Relocating Amp And Other Questions

[sr240z]

I'm Looking To Upgrade My Audio System With A 8w3-d2. I Was Told To Wire It In Series And Relocate The Amp.... I've Done Some Searching To See Where You Guys Are Relocating To, But Haven't Found Any Pictures Or Recommendations.

Also, I Was Wondering If There Is A Direct Replacement For The Factory Amp That Is Of Higher Quality, Unless The Factory Amp Is Suffcient For The New Sub.

Finally, What Are Your Gain Settings And Hu Settings With This New Sub And Stock Speakers?

Thanks For The Info,
Christan

 

[chuyler1]

The factory amp is sufficient. The biggest difference between the stock subwoofer and your new 8w3-d2 is the impedence. The stock subwoofer is 8 ohms which puts a 4ohm load on each channel of the amp (since it is bridged). The 8w3-d2 has two 2 ohm voice coils. You want to wiries these in series so you send a 4ohm total load to the amplifier or 2 ohms per channel.

The amp is designed to handle a 4 ohm bridged load and it will put out twice the amount of power...but it will get warmer when you turn up the volume. Most manufacturer's do not recommend mounting their amps upside down unless you have a fan blowing cool over it's heat sinks. Mazda figured it was OK since they were only running it at 8 ohms.

You don't have to relocate the amp but it is recommended. Find a place where you can mount right-side-up or at least up-right at a 90 degree angle.

 

[daedalus]

what i did the other day...

except a JL w0 is in the mail to replace the kicker.. it didnt quite fit right.

 

[chuyler1]

I bet the MSP sub would sound soo much better if it fired into the cabin instead of into the trunk. I wonder if they tested that or they decided making a hole in the rear deck would be too much work.

 

[sr240z]

Will That Alpine Amp Work Without Over Heating? Also Will That Work With Factory Wiring Or Is A Rewire Required? Which Model Is That Also?


I Like The Fitment Of That Unit... I'm Looking Into That Setup (if You Don't Mind A Copycat).

 

[daedalus]

Unit: Alpine MRD-M300 (older version before their new series came out 350W mono amp)

Shouldnt have overheating problems, its got twice the amount of cooling fins than the last one, and should be able to push more power , more effectivly, and i dont forsee any problems. Its also got a built in heat temp monitor that gives a constannt readout, if it gets above a certain point, it will shut it self off anyway.

I just used factory wiring, worked fine. Only thing i needed to extend were the two speaker wires running to the amp (the longer black/red wires in the photo) to mount. That was it. a little solder and it was good to go.

 

[sr240z]

Do You Know If The Mrd-m350 Will Work Also? It Looks Like Its Going To Be A Chore To Find One Like Yours.

Is The Jl 8w2-d2 Capable Of Handling The Power Provided By The M350?

Thanks For All The Info.... I'm Looking Into This Upgrade Because Two Dealerships Denied My Warranty Claim For The Factory Sub.

 

[daedalus]

Do You Know If The Mrd-m350 Will Work Also? It Looks Like Its Going To Be A Chore To Find One Like Yours.

Is The Jl 8w2-d2 Capable Of Handling The Power Provided By The M350?

Thanks For All The Info.... I'm Looking Into This Upgrade Because Two Dealerships Denied My Warranty Claim For The Factory Sub.

Yea, the MRD-M350 is the one that replaced the M300 that i have. Same amp. The JL should work just fine with that amp. I'm gonna run the JL W0-4, but essentially its the same thing.

 

[sr240z]

Cool Thanks.... I Found A Alpine M350 For $100 New (nice Having Friends Who Work For Best Buy!), Now I Just Have To Find A Jl 8w2-d2.

 

[chuyler1]

You mean 8w3-d2

 

[88mztr]

What was the problem with the Kicker?

 

[1sty]

I would put the amp under the front seat.
Another BIG problem is that the factory amp runs on some miniscule wiring. I would HIGHLY advise going up to an 8 guage wire if you are swapping to a 4 ohm sub. Also, if you are out right replacing the amp, then its not a suggestion, its a demand, go to a larger power and ground wire.

 

[1sty]

Yea, the MRD-M350 is the one that replaced the M300 that i have. Same amp. The JL should work just fine with that amp. I'm gonna run the JL W0-4, but essentially its the same thing.

Close but not totaly, The amp you have is a V12 series which has some digital circuits and other little features. The funnty thing was that with the V-Power series, M350 it is the same amp with all the digital cirsuits ripped out and it actualy produced MORE power then the V12 series 300 which is why the 300 was killed off shortly after.

If you can, I would suggest a W3 to compliment your amp. The W0 is only design with 75 watts RMS in mind. The W3 is rated for twice that and can handle near 300 watts rms. I tested that out personaly when I used a JL 1000/1 to run 4 8W3s

 

[sr240z]

Thanks For All The Info.... And Yes I Did Mean A 8w3-d2.

Aren't There Vents Under The Front Seats That Would Impede Its Location?

 

[1sty]

Thanks For All The Info.... And Yes I Did Mean A 8w3-d2.

Aren't There Vents Under The Front Seats That Would Impede Its Location?

Not really, it can squeeze under the vent as the vent is just plastic and easily bent. You can even remove the vent or cut it and cap it off. Then you'll get more heat for your feet too (thumb)

 

[chuyler1]

more eat for your feet aye?

 

[sr240z]

If you can, I would suggest a W3 to compliment your amp. The W0 is only design with 75 watts RMS in mind. The W3 can is rated for twice that and can handle near 300 watts rms. I tested that out personaly when I used a JL 1000/1 to run 4 8W3s

SO FROM YOUR EXPERIENCE DO YOU THINK THE 8W3-D2 WOULD BE A GOOD MATCH TO THE M350 AMP?

 

[1sty]

SO FROM YOUR EXPERIENCE DO YOU THINK THE 8W3-D2 WOULD BE A GOOD MATCH TO THE M350 AMP?

Yes.
The 8W3-D2 works well as it will be a 4 ohm load and it will limit the alpine amp to only 200 watts rms of output. The 350 watts rms the amp is capable of at 2 ohms, is over kill for a single 8W3.

 

[chuyler1]

Honestly, the stock amp is fine for the 8w3. You're not going to notice much difference from upgrading the amp after you upgrade to the 8w3.

 

[sr240z]

Sweet.... So For That Amp I Would Have To Run 8awg Wiring Or 4awg?

Also I Would Like To Keep The Amp Close To The Sub So Could I Run That Amp In The Stock Location Or Would It Need More Ventilation?