XSGTX120L CAR AUDIO 12 INCH SUB WOOFER 4 OHM 1000 W peak 300 W RMS

And the last thing I purchased was an 800 watt Sound Storm SSL F4.800

From what I understand (unfortunately after I already bought everything), Underpowering your speakers and subwoofer can be just as dangerous because of clipping? Well while reading up on the amp I saw that RMS is only 85W per channel. Its 4 channels and I planned on asking best buy (because i am just not confident at all when it comes to installation. even after installing a stupid door speaker my window stopped working) to install the front two speakers on channel 1, back two speakers on channel 2, and the subwoofer on channels 3 and 4. Do you think that this is going to be alright or just simply horrible idea that could ruin all my speakers? If there is only 85 Watts per channel and the subwoofer needs 300 then thats only half it will get. What do you think? Will it be ok as long as I dont try to blow the crap out of it, or should I stop while I'm ahead?

Really all I wanted to do was improve sound quality. I really like the pioneer 5way speakers. I tried 4 way sonys and the bass was great but I really just love a clear full sound with nice highs and things that make you feel like your actually in the music. But I also am working on a part time budget as well. Anyways sorry that this is much longer than it needs to be and I really appreciate any advice or input that will help me get started on this hobby!

Thanks!
Dan

[MacLeod]

5 way speakers? Sheesh what will they come up with next.

For the best sound, sell those 6x9's and just use the Sony front speakers and sub. You want as few speakers as possible because having the same frequencies coming at you from different distances can make them overlap and cancel each other out. You'll get more overall output from 4 speakers but not better sound quality.

As for the sub, that is kinda low in the wattage. It should still fatten up the low end and will be more musical but wont be able to do any pounding.


Ideally what you would want is a better set of speakers than those Sony's and a dedicated sub amp. I understand you're on a limited budget but speakers are the most important part of the system and you should get the best set you can afford.

[dan553]

Thanks for the info. I actually was planning on returning 2 sets of speakers because they didnt work with my car. So if you have any suggestions on better speakers for the front just let me know. The ones i bought were $47 from walmart. I ended up buying them because I saw that they were "4 way" speakers and i thought that it meant the quality is better then 2 ways or 3 ways.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sony-Xplod-XS-R1644-6-1-2-4-Way-Speakers/14956456 Those are the speakers currently in the front of my car, but I am willing to change them out if something will offer a large sound quality difference.

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_158GT1627A/Sony-Xpl-d-XS-GT1627A.html?tp=105

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_158GTX1641/Sony-Xplod-XS-GTX1641.html?tp=105

These are two other sony models I found on crutchfield that are a bit more expensive. Do you think they are a better option? (sorry for always referencing sony but I just dont know other brands well).

Also I have been hearing a lot about component speaker systems and how they are virtually better than full range speakers. Are they hard to install? I imagine you have to do a lot of manual cutting hole making in your car which is just something I'm not good at.

[MacLeod]

Give me a budget and Ill pick you out a set of speakers.

[dan553]

Well, I guess $100 limit for 1 pair of speakers.

Dan

[dan553]

Well, I guess $100 limit for 1 pair of speakers.
Also, just throwing this out there, the reason I bought only an 800W amp is because my car's alternator is stock and i just use a battery that I buy from the regular auto mechanic. I didnt want to have issues with my battery exploding or me pushing my car to work everyday

Dan

[dan553]

Also, even throwing more at you >< (Im sorry for being ignorant of these things but I wanna learn as much as I can), I read up a bit more on the idea of leaving my 6x9s out of the picture. Well, it sounds great in theory to me but when I installed the front door speakers, they are in the door behind the stock grill. I can turn them up and they sound OK, but when i have those 6x9s going in the back man they just sound fantastic. I get a great crisp sound with good bass even from just full range speakers. The front speakers are just kind of small and if i turn them up loud (not ear shattering but enough to where you can hear it great with a window open), it really just sounds like stock speakers with an empty sound because theres nothing coming from behind me you know? Only from right by my feet. Maybe that is just because they are poor speakers? or because there is no amp or subwoofer installed?

[arun1963]

$ 100 isn't going to get you much, unless you're willing to go used. I know that sounds a bit rude, but ......Don't worry about the amp fuse and hence the amperes you think your amp would draw. Even with a stock alt and battery, the fuses on my amps add up to 100amps, this off a stock 70amp alternator.

When you listen to music of a 2ch rig, or when you go to see a concert, do you hear anything from behind you (apart from fans screaming :biggrin:)? Your ears are used to hearing the sound from the rear in your car, most people are. I know you just want a simple plug and play solution, but I'm just throwing out another line of thought. In the end go with what you feel best satisfies your needs.

If fronts only sounds weak that could be because of two reasons. Quality of components and/or sealing the door so that the front and back wave from the 6.5" mid doesn't cancel out the low end. A decent pair of components up front in a sealed door paired with a sub and some processing will give you great results. It will a bit more than $ 100 and surely more time, but the end result will be worth it. Depends on what you want to do.

[decal]

Quality of sound is not the same to everybody. If you like the way your rig sounds with rear speakers, use them. Don't change what you enjoy just because someone says it's not the "high end" thing to do.

[arun1963]

Quality of sound is not the same to everybody. If you like the way your rig sounds with rear speakers, use them. Don't change what you enjoy just because someone says it's not the "high end" thing to do.

That's the problem with speed reading, or reading with a mindset you tend to miss out stuff. :biggrin:


I know you just want a simple plug and play solution, but I'm just throwing out another line of thought. In the end go with what you feel best satisfies your needs.

[dan553]

Thanks for all the advice. I guess i will put the amp an sub in and see how it goes and if i dont like it i will try to put component speakers in. If you have any recommendations on component speakers let me know and I can try to save up for them or find them at a discount price. I also heard about some kind of "dyno" seal or something. That is very important for sealing in the sound?

[decal]

That's the problem with speed reading, or reading with a mindset you tend to miss out stuff. :biggrin:

I didn't miss anything, I made a statement. If you think I was talking about you, don't flatter yourself, it was just a generalization.:cheesygrin:

[arun1963]

I didn't miss anything, I made a statement. If you think I was talking about you, don't flatter yourself, it was just a generalization.:cheesygrin:

Right, so we can ignore you cause you weren't talking to anyone but just kinda baying at the moon:rolleyes:. Thanks for putting your post in perspective.

