Probs w/ MTX...time to upgrade?

[unrealii]

I have an MTX Thunder 5400X 5 channel amplifier. It is almost 3 years old. It had failed 1 month after i installed it in my ford taurus. Last year I sold the taurus and now the mtx is in my maxima. I like the sq from the amp, but it is starting to fall appart. I am pretty sure these have always been bad, I just never needed to use these features when it was in my taurus. First, my cross overs are bad, I get high pitched noise from the high pass filter. Second, my sub woofer pulsates when I inititally turn the amp on or when there is no signal going to the sub channel. It also pulsates when I adjust the gain or if I press the knob side ways. I have a good guys warranty, I dont know if they are going to make me live without a car stereo for a while (ie ship it to the repair center in AZ) or let me use the $250 I spent on the amp towards another amp.

Right now I have the following configuration:
hu: Eclipse cd8454
speakers: polk audio, db6510, db5510, db3000 tweeters, 2 cross overs
sub: image dynamics idq 10

Amp Configuration:
-channels 1 & 2, provide power to the polk crossover which splits the signal to the tweeters (in the front) and 5.5" speakers in rear doors of the car. (using the cross over settings on my hu, I can turn off rear fill whenever I deem it necessary ;-) )
-channels 3 & 4 provide power to the front 6.5" speakers.
-5 - directly to sub

I really doubt good guys will let me use the $250 I spent on the mtx towards another amp, but I just looked on ebay and a 5400x just went for $180. Ofcourse I will sell it after it is repaired. Anywhoo, here are the options I am considering. I am looking at jl because I hear they are very well built and I am not in the mood to be taking my trunk appart.

1-keep the mtx...even if it means going for 2-3 weeks without audio
2-upgrade to jl audio 500/5 to run my entire system
3-upgrade to jl audio e6450 (I am running 6 speakers...why not give em a channel each?) & a mono class d amp (probably the e1400d)

I know two amps are better than 1, but if I go with 2, then I will probably end up spending an extra $100 in wiring and mounting parts to mount these things. Right now I have a 4ga power wire...I am hopeing that should be good enough if I go with either option 2 or 3.

Thanks in advance. I would like to keep costs to a minimum, but not sacrifice durability or quality at the same time. If anyone knows any good authorized retailers online or local to orange county CA, please let me know. Hopefully after this, I quit molesting my car. :D

Here's a reference post to my problems with my crossovers:
http://clubpolk.polkaudio.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=23493#post243438

[MacLeod]

If youre able to afford the JL 500/5, get it. Thats as high end as you can get.

[1996blackmax]

Hey unrealii,

I replied earlier to your post at Maxima.org . Small world :).

If you want to go high end here it is, ARC Audio 5150-XXK:

http://www.arcaudio.com/arc-05/amplifiers/xxk_5150.htm


If you are going to spend some coin go with the good stuff. I plan on using their amps when I get my Armada.

[unrealii]

Thanks for the replies.

I'll look more into the 500/5. Only thing is that I wish all 4 channels had the same amount of power. Looks like a very nice amp though.

I'll check out that arc amp too. Thanks for the replies on the org. I saw your equipment list and was like, this guy has good taste :D

[unrealii]

Just called up a local shop that I have bought stuff from before. If I sell my mtx on ebay, it will probably cost me about $330 to upgrade to that 5 channel arc. Only thing I am worried about is that if my eclipse 8v preouts would be too much for this amp.

[1996blackmax]

Originally posted by unrealii
Thanks for the replies.

I'll check out that arc amp too. Thanks for the replies on the org. I saw your equipment list and was like, this guy has good taste :D


:) Thanks.

