anyone put a HO alternator on their ms3?

[builthatch]

i need to get one if i want to continue to add to my system...

i guess i'll call ohio generator and iraggi....

[car46999]

Originally Posted by builthatch i need to get one if i want to continue to add to my system... i guess i'll call ohio generator and iraggi....

I have heard nothing but great things on Iraggi. How much wattage are you running. Iraggi makes 180 or 200 amp. Either of those should run just about what ever you can fit into the trunk.
If I ever need one I would go with Iraggi.
Good luck

[xcoldricex]

i researched this a long time ago, but didn't come up with much. one person on m3f did get one.. think it was like $600 though - i think it was like HO alternators or something? i'll try to dig up the thread. rpm was supposed to get one but that fell through....

[builthatch]

Originally Posted by xcoldricex i researched this a long time ago, but didn't come up with much. one person on m3f did get one.. think it was like $600 though - i think it was like HO alternators or something? i'll try to dig up the thread. rpm was supposed to get one but that fell through....

thanks for the info. i've talked to a few people who are running less efficient amps and more of them on the stock alternator and are not having any issues. i think the real confusion is in how much power the PDX amps ACTUALLY do pull...

i mean there are guys who have not even does any wiring upgrades at all (as far as "big 3" upgrades) and have no issues :shrugs:

i think i'm going to just roll with the add'l map and play it by ear lol

[xcoldricex]

what are you running? i'm running an audison 5.1k on stock wiring/amp with no troubles

[xcoldricex]

i'm not sure if there's any difference m3 and ms3 alternators... but here's what i was referring to

excessive amperage **200 amp custom build alternator**
high output 170 amp direct bolt on alternator...and more....

[Demi]

Im having HUGE dimming issues with the lights on and the system cranked. Hell i get dimming with a yellow top when im rolling up the windows with the dome light on.

[car46999]

For the OP and Demi : what amps are you running?

From my research the stocker for a Mazda3 and Mazdaspeed3 is a 90 amp.

Can get a 180 or 200 amp from here
Iraggi High Output Alternator for Mazdaspeed 3 - Modern Automotive Performance

Revolution Performance Motorsports! Your source for aftermarket performance parts! - Revolution Performance Motorsports! store had them at one time, it would be interesting to find out why they stopped selling them.

My system plans are small, so I hope to get by with a 4ga big3 upgrade, new battery, and a Batcap. Time will tell.

Good luck

[xcoldricex]

rpm never had them. they thought they were going to, but they didn't end up getting them. i talked to rpm regarding the alt. when i was looking for one

[builthatch]

Originally Posted by car46999 For the OP and Demi : what amps are you running? From my research the stocker for a Mazda3 and Mazdaspeed3 is a 90 amp. Can get a 180 or 200 amp from here Iraggi High Output Alternator for Mazdaspeed 3 - Modern Automotive Performance Revolution Performance Motorsports! Your source for aftermarket performance parts! - Revolution Performance Motorsports! store had them at one time, it would be interesting to find out why they stopped selling them. My system plans are small, so I hope to get by with a 4ga big3 upgrade, new battery, and a Batcap. Time will tell. Good luck

i think he meant what amp as in amplifier ; )

i'm currently running a pdx 4.150 with plans to add a 1.600.

yep, the stocker is indeed a 90a. i used that as the basis for my math for deciding initially that i might need to investigate a new alternator...

however....after reviewing the wiring situation, it looks like they are using some pretty small and sad wiring for the apps in the engine bay that are typically heavy gauge wiring. i never knew it was THAT bad despite what people like DEMI were saying about the "big" 3.

i might just try upgrading the supply wiring from the alt, grounds, etc and see what's doin' at that point.

