PJK3::
I'd like to retain as much trunk area as possible, so I was thinking about a box in the recessed well area housing a single 10.

GSteg::
Yes, it gets pretty hot here in Texas so I do use the A/C pretty from time to time.

NFRs2000NYC::
I have the Van Gogh on my "A" list (I really like the fact that I can hide it in the spare tire area) and at one time the Alphasonik as well (PMA640HCA and the 4150). I actually lost interest in the Alpha models when I couldn't find anyone I know with one or anyone using one - the specs look good nonetheless.

Didn't someone on this board actually purchase a Van Gogh 500.4 and have problems with subwoofer performance - Id also be interested to hear how he has his sub wired.

 

oh yea to point out, an alternator isn't necessary for your car. its just that when people starts buying an optima yellow top because of he said she said it saves the electrical system, i get a bit paranoid. hence why i said regard my comment only IF you plan to have both the yellow top and an alternator.

for me, the newer soundstream products does not do it for me. Ever since the shift in the company, i tend to stay away from then. Get your hands on the old SS stuff and you'll be set


how much are the van gogh amp anyways?

 

Gsteg::
I only plan on running the yellow designed for our cars, sounds like the upgraded wiring and alternator aren't necessary so I'll chalk that off my list.

Looks like 299 (maybe less if you ebay) for the SS 500.4. The Alpha (PMA640HCA) is running around 449.00 and is 1 ohm stable - hmm...

 

ok -- i really don't want to offend you, but suggesting a rewound alternator or multiple batteries for a single 100 x 4 amp is laughable. i mean like hilarious, i can't believe your suggesting it, laughable. i'm glad to see that you're not suggesting such a thing.


sure, i'll give you that the alternator IS there to supply other components. clearly that is obvious. but there is no way that even on a hot day running all your accessories are you actually pulling 125 amps...

i live in Lousiana... deep south, WAY hot summers, and it's a swamp on top of that... more than once, i've had my AC on, headlights on, brights on, stereo pushing hard, plus radar detector -- using just about every single power accessory in the car. and i'm sitting on top of over 750 Wrms of amps... both of which are class A/B, one of which is notorious for being inefficient. from what you're describing, my battery should have been drained dry and i should have been stranded on the side of the road within several minutes of getting rolling.
and yet -- i've cruised like that for long periods of time... maybe an hour or more at times. and the volt meter on the 8500 danced a bit up and down w/ the bass, but never really dropped below 12 V. and when the bass wasn't hitting, it stayed mostly at just under 14V.

so, this scenario you're creating just isn't realistic... because, as John pointed out, there are dozens of us here w/ high power systems -- and i've never ONCE heard of someone killing their battery b/c the alternator couldn't keep up. sure, i've heard of people killing batteries b/c they didn't run their car while playing w/ the stereo , but this just isn't adding up.

but i'd agree -- the yellow top will NOT protect the electrical system or any such thing... the yellow top is good because it can cycle deeper w/o damage than the OEM battery, and the yellow top will respond faster to the changing loads than the OEM (or any other plate type) battery.


my bad -- Xeon amps seem pretty sweet. i was thinking of the Octanes when i posted earlier.
also, unlike Dave, i think the fact that the Xeon's make full power over a broad range of loadings is a good thing... assuming you can get adequate power out of the amp for your needs. (which i think is Dave's point) w/ constant power output over a broad range of speaker loadings, you never have to worry about creative wiring to get max power out of your amps.

yes -- i seem to recall reading about that - but he had a 4 ohm DVC sub -- so there was no way for him to wire the sub up for a 4 ohm load... and the VanGogh's aren't 2 ohm stable.

 

re-read it.

thank you very much

 

I have the soundstream van gogh 500.4 in my car currently, i have the front two channels running Focal Utopia's in the doors, and then the 3rd and 4th channel bridged to an Alphasonik 10 " PSW 810 in a tool well box. Let me just say this amp is awesome, and I have not had any problems with running the sub with this amp.

That was me with the problem, but the problem was with the sub not the amp.
I did have a problem trying to run a DVC 8 inch sub bridged at 2 ohms, but just like the specs say for the amp, its not 2 ohm bridged stable.

I am running a clean 500 watts rms to my Alphasonik 10 which is DVC (2ohms each). I have it wired in series, thus 4 ohm load. THe sound stream van gogh bridged at 4 ohms puts out 500 watts. Here are some pictures of my sub and box.



And of course the amp. I have it in the Spare tire area on a PASK2NUT amp rack. A must have!!



Perfect fit and very stealthy.

I also am running an Optima Yellow with no problems. No dimming at night with headlights on, full volume and ac on.

 

Another thing about this amp. The amp runs cool even when you have the music cranked up. Its warm to the touch, and I have it behind the spare tire cover, so its got no ventilation going to it, and its never shut down.

You mentioned you needed the most help with the sub and enclosure.

For the sub only thing I can recommend is the sub i have since it was recommended to me by two others on this site. The Alphasonik PSW 810.

http://www.alphasonik.com/800subs.htm

Very nice looking sub, performs superb, and is very clear and accurate. I am very very very happy with this sub. The sub is rated for 800 watts rms, and as I stated earlier I am running 500 watts to it and its perfect. It does not need any more watts, unless you are legally deaf.

As for the enclosure, if you are mechanically inclined, its very very easy to make your own mdf enclosure. The bottom of the box is just a square box, the top panel where the sub rests is just the outline of the tool well opening. I made my own enclosure in about 2 hours. You can get carpet which is a very very close match to the stock carpet in the vehicle.

I myself am going to rip my carpet off my box and go with vinyl.

 

pikkashoe::
This is exactly what I was hoping to hear, I can now tuck the amp away into the spare area - which was near impossible with the biggie sized PG Xenon. I have no problem fabricating a box, my only concern was adding unecessary weight due to the MDF material. I guess I can always build it and see how much it weighs, if too much then I guess I can have a local shop fabricate one out of fglass.

I really appreciate you providing me with the wiring config for the sub, I was a little confused on the min load of the amp - BTW the sub looks extremely stout !

ok, so hopefully this is the final list - I decided to get the 9835 since I'll be saving some $$$ on the SS Van Gogh over the PG.
--------------------------------------------------------
Alpine CDA-9835
Focal 165K2P
Optima Yellow (51)
Soundstream Van Gogh 500.4 (125x2, 250x2)
Alphasonik PSW810 (Wired in Series; final load 4ohm)
Alphasonik subwoofer grille (custom powdercoated)
Custom tool well enclosure w/godzilla terminal
Knukonceptz wiring/rca/connectors etc...
PAS2 Amp Rack (tool well)
Modifry DCI
--------------------------------------------------------

Big thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread, I really appreciate it.

 

GSteg, i have learned not to respond to people when they try to argue. just let everyone do their own thing. lets worry about our own. i do agree with you completely.

 

ZRo260 ,

No problem. I would say that my box weighs approximately 8 to 10 lbs. Dont worry about the weight, your not going to save much since you are already adding all this additional equipment (amps, subs, boxes, racks). I made my box totally out of 3/4 inch mdf, but I know you can get away with going with 1/2 mdf to save some weight.

I know you will be very very happy with the amp and sub. I was starting to get frustrated and even thought about just giving up on the sub since my Utopia's have tons of mid bass, but once I put the Alphasonik in, I knew it was perfect.

I ended up going with a Sound Stream Tarantula Grill for my sub, it should be in tommorow, so I will post pics of it once its in.

I hope you enjoy your sub and amp.

I had the 9835 initially and did not like it and ended up going with a Pioneer Premier 860. Everyone has their own tastes.

All I need now is to address the damm rattles in my soft top well.