Xtant! very impressed

[PaulD]

midbass need to be installed in the kicks ... their ONLY localization cues are path length differences (PLD) between the 2. The higher the crossover freq the more you need to put the drivers close together so midrange/tweet is a lot more critical than midrange/midbass. Also, vertical stacking is not as problematic as horizontal differences. Most people vent their midbass drivers to the outside so they won't need a large box.

The fiber does not really help with freq resp, it's just that the processor I have has a fairly high noise floor (hiss) with the RCA inputs. It also breaks the copper link, so there is no ground loop problems.

[Xtant77]

I've noticed that most people don't give this product much attention but it has some benefits other than just to help car stereo's, such as insulation,a decrease in road noise, & of course audio. Very good investment. I actually went to a paint & body supply store & bought some sound deadoner for a fraction of the price of the "name brand" deadoner but it didn't have quite the flexibility without a heat gun that the name brand deadoner has but the price was worth it. Just a thought for vehicle owners old or new. I also have illegal tint (also helps cool down truck faster) & no "steal my stuff" stickers which only promote theft & free advertisement for audio companies anyway. Thoughts?

[PaulD]

be careful of the cheap sound deadener products, they are asphalt based - the newer stuff is butyl based.

[Xtant77]

As you may or may not know, my system requires alot of juice to keep going strong, I have an Xtant x604 & a 1001dx amp with custom 250 amp alt., Optima red top battery, & 40 farad Tsunami cap. On hard bass hits lights will still dim a little bit; will another agm battery help this or adding another amp to untax the other two? Xtant's love lot's of juice but make up the difference in sq. Any ideas greatly appreciated. Thinking of putting a small agm battery next to the cap inside the cab tightly secured of course but need some advise on the the best bang for the buck. Kinetic, Stinger or ? Thanks again for the replies.

[PaulD]

A cap that size is worthless, the ESR is too high. Ideally, all the batteries in the system should be the same or at least the same maker. The old school amps were power hogs, especially the ones with tightly regulated power supplies.

[Xtant77]

Should I add another agm battery to my system rated @2000-2300 watts or just leave alone & take out the cap? Louder & cleaner the better if you have any suggestions.

[PaulD]

Batteries are for engine off listening OR for stabilizing voltage in megawatt (10k +) systems. Alternator puts out 13.5-14.4 volts, stabilized battery = 12.5 volts .... once the vehicle is turned on, ALL of the power comes from the alternator until the voltage drops below 12.5 volts. If you alrewady have an HO alt, then one large AGM should be all you need. Some of the 1-2F caps are useful as power filters if ESR is not too high.

[Xtant77]

After doing some more research, it looks like I would probably benefit by taking the cap out & replacing with a digital distribution block instead & upgrading my 4 gauge to 0/1 gauge power instead. The only people saying that cap's would improve voltage are sales, go figure. The only thing that concerns me is any possible noise from removing the cap. My amps have built in noise gates & I believe "some" reserve capacitance but that doesn't mean that I can't inherit some noise from removing the cap. Possible noise filter if so? Would my alt. (rated @250 amps) be able to handle up to 3 amps if I decided to add another 604 for mids & highs? I definetely want it louder but don't know which options would be the best route for extremely high output. I think I hear tinnitus calling my name (LOL). Any suggestions...... on a budget like most folks? My Optima red top is doing fine & so is my H.O. alt., just don't want to waste $ on something I don't need; & by the way, i'm not building this for show, this is strictly for personal enjoyment (I think folks need alot of $ to compete for shows these days), screw that!

[PaulD]

contests are actually preety cheap these days and you can enter SQ only - the installation only affects your score if it rattles is unsafe or effects the sound in some way.

[Xtant77]

It's hard to find good answers these days.

[PaulD]

yep ... the average car audio site is full of young know it all's that really don't know much. Always remember to follow the money, most people are giving you advice so they can make money.

[Xtant77]

So, where is a good place to find legit unbiased info. on car audio?

[PaulD]

I try to be as unbiased as possible but it's a little slow in here.