[decal]

Damn man, I must have really touched a nerve with you. Try not to be so thin skinned.:cheesygrin:

[arun1963]

Try not to be an idiot and if you get caught as one, learn to have the grace to accept it.

[arun1963]

Thanks for all the advice. I guess i will put the amp an sub in and see how it goes and if i dont like it i will try to put component speakers in. If you have any recommendations on component speakers let me know and I can try to save up for them or find them at a discount price. I also heard about some kind of "dyno" seal or something. That is very important for sealing in the sound?

Dynamat and yes its very important to seal your doors with the dynamat . This will give you a good bump in your mid bass end and prevent it from sounding thin and tinny.

[decal]

Try not to be an idiot and if you get caught as one, learn to have the grace to accept it.

You really should think about seeing an anger management professional.

[KaosTsoc]

dan553,
This post will be king of long, and sorry for that. Well in general Sony's are not the best. Not trying to be rude, but to the point. I am helping a friend select some speakers at this time, and I have told him Sony is out of the question as whole. However keeping in mind that everyone has to start some where, and since you budget is $100, there are severl brands out there that would be in that price range, however you would only get one set. Again like Mac, and Arun put, you speakers are very important, and you want to get a good set. Here is what I have listed for my friend. Granted they will not be the best, but should be better than Sony for sure.

The Polk Audio’s are my personal choice for two major reasons. 1. They are a really good brand, and offer really good sound quality. 2. They are Marine Certified, which means if they get wet from rain or water it will not hurt them at all.

(Front Speakers)
Polk Audio MM6501 $175.95 (Amazon) - $229.99 (Crutchfield)

(Crutchfield)
http://www.crutchfield.com/s_107MM6501/Polk-Audio-MM6501.html?search=Polk_Audio_MM6501&skipvs=T

(Amazon)
http://www.amazon.com/Polk-Audio-AA6514-6-5-Inch-Speaker/dp/B001C3K7I4


Polk Audio Dxi 6500 $118.49 (Amazon) - $199.99 (Crutchfield)

(Crutchfield)
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_107DXI6500/Polk-Audio-DXi6500.html?search=Polk_Audio_Dxi6500&skipvs=T

(Amazon)
http://www.amazon.com/Polk-DXI6500-Speakers-300-Watt/dp/B004MF56N0


(Rear/Back Spearks)
Polk Audio MM651 $107.38 (Amazon) - $139.99 (Crutchfield)

(Crutchfield)
http://www.crutchfield.com/s_107MM651/Polk-Audio-MM651.html?search=Polk_Audio_MM651&skipvs=T

(Amazon)
http://www.amazon.com/Polk-Audio-AA2651-6-5-Inch-Speaker/dp/B001C3P6FI



(All speaker listed here are other good options. They won’t Marine certified, and my need a baffle to keep them protected from water, but over all good choices as well.)

(Front Speakers)

Boston Acoustics S60 $94.87 (Amazon) - $79.99 (Crutchfield)

(Crutchfield)
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_065S60/Boston-Acoustics-S60.html?search=Boston_Acoustics_S60&skipvs=T

(Amazon)
http://www.amazon.com/Boston-Acoustic-S60-Component-Speakers/dp/B0019R7IEY



Kenwood KFC-P709PS $65.85 (Amazon) - $95.99 (Crutchfield)

(Crutchfield)
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_113KFCP709/Kenwood-KFC-P709PS.html?search=Kenwood_KFC-P709PS&skipvs=T

(Amazon)
http://www.amazon.com/Kenwood-Kfc-P709Ps-6-5-Inch-Performance-Component/dp/B0037PH2CY


Rockford Fosgate Prime R1652-S $70.34 (Amazon) - $99.99 (Crutchfield)

(Crutchfield)
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_575R1652S/Rockford-Fosgate-Prime-R1652-S.html?search=Rockford_Fosgate_Prime_R1652-S&skipvs=T

(Amazon)
http://www.amazon.com/Rockford-Fosgate-R1652-S-6-5-Inch-Component/dp/B002X786XG



Kicker DS65.2 $76.83 (Amazon) - $109.99 (Crutchfield)

(Crutchfield)
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_206DS652/Kicker-DS65-2.html?search=Kicker_DS65.2&skipvs=T

(Amazon)
http://www.amazon.com/Kicker-11DS65-2-Audio-Component-Speakers/dp/B004K5890Y



Pioneer TS-A1604C $65.33 (Amazon) - $119.99 (Crutchfield)

(Crutchfield)
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_130TSA1604/Pioneer-TS-A1604C.html?search=Pioneer_TS-A1604C&skipvs=T

(Amazon)
http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-TS-A1604C-Components-350-Watts/dp/B004CLYOIW


Alpine SPS-610C $78.00/$83.00 (Amazon) - $129.99 (Crutchfield)

(Crutchfield)
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_500SPS610C/Alpine-SPS-610C.html?search=Alpine_SPS-610C&skipvs=T

(Amazon)
http://www.amazon.com/Alpine-Sps-610c-Component-Speaker-Totalling/dp/B0057M8M7E


Diamond Audio D162.5 $129.99 (Crutchfield Only)

(Crutchfield)
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_114D1625/Diamond-Audio-D162-5.html?search=Diamond_Audio_D162.5&skipvs=T


JL Audio TR650-Csi $110.85 (Amazon) - $189.99 (Crutchfield)

(Crutchfield)
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_136TR650CS/JL-Audio-TR650-CSi.html?search=JL_Audio_TR650-Csi&skipvs=T

(Amazon)
http://www.amazon.com/JL-AUDIO-TR-650-CSi-component/dp/B003QQ67HA

[dan553]

dan553,
This post will be king of long, and sorry for that. Well in general Sony's are not the best. Not trying to be rude, but to the point. I am helping a friend select some speakers at this time, and I have told him Sony is out of the question as whole. However keeping in mind that everyone has to start some where, and since you budget is $100, there are severl brands out there that would be in that price range, however you would only get one set. Again like Mac, and Arun put, you speakers are very important, and you want to get a good set. Here is what I have listed for my friend. Granted they will not be the best, but should be better than Sony for sure.

