Running Three Alpine Type-R

2002tahoe

Hey people, I've been wanting to run three alpine type-r's i dunno about 4 or 2 ohm. I'm kinda a beginner in installing systems. I also need a amp for these subs and i have no idea on what kind and how powerful it should be. any help would be awesome. also i am going to need a little help on how to wire the three to the amp. thanx

MacLeod

Well there are a couple ways to go about it.

The easiest would be to get a Class D mono amp that is stable down to 1 ohm like an Orion or Crossfire and then get 3, dual 2 ohm subs. Wire each individual sub in series for a 4 ohm load and then wire each sub in parallel to the amp for something like a 1.5 ohm load.

Ill see if I can find a diagram online somewhere.

MacLeod

Looking at that I realize that you could also use 3 , 4 ohm subs. Wire them the same way and that would present a 2.5 ohm load. That could be better as you could use pretty much any Class D amp as theyre all stable down to 2 ohms.

killerb

mac is right, but the load will be 1.33 ohms. like he said just get a 1 ohm stable amp and you will be fine.

2002tahoe

how much power am i going to need to power these three subs. each sub can handle 500rms and up to 1500 max. would i need a amp with around 1500rms? thanx for your help

killerb

1500 watts should do it.

2002tahoe

so i've been searching around for amps and i found a hifonics amp the BXi 1606D and that is running 1600x1 RMS @ 1-Ohm. would that be a good choice for an amp. are hifonics good amps, i heard they were rated the most powerful but how clean are they? thanks.

killerb

i dont know about the new hifonics, i know the old stuff was great. i run a massive audio p1500 at 1500 watts at 1 ohm. its a great amp with tons of power.

2002tahoe

do you think i should get a capacitator? and what type of box should i go with, a sealed box, bandpass, or ported? its hard to find many triple sub enclosures.

killerb

yeah, get a cap. the box all depends what type of sound your looking for. i like sealed boxes for a tighter sound.

killerb

hey, the impedance mac said was right. i did the math with three 4 ohm subs. he did the math with 3 dual 4 ohm voice coil subs. kicker also makes a really good amp.

MacLeod

Dont get a cap. If youve got a good alternator and battery you wont need a cap.

I dont like Hifonics. Questionable build quality and they seldom meet their rated power.

Look to RF, MTX, Crossfire, Orion and Kicker for 1 ohm stable amps.

Or you can go with the 2 ohm setup which will open up your options quite a bit.

Jstas

Capacitors have thier place. They are not a solution to an insufficient charging system problem. Capacitors are meant as "voltage stiffeners". Basically, what a capacitor should be for is if you are running enough power that the instantaneous draw of an extreme music peak creates a draw too great for teh charging system to support.

Now, this is different from a headlight dimming problem. If you have adequate battery power and alternator current support, great! However, sometimes, during quick transitions or hitting a high volume note from a dead rest can cause power to be demanded by your amplifiers and while the battery has the juice, it can't discharge it fast enough. The capacitors are there to fill in the extra juice that the battery cannot supply.

This does not necessarily mean that the charging system is bad. Battieries and capacitors have discharge rates that reach a finite peak. They are physically incapable of discharging any faster. When you request a discharge rate of a battery higher that it can handle, you get a voltage drop, not necssarily a current drop. Since a capacitor's discharge rate is capable of being much higher, it can help support that higher demand of the amps.

Capacitors are best used in things like SPL or DB Drag competitions. In everyday use, they offer little to no benefit and while they might keep your headlights from dimming, they are only masking the problem, not solving it. If you are having such problems then you either need to upgrade your charging system or reconsider how much power/volume you really need and adjust your setup appropriatly.

2002tahoe

ok, i dont plan to get a cap then. If i am going to get three 2-Ohm type-r's in a sealed box, how should i wire it? i am thinking of using a mono D amp

MacLeod

Scroll back up to post #3

2002tahoe

sweet, thanx. what gauge speaker wire should i get?

2002tahoe

?? i have 12 guage on my kickers right now, but with running more power am i going to need a lower guage?