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Need help with Alpine V12 amps & Kicker subs...

2K views 12 replies 3 participants last post by  96TL 
#1 ·
I getting either a 10" L5 or L7 Kicker sub. I'm not sure yet. Anyway, I'm researching some amps and came across the Alpine MRD-M500 digital amp. It becomes 500x1 at 2 ohms. I bet its very efficient and sounds nice and clean. Has anyone had any experience with these new V12s? Also, is this a good amp for a 10" L5 or L7 Kicker sub in a sealed box firing through the armrest?
 
#3 ·
OK. Here are the setups I can’t decide between. Which amp do you guys think would sound better with which Kicker sub? I want it to sound good with the stock Harmon Kardon system. I don’t plan on changing anything else. Thanks!

Rockford Fosgate Power 551S
550 watts RMS x 1

Alpine MRD-M500
500 watts RMS x 1

Kicker Solo-Baric 10" L5
50-450 watts RMS

Kicker Solo-Baric 10" L7
75-600 watts RMS
 
#5 ·
Damn, I stumbled on the RF 501BD Mono amp. That seems pretty nice too. Plus my friend had to throw Image Dynamic subs in the mix. I don't know what to do and I want to order something today. Theres too many options. I'm willing to spend about $500 on the sub/amp combo. Isn't an RF amp good enough for bass? Shouldn't the Alpine quality be used on highs? So confused....
 
#6 · (Edited)
Well I finally bought some stuff. I got an IDQ V.2 10" sub (4 ohm DVC) and an Alpine MRD-M300 amp (300x1@2ohms). I could parallel the coils to get a 2 ohm load. I should have it all by next week. I just need to get a nice box and find out how to hook the amp up to the HK stereo. Think this will sound good? I want SQ.
 
#7 ·
fuschnicken said:
For my current setup, I have a single Kicker S12L7 in a sealed fiberglass box (not firing through the armrest though) powered by an Alpine MRV-F450, which is the 5-channel V12. I'm very pleased with the performance of both the sub and the amp so far. Very clean, very clear. I wasn't looking for 'thumping' bass, so this setup is perfect.
How are you getting a signal to the amp? Are you using the speaker level inputs or a line out converter?
 
#11 ·
OK you didn't do the install (fuschnicken) your self but are you sure about the use of both speaker level inputs and LOC?
Why bother with both since you have one amp (5 ch) to power the hole system?

As i see it, you either do speaker level OR low level signal connection (which most likley will require some kind of LOC if using OEM HU) to the after market amp. A low level signal is preferable from an SQ point of view if it can be take from the HU.

Please correct me if i'm wrong:

1. If you use speaker level inputs, they will be run directly from the speaker outputs of the OEM amp (or HU speaker outputs if non OEM BMW) to the speaker level inputs on the after market amp.

2. If the after market amp doesn't have speaker level inputs, just RCA low level inputs, you have two options:

Option 1: Convert speaker outputs from the OEM amp to low level signal. This requires a LOC.

Option 2: Use the low level signal that the OEM HU sends to the OEM amp. This is a bit tricky according to several threads on this forum since your (96TL) BMW -04 should have balanced low level signals between the HU and amp which most after market amps can't handle. In this case you still need a converter from balanced to un-balanced low level signal.

Anyway, since your (96TL) V12 amp seems to have speaker level inputs i would try that option first => OEM speaker outputs connected to the V12 speaker level inputs.
 
#12 ·
Sorry, if I sound confusing. I assumed that the stock speakers were wired directly into the amp via speaker level inputs. And then an LOC was used to convert the signal from the rear speakers (since I don't have a factory amp or an aftermarket HU) to the sub, which in turn connected to the amp, via RCAs. From my understanding, RCA signals are better than speaker level inputs, as far as hooking up a sub go. Now, if you're wiring just a sub to a stock system (without an aftermarket head unit), I suggest tapping into the rear speaker signals using an LOC.
 
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