Talking Sound Systems anyone?

[SKCrosby91]

Hello all! Just wondering if I can get some help from someone who knows a little about sound systems in general. I have a pretty good understanding of the basics, but just want a few questions answered. Things like head units and amps and subs, and how dropping the impedance on the speakers/subwoofers I have will affect them. If anyone thinks they might be able to help, it would be very much appreciated! Thanks in advance!

 

[69jeepcj]

Marine units are best from what I here. I havent used the marine units myself but have had a couple go dead because they got wet. Same with the speakers, the paper cone speakers will get wet and tear apart. The openness of jeeps (cj,s. wranglers dont seem to be as bad) makes it a little harder to get a bass sound from the speakers, so something like a 6x9 or larger, or a sub. I hate putting big money into a jeep system because they are open toped or soft topped and are subject to easy theift. dont do anything to take any bass out of your speakers you will want it in a jeep with the top off.

 

[TerryMason]

What are your questions? Just post them up and we'll answer them. I've got a fair amount of knowledge (I'm not a professional though).

As to your impedance questions - do you already have your amp and subs? The lower the impedance (ohms) the more power is pushed as well as higher distortion and more heat is generated. The excessive heat will shorten the life of the amp.

For best overall performance, it's better to get a higher powered amp and load it with 4 ohms than a lower powered amp and force it to push more power with a lower impedance (2 or less ohms) load.

 

[SKCrosby91]

I have an amp and subs that used to be in a car I had a couple years ago. I had my amp bridged to 3-10" subs and I never had any problems. One question I had with this is I'm not sure the amount of Ohms I'm pushing if I do have it bridged to 3 subs. I don't want to blow the amp or subs, and especially in this AZ heat with no top I feel it could mean the end of my equipment.

My other concerns are I'm not sure where to put my amp, or if I need to get another separate amp for the other speakers. I'm not 100% sure what I want to do yet, but I want to "go big or go home" as they say. I think the wiring in my CJ7 is so effed up that maybe I should focus on that before I think about doing sound systems.

Oh and I've heard/seen people using this flat plastic wire protector when they're running wires to the back of the jeep, for 6x9's and amps an stuff but I can't find it and I don't know what it's called so I can't search for it. I want something of the sort to keep the amp and speaker wires safe.

 

[TerryMason]

Are you planning on putting those 3 subs behind the CJ's rear seat? It may get pretty tight. If you're going to ditch the rear seat then you won't have too many space concerns.

I've got my amp up under the dash, and other people mount them on a tray under the driver's seat, but I'm guessing that yours is going to be too large for that.

You could use a large ammo can as an armrest like I did in my old CJ. It would give you a safe, dry place to put the sub, but with horrible airflow.

 

[rubn1out]

Hey gents,

Reading through the thread here, all of you are correct, although your concern falls more toward amplifier efficiency with impedence matching the speakers to the amps vs just straight 2-4-6 ohm math. When tested some actually fall between those numbers. A good audio shop should be able to impedence match a set of speakers to an amplifier with audio sig gens and Oscopes then custom fab a set of caps and coils to get the best efficiency to reduce clipping of the amp channels. Open air vehicles require more power due to the loss of spl (sound pressure) absobed by the movement or lack of the top. Rule of thumb is whatever wattage power your mids and highs are on (say 200 watts) then you should double it for the bass aparatus. thats for a normal car. An open air vehicle will require slightly more bass wattage (like 600 watts for ex) Cubic feet plays a part as well. A TJ will have less cu.ft. than a Scrambler or LJ. Then there's the travel length of the bass wave itself. A 10 inch sub wave will be tighter than a 12 and so on. Woofer placement works wonders in a box built into the back seat facing down into the floor.

 

[rubn1out]

I posted these a while back. It's one way to get bass.













































































Attachment 15535

 

[rubn1out]

The rest of them.

Attached Thumbnails

 

[Tison78_CJ5]

Hi,
I opted on the cheap, but good deal.
My Jeep had no sound when I got it. With no locks, and a rag top I wasn't willing to tempt people too much.
I installed a 100 watt amp behind the dash, on top of my heater box.
Fed the remote amp power to my ignition switch, so the amp powers off when you turn the key off.
Installed a pair of carpeted 6X9 boxes, on top of the rear wheel covers. With decent 6X9 speakers.
I run my portable mp3 player into it for my music.
This is just 1 of many ways to jam, at least now I don't have to sing anymore....
Got the amp from a pawn shop $40.00 - Speaker boxes $ 30.00 - Speakers $ 70.00 - MP3 cable $12.00

 

[Tison78_CJ5]

Rubn1out, That is a killer system you have!
I started out in car audio, and band sound systems, in the 1966. Moved on to industrial electronics in '79, but still love working with them.
Yours it truly a labor of love...