The Polk Audio?s are my personal choice for two major reasons. 1. They are a really good brand, and offer really good sound quality. 2. They are Marine Certified, which means if they get wet from rain or water it will not hurt them at all.

(Front Speakers)
Polk Audio MM6501 $175.95 (Amazon) - $229.99 (Crutchfield)

(Crutchfield)
http://www.crutchfield.com/s_107MM6501/Polk-Audio-MM6501.html?search=Polk_Audio_MM6501&skipvs=T

(Amazon)
http://www.amazon.com/Polk-Audio-AA6514-6-5-Inch-Speaker/dp/B001C3K7I4


Polk Audio Dxi 6500 $118.49 (Amazon) - $199.99 (Crutchfield)

(Crutchfield)
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_107DXI6500/Polk-Audio-DXi6500.html?search=Polk_Audio_Dxi6500&skipvs=T

(Amazon)
http://www.amazon.com/Polk-DXI6500-Speakers-300-Watt/dp/B004MF56N0


(Rear/Back Spearks)
Polk Audio MM651 $107.38 (Amazon) - $139.99 (Crutchfield)

(Crutchfield)
http://www.crutchfield.com/s_107MM651/Polk-Audio-MM651.html?search=Polk_Audio_MM651&skipvs=T

(Amazon)
http://www.amazon.com/Polk-Audio-AA2651-6-5-Inch-Speaker/dp/B001C3P6FI



(All speaker listed here are other good options. They won?t Marine certified, and my need a baffle to keep them protected from water, but over all good choices as well.)

(Front Speakers)

Boston Acoustics S60 $94.87 (Amazon) - $79.99 (Crutchfield)

(Crutchfield)
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_065S60/Boston-Acoustics-S60.html?search=Boston_Acoustics_S60&skipvs=T

(Amazon)
http://www.amazon.com/Boston-Acoustic-S60-Component-Speakers/dp/B0019R7IEY



Kenwood KFC-P709PS $65.85 (Amazon) - $95.99 (Crutchfield)

(Crutchfield)
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_113KFCP709/Kenwood-KFC-P709PS.html?search=Kenwood_KFC-P709PS&skipvs=T

(Amazon)
http://www.amazon.com/Kenwood-Kfc-P709Ps-6-5-Inch-Performance-Component/dp/B0037PH2CY


Rockford Fosgate Prime R1652-S $70.34 (Amazon) - $99.99 (Crutchfield)

(Crutchfield)
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_575R1652S/Rockford-Fosgate-Prime-R1652-S.html?search=Rockford_Fosgate_Prime_R1652-S&skipvs=T

(Amazon)
http://www.amazon.com/Rockford-Fosgate-R1652-S-6-5-Inch-Component/dp/B002X786XG



Kicker DS65.2 $76.83 (Amazon) - $109.99 (Crutchfield)

(Crutchfield)
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_206DS652/Kicker-DS65-2.html?search=Kicker_DS65.2&skipvs=T

(Amazon)
http://www.amazon.com/Kicker-11DS65-2-Audio-Component-Speakers/dp/B004K5890Y



Pioneer TS-A1604C $65.33 (Amazon) - $119.99 (Crutchfield)

(Crutchfield)
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_130TSA1604/Pioneer-TS-A1604C.html?search=Pioneer_TS-A1604C&skipvs=T

(Amazon)
http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-TS-A1604C-Components-350-Watts/dp/B004CLYOIW


Alpine SPS-610C $78.00/$83.00 (Amazon) - $129.99 (Crutchfield)

(Crutchfield)
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_500SPS610C/Alpine-SPS-610C.html?search=Alpine_SPS-610C&skipvs=T

(Amazon)
http://www.amazon.com/Alpine-Sps-610c-Component-Speaker-Totalling/dp/B0057M8M7E


Diamond Audio D162.5 $129.99 (Crutchfield Only)

(Crutchfield)
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_114D1625/Diamond-Audio-D162-5.html?search=Diamond_Audio_D162.5&skipvs=T


JL Audio TR650-Csi $110.85 (Amazon) - $189.99 (Crutchfield)

(Crutchfield)
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_136TR650CS/JL-Audio-TR650-CSi.html?search=JL_Audio_TR650-Csi&skipvs=T

(Amazon)
http://www.amazon.com/JL-AUDIO-TR-650-CSi-component/dp/B003QQ67HA


Thanks man!! I really appreciate it, unfortunately I lack the money to purchase any new ones. I just got my amp installed by best buy today and it was so expensive..:sad: I will save this though, thank you for all the info, i have another post with more questions to do below.

[dan553]

Alright here comes a couple more questions. Today I finally had my 4 channel Amp installed by best buy today. I purchased a power acoustics wiring kit and a 4 channel sound storm amp and brought it to them. They wired it so that the first 2 channels are the front and back speakers to my car, and (my subwoofer was supposed to arrive 2 days ago but UPS lost the package, fml) I can put the subwoofer in later. Ok so heres the questions

#1: For some reason after they have installed the amp, I have to turn the volume up a lot more on my HU. I used to keep it around 20, and then 22-25 was when you hear a song you like. Now when I hear a song i like i have to turn it up to about 40 just to get the same volume. Is that normal? My HU says its faded 4 to the left, maybe (because of the using only 2 channels in the amp) that means its faded to the front more and since my front speakers are the weaker sonys it isnt as loud?

#2 I do NOT want to go back to best buy to install the subwoofer. They said all together everything would costs around $120, and today it cost $130 to get just the amp installed... soooo I want to steer away from that. I am not so great on the "know-how" of car audio. Easy speaker installations is about as complex as I get. Anyways, is it difficult to install a subwoofer? and also, do I need extra cables? The best buy guy said Id prolly need an extra RCA cable, but I want to double check and make sure.. It looks like I have one extra here from the kit, a bass controller, some smaller connectors and a smaller wire. I am posting a pic with this thread to show what I have left. If you know what I need or am missing please let me know. Also any instructions would be nice. They didnt give me back the instructions with my amp box :evil:61566

#3. They installed the amplifier in the trunk of my car. Obviously my subwoofer needs to go there too. I have read that it is dangerous for your amplifier to be around your subwoofer because the vibrations can wreck the insides of the amp. The amp is as close to the back of the trunk as could be, and if I had to move it im sure I would have to undo and cut and reattach all the wires and stuff and I dont know if I could do it correctly. What is your opinion on that?

