I need help designing a system around this amp.. Eclipse PA5532

I just got an Eclipse PA5532 amplifier. Here are the specs:
125W × 4 + 460W x 1 Max @2 ohm Stereo
• 70W × 4 + 280W x 1 RMS @2 ohm Stereo
• 50W × 4 + 200W x 1 RMS @4 ohm Stereo

I need a system designed around the capabilites of this amp. I managed to get this amplifier at Al & Ed's 50% off sale this past weeked.

I have a 325ci with the HK system that will be completely taken out & SkiPass. Do you think a 200 or 300 watt subwoofer will get good bass through? Or should I just go with Stealth subs & then BiAmp the front speakers?

Some subwoofers I am considering is any of the JLW3's or JLW6 in a DVC configuration (maybe prowedge or H.O.wedge), Orbis audio(www.orbisaudio.com) CF10 subwoofer, or Eclipse 12inch SW6124BX enclosed sub (sealed... not the old ported one), or free air with an Alumapro Alchemy FA.

any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Originally Posted by wildpanda86

should I just go with Stealth subs & then BiAmp the front speakers?

Instead of Bi-amping the fronts, maybe it would be better to bridge those four channels into two and run that through the x-overs that come with your components.

Does you amp allow you to use a high and low pass filter on the same channel? If not you will almost certainly want to run through the x-overs that come with the fronts, that way you can use a high-pass on the amp to trim off some of the low-end before you feed it into the passive x-overs. This should improve the performance of your fronts by reducing the level of bass they see.

It does have cross overs, here are the rest of the specs:

125W × 4 Channel + 460W × 1 Channel Max. Power Output at 2 Stereo
70W × 4 Channel + 280W × 1 Channel 0.1% THD at 2 Stereo, 20– 20,000Hz@13.8V (RMS Continuous Power)
50W × 4 Channel + 200W × 1 Channel 0.1% THD at 4W Stereo, 20– 20,000Hz@13.8V (RMS Continuous Power)
ChannelFlex Crossover
Adjustable High-Pass Crossover (12dB/octave, 50–200Hz) for Front & 120Hz (Fix) for Rear Independently
Adjustable Low-Pass Crossover (12dB/octave, 50–200Hz)
Free-Flow Signal Circuit
Double-Sided PCB
High-Current, High-Speed Output Devices
High-Efficiency, High-Energy MOSFET Power Supply
Audiophile Grade Component Selection
Intelligent 7-Way Discrete Protection Circuitry
Music Reproduction with Low Distortion & Ultra-Low Negative Feedback
S/N greater than115db
Efficient Cooling with Low-Profile Heatsink
Multi-Mode Configuration
Stereo/Mono Switch
2 Stable Design

I would stick to Eclipse's HU's...you can get better for the money. Just my opinion.

If you biamp the fronts, you have to take speaker sensitivity into account.

Your tweeter are probably 3-6dbs more sensitive than the woofer. Plus, the DA Hex components that you are considering have an 8 ohm tweeter.

The DA Hexes are not a good candidate for bi-amping because your just throwing power away, IMO.

But, whatever you choose, you'll want the woofers and tweets to play at the same level, so you'll have do some math to make it work right with the differing sensitivity of the speakers.

Here is how you do it...audiocontrol to the rescue. Click on 104.

Audiocontrol Tech

This will make life easier when it comes to the tuning portion.

What if I bridge the 4 channels up front into 2 channels for the components & use the 5th channel for the stealth box... a 3 channel system.

Also... considering the subwoofer channel output of 200rms into a 4ohm load and 270rms into a 2ohm load, which would sound better, stealth subs or a 200-300 watt subwoofer in either a sealed enclosure, ported enclosure, or bandpass enclosure.

my car has a skipass opening.

Originally Posted by bigjae1976

I would stick to Eclipse's HU's...you can get better for the money. Just my opinion.

If you biamp the fronts, you have to take speaker sensitivity into account.

Your tweeter are probably 3-6dbs more sensitive than the woofer. Plus, the DA Hex components that you are considering have an 8 ohm tweeter.

The DA Hexes are not a good candidate for bi-amping because your just throwing power away, IMO.

But, whatever you choose, you'll want the woofers and tweets to play at the same level, so you'll have do some math to make it work right with the differing sensitivity of the speakers.

Here is how you do it...audiocontrol to the rescue. Click on 104.

Audiocontrol Tech

This will make life easier when it comes to the tuning portion.

Bridge the front to your components of choice is ur best bet. It is a waste putting 50 watts on a tweeter. On a sine wave most tweeters see 25 watts at most. The most you will see on music is like 15 watts. Then run the 5th channel to an efficient sub. Alpine 177r's are good relatively cheap comps. Around 250 on ebay. You can try an image dynamics 10 inch sub ported or sealed. You get more efficiency ported. Don't do stealth boxes, they don't play low at all and sound pretty bad IMO.

Earth is right...your DA tweets will only run at 25 watts at best since they are 8 ohms.

But why not just get a 3 channel amp which will give you more headroom?

Cause I got the amp at Al &Ed's 50% off sale this past weekend. I also have a goal of keeping a lightweight setup in the car that I don't have to take out when I go to the racetrack. I know it can give more than enough of really clean power for the front components, but I am unsure about the subwoofer channel as it puts out 200 watts RMS at 4ohms and close to 300rms at 2 ohms.

My top ideas now would be ALumapro Alchemy Free Air, or Image Dynamics. I know the amp can power one woofer, but will it adequetly power 2 woofers? maybe this amp is just limiting my choice to the Stealth Box.

Maybe I should just try to see if I can get an ALpine HU for 1/2 off instead.

Originally Posted by bigjae1976

Earth is right...your DA tweets will only run at 25 watts at best since they are 8 ohms.

But why not just get a 3 channel amp which will give you more headroom?