QUOTE]Originally posted by unrealii
Just called up a local shop that I have bought stuff from before. If I sell my mtx on ebay, it will probably cost me about $330 to upgrade to that 5 channel arc. Only thing I am worried about is that if my eclipse 8v preouts would be too much for this amp. [/QUOTE]

That will not be a problem. I actually spoke to a guy over at ARC Audio. He said that input voltage rating is from a sine wave and not music, and that it will take a good amount of juice to get to the 2.5V because it is 2.5V RMS. In other words, no problem :). I also asked him if I should just leave the gains all the way down or adjust them as I would normally. He said to adjust them as I normally would.

[exalted512]

thats the first time ive heard that the RMS is at a sin wave and not music...
dont waste your money on JL. The reason the JL has different power for the channels is because its meant to be used as rear fill and you should not power your front speakers with the same amount of power as you do your rears because it will pull your soundstage behind you. Its actually a really good idea, if it wasnt for their outrageous price it would be a very good amp.

you can get much better amps for the same amount of money than JL. Arc is a good brand. Look at www.speedsound.com for USAmps, theres not much better than that
-Cody

[MacLeod]

OK, right this down cause it probably wont happen again for a while.

Ready? I agree with Cody. :eek:

The JL having less power to the rears is a good idea cause it keeps your soundstage in the front.

I also agree that there is better out there for the $900 that the JL retails for.

This Kicker (http://www.cardomain.com/item/KIC04KX7005) is one of my favorite 5 channels out. Tons of power and built very well, not to mention a lot cheaper than the JL and the Arc and I bet you wouldnt be able to tell the difference.

This Crossfire (http://www.acaraudio.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_35&products_id=683) is another one I highly recommend. Same thing, tons of clean power and excellent build quality.

[exalted512]

yea, thats going in the sig in a few days
-Cody

[MacLeod]

Great! I had a feeling Id not live this down for a while! :p

[unrealii]

I would think the less power would mean that you could run a bi amp configuration and run the channels with less power through the tweeters. Either way, that jl is priced too high.

Thanks for the suggestions Cody. I got a really good price on the arc audio amp from my local retailer. Its actually very close in price to those two you have posted.

Damn, I feel special that I created this thread :p

[MacLeod]

Originally posted by unrealii
I would think the less power would mean that you could run a bi amp configuration and run the channels with less power through the tweeters.

Nah. Youll want them to be the same power and then you adjust their output thru the seperate gains.

[neomagus00]

true... more power also means less chance for distortion, which is the real tweeter-killer.

[unrealii]

Ah...guess I can cross that amp off the list. I am pretty sure I will go with the arc.

[MacLeod]

Why not check out the Polk C400.4?

Its only a 4 channel but its got a sweet ass crossover. You could skip the passive unit you have now and use the one on the amp. Youll have the ability for a lot more fine tuning that way.

[unrealii]

You know what? I dont know why I haven't looked at polk. Right now I am prefering one amp for simplicity and cost reasons. However, I would liek to go with whatever is best for long term. I jsut called a few shops, a combination of the 4 channel and either of the other two amps will be about $150 more than the ARC 5 channel. They also had some JL amps and I could get the 6 channel JL and the 1800d for about $200 more than than what I would be paying for the ARC.

Dammit, I dont know what to do now...two amps "seems" much better than one, but I would like to go with a very high end company.

Some good news. MTX no longer services the model I have...meaning GG cannot send it to them to repair. Hopefully their installer will be in the shop tomorrow to confirm that my amp is indeed bad before I have to rip it out. This gives me more leverage to get a refund :D

Ok...I think I am the king of stupid ideas, but I just got one. I'm looking at the specs of the ARC Audio 4150-XXK ( http://www.arcaudio.com/arc-05/pdf/xxk_amp.pdf ) and I am wondering if I could just use that 4 channel amp to power my system. Run the front speakers through the cross overs to channels 1 & 2 on the amp, then run my sub from channels 3 & 4. I have a DVC sub at 4ohm wired at 2. This amp isn't 2ohm stable, so can I run channels 3 & 4 to each coil on the sub?

[MacLeod]

If you have a sub with dual 4 ohm voice coils then yes, youd have to run one channel to each coil.

