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Hello everybody! My first question here at CarAudioTalk.com

Discussion in 'General Car Audio Discussions' started by abadsvt, Jun 12, 2006.

  1. abadsvt

    abadsvt Full Member

    Okay here is my situation. I am currently installing a sound system in my boat. I recently made a fiberglass speaker box for my tower to hold 4 6x9's that run off my deck. I also just put in a JL audio w6 12" sub powered by an older rockford fosgate punch 800 amp. From what i have been told is that those amps are great because they push more power than what they say they do. I also bought a optima blue batterie to run my stereo stuff only. With the rockford fosgate amp powering the JL w6 12" sub i am only getting 1hr and 15mins worth of stereo play while the boat is off. The battery says that the reserve charge is 25amps @ 80degs. for 120mins. Do you think that the amp is drawing more than 25 amps? Basically i am trying to get a sweet and loud stereo system that can run for about 3-4hrs with the boat off. I am also trying to do it on a tight budget. I believe the sub is wired for 3ohms but it is possible to wire it for 12ohms. Would that help get me more batterie life without sacrificing alot of bass? Sorry i know my question seems confusing but i don't have a lot of room to put more batteries so i am trying to make this perform as efficient as possible. Would a smaller amp make a big difference? Thanks for you help ahead of time. Josh
     
    abadsvt, Jun 12, 2006
    #1
  2. sinistercory

    sinistercory Full Member

    If I remember correctly the punch 800 has the potential to draw up to 80 amps at full throttle.
    If it were me, I would try to load the subwoofer differently. High gain ported, and a loading wall. The same thing happens in convertibles. You need to bounce the subwoofers output off a solid wall. This will allow it to multiply in strength. Then you wouldn't need to run it as hard to get the same output. If you were to series the coils to 12 ohm you wouldn't see very much output because the amp would be driving less power into the high resistance. This would definately draw less power though. You might want to try a different class of amp for efficiency reasons. Digitals are cheap and efficient, arc audio's class H technology is awesome for efficiency and beats the pants off of class D's for output and quality. A higher efficiency sub would do alot of good too. The W6 isn't known for rockin' the house as much as it is known for ultra clean and deep bass. It needs alot of power to get loud. Beautiful sound though. An efficient 12" like American bass or memphis or something like that will give a tremendous amount of output and do it with less wattage.
    Things to think about.
     
    sinistercory, Jun 12, 2006
    #2
  3. abadsvt

    abadsvt Full Member

    Thanks for the reply! I built a box that is aiming into the floor of the boat. Pretty much a box lifted off the ground 3" or so so the sound can travel out. Regarding the amp. My buddy has a inexpensive diesel ns700 amp that i can have for under $100. I know that they aren't the best amps out there but for under $100 that pushs 350-400 to the sub doesn't sound bad. I am not sure what class of amp that it falls into. That price is for a display amp that he had before he closed down his shop. What is your opinon on that amp? Thanks Josh
     
    abadsvt, Jun 12, 2006
    #3
  4. CadillacETC1997

    CadillacETC1997 Well-Known Member

    are you running 12w6s? or 126wv2s?
    im guessing 12w6s if thats the case buy a 3rd one then you can connect them to run 4 ohms or 1 ohm.
     
    CadillacETC1997, Jun 13, 2006
    #4
  5. abadsvt

    abadsvt Full Member

    I am running the older style w6. I also am running only 1 sub wired at 3ohms. I think i might just have to buy another battery which is a little expensive since i have optima batteries in the boat already. If you think of anything else that might help the life of my stereo while the boat is off i would appreciate the comments. Thanks Josh
     
    abadsvt, Jun 13, 2006
    #5
  6. sinistercory

    sinistercory Full Member

    That amp probably won't do what you want it to. It will undoubtedly draw less power but also produce less. Another battery would help but may not give you the time you are looking for in capacity. Perfect idea with the sub enclosure. Is it ported or sealed? The ported will give an extra 3db over sealed and that might be enough to make up for the drop in power when you switch amps.
     
    sinistercory, Jun 13, 2006
    #6
  7. abadsvt

    abadsvt Full Member

    The box is on the small side of .9 cubic feet. It's also sealed. I don't think i can make it bigger with the space that i have. I have it hooked up to my friends diesel amp and it runs it fine. IMO. Unfortunately it is still drawing to much power. Yes it did make a difference between the rockford amp and the diesel in regards to the longevity of the battery but not enough. The thing i don't understand is on some of these newer boats they have to amps hooked up to a battery with a sub and tower speakers and they can listen to it for hours. I just don't get it. Thanks again. Josh
     
    abadsvt, Jun 14, 2006
    #7
  8. sinistercory

    sinistercory Full Member

    It takes a tremendous amount of power to drive a true subwoofer(which you have). It comes back to efficiency, more efficient sub and more efficient power. That probably doesn't help though, I apologize.
    And if you only have that much space to work with you are going to be very limited. I don't like them, but maybe you should trying infinite baffle subs. i think JL makes some nice marine ones. The W6 is one of the least efficient subs JL makes. Beautiful sounding, but not very much output without alot of juice. Probably still not helping though. Sorry.
     
    sinistercory, Jun 14, 2006
    #8
  9. abadsvt

    abadsvt Full Member

    I think i get what you are saying. The more efficient my sub is the less power i wont have to run to it. For example: With the JL w6 and the diesel amp i have to bridge the amp to produce 400 or so watts to run the sub nicely. If i get a more efficient sub i won't have to bridge the amp so i won't have to produce as much power thus saving me energy. I know we are only guessing but how much more time do you think i would gain going to a more effiecient sub. Now with the sub taken care of couldn't i buy a small amp like a 400watt amp instead of the 700 amp i borrowed from a friend. The 700 produces 400 or so bridged. The 400 produces around 200 bridged. Wouldn't that also help make a difference in battery life. I don't mind buying a new setup but i want to make sure that it is going to be worth it. Why spend $400 to gain an extra 30mins or music time. See what i mean. Also how do you think the sound of the effecient sub would differ of my w6. All i have ever really heard in the way of subs in JL audio w6. I have owned 4-5 in my days.

    Thanks for all your help!!!!
    Josh
     
    abadsvt, Jun 14, 2006
    #9
  10. abadsvt

    abadsvt Full Member

    I think i get what you are saying. The more efficient my sub is the less power i wont have to run to it. For example: With the JL w6 and the diesel amp i have to bridge the amp to produce 400 or so watts to run the sub nicely. If i get a more efficient sub i won't have to bridge the amp so i won't have to produce as much power thus saving me energy. I know we are only guessing but how much more time do you think i would gain going to a more effiecient sub. Now with the sub taken care of couldn't i buy a small amp like a 400watt amp instead of the 700 amp i borrowed from a friend. The 700 produces 400 or so bridged. The 400 produces around 200 bridged. Wouldn't that also help make a difference in battery life. I don't mind buying a new setup but i want to make sure that it is going to be worth it. Why spend $400 to gain an extra 30mins or music time. See what i mean. Also how do you think the sound of the effecient sub would differ of my w6. All i have ever really heard in the way of subs in JL audio w6. I have owned 4-5 in my days.

    Thanks for all your help!!!!
    Josh
     
    abadsvt, Jun 14, 2006
    #10
  11. sinistercory

    sinistercory Full Member

    I think the benefit of running more efficient equipment won't be what you are looking for in time. More cone area and less power is the only real answer to allow you more time. But how much time? That is the main question.
    to get 400 watts is going to require the same current draw if the amp is big or small.
    It's hard to beat the sound quality of the w6. You may not like the way other lower priced higher efficiency subs sound. Not as deep and more boomy.
    Do you possibly have other parasitic draw issues from your battery? Seems like you should be getting more time than you are. Maybe have the battery tested.
     
    sinistercory, Jun 14, 2006
    #11
  12. Hautewheeler

    Hautewheeler Full Member

    here's an idea.. get a 12" tempest (notorious for efficiency and wonderful sq for the money- you can get great sound out of a 8ohm dvc wired at 4 ohms with only 100 watts pushin) I know that they're not quite as good with sq as the jl's, but they're pretty close, and c'mon - it's a boat, right?

    couple this with a small bandpass where the sub is enclosed (not showing) and you've got a great sound that won't tax your electrical system nearly as bad as a stiffer setup. - By the way, Bass on a boat, you rule!

    is it a bass boat?

    ta-dum-chi:D
     
    Hautewheeler, Jun 14, 2006
    #12