Need help with After Market Stereo

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cowboys1732

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I had the 8.4 uconnect non alpine, 6 speaker set up in my 2016 Ram Sport. I replaced the dash speakers with JL audio CZ-350x 3.5inch, the front doors with J L audio CZ-525x 5 1/4" and the rear doors with Infinity Reference 9623ix 6x9 3 ways.

After putting the speakers in myself, I went to my local audio store and purchased one Alpine SWT-10S2 10" low pro sub with enclosure, Alpine PDR-V75 5 channel amp and audio control LC7I output converter.

The amp is powering the four speakers and my sub. I really like the setup and I do like the sound. I like the Alpine sub because I thought it sounded clean, if that makes sense.

My question is, after all is said and done, I am wondering if I should have gone with two of the alpine subs instead of one. When I spoke to the audio shop, they agreed to let me trade in the enclosure and just pay the difference for the two sub enclosure. He said I would probably need to purchase another mono amp to power the two subs. He was kind of non committal about it making a big difference.

I really only understand the bare basics of stereos and installations, so if this is a dumb question on my part, I apologize. I am just looking for feedback if you think it would make a big difference. I was assuming with two subs powered by one amp... I would get more bass and I thought my 5 channel would then have more juice to power the four speakers.

Thanks for any feedback you are willing to give.
 

adurm

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Depends on how loud you want it. Here's the options as I see it: trade the 5 channel amp for a 4 channel and a bigger mono amp that's 1 ohm stable. Or a 2 channel amp that you bridge into 4 ohms. Then get another 2 ohm sub to match the one you got.

Or keep the five channel and swap the 2 ohm sub for two 4 ohm subs. Might not give you as much bass as you want though as they will be under powered.

I don't think that by not having the sub channel hooked up you would get more out of the full range part. Probably separate circuitry to power each channel. But I could be wrong. Never tried something like that.
 
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cowboys1732

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So, i can keep my 5 channel amp, get a second alpine sub and two channel amp to power the subs? Do you think it would make a big difference compared to my current set up. I know that is somewhat subjective. I am just trying to figure out if it would be worth it. Thank you for the feedback.
 

troutspinner

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With a 2 Ohm sub, you are at max power with that amp. If the one sub at 350w didn't do it for you, you're definitely going to want to get more power moving to 2 subs.

If you can take the amp back or resell it, I would consider getting a separate amp to drive the other speakers and one for the subs. It just makes for a straight forward install.

Of course there is the not so straight forward setup to consider. ;). I am running the same amp you are except I am running 2 of them. Each sub channel of the amp powers 1 sub.

I then was left with 8 channels of power for other speakers. With some bridging to my front door speakers, that was reduced to 6 channels but those amps got the job done nicely. I think for the price, those amps were the bang for the buck for me.
 

adurm

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So, i can keep my 5 channel amp, get a second alpine sub and two channel amp to power the subs? Do you think it would make a big difference compared to my current set up. I know that is somewhat subjective. I am just trying to figure out if it would be worth it. Thank you for the feedback.

Yes. Yes. But as I previously mentioned, get a matching sub and either a 2 channel amp that you bridge to 4 ohms (best in my opinion) or a mono amp that is 1 ohm stable. 2 channel seem cheaper priced than mono 1 ohm. More cone area and powa should equal more boom. But that too can be subjective. I'm confident there are many single sub setups that outperform dual subs. That would depend on box, excursion, brand, power, etc.
 
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cowboys1732

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I was able to trade in the Alpine sub 2ohm for a 4ohm and single sub box for a dual. I purchased another alpine sub 4 ohm and alpine MTR m500 mono amp for the subs. I am much happier now as it is definitely a lot louder. Thank you for the advice.
 

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