Dont misunderestimate (W) that Polk. Id put it up against that Arc anyday. Its extremely well built, makes much more than its rated power cleanly and has one of the best crossover networks on the market. Thats all you can ask of an amp.

I also recommend sticking with the bi-amping idea. Im a big time believer in that. You will always be able to get the best SQ from bi-amping as opposed to straight wiring.

My MM6's are bi-amped and I guarantee ya, you couldnt duplicate their sound by straightwiring.

If youre still wanting a 5 channel I stand by my recommendations of the Crossfire or Kicker. Both are extremely powerful and reasonably priced.

[unrealii]

Yeah, I am still looking at the polks. I'll call up polk tomorrow to get some exact specifications. I like that feature with the auto eq for momo. I am not sure if those settings will be ideal for my db's.

I like the high dampening factor ( > 2000 ) on the Arc 4150 amp. I will also look into the kicker.

I do plan to bi-amp in the future. Buying a 4 channel (wheter it would be polk, arc, etc) means I can use that to biamp in the future, then buy a sub amp. Right now I am looking for something good that can run my system for the time being. I just graduated college and my job doesnt start for 3 weeks. I am a bit torn since I have no income as of yet, but I want to get most of this taken care of before I start my job.

My only problem now is that if I have multiple amps, I cannot mount both hidden at the top of my trunk. Need to find some spot to hide the other...

[MacLeod]

The damping factor is irrelevant. Anything above about 30 is going to ok. You wont be able to tell the difference.

It sounds like a 5 channel is your best bet and will be the most practical. Flip a coin. There wont be much difference between the Kicker, Crossfire or the Arc. All are excellent.

[1996blackmax]

Originally posted by unrealii

Dammit, I dont know what to do now...two amps "seems" much better than one, but I would like to go with a very high end company.



That would be ARC Audio's XXK series :) . I really like Kicker and I have owned many of their products over the years. You can see in my sig that I still use their stuff, but I would not put Kicker's current amps at the same level as ARC. The ARC amps are a Zeff design (engineering team of Robert Zeff), as were the older Zapco amplifiers. These boys are in a higher class.

unrealii you should shoot Don (Pearl96Max)a PM over at the org, he carries ARC and he should be able to help you out with any questions regarding these amps.

[unrealii]

Yeah, I have been talking to Don. He has been very helpful in answering my questions.

I am pretty sure I want to run two amps, whether being Arc, polk or whatever. If one goes bad I dont want my entire system to go down. It sucks listening to music with an ipod & $10 portable speakers :(

Fry's electronics advertised the c300.2 for a really good price. I plan to pick one of those up to run my sub, then this leaves more funding open for me to get the arc 4150 to biamp the fronts. I am going to wire my rears to directly to the head unit. I called eclipse and they said it would be ok do that and use the rca's.

[MacLeod]

Ick.

I dont like powering anything with the head unit. For one its very dirty power and 2, its hard to adjust its output to your fronts so you end up pulling your soundstage to the rear more and dirtying up the detail.

The best way is to go without rear speakers altogether but if you want the rears then I suggest using the amp for all 4. Or you could get that JL Audio 6 channel. Bi-amp the fronts and use channels 5 & 6 on the rears.

[unrealii]

Yeah, you are right. No speakers powered by the unit. I dont think I can afford to bi-amp them either because I need to have a rear fill.

Ok, I have sorta been letting this go out of hand by not deciding on how much I truely would like to spend. Finally, I have set a max limit of $550. For that much, I can get the following

*1 Arc Audio 5150-XXK

*1 Kicker KX700.5

*1 C300.2 & (one of the following)
-1 Polk C400.4 OR
-2 Polk C300.2 (Yes, that's 3 amps total) OR
-1 JL e6450 (yes this one is 6 channel) OR
-1 Eclipse EA4000 (its a new model...already forgot the specs from what the shop told me)
-1 Arc Audio 4050-XXK

The C300.2 has been advertised at a local retailer for a good price. That is why it is in all of my combinations. I will be running each coil of my sub to each channel. I know its an A/B amp...I hope that is ok to use with a sub.