[xcoldricex]

i need to stop being lazy and do the big 3

[Demi]

Im running a MRD-1000 alpine. (1085w x 1 @ 2)

[builthatch]

Originally Posted by Demi Im running a MRD-1000 alpine. (1085w x 1 @ 2)

demi, did you do the big 3 yet? you were the first one to mention it to me previously- i had never heard of it before, and man, you were right regarding the wiring in this car. i can't believe how small it is going to the assorted components (starter, alt, etc)

[Demi]

Oh yeah thats my car in the how-to i posted. I soldered my terminals tonight matter-O-fact.

[builthatch]

Originally Posted by Demi Oh yeah thats my car in the how-to i posted. I soldered my terminals tonight matter-O-fact.

hey, what how-to! why are you holding back man? lol

[Demi]

Originally Posted by builthatch hey, what how-to! why are you holding back man? lol

lol Naw man, i thought i shot you this link when you started.
http://www.mazdaspeedforum.org/forum/foru...-caraudio.html
Sorry if I forgot!

[car46999]

Originally Posted by xcoldricex rpm never had them. they thought they were going to, but they didn't end up getting them. i talked to rpm regarding the alt. when i was looking for one

Ah, that is good info.

Looks like you both might need an alternator upgrade. Looks like Demi is ready, with the big 3 completed.

Good luck

[xcoldricex]

anyone get one yet?

[SSinstaller]

I wouldn't swap ina larger alternator until you actually had a failure. I've been running an MC2500D and an MC5004 on the stock alternator for a long time and it's running strong. I've even managed to blow a 250amp ANL fuse during a demo and didn't tank the alternator..
Your always going to get voltage drops on small circuits(dome lights) when using larger current draw devices(window motors).

[Demi]

Originally Posted by SSinstaller I wouldn't swap ina larger alternator until you actually had a failure. I've been running an MC2500D and an MC5004 on the stock alternator for a long time and it's running strong. I've even managed to blow a 250amp ANL fuse during a demo and didn't tank the alternator.. Your always going to get voltage drops on small circuits(dome lights) when using larger current draw devices(window motors).

Negative. Smaller circuits have nothing to do with dimming. The amount of amperage drawn will not change based on the size of the circuit or the gauge of the wire (high amperage on smaller wire will result in heat because the wire acts as a resistor). Demand is demand. The amount of amperage available is what changes. Just because you dont nuke your alty doesnt mean everything is hunky dorey. When your headlights dim as the bass hits is a perfect example. Youre headlights get dimmer because your system is stealing amperage. I can tell the difference in output on my system with the headlights on. If your lights arent getting enough amps neither is your system.

[SSinstaller]

Originally Posted by Demi Negative. Smaller circuits have nothing to do with dimming. The amount of amperage drawn will not change based on the size of the circuit or the gauge of the wire (high amperage on smaller wire will result in heat because the wire acts as a resistor). Demand is demand. The amount of amperage available is what changes. Just because you dont nuke your alty doesnt mean everything is hunky dorey. When your headlights dim as the bass hits is a perfect example. Youre headlights get dimmer because your system is stealing amperage. I can tell the difference in output on my system with the headlights on. If your lights arent getting enough amps neither is your system.

Negative. (I=E/R) Current= Voltage/resistance, smaller the wiring raises the resistance of the circuit which will lower the total current draw(unless the device being power has a regulated power supply).. In the case of your amp, as the input voltage decreases the power supply will compensate by increasing the current draw, further dropping the input voltage. The incandescent lighting circuits in the vehicle have a fixed resistance so as the input voltage drops less current will flow through causing the lights to dim.

Hid's don't dim because they have a power supply that acts much like your amps power supply, as input voltage decreases they will draw more current to compensate..

The output current of the alternator is tightly controlled in order to be more efficient (the current output increases to match the actual current requirements), but the regulator sometimes doesn't increase output as fast as the current draw increase--especially in the case of a larger amp where the current requirements change very fast and very frequently This is usually what your seeing in an audio system-and is also why capacitors can sometimes eliminate the issue even though they store a very small amount of actual power.

Think about it this way, if the wire size didn't matter why did your big three upgrade make any difference..

