Kantizuni

Okay.
Kantizuni <- knows nothing about amps. 02.gif

So basically, i'm putting a computer in the trunk. I want to run from the soundcard, to the amp(s), and then have all of my speakers run off the amps.

So tell me if this is right or not. Or what I should change / do better.

My understanding is that I will need two amps. One for the two subs (i'm thinking a 2-channel amp, that'll give me left and right for the subs, right?). And another amp for all the speakers (four-channel amp, for front left and right, and rear left and right... right?). Now, can the amps be hooked up to each other, as far as the input/output is concerned, or do I need to split the audio output coming from the computer to each amp?
Also, is there anything else I should be considering while setting this up?

Sorry about the (yet another) newb question. I've been running a single mono amp all my life, so this multiple amps, multiple channels thing is all new ground for me.

rgrintz

sounds like your on the right path. you can use to amps, which most people reccommend, or you could use one monster 6-shannel amp to to it all. as far hooking them up, most amps now have a passthrough so you can hook up multiple amps. if not just get a splitter. the only other thing i can think of for your set up is mabye a cap, and make sure you run the right size power and ground. and use the correct size fuse under the hood, and don't go cheap, spend the money and get an anl fuse block, there worth it. ther you go my .02.

tibbytib

Dude, if you are doing that, I would TOTALLY get one amp for the sub, and one 4 channel for your fronts and rears. ALSO....do you have a 5.1 sound card???? That would be b****in to do 5.1 in your car. It would be a piece of cake to do since you are putting a computer in your car anyways. You'd have to finangle a center channel speaker somehow, maybe a really small amp that doesnt take up a bunch of room and a speaker in the dash. Actually, you might be able to get a cheap dash mounted dual gauge pod off ebay and mold it, f*** with it so it sits in the middle of the dash and thats pretty and flows with the contours of the dash. Damn that would be awesome! Good luck with it!

zoned019

I'd rather just hook up front tweeters, then it's like 6 speakers ^^

I'm also doing a car pc..I'm going with an external USB sound card and then basically the setup you talked about. Although I'm putting mine behind the dash and running wires to the back for my speakers, I just don't think it's a good idea to have my computer sit right under or next to my two 10" woofers in the hatch. Have you found a screen yet? check out mp3-car.com and if you get a 7" liliput touchscreen it fits perfectly in the double din dash, you'll have to bondo a bit to mold and make it look good but once ur done....it will be awesome fing02.gif

good luck.

Oh and I don't know too much about amps either, but what you said sounds right..a 2-channel and a 4-channel.

domi

Just wanted to say I'm busy with the pc aswell.
Only my power suply, M1-ATX, doesn't do his thing.
That **** restarts the system before it's fully started!!!! chairshot.gif


That lilliput screen Zoned is talking about is great laugh.gif
I think it's very sharp and easy to work with

And don't forget this

wink1.gif

Kantizuni

Yeah, i'm planning on using a 5.1 soundcard. Might not use the full surround, but it would defiantely be b****in. laugh.gif
I'm in the process of gathering parts right now. I want to have the computer and all the sound equipment on hand before anything is installed.

Right now i'm thinking about a mini-itx. Still debating where to mount the PC, but i'm leaning towards fabricating something in the spare-tire compartment.

zoned: The lilliput is nice. I've been subscribed to mp3-car for a long time. hehe It was a little disappointed when I found the site. I had thought I had an original idea at the time. lol But yeah, the screen is something i'm looking at still also. If I can find a dash mounted motorized screen, that's what I would like to go with.

Since I saw that thread on Elemental Designs, i've been really tempted to buy my new subs/amps through them. They look sharp. Hopefully they still have that sale going on when payday comes. 02.gif


EDIT: Thanks for the cable tip Domi. lol

01tibby

haha, im doing this exact thing.

i have onboard sound that has a smart 5.1 feature that turns the micro, line out, and line in jacks on my mother board to 5.1 outs. this is the list of what i have:

3 STEREO headphone jack - RCA converters(not cables)
1 420x1W rms amp powering 2 subs(the eD ones on sale)
1 80x4W rms amp powering 4 component speakers(polk audio)

i had to run all new speaker cable. the mini-itx carpc will be going underneath the seat. check out my progress thread for more info.

Kantizuni

Cool, i'll check it out tibby01.
And i'll be sure to post pics as I go, once I get my project started.
I have big ideas, and not enough money, so mine is still a couple months down the road. smile.gif

zoned019

After having a tire blow out when I was 300 miles from home and had 4 friends with me...I'll never get rid of my spare tire. It saved my ass!

Kat, you won't be able to find a flip-out screen that has a VGA input..

LOL, I was sorta disappointed when I found mp3-car.com too..but it's still a very small community, so there's still room for being an original wink1.gif

Kat I feel just like you, I've got big plans and a little wallet. So far I've got the same RCA-headphone jacks that tibby01 and also a 7" touchscreen molded in an extra dash surround. If I didn't want a mini-itx I could have this project done in the next few weeks..I'm still deciding.
If anyone has a good place where I can keep my spare and keep it a so my subs don't rattle it too much...let me know. lol.

fonseca

5.1 sucks for in-car. Now 4.1, that absolutely rocks, and you'll almost swear there's a center speaker once you get everything set up properly. Most of my music now is DTS or AC3 tracks, all 5.1, downmixed by my hardware DSP to 4.1. I cannot begin to convey how truly amazing it sounds. The first time I tested it with some multichannel Pink Floyd DTS, I shed tears of joy. cool.gif

There are several problems with a center channel speaker. First, it won't match the sound of your other speakers, google "timbre matching". Even if the location could be perfect, if your audio standards are above average (do you like Alpine or do you buy the Walmart special?), you won't enjoy 5.1 tracks on a 5.1 setup. There may be cars out now designed for 5.1 setups, but ours aren't. There's no good location for a center channel speaker. The only viable spot is in the vents, and I tested that spot (as well as every conceivable location) and it could not be made good. Also, the choices for a center channel speaker are extremely limited. 4.1 is the way to go.

I hate to break it to you tibby01, but Smart 5.1 also sucks big time. I ran it like that for a while myself, you will be disappointed. The voltage out on the mini-itx boards is already so low as to almost be unusable, but you are basically splitting it in thirds, as well as resampling the music internally several additional times. It sounds bad. Also, it introduces a lot of noise, since this is an onboard sound card. Consider yourself fortunate if you have no alternator whine, hard drive noise, touchscreen or mouse noise, etc. even in stereo mode.

If you want to go from a soundcard straight to amps, an external card is the best bet for decent voltage outputs and thus the least noise. The best setup by a huge margin is to use digital output, and then go to a hardware digital signal processor. That's like upgrading from a stock head unit and paper speakers to an Eclipse, amp and components. It's that much of a difference. Go for an Alpine PXA-700/701. I'm using an Audiobahn ADD51t, which is decent, but the Alpine is about the same cost now and much nicer.

Mp3car.com has a FAQ forum, any question you could ever ask has been answered.

Having a carpc is awesome. Aside from endless music, I have GPS, OBDII, can control and configure my Clifford alarm, can connect to wifi hotspots for free internet, can control my cell phone and have the volume auto lower/mute when I get a call, as well as see who's calling on my monitor, etc etc. The list goes on. If I go with Megasquirt one day, that's easy to work with too. My next upgrade is going to be a voltage monitor addon, to view my battery voltage, and a few temp sensors. I have seen installs that display turbo/boost info too, no need for external gauges, although I'd still want at least one. This is the best upgrade I ever made on a vehicle. I'm sure in 10 years every car will come with an integrated pc stock.