[unrealii]

Earlier today, I was really excited about the possibility of 3 amps (3 C300.2), however now the more I think about it, its going to get ugly trying to install all of those. If I have more than one amp, or one that is longer than 17", I cannot install it at the top of my trunk (and out of the way) like how I had my old mtx.

http://www.realtounreal.com/personal/amp.jpg

Now I think I am leaning towards the arc 5150.

[MacLeod]

If you want 2 amps, get the Polk 400.4 and the 300.2.

If you want a 5 channel, get the Kicker as its more powerful.

No need for 3 amps.

[unrealii]

Just picked up c300.2 for $150. The shop was trying to convince me to buy two more since that is what I had told them I would have done yesterday...lol

Good news...parents just gave me some $$$ for graduation. I can go up $50 on my max amp price. Not 100% sure if I am going to keep this c300.2, but the price was so good, I had to pick one up just incase I decide to use it or I will return it.

[MacLeod]

Why would you not keep it? Its a damn fine amp and as good as anything else you can find.

And for $150 you wont find a better deal.

[exalted512]

Originally posted by MacLeod


No need for 3 amps.
is 4 ok?
-Cody

[MacLeod]

Originally posted by exalted512
is 4 ok?
-Cody

Only for you! ;)

[unrealii]

Picked up an eclipse PA5532. The c300.2 goes back to the store tomorrow.

Thanks for the help. Unfortunatly, it got to the point where this was stressing me out and I decided to go with my cheapest amp option I saw which happened to be the eclipse pa5532. I paid $375 for it. I could have probably found a kicker for the same price, but I am more familiar with eclipse as a company, so I guess this is good. I wired it up, this thing sounds great. The sub channel is rated the same as my old mtx, but it blows it away. Makes me wonder if it has been broken all this time.

[1996blackmax]

I'm glad you found something that you liked. In the end that is all that matters :D .

[swerve]

Originally posted by 1996blackmax
I'm glad you found something that you liked. In the end that is all that matters :D . no you are wrong.

in the end nothing matters... because there is nothing left to do in the end. when i die i hope it doesn't matter what kind of amp i had. therefore in the end nothing matters.

because the end means you have exhausted something and if it truely was the end you wouldn't care for it anymore. therefore it is not the end and he will be looking to upgrade soon. once he has exhausted his interest for car audio the end will come and nothing will matter.

thanks,
adam

[unrealii]

Originally posted by swerve
no you are wrong.

in the end nothing matters... because there is nothing left to do in the end. when i die i hope it doesn't matter what kind of amp i had. therefore in the end nothing matters.

because the end means you have exhausted something and if it truely was the end you wouldn't care for it anymore. therefore it is not the end and he will be looking to upgrade soon. once he has exhausted his interest for car audio the end will come and nothing will matter.

thanks,
adam
HAHA, don't worry about me. It is far from the end...but this amp is here to stay for a while. The only thing that is coming to an end is my disposable income :lol: I just graduated college, so if I can make something last a good 4-5 years; then when I have MORE money to indulge, you damn well know what I am going to do ;) Its only the begining...this amp doesn't fit on my old amp rack at the top of the trunk, so I am going to build a nice rack which fits in the spare tire well on top of the spare. This will be a lot cleaner than my previous installation..no wires showing, nothing. Just a nice plexiglass window to see the amp, which can be covered by carpet for a 100% stealth look. Sub box is going to be rebuilt to fit into the side and blend in with the trunk. I might also do some sound deadening too, not sure yet.

Anyways, I think when 1996blackmax meant in the end, its just the end of my amp search :p

Thanks for the help everyone. I will be taking pics of this project.

