Recommend some wires for me, I'm confused about everything.

[MoSkA]

I got a 1000w JL Audio amp running 2 JL Audio 12" subs (200rms each I believe).
The wires running from the amp to the subs are fine (6 guage I think, bloody thick).
I don't have any wires to run to the power supply yet (been using 10g speaker wire to test, no fuses, I know, dumb, but only to test)
What can you guys recommend? A friend recommended 4G for power and earth.
Better yet, is there a kit (RCA's Wires and Fuses) that anyone can recommend?
Also I was thinking capacitor as well, whats something cheap and recommended? Every time the voltage drops below 10v the amp turns itself off till it gets back above 10v (it only drops for a millisecond but still cuts bass for 2 or 3 seconds).
And another thing (while I'm here) the amp appears to be 2ch (2x + and 2x -) but according to the online owners manual it's 4ch. That's not the question, the question is- Why are the subs wired to eachother, the - goes from the amp to Sub1 the + from Sub1 goes to the - of the Sub2 and the + of Sub2 comes back to the amp and the amp is bridged. Does this make a difference and should I change it?
Thanks in advance for the help guys.
If I sound dumb, its because I have very limited knowledge of the proper things to use, but I do know how to do a few more things than the guy who thinks a V6 goes faster than any F4 because it has more cylinders.

[Phreddy]

Hey MoSkA.

First up, my own opinion is that 4g power wiring would be adequate, but 2g wouldn't hurt if you have the extra bucks to spend. Cap is cool, they're around the place - whether it'll prevent the dropout or not is hard to say. A capacitor doesn't store the same level of energy a battery does, it's just capable of delivering its stored energy much more quickly than can a battery for heavy bass hits or whatever. It won't "hold up" the 12V input to the amp when you're cranking the starter for example.

Now, onto the sub wiring.... The setup you describe looks like the two subs are wired in series, running off the bridged output of the amp. I'm not sure of the specs of that amp (such as minimum speaker impedance in bridged mode), but I will tell you this - speakers wired in series - ADD the impedances together. Speakers in parallel, impedance is HALF that of each driver. (as long as they're the same, that is) So two 4 ohm speakers in series = 8 ohms, two 4 ohm speakers in parallel = 2 ohms. As I said, not sure of the specs of your amp, or your speakers. They may be 2 ohm units, that's why they're wired in series - to present a 4 ohm load to the amp. Most decent amps nowadays are cool into a 2 ohm load, but NOT when they're bridged. (and just to get in before anyone else does, yes there ARE amps out there which are OK bridged into 2 ohm loads, just not that many.)

Cheerz bloke, hope it helps.

[phree]

Yep what Phreddy said.
Can you supply the model numbers of the amp and the subs? This will ensure you get the right advice.

[StoneX]

The voltage would have been dropping due to the power wire you were using. When you replace it with 4ga, there should be no problem then a cap is a waste of money.

As phree said, we need to know model numbers to tell you how to wire the subs. It soundsl ike it is wired in series and, ideally, you shouldn't wire speakers in series.

Read the second little paragraph of this...
http://mobile.jlaudio.com/support_pages.php?page_id=160

[MoSkA]

ok turns out reading the top of the amp is helpful. The amp is JL Audio 1000/1
1000w RMS (YES RMS!) Monoblock amp. On the Ampsite
it says 1000w RMS @ 1.5-4ohm.
The subs are 12W6v2 400w RMS. It says on the Subsite Dual 4ohm.
Check out the sites there, they've got a whole bunch of electrical and sound jargen that you guys could quiet easily make sence of...
Thanks for the info so far guys...
How could I not know the wattage of everything my friend lent me.... turns out i'm running like 800w RMS.... right?

[StoneX]

Since they are dual 4 ohm, you need to wire the voice coils in series(makes each sub 8 ohm) and the subs in parallel(makes 4 ohm overall). Like the diagram below.



Your subs have a special feature to make wiring easier but i'd just do it the old fashion way. See special feature below.
http://mobile.jlaudio.com/products_s...php?page_id=64
If you want to use this feature, you need to do what the top diagram shows and then wire the subs in parallel like the diagram below.

[phree]

Yes as StoneX said wire them to present a 4 ohm load to the amp. The JL slash series will produce their rated output into any load between 1.5 and 4 ohms. however at 4 ohms the damping factor is highest. Higher damping factor means that the amp can control the cone movement better. This results in tighter more accurate subbass.

Definately 4ga power and earth, no less! Forget the cap until you have it installed correctly. If you still have voltage drop issues then upgrade the battery/altenator first.

Thats some seriously good gear you have there, probably about 2.5K worth? Treat it well and it will amaze you for many years. It demands the best quality wiring/fuses you can afford. I'm really jealous!!

Out of interest, what type (sealed or ported) and size is/are the enclosure/s?

