Connecting car subs/amp to desktop computer...
|
New member Username: LliillPost Number: 1 Registered: Sep-04 | I have 2 Kicker Comp. 12" subwoofers and a MTX Thunder 250D amplifier and want to connect them to my Gateway computer. If anyone knows the specifics of what I need and/or how to go about doing this, please respond. Any help would be appreciated, thanks a lot.... |
|
Silver Member Username: InsearchofbassPost Number: 749 Registered: Jun-04 | Chris what headunit do you have because if it has an aux. out you can do what im going to do in the future and run the cable out to your sound card with two female ends on one side and one male end on the other into your soundcard (this side is single out but made 1/8 inch input stereo) |
|
cyrus_sha Unregistered guest | i have a car amp hooked to mine it was quite simple if its a smaller amp i also have a car cd changer hooked to the comp it wasnt that difficult at all this stuff was just givin to me and i alreayd had enough audio in the car.and messed around found some info about mame which is building a computer in to an arcade cabinet in a mame cabinet they usally use a car amp for sound CAR AMP to Comptuer for the amp get a processor fan or somthing of that sort you can cut the connector off of YELLOW wire go's to power black to ground any other wires on it you dont need if you want it to power on when the computer turns on bridge power(yellow wire) to remote. if you want a switch to turn it off find some random switch just for On and Off have a small wire go from the power to one of the 2 wires coming from the switch the other wire from the switch go's to remote set up the speakers and such and your done set gain to your prefrence CD CHANGER to Computer for the cd changer its a little more difficult there are three main power wires for most Red-yellow-black again you can use a processor fan connector the Yellow coming from the changer connect to yellow on the comp connector youve cut from the fan black go's to black for ground as for the red wire coming from the changer that you will be set up as your switch you can bridge it to your yellow wires to make it turn on with the computer if you want a switch to turn on and off when you wish use a small wire that gos from the yellow power (constant12)to one of the wires on a one of the 2wires of the switch the other wire coming from the switch gos straight to the red wire and your done with power and such now connect all the rest of your plugs (AV cables and such)to the proper plug ins and your done the AVs can be pluged into the amp or a stereo if you plug to the amp you need something for volume CAR HEAD UNIT A head unit can also be hooked to your computer again 3main power wires on deck yellow-red-black use a processor fan connection once again yellow go's to yellow black to black the red bridge with yellow for the deck to turn on with teh computer or wire a switch like before hook speakers and your done your probably not going to be able to hook all 3 things up at once depends on your power suply make sure all your connections are good and not exposed if your case is metal which most are and any of the black exposed wiring toughs you will have some shorting out to look forward to if this happends sometimes you can mess with the voltage switch on your power supply by unpluging switching it to the opposit of what it is on and pressing the power button keep doing this and it should turn back on after a while it helps to also put some extra fans around power suply and in case ive some how obtained a giant server fan from a friend and it helps a great deal and works perfectly ah good luck |
|
Unregistered guest | I want to connect my computer speakers and sub to my car through a cd player? |
|
New member Username: Sexxybeast_5Geelong, Victoria Australia Post Number: 9 Registered: Mar-05 | Hey cyrus_sha will a 450 watt power pack do the trick and will it actually work good will it go loud or a rteal quiet hard to hear sound |
|
grega Unregistered guest | awrite cyrus_sha where n what is a processor fan?? |
|
Unregistered guest | I want to connect a Shuttle SK41G Barebone computer to my car. Does anyone know how to do this? |
|
Unregistered guest | My car is a 1999 Honda Accord LX 4 cylinder. |
|