On an extended bass note the voltage at my amps stays right around 12v, if your seeing a much lower voltage, you might want to look at the actual ground path--I had to run a 2g ground wire up to the front of the vehicle to stop an nasty drop that would actually shut off my OEM radio when the bass hit if I was idling(my battery is in the trunk)..

[spek1098]

Originally Posted by car46999 From my research the stocker for a Mazda3 and Mazdaspeed3 is a 90 amp.

I did a bit of research on the electrical systems when I was doing my swap and found that the Mz3 is running a 90amp but the MS3 is a running 120amp. I believe it is in the listed in the service manual.

[Demi]

Youre right, im sorry I was tired when i posted. smaller wire will lower current draw. Smaller wire will indeed effect everything, but with if the wire is insufficient in size it will act like a resistor, while this will effect the measurable current on the circuit it will not change the demand, and car audio capacitors dont do squat, though they I have seen them fix dimming, its a band aid fix for really setting up the electrical system properly. Surely you are not suggesting that a 90 amp alternator is capable of supplying 1000w amp and a car at the same time. If so why do bigger alty stop dimming and effect output? (i hope im not coming off flippant, Im not try to argue, I just dont understand your first post)

[SSinstaller]

Originally Posted by Demi Youre right, im sorry I was tired when i posted. smaller wire will lower current draw. Smaller wire will indeed effect everything, but with if the wire is insufficient in size it will act like a resistor, while this will effect the measurable current on the circuit it will not change the demand, and car audio capacitors dont do squat, though they I have seen them fix dimming, its a band aid fix for really setting up the electrical system properly. Surely you are not suggesting that a 90 amp alternator is capable of supplying 1000w amp and a car at the same time. If so why do bigger alty stop dimming and effect output? (i hope im not coming off flippant, Im not try to argue, I just dont understand your first post)

When you listen to normal music the average duty cyle is somewhere around 20-30%, a bass CD might get to to 80~90%. For a decent class D 1000w amp that equates to a continious draw of about 30 amps for normal music with rapid peaks much higher. That is why a cap can sometimes help it will fill in those brief dips--I am by no means a cap advocate(they store a VERY small amount of power) but, a 1 farad is pretty cheap, and is usually my next resort after replacing the battery.

There can definatly be a benifit when moving to a higher output alternator, I'm just saying that it's not necessary for about 99% of audio installs, and it comes with issues of it's own.. I have seen cars with 250 amp alternators output less current than the stock at idle, I've also seen one that worked so well it would destroy batteries and damage electronics with over voltages, and failed repeatedly every 6 months. I've also seen a few that caused uncorrectable horrible engine whine.

My advice after installing audio professionally for about 10 years now;

Measure the resistance between your ground and the battery, fix it if it's not <.05 ohms. Domelight dimming is going to happen is just a part of life(lol), and get some HID's if your headlights are dimming...

I can slam my system at idle with the high beams, low beams, and fogs on(all hid's), louder than I can stand to listen to it and I have no dimming visible anywhere but my led domelights and the dash illumination..all on the stock alternator and two odyessey pc680 batteries and no caps..

[Demi]

Originally Posted by SSinstaller When you listen to normal music the average duty cyle is somewhere around 20-30%, a bass CD might get to to 80~90%. For a decent class D 1000w amp that equates to a continious draw of about 30 amps for normal music with rapid peaks much higher. That is why a cap can sometimes help it will fill in those brief dips--I am by no means a cap advocate(they store a VERY small amount of power) but, a 1 farad is pretty cheap, and is usually my next resort after replacing the battery. There can definatly be a benifit when moving to a higher output alternator, I'm just saying that it's not necessary for about 99% of audio installs, and it comes with issues of it's own.. I have seen cars with 250 amp alternators output less current than the stock at idle, I've also seen one that worked so well it would destroy batteries and damage electronics with over voltages, and failed repeatedly every 6 months. I've also seen a few that caused uncorrectable horrible engine whine. My advice after installing audio professionally for about 10 years now; Measure the resistance between your ground and the battery, fix it if it's not <.05 ohms. Domelight dimming is going to happen is just a part of life(lol), and get some HID's if your headlights are dimming... I can slam my system at idle with the high beams, low beams, and fogs on(all hid's), louder than I can stand to listen to it and I have no dimming visible anywhere but my led domelights and the dash illumination..all on the stock alternator and two odyessey pc680 batteries and no caps..

