Has anyone got a powerful sound system?!

[singh21]

im getting a 4000w sub/5000w amp/alpine headunit(50x4) fitted in to the 1ner coupe and just wanted to know WHAT BATTERY DO I GET!!!??

i have no clue really all that i know is that i will need a high capacity deep cycle battery in boot as well....

the advice iv had has been very different...

one guy has told me to get 4 stinger sp1000 (price - £299 each!!)

another guy has told me to just get a cheap brand an over 100ahms (will be about £200)

im not made of money so anyone know anything about this?

[3onDubs]

That's not too much power you will be using. You will be fine with the stock battery. If you notice any dimming (which you shouldn't), an optima yellow top would be more than enough.

EDIT: read that as 400 watts, not 4000 watts.....never mind, your friend might be correct. if i may ask, why so much power? You going for spl? That setup will completely drown out your stock speakers.


Are you going to be powering your speakers off your head unit?

[singh21]

Thanks for the reply!

well basically, i got the system cheaper than average (still expensive tho) and wanted a thud in the car so the spl setup was wanted. only a 118 so doesnt reli matter about performance cos the weight is just crazy of this equipment.

I have the BMW audio proffesional so the speakers are the more powerful ones and seem quite loud and clear (appart from bass) and i did think that i could just replace them if needed after the rest is fitted. headunit would be running them but i heard the BMW audio proffesional incorporates an extra amp? not sure but wos told something like that at the bmw garage.

full details of the sytem are: orion hcca 12" sub(2000rms) orion d5000 amp (2500rms) ported custom enclosure, alpine headunit (50x4). got adaptors for sterring wheel and parking sensors, 0 guage wire.

battery that i was thinkin of getting is 1 SHURIKEN SK-BT120 (120 amp hours)
it just under £300 and was thinking it would be enough but not sure cos of the other things iv been told...............

[Dackelone]

BMW sells an Alpine amp & speaker (HK) upgrade kit. I think its like 330 euros for an Alpine amp, wiring harness and four speakers. They even give you tweeters for the mirror triangles. Although you need to order the trim extra to mount them if you don't have teh upgraded audio sys. By all accounts it gives you decent sound.

I think you will most likely need to spend atleast 1,500 euros for better sound than the BMW kit.

[singh21]

i have not got that in my car but hav got the professional audio upgrade which im guessing is just slightly better than standard.

im sure it wont get drowned out completely because it is of a decent sound now.

if i was to upgrade im sure i could get componants, tweeters, amp and fitting for less than £350. and that would be TOP quality sound...

not to fussed about the components tho cos they are easily changed..

thanks for replying guys!!

[texasmojo]

I used to compete in usaci spl. You will definatly need a bigger battery and a higher amperage alternator if you can find one for BMW. If this is to compete only then i would buy a seperate battery and not connect it to the car. Just run the battery straight to the amp for burps and recharge the battery. If this is a daily driver sound system then your best bet is to buy a kineticaudio.com brand battery. One of these batterys will be enough to power your amp and your car. Eventually if your alternator might go out.

I currently have a rockford fosgate bd1000 and a powerbass 3xl 12" sub in a ported box. Its enough for me as a daily driver sound system.

[kaigoss69]

The amp is rated for 1000W RMS at 4ohm and 1600W RMS at 2 ohm. Go here to calculate current draw based on subwoofer impedance and 80% efficiency of the amp. http://www.bcae1.com/images/swfs/sys...nassistant.swf

[gnat]

Originally Posted by 3onDubs

If you notice any dimming (which you shouldn't), an optima yellow top would be more than enough.

This is incorrect. If you notice dimming that means that your alternator can't provide the required power and it is drawing from the battery. The dim happens because the battery does not supply it's power as quickly as the alternator does so there is a momentary drop in amps until he battery catches up.

No matter what battery you put in, you won't fix the dim issue. You need a bigger alternator at that point (or less power draw). Audio shops trying to make a buck will tell you a Cap will fix the problem, but all it's doing is masking that you are drawing more power than your alternator can provide (which means that your battery isn't being properly/effectively recharged).

As far as a deep-cycle battery goes, the only difference it makes is if you are running the stereo with the engine off for long periods of time. Do that enough in a normal battery and it will stop holding it's full capacity, but the deep cycle will keep on working fine.

Speaking of alternators, does anyone know what the factory peak draw is, what size the stock alt is, and if anyone makes high output alts for these cars?

[singh21]

heres the problem i have. the car is on lease so everything i do needs to get taken back out after the car is returned(in 3 years) and on warranty and service checks(in roughly 2 years) i can easily unplug the amp and sub and take a battery out the boot but it will cause a problem if i have to change the alternator or the battery in the front......

would i be able to run this system by just adding a high powered battery in the boot and keeepin the stock battery and alternator in the front.

also would a battery of 120 amp hours be enough?

i also heard that there are benefits of havin many smaller batteries than one powerful battery in terms of performance..........:s

[kaigoss69]

No, did you not read the post above yours??? No matter how you slice it, at max power of that amp you are pulling more amps than the alternator can supply. Extra batteries do NOT reduce the load on the alternator.