Unregistered guest | I have a 97 Pathfinder with stock cd/radio. What is the best way to hook amp and to 10's to it while leaving the stock radio in. HELP. |
|
Bronze Member Username: G3nocd3San Jose, Ca USA Post Number: 57 Registered: May-05 | Darrenrpope use a converter. And anyone putting computer speakers in a car. Ahha. computer speakers are meant and designed to be in a room. Not a car. It will sound like a ghetto wall mart system on slim fast with a homeless budget. No offense to either the homeless or wall mart.  |
|
New member Username: AtobskyLondon, London UK Post Number: 1 Registered: May-05 | Hi, I have just installed a computer into my car but i still use my headunit to play the sound through my car speakers using a RF transmitter. I want to toatlly get rid of the headunit, what do i need to do or get? Many thanks |
|
Silver Member Username: G3nocd3San Jose, Ca USA Post Number: 173 Registered: May-05 | use a card with coax. Or get an optic out and a decoder, thats what i run. |
|
Silver Member Username: G3nocd3San Jose, Ca USA Post Number: 174 Registered: May-05 | LOL not coax, i ment pre outs lol. |
|
New member Username: Juan2005Post Number: 2 Registered: May-05 | can someone give me some 12" and an amplifier that you dont use or if youll have any dj stuff that youll dont use can youll give it to me.. please if youll want to give me something just email me at reinaayala@sbcglobal.net please |
|
Unregistered guest | i want to connect 2 external speakers(60W each) to my computer's sound output. The sound output from the computer cannot drive these external speakers. Please let me know if a preamp is requried or just a power amp would do the job. Which type/wattage of preamp/amp should I buy from the market? If I would want to build my own amp, please suggest any design websites for the same.I've tried searching the net but found only general information. Please help. |
|
te soundman Unregistered guest | ok guys if you want tohook up a car amp to a computer or mp3 player or anything with a headphone jack just go to the nearest radoshack and buy a headphone to rca cable. then just hook up the amp like you normally would with the rca cables. then just plug your headphone calbe into your device and there you go. if you have any questions just email me with the subject "amp help" my email is nightowl6665@hotmail.com |
|
Silver Member Username: G3nocd3San Jose, Ca USA Post Number: 189 Registered: May-05 | lamo |
|
Unregistered guest | does anyone know how to connect a car amplifier to a mp3 player. if you do please email me at ssgoku2k6@yahoo.com |
|
Unregistered guest | hi how would i hook my 2 12" dhd subs to my dell computor email me |
|
Gold Member Username: IlluminatorPost Number: 1550 Registered: Apr-05 | An AV Receiver. |
|
Silver Member Username: G3nocd3San Jose, Ca USA Post Number: 275 Registered: May-05 | goku, its called a high low imput converter. Its like 20 buks. Then go to radio shack and get some speaker wire with the headphone plug on it, and boom, done, you can hook your mp3 player straight into the low imputs now with the rca cables. woot woot. You can do the same for a creative sound card also in a computer. works with both av receivers and car amplifiers. Im ghetto so i run my home audio with a 1100.1 and 400.4 zapco amps, i use a high low comverter to hook my mp3 player up to it. :D |
|
Remiovice Unregistered guest | Which kind of car amp should I choose to link my mp3 player to my 4 speakers in my car? I don't want to have a headunit anymore! stolen 3 times, I've had enough. The plan is just to bang an amp under the passenger seat and plug my mp3 player when I get into my car to have the sound in the car. I someone can help, that would be greatly appreciated!!! |
|
Joe Mofo Unregistered guest | Your computer's Hard drive wouldnt survive the ride, depending on its shock resistance. And, all you would have to do is hook the computer up as an auxillary input to the head unit. |
|