#4 (and final, sorry about not knowin this stuff even though its basic :cry:) Once I save up the money I want to get a sound deadener for my doors and I'm looking for cost efficiency on this too. I was going to try to buy dynamat on ebay when I find it cheap. I also saw that fat mat is extremely cheaper but was wondering about the quality of it...

Oh and one more thing! the subwoofer I got was a 12'' subwoofer and I planned to just buy an enclosure off of ebay. does any 12'' enclosure work? you just get the enclosure, stick the sucker in and thats it?

Thank you so much for all the help guys!

[KaosTsoc]

Yeeaahh... Dont ever go to Best Buy for intalls, they over charge alot. If you can do it yourself, that is the best, and cheepest route. All you need to do is do research befor you start. For the sub, yes getting a premade box for the 12 is fine, and yes it is a simple as wire up sub, put into box, screw sub down, then plug in wires from sub to amp. Done. Make sure the box is screwed done so it does not move. As for wire left over, what you have should be fine for wiring the sub to the box terminal, and then from the box termianl(s) to amp, however you will need another RCA to get the signal from the head unit to the amp. As for moving the amp, you can leave it where it is. Your concern about the sub rattling the internal workings of the amp lose is valid, but (someone please correct me if I am wrong) as long as the amp is not screwed to the actual box you will be fine.

Hope this helps, and I hope that there will other people that chime in as well. Always seems when I chime in everybody kind of shy's away. LOL, It's like I am infecting the thread with stupidy or something. I mean I am not as good as like Mac, or Arun, but I know a thing or two about a thing or two...LOL


Thanks.

[dan553]

Well I actually decided to sell the back 6x9s and get 1 pair of polk audio dxi 5250s. I will try my best to install them seeing as it will be my 1st component speaker install. hopefully theyll put out enough power to produce good volume if its just going to be those 2 speakers.

Also since i need another RCA cable to connect the head unit to the amp will this 1 be ok?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/400246126446?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

The other 1 is a different cable will it matter if they are different even though they are both for the sub?

[KaosTsoc]

The different wires will not make any difference at all. As for wires though, there is a big debate on that subject. Do you buy high end wire, or just plain wire from like wal mart.. My thought on this is, it is going into a car, and the environment is very harsh. Alot of interferences, and what not. So, the one you have selected is good. It is not too high end, but it is not crap either. I like to get cables that are shielded or has good insulation. Worse case scenario would be run the cable under the carpert, and put the wire in a wire flum. Also as far as the deading of your door's, you really do want to do that. Rammat, Dynamat, Fat Mat are all going to do the same thing, and if I am correct. They are all made pretty much the same way.

[dan553]

Thanks a lot man, i appreciate the advice. I got a 12 SQ Ft pack of dynamat because I figured I would just try the front doors first and see how it went. Well, I must have bad like or something with this stuff cause it went horribly. For some reason my door (a 97 accord which i thought would be a pretty simple setup car compared to something newer), just does not look anything like the doors on the package. There are tons of deep dips and grooves (which werent rlly the problem), but lots and lots and lots of wires! Those darn wires kept screwing me up. I eventually just made a couple small holes, pulled some through, and rolled it over the rest. It doesnt really looks pretty either. Its deffinitely not completely wrinkle free. I pushed down on it as hard as I could with a roller and tried to get it smooth but the wires push parts up, and another problem is, the place where the inner panel of my door connects to the actual metal part, there are lots of snaps that connect them together, but they are pretty far away from the edges, which means I was limited in how much surface area i could actually cover in the door. If you imagine my door as a rectangle, I covered about 5/8 of the whole door from the center. I just couldnt really get it to the outsides because of all the stuff that functions with the door. Hopefully tomorrows left door will go better. Here is a picture, sorry its poor quality.
61823

I also got my polk dxi 5250s today and im excited to put them in tomorrow and I have a small question about the tweeters. I wanna flush mount the tweeters on the plastic panel but more near the sail panel. My question is, is there any way to angle these? Ive heard that its important to actually have them pointing at you, but If i put them in the side panel, they will just be pointing perpendicular from me towards the other door. I posted 2 pictures of my car door and if you see a good spot tell me. unfortunately most of the area thats right on top of the panel has metal parts right beneath it. Only that area further to the right near the sail plate has a bit more fat to it and empty area beneath it. Do you recommend there? Any opinions/suggestions?
6182461825

Thanks a ton,
Dan

[KaosTsoc]

The dynamat never really goes well the first time you do it. Like I have said before though, before starting any project. Do some research, and try to find pictures from other people who have done it. It will give you a good idea of how it should look roughly. Covering about 5/8 of the door is typical, and it fact that is about how much I covered when I did mine. One suggestion though would be to do the door in segments instead of trying to lay the whole sheet down at once. Doing it in one whole sheet is a real pain. I learned that when I was doing my doors. The dips, and what not on the door is just something that happens, and will not look perfect, so dont sweat it. If you can get some card board, and make a template of the door,and wires, and where you want your holes, that would help too.

As for the tweeter placement alot of people like Mac for example would suggest to put them in the A piller instead of the sail. As for me, I am going to put mine in the sail panel as well, but in order to get them angled to fire toward you. You will need to fiberglass it to get the angle. I am going to use a local shop around my area, and have them do it for me. I have no idea how to work with fiberglass, and hear it is a pain. I am willing to spend the extra money for it, if that means it will be right.

Hope this helps.
Thanks.

[dan553]

I see,

I ended up putting the tweeter in the side panel of my door near the sail panel. It looks great but unfortunately it is not perfectly aimed towards me. It still sounds fantastic after testing the speakers. I installed the 2 front speakers and duct taped the crossovers to the dynamat/material covering the metal part of the door. I think when I do the drivers side door I am going to do it in segments. that sounds like a much better idea.

Couple last questions. The way my speakers were before, both front speakers went to channel 1 of my amp, both rear speakers went to channel 2. On my amp all I did was notice that in channel 1 there were two sets of positive wires and 2 sets of negatives. I removed all wires from channel 2 and then placed the extra set from channel 1, to channel 2. Does that sound like the correct process? Here is a picture of how it is now61839
The darker looking wires are the ones I disconnected (rears) and wrapped them with electrical tape.

I am going to be putting my 12'' subwoofer in and I am going to connect it to channels 3 and 4. Is that easy to do? I can only imagine that only 1 set of speaker wire comes with the subwoofer, meaning only enough for 1 channel. Do I need to get a second set and just connect them to the same connections on the subwoofer and the ends to channels 4 input too? Or can you do it with only 1 cable somehow. Also another important question is, This is what the back of my HU looks like right now 61840
The right side inputs where the RCAs are plugged in says "Front Speakers", and the next 2 inputs just to the left say "Rear speakers/Subwoofer". the ones to the very left say Bus In. Anyways, For the RCA connecting the subwoofer to the HU, Do I use both the red and white input of "Rear/Sub"? I ask because i didnt know if only 1 was designed for the subwoofer since it also says "rear speakers"

Thanks a lot guys.
Dan

[dan553]

Also, do I need some kind of crossover for the subwoofer I am getting? It is a svc polk audio dxi 12'' subwoofer, but how will it know which frequencies to use if its only connected between the HU and amplifier with no crossover?

[KaosTsoc]

Ok. Lets see.... Doing the Dynamat in segements will be way easier, and if you over lap the pieces a little, that is fine too. Ideally you want tweets to fire pretty darn close to being on axis, or toward you. So if it is close, you should be fine.

One question I have about the speakers though. Are you running back speaker, or just the fronts? Oh, and are you using the supplied crossover that came with the DXI's?

As for the RCA rear/sub preouts. You will use the positive, and negative side like normal. The crossover part will be done via the HU, and then the amp. As for channels 3 and 4 you only need to use one of the channels for this. With the sub only being a SVC, I would venture to say that channel 4 will be the one to use, and should let you use the low pass filter.

By the way what amp do you have? So, I can look up the spec's on it really quick, and help you out better.

Thanks.

[dan553]

I am running just the front speakers. Ive been reading that a lot of people just use front speakers and a subwoofer because the rear speakers can cancel out the sounds of the front ones. For being smaller speakers, the dxi 5.25s really blew my mind for how loud they get and how clear they are, even with just the 2 front speakers. I cant wait to put the subwoofer in.

Yeah I am using the crossovers that came with the DXIs. Is that ok?

Another weird thing that I mentioned above but dont really understand, is back when I had regular speakers installed without an amp, I usually kept the volume around 20-22 on my head unit. Ever since my amplifier was installed, I have to turn the volume about to about 35-40 to get the same output. Is this normal? Is there a reason for that? Is it a sign somethings wrong?

Anyways, the amplifier I am using is a soundstorm SSL f4 800.http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_17630_Sound-Storm-SSL-F4.800.html
The reason I thought about hooking up the subwoofer to 2 channels was because this amps RMS is 85 Watts, and Im afraid of damaging the subwoofer by underpowering it.

Also this is the speaker wire I was planning on using for the sub. It came with the power acoustik amp kit. 61879

It seems to have a blue wire, and a yellowish wire inside the shielding, but I am not sure which is positive or negative. Is there a way to tell?

Thank you
Dan

[arun1963]

'Underpowering' won't hurt your speaker, giving it too much power will. You will drive a 4x20 watt amp and a 4x150 watt amp when you push it to make power than it can. A clipped signal will kill your speakers, yes.

[KaosTsoc]

Using the crossover that came with the speakers is good, no worries there. Using the first two channels for them is where you need to be. As for channels three and four that would be the one for the subs, and you could bridge it as well on those channels, and if you have the bass boost knob that is also from what I can tell for the sub channels three and four.

So, on channel 1 & 2 you put the crossover on full range and then adjust the freq according to what the speakers can manage. Look at the manual for the Dxi's to get a better idea on that. Putting the crossover on full range is fine because, the crossover that came with the Dxi's will divert the signal accordingly. Do not turn on the bass boost on these channels... It will make them sound more bassy, and muddy. Use the HU bass, trebel, and mid for that stuff.

Channels 3 & 4 is for the sub. I think you can bridge that to get more power, but I could be wrong. I sure I am right, but a little hazy on that.

Arun please help with this. Thanks.

At any rate if bridging the last two channels is good. Then plug in the bass boost control to the hole, then set your croosover to lass pass, and then adjust the freq. Now with this, anything that is higher then lets say... 40Hz should not pass through. In fact I would leave that at 40Hz, and call it even. Do not use the bass boost switch on this either. That is what the knob is for. This should be by the driver side of the car.

The volume issue is not at all bad. Basically what they do (Best Buy) is turn up your volume on the HU to roughly 80% max volume. They then adjust the gain, and they try to get this match what the HU is pushing out. They adjust it to where they hear audiable distrotion, then turn it down a bit. It keeps you from blowing your speakers. NOW THE GAIN KNOB ON THE AMP IS NOT VOLUME CONTROL. It is only used to match the signal that comes from the HU.

The over all idea is blend the sub with the front speakers so that they sound as one. I have a feeling that I may be off on some of things by a little bit. I have had an EXTREMELY wonderful weekend, and I am still thinking of this girl from the club so, yyyeeeaahhh my mind is kind of all over. LOL.

[dan553]

LOL i know how that is haha. Well one of the problems with the crossover for the sub is, its a component sub so it doesnt come with one i dont think. Im just throwing it into a box and putting it on my amp. I dont see anything on my amp thats a dial or anything. All I see are places to connect things like the channels and speaker inputs. I do have the bass controller that came with the amp, but I dont see any settings about crossovers or anything on the amp, just inputs.

By the way, does the RC cable have neg/pos ends or is it different than normal wire? 61885
I hooked in the Kicker RC Cable to the Rear/Sub inputs but I did not know which end went to which. The kicker has blue/green ends and the inputs have a red slot and white slot. I just put the blue in the red and the green in the white. Does it matter or does it just matter when you go back to the amp to make sure the blue is hooking into where you want on the amp etc.

As far as briding a SVC sub goes to 2 channels of an amp. I want to run the 2 channels at 4 OHMs and just give it the two channels power. I see people writing about how they lower it to 2 ohms but my subwoofer does not support that. Is it easy to bridge it?

[dan553]

actually, scratch that I do see now the crossover part of it. it was hidden in the back. looks like it has a crossover for channels 3/4 and for channels 1/2. Ill leave 1/2 at full range and change 3/4 to what you said. Im still a little sketchy about the bridging thing. Does a subwoofer have to support bridging, for it to be able to do it? or can any subwoofer do it. I also looked at my amps manual and it showed how to bridge but It showed all channels bridged. 1/2 were to 1 subwoofer and 3/4 were to 1 subwoofer. Can I have channel 1/2 to my front speakers reguarly wired and then 3/4 bridged to my subwoofer? Looks like my amp manual is telling me to connect the positive of channel 3 and the negative of channel 4 to the subwoofer. Will it damage the subwoofeR?

[KaosTsoc]

Yeah it was a great weekend. The stipper was so fine, and well built....Sigh... it was beautiful. In fact her name was beauty, and now I know why..... Uh.. back on topic sorry.....

As far as cables having a designated positive, and negative, there is no such thing. Any cable you put into positive is postive, and any cable you put into negative is negative... So, it is up to which one you want to be what. As for the bridging this, you are right. Wire one cable to the positive of channel 3, and one wire to the negative of channel 4. If you look at the link you posted on your amp. There is a picture showing the channels that the speaker cables connect to. There you will see that they show what is bridged by this l-___________+l or vise versa, and is says bridge in the middle of the line. Will your sub be able to handle it, the short answer is yes. Now what you are talking about wiring the sub down to a 2 or 1 ohm load. That has do with how you wire the actual subwoofer. There is series, and parallal, but for just hooking up one sub you dont need to do this. Just hook up positive from sub to positive on channel 3, then negative from sub to negative on channel 4. Dont' worry you will be fine, and the sub will, and can take it. The whole wiring thing only really comes into play if you are dealing with 2 or more subwoofers that are either SVC, and DVC, Or have one sub that is a DVC (Dual voice Coil). Try not to over think it too much, it only makes it more confussing. With the wiring stuff, go online and look at series, and parallal wiring.

Thanks.

[dan553]

Thanks man, I appreciate it.

My subwoofer comes tomorrow and hopefully I can finish it up and enjoy the fresh new sound. The only last tiny problem is the box in my trunk. The subwoofer box fits and everything but you said I should definitely screw it down. I can do that, but the problem is, theres only the carpet underneat the box. Under the carpet is just empty space because thats where my spare tire is kept. Think it will be enough just screwed to the carpet?

[arun1963]

I have had an EXTREMELY wonderful weekend, and I am still thinking of this girl from the club so, yyyeeeaahhh my mind is kind of all over. LOL.

Right, so someone got lucky last weekend? and he's still swooning on Thursday...hmm:biggrin:

[dan553]

Also, For the bridging. Does the bridging reduce the ohms of the amp? or affect its output? Reason I ask is because im wondering if bridging channels 3/4 will affect the unbridged channels 1/2 or something.

[arun1963]

With a component and sub you would have two cross over points. One for your sub and midbass, which you would set either at your hu or your amp and the other for the mb and tweeter which is basically the passive that comes with the components. You don't need an external xover for your sub. What HU are you running?

The amp will run at the impedence of the speaker connected to it. So if you run an SVC sub the amp will see a 4ohm load and if you run a DVC where you have connected the two coils on the sub to 2ohms, the amp will run at 2 ohms. Most amps will put out more power at lower loads. Thats why people run DVC subs. Your amp is two ohm stable. If you run a SVC bridged, your sub will get 160 watts, while with a DVC it will get 400 watts.

[dan553]

the HU I am using is a Sony CDX-GT340
http://aboutgadgets.net/2010/02/sony-cdxgt340-review/

[arun1963]

OK your hu does not let you set the sub/mid xover, so you will have to do this at your amp. If you're running the sub off channels 3&4 select LPF for these channels and set the knob ~ 50hz.

[KaosTsoc]

Arun...Yeah great weekend. Can't wait to do it again, or see her again.... Oh yeah..... Thanks for your input as well. Always a pleasure.

Dan,
Where are going to put the box at? Which way is the sub going to be firing?

Thanks.

[dan553]

61901
The box will be pointing/fireing into the trunk towards the seats and be placed behind my amplifier like this. Is that ok?

[dan553]

Also another stupid question. How do you connect this type of connection? It has a screw on top or something but Im not sure exactly how to connect the wire here. its the outside of the box for the subwoofer61902

[dan553]

AWW MAN how dumb. The subwoofer I bought didnt come with leads to get from the subwoofer to the subwoofer enclosure input. Well, I did a crappy solder job with extra speaker wire to those odd little metal pieces that you always see on the connectors of speakers, the plastic shielded wire part goes over it or w/e. Anyways, I hope its ok, I just put some of the wire through the hole of the metal part and folded it over and then soldered61904
I know you cant see much but thats the wires soldered onto the + and - terminals on the sub. Is this ok to do? I guess Ill find out if it blows up or not

[KaosTsoc]

The way your soldered the wire are just fine. I have did mine that way as well. So, you are good. Now just make sure you know which one is positive, and which one is negative. Now hook up those wires to the terminal inside the box. When that is done, just make sure to take note which one is positive, and which one is negative. Now that the inside is done, it is now to the out side where ther gold terminals are. Basically they should unscrew, and there should be a hole in th middle of the post, I think... I can not really tell by your picture, but if that is correct. Put one wire into the postivie, and one in the negative, then hook up the according cables to the positive, and negative terminals of the amp, and done.

As for securing the box to the carboard floor mat, that should be fine, but it would be better if it was connected to some sort of metal surface in the trunk. If this is not possible, then the floor should be fine.

[dan553]

Well, I ended up making the sub as far back in the trunk as possible, and aimed it opposite of the cabin. I read in a couple articles that that is recommended. Anyways, its all connected and set up and it sounds good. Im almost positive that there are tons of tweaking things that should be done but I just dont know how to do. I like the sound of it all but sometimes its weird because like, I feel like I get a great sound out of my polk speakers, but its the higher frequencies and then for the real low frequencies I get the sub, but it feels like the mid/lower mid part of the music is sometimes lacking. The only options I get on my HU are Sub, Low, Mid, and High control. I usually leave everything at 0 so its equal, but I have been putting the "low" option up a little bit because I feel like it controls the woofers of the front speakers. I just feel like theres a big frequency difference between the lowest part of my components and my sub and I feel like its missing a chunk of frequencies, but hey maybe its just me. Maybe even my subwoofer is just up to high. Do you recommend just keeping all of the Equalizer settings at 0 so they are even?

[KaosTsoc]

Good to hear all is working.. As for the sound, and frequency loss, with the HU you have it will limit what you can, or can't tune. That is where an external equalizer with at least 7 bands comes into play. You could leave everything at 0 if it sounds good to you. The key part of that is YOU..... Sound is going to be subjective for each person. What sounds amazing to me, may sound muddy or unlcear to you..... So, with what you have, try to play with it until you get the sound that you are looking for. As time goes on, you will might end up trying to get an equalizer that will allow you to inhance the high, mid, and low frequencies. Time alignment, and independent left/right channel equalization will all help with this. However since you are just starting out, play with what you have, and get the basics down first. Again it is YOUR ears, and YOUR system, and YOUR car. So, it has to sound good to you. Dig around the fourm, and look at tuning frequencies that have been suggested over time. Alot of will not make sense at first, but once you do some research, and apply it. It will all come together. If it makes you feel any better, I am still learning the frequency stuff as well. It is a constant battle, and constant learning.

Thanks.

[dan553]

Thanks man, I couldnt have done it without all of every ones help =D!

I started thinking about the frequency loss thing and I wondered if it is because the speakers are 5.25'' speakers. Because I remember on my old 6x9s they pumped out a lot of good mid/low frequency because they were full range, and big. These woofers even though they are higher quality, arent as big =/. The subwoofer is great but I wonder if maybe I put the low pass too low? I think its around 50 right now but I wonder if my small polk woofers can even get that low.

The subwoofer does sound really great, for SOME songs. For other songs where it is a fast beat. I hear it get muddy because it is not a clean hit for the beat. Its a hit and then it vibrates for a second so instead of hearing a fast beat you just hear the continous subwoofer. I think you can kinda guess how it sounds, but for other songs its great. Any idea how to fix that?

also http://www.sonicelectronix.com/pictures_new.php?id=17630&picture_id=244153 In that picture where it says "min/max" dial next to the bass boost, is that the bass boost dial, or the gain dial? I have not touched either of them and I wonder if I should have...

The subwoofer I have is a 12'' polk audio one, and this is the box I got http://www.ebay.com/itm/230686505069?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649 . Do you think maybe that box is just not good with my subwoofer? Is there any way to make it a more clean strike than muddy?

And also last but not least, my radio on my head unit hasnt worked ever since I took it out and put the other 2 RCA inputs in and disconnected the battery and all that. I heard you have to push reset on the system somewhere before you put it back. Unfortunately I learned that after the fact when it was all put back together, So I figured id leave well enough alone but now the Radio doesnt work anymore. Any suggestions?

[KaosTsoc]

Ok. Well let's start with the radio. This may sound dumb in all or condescending, but it is not ment that way. If you look at the picture you posted in post 23. There is a hole just to the left of the rca's. Do you have your antenna hooked into that hole? As for the sound in the 5.25, they should handle the 50hz range from what I understand (mac, or arun please chime in here), however you might what to set that a little higher like in the 60hz range. As for the min/max dial you are talking about, that is your gain. The actual switch that is to the left of that is your bass boost. Now, if you going to mess with the gain, you will need to turn it all the way down to min. Turn up your radio to 80% of max volume, so if your hu max is 40 then 30 or so should be 80% I think. Kind of fuzzy on the math.... anyways. With the HU at 80% turn the gain on channels 1/2 toward the max side bit by bit. Since your amp is in the trunk, you will end up turning the gain a little, go to the door speakers, and listen. If you hear audiable distortion (you will know what it is when you hear it, it will should waffled, or about to blow), you will go back to the amp, and turn the gain down just a bit, and your set there. As for the sub, you will do the samething. Once you have this done you will have your amp set to the approximate voltage that your HU is putting out. As for the bass boost I would not mess with it too much, you will end up putting to much of a boomy sound out. Try this, and see what happens, but just be careful when adjusting the gain. You can end up blowing your speakers, and worse yet blowing the amp. Which in both cases you do not want to do, because that would put back to square one. Just remember the gain knob is NOT VOLUME control. If Arun, mac, dskip, or anyone will chime in about the frequency that would help too. Hope this helps.

Thanks

[dan553]

Thanks. I actually just found out that my subwoofer box is a lot bigger than its supposed to be. My sub is meant for a .88 cu ft box and my box is 1.36 cu ft. I will take it out and try putting in a few 2x4s in some places to make it smaller.

[Kazimir]

Thanks. I actually just found out that my subwoofer box is a lot bigger than its supposed to be. My sub is meant for a .88 cu ft box and my box is 1.36 cu ft. I will take it out and try putting in a few 2x4s in some places to make it smaller.

That may be a bit big, however depending on what your looking for, larger than manufactures specs can yield a better sound. Ex: Polk recommends 1.2cu ft for the SR line sealed, but for SQ, a lot run 1.5-1.7cu ft.

[pentoncm]

We're talking about the Dxi speakers right? I had the db's and they really did not do too well with a HPF of 50Hz. For one, it made it seem like there was a gap in the response, and two it muddied up the midrange detail.

I'd suggest keeping it at 60 or 63Hz.

With regards to setting the gain, the old 80% rule is not the best. My headunit the Excelon X595 goes all the way up without clipping. It outputs 4V at volume 35 and like 2.5V at 34. If I set my HU for 80% I would be sending the amps less 1V potentially requiring the gains on the amps to be turned up.

For the speakers turn the gain all the way down. Now turn up the volume on your headunit until it distorts. Note this number and take it back one or two notches and set your amp gain then. It might not distort at all, My last HU pioneer 6000UB went up to 60/62 without clipping.

[DSkip]

dan, can you list your gear by make and model numbers? There's too much going on above and I don't care enough to read it all. Don't worry too much about the box size right now, it should be fine until you get to know your system better.

[dan553]

my gear is

Front speakers - Polk Audio DXI 5 1/4'' component
Sub - Polk Audio DXI 124 12'' subwoofer SVC
Amp - Soundstorm SSL f4 800
HU - Aftermarket Sony head unit.