My advice: adjust the gains on your amp such that at max volume your lights will not dim. I am guessing it will still be loud as hell, just not as loud as it could be.

[VP Electricity]

No right way to do a wrong thing...

[Nitroxide]

Originally Posted by VP Electricity

No right way to do a wrong thing...

Exactly. Do you really need that powerful of a sound system??

[singh21]

Originally Posted by Nitroxide

Exactly. Do you really need that powerful of a sound system??

why shudnt i have a powerful system? this car cost BUCKS so i aint gna go half way on the sound which is important for many people.

not wrong to do so..

got the equipment for good price 2

i am planning on having the amp on less gains but i will still need a battery....

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by singh21

why shudnt i have a powerful system?....

Because your RENTING the car. You don't own it.

Next time around just tick off the option boxes for a better sound system.

[kaigoss69]

Originally Posted by singh21

i am planning on having the amp on less gains but i will still need a battery....

Go ahead, if that what makes you feel better.

[singh21]

Originally Posted by Dackelone

Because your RENTING the car. You don't own it.

Next time around just tick off the option boxes for a better sound system.

thing is BMW dont offer the sound i would like...

also it is not RENTED, it is on LEASE. this means i have the option to buy it and will be having the car for at least the new three to five years. I can uninstall the equipment myself............

[gnat]

Originally Posted by singh21

it is on LEASE. this means i have the option to buy

The point he is making is that at this time, you do not own the car and even if you intend to buy out the lease, things can always change between now and then.

What you need to find out (assuming there is no HO Alternator available for these cars) is what the peak usage (amps) the factory electrical system uses (e.g. with everything on) and what the rating of the factory alternator is. The difference between the two is the power you have to work with when designing your system. I would be surprised if it is more than 5-10% or so as MFGs cut it pretty close these days. And you can't use all of that gap as you need to leave the alternator room to actually charge your battery.

For anything more than that gap would allow, you have to add more capacity to your system which (in a car) is done up upgrading the alternator with a HO model or adding additional alternators to the system. Any other "solution" (e.g. Caps, extra/bigger batteries, etc..) will ultimately result in an under performing system and/or a dead battery.

An additional note is that alternators are not meant to be run at their full rating for extended periods of time. Doing so will cause it to wear out sooner (usually resulting in reduced output which then compounds the problem.

The end result of the investigations that I describe may very well be that the car can not support the system you want. Often (when you can't replace the Alternator) that is the case and you just need to readjust your plan accordingly.

[3onDubs]

Originally Posted by singh21

why shudnt i have a powerful system? this car cost BUCKS so i aint gna go half way on the sound which is important for many people.

not wrong to do so..

got the equipment for good price 2

i am planning on having the amp on less gains but i will still need a battery....

powerful does not mean it will sound good. if you want tight, clean, yet hard hitting bass, you can go for a much more realistic setup that will match better with your factory speakers.

it might make more sense to leave the factory headunit in and have the stock speakers stay powered off the factory amp. I'm not sure of their ohmage, but I guarantee they won't sound as good being powered off the aftermarket headunit.


The setup you have chosen won't sound good, but don't take it from me, ask around or try it out and see how you like it.

[mineo77]

your system will have way more power than mine...but i would probably bet mine sounds better...not trying to be an ass, but the logic stated is some of the thread doesnt make sense. I am an audiophile so the system was top priority to me, thats why i went to Ken at MusicarNW and had him build me a freaking sick set up...that doesnt need an extra battery or alternator. but to each their own. Good luck, look forward to seeing what you think when your done...i could most definitely be wrong.

[singh21]

yeah. some good points.

jus seem to be getting different views like before.

what i was advised to do in regards to the component speakers/tweeters which would make the system complete as to test the system out first then if it needs it add them in. only a minor job anyways.

what im gna go with is some stinger sp1000's to power it and see how the alternator goes...i got a gud guy settin my system up now u can check his vids out

this clio has standard components and sound perfect.. im sure my standards are better than that and the bass wont be close to that loud.

[Nitroxide]

Originally Posted by singh21

why shudnt i have a powerful system? this car cost BUCKS so i aint gna go half way on the sound which is important for many people.

not wrong to do so..

got the equipment for good price 2

i am planning on having the amp on less gains but i will still need a battery....

Because it doesn't sound like you want good sound, you want it powerful. I never understood people who would spend all this money upgrading their alternator, batteries, amps, custom fabrication etc just to be able to turn their bass up to 11 and shake the block. I have a great sound system in my 135i and it's not obtrusive and to the people riding in the car it sounds great.

[singh21]

Originally Posted by Nitroxide

Because it doesn't sound like you want good sound, you want it powerful. I never understood people who would spend all this money upgrading their alternator, batteries, amps, custom fabrication etc just to be able to turn their bass up to 11 and shake the block. I have a great sound system in my 135i and it's not obtrusive and to the people riding in the car it sounds great.

it seems that the whole convo about powerful bass in cars seems quite offensive to alot of you lot? i dont no why it does but i aint reli the guy to sit on a corner an bang music out.

dont take it so personally, if you dont understand it you should learn about.