My-Budget Bass Build

[david]

I had a post asking about subwoofer recommendations..thanks for the input

Here is what I have: (some of these items are still in transit)
Subwoofer


Subwoofer Box


Amplifier
View attachment 229482

Amplifier wiring kit
View attachment 229484

RCA adapter


in Line Fuse holder


How it fits


Mounting progress pics to follow!

 

[LEXFX]

u could install the amp behind the seat wall. that way in summer days and driving with 2 ppl u can fold down that seat so u can get better air circulation. i dont know but thats what i do coz i think itll help cool off with the ac on or window open. this actually helped me when i did this when my amp used to shut off coz it was too hot.

 

[david]

I plan to make a false wall close to the driver side lower wall. to mount the amp, fuse block and rca adapter on. slim enough to still get to my spare and it will hide the wires and look nice(plywood-painte to match the wheels and grill)- maybe i will go simpler not sure yet

---------- Post added at 08:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:01 PM ----------

that pic was really for the way the box fit against the seat the amp will not be on the floor (dont think so anyway)

 

[jbaker1121]

your amps overheated? I had two 10's attached to one amp in the back and never had an issue with that...

 

[david]

i have never had one over heat either?? I had 1 weak amp attempting to push 4 kicker 15s when i was a teenager-it never over heated

 

[david]

Progress so far (still waiting on the wiring kit .. )

tools i planned on using


crude sketch on mdf for cutting


bracket i installed to hold the amp board up (the cover still works)


holes for rcas/power ground


amp board with holes for the power wires (bedliner on it of course)


holes for 8 gauge power/ground and remote line


new amp vs stock bose amp

 

[jdTrader]

I'm excited to see the progress!

 

[roughx021]

Very nice!! Suscribed to see how this turns out

 

[david]

I cant wait to get my wires in. They were supposed to be here already. I have Monday off and had planned to finish it. I cant mount the amp board without wires(i test fit it) the wires have to go behind it

I will have full acces to my spare (just remove the subwoofer box) the spare tire cover/floor lifts right past the amp. not the cleanest cut on the board but it was the first thing i ever used a jigsaw for

 

[toy4x]

David, glad things are moving along.

A couple of things:
1) The wiring kit comes with an inline fuse holder. You have (bought) another one? no reason for the 2 fuse holders. One goes within 6" of the battery...that's it. Unless you didn't like the one that came with the wiring kit...then I understand.

2) You really don't need the input/rca adaptor. Just cut the heads off one side of the rca cable all you will find all the wiring you need. You will find the L/R postiive and neg wires inside. All then you have to do is cut into the BOSE wiring harness anyways. No need for the adaptor.

 

[Bklynjohn718]

Another note. MAKE SURE you bolt the box down. Last thing you need is a box moving when you hit the gas and pulling all your wires out.

I had this setup for a few months and then i couldn't take it anymore.

 

[david]

Thanks for the feedback:
both of those were done mostly for cosmetic reasons
Most people ive talked to recommend a fuse close to the battery and close to the amp

I didnt want to rig a rca. Plus this one has adjustable input output levels. and it looks better than a ugly wire splice

I had originally planned to have the fuse holder and the rca adapter mounted inview on the amp board, but after looking at it size wise it didnt make sense to have them in view

---------- Post added at 11:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:16 PM ----------

I will secure the box. not sure how yet though. Thanks for the reminder

 

[tchuck]

...
Most people ive talked to recommend a fuse close to the battery and close to the amp
...

What toy4x is saying is that the second fuse holder is pointless. It's more than pointless actually, it actually ensures that if anything happens to your power cable or amp then you'll have to fix the problem and change two fuses instead of one. The fuse 6" from the battery provides all the protection you need. Once it blows the rest of the power cable is instantly dead and the 6" between it and the battery that is still hot shouldn't be long enough to touch anything. If someone really did tell you that you should have both fuses, you should stop taking electrical advice from them.

Also, another reason to secure the box is so that you don't have a 50lbs cannonball flying around your cab in an accident. Consider bolting through the spare tire cover and using large metal washers on the bottom side. If you place it as close as possible to the rear seat, you could probably just lift it up with the spare tire cover for access as opposed to removing it...

 

[david]

pointless? It looks good that was the point. I mentioned i wanted to mount it on the amp board but ended up not having room. It was not a person i know giving me that advice it was online

sinve i am not going to have room for it on the visible board i will probably not use it.

thanks fr your feedback. This site has been very helpful

 

[toy4x]

pointless? It looks good that was the point. I mentioned i wanted to mount it on the amp board but ended up not having room. It was not a person i know giving me that advice it was online

sinve i am not going to have room for it on the visible board i will probably not use it.

thanks fr your feedback. This site has been very helpful

Not picking on you, but you already said that the input/adaptor and the fuse will be going under the cover, its not going to be seen. It doesn't matter if it looks good...but it does matter that things are done correctly. If this is supposed to be a budget bass build, you are adding things that are unnecessary. The RCA adaptor's line level adjustment is exactly what the gain on the amp is used for. It brings the sub levels to the proper output for your input. It is easier to add distortion and mess things up using this adaptor. If you do use it, keep the amp gain low, and go no higher than halfway on the rca adaptor. Then slowly bring up the amp gain to the proper levels.

I can understand the use of a fuse block near the amp, IF you are using a distribution fuse block or running a couple of big amps . One wire, usually 4awg, splits into 2 8awg wires. Looking at your amp, you only have a 1 20amp fuse on it. So if you are going to use the second fuse, you really only need a 20 amp fuse inline. If the amp overheats, its going to blow the amp fuse first before blowing an inline 40 or 60 ampere fuse. The inline fuses are there mostly to protect your car....not the amp.

 

[Bklynjohn718]

When i had this setup, i had a remote bass knob up front to adjust the bass manually. When you use the factory radio to adjust the bass, it turns the bass up in all the speakers to me. I played and played with different options and found having that bass knob that matches the amp up front worked the best for fine tuning without going into crazy expense like adding a cleansweep and others.

As for your fuse holder, i bought a resetable fuse holder. 100 amp. If you overload it, it springs open like a circuit breaker. You close it back up to turn the power on again. Much easier and cheaper then buying those fuses. =]



Sent from my iPhone

 

[david]

I also stated i had planned on them being visible
Well my understanding before buying this adapter was line out was a high level input where as a RCA was a low level. I thought amps were designed for low level unless they had dedicated high level input.

If I take a high level wire slap a RCA cable tip on it that would still be a high level input right? Or am I missing something

Fuse holder was $3 I'd say that is still a budget system. I've got maybe $200 in everything so I think I'm doing ok on budget. Coilovers are getting the rest if my $$
One can still try to make a budget system look good

 

[Bklynjohn718]

Nice. Coilovers i want. To late for me, i already bought h&r's. =\


Sent from my iPhone

 

[tchuck]

pointless? It looks good that was the point. I mentioned i wanted to mount it on the amp board but ended up not having room. It was not a person i know giving me that advice it was online
...

If you just want it for looks, then I suppose it wouldn't be pointless. I was thinking that if you had two appropriately sized fuses, they would be 100% redundant and would have to be replaced in pairs without providing you any more protection. If you want the one in the trunk to look cool then size it way bigger than the one near the battery so you never have to replace it.

I also stated i had planned on them being visible
Well my understanding before buying this adapter was line out was a high level input where as a RCA was a low level. I thought amps were designed for low level unless they had dedicated high level input.

If I take a high level wire slap a RCA cable tip on it that would still be a high level input right? Or am I missing something...

"Level" = watts
"Impedance" = ohms
"Line out" = low level, high impedance
"Speaker out" = high level, low impedance

An easy way to determine which is which is to remember that it's the amplifier that is converting the signal from low to high level, and generally speaking a high level signal will go directly from the amp to the driver. (There are exceptions, but they don't apply to your case. Things like capacitors and crossovers...) As you are intercepting the sub signal before it reaches the oem Bose sub amp, it is still a low level signal.

One other side note in regard to why some amps have "high level" inputs: this is to allow you to connect an amp to a system in which the head unit has an integral amplifier and does not have a low level output. Your RCA adapter is meant for situations in which you have no low level signal (head unit with integral amplifier) AND your amplifier has no high level input.

 

[david]

Now I'm confused

Does my head unit have low level signal? Do I need this adapter?