[1996blackmax]

Originally posted by swerve
no you are wrong.

in the end nothing matters... because there is nothing left to do in the end. when i die i hope it doesn't matter what kind of amp i had. therefore in the end nothing matters.

because the end means you have exhausted something and if it truely was the end you wouldn't care for it anymore. therefore it is not the end and he will be looking to upgrade soon. once he has exhausted his interest for car audio the end will come and nothing will matter.

thanks,
adam

:rolleyes: Dude, you are wrong :confused: . In the end everything you have done here on Earth (the way you have lived your life) matters, a whole lot actually. Also the end here is just the beggining ;).

unrealii I was talking to you, and you got my point :) .

[exalted512]

actually, i dont think anything adam does will make a difference towards anyone or anything...and he should give all his speakers to me
-Cody

[MacLeod]

Originally posted by exalted512
actually, i dont think anything adam does will make a difference towards anyone or anything...and he should give all his speakers to me
-Cody

Thats true. Isnt it time for you to change speakers again? :p

[exalted512]

nah, its time for amps. Speakers are going to stay the same for quite a while. I'm actually going to start saving for the amps next month. Hopefully Ill have them by March with all my Batcaps and alternator and new wiring etc.
-Cody

[MacLeod]

You still going with US Amps?

Ive heard muttering on other forums that Batcaps kinda suck. They keep dying early.

[exalted512]

Yea, I'm going to go with a modified ax-2000, which is a 2 channel amp. 2400x1 bridged at 4 ohms. This does present a problem though. My subs are dual 2 ohm so they can only be wired together in a 2 or 8 ohm configuration, which is why its being modified to do its rated power at 2 ohms:D
The local dealer wants $1600 for that amp. Itll probably be $2k or something to get it modified, most likely less. 1800 or so. I'm not positive what I'm going to do with my front stage though. The plan is either get the tu600 and be done with it or get the tu4360 and the tu300 and run everything fully active. The latter of the two costs $378 more. All are tube amps, the difference is the tu600 does 190x2 and the 4360 does 75x4 and the 300 does 100x2. I'm kind of leaning towards the fully active setup, but I'm not quite sure. I'd be running the mids off of the 300 and the midranges and tweets off the 4360...decisions decisions.

As far as batcaps, I've only heard a couple people say they had their's die prematurely. I want to get a couple and see what happens.
-Cody

[MacLeod]

Dont their tube amps put out like 12 watts per channel? Ive never heard of a 190x2 tube amp.

[exalted512]

its a vacuum tube hybrid. Joel has one in his car
-Cody

[MacLeod]

Ill just stick to solid state. Much cheaper! ;)

But then again, nothing Tru makes is "cheaper"!

[exalted512]

usamps has the merlin and the IS series along with the AX(totl) lines
-Cody

[MacLeod]

Im still quite happy with my Crossfires.

I will eventually upgrade once I get bored and Id really like to have all Xtants under my seat! Only $550 each!

Also, I really like the Polk amps.

[swerve]

Originally posted by MacLeod
Also, I really like the Polk amps.
who else here has one besides me?

lol i'm just curious because i never see anyone really mention they have them. people always ask then they go buy (insert random brand here).


polk amps are well built... i liked mine.

-adam

[MacLeod]

Theyre very well built and cleanly exceed their power ratings. But the selling point for me is their crossover.

When they first came out I kinda poo-poo'd them but now I think they rule!

[unrealii]

If not before, you guys are probably going to want to kill me after this post. It just hit me that what if goodguys is able to repair my mtx and make it all good again. It might be a waste to only get $200 (that's what they are going for on ebay) for a very versitile amp. I am tempted to run tweeters, rear mids, and sub off the eclipse, and bridge the 4 channel part of the mtx to run the front mids. If not, use the good guys store credit to buy a 2 or 4 channel amp to do this. I dont think I will ever be happy until I bi-amp the front, and have rears at the same time.

[unrealii]

Originally posted by MacLeod
Theyre very well built and cleanly exceed their power ratings. But the selling point for me is their crossover.

