The ICE Bible

[Dizzie]

I've kinda had this idea where we can all add things that we're 100% certain on and build up a comprehensive guide of things to do and not to do when installing and setting up our car stereos.

it'd be filled with loads of little things like advice on choosing speakers to placement of tweeters to give the best sound.

I don't claim to be an expert on sound or installing car stereo equipment, but I'm sure together we can make a nice little 'bible'. If you're 100% sure on something reply to the thread. Please don't reply and start a discussion about something someone else has posted previously. I'll try and keep it as neat and tidy as I can.

[VeeDubGTI16v]

seperate RCA cables from power cables, ummm 18mm mdf for parcel shelves  

that sort of stuff dizzie?

[Dizzie]

exactly </westwood>

Loudness is measured in decibels, not watts!

[AdamB]

exactly </westwood>

Loudness is measured in decibels, not watts!

a 3 decibel increase is double.
i.e a speaker running at 100db placed along side another running at 100 db does not equal 200db, only 103db.
its all logarithmic.
2 x power = 3db increase
10 x power = 10db increase
100 x power = 20db
1000 x power = 30db, etc, etc...


And always ensure the earth cable can handle as much current as the +ve cable providing the power

[VeeDubGTI16v]

try and solder every connection (permanent ones obviously) instead of using spade connectors etc

when earthing make sure you get a good connection by sanding the metal a little before clamping the earth wire on

always put the fuse for amps by the battery and not by the amp. it may look good but you want the surge stopped as close to the battery as possible.

dont poke the speakers through the parcell shelf, they will only get stolen

 

[Dizzie]

I hear somewhere that you should really put a fuse on both ends of you power cable. The amps will have stored power in them so could cook if there's a short through the firewall in the event of a crash.

More important if you're using a power cap too.

[MarkII16v]

The fuse connected to the power cable should be a maximum of 18inches from the battery terminal so as to stop the surge as quickly as poss. (As mentioned by veedubgti16v)

[Colin]

Use a bigger amp than necessary and run it gently.
Don't use a small amp on big speakers, they'll suck all the guts out the amp.......literally.
If you don't understand wiring, don't play with it, you'll only end in tears.
And finally "THE ONLY MEASUREMENT OF POWER IS WATTS RMS"!!!!!
Any other measurement is a hyped up mickey mouse figure and if your supplier can't quote "RMS" power then go buy something else, trust me !

[Dizzie]

Smaller subs are punchier so handle dance music better.
Larger subs prefer r'n'b styles of music and are generally louder and handle more power than the smaller speakers.

A Sealed enclosure creates a tighter note whereas a port enclosure can be tuned by adjusting the length of the port to suit. Many subs quote figures in both a sealed and ported enclosure and give buyers the flexibility to use in both ways.

[GavG60]

if you're planning on having anything more than 4 speakers and want any where near decent sound - you need an amp.

Attempting to run six speakers plus two tweeters on a normal head unit will cause it to overheat and seriously compromise sound quality

(guess who's just discovered this set up in his car)