ICE install problem - getting interference

[bamakin]

What about Vibe Blackbox Stereo 4 from http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/vibe...-stereo-4.html ?

A massive 4 x 100WRMS at 4 ohms. Proper, solid watts here.

Come to think of it, i might just get one for myself!

I LIKE IT!!!!! think i will buy one!!
have you watched the video below the pic of the amp its a youtube video with "tiffany" she's got a right pair!!
oh yes.

[VR457]

Too busy buying the amp mate! I got a 'refurbed' one from ebay - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VIBE-BLACKBOX-...item3a61829483

Looks like they deal officially with repairing these things plus they have good rep.

Will let you know how its doing in about a week when i have received and installed it.

Ps - at that price you dont even have to lie to the missus.....

[bamakin]

the video is of some fit bird unboxing the amp. will check out the ebay link.............

[bamakin]

I just bought the other one!!
thanks for the link!

[VR457]

I think you're mesmerised by her bazookas....

Since you've ordered now both of us can find out if we got supplied duffs or good stuff.

Not that duff.....the amp!

[bamakin]

I think you're mesmerised by her bazookas....

Since you've ordered now both of us can find out if we got supplied duffs or good stuff.

Not that duff.....the amp!

lol!! I reckon we should be ok. You will be able to test yours first as I am still working offshore until next wednesday so got to wait a whole week before i can play with my new toy!!
have you put your own wires in the back doors on your leggie? through the rubbers? i had a go but it was solid. i have the mdf speaker mounts ready made with speakers ready to go in but could not thread wire through. did not have the patience that day lol so gave up!!

[VR457]

It was a pain but got it done! Need a lot of patience on that one.

[Pugme]

if your looking for a good sounding setup you shouldnt really have rear speakers, they will throw the sound stage right off! btw

[bamakin]

if your looking for a good sounding setup you shouldnt really have rear speakers, they will throw the sound stage right off! btw

How would you recommend the setup?
I was going to go for two 6 by 9's on rear shelf with 12" sub in boot which already got, , with four door speakers (fronts components, rear two ways) , using a 4 channel amp and a mono amp for the sub?
saying that i am no expert in this stuff!!

[wintertidenz]

I would get rid of the 6x9's - they will muddy the bass and sound up.

You can have rear speakers, but fade them out a bit and use them basically as backfill - this is what I have done in all my installs, and it works well - shuts the back seat drivers up anyway

The two amp setup sounds just fine with the components and the mono for the sub.
Just remember to tune the gains on the amps right - ideally you do it with a scope, but the other way is to turn volume up to about 3/4 and then tweak the gains until you hear distortion, then back it off a bit.

[Pugme]

as above, but if u was gonna spend for example, 150 on 6x9, 150 on rear speakers and 200-250 on front comps, you get a much better sound just spending 550-600 on front comps, and amp/set them up properly with your 12 in the boot.

[VR457]

I'm reflecting some of the advice already given; basically, its ok to have a two or four speaker setup and a sub. You can choose either rear door speakers or 6 x 9. It is true, the 6 x 9 will mess up the bass from the sub. However, if you know what you are doing and can set crossover frequencies then you can use them. So, the 12" sub will play signals from 80Hz downwards and the 6 x 9 play signals from 120hz upwards. The gap in the middle will normally be covered by the transfer function inherent in most cars. With 6 x 9 you can get very good mid range punch / kick drums and it will add greatly to the sound for artists like U2.

Like i said, it's all in the setup. You get people saying that sound should only come from the front like you are attending a concert but that is a preference with others going for a sound that surrounds your ears, even sounding heavier from the back. I once used time alignment to make the sub bass sound like it was coming from the front and it was ace. But nine times out of ten its impossible to get the sound right in a car without spending a squillion hours on setup.

[VR457]

have you put your own wires in the back doors on your leggie? through the rubbers? i had a go but it was solid. i have the mdf speaker mounts ready made with speakers ready to go in but could not thread wire through. did not have the patience that day lol so gave up!!

I notice from an old writeup that i used a screwdriver to push the wire through the rubber and then grabbed the other end with pliers and pulled it.

[bamakin]

I think you're mesmerised by her bazookas....

Since you've ordered now both of us can find out if we got supplied duffs or good stuff.

Not that duff.....the amp!

My amp got delivered today. Cant wait to get home and get this baby runnin!!
Have you looked at yours yet?
Its not just an empty shell is it?? lol!!
Do you know what voltage output you would get from this amp to work out how many speakers you can connect to balance out the ohms??

[VR457]

I was out so didnt get it. Will chase up tomorrow.

The spec sheet for the amp says 4 x 100wrms at 4 ohms or 4 x 125wrms at 2 ohms or 2 x 250wrms bridged 4 ohms.

In theory you can parallel wire 4 speakers to two channels, this showing the amp a 2 ohm load and bridge the other two channels for the subwoofer, getting 250wrms for the sub but i don't know if the amp would handle it. You would probably have to email the company with this configuration.

[VR457]

Got the amp and installed it! The sound is tonally very accurate; i hardly needed to tweak the equalizer when setting it. The bass is very neutral, not overblown but has good presence. Power wise, it goes very loud with no muffling or straining of the sound.

Use the HPF filter and turn the dial all the way down to 50Hz. I have gain set to 9 o clock at the moment; will set it on multimeter when i have time.

Only one problem - the amp is quite long! I'm going to have to carve up my mdf to fit it properly.

All in all, a damn good purchase. Its got rid of the whining noise i had and sounds brilliant. It would give the JL 300/4 a good run in the sound quality stakes.

[bamakin]

Got the amp and installed it! The sound is tonally very accurate; i hardly needed to tweak the equalizer when setting it. The bass is very neutral, not overblown but has good presence. Power wise, it goes very loud with no muffling or straining of the sound.

Use the HPF filter and turn the dial all the way down to 50Hz. I have gain set to 9 o clock at the moment; will set it on multimeter when i have time.

Only one problem - the amp is quite long! I'm going to have to carve up my mdf to fit it properly.

All in all, a damn good purchase. Its got rid of the whining noise i had and sounds brilliant. It would give the JL 300/4 a good run in the sound quality stakes.

Sounds great! Cant wait to get home and get mine wired in! I will take your advice on the hpf filter.
Thanks for letting me know what its like and for your advice!
I have been looking at components on Ebay and you can get some good ones quite cheap.

[VR457]

Are you going to use the one amp for your speakers and subs or two? If you use one amp (the Vibe i mean, using the other two channels for the sub) then make sure all four door speakers are the same.

PS - Do NOT buy second hand speakers! You could have failing speaker suspension, overstressed voice coils, blown tweeters, dodgy crossovers and so on. The foam surrounds on speakers decay over time due to damp from door installations as well.

Buy a good set from names like CDT, Focal, DLS or higher end range from Alpine and Pioneer but not their cheap ones.

[bamakin]

Are you going to use the one amp for your speakers and subs or two? If you use one amp (the Vibe i mean, using the other two channels for the sub) then make sure all four door speakers are the same.

PS - Do NOT buy second hand speakers! You could have failing speaker suspension, overstressed voice coils, blown tweeters, dodgy crossovers and so on. The foam surrounds on speakers decay over time due to damp from door installations as well.

Buy a good set from names like CDT, Focal, DLS or higher end range from Alpine and Pioneer but not their cheap ones.

My old amp which i am currently using will alone power the sub until i buy a smaller more compact mono sub. The new amp will power all my internal speakers. I know people dont like it, but, i have built myself a parcel shelf with 6 by 9's mounted in speaker boxes facing to front of car. I will attempt to use crossover on these to take the bass out and set them up to run nice with sub. I have managed it before, using sub set low and as you suggested before i will will have 6 by 9's running higher above 150. Once I have my components which I will order in next couple of days I should be well on my way to getting a sound that I like even on a smaller budget.

[VR457]

Sounds like a plan. It all depends on setup and how well you can integrate the sound. Get going with the install!