dthondatune

Amp: Alpine MRP-M450 400w Mono
Sub: Elemental Design 10" Dual-Voicecoil 2ohm 11kv.3 300-400 watts rms

What should I set the amp to?
FYI - I know little to nothing about setting-up amps.

Thanks

darkknight1999

Is it a dual 4 ohm or dual 2 ohm?

PJK3

i wrote a writeup that is in the FAQ on setting amp levels...

yeah... here it is: https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showt...0&#entry5879673


also - be sure to answer John's question. we need to make sure you've got things wired correctly first.

dthondatune

DUAL 2ohm, sorry.

I think I have a diagram from darkknight which shows connecting one set or terminals on the sub itself, to each other.

00wreckedS

well you will be running either 1or4 ohm with that sub, my old alpine did 1ohm stable, so you might be able to get away with that setting

dthondatune

At this point, I have nothing wired. I'm preapring to wire my system on Monday, and I'm trying to figure-out the settings for the amp.
-According to your quick FAQ, I set the AMP to all lowest settings.
-Then, raise volume on HU until I hear distortion.
-Then...begin to raise AMP gain... ?

I'm confused.

PJK3

honestly -- that really is NOT the best pairing of sub and amp.

you will have to wire it in SERIES, which will present you with a 4 ohm total load.

that amp only makes 220 Wrms x 1 at 4 ohms (according to Crutchfield - 220 watts RMS x 1 at 4 ohms (400 watts RMS x 1 at 2 ohms))

still, it should be just fine, and will sound pretty good like that.

contrary to 00wreckedS, i would NOT run it at 1 ohms. again, i would NOT wire it in parallel and run it 1 ohm with that amp. the V-power series is not the most robust amp out there... it will either not work at all, or it will potentially cause damage down the road.



and yes -

the basic steps are as follows with explanations as to why in parenthesis.

1. wire the sub as such: Amp(+)~~~~~~(+)Speaker 1(-)~~~~~~(+)Speaker 1(-)~~~~~~(-)Amp
(1. this is to get the proper resistance load at the amp so as to not overload the circuits)

1.5. find a good clear source of bass. clarity is the key item of importance.
(1.5 you'll be listening for distortion in the music that is caused by the amp or head unit. the less native distortion in the music, the sooner you'll hear equipment distortion)

2. turn armp gains down as low as possible.
(2. this is so you eliminate the amp as a source of distortion, also so you don't blast your ears and neighbors out any longer than needed)

3. turn up the head unit volume until you begin to hear distortion (it will sound like a blurring of the notes). slightly turn down the head unit at this point.
(3. this is to specifically identify the point at which the head unit begins to produce distortion. this is your new "loudest point" without distorting your music)

4. now, turn up the amp volume slowly. if you know your head unit has 2V pre-amp outputs, you should estimate where that might be on the dial. once you hear distortion from the speaker (again, blurring of the notes or physical popping or snapping sounds), turn the gain back slightly.
(4. this is identifying the point at which the amp or speaker (whichever comes first - most likely amp) begins to produce distortion. )

done.

if at this point, you still remain very confused, i would honestly seek a friend who has experience to help.

dthondatune

Thank you. That was a bit easier to understand.
Basically, I can't do this at 2am in my driveway... otherwise I'll be handcuffed and taken away before I know it

** When "tuning" the system, do I turn the BASS setting on my HU all the way up?


One other question...
You say I can't run the sub at 2ohms??? I called Elemental design, and specifically asked them for an AMP which I could match with their sub. They recommended the Alpine and Rockford mono 400w amps.

Can't I run the amp/sub combo at 2ohms?

dthondatune

....

Just found this link on ED's website...
I bought the Dual-Voice 2ohm Sub thinking I could run it at 2ohms....
Since I have to wire the sub in series...it can only run at 4ohms..
This sucks!
http://www.edesignaudio.com/edv2/ele...gns_wiring.php


Should I return the amp, and purchase a more powerful one?
The reason I went Alpine, is because I was given a BestBuy gift card for Xmas.. and wanted to buy my amp with it.
Is either Alpine, or Rockford a good amp to buy for this application?
Which amp should I be looking at?

Thanks.

dthondatune

darknight.... PJK3...... where'd you guys go?