Cheers

[MoSkA]

It's a dual incloser sealed box (if that doesn't make sense its a big box with a devider inside the box to seperate the subbie spaces), don't ask me how many litres it is, as I have no idea.
Too bad it's not mine ay, a mate of mine has lent me the subbies and amp while he's not using them (had them in an R33 skyline, sold the skyline, has a Ute now but is buying an R34 soon. As soon as he gets that I'll have to get my own system).
It seems it was set up all wrong and it is still MEGGA loud... SPL is hot but quality is lacking, although from what I read, the quality will improve with rewiring.

[phree]

Wish i had a mate like that!

They are considered to be one of the best SQ subs around. Maybe the box doesn't suit? Anyway will be very interested to hear how they go when you get it set up. Make sure you let us know.

EDIT: If you measure up the box (Length, width, height, material thickness) we can work out the volume and see if it is ideal or not.

Cheers

[MoSkA]

it's 85cm wide, 24cm depth at the top, 35cm depth at the bottom and 23 cm in height.
looks like:
_____
|-------\
|--------\
|---------\
|_______\

The walls are 1 inch thick and the back of the box is glass or plastic (clear), so the actual internal measurements are 80w x 21Dtop x 32Dbottom x 20.5H.
There is a deviding wall on the inside, so you can take another 2.5cm off the width. Each sub is obviously contained within half those measurements.

[StoneX]

If the walls are 1", then you have to take 2" off each dimension to allow for both sides/ends

Are you sure it's 25mm(1") thick? Usually prefab boxes and custom boxes are only 18mm.

The formula for that shape box is...
Volume = (((top + bottom) x height) / 2) x width
So for your external dimensions...
Volume = (((24 + 35) x 23) / 2) x 85
Volume = (((59) x 23) / 2) x 85
Volume = ((1357) / 2) x 85
Volume = (678.5) x 85
Volume = 57672.5 cubic cm
Volume = 57.67Litres
or
Volume = 57.67 / 28.317 = 2.04 cubic foot

[MoSkA]

Ok I did some more exact measurements regarding the actual space the subbies have and 39w x 34h x 21.5TD x 32BD is what each subbie has within its encloser, no minusing materials or anything.

Volume = (((21.5 + 32) x 34) / 2) x 39
Volume = (((53.5) x 34) / 2) x 39
Volume = ((1819) / 2) x 39
Volume = (909.5) x 39
Volume = 35470.5 cubic cm
Volume = 35.7Litres

So each subbie should have 35.7 litres? It is required (according to the online owners manual for the 12W6v2-D4) that the woofer has 35.4litres.
So the encloser is close enough to perfect for the woofers.

Piece of s*** ford is in for roadworthy right now, you watch it come back with a ferrari worth of repairs to be done. I swear to god if the shagin wagon doesn't get on the road, I'm gonna install all this in my bro's car whether he likes it or not. Headunit is going in the glovebox and the rest takes care of itself.

Right now the VC's are parralel (2ohm per sub) the way it's currently connected (in series) means the 2ohms of each subbie is added together, therefore is presenting the amp with a 4ohm load....?? Which is perfect....
I think all these subs really need (besides much much better power wiring) is some fine tuning of all those little knobs... I think theres like 10 of em... lemme go check............................. No no, there's only 7 knobs... and 8 switches.
Soon as I figure out how to get value for money out of all the knobs and switches I'll be running 1000W RMS of pure pleasure.

[StoneX]

4 ohm load is perfect, but the subs should not be in series. They should be in parallel and the coils in series.

http://www.lalena.com/audio/faq/wiring/

How do you run speakers in series?

It is not suggested that you run speakers in series. No two speakers will be exactly identical, even if they are the same model from the same manufacturer. This means that they will act slightly different from each other when presented with the same input signal. When wired in series, these differences will cause distortion in the form of back EMF.

You can however run both coils of a DVC speaker in series. The cone movement for both coils will be identical, and will not cause distortion problems. This is the formula to calculate the impedance of speakers in series.

[phree]

Yeah, definetly wire them the way StoneX said.

Seems the box is about perfect, don't forget the driver displaces 2.5 litres as well. But yeah, close enough. In my (limited) experience JL tend to recommend the smallest suitable box rather than the optimum size. But your not going to change it anyway so moot point.

Definatly have a play with the x-overs and gain etc. There are plenty of tutorials on the subject.

Maybe start here: http://mobile.jlaudio.com/products_a...php?page_id=30

Cheers

[MoSkA]

ok so VC1 has to be directly wired to VC2 using 1 jumper.
And the positive of the amp goes to both positives of the subbies and the negative does the same....
Is it cool to stick both wires from the subs into 1 amp hole? Or do I have to take one wire from the amp and split it to the subs?
So wiring the VC's in series will make each sub have 8ohms but because the subs are wired parralel that halves the final load to the amp, so it'll be 4ohm? or does it half each sub leaving the amp with 8ohm?

[StoneX]

Both can go in one hole.

And both coils in series is 8 ohm per sub, then when you put the subs in parallel it is 4 ohm overall.

Go to the site below and look up resistance or impedence.
http://www.bcae1.com/