jim morehouse

Tim
When the amp failed, one or both channels on front or rear would go "noisy"...basically just static coming out of the amp regardless of input. The other channels were ok. There was no consistency in the 3 failures..the first amp took the longest to fail, about 4 months or so and had one front go bad, the second lasted about 2 weeks and had (I think..memory is a bit fuzzy) one of the rears...the last one was the kicker, failing in just a few days w both rear channels going bad. When the first one blew, I thought I might have a problem in my setup but I'm convinced that wasn't the case by the different failure modes and the fact that the Rockford Fosgate amp has been rock solid (it's 4x85 watts rms I think..perhaps more).

Good luck..btw, I put in XM radio along w an MP3 capable alpine unit and really like it. I tend to listen to XM more than anything else.

Jim

aircooler

Hi Jim,

Did you install the RF amp in the factory box by the pass seat?

I will be upgrading my system soon. I don't want to place anything in the back, so I am looking for an amp that will fit in the factory area.

I purchased a spare amp cover, so if I cannot find a decent amp that is small enough to fit, I will use this spare cover as a mold to F/glass a new larger one. I figure I could easily add 12v cooling fans to the box as well.

What I had in mind was MBQ 210's in front and MBQ 316's in back.

I am at a loss when it comes to an amp though, any suggestions?

Cheers,
Mike

TeufelHei

Congrats on the GT Jim! I can't get over the style factor of the 16v engine and the older body style. Different strokes for different folks right?

Other Jim:

Where do you have the XM antenna? Like I said, I'm trying to keep things discreet. The CD72 Deck has all sorts of inputs and expansion abilities. If all goes well, I'll go for the San Francisco and get the extra power of the head unit to nudge the smaller speakers.

I was considering the 5x7 or 6x9 rather than the 6.5 for the door kick panel. Any suggestions? I'd like to get my nickel's worth out of whatever amp I use.

As far as Amps go, I'm looking at the Alpine 5 channel as well as the Blau and some others. The Alpine is pretty sweet, but I can see that having heat issues right away (4x50 + 200W) and being hard to troubleshoot. On the other hand, it's about ideal for the system I have in mind.

jim morehouse

I have yet to really search for a good mounting place for the RF amp, so it's sitting in the rear passenger side footwell until I figure out where to put it...not a very attractive arrangement but at least it works. I don't want to give up the spare tire, so that's out and I already have a selfpowered sub box in the rear and I don't want to give up any more room there. Need to go down and make some measurements on the passenger tray area...maybe it'll fit there.

The XM antenna is mounted on the rear hatch/'roof'. Some PO had placed TWO antennas there for some reason so I removed one and mounted the antenna over the hole and used it to route the wires. I've heard that you can still get good reception by keeping the antenna inside the car, dash or rear hatch...didn't try it and you'd obviously need to take some care mounting it so you reduce the 'missile factor' in case of an accident. The new antennas are pretty small and light so they're not too bad to mount.

My XM 'box' went under the drivers seat. I've seen adds for newer head units that have the XM receiver built-in...definitely worth it.

I used the psd210 and psd316 and am very happy w the sound and the look. I didn't really look at the 5x7 or 6x9 as options since they would've required a bit more effort to mount. If what you're planning is adding an additional 6" speaker to the door, you could go w two sets of 316's. Depending on which MBQ series you go w, you may be able to mount the crossovers on the inside of the door panel (I did for my psd210). The crossovers for the rear 316's are pretty big and those I have under the front seats. Mounting was pretty easy...used the stock ring for the door tweeter, MBQ ring for the door 4"....it stands off from the door by about 1/2" ..looks good and no clearance issues. For the 6", I traced the stock speaker mount on a piece of tin and used it so I could re-use the existing, weirdly-contoured grill. My stock 6" speakers were still good and I hated to ruin them by dremel'ing them out to re-use the mount.

Tim, as far as amps go, the heat concern kind of depends on where you mount it and how often/long you crank it up. Since I can reach back to mine in it's current location, I've checked it. At moderate volumes, the case is just warm to the touch. If I crank it for awhile, it gets warmer but still able to touch it w/o burning... a very scientific measure I know . Unless you're going to have it 'buried' where there is no air flow, I wouldn't think heat dissipation would be an issue.

Jim

zmandan

There are some good threads you could use search "amps"

I was not able to find a usable amp to fit in the stock amp compartment.

So I fabbed a platform to fit in my spare tire well to mount the amp and cross overs.

I covered the floor of the car with soud deadening material ( front and Rear of Seats, under rear seats and at rear deck) next step is to get under the car and see if I can improve sound proofing from there.

I'll be using an Alpine head unit , if it ever comes in, a 2 channel amp and 3 speakers per side.

I have rear seats and loose carpet out so instulation should be easy?

I also need to replace my hatch door gasket to lower noise in that area.

PS alpine head unit has ajustable lite colors

LOL dan z