what gauge for 3 amps?
what gauge for 3 amps?
how should i wire 3 amps. A kicker kx600.4, and (2) kx200.2. should i run 2 gauge from batt. to trunk and then a 4 gauge to the 600.4 and two 8 gauge to the 200.2 amps? Will i need a cap to run all these? will my lights dim? i plan to run the 600.4 bridged to two 12' alpine type r subs and alpine type r components to one 200.0 and alpine 2-ways type r speakers to the other 200.2. Is this pretty good? also on a alpine 9807 hu. what would be a good, cheap amp kit for this(3 sets of rca's)?
i got some good deals off of www.knukonceptz.com for my wiring, good stuff, email him on making you a kit for yours, he's really nice, and fast fast shipping! My lights dim just a bit when running my 600watt amp with the a/c on or when rolling up the windows. I have just a 4gauge running to it. I know as a rule you go half the size when splitting... 0 gague to distrubitor, 2 gague to amps. You can't go wrong with that.
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run 2 gauge if you got it. 4 is prob fine, but 2 will work and be on safe side.
run 8 gauge to each of the amps from a dist block, just keep the wire going to the 600.4 fairly short.
you never need a cap
your lights will probably dim at idle, but there is no way to be sure. (they'd probably dim with a cap too
)
make sure you buy dual 2 ohm coils if you go with that setup.
don't bother amping the rears IMO. buy an 600.1 instead for the subs.
go cheap on the sub RCA's. but get decnt one's for the front speakers (guessing from your kicker/alpine devotion, you're going to want one company to do all your wiring, and unless road gear is that company it won't be cheap). stinger, monster and rockford might be the most common, look at ebay for some good deals (except for rca's, they're all the same stuff).
run 8 gauge to each of the amps from a dist block, just keep the wire going to the 600.4 fairly short.
you never need a cap
your lights will probably dim at idle, but there is no way to be sure. (they'd probably dim with a cap too
)make sure you buy dual 2 ohm coils if you go with that setup.
don't bother amping the rears IMO. buy an 600.1 instead for the subs.
go cheap on the sub RCA's. but get decnt one's for the front speakers (guessing from your kicker/alpine devotion, you're going to want one company to do all your wiring, and unless road gear is that company it won't be cheap). stinger, monster and rockford might be the most common, look at ebay for some good deals (except for rca's, they're all the same stuff).
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do you need a cap? no, they help in dimming, but you'd benefit more from a better battery, and possibly an alternator upgrade. all a cap is really good for is keeping your lights from dimming. i ran 0/1 guage from battery all the way to my amp (0/1 distro blocks) (JL Audio 500/1), and my lights still dim some at night when the bass hits. i am about to order my optima group 51 battery. and if they still dim then i will get an alternator. and the last option i do will to be getting a cap. they have their benefits, don't get me wrong, but before getting a cap i'd buy some other stuff as opposed to it.
doubledeuce, i would get a 600.1, but i can get a 600.4 for $100 less and get the same rms power, so whats the point? Why not amp the rears? BUt on the light dimming, when i don't want bass can i just turn my sub channel off? will lights dim just b/c of the speakers off the 200.2's? or is it the subs that take all the power when bass hits that make lights dim? oh yeah, i thought i would share this:
last staurday i went to get my windows tinted and i asked the guy there how much he would hook me up with a good system for and he told me for about $800-900 he could get me a kick *** system. asked him what was included and he said 2 kicker comps and a pyle 1200watt amp, i about laughed in his face. thats only a couple hundred in equipment, including wires.
last staurday i went to get my windows tinted and i asked the guy there how much he would hook me up with a good system for and he told me for about $800-900 he could get me a kick *** system. asked him what was included and he said 2 kicker comps and a pyle 1200watt amp, i about laughed in his face. thats only a couple hundred in equipment, including wires.
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the 600.1 has a subsonic filter, is a smaller amp than the 600.4 (less space taken up), and is a better amp, IMO. i ran an 800.4 to my subs and frankly kicker's unregulated power supply is a POS if you ask me. i know ludlam uses that amp for components, and it might be good for that, but my amp has busted 2 times in <1 year, once running components, then again running subs, same thing happened both times.
also the 600.1 will probably resell easier. for the same cost, look at the MRD-M500 from alpine, that would be my choice if i were concerned with brand.
as for not amping the speakers in the rear, it just doesn't correspond to a better sound really. sure it sounds good for back seat riders, and in a coupe the 6*9's will give off more bass, but if you're running subs thats not that important. with good components, you'll never miss the rear speaks anyways (do the fronts first and you'll totally understand
)
lol i've gotten my lights to dim with only components, but it gets really loud, and it's very faint dimming. you could put a switch in to turn off the subs (some head units have this ability, look for NF button or control) or simply use the bass control that comes with the amp if you get the kicker amp to almost shut it off.
also the 600.1 will probably resell easier. for the same cost, look at the MRD-M500 from alpine, that would be my choice if i were concerned with brand.
as for not amping the speakers in the rear, it just doesn't correspond to a better sound really. sure it sounds good for back seat riders, and in a coupe the 6*9's will give off more bass, but if you're running subs thats not that important. with good components, you'll never miss the rear speaks anyways (do the fronts first and you'll totally understand
)lol i've gotten my lights to dim with only components, but it gets really loud, and it's very faint dimming. you could put a switch in to turn off the subs (some head units have this ability, look for NF button or control) or simply use the bass control that comes with the amp if you get the kicker amp to almost shut it off.