[DSkip]

I wouldn't trust those DXi's to go down to 50 with any kind of authority. You might get decent sound out of them at 63 as mentioned above, but you may have to go higher than that. My SR5250's are generally set at 50, but sometimes make it up to 63 depending on the music. Perhaps a shallow slope (say -12) on the fronts at 80 and a steeper slope on the subs at 63 (-24) would mesh well.

I've never used a Sony HU and never had a desire to, so I can't comment on that. I doubt the 85x4 wpc advertised for the amp are accurate and would consider it to be much, much lower (at least half). That doesn't mean you can't get good sound out of it though. I have an MTX 564 that is about twice that size and only does about 50x4 of nice, clean power. It is an older amp, but I don't think technology has advanced that much over the years to get the same quality power out of a similar power source half its size. It also reads that you should NOT bridge your sub over two channels if it is a 4 ohm speaker. That Soundstorm can't handle a bridged 2 ohm load.


As for the 80% rule when setting gains, it still stands in my books. To be honest, if you tune heavily, you will probably find that the 80% moves up to 90% or higher when all settings are finalized.

[dan553]

Alright pals, next questions on my journey (haha when you get tired of them just tell me to stop)

I returned my polk 5 1/4''s to purchase a component setup that is 6 1/2'' and will give me the lower end I am looking for. I am looking at the boston acoustic sr 60 set. They seem pretty thick and like they can deliver some decent bass.

My questions are, when I took out my component system today, there was a lot of moisture on the magnet. Where the front of my speaker is, it is lined with dynamat, but the back has a LOT of moisture. Not exactly 1-2'' of water sitting but enough for where you slide your finger down it, it gets very wet. So the question is, is this normal, and if it is, can non-marine speakers (such as Bostons), survive in that type of environment?

2nd question. I noticed that (and I am PRETTY sure I started hearing this when I lined my drivers side door with dynamat), when my head unit is turned on, I hear a higher pitched noise that just stays constant. When I push in the throttle, it seems to get higher pitched, like eventually my car might take off or something. When the music is louder you cant hear it, but if you are listening to music on a lower setting you definitely notice it. Any ideas on what it might be? My theory was that maybe when I forgot to setup the antenna in my hu correctly after reassembling it, its the radio trying to pick up bad pitches or something but this happens even when the tuner radio is not on. Any ideas?

[DSkip]

You've got alternator whine. Check your amp's power lines under the hood. If anything is exposed, get some electric tape and make sure its covered.

[dan553]

Alright ill check that out. thanks a lot man

[dan553]

well, none of the wire seems to be exposed. Its relatively new, heavy shielded wire too. I wonder if maybe because it is just laying on a metal piece connected to the alternator that it is transferring? Maybe I'll try just shifting the placement around a bit and see if it goes away. Unfortunately I cant put it all back together until I get my new 6 1/2''s in. Im so excited! :D Every one kept telling me that the polk audio mm6501s were the way to go, and I wanted to get them so bad. They were my first choice to begin with. My accord's fits 6 1/2''s in the front but unfortunately the mounting depth available is only 2'', while these take I think 2 7/16. I have a small bracket that best buy put on a long time ago to raise them out a bit, but I think it is just not enough because crutchfields calculator, as well as their customer service said it wouldnt go in. So ima try out the boston acoustics sr60 and see how they go.

[DSkip]

Look up alternator whine and you should be able to find a few other issues that might cause it. IIRC, where you ground your amp might also be a cause.

[dan553]

62425

Is this my antenna wire?

[KaosTsoc]

Yes that is antenna line. Plug that in, and you should get radio. As for Alternator whine, here are some things that you can do to help with that. One like DSkip put, check under the hood to make sure no wires are exposed, and or touching the alternator. Once this is done, and checked off. Go inside, and trace your rca cables, and your power wire from battery to amp. If these wire are crossing each other make sure they are at a 90 degree angle, and put some wire flum around the rca cable, and tape off the ends. Now if the power wire, and rca cables are running right along each other. You will either need to run your power cable in a different place, or put wire flum around the rca cables all the way from front to back. Flum is expensive though, so the cheeper way is to rerun the power cable to another side, where there are no rca, or speakers wires that are close to it. Once this is checked off, go to the trunk, and make sure that the speaker, and rca cables are on one side, and the power, ground, and rem wires are on the other side. If not then rerun accordingly so that they are seperate from each other. If you need to flum any of these, do so. Also while you are back in the trunk, trace your ground wire, and make sure that this is grounded correclty, and is actually touching metal. What you are looking for is an area where it looks like the paint was ground down to metal. If this is good, then that should take care of noise. If not, then the only other thing I can think of, is that the voltage coming from the HU is not strong enough to drown out the noise. I almost forgot.... the reason you want the cables sepereated is, so that the power cable does not interfer with the signal from the the rca's. As power is being transfered from battery to amp, it is more or less pulsing the whole time, and this "field" around the power cable can (if other cables are close) bleed into other cables. Also running the cables at 90 degrees cross will help mitigate the noise interfereance. Hope this helps. Keep us posted on your result.


Thanks

[dan553]

Well, I have everything set and the whole system is done (for now). I appreciate every ones help. Sounds good. I returned the 5.25 polk dxis for a pair of 6.5 Kenwood Excelon KFC-X1730P. When I talked to some one at crutchfield they told me that they would deliver the bass kick I want. Well, I do get a bit more bass but I am not really sure if the sound quality is any better. Those polks sounded amazing, even for the smaller size of them. Hopefully once these get broken in and I mess with the angeling of the tweeters and eq it will sound great. I also had a lot of trouble fitting these into the doors. They say they fit with a bracket but unfortunately it doesnt. The 1 on the right door is just attached to the metal panel while the left one is on a bracket. Somehow the holes do not match each other its weird. Either way, they do sound good, just not sure if they are AS good as the dxis i had. I would have gone with more polks but unfortunately the polk 6.5s dont fit my door so I had to choose another brand. Hopefully they'll work out.

[emy]

There is series, and parallal, but for just hooking up one sub woofer (http://www.12vcity.com/13-super-slim-subwoofer-car-subwoofers-car-audio-subwoofers) you dont need to do this. Just hook up positive from sub to positive on channel 3, then negative from sub to negative on channel 4. Dont' worry you will be fine, and the sub will, and can take it.