When they first came out I kinda poo-poo'd them but now I think they rule!
I finally demo'ed the c400.4 on a set of focals. I put it up against the jl 300/4 and I had a very hard time telling the difference between the two.

[MacLeod]

Thats because there isnt any.

The only difference is the JL is fully regulated and costs $100 more.

Thats about it. Shows ya just how good that 400.4 is!

[exalted512]

Originally posted by MacLeod
Shows ya just how good that 400.4 is!
i prefer "shows ya how bad the JL is," but you know me-always the optimist
-Cody

[unrealii]

Hey, one last question.

I shouldn't have a problem if I use my old mtx and bridge the 4 channels to 2 to run my front mids. I wont be running a sub. That should be ok, right?

Apparently good guys says there were a few solders were loose. I guess all they did was resolder. I dont know if I should trust this thing or not. I want bi amped fronts with amp power on the rear.

[MacLeod]

Not a big fan of bridging 4 channels.

Distortion tends to TRIPLE! Plus youll be running your amp at 100% all the time. youd be better off bi-amping your speakers.

[unrealii]

Oh, I am bi amping. I have 2 5channel amps to play with :D I didn't plan on keeping the mtx, but I want bi amp with rear fill and this mtx comes out the cheapest solution. I already have a mounting place & bracket at the top of my trunk. Eclipse goes in the spare tire well on top of the spare...everything fits perfectly.

I was thinking of running the tweets and rear mids off the eclipse, then the front mids bridged off the mtx so that they will get more power than the other speakers. Tweeters are more efficient, so the power difference shouldn't be a negative factor. My head unit has an auto config & auto eq which will balance everything out in the end.

Otherwise I can run all fronts and sub off the eclipse, then the rear 2 on the mtx.

[MacLeod]

Remind me, what kind of speakers are you running?

[unrealii]

DB3000 tweeter (front dash)
DB6510 mid range (front door)
DB5510 mid range (rear door)

[MacLeod]

I dunno dude. That just seems like an awful lot of hassle.

If you wanted 2 amps you shoulda went with a good 4 channel and a sub amp.

But either way, I think you should just keep the Eclipse and run your system off that. But thats just me. I like to keep things simple.

[unrealii]

The mtx would be extremely easy to take care of. Thats why I am considering hanging on to it. All I would need is extra 4ga wire, distro block, and an rca cable. Hell if I wire the rears up to that and buy a switch, I could turn on and off the rears whenever I want.

I dunno, it seems that I am too afraid to get rid of a good amp, but at the same time not trusting it. Guess I'll know on tuesday when I get it back. I'll have gg bench test it.

[MacLeod]

Why not just go with front speakers only?

At least try it. Before you do anyting with the MTX, how bout bi-ampin the front speakers and leaving the rear unpowered for a while. Keep it like that for a couple of days while you dial in the tuning of the front. After you have it dialed in and have listened to it for a bit see if you dont like it better.

Nothing will change other than the soundstage will all be in front of you and there should be a little more detail in your music.

[audiobliss]

Yeah, try that; I'll bet you'll like it.

[unrealii]

I tried a front stage a couple of days ago. Only difference is that the tweeters sounded more crisp because of the lack of a passive xover. Guess I'll drive around for a few more days and see. I have had yet to try an active front and rear stage.

[MacLeod]

Originally posted by unrealii
I tried a front stage a couple of days ago. Only difference is that the tweeters sounded more crisp because of the lack of a passive xover. Guess I'll drive around for a few more days and see. I have had yet to try an active front and rear stage.

Huh?

[unrealii]

I dont know if I understand what you guys are saying. I want to bi-amp (1 amp channel per speaker and no passive x-over) the fronts AND have amp power to the rears. I changed over to a bi-amp setup this morning. Before it was configured that front L&R amp channels were running through the crossovers feeding the tweeter and rear mid, while the front mids had an amp channel to themselves. If I use 2, 4, bridge 2, or even 5 channels of the mtx, I dont care. I just want my system how I have described it above.

