After installing a Mac o/r h-pipe last weekend, I figured it was time to work on the sound inside the car. I installed two Alpine DVC subs in a custom sealed box. The front is at a slant and just barely slides under the MACH amp rack. Even though it's short in height, it's plenty deep enough to give the subs the recommended airspace. These things hit clean and hard, especially for a pair of 10s.
I power them using a MTX MXA4001. This amp is a class D amp designed for subs and runs very well at low ohms. It has all the features of a normal two-channel amp, but has the added benefits of high and low level inputs, as well as, a variable low pass crossover. The best features include a bass boost on the amp and a level control knob that was mounted near the driver. This is like having a volume knob specifically for your amp right at your fingertips. I wired the remote turn on(blue wire), sometimes called the power antenna wire, to the fuse block. I went an additional step and installed a switch to toggle the power on and off. My wife doesn’t care for that much bass and so I figured that would be better than adjusting dials all the time. I installed the switch and the level control knob in my center console on opposite sides of the 12V power outlet. This way they can be reached very easily, but not seen.
I sent the signal to the amp via a line output converter. I tapped into the data link for a better signal instead of using the speaker wires. If you flip down your rear seats, the data link is located in front of the MACH amp rack. There’s a connecter that has four black wires coming from it. Two of these have green stripes and two of these have white stripes. The ones with the green stripes are pos(+), and the ones with the white stripes are neg(-). The Mach amp rack isn't flush all the way across and has a couple of spaces about an inch and a half deep by four inches wide. This is where I mounted the line output converter. It fit perfectly and looks like it was made to go there.
I routed all of the power wires on the driver’s side of the vehicle, and I routed the signal/RCA cables on the right with my Sirius antenna wire. This cuts down on possible interference between the two. Finally, I covered all of the wires in the back with split loom tubing.
That sums up an easy, but very nice sounding, sub and amp install. How expensive was all of this you ask? Well, I purchased the amp from Circuit City as the new product line came out, so I got a huge deal at $150. The subs and box were purchased through eBay. They were practically new and showed no signs of wear or abuse. The $66 for shipping killed me, but who can complain when I only paid $100 for the merchandise. I spent less than $350 after you add an amp wiring kit. My Ford Racing gears are being shipped as I write this up. Even though next weekend is open, I think I’ll leave this one up to a professional.
I power them using a MTX MXA4001. This amp is a class D amp designed for subs and runs very well at low ohms. It has all the features of a normal two-channel amp, but has the added benefits of high and low level inputs, as well as, a variable low pass crossover. The best features include a bass boost on the amp and a level control knob that was mounted near the driver. This is like having a volume knob specifically for your amp right at your fingertips. I wired the remote turn on(blue wire), sometimes called the power antenna wire, to the fuse block. I went an additional step and installed a switch to toggle the power on and off. My wife doesn’t care for that much bass and so I figured that would be better than adjusting dials all the time. I installed the switch and the level control knob in my center console on opposite sides of the 12V power outlet. This way they can be reached very easily, but not seen.
I sent the signal to the amp via a line output converter. I tapped into the data link for a better signal instead of using the speaker wires. If you flip down your rear seats, the data link is located in front of the MACH amp rack. There’s a connecter that has four black wires coming from it. Two of these have green stripes and two of these have white stripes. The ones with the green stripes are pos(+), and the ones with the white stripes are neg(-). The Mach amp rack isn't flush all the way across and has a couple of spaces about an inch and a half deep by four inches wide. This is where I mounted the line output converter. It fit perfectly and looks like it was made to go there.
I routed all of the power wires on the driver’s side of the vehicle, and I routed the signal/RCA cables on the right with my Sirius antenna wire. This cuts down on possible interference between the two. Finally, I covered all of the wires in the back with split loom tubing.
That sums up an easy, but very nice sounding, sub and amp install. How expensive was all of this you ask? Well, I purchased the amp from Circuit City as the new product line came out, so I got a huge deal at $150. The subs and box were purchased through eBay. They were practically new and showed no signs of wear or abuse. The $66 for shipping killed me, but who can complain when I only paid $100 for the merchandise. I spent less than $350 after you add an amp wiring kit. My Ford Racing gears are being shipped as I write this up. Even though next weekend is open, I think I’ll leave this one up to a professional.