SoundStream Van Gogh 800.2

Just received this amp today, wow, what a nice amp, its heavy! i think it weighs more than my bx1500d and looks a hella lot better than my octane r.

great build quality.

question on settings on this amp..

i see boost and EQ next to the gains, leave the first 2 at 0 and set gains accordingly correct?

Now on the top, i see a switch "ATT" on or off?

Side "RCA Input soruce" sense or bypass

are these amps over rated? 200 x 2 at 4OHM

Originally Posted by PLAZAMAN

Just received this amp today, wow, what a nice amp, its heavy! i think it weighs more than my bx1500d and looks a hella lot better than my octane r.

great build quality.

question on settings on this amp..

i see boost and EQ next to the gains, leave the first 2 at 0 and set gains accordingly correct?

Now on the top, i see a switch "ATT" on or off?

Side "RCA Input soruce" sense or bypass

are these amps over rated? 200 x 2 at 4OHM

Nice amp I have an 800 and a 1600 in my car and they are the best amps I have owned.

The amp puts out 400x2 at 2 ohms, 200x2 at 4 ohms. Don't know about the actual power, but it might be underrated. Have you openened the amp? It is a pretty clean layout. Only problem I had with both my 800 and 1600 is the white plastic insulators around the wire input connections are a bit loose and rattle if you have too much bass. I jammed a piece of plastic at each piece to get rid of the noise. If you shake the amp, you will hear it.

I never use EQ/boost @ an amp. Leave at zero.

The ATT setting is used to lover the signal level going into the gain control when you have a high-volt head unit. What is the signal level coming out of your head unit 4v, 8v, etc? It's not very clearly explained in the manual, but I think up to 4 volts, you don't use the ATT, but anything more than 4v, you do.

The sense/bypass has something to do about a sensing a ground in the RCAs. I can't remember what I have mine set on (I think it is bypass), but there would be no output in one of the settings.

Let me know if you have any questions, or if you want me to go to the car and verify some of these settings.

Originally Posted by ca1242

Nice amp I have an 800 and a 1600 in my car and they are the best amps I have owned.

The amp puts out 400x2 at 2 ohms, 200x2 at 4 ohms. Don't know about the actual power, but it might be underrated. Have you openened the amp? It is a pretty clean layout. Only problem I had with both my 800 and 1600 is the white plastic insulators around the wire input connections are a bit loose and rattle if you have too much bass. I jammed a piece of plastic at each piece to get rid of the noise. If you shake the amp, you will hear it.

I never use EQ/boost @ an amp. Leave at zero.

The ATT setting is used to lover the signal level going into the gain control when you have a high-volt head unit. What is the signal level coming out of your head unit 4v, 8v, etc? It's not very clearly explained in the manual, but I think up to 4 volts, you don't use the ATT, but anything more than 4v, you do.

The sense/bypass has something to do about a sensing a ground in the RCAs. I can't remember what I have mine set on (I think it is bypass), but there would be no output in one of the settings.

Let me know if you have any questions, or if you want me to go to the car and verify some of these settings.

Im using the stock HU with the EQX, i saw some where around here that the stock HU has a high pre out 8-12vs. So i guess im gonna use it.

I did notice those little plastic things that rattle.

if you dont mind.... could u please check your settings?

thanks CA

Originally Posted by PLAZAMAN

Im using the stock HU with the EQX, i saw some where around here that the stock HU has a high pre out 8-12vs. So i guess im gonna use it.

I did notice those little plastic things that rattle.

if you dont mind.... could u please check your settings?

thanks CA

Sorry for taking so long to get back to you, but work has been crazy lately. Hopefully it is not too late for the info to be helpful:

On both my 800.2 and 1600.2, I have the input sense in bypass
- Subsonic filter at 10 Hz (not relevant for mids/highs, but useful for subs. Humans can't really hear under 20Hz, ao anywhere below 20 Hz should be fine.

- Hawkins boost = 0 (I never use eq circuits in amplifiers, especially boosts).

- I am using the crossover in the EQX instead of the amp, because the EQX has a 24dB crossover, the Van Goghs have 18dB, if I remember correctly. My crossover frequency is 60Hz. Instead of buying the crossover chips from Audiocontrol, I made my own chip out of an IC socket and resistors).

On my 800.2 (driving my front speakers), I am going out of my EQX at maximum output without distortion (my head unit puts out 4 volts and I adjusted my EQX accordingly. I used a scope to adjust my levels, but the clip LED in the EQX turned out to be very accurate, so if you don't have a scope, use a 0db reference signal to set the EQX input, if you are looking for 0% distortion).
- I can't remember the actual voltage output of the EQX, but in my amp, I have the gain up about 5 notches (5th marking) and the ATT on.

I am using the 1600.2 for my subs. I could not use a scope to adjust the gains on it because my scope can't handle the high voltage it puts out, so I ended up adjusting it to match the front speakers.

Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any questions.

Nope, not late at all, amp still sitting on table.

heh.. im about to order the 1600.2 today. And i have the Eqx.

question about the 1600.2, i see it has 2 spots for power wires, is it
necessary? could i use 1?

Do i need to change my xover chip in my eqx?

Do you have pics of your setup?

Just wondering what you guys are using the 1600.2's for? I have a 800.2 on my two 10's and its more than I need.

Originally Posted by DarrenE46

Just wondering what you guys are using the 1600.2's for? I have a 800.2 on my two 10's and its more than I need.

Re 15" XXX

CA, do your lights dim?

Mine do and Im running a 320.4 and a 800.2.

guys.. when i switch att off... it makes the volume louder... on... its down...

also..... i have the gains on the amp all the way down... when i mess with the gains on my EQX... its enough for me... i dont even have to turn the gains on the amp up. is that good or bad?


darren.. do you have xenons?

On the 1600.2, use both wires, if you are planning to have it running at full power. Probably designed that way because it is a lot easier to do 2 4gauge connections rather than one 0gauge.

For the crossover, it really depends on your system design. I have my front speakers running down to 60Hz, so I needed a steep slope to protect them. The Slope on the EQX is 24dB/oct, while the one in the Van Gogh is not as steep (18dB/oct, I believe). So, unless you have a need to use it, I would just use the crossovers in the Van Goghs. They are easy to adjust.

I am using my 800.2 for my Boston Z6's in the front and my 1600.2 for my two IDQ 10's. My lights have neved dimmed. I do have both amps adjusted for absolutely no clipping under any conditions.

The att switch is to lower the input down for high voltage signals. For best results, adjust first your EQX input for max with no clipping (use red LEDs to adjust), then turn outputs all the way up. Then adjust the gains in your Van Goghs. Preferably, have the ATT on and the gain as low as possible, then start turning up to match the EQX outs.

Here's a couple pics of my trunk. I am still tweaking, so I havent finished with the box panel and amp rack:

thanks for the info..

damn.. that trunk is gonna look like...

i see you rewired and dynamat...

thats gonna be sick install when your done..

how do i avoid using the eqx xover and use the van gogh? remove the xover module inside?

Originally Posted by PLAZAMAN

thanks for the info..

damn.. that trunk is gonna look like...

i see you rewired and dynamat...

thats gonna be sick install when your done..

how do i avoid using the eqx xover and use the van gogh? remove the xover module inside?

You have three outputs: Full range, low pass and high pass, just use the full range output.

are there are risks involved when using the full range output instead of the highpass?

Originally Posted by PLAZAMAN

are there are risks involved when using the full range output instead of the highpass?

No risks as long as you use the Van Gohghs crossovers and your crossover frequency is not too close to the speaker's limit.

how do i know my speakers limit?

Freq. Response (±3dB): 46Hz-24KHz

i just change the outputs from high pass to full range.... wow... what a difference in sound. for just a comp set... its pretty damn good. the sound is so much better now... and it has a ton more bass.

might sound better once i mess with the xover on the amp.

1 more thing... was i suppose to change the xover on the amp to full range or keep it HP?

In the amp, you need the crossover at high pass. What speakers do you have? 46Hz is pretty low, but you have to be careful about not having them play too low. I would definitely not go under 60Hz, go higher if you want to be safe.

Originally Posted by ca1242

In the amp, you need the crossover at high pass. What speakers do you have? 46Hz is pretty low, but you have to be careful about not having them play too low. I would definitely not go under 60Hz, go higher if you want to be safe.

I have the Diamond m6 Comp set.
i have the amp xover set on high pass.
how do i set it on 60? through the xover high pass on the amp? ( sorry for being a newbie )

Originally Posted by PLAZAMAN

I have the Diamond m6 Comp set.
i have the amp xover set on high pass.
how do i set it on 60? through the xover high pass on the amp? ( sorry for being a newbie )

I am not really familiar with the Diamonds, so I can't advise you as what a "safe" crossover point will be. Personally, I like to go as low as possible on the crossover, that way it reduces the bass in back feeling and it makes certain things such as bass guitar more accurate. If you are doing this, and it is close to the speaker's practical limits, then you might want to use the EQX crossover instead. If you can live with a higher crossover frequency, then it reduces risk of damaging the speakers. Some people go as high as 100 Hz for the xver, so it really is a personal decision as well as system design decision. You could call Diamond technical support and tell them the amount of power you are connecting to the speakers (if they are 4 ohms, I guess they are getting 200 watts each). Ask them for a recommended xver frequency and slope.

Another thing to consider when choosing a xver frequency is how the speakers are mounted. If they are mounted in factory locations, where potential for rattling is high, then it might be wise to choose a higher frequency. I have very solid fiberglass kick panels, so rattling is not an issue for me.

To adjust the crossover on the Van Goghs, for the front speakers, set it to HP and adjust frequency with the knob next to it (I think it goes from 50 Hz to 3500 Hz). For the subs, set it equal, but use the LP setting on the switch.