Since this post started about power wires and lights dimming. ..... If your concerned w/ the lights dimming I think your SOL man. My lights dim and I have a Kicker 400.1 and a Kicker 150.2 in my car. You might need to invest in a good battery and stuff.
I think your missing the point over those two amps. They are two completely different animals.
The one is a class D monoblock sub amp, the other is a class a/b multi-channel amp. On paper they output the same power. However the 600.1 will use less power and has a much smaller footprint. The 600.4 is almost 7" longer than the 600.1 is. Also the 600.4 has a 80 amp fuse vs the 600.1 has a 60 amp fuse. As mentioned before the 600.1 also has a subsonic filter. Both do have the remote bass control though.
Overall is an amp thats dedicated for subs, smaller in size, uses less power, and has a subsonic filter worth the price difference? IMO yes, especially when you are using multiple amps and are concerned about all the power being used.
For either amp be sure to get the 2 ohm DVC subs.
Now about those rear speakers. As far as the rear speakers don't bother with an amp. The general feeling is that they actually distract from the soundstage.
Think about super high end $50,000 stereo systems. They have 2 speakers in front of you. Why? Thats where they want to simulate the voice and music from. Like a concert w/ all the sound coming from in front of you. Music is mixed in two channel stereo.
Now think of an equivalent Surround Sound System. They have speakers all around you. Why? To simulate effects all around you and give you the illusion you are in the middle of the action. Sound is mixed in 5 or more discrete channels; basically a channel for each specific speaker.
Now apply that theory to cars. We have 4 speakers like surround sound but always listen to music that was meant for 2 speakers. What I learned was that for voice to sound really good you need the voice to come from in front of you. For surround effects, like symbols in techno, you want the sound to come from all the speakers. So I got this effect by using components on an amp up front and having my rears off deck power. I have a pair of Diamond Audio M6 6.5" Components up front running off a Kicker 150.2 amp. And even then I am still fading +9 (out of 15) toward the front speakers. This way 85% of the sound is from the front but I still get some surround / echo effect from the rears. You will be amazed at how loud rears are off deck power.
Thats my typical rant on rears .... so my opinion is to not amp the rears ...... use the money and get that Kicker 600.1 and a good optima battery or something. Maybe some neons to help you go faster .... j/k
I think your missing the point over those two amps. They are two completely different animals.
The one is a class D monoblock sub amp, the other is a class a/b multi-channel amp. On paper they output the same power. However the 600.1 will use less power and has a much smaller footprint. The 600.4 is almost 7" longer than the 600.1 is. Also the 600.4 has a 80 amp fuse vs the 600.1 has a 60 amp fuse. As mentioned before the 600.1 also has a subsonic filter. Both do have the remote bass control though.
Overall is an amp thats dedicated for subs, smaller in size, uses less power, and has a subsonic filter worth the price difference? IMO yes, especially when you are using multiple amps and are concerned about all the power being used.
For either amp be sure to get the 2 ohm DVC subs.
Now about those rear speakers. As far as the rear speakers don't bother with an amp. The general feeling is that they actually distract from the soundstage.
Think about super high end $50,000 stereo systems. They have 2 speakers in front of you. Why? Thats where they want to simulate the voice and music from. Like a concert w/ all the sound coming from in front of you. Music is mixed in two channel stereo.
Now think of an equivalent Surround Sound System. They have speakers all around you. Why? To simulate effects all around you and give you the illusion you are in the middle of the action. Sound is mixed in 5 or more discrete channels; basically a channel for each specific speaker.
Now apply that theory to cars. We have 4 speakers like surround sound but always listen to music that was meant for 2 speakers. What I learned was that for voice to sound really good you need the voice to come from in front of you. For surround effects, like symbols in techno, you want the sound to come from all the speakers. So I got this effect by using components on an amp up front and having my rears off deck power. I have a pair of Diamond Audio M6 6.5" Components up front running off a Kicker 150.2 amp. And even then I am still fading +9 (out of 15) toward the front speakers. This way 85% of the sound is from the front but I still get some surround / echo effect from the rears. You will be amazed at how loud rears are off deck power.
Thats my typical rant on rears .... so my opinion is to not amp the rears ...... use the money and get that Kicker 600.1 and a good optima battery or something. Maybe some neons to help you go faster .... j/k
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