Head Deck removal / Sub + Amp install questions

[v12spd]

Here’s what I’ve got. New to the e30 game so be patient with me?

My e30 came with an Aiwa CDC-X504MP head deck, which I’m assuming has RCA outputs, since the specs say it has preamp outputs on the back. (if anyone knows for sure please let me know)

I’m installing two Alpine Type S 10’s tomorrow with a Kenwood KAC 929 amp. My question is, how to wire the subs to get the most power out of the amp without overloading it. Need the subs to hit hard and long without overheating the amp on long drives. I’ve attached the amps manual so someone can give me a better idea of how to wire it to the subs. From what I understand my best bet is wiring them at 4 ohm’s bridged so I can get the peak rms out of the amp without overheating it.

My question is, wheres the best place to ground in the trunk of an e30? Maybe a bolt or two that’s better than the rest? And second, how do I remove the ski sack, I’m hoping that its complete removal will be enough of a port for the bass to travel into the cabin.


Thanks in advance.

And if anyone can point me to a thread on e30 dash removal/proper removal to install a stereo with pictures, I’d appreciate it greatly. I’m quite the newb at working on an e30 so bear with me.

Heres the amp manual.

http://www.retrevo.com/s/Kenwood+KAC-929?rt=pd

[smonkbmw]

ground the amp to the battery. no better ground than that. if you have a aftermarket deck (aiwa) you need the proper "keys" to remove it. there is no removal of the dash.

[v12spd]

So I can ground to the negative post on the battery? Or to the frame where the post connects to? I thought that was a no no. I've discovered that the deck needs an aiwa key, once I find that I should be in business. Going to hit up Circuit City and see if they'll help me find one.

Found out how to pop the rear seat. Now to investigate in daylight and find out how to carefully remove the ski sack. Decided to wire the subs bridged in 4 ohm mode, theyre 4 ohm subs, so that should give me 1000 watts peak 430 rms. Thanks! Look's like I'll have bass by midday.

[StereoInstaller1]

Getting your "4 ohm mono wiring" means we need to know what ohms your woofers are.

Type S woofers are available in both 2 ohm/coil DVC and 4 ohm/coil DVC.

And, just so you know, that amplifier does not make any more power in "Mono Bridged" mode than it does in stereo. The deal is that 4 ohms mono is the exact same as 2 ohms per channel stereo...exactly the same.

One handy dandy fucked up deal is the ability to use a tiny little switch as a "Y" cord. Lets say for some fucked up reason some dipshit decided to run a single RCA cable back to the amp. Kenwood, in all their infinite wisdumb, decided to allow us the ability to flip a switch to make that amp use its full input on one RCA...nice, huh? Well, the issue is that dumb motherfuckers see that word "mono" and automatically think "Oooooh, there is more power in mono, I better flip that switch!"....yeah...so the amp only sees half of the input...meaning LESS power, or only one channel of the decks output going to the amp.

This can actually be handy if you are using a pair of the same amps on a pair of the same speaker, but who the hell does that?

/morning rant

make sure you punch out the ski passthrough hole. If you don't see it, pull the trunk liner on the back seat out and look again.

GL!
Luke

[v12spd]

Getting your "4 ohm mono wiring" means we need to know what ohms your woofers are.

Type S woofers are available in both 2 ohm/coil DVC and 4 ohm/coil DVC.

And, just so you know, that amplifier does not make any more power in "Mono Bridged" mode than it does in stereo. The deal is that 4 ohms mono is the exact same as 2 ohms per channel stereo...exactly the same.

One handy dandy fucked up deal is the ability to use a tiny little switch as a "Y" cord. Lets say for some fucked up reason some dipshit decided to run a single RCA cable back to the amp. Kenwood, in all their infinite wisdumb, decided to allow us the ability to flip a switch to make that amp use its full input on one RCA...nice, huh? Well, the issue is that dumb motherfuckers see that word "mono" and automatically think "Oooooh, there is more power in mono, I better flip that switch!"....yeah...so the amp only sees half of the input...meaning LESS power, or only one channel of the decks output going to the amp.

This can actually be handy if you are using a pair of the same amps on a pair of the same speaker, but who the hell does that?

