Subwoofer Project FINISHED!!! (Enclosure Dimensions Included)

[Essam Khafagi]

and here is the Alpine amp 122$
Amazon.com: Alpine V-Power MRP-M350: Electronics

[goflyhelo]

Originally Posted by Pewters

Big thanks to Essam for this thread and i've got to say i love it.............i got a Lanzar sub coz the audio shop i got if from sucked and after 2 weeks waiting i said "just send me a 10" shallow sub !!!!!"

This looks very clean! Pewters, may I ask how much you ended up paying for this total?

Thanks for sharing your pics.

[jayjay_dee]

guys, any advice on how to cut the whole on the MDF? newbie here in woodworking...

[carlgo]

Originally Posted by jayjay04x5

guys, any advice on how to cut the whole on the MDF? newbie here in woodworking...

Just use a jigsaw and patiently follow the line. Ragged edges, etc. won't show when the speaker is in, but pride dictates doing it nicely. Use the appropriate blade.

There are all sorts of special router accessories that make nice holes. I would use one of those for holes that show, but not just for one hidden one.

Speakers come with the hole size and often with a template. You may have to get a compass (the circle marking kind). Or you can rig up a stick of wood with a nail through it for the pivot point and a pencil at the other end.

[jayjay_dee]

Originally Posted by carlgo

Just use a jigsaw and patiently follow the line. Ragged edges, etc. won't show when the speaker is in, but pride dictates doing it nicely. Use the appropriate blade.

There are all sorts of special router accessories that make nice holes. I would use one of those for holes that show, but not just for one hidden one.

Speakers come with the hole size and often with a template. You may have to get a compass (the circle marking kind). Or you can rig up a stick of wood with a nail through it for the pivot point and a pencil at the other end.

thanks for the reply carlgo... i will give it a try this weekend...

[m5james]

Originally Posted by exsterminator

Looks like I might have some free funds to get going on this project soon rather than wait until next Jan. Thoughts on this amp and sub (suggested by Crutchfield) as a combo pls!

MTX JackHammer JH300 Mono subwoofer amplifier — 300 watts RMS x 1 at 2 ohms at Crutchfield.com

Rockford Fosgate P3SD410 Punch Stage 3 Shallow 10" subwoofer with dual 4-ohm voice coils at Crutchfield.com

I think this is approx $365 before wiring kit but can source from eBay for approx $270.

Anyone have any links to the tweeter replacement projects???

I got the same amp brand new off ebay for $85 and it rocks my little RE Audio 8" in the X. When I first got the amp, I used it to power my Sony Xplode 12" (POS box, but it and the subwoofer were free) and it rocked that sub also. Unfortunately I don't see any in the same price range on ebay, but I have the seller's number still if you'd like me to call her. I was visiting Seattle at the time and she lived locally like 20 minutes from where i was at.

I used a different sub than most have, but i've decided i'm going w/ a different twist on Zero's box design by deleting the gas door locking mechanism and bracket to get more subwoofer depth and a wee bit more airspace.

http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...installed.html

[fraktulz]

Just received my sub (the standard Pioneer as detailed by Essam). Will get my amp (Alpine MRP-500) next week (according to UPS tracking) and will be working all next weekend on the box.

I didn't get any of the cables so if anyone has any suggestions please fell free to throw them my way, else I'll wing it.

Cheers-

[X5-limo]

The used Alpine 350 that I originally bought has just stopped putting out sound - blown internal capacitor/resistor?

After checking all the connections and then the components to be working with the amp removed, I determined it to be a faulty amp. So now I'm going to replace it with a new (with warranty ) Alpine 500 only because there's just a $44 difference between it and a used Alpine 350.

Originally Posted by exsterminator

What do you mean by "seemingly enough power"? As I said before, I am 100% new to this and have the advice of the Crutchfield rep only.

What is the Pioneer model number for the sub so I can try and find it, as you mention 2nd/3rd gen . . . how does the amp look now?

Being exactly where you are now only a few short months ago, knowing absolutely nothing other than 'Pos.' to 'Pos.' and 'Neg.' to 'Neg.', what I did was follow the advice and successes of Essam, Carlgo among others.....

