Late model stand alone aftermarket stereo.

[jlcustomz]

Yea, fold is what I meant by 2 sides. my understanding about a round pipe & aero flared ends isn't just noise reduction, but efficiency, some claiming 3db increase in sound on competition setups. I understand the effects of flared ends on internal intake manifold setups for instance. Just like with engine building( Or tri-y headers😗), if you can get a little more performance by building something a little better (free performance), then I put in the time to learn about something in order to be a little bit better. Also think I'd prefer a tube so I can have a lighter box mounted overhead, know what I mean.
This is all a little new to me in knowledge, but not so hard for a fabricator to do.
I definitely learned a few things on stereo lately. You mentioned early on could I fit an 8 or a 10 in my doors. Kickpods were a waste of time & the 8's in the doors rock. Didn't really know you could get a 10" pro grade mid speaker before. If I could start over in time, I'd have put a damn 10 in the front doors. Maybe 10's in the elco doors later.😉

 

[fleming442]

Read this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1882580338/?tag=gbody-20

 

[jlcustomz]

Think I had like the first edition of that book years ago.
Swapped in the huge ds18 elite amp for my full range, it disappointingly doesn't sound as clear as my little old kicker amp. Another stereo shop told me that series was for spl ,not sq & had a lot of distortion. May keep it for amp for other subs, heard it was better as a sub amp.

Decided to go with a jlaudio 10" w3 sub (500w rms) which is known for better sound quality. Shop didn't have the matching jl500w amp in stock , so substituted a kicker that does 600rms@2 ohms. Started building box new years eve, just using jlaudio's detailed specs with ported slot to keep it simple as opposed to a 4" x 24.75" tube. Then I find out I was given a lesser speaker & they're out of stock for a while. That's how my year ended.😡
10W3v3-2 - Car Audio - Subwoofer Drivers - W3v3 - JL Audio

Nother opinion question Fleming;;; I may try a jl audio jd400 4channel amp for my highs, which is rated at 75w rms &4 ohms vs the 60 my old kicker is rated at. If I don't find it much improved, thought about running it 2 channel bridged (200w x 2) to my front speakers & my kicker (150w x 2 bridged) or another low cost jl amp to the rears. My full range speakers can handle more power than that. My thought is that the extra power could be kept turned down enough to be both louder & cleaner. Thoughts? Never tried an amp bridged. Read somewhere dampening is cut in half.

Still experimenting here, but getting closer to being happy with everything..

 

[fleming442]

Read somewhere dampening is cut in half.

Yeah the THD nose dives when the impedance drops. You also have to make sure the amp is stable bridged (a 2ohm bridge is like 1 ohm stereo). You're in Florida, right? Have you heard of MMATS Audio?

 

[jlcustomz]

Have heard of mmats, but don't think I've seen em sold around here or used by anyone I know. One of their sound quality amps looks worth saving up for if they really do have a superior sound as they claim. Actually built here is getting pretty rare these days. Will have to ask around about them.

To clarify on the 2 amps I mentioned, in bridged mode, it still is a 4 ohm only rated output, which is perfect for my full range stuff. So what I'm still a little confused on for full range sound ,would bridge mode likely produce a better or worse sound quality. By dampening being cut in half, I assume that means not as ( tight ) of a sound?

 

[fleming442]

Ok, I think ya lost me, not quite sure of the question. It all comes down to the stability of the amplifier. The basic rule of thumb works like this: cut the load (speaker impedance) in half, the power output (wattage) doubles, and the Total Harmonic Distortion (clarity of sound) goes up tenfold. Those principles apply in both stereo or bridged operation. So, an amplifier will always sound best at its advertised load and wattage. You can change the parameters various ways, but always at a sacrifice, whether it be overheating, reduced cleanliness of sound, or excessive power draw on the electrical system.
Another factor is the amp's power supply construction; there are regulated and unregulated. A regulated amp's output is the same regardless of input/battery voltage, whereas an unregulated will make more power at 14.4v than 12v.
The MMATS stuff is really nice; our shop was a dealer in the early 90s. Quite frankly, I'm surprised they're still around.

 

[jlcustomz]

I always ask the harder questions if I ask a question at all, that's what makes me the person other people ask questions to.

Stopped by my local shop that gave me a wrong jl audio sub to check on proper one coming in. Chick that did the screw up was fired & I'll be waiting a while more.

Manager at store explained what I was wanting to know. He said with the jl audio amps, running bridged , which is 4 ohms (no impedance drop), will have same sound quality as 4 ohms in stereo mode, so I could do 2 smaller 4 channel amps in bridged mode if I wanted more watts later on rather than buying 1 really expensive amp. I understood the impedance drop thing pushing amp harder, etc.

Shop was an mmats dealer years ago. He said much of their product went downhill, never get their cheaper amps, & that the better ones were louder than jl audio, but less clarity.
Hard to keep up with all the brand quality changes these days.

By the way , just remembered I got a crutchfield 4 x 75 watt amp from approx 1990 that I understood Precision Power made stored up somewhere I need to dig out. Swapped with a pioneer unit in the elky years ago with probably a negative effect. Do you remember if they were considered pretty good amps back then ? Think it actually had lead wires for speaker output rather than terminals like everything now.

 

[fleming442]

Any of the US made amplifiers were/are always better than the offshore units. Avoid anything with a phrase resembling "maximum power" on the box or unit. Real amplifiers only tell you the RMS output.

I have to disagree with ya boy on the bridged operation, though. A 4 ohm bridge is equivalent to a 2 ohm stereo load; the amp sees half of the bridge (4-2).