Well with two batteries maybe yeah, but not one. Im running just a MRD1000 on stock alty and a yellow top and my headlights dim low enough for people to flash me back, haha. The high out put alty burning up electronics makes no sense and over charging batteries makes no sense. HO alts that are rated at 14.4 volts act like any other generator and push the demanded amperage, no more. You will not burn up electronics with a 5,000 amp alternator rated at 14.4v (not that there is such a thing). This is why aircraft generators dont burn up 22 gauge wire. You can burn up electronics with racing alternators which are rated around 16-18volts and can hit 22+ volts when its cold out.

[:: Gusto ::]

umm i have a EAGLE Power 190amp alt i bought for my civic years ago... still havent done anything w/ it

let me know how it works out....

[soul.survivor]

I had an iraggi alternator for a while on my civic, hated it. It caused alt. whine, didn't help dimming at all, was useless at idle. I got a new stock alternator and it worked much better.

[ATE BALLER]

Did you do the big 3 with it?

[soul.survivor]

You should've let it be, now I'm going to rant for a bit. Here's the whole story:

Of course I did the "big 3". I ran 4 gauge wire to the alt, engine block ground, and battery ground. Ran 0 gauge from the battery to the amp distribution block, 4 gauge to each amp. (zapco 500.1 and 360.4, not that powerful really but not efficient either) I dimmed like an SOB with the iraggi alternator from day 1 until about a year later when it died completely. Couple that with the alt. whine and I deem them Pieces Of Shit. I still have the replacement dominick sent me sitting in my garage. I told him I didn't want the damn thing, especially since I had to take the bad one off the car, ship it to him, and then wait 2-3 weeks, only to find out that his alternator was the problem the whole time. Turnaround time = 1 month. This is AFTER I gave him about an extra $100 for the "lifetime warranty" BS. He told me to sell it on ebay but I don't sell stuff I know is crap. Pretty sure I'm going to throw it away next week when I clean out the garage. The $100 mitsubishi 75amp alternator I put on when the iraggi died actually caused my lights to dim less.

After spending all that time and money (and too many headaches from shit going wrong) "doing it right" on my last car I think I'm qualified to say that running bigger wire and putting a Fleabay alternator on your car will not make it work any better. Those iraggi alternators are not capable of putting out what they're rated at. It's like one of those 1500w amps that you break open and it looks like a 50w amp. The sheer size of those alternators should tell you they won't do it. They look like a spray-painted, rewound '88 caprice alternator. Probably closer to 115 amps than 180+. This was also what the guy at the alternator shop I took it to said. According to him it would take a much larger alternator to put out 180 amps. He was a good guy and that's ALL he's done for like 20 years is fix, install, and repair alternators so I think he probably knows wtf he's talking about.

I don't see why anyone needs 1000-5000w amps in a car. You most likely won't be able to feed it enough power to make it put out 5000w unless you have a trunk full of batteries and 4 alternators stacked on top of each other, so why bother unless you're going to compete. I got a PDX-5 this time around. It's got enough power for 90% of the population and it's Class D so it is much more efficient that those class A current hogs. And it fits under my seat. If you want good sound, get good speakers and give them a reasonable amount of power. IIRC doubling your wattage gives you 3db gain, adding another speaker gives you 6db. Efficient speakers will work better than big amps.

I can say for sure though, if I were going to do that again, I'd get a name-brand alternator like stinger or ohio generator. Honestly, the yellow-top I put on the car was the best thing I ever did to it, until the alternator died and it wouldn't take a charge. Car ran for about a week with a dead alternator because of that battery though.

Thanks Dom for being so full of shit and having interweb forum fanboys to help you hock your garbage. The end.

[SSinstaller]

Originally Posted by soul.survivor You should've let it be, now I'm going to rant for a bit. Here's the whole story: Of course I did the "big 3". I ran 4 gauge wire to the alt, engine block ground, and battery ground. Ran 0 gauge from the battery to the amp distribution block, 4 gauge to each amp. (zapco 500.1 and 360.4, not that powerful really but not efficient either) I dimmed like an SOB with the iraggi alternator from day 1 until about a year later when it died completely. Couple that with the alt. whine and I deem them Pieces Of Shit. I still have the replacement dominick sent me sitting in my garage. I told him I didn't want the damn thing, especially since I had to take the bad one off the car, ship it to him, and then wait 2-3 weeks, only to find out that his alternator was the problem the whole time. Turnaround time = 1 month. This is AFTER I gave him about an extra $100 for the "lifetime warranty" BS. He told me to sell it on ebay but I don't sell stuff I know is crap. Pretty sure I'm going to throw it away next week when I clean out the garage. The $100 mitsubishi 75amp alternator I put on when the iraggi died actually caused my lights to dim less. After spending all that time and money (and too many headaches from shit going wrong) "doing it right" on my last car I think I'm qualified to say that running bigger wire and putting a Fleabay alternator on your car will not make it work any better. Those iraggi alternators are not capable of putting out what they're rated at. It's like one of those 1500w amps that you break open and it looks like a 50w amp. The sheer size of those alternators should tell you they won't do it. They look like a spray-painted, rewound '88 caprice alternator. Probably closer to 115 amps than 180+. This was also what the guy at the alternator shop I took it to said. According to him it would take a much larger alternator to put out 180 amps. He was a good guy and that's ALL he's done for like 20 years is fix, install, and repair alternators so I think he probably knows wtf he's talking about. I don't see why anyone needs 1000-5000w amps in a car. You most likely won't be able to feed it enough power to make it put out 5000w unless you have a trunk full of batteries and 4 alternators stacked on top of each other, so why bother unless you're going to compete. I got a PDX-5 this time around. It's got enough power for 90% of the population and it's Class D so it is much more efficient that those class A current hogs. And it fits under my seat. If you want good sound, get good speakers and give them a reasonable amount of power. IIRC doubling your wattage gives you 3db gain, adding another speaker gives you 6db. Efficient speakers will work better than big amps. I can say for sure though, if I were going to do that again, I'd get a name-brand alternator like stinger or ohio generator. Honestly, the yellow-top I put on the car was the best thing I ever did to it, until the alternator died and it wouldn't take a charge. Car ran for about a week with a dead alternator because of that battery though. Thanks Dom for being so full of shit and having interweb forum fanboys to help you hock your garbage. The end.

Your story is fairly typical in my experience...

[Demi]

Originally Posted by soul.survivor You should've let it be, now I'm going to rant for a bit. Here's the whole story: Of course I did the "big 3". I ran 4 gauge wire to the alt, engine block ground, and battery ground. Ran 0 gauge from the battery to the amp distribution block, 4 gauge to each amp. (zapco 500.1 and 360.4, not that powerful really but not efficient either) I dimmed like an SOB with the iraggi alternator from day 1 until about a year later when it died completely. Couple that with the alt. whine and I deem them Pieces Of Shit. I still have the replacement dominick sent me sitting in my garage. I told him I didn't want the damn thing, especially since I had to take the bad one off the car, ship it to him, and then wait 2-3 weeks, only to find out that his alternator was the problem the whole time. Turnaround time = 1 month. This is AFTER I gave him about an extra $100 for the "lifetime warranty" BS. He told me to sell it on ebay but I don't sell stuff I know is crap. Pretty sure I'm going to throw it away next week when I clean out the garage. The $100 mitsubishi 75amp alternator I put on when the iraggi died actually caused my lights to dim less. After spending all that time and money (and too many headaches from shit going wrong) "doing it right" on my last car I think I'm qualified to say that running bigger wire and putting a Fleabay alternator on your car will not make it work any better. Those iraggi alternators are not capable of putting out what they're rated at. It's like one of those 1500w amps that you break open and it looks like a 50w amp. The sheer size of those alternators should tell you they won't do it. They look like a spray-painted, rewound '88 caprice alternator. Probably closer to 115 amps than 180+. This was also what the guy at the alternator shop I took it to said. According to him it would take a much larger alternator to put out 180 amps. He was a good guy and that's ALL he's done for like 20 years is fix, install, and repair alternators so I think he probably knows wtf he's talking about. I don't see why anyone needs 1000-5000w amps in a car. You most likely won't be able to feed it enough power to make it put out 5000w unless you have a trunk full of batteries and 4 alternators stacked on top of each other, so why bother unless you're going to compete. I got a PDX-5 this time around. It's got enough power for 90% of the population and it's Class D so it is much more efficient that those class A current hogs. And it fits under my seat. If you want good sound, get good speakers and give them a reasonable amount of power. IIRC doubling your wattage gives you 3db gain, adding another speaker gives you 6db. Efficient speakers will work better than big amps. I can say for sure though, if I were going to do that again, I'd get a name-brand alternator like stinger or ohio generator. Honestly, the yellow-top I put on the car was the best thing I ever did to it, until the alternator died and it wouldn't take a charge. Car ran for about a week with a dead alternator because of that battery though. Thanks Dom for being so full of shit and having interweb forum fanboys to help you hock your garbage. The end.

I understand what you are saying but many of the best sounding or SQ subs are inefficient. My series 1 type X has a sensitivity of 89db IIRC, and is rated at 1000w RMS, but because its a class D only draws about 60amps. For this setup a 150 amp alt and a yellow top will do the job fine. I think its silly to run more than one sub in most cases because people typically go with massively undersized enclosures. If you are running more than 1500w combined (subs and comps) then I think you have lost the plot or are going for some SPL crap or something. Good subs in good enclosures wang. But I do agree for most tastes a lower watt sub will sound fine and pound just as hard. Im a bit of a audio snob so efficiency wasnt my goal.

[SSinstaller]

Originally Posted by Demi I understand what you are saying but many of the best sounding or SQ subs are inefficient. My series 1 type X has a sensitivity of 89db IIRC, and is rated at 1000w RMS, but because its a class D only draws about 60amps. For this setup a 150 amp alt and a yellow top will do the job fine. I think its silly to run more than one sub in most cases because people typically go with massively undersized enclosures. If you are running more than 1500w combined (subs and comps) then I think you have lost the plot or are going for some SPL crap or something. Good subs in good enclosures wang. But I do agree for most tastes a lower watt sub will sound fine and pound just as hard. Im a bit of a audio snob so efficiency wasnt my goal.

Power = Control, when it comes to speakers. I'm a big fan of overkill when it comes to amplifiers. I'm currently running two 12" type x's with a memphis 2500d in a sealed box roughly 2.5 cf after displacement. I don't care much for boom, but I can't stand sloppy bass which is usually the result of a big ported box; a kickdrum should feel like your being punched in the chest, not getting a massage...

[Demi]

Originally Posted by SSinstaller Power = Control, when it comes to speakers. I'm a big fan of overkill when it comes to amplifiers. I'm currently running two 12" type x's with a memphis 2500d in a sealed box roughly 2.5 cf after displacement. I don't care much for boom, but I can't stand sloppy bass which is usually the result of a big ported box; a kickdrum should feel like your being punched in the chest, not getting a massage...