The Pioneer/Alpine combo is a definite winning combination for the sound you get from $$$ invested

The connection is simple - in hindsight....and I have the Nav, DSP, to deal with!

This is how I would lay it out to a newbie:

Power connection: from amp to Pos. bat terminal.

Remote: You'll have to check earlier posts in at the beginning of this thread or with Essam, Carlgo or MrBMWX5 for your particular system's hookup

Ground: from amp to any vehicle body bolt (but preferably) the one on the back tire-well wall

Connect (splice) one end of a set of wires to your car speakers wires and attach the other end of these wires to the (RCA jack) converter that you will then attach to the 'Input' terminal side on your amp

Connect one end of a second set of wires to the 'Output' terminal side on your amp and then connect the other end of these wires your subwoofer.....

Turn on the music (adjust the settings - if any - on your amp) and enjoy the sounds that made all of us so grateful to Essam for adding a new dimension to our X5s!

[carlgo]

Originally Posted by X5-limo

The used Alpine 350 that I originally bought has just stopped putting out sound - blown internal capacitor/resistor?

After checking all the connections and then the components to be working with the amp removed, I determined it to be a faulty amp. So now I'm going to replace it with a new (with warranty ) Alpine 500 only because there's just a $44 difference between it and a used Alpine 350.

Being exactly where you are now only a few short months ago, knowing absolutely nothing other than 'Pos.' to 'Pos.' and 'Neg.' to 'Neg.', what I did was follow the advice and successes of Essam, Carlgo among others.....

The Pioneer/Alpine combo is a definite winning combination for the sound you get from $$$ invested

The connection is simple - in hindsight....and I have the Nav, DSP, to deal with!

This is how I would lay it out to a newbie:

Power connection: from amp to Pos. bat terminal.

Remote: You'll have to check earlier posts in at the beginning of this thread or with Essam, Carlgo or MrBMWX5 for your particular system's hookup

Ground: from amp to any vehicle body bolt (but preferably) the one on the back tire-well wall

Connect (splice) one end of a set of wires to your car speakers wires and attach the other end of these wires to the (RCA jack) converter that you will then attach to the 'Input' terminal side on your amp

Connect one end of a second set of wires to the 'Output' terminal side on your amp and then connect the other end of these wires your subwoofer.....

Turn on the music (adjust the settings - if any - on your amp) and enjoy the sounds that made all of us so grateful to Essam for adding a new dimension to our X5s!

Just to clarify (or not), there are two ways to connect the wires from the speaker wires coming out of your factory amp to the Alpine.

One is to connect them to a converter that turns the line-level signal coming out of the OEM amp to the appropriate signal for the RCA jacks that then plug into the RCA inputs on the Alpine.

These converters (line level to RCA) are available at car stereo shops and of course on-line.

The other way is to use the four little wires on that plug that comes with all new amps (I think all, it did with my 350). These are line-level inputs and do not require any converter. Both methods work equally well.

A stereo shop assured my that only an RCA system would work at all. I asked all over, included knowledgeable people on this forum, just to be sure. I went with the line-level inputs and it works just fine.

The hard part is tapping the correct speaker wires coming out of the factory amp. I also was advised that using just the rear speaker wires was enough. I ended up using both the front and rear wires because the factory amp outputs different signals per its very complex cross-over and I figured I might miss some base unless I tapped all sources of it. It seems to work well, but I never compared the two different ways of doing it.

The dsl factor I know nothing about.

There are some good photos and diagrams on Xoutpost of which wires should be tapped. There are examples of both the rear lines only, and for using all four.

[X5-limo]

Originally Posted by fraktulz

Just received my sub (the standard Pioneer as detailed by Essam). Will get my amp (Alpine MRP-500) next week (according to UPS tracking) and will be working all next weekend on the box.

I didn't get any of the cables so if anyone has any suggestions please fell free to throw them my way, else I'll wing it.
-Cheers-

Did your amp arrive? How is the subwoofer box and installation coming along?