Bronze Member Username: RowlandbrownPost Number: 11 Registered: Sep-05 | Firstly if you put a hard drive in a car make sure it is a laptop drive as they are more shock resistant. If you chose to ignore this advice prepare yourself for lots of corrupt data and hard drive failures. Secondly it is not very hard to connect car speakers to a computer. Your car is 12V as is your computer so you just get a device like a fan that plugs into the computers molex connectors and you cut the wires so that you have power connectors. You use these to power your head unit and amp(s). Then you get a 3.5' headphone to RCA cable jack (or two and a 1 to 2 3.5' jack adaptor). The 3.5' jack just goes into your PC as would a normal set of speakers' connection. The RCA end of the cable plugs into your amp. To connect your MP3 player to your car system it is best to go through your head unit would say. Otherwise I don't see why it shouldn't be possible to use the same 3.5' headphone to RCA cable as mentioned above to connect it although I haven't tried this. You may even go all out and buy a cheap radio with headphone output and a FM transmitter to connect to your MP3 player and pop the radio in the trunk connected to the amp and use the FM transmitter to send your signal to it from the front of the car. |
|
Silver Member Username: G3nocd3San Jose, Ca USA Post Number: 363 Registered: May-05 | And rownland , most hard drives on the market can withstand a 6g shock. Which is an incredible amound. Ive run computers before in my blazer without a shock resisting setup. no problems. on the other hand i run a raid setup in my blazer with over a tb of storage now, so my shock absorbing setup alot better now. But like it said it works. Good info tho, even though you restated whats been in several other threads. |
|
Bronze Member Username: RowlandbrownPost Number: 33 Registered: Sep-05 | Tim - While I agree that your average drive CAN take a bit more shock than my previous post suggested I do not like to give advice to people that could potentially cause them sweat. Your standard 3.5' drive is not made to absorb much shock and yes maybe it can do it (although 6g is a bit excessive in my opinion) but this doesn't mean it is to be done. Laptop drives on the other hand are made to absorb much greater shock and are thus a better bet to use in a car. If you are feeling brave and want to risk it drop your drive from a foot above your bed onto the bed and you will see what happens. Again I wouldn't advise this but hell if you are so minded what I say won't stop you! It is just my 2 cents worth. |
|
imnotsure Unregistered guest | Is it safe to hook up the amp to a pc? Mine uses 4guage power cable and i dont know if it is a good idea to use small pc wires to power it, also dont forget the fuse on the power cable, there wouldnt be any fuse. i dont know much so please correct me if im wrong, im just trying to be cautious before i connect my new amp to the pc and it blows. Also how do i have to adjust the volume on my pc? usually on my head unit i have the volume about 2/3 for the most. on the pc there is controls for overall vol., mp3/wave, and a volume contoller on winamp or media player. What levels should i adjust these to? |
|
New member Username: 89chevyCali USA Post Number: 5 Registered: May-05 | Hey I was wondering how to hook and amp up to the wall I have a 12 volt ac to dc converter but when I plug the power wire into the converter the amp doesn't power up. Any help would be apreciated email me at Fstfreddiev27@yahoo.com |
|
Lowgear Unregistered guest | I have yet to find a way on the internet to hook up an amp and speakers to a pc that is safe, works, and dosnt sound like complete crap. Everybody contradicts everyone elses information. Others have no idea, and the rest is just BS. This has been discussed so many times with no consistent answer its not even funny. What I want to know is if somebody figures out a GOOD way to hook an amp up and subs to a computer where are the mids and highs going to come from? This means that you will have to use a 4-channel amp to power a set of 6x9's or something which most likely will sound awfull. What ive done is just find a set of computer speakers that includes a sub. Take the amp out of the subs box and hook it up to car sub. This way you will be able to control the volume and still have regular computer speakers for mids and highs. I have a Lanzar 12 in a bandpass box hooked up this way and it shakes the windows. |
|
Unregistered guest | I have a 8" kicker hooked up to my comp. Here is how I did it... *THINGS NEEDED* -Home Reciever -RCA to Headphone cable (radioshack) -Sub + speakerwire *NOTE* I'm using an old Sansui reciever that allows the user to select 4-6ohm so you don't kick/kill the sub. *Process* 1) Hook up the the sub to the reciever. (I do not have a sub-out, so i used speaker wire to hook it up as a regular speaker). 2) Use the RCA cable to connect the reciever and computer together. (I chose to connect the rca part to the reciver's 'Video' part not 'Aux' or 'Tape' ...it just sounds better.) The headphone part can go into pretty much any plug in your sound card but I chose the headphone jack... just makes sence right? 3) Now that everything is connected turn UP the BASS. DOWN on the MIDRANGE AND TREBLE or else it will play like a regular speaker. And if your reciever has it turn on LOUDNESS for some heavy bass. *NOTE* if the reciever's protecter kicks on be sure to check your wiring, neg. pos. etc. Email me if you have any questions. bruceb949@yahoo.com GoodLuck. |
|
New member Username: 420pimp2Post Number: 10 Registered: Jan-06 | all this shi.ts so confusing i have a medion with all kinds of sh.it on it and cant figure out how to work half of it |
|
New member Username: Jitz1234Post Number: 1 Registered: Mar-06 | i have a 15inch 600watt kenwood sub and want to know how to connect it to a hifi or pc and also what i will need |
|
New member Username: PadsWorksop, United kingdom Britain Post Number: 1 Registered: Mar-06 | hiya i was wanting to know how i would connect two amps i have got it all sorted but i have only got one remote turn on lead in my head unit and i have two remote turn on lead can some one help plz e mail me pads143@hotmail.com |
|
Gold Member Username: Project6Post Number: 7285 Registered: Dec-03 | Dale, Why are you asking about this on a computer forum? |
|
New member Username: Dave1980Post Number: 1 Registered: Apr-06 | Hey guys, I have an MTX Thunder 801D 800 watt amp and 2 12" MTX Thunder 8000 speakers. I would like to hook them up to my computer and was wondering the best way to do that without blowing anything up. I would prefer to hook the amps power into the wall, but if hooking up another way is better please let me know. I'm just worried about blowing up my amp. Thanks guys |
|
Gold Member Username: IlluminatorUSA Post Number: 2842 Registered: Apr-05 | All right guys, here's the skinny: when hooking up any type of car equipment to your computer, you need a massive amount of amperage. How do you get that amperage? A dedicated 12 volt power supply. Now, a computer's power supply might have molex's with 12v coming off them, but they don't put out enough amperage, and even then, their power output is extremely dirty because of lack of sufficient capacitors. What you need is a dedicated 12 volt power supply. It needs to put out at least 5 amps if you're going to power a head unit (a great deal more if you're using the head unit's internal amplifier to power four speakers as you would in a car) and at least 20 amps for a 200 watt RMS amplifier. From this one can easily see an 80 amp power supply would not be all that bizarre to power a 1000 watt RMS amp. To calculate the current draw of an amplifier, multiply the number of channels by the RMS watts per channel (a 2 channel amp rated at 300 watts RMS per channel would be 600 watts). Double it to account for amplifier inefficiency (600 watts X 2 = 1200 watts), then divide by the average output Voltage of an alternator, 13.8 volts (1200 divided by 13.8 = 87 amps). Since the average music signal requires about 1/3rd of the average power in a test tone, divide by 3 (87 amps divided by 3 = 29 amps). The result is the amplifier's approximate average current draw. And hooking up the amp to the computer for sound? As mentioned, just use headphone to RCA wire. Depending on your sound card, you may have other options as well. |
|
New member Username: KishanPost Number: 1 Registered: Apr-06 | hi there, question for CYRUS_SHA i did what you said in the form about the computer fan connection and using them as graound and power it works fine fine but when i put the volume to load on the media player or what ever i use to play my music on. the computer just switchs off then i ahe to take the power cable for a few seconds then plug it back in. the power supply (ATX) which i have is a 250W do you think its to low to power the hole thing?i have a 250w sub and 350 amp. please replay kishan (k4_unknown@hotmail.com) |