It would take more effort on my part to sell the mtx than to wire it up in my car. I seriously thought this mtx would be fried inside and that good guys would be replacing capacitors, etc then I would definitly sell it. If its a few loose connections soldered up...then I am ready to put it back to work.

[MacLeod]

Bi-amping the front speakers you should still run thru the crossover. Either the passive unit that came with the speakers or an active unit. While the mid can run full range the tweeter can not, at least not for very long.

Bottom line is its your system and you do what you like as youre the one that is paying for it.

If you want to run both amps and bi-amp both front and rear speakers then go for it.

[unrealii]

Oops. Forgot to mention I am using the active x-over on the head unit :) Almost messed up yesterday and ran tweeters at full range :o

[unrealii]

Good news. I am almost done on my permanent install for the eclipse. I just have to recarpet my trunk floor now. Bad news, I ended up making a small but noticable crack in my plexiglass and the mtx is still broken after it was supposedly "fixed". Finally said f-it. I'm just going the run my system off of the eclipse bi-amped. Thanks for all of your help. I'll be posting pics in the custom install section showing my install.

[exalted512]

post a link when those pictures get up
-Cody

[MacLeod]

I think youll like it better this way. Simpler is better! ;)

[1996blackmax]

Originally posted by unrealii
Good news. I am almost done on my permanent install for the eclipse. I just have to recarpet my trunk floor now. Bad news, I ended up making a small but noticable crack in my plexiglass and the mtx is still broken after it was supposedly "fixed". Finally said f-it. I'm just going the run my system off of the eclipse bi-amped. Thanks for all of your help. I'll be posting pics in the custom install section showing my install.

You should be able to get this setup to sound very nice with the HU's 3way setup. The ability to adjust the time delay for the tweeters and mids seperately will be cool
.

[unrealii]

Cody, here's your pics:
http://clubpolk.polkaudio.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=30119

Mac, I like it. Nice and simple:D

Black, Yeah, its good. Stupid eclipse mic has poor sensitivity, so it doesn't even pick up the sound during the measuing mode. I'll just use my ears and made the measurements myself.

[unrealii]

Finally got the amp back. It magically turned into an mtx 895. Looking at the invoice, looks like gg warranty paid $200 for the switch. I would have rather had the $200. Guess this is going on ebay...

[1996blackmax]

Well, at least you will get some money from it.

[neomagus00]

EDITED

yeah, i'm retarded...

[unrealii]

As I said on page 2 that this is far from the end, I've got an 85w x 4 amp on the way. Finally started tuning the system and the tweeters are far over powering the mids. I dont like seeing my volume on 60 out of 78, so its time to upgrade :)

Fronts will still be bi-amped. Now I'll have rears wired up to their own channel.

I have 2 4 channel amps now
4 x 85w
and 4 x50w (or 2 x130w) - thd is still very low in bridged mode, the front mids may be getting 130w, while rear mids and front tweeters receiving 85. We'll have to see what happens.

[1996blackmax]

Did you try lowering the levels on the tweeters? With the CD8454 you can adjust the time delay and the level of the tweeters, mids, and subs.

[unrealii]

yeah, i did. That made it sound infinitely better. But now with the amount of driving I do, I need a rear fill. Another reason is that road noise comes from all over the car, so I want a sound source behind me to cancel some out.

[1996blackmax]

Have you tried using some sound deadening material for the road noise. When I used Dynamat Extreme on my front doors it seemed to help that out some. I actually have a roll of the original stuff that a friend of mine gave to me. This weekend would be a great time to do the back doors :). I think this will help quiet things down a little more, since the rear tires are right there next to the door.

I hear you on the rear fill, just make sure to attenuate it some. I use it to the point where I can't really tell that the rear speakers are on. If you are using the HU in pro mode it will let you drop off the rear speakers (as well as all other ones) by increments of 1dB's. I have my amp's rear gain lower than the front, but I still dropped the rear sound off by 11dB's.