Audio questions

Systems

Hello,

I am looking into getting an audio system for my new truck. I have been trying to read as much as I can on "audio stuff" the past couple of days and I have a few questions for you guys on this forum that have a vast knowledge on the topic.

If a subwoofer like the MM104 has a coutinous power handling of 500 watts, should you match it to an amplifier that has the ability to deliver 500 watts to the speaker? Or would say 250 watts be sufficient but it may sound better at a higher amperage? What is the rule of thumb?

Is the Polk MM6 component worth the amount of money over the MMC650? Is the MM6 really for the competition audio person? Also, does Polk make any other 6.5" speaker with a seperate tweeter other than the MM6 shown on the website?

Any insight would be appreciated. I want to put together a nice system that isn't overboard on components, but still sounds very nice.

-Greg

sntnsupermen131

a common misconception about speakers is "if i only run them off a 250 amp they will last longer and will not blow as easily"
thats wrong
a 500 watt amp will make the sub sound much more powerful, sound better, and last longer
if you think 500 is too much, go for a smaller sub
polk's DB line-up comes in a 6.5" component set
they carry them at circuit city...along with all the other polk speakers
-Cody

PoweredByDodge

the "baby" momo 2104 is a 10" 300 watt sub -- punchy, responsive, and nice... for a single sub setup, it would work... you could do that, and a set of db components up front off of like 60 watts... some coaxials in back... that would be a good "first timer" setup... just make sure you get a nice deck (cd player) .... if u start with **** signal, no speakers in the world will make it sound right.

Systems

Thanks for the input.

I am only planning on doing this one time so I wanted a good system that I don't have to upgrade later because I didn't do it right the first time. lol The system I am considerly is the following (with thought to what you guys mentioned):

An Alpine 9815 or 7998 deck
1 pair of MM6's in the front
1 pair of MM650's for the back seat
2 MM2104 subwoofers

I'm really at a loss on amplifiers. I haven't done a lot of research on them yet, but I'm starting. It does seem amps are going to be a considerable cost hit and in regards to what Cody mentioned, they need to power the speaker at the speaker's RMS rating or better. Any ideas on amps?

-Greg

sntnsupermen131

look at an amp that has 125x2 @ 4ohms for the mm6
the 650s can be run off the deck
800x1@2ohms for the 2104s
give me a total amount to spend on just amps and i can give you some links
-Cody

Systems

I have about $1000 for amps.

In regards to this statement:
800x1@2ohms for the 2104s

I noticed that Polk has the MM2104 listed as a 4ohm subwoofer. Can it be run at 2ohm as well?

Thanks
-Greg

sntnsupermen131

if you run 2 subs, then yes, if you run one sub, then no
ill look up some links tomorrow...should be well under 1000
-Cody

sntnsupermen131

what kind of car are you driving?
(make,model,year)
-Cody

Systems

2004 Ford F-250 4x4

I just bought it. I love it. I have done several things to it and the last thing is the stereo system.

I am planning on removing the steel structure under the rear seats to place the amps. I think it should suffice for room although I have not taken exact measurements yet.
-Greg

MTXMAN

If you're willing to spend a grand on both amps you may want to look at the US Amps TU-600 for the MM6's it's a 150x2 tube amp which should realy make the most of the momo component set. I have these speakers in my car and this is the amp that i'm planing on upgrading to. it's around 500 at www.speedsound.com

and by the way, yes the mm6's are worth the price difference. I have always been amazed by the incredible sound quality they produce. and don't judge them by their sound wall performance. I have yet to hear a pair in a store that sounded anything like how they sound in a car.

sntnsupermen131

a cheaper alternative...
hifonics...$379 for subs
hifonics...$249 for mm6
the ones he listed above is going to be your best bet...but these are much cheaper...and sound pretty damn good
go to knukonceptz.com for your power wire
get 1/0 awg...then split it off into 4awg with a fuse distrobution block
streetwires 3.0s for your rca's
-Cody

PoweredByDodge

the hifonics will do the job for cheap but also pick up an amp for the rears -- i dont believe in 'deck power' -- if you want to "do it right the first time" then buy a 125 - 175 x 2 for the front, a 40 - 70 x 2 for the rear and around 800-ish x 1 at 2 ohms for the subs.

you can do that under 1 grand if u go with cody's reccomendation

MacLeod

Im of a different school of thought than most of the other guys. I feel that 125 rms to the front stage is a little much. You will never need or use all that power. Granted more wattage doesnt necessarily mean louder and that, to a point, more power will mean a cleaner output from the speakers but you can still have more than youll ever use. I personally think 50-75 rms from a quality amp will be all you would ever need. Now dont get me wrong, you wont be doing any harm by going with 125, Im just saying that its usually a lot more practical and economical to stay around the 50-75 watt range.

This is my recommendation. Its $100 over your budget but I feel it will be well worth it. Xtant 4.4 (50x4 $550) Xtant 6.1 (600x1 @ 2 ohms $550)

Now this wont set any DB world records or blow the windows out of the car next to you but it will give you ultra clean and accurate sound quality and more than enough power to break bad whenever you take a notion.

MTXMAN

MacLeod,
With the power ratings you need to keep in mind that the amp is going to be running an MM6 component set. 50-75 watts would be underpowering them which typically isn't too good of an idea. with the RMS power rating something around 125 watts would get better performance out of them than a 50 watt amp.

sntnsupermen131

i have 200 watts going to my mm6s and i use every bit of it:D
-Cody

MacLeod

While I agree you can screw up speakers with too little power, I dont consider 50 solid, clean rms watts from an Xtant to be too little. Underpowering to me would be 50 rms to a 10" sub or Momo 6x9s running off a factory deck. But an Xtant or any quality 50x2 amp would push those just fine and be plenty loud.

Now dont get me wrong, 125 isnt a bad thing, I just believe that you can have an excellent sounding and plenty loud system without spending the extra cash or dealing with the pain in the balls of a bigger, current hungrier amp install.