can anyone tell what these cords are (they are the old cords running to a sub amp)

[djmh]

see post lower down, i think i uploaded them correctly ?

will these work for hooking up a bazooka bass tube ?
or can you not tell what they are ?

if theres any way to help you identify the cords please let me know, im trying to determine what they are...cause a best buy install is only 80 dollars if the cables are already run ...

i assume that last one is the rc cable ?

and the first ones are power/ground ?

so i still need a 12v remote ?

but what is a 12v remote ?

or do i have the cables wrong ?

[Bachstelze]

Links are broken.

[djmh]

oh really...uhm, one sