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I got the Hifonics Titan 8800 through a recommendation from NFRs2000NYC. I installed it yesterday, cleaned up the install, and tuned it today.
First off, I would like to tank my friend Travis for his help with the Amp Rack. Great job
My initial impressions:
LARGE amp. Had trouble finding where to mount it (and still keep the spare tire).....and it can be done.
I rewired the doors with 14G standard speaker wire. What a PITA, but in the end, it was worth it. I have the front 2 channels driving the doors, and channels 3/4 bridged for my Clarion sub.
I originally thought this amp was a bad ass amp......but after 24 hours, I am starting to notice the little things. I could only get the Line In turned up about 1/2 way when it started to distort the highs. I have the HPF set at 60HTZ, and the LPF set at 80 HTZ. The bridged sub channels sound amazing. I think my problem is that the doors are not dynamatted yet, so they vibrate like hell (I think I am confusing this with some distortion). My speakers are also only rated at 80wrms, and this amp supposedly puts out 110wrms, so that is probably another issue. I am going to get a set of Alphasonik PCT6501's when they come back in stock. I am also going to replace my sub with an Alphasonik 810. That should really put some thump into this system.
Overall, this amp as VERY worth the money, and a steal at $175. I was looking for Alpine MRV-F545 clarity and quality, but for this price, I think that was a little hopeful. I will post pics when I get a digital camera (over weekend sometime). Rather interesting with the amp rack......Diamond Plate aluminum with an angled recess for the trunk light......reflects nicely into the trunk.
Any suggestions on the settings for this amp are appreciated...
Hmmm....odd.....I installed this amp on my friends OPEL in Israel, powering 110watt Morels...using good RCAs (Knukonceptz) and the sound was crystal. No distortion, loud as hell, and not so much as any hissing.
The only quick thing I can come up with is....the settings on the headunit, crossovers, and amp do not match, and are fighting with one another.
Try setting everything to flat, and see if you still get the distortion.
Also, what kind of speakers do you have? I am convinced that this amp is underated and/or your speakers might be a little optimistic. Youll know more with the Alphasoniks...just weird that I didnt have this problem.
Also, what are your gains set at for the speakers?
Bass: +3 with curve centered at 80HTZ with a Q of 1
Treble: +5 Centered on 12.5kHtz. I noticed when I upped it from 7.5kHtz, alot of the distortion went away.
Subwoofer: Set at +7....not a problem, as its bumping good.
I will try setting everything flat and see if that helps. I have no doubt the speakers are not helping.....they are Blaupunkt ODCa-660 components. The only gain for the speakers at teh x-over is a -3db for the tweeters, and that is not on.
Sonicelectronix has them backordered. I am on their email list for when they come in. I got the issue with the amp sorted out. The treble gain was set too high at the HU. I backed it down to 3, and then re-adjusted the line-in setting. Sounds great now. I think I need to bump up the x-over on the sub, though. I think its around 60, and I need it around 80-100. I will do that in a bit.
Had to drive 500+ miles today, music blaring the whole time. Amp ran like a champ. Now all I need is a better (harder hitting) sub to compliment this amp. (Gain is not all the way up for the sub, as the sub can only handle 300wrms).
I will hold off on the Alpha speakers until Sonic has them in. No point in paying $40 more if I can wait a month or so.
I was thinking about the 810.....what is your take on that sub? Will the Hifonics amp put out enough power to suffice it's appetite? If so, its almost the same price as the 610, but with stacked magnets (which as I am led to understand, means harder hitting bass) I just need MORE BASS!!!!!
Here are some photos for your viewing pleasure!
This is a shot of the Diamond Plate amp rack. All polished and pretty!
Trunk light is still functional. Polished Diamond plate is a pretty good reflector!
RCA's BARELY clear trunk swing arm. Snug as a bug!
RCA's zip-tied to rear trim panel for trunk arm clearance.
Another shot of diamond plate amp rack, with light covered up.
General angle shot of the install. Spare tire is still functional. Had to trim lower left portion of trim panel so it would fit. Looks great.
Next we are going to fabricate a piece to cover up the speaker and power terminals. It will also be diamond plate. Will be in a "U" shape, with a part of the back side cut out for the wires to clear. (It REALLY helps when your friend is also a welder!)
Distortion is now GONE. Being the genious that I am, adjusted the HPF instead of the LPF, and vice versa. There was a big hole in the freq. The HPF was set at 100HTZ, and the LPF was set at 80HTZ. I tried to fill in the void by screwing with the HU settings, instead of just double checking my tuning!
Yeah, the amp is a helluva deal! I think some of the distortion suns is also coming from a split speaker baffle. I think the MDF absorbed some water and split. I did not have time to make a new one, so I just wood glued it back together.
When the Alpha's get ordered and come in, I will be getting some acrylic ones, unless the Alpha's will drop right into the factory speaker basket (fat chance).
I think I will order the 810 either today or tomorrow. Will probably be a few weeks on delivery, as christmas shipped always screws things up.
I could only get the Line In turned up about 1/2 way when it started to distort the highs.
this sounds just fine.... remember, when setting your gains you're matching the output voltage of your HU to the input voltage of the amp.
if your amp has a range of .x V to 4 V (likely), and your HU is outputting 2 V -- the 1/2 way point on the range of the amp is going to be close to 2 V.
Hifonics Titan 8800
