System help for Saab 9-3

alex141

I'm new here but I've been browsing posts for some time!

Anyway, I'm looking to upgrade the stock "premium" sound system in my '99 Saab 9-3 SE. So far, all I've bought is an MB Quart PWE254 10" sub (the price was too good to pass up). I've been looking at the Polk/momo amps and the more I read the more I'd like to try them. Ideally, I'd like a 6.5" component set up front and the single 10" sub in the back. I am looking for great sound quality. My question is, would the c300.2 be a good match for powering this sub? (either in stereo or bridged 8ohm mono, since the sub is dual 4ohm vc).

The price on the c300.2 is right, and I am wondering if I should get 2 of these (1 for sub and 1 for components), or whether a C400.4 would be powerful enough to drive the whole system in 3-channel mode. Everything is likely going to be paired with one of the new Alpine HU's (for their ipod interface). Also, suggestions on a component set are welcome!

Thanks

neomagus00

sweet! i have an '00 9-3 convertible...

for components, i'd reccommend the mmc6500, which should be nearly a drop-in operation... 6.5's in the doors (maybe you'll need spacers - i had the mm6's in my doors, and i had about 1/4" clearance to the windows - but that's no biggie), the tweets up in the dash segments (aiming them properly will require significant tweaking, but imaging can turn out quite nice, with much patience)

as far as the sub goes, it can take 400WRMS total (200/coil), so the 300.2, seeing as they're generally pretty underrated, should be a good match - one channel to each coil

the components can be powered by a 300.2, or... ah, nevermind, that expired today... so unless you want to spring for the 400.4 and bi-amp, go for that... actually, bi-amping would be a great idea for your application... the mids are going to be buried in the doors, and the tweets are going to be firing right into the windshield... together, this means you'll need to turn the tweets WAY down, and that is so much easier if you bi-amp... consider it carefully...

note that if you're looking for a different... uh... 'look'.... for your HU, you can go pioneer and get the ipod adaptor...

also note that the sub will be the limiting factor as far as volume goes... these cars are built like tanks, as i'm sure you're well aware, and that doesn't give the bass a whole lot of leeway when making its way from the trunk to the cabin... so if you want bass that is commensurate with the rest of the music, your maximum volume is probably going to be rather low... the lower you let your bass level fall relative to the rest of the music, the higher your maximum volume will be, but the less perfect it will sound... now, you're not in a convertible, so the bass response will be better and the road noise much lower than my vehicle, so you do have that going for you, just be careful in setting up the sub so you don't over-drive it...

alex141

Thank you, just what I was looking for. I'll look into bi-amping the components with a c400.4. Too bad that coupon expired :mad: If I did go that route though, i'd probably want a c500.1 class D to power the sub (instead of a 300.2) to keep the power draw down. Would the 500 be too much power for one PWE254 at 2ohms? Like you said, each coil is rated at 200w RMS.. Will I be safe as long as I keep the gains down? This would give me the most volume, since my only other option would be bumping it up to 8ohms, but I don't want to blow up my sub either. What kind of power can I expect out of the c500.1 at 8ohms?

neomagus00

at 2 ohms, you can expect in excess of 650 watts from a 500.1... at 8, i'd be surprised if you hit 200 watts total...

it would be better to do it at 2 ohms, being quite careful with the gains... the upside of this is that you'll have significant reserve power, so those peaks in the music won't blur or anything, they'll stay nice and crisp...