Big ported boxes when they are made correctly for the subs that they are housing dont have a bloom or boom effect. Correct port sizing is hard to do and i spent more than a week planning out my very simple box design. It isnt easy, which is why so many ported boxes sound like hammered ass. Bass response and note decay should be about the same if correctly designed, with output and a VERY slight tonal inaccuracy in the extremes of the response curve, and much lower bass response. People just love to throw any old sub in a ported box and get disappointing results. Also I will say that ported boxes are sometimes a bit more work to tune. I have a HUGE spike on my response curve at 45hz. I knew this when i built the box. Its a uniform spike and so i easy tuned it out, so i still reap the benefits of a ported box, with a response curve curve that starts around 28hz -3db IIRC and flattens out nicely.

[SSinstaller]

Originally Posted by Demi Big ported boxes when they are made correctly for the subs that they are housing dont have a bloom or boom effect. Correct port sizing is hard to do and i spent more than a week planning out my very simple box design. It isnt easy, which is why so many ported boxes sound like hammered ass. Bass response and note decay should be about the same if correctly designed, with output and a VERY slight tonal inaccuracy in the extremes of the response curve, and much lower bass response. People just love to throw any old sub in a ported box and get disappointing results. Also I will say that ported boxes are sometimes a bit more work to tune. I have a HUGE spike on my response curve at 45hz. I knew this when i built the box. Its a uniform spike and so i easy tuned it out, so i still reap the benefits of a ported box, with a response curve curve that starts around 28hz -3db IIRC and flattens out nicely.

That sounds like a great setup, but your definitely an average consumer... I'd still argue that a sealed box with a good sub and tons of power just sounds better IMO, but that's a very subjective judgment... I've just always found sealed boxes to be more musical..

[Demi]

Originally Posted by SSinstaller That sounds like a great setup, but your definitely an average consumer... I'd still argue that a sealed box with a good sub and tons of power just sounds better IMO, but that's a very subjective judgment... I've just always found sealed boxes to be more musical..

Oh yeah dont get me wrong, for SQ a sealed box is best, but i think you are sacrificing very very little in a properly setup ported, and save yourself the cost of an extra 1000-1500Ws, the extra sub, and the numerous electrical upgrades that that amount of power would require. Its $700ish for lets say sub, amp, and yellow top, vs $1600ish for two subs, much bigger amp, two yellow tops and a massive alty. In all likelyhood its much more than that. Type-xs are $300-400 a sub on most sites, with decent 2500w amps running $800-$1200 alone.

[SSinstaller]

I meant to say your not an average consumer... Most of my customers want it (1)as loud as possible (2) for the least money possible, SQ is a very distant third...

[Demi]

Originally Posted by SSinstaller I meant to say your not an average consumer... Most of my customers want it (1)as loud as possible (2) for the least money possible, SQ is a very distant third...

Oh god i know. SIGH. I dont know what happened, or maybe people were always this way. The worst thing ive ever heard... "i dont care how it sounds, i just want it to look cool." Up until that point i didnt know that i could feel violent and nauseous at the same time. Ive met more than one person who thought it was impressive how much their trunk rattled. I suppose its like any hobby, (cars are bad for this too), there are tons of people more than willing to act like they know what the hell they are talking about and a disturbingly small group that check the facts they hear and really attempt to learn something.

[xcoldricex]

what do you guys recommend for a battery? i'm still on my stocker - have looked at kinetik, braille off brands (ie deka), optima, and whatnot... still not sure what to get.

right now i'm just running an hertz mlk165's and an old SI Mag v2 on an audison 5.1k (2x60 + 2x170 (A Class Biased) + 750w (D class)).

I haven't done the big 3 yet (i don't know why, i need to get off my ass). I also need to work on my system... want to do active 3 way instead of 2 way but i just don't have the time or funds

[Demi]

IMHO nothing comes close to an optima. Thats what im running and im on the same battery that Ive had for years. If it ever gives up, I get a brand spanking new one.

[SSinstaller]

I just pulled a red top with a bad cell out of my brothers prelude. It's only two years old..

Im a big fan of odyssey, you can sometimes find them rebadged as stinger batteries cheaper though..