Ok, I can install things by myself, but I am just not following how I am supposed to hook up subs/amps. I will give you the base, and if someone could fill me in, I would be very greatful.

Head Unit:
AIWA MP3CD

Speakers:
Stock bose from 93 SE



What I would like to do is add two 10" and an amp. Im just not sure what the bridged, mono, ohm rating, how much power, how many channels do I need? I know which subs and amp I already want (had the setup before and loved it, but it was installed and circuit city )But I would like to do it all myself so I can make sure Im not getting ripped off.
Thanks
Jay

 

Well for 2 10's it all depends on the Ohm ratings and power requirements of the subs and the amps that you are considering. Tell us what brand it is that you are looking at and we could give you more detail on your options.

 

Just wanted to post up a general suggestion for you for now.

If your 10" subs are 4 Ohm each and are rated at 250Wrms each, your ideal amplifier could be one that delivers either 250Wx2 in stereo @ 4 Ohms or 500W bridged mono into 2 Ohms. Note not all amplifiers will bridge safely into a 2 Ohm mono load, even ones that areadvertised as 2 Ohm stable. Generally 2 Ohm stable amps are only stable to 4 Ohms bridged, since that 2 Ohm stability is only rated in a stereo setup. A 1 Ohm stable amp would be stable to 2 Ohms bridged.

Now you have to also be very skeptical of these power numbers as well because some manufacturers are not completely true on how much power their equipment delivers or can take.

There are a few exceptions to this rule however and that would be in the case of most mono amplifiers and a few stereo ones.

 

Im looking at either Polk, Infinaty (sp?), or MTX. I really like the MTX from what I have heard. Im pretty sure I already said this, but I perfer the sound of 10" to the sound of 2 12" and I don't have a boat loud of money to spen on this setup. Looking for entry level, yet quailty. Thats why the MTX looks nice. Thanks for your help, this Ohm stuff is driving me crazy, but i dont want to get raped going to a car audio place and charged $400 for installion (no joke in a 94 Talon with NO backset he was charged that!)
Thanks
Jay

 

Ok I found this amp http://www.crutchfield.com/cgi-bin/S...RT2400&o=M&a=0 at crutchfield, 200 wats x 2 channels at 2 ohms. Does this mean that I need to found subs that are rated for 2 ohms? The ones I like are rated for 4 ohms.

Thanks for your help you guys.
Jay

 

For that amp you should be looking for either a pair of 8 Ohm subs that have an RMS rating around 200W or so, or a pair of 4 Ohm DVC (dual voice coil) subs with the same rating. Don't get a pair of regular 4 Ohm subs for this amp as it's not 2 Ohm stable. It will get very hot and shut down frequently.

 

Let me clarify here. It will get hot and shut down if wired up in parallel to the 2 4 Ohm subs. If you got this amp and wired them to a pair of 4 Ohm subs in stereo they would be getting 100W each, not 200W. So yes to maximize the power out of this particular amplifier you need subs that will give you a stereo 2 Ohm or mono bridged 4 Ohm setup.

 

If you prefer MTX a pair of the MTX Thunder6000 T6108 10" 8-ohm Component Subwoofer's would be a great choice for this amp. It's $120 each on Crutchfield.