Yo.
I am having an interesting time getting the E ready for 1000 watts. According to my installer, the alternator in the E is comfortable with playing that amount. If this is NOT correct, should I just look for one that is an upgrade for the 2.4l Accord engine?

I know a crapload about amps and speakers and cables, but alternators are not my area of expertise. Let me know your thoughts, guys and gals. I guarantee that I will be rocking asses at the next national meet.

Cheers!

j

I'm running 850W with no dash/headlight dimming. Now the 1K/Watts in my Jetta's a different story. Hey it never hurts to add a 1 farad to the system, plus they look nice.

That's what I'm thinkin, the installer said he thought caps were really just jewelry for the system, but I want no dimming at all, so I may have one installed just to be safe. Maybe not. I'll figure it out.

Regardless of the amplifiers output, you need to look at the input current required to drive its output to a max undistorted non-clipped output. Also what size of cable is needed to give the amplifier its needed DC power. With this information you can then find out if your E's battery and alternator is up to your sound systems demands.

Yeah. 4ga power cables driving McIntosh amplifiers. If you are familiar with McIntosh, then you should know that I am probably not forgetting all of this. I was just relaying what my installer said. I am wary of his advice.

Being not quite as smart when it comes to engines...would an upgrade alternator for an Accord 2.4 do the trick? The guy already suggested that capacitors were not necessary, a wisdom that I do not quite agree with, but whatever. One installer said I needed the alternator, one said it wasn't available and that the stocker produced 30-40% more power output than its rating. THis is all smaelling rather fishy. I havea week and a half to solve the problems before the E goes under the knife.

Thanks for your input though, and keep it coming. I may be crackerjack with 120v audio, but 12v is a bit different, thus my learning curve has been steep and I am trying not to forget anything. I'm not tryin to blow up my electrical system, even though I'll most likely never come anywhere close to peak output.

BTW, McIntosh amplifiers cancel distortion and interference. They will not clip. Technically, they will clip - for 1/1000th of a second, then they reduce volume automatically and return it to listening volume after the peak has passed. The things are NO DAMN JOKE. Why I bought 'em. PLus I'm entering SQ competitions.

Cheers!

j

I once changed out an alternator in a car, breitlingdj, and I'll never do that again. It was years ago and the technology was not where it is today, but it was a pain in the ass to get working well.

I am going to explore getting my alternator rewound for greater output. Supposedly there is a shop in my town that will do that and give me up to 50% greater amperage output. I'm going to check into that this next week. I'll let you know what I find out.

I do like a cap. It can fill in the momentary current draws your amps will want. In my case, my E's headlights don't flicker when I crank up the stereo loud. My one farad cap seems to do the job. These guys who put in multiple farad caps, I admit I don't get.

BTW, you'll have no problems with me over $1,000 cables. :grin: At the least they make your dick bigger. http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-1/940070/devil.gif That's my excuse.

I also like a second battery, one to power just the stereo. My Element doesn't have that - yet. There is no place inside the vehicle or under the hood to mount the second battery. I may put it underneith. I need to see what my car looks like when it's up on a lift to see if this is possible. I'd have to have a steel box made to put the battery in, and have that box welded in place, but it can be done.

The second battery allows the vehicle to work just on its own battery. You never have to worry about cranking tunes so long with the car off that the engine won't start. I like that. I also like how the battery can separate the stereo from any noise that can be created by the car's electrical system. The second battery itself acts like a giant filter cap.

For the most part, I agree with your installer about the Caps being pretty much pointless, for sustained bass anyways. The only time they actually help is when you listen to music that has hard hits every now and then, if the bass is constant, they really don't have time to fully charge. They do look good, but extra money is better put into an extra battery. SVR makes a really nice tiny sealed battery (6.88"x6.5"x4.88") that can be installed in many places..I think it may fit into the spot where the factory sub is. Its not a marine battery, but for its size, it actually has more power than the factory battery, and the Yellow top that optima sells for the Element.

I also like a second battery, one to power just the stereo. My Element doesn't have that - yet. There is no place inside the vehicle or under the hood to mount the second battery. I may put it underneith. I need to see what my car looks like when it's up on a lift to see if this is possible. I'd have to have a steel box made to put the battery in, and have that box welded in place, but it can be done.

there is somebody in california that went to one of our meets...he was able to fit 2 batteries where the stock battery goes by turning it sideways and installing a optima battery. hes a member of eoc but i dont remember his member name right now...

This is great info, guys, thanks. Outpost, i'm glad to see you around again. I'm interested in what you think of my install when it's done.

I think I can get a second battery installed pretty easily, hopefully where the stock sub is, maybe in the spare well with the amps and changer.

I agree about the capacitor and charging with constant bass. I think that a second battery, using the stock alternator, should be sufficient to power my system to great results. I will speak with my guy about that when I take her in.

About the cables, Outpost, that may be some folk's opinion, but hey, he who dies with the most toys wins....

:evil:

there is somebody in california that went to one of our meets...he was able to fit 2 batteries where the stock battery goes by turning it sideways and installing a optima battery. hes a member of eoc but i dont remember his member name right now...
I had to go out and stare at my car. I can see how you could do that. Humm. I like it.


I agree about the capacitor and charging with constant bass. I think that a second battery, using the stock alternator, should be sufficient to power my system to great results. I will speak with my guy about that when I take her in.
A cap isn't for constant bass. It is for the current demands on peaks. Maybe it depends on what kind of music you listen to, but most music has peaks that are 7-10 dB louder than the average level. That's what I want the cap for and it can recharge between those peaks.

The problem here is that people are looking for a magic bullet (not you, bdj). To do power right, it's not just one thing. A boosted alternator helps. Two batteries helps. A cap helps. Proper gauge wire helps. Good grounding helps. Proper power distribution helps. It's the package.

I do agree with you, bdj. If I was looking at a cap or an alternator or two batteries, and I was going to do only one, I'd do the second battery.


Outpost...I'm interested in what you think of my install when it's done.
I'm looking forward to your installation, too.


My installation, scheduled to begin Sept. 27, is going to run over $3K, plus rental car for three or four days.
I'd put my money on $4,200 and six days, plus another day 10 days later. :grin:

The bad part is, Outpost, that the $3K is really just for installation and tweaking. That does not include the Mac gear or the speakers...lucky me. But, we are going to replace the stock grounds with at least 10ga, all the cables are going to be custom-length matched for exact distance, and when necessary the amps will be invisible, and the sub box will be removable (not too easily, though, for obvious reasons), so if I have to go buy a bunch of furniture, or transport a few canine companions, I can take plenty of stuff and have the amps protected.

Anyone know where I can get a roll of the E flooring material? I'll ask elsewhere.

I've been dreaming of this audio system for years. I can't wait for it to be done. I hope it ends up as trick and as clean-sounding as I want it to be.

:evil: