|
New member Username: Oke139Post Number: 1 Registered: Jul-14 | So i got an Caliber CA 80.4 amplifier and Sony CDX-GT111 stereo. My stereo produces 4x45W RMS. My amp takes 4 channel input aswell, which can be bridged into two channels. If i shove 2 channels into my amplifier then bridge it and get 80W RMS from amplifier by doing so, will i now get 2x45W+80W RMS = 170 RMS or will i be limited to amplifiers 80W rms? |
|
Gold Member Username: Joe1234Post Number: 1953 Registered: May-09 | The amp is 40x4 RMS and the head unit is about 4x14-18 RMS, if the amplifier can't accept low level inputs you will need a LOC to interface with the amp If you want 2x40W for speakers and 1x80W for a sub for example, the amp will need to have a bridge switch somewhere to make the stereo input to mono output to apply to the sub, you will also have to low pass the bridged channel so only bass is amplified. The setup seems so low end that I would just upgrade to something better. |
|
New member Username: Oke139Post Number: 2 Registered: Jul-14 | Yeah it can be bridged that way, there are also 2 LP switche's and frequency control dials. I am able to take 4 channels from the stereo(4 RCA inputs on the amp). Then i can bridge two channels seperately giving me 1x80W RMS from the amplifier and i can toggle them to LP mode and adjust frequency. Then i have two totally seperate channels that i wont bridge, which will produce 40W RMS for my x2 50W RMS speakers in the dashboard and without LP and with wide frequency band. I have few 8" boxes laying around and i found a 200W max/100W RMS sub that is 8" that i can get for peanuts. I also have a hatchback, so at least i can hear some bass. But my main question is, if the head unit gives ~15 RMS per channel and im running 2 channels bridged through an amplifier that produces 80 RMS, will the formula be 2x15RMS+80RMS or will the sub get just the 80RMS that the amp gives? Unfortunately right now im unable to afford something better and i want to take the max out of my current equipment. Thanks for the reply. |
|
Gold Member Username: Joe1234Post Number: 1954 Registered: May-09 | Looking at the input of your amp I only see RCA inputs which are incompatible with the output of your speakers, most likely you will need a LOC. To answer your question, after you install the LOC, say, the front channels will go to the unbridged 2 channels of the amp and the two rear ones to the bridged section to become signal for the sub, in that case you would get 2x40 (stereo) +1x80 (mono for the sub). |
|
New member Username: Oke139Post Number: 3 Registered: Jul-14 | I currently have two oval speakers connected to the amp just by taking 2 channels from the head unit and connecting them to the amp via simple RCA connectors. They work properly. Also the input side has two dials "Level" and I can change it from 2V to up to 0.2V. What is that used for? Maybe the LOC is integrated into the amp? |
|
Gold Member Username: Joe1234Post Number: 1956 Registered: May-09 | If your amp have some sort of switch that says INPUT: HI/LOW (which is present in amps with an integrated LOC) likely it accepts hi level inputs. Unfortunately there seems to be no manual for your amp around the net. |
|
New member Username: Oke139Post Number: 4 Registered: Jul-14 | I've had a subwoofer that worked before in this configuration and now i have two speakers that work like that, so if they work, there must be an LOC, correct? -------- Alright i did some googling and now i understand what needs to be done. I either have to put a LOC converter between the amp and the stereo or i just need to sell my stereo and get something new that has RCA outputs, that way i can even add more speakers. |
|
Gold Member Username: Joe1234Post Number: 1957 Registered: May-09 | If you are short on cash a LOC is dirt cheap like $10-$15 USD so it makes sense, a new head unit would be nice but a little more costly, I would recommend this: http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_60596_Pioneer-DEH-150MP.html With a 5 band parametric equalizer and 24 bit DACs the thing is awesome specially for the price, it does have a set of low level outputs. It just missed USB input to be a perfect entry level HU. I would like to be able to tell how you managed to put a 20-30V signal to a 2 volt max input but I'm just not familiar with that particular amp, the current CA-S80 that you can find in their site doesn't say anything about high level inputs. |
|
New member Username: Oke139Post Number: 5 Registered: Jul-14 | Well tbh i only got the amplifier for around 10eur(~14$) and im not afraid of blowing it. I'm also going to get my sub for around 15eur which is 100W RMS/ 200W max and i got my brand new x2 4" 50W RMS/100w max for 10eur so im kind of budget oriented right now. The head unit costed also 10eur. I'm running this setup for like ~25 days until the end of the summer, then im going to sell my golf mk3 rustbucket, so its not like i fancy an high end system, just want a little bit of bass thats all Anyway, back to the point. My understanding is that the amp should have gone bad long time ago with this setup, unless i had an integrated LOC. Also if I opened up the amp, i should be able to tell if there is LOC integrated somewhere in the circuit, it should be directly after the input, correct? I also have a darn good multimeter, I'm going to check now how much voltage is driven into my speakers & input. Unfortunately I can't find stores that sell LOC-s around here and ordering it from ebay would take around 30 days and by then i will have no use for the car. --- Edit: Alright so i measured the output at around 3/4 volume(i usually listen to music about 1/2 volume) to be 19V from the amplifier(single channel). Preamp is around 6-8volt. Probably would be a good idea to search for LOC now... |
|
New member Username: Oke139Post Number: 6 Registered: Jul-14 | What is the normal maximum preamp voltage? Maybe i can just measure what is the max volume that gives me around 4V at the output, so i wouldn't need a LOC? |
|
Gold Member Username: Joe1234Post Number: 1959 Registered: May-09 | The amp should be receiving 0.2 to 2 volt as it states. The only thing you could try is to fader to the front and see in the rear channels what voltage levels you have just to see what you get. Although you can find some infos on how to build a non isolated LOC, I would recommend against it since you can always make a mistake. |
|
New member Username: Oke139Post Number: 7 Registered: Jul-14 | Well, the reason I'm selling my car is pretty straightforward, i'm going to university to learn eletrical engineering, so that kind of tinkering might be useful Yeah, i got a digital clamp meter so i can measure speaker wattage etc also to find the optimal solution. It's getting late here so thats a job for tommorow. But what will i do with the Level dial? Decreasing it from 2V to 0.2V seems to increase the amount of power amplifier produces. |
|
Gold Member Username: Joe1234Post Number: 1960 Registered: May-09 | The knob controls the gain of the amplifier, if you tell it your signal is 2V in amplitude it will amplify it less, if it's set to 0.2V it will amplify it more to compensate for a smaller amplitude input signal. Gain = output voltage necessary to deliver 40WRMS@4 ohm / input voltage. |