|
New member Username: KishanPost Number: 2 Registered: Apr-06 | hi there, question for CYRUS_SHA i did what you said in the form about the computer fan connection and using them as graound and power it works fine fine but when i put the volume to load on the media player or what ever i use to play my music on. the computer just switchs off then i had to take the power cable for a few seconds then plug it back in. the power supply (ATX) which i have is a 250W do you think its to low to power the hole thing?i have a 250w sub and 350 amp. please replay kishan (k4_unknown@hotmail.com) |
|
Gold Member Username: IlluminatorUSA Post Number: 2847 Registered: Apr-05 | Kishan: You're clearly putting too much load on the computer power supply. You need to get a dedicated power supply from Astron or Tenma. Disconnect your car audio equipment immediately from your computer power supply as you are damaging it. I highly doubt your computer power supply can handle the extra 10-20 amps your amplifier requires and run the computer at the same time. |
|
New member Username: KishanPost Number: 3 Registered: Apr-06 | THANKZ JEXX, THE 'dedicated power supply' SEEMS TO BE REALY ON THE EXPENCIVE SIDE CANT I DO ANTHING ELSE BESIDE CHANGING THE POWER SUPPLY TO 'dedicated power supply'? THANKZ KISHAN |
|
Gold Member Username: IlluminatorUSA Post Number: 2848 Registered: Apr-05 | Just grab something like this: http://cgi.ebay.com/astron-20-amp-power-supply_W0QQitemZ9711122877QQcategoryZ487 08QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem |
|
New member Username: KishanPost Number: 4 Registered: Apr-06 | instead i bought a 350w ATX i connected the amp and sub to it and it work okay but could but could be better if bought a more higher watt one do you think? |
|
New member Username: Dave1980Post Number: 2 Registered: Apr-06 | so for an 800 watt car amp i need to get something like this? http://www.audio-warehouse.com/web/mdl/PS86KX/detail.asp little expensive isnt it? |
|
New member Username: Dave1980Post Number: 3 Registered: Apr-06 | oh no it would be 38 amps right something like this? http://cgi.ebay.com/Astron-RS-35A-Power-Supply_W0QQitemZ9711206389QQcategoryZ487 08QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem |
|
Gold Member Username: IlluminatorUSA Post Number: 2854 Registered: Apr-05 | Dave, how many channels does your amp have and what is the RMS power output per channel? |
|
New member Username: Dave1980Post Number: 4 Registered: Apr-06 | It should have 2, I'm in Lena IL, right now on business and wont be home till either this weekend or next weekend. This is my amp http://shopping.msn.com/Specs/shp/?itemId=24021913 |
|
Gold Member Username: IlluminatorUSA Post Number: 2859 Registered: Apr-05 | The one you linked me to only has one output channel...depending on the impedance, it'll use 19.32A @4 Ohms to 38.6A @2 Ohms. |
|
Gold Member Username: Project6Post Number: 7441 Registered: Dec-03 | For the amount of money you are planning on spending just to rig car audio for home use, why not just buy a regular power amp for home audio? Sell the car amp and put it towards decent Home Audio gear. It will look better, too. |
|
Gold Member Username: IlluminatorUSA Post Number: 2862 Registered: Apr-05 | Go Berny!! Seriously, car audio equipment doesn't look very nice in the house no matter what. And if it does, it probably doesn't have very good sound. |
|
New member Username: Dave1980Post Number: 5 Registered: Apr-06 | I would agree b/c im sure i can sell my amp and with that money buy a unit. So what do you guys suggest? I have 2 12 inch mtx thunder 8000's. In a hatchback box. |
|
Gold Member Username: Project6Post Number: 7475 Registered: Dec-03 | Try selling it locally, Dave. Once you sell it, look around for a unit that you would like or set a budget. Then come back and we shall discuss your home audio prospects |
|
New member Username: Dave1980Post Number: 6 Registered: Apr-06 | OK WILL DO I figure i will start at around 100 to 150 |
|
New member Username: JwaePost Number: 1 Registered: May-06 | ?????????? someones please help: ive found a few sets of computer stereo systems with built in amps in the sub box. i found them on ebay. and i was wondering what type would better. would it be better to have more PMPO (peak music power output) ? or would it be better to have more RMS power (root mean sqaure value)? what i'm trying to do is to disconnect the computer sub, and hook up a 10" car sub to the it's amp. it doesnt seem possible that the RMS power of about 30 watts(varies with the computer stereo system)is enough power to push a 400 watt car sub like i'm trying to do. but i hear that you can do it and it sounds good. like "Lowgear" said above. so in other words (if i didnt explain this like it needed to be): what kind of computer stereo subwoofer system do i need to be able to take out it's sub and replace it with one of my own that's 400 watts????? please help |
|
Gold Member Username: IlluminatorUSA Post Number: 2977 Registered: Apr-05 | RMS is how much it will handle without distortion, and is certainly more important. Honestly, the sub will be underpowered no matter what and will not sound very good. Your best option is to hook up your computer to an A/V receiver via headphone jack to RCA cable. If it's just bass you need, a dedicated home subwoofer would be a good choice. |
|
New member Username: JwaePost Number: 2 Registered: May-06 | hey about the processor fan connection that you guys talk about... where does that wiring harness plug into my computer at because i dont see anywhere that it can go. please help with some info about this. |
|
Gold Member Username: IlluminatorUSA Post Number: 2992 Registered: Apr-05 | There should be a connector on the mobo. |
|
New member Username: Jattyajatt1SloughEngland Post Number: 7 Registered: Jun-06 | hi i've got a pyle 2400watt ampliflier for my car i wanted 2 connect that up 2 my PC so i could run 2x12" 1240 watt subs i've got a computer sub i was wondering if i could take that apart n connect it to my 2400watt amp i open up my computer sub n i found 2 yellow wires 1 brown wire and 1 blue wire help me connect this up plzzzzz e |
|
Gold Member Username: IlluminatorUSA Post Number: 3201 Registered: Apr-05 | Why use the computer sub at all? The power output won't power your 1240 watt subs very well, and you can't hook up your 2400 watt amp to the computer sub without blowing it. |
|
Bronze Member Username: Jattyajatt1SloughEngland Post Number: 12 Registered: Jun-06 | lol cn cn can u tell me wat i need to do to get my amp powered up wat about if i use a standard plug with the standard wires 1 for earth and stick da live into the power slot |
|
Gold Member Username: IlluminatorUSA Post Number: 3219 Registered: Apr-05 | Nah, that will fry it lol, I've seen people do it... You need a 12v DC power supply that puts out about 30 amperes. You can use a computer power supply if you want... |
|
Bronze Member Username: Jattyajatt1SloughEngland Post Number: 13 Registered: Jun-06 | how much is a 12v DC power supply and what do i do if i want to connect it from my computers power wat wires do i use do u have a picture of the wires so it would make it easier for me safe |
|
Gold Member Username: IlluminatorUSA Post Number: 3234 Registered: Apr-05 | This is the kind of power supply you would want: http://cgi.ebay.com/Tenma-Daiwa-72-630-Variable-DC-Power-Supply-15V-30A-Car_W0QQ itemZ190000648602QQihZ009QQcategoryZ58286QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Astron is a bit more expensive, but nicer just in case you see one of those. I'm not sure if those would work with your outlet because you live in England, you'd probably have to find a power converter adaptor for the socket. Wiring? + of the amp goes to + of the power supply, - of the amp goes to - of the power supply. Only hard part is the remote out of the amp goes to the + of the power supply to turn on the amp. After that all you need is some RCAs hooked up to a cd player or something and a speaker hooked up to the amp. |
|
New member Username: Jtmoney313Post Number: 1 Registered: Jul-06 | i have 2003 olds alero with the stock stereo. can i hookup a 2000watt nitro amp to my stock stereo? if yes please help me out by e-mail at jtmoney313@charter.net thanks!! |
|
Gold Member Username: Project6Post Number: 8656 Registered: Dec-03 | This is the computer forum, Travis. You may want to post in the Car Audio Forum. |