/morning rant

make sure you punch out the ski passthrough hole. If you don't see it, pull the trunk liner on the back seat out and look again.

GL!
Luke

Lol, thanks. Yeah I planned on running it in stereo, but bridged in my wiring from the amp to the subs. The ski pass hole is already punched out, I have a ski sack in it, I'm trying to carefully remove it since I do love the ski sack on my e38 and occasionally use it. I'm going to remove the subs from the box and check, but I'm almost positive theyre 4 ohm dvc.

Thanks!

[StereoInstaller1]

Oh yeah, what Jeff said...ground the amp directly to the battery is correct. Only in cars with a rear mount battery though!

You post said your woofers are "4 ohm"...Alpines site says the Type S are DVC only, so unless they changed (which they do, and act like yesterday never happened) does that mean you have DVC 2 ohm/coil or 4 ohm/coil or is your woofers SVC, and Alpine has no mention of them?

[StereoInstaller1]

if 4 ohm/coil, you are golden. Wire each woofer as 8 ohm, then parallel the two to make 4 ohms. Or just run everything parallel and run 2 ohms/channel in stereo. Same power either way.

[v12spd]

Oh yeah, what Jeff said...ground the amp directly to the battery is correct. Only in cars with a rear mount battery though!

You post said your woofers are "4 ohm"...Alpines site says the Type S are DVC only, so unless they changed (which they do, and act like yesterday never happened) does that mean you have DVC 2 ohm/coil or 4 ohm/coil or is your woofers SVC, and Alpine has no mention of them?

That's what I get for buying subs off craigslist, lol. I'm heading out to buy a wiring kit right now, I'm gonna remove the sub's and I'll post my findings as soon as I get back.

[v12spd]

if 4 ohm/coil, you are golden. Wire each woofer as 8 ohm, then parallel the two to make 4 ohms. Or just run everything parallel and run 2 ohms/channel in stereo. Same power either way.

They are... SWS-1042D, so 4 ohm dual voice coils, according to crutchfield, http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Produ...ures_and_specs

They are wired in parralel, and stereo.

Heres my new problem. Hooked everything up, clean install, done in about an hour. First, theyre really quiet, my one type E with a smaller amp hit a LOT harder than these two with an amp almost 3 times the power. Second, the subs only seem to turn on on the radio, not on the cd player, havent tested aux, but the head deck seems to only want them on on the radio. Kinda frustrating.

Aside from that I'm looking for a wiring diagram to see if theres another way I should be wiring the subs to get the most out of the amp. The manual seems to be intentionally vague.

[v12spd]

Wait figured part of that out, lol, accidentally wired the remote power into the antenna remote, instead of the amp remote. One down.

Now to figure out how to really get the bass up and make these subs pound. (short of buying a new amp. lol)

[v12spd]

Alright, rewired the subs which was shoddily done anyways, according to this picture.



Noticeably louder, but still I'd think that these two 10's would hit a lot harder than my single type e 12. Kinda sorta really disappointed. I wired the amp properly for a bridged 4 ohm set up, which should give me 1000 watts peak and 420 rms. I've removed the ski hole area and all padding around it. Put down the arm rest and still... not much. Maybe I should port the box? Any suggestions? My previous amp was a pioneer, but significantly underpowered compared to this. As far as sound quality goes however, this setup is very nice. I just like having the option to shake a small radius around me.

[StereoInstaller1]

Do you have the crossovers set properly? Low pass at about 80Hz is pretty OK as a ballpark.

Was that single 12 in an E30? These cars are damn near bass proof, I swear!

I use a single 12 in a very large (2.7 cubic feet) ported box, with the ports coming through the rear deck. It plays very low, not terribly loud, but incredibly clean:

The ports are Aeroports, flush in the rear deck:


The box was a raging pain in the ass to build, still not "finished", still not happy:

[v12spd]

That was a single 12 in an e34. The subs just dont hit as hard as the other one. Its confusing. The single crappy 12 used to make the drivers seat shake. These two 10's barely make the rear seat vibrate.

[Schnitzer318is]

OT, sorry OP... but I demand finished pics of your setup Luke! :)

[StereoInstaller1]

Schnitz, what does "finished" mean? Never heard that word used in conjunction with or pertaining to any of my own personal stereo systems....not sure it is possible.

Luke