Simple Setup!

mekanism

I own an 89 Crx Si and was wondering what setup I should get. I want to go all polk except for the stuff that I already have. I have an Alpine HU, 2 polk DB 12s and 2 Boston rallly Coaxials. So basically the only thing I think I need to buy are 2 amps and a set of separates. I planned on using the polk MM6's for the front and The Rally's in the back. Do I really need to use an amp for the 4 small speakers or can I run them off of the deck? And what amp or amps should I get? Im not looking to have competition sound but I want a decent thumping and clean sounding system. I have had to much car audio equipment stolen from me in the past to go spending a lot of money. Any input is greatly appreciated.

sntnsupermen131

ok since i dont know the specs off the top of my head...what is the rms rating of the db 12s and the bostons?
i think the db's were rated at something like 300?
no clue on the bostons
the mm6s are very nice speakers
if you went with them im sure youd be pleased
i have them in my truck and love them
i would not run them off deck power
any decent pair of component speakers should not be run off of deck power
depending on the rms rating of the boston's, you might be able to run them off deck power
if their rms power is no more than 50watts(pushing it)then the deck power should be fine
most newer decks put out like 22watts rms
22 watts on a rear speaker is not bad
then you could get away with a 100x2@ 4 ohms amp for the fronts(mm6) and a 600x1@ 2 ohms(assuming the db's are 300 each) and run the bostons off the deck
so give us the rms ratings and well give you better advice on what amps youll need and we can probably hook you up with some links to where you can get them for cheap
-Cody

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the db's were 400 for the 12 - and underrted a smidge at that.

at the time they were out, most people had 500D's on them, as the 500D was underrated as well, doing about 800-850 watts into 2 ohms. the other amp i saw all the time was the alpine 1507 on two 8 ohm db's.

far as what i'd use now -- they're prolly 4 ohm subs, so depending on your budget there are a whole mess of difft amps u can go with... you can get out cheap with a JBL BP600.1 that'll give you 300 per sub and only cost you 170 bucks, or you can go up to 6, 7, 800 bucks on the amp... that's your call... something good will probably run you 300 ebay (or somewhere online on sale) / 500 retail.

amping up the highs -- lightning audio's got some nifty stuff -- staggered amps that do like 150 x 2 to the front stage and 60 x 2 to the rear - that much be perfect for your highs...

mekanism

Thanks for the reply, Around 300 rms sounds right for the subs and I think the bostons are around 55 rms. I prefer to go with the polk amps because I can get a nice discount from polk cause I know the owner. I was thinking of getting the 4 channel momo amp but im not sure what to power the subs with. Are the polk amps good?

sntnsupermen131

okay, im going to go with the 400watts rms that pbd used, because i know he knows more about the DB's than i do
the biggest amp polk makes is a 500x1 @ 2 ohms
so that would only give you 250watts per speaker
250 on a 400 watt sub is pretty weak
not only will it be louder with more watts, the cleaner, better it will sound
you said you want to stick with polk amps though...and there is another option
you could get 2 C300.2's
they are a class AB 2 channel
which means theyll be cleaner than the 500 watt amp b/c its a class AB
they put out 220x2
so you can get 440watts to each sub
which is a lot better than 250
the 400.4 will do for your other speakers
youll just need to turn the gain down to the rears or youll over power them possibly causing them to blow
but the mm6s can take 100watts easy
im feeding mine like 175...theyre rated rms is like 125
i know nothing of these amps though
theyre too new...i havent heard anything about them at all and have had no personal experience with them
truth be told i would get a hifonics amp rated at 800x1 @ 2 ohms
and the best thing about that is the cosmetics to both amps are similar
-Cody

sntnsupermen131

heres a few amps i would look at before i went buying 2 amps
in order of which i would buy first:

hifonics bx 1500d
$370
1000x1@2 ohms...i would turn the gain down just a tad...but that is a good thing...itll let the amp stay a little cooler b/c it wont have to work as hard and reduces your chances of blowing amps/speakers...plus this amp and the polk amps look similar...so if you go with the 400.4...there wont be a big diffence in appearance...hifonics is a great brand too...the reason i have this amp first is:
1. its a hifonics amp
2. cheap price
3. look almost the same as the polks
4. a little extra power to have when you need it
http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/caraudio/product.asp?sku=13121
hifonics bx 1500d 1000x1@2 $370

Rockford Fosgate Type 6
$399
850x1@ 2 ohms...would give you 425watts to each sub...which in my mind would be absolutely PERFECT
plus, this amp looks great, and retails at $1000..at $400...i think its a steal...i was considering running this amp to my momos...but decided against it b/c i wanted more power
reason its 2nd:
1. this is one of the cleanest amps ive ever heard...i was really astonished the first time i heard one of the "type" amps from rockford fosgate
2. im a rockford fosgate fan
3. $400 really is a steal
4. these amps look amazing...something out of star wars...lol
i put the hifonics in front of this one for 2 reasons
price is higher and the hifonics looks more similar to the polk(assuming you get the 400.4)
dont get me wrong when i say the price is high...you get what you pay for...but its still higher and since you say you want the polk amps cuz you can get them cheap...i assume your on a budget...in which case the hifonics will be fine
http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/caraudio/product.asp?sku=13196



hifonics xi hercules
$500
900x1@ 2ohms...this is a better series of hifonics(as in rockford fosgate has there punch or "beginner" amps, their power which is their intermediate to advanced amps, and their type amps which is the creme of the crop)which explains the higher price
reason its 3rd:
price isnt high for what you get as said above...but its still $500 while the other amps are cheaper
http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/caraudio/product.asp?sku=11864


mtx 801D
$339
800x1@ 2 ohms...mtx are tough amps...but theyre not near as clean as the amps mentioned above
and for $30 extra...you could get the first hifonics amp
but these things are hard to fry
reason i picked it last
1. dirty amp
2. the other amps give you more power...not that necessary...but generally...the more power the better
but its built like a rock...and its pretty cheap
http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/caraudio/product.asp?sku=13291

hope this helps a little
if you want to look for an amp on your own...look for one with the specs of 750-1000watts rmsx1 @ 2 ohms
if you pick one of these amps...tell me... i might be able to find it a little cheaper...but onlinecarstereo.com is a good site
-Cody

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ya the polkies really need to do up a 1000 x 1 mono amp... i've said before that i'm guessin they will once people start buyin the othre stuff and they're sure the amp line will take off.

cody has a hugely true point, even if u get the stuff at dealer cost, two C300.2's are prolly going to run you like 400 bucks @ least unless u're getting the stuff for free. And it'll be a good deal more difficult to wire up, and suck more power than a single 800-1000w class D -- not that i'm all into the less clean power, but keeping all things in perspective -- all the amps cody posted were under 400 bucks.

C400.4 does like 75 x 4 @ 4 ohms (me thinx??... 100 x 4 at 2 ohms / 200 x 2 bridged @ 4)-- sufficient for your front components, and more than enough for your rears.

Out of all the stuff cody posted i'm partial to the Type RF amp... not a huge RF fan, but i'd say as long as u dont beat the hell out of it, it'll give you significantly better performance and sound quality than the others... putting power aside --- the others will do more juice, but you dont need more juice... hence, for the price and the features - i like the Type RF. 400 pretty much is a steal truely.

mekanism

Thanks for all of the info guys its very helpful! I will definately purchase the 400.4 cause I can get it for only $228 plus tax and shipping and I can get two 300.2's for $360 so if I get all 3 amps im still under $600. I really cant get anything else for that cheap. Although it would probably would be better to go with the other amps you guys are recommending im really partial to polk cause Goerge Clopfer is a friend of the family. Im also stressing that I have a little crx and even a way underpowerd 10 inch sub sounds really good in that little car. The only thing im concerned about is reliability when it comes to underpowering subs. Would the 2 300.2' under power the subs to the point where I start doing damage to any of the equipment. I look at everything I buy for my car to be an investment so if im not buying things that will last for some time I wont buy them. As far as the looks go I would really like to have all of the same amps cause im going to be doing some fabrication later and want the aesthetics of the setup to be really clean. Also would it be wise to purchase a Capacitor for all this stuff or can I do without? Thanks again for all of the help!

PoweredByDodge

dude -- the 300.2's wont underpower those subs...

the 300.2 is 500 x 1 bridged at 4 ohms -- if you get two then that's one 300.2 PER DB sub. that is more than they're rated power by just a little bit (400 rated rms -- there's a dude in here byt he screen name of Jstas, he still owns a set, he could tell u better than anyone, but i'm pretty sure the DB's could take even a little more power).... anywho -- point is -- i think the two 300.2's will be perfect for two DB 12's.

as far as a cap goes -- cap every 750 or so watts rms ... u'll be doing 500 + 500 + 75x4 = 1300, i'd say that's 2 caps. least that's what i'd do. the old stingers were on sale for 50 bucks each at sounddomain.com like a couple months ago - they might still have em... there's no need to waste money on digital top caps -- just two basic plane jane one farad caps will do -- ebay usually has a shitload of lightning audio strike series caps for around 65 bucks new.

mekanism

Ok sweet! Thanks for everyones help now I know Exactly what I need.