Constant 12V for Alpine 9815

[natorious]

where can i get a constant 12V in the dash that is "man-enough" for a apline 9815 or should i just run it back to the battery... i was thinking i could tap off of the cig lighter since thats on a 30amp fuse... but anyone have any insight into this...

also any places inside the dash a better ground point than others?

[natorious]

thought i might add... the car is an 89 325i autotragic 4-door with premium sound

[Jordan]

Whenever I do stereo installs, I find it best to run a wire from the junction in the engine bay, through the firewall, and to the deck. This way a high output deck gets all the 12v it wants, and it doesnt fade & distort when the bass hits (not till way louder anyways)

There is a good ground point next to your steering column under the dash. Remove the knee panel and you should be able to find it. Just look for about 20 brown wires bolted to it. Remember to use a wire the same size as your 12v supply as your ground.

[Mtriple]

Just hook it up th the 12 volt constant for the stock radio. That will be just fine...

[Jordan]

Just hook it up th the 12 volt constant for the stock radio. That will be just fine...

What exactly do you know about car stereos?

The stock 12v lead does not supply enough at all. Any good high end deck powered off that lead will clip, dim, and distort at mid to high volumes.

Natorious, take my advice.

[Mtriple]

Just hook it up th the 12 volt constant for the stock radio. That will be just fine...

What exactly do you know about car stereos?

The stock 12v lead does not supply enough at all. Any good high end deck powered off that lead will clip, dim, and distort at mid to high volumes.

Natorious, take my advice.

Where would you like me to begin? Let's see.... I was a MECP certified "first class" installer for about 11 years.... ummmmm, I competed in the IASCA circuit for about 6 years.... ummmm, I qualified for the world finals 3 of the 6 years.... any more questions, know it all?

With the inflated head unit power ratings that car stereo manufacturers have been claiming the last few years, the larger gauge wire and the suggestion that the power leads be attatched to the battery is just another way for the manufacturer to make you believe their headunit is truly powerful.

I have never wasted my time running wires to anywhere other than the stock wiring behind the radio. Guess what? I've never seen a problem.

[Jordan]

Be that as it may, every last deck I have installed in a e21, e30, and e36 (all high end Alpine units) Dimed like crazy at any volume level much over "normal" when wired up to the stock 12v+ lead.

If the headunits backlights are dimming when the bass hits, you know the amp isnt getting the power it wants. Wiring it up directly to the junction box in the engine bay cures this problem. Afterwards all decks played louder before clipping, distorting, or dimming.

This isn't "manufacturer hype" its real world expecience. I could tell you where to put your certifications, but I think you can figure that out on your own.

[Mtriple]

I forgot to mention that I went to Rockford Fosgate's "Top Gun" advanced fabrication skills school in Phoenix. Back in the day, it was a pretty big deal. Only one installer per year in our region.

I know a thing or two about car audio....

[Mtriple]

Whatever dude, I'm not going to get into it, you are a tool...

[KenC]

The stock power lead should be fine for a deck with no internal amplifier, correct?

[Jordan]

The stock power lead should be fine for a deck with no internal amplifier, correct?

Very much so, they don't consume nearly as much power.

[Jordan]

Whatever dude, I'm not going to get into it, you are a tool...

Hey if the DIM ting ting zing DIM DIM DIM ting ting is your thing, by all means.... keep your deck hooked up to a 22ga 12v+ lead. I won't stop you. I will however advise that this problem can be solved, and the amp properly fed, by hooking up a 16ga wire directly to the junction.

[natorious]

btw...just to let you know there IS NO 12V constant for my radio.. i have the infared alpine one along with the premium stereo

[Mtriple]

If this was going into a 72 beetle, THEN by all means, you NEED to run a power lead. Our cars are more than capable of handling the power requirements of these radios.
Alpine even puts the same gauge wire on their 79 series head units(preamp only). Why would they do that if the deck has no power of its own? :roll:

Finally the industry has stepped in and started a power rating certification program for the manufacturer's to use. Hopefully, more companies will use this certification to keep the playing field level. In the last few years it has gotten out of control with claims of 50 or 55 watts per channel out of a head unit. Now with the CEA-2006 cert., hopefully this is a thing of the past...

Again, I installed Alpine for 7 years and nobody in my shop ran a friggin' wire to the battery, and we had a large bay with 8 installers. My little rant above about how it is to make you believe the deck is more powerful, that came from the mouth of our Alpine product tech rep..

But if it makes you feel better because Jordan suggested it, by all means, go ahead...

[UNHCLL]

I have never wasted my time running wires to anywhere other than the stock wiring behind the radio. Guess what? I've never seen a problem.

Ditto.

Be that as it may, every last deck I have installed in a e21, e30, and e36 (all high end Alpine units) Dimed like crazy at any volume level much over "normal" when wired up to the stock 12v+ lead.

NEVER EVER EXPERIENCED THIS in any e30 I've installed a stereo in thats 6+ cars btw.

Finally the industry has stepped in and started a power rating certification program for the manufacturer's to use. Hopefully, more companies will use this certification to keep the playing field level. In the last few years it has gotten out of control with claims of 50 or 55 watts per channel out of a head unit. Now with the CEA-2006 cert., hopefully this is a thing of the past...

Bout f*ckin time. every HU now says 55w or 60w. 95% of those fail to mention RMS power. But then, most of those are dolphin and star display HU's anyways that look better in a neon glow show than in a car dash. :roll: