NegatiZE

Yeah it's not much compared to most of you guys here but I'm not that much of an audiophile...yet.

The amp is a Rockford Fosgate Punch 250A2 (THANKS BEN), sub is a 12" MTX Thunder 6000 (THANKS RAYMOND). Stock head unit, stock speakers.




One problem, though. Since I have the stock head unit, the sub puts out a constant low bass note whenever I switch the head unit off. So I can't turn off the HU, just have to turn it down all the way. The guy at the place where I got it installed at said it was because of the stock HU. Oh well...

onehawaiian

hey, it's nice! as long as the bump is there to make your music more complete, that's all that matters. i like the rockford amp.

Aydu

You don't have to live with that noise when you turn off your headunit. I have the stock headunit and a sub/amp combo. Look at this thread for a solution that costs less than $3.00.

http://www.protegeclub.com/forum/sho...&threadid=8670

If the link doesn't work, search for my post entitled Amp Turn On Relay. If you have a soldering iron and a local Radio Shack, you're set.

The hum is because the stock headunit doesn't put out a turn on signal for the amp. As a result, most installers wire the amp turn on lead to a switched output at the fuse box. This gives the amp the signal to turn on whenever you turn on the key. Also cuts off power when you turn off the car, so the amp doesn't drain the battery.

Works pretty good except that when you turn off your headunit the amp stays on. The headunit sends out some noise when it powers off. The amp, still being on, amplifies this signal resulting in the sound you hear.

The relay mentioned in the thread uses the current that the headunit sends to the speakers. It turns the amp on and off as the headunit powers up and down. As a result, the noise generated by the headunit powering down does not get amplified, as the amp is off.

I've used this solution with absolutely no problem. There are also commercial devices that do the same thing and cost between $15 and $30.

hihoslva

David Navone also makes an amp turn on lead that works by sensing current in the speaker wires. Some amps work this way, but most don't - his device solves this issue completely.

Go to the CarSound.com Forums, and look for his forum - I believe he moderates the Troubleshooting forum. Send him a PM or email and he'll give you some more info - prices, where to buy, etc. I don't think they are very expensive either - but I'm not sure.

~HH

NegatiZE

Aydu & hihoslva: thanks for the suggestions. I'm going to RadioShack tomorrow for that part. I have no experience wiring up stuff like this so I'm gonna go back to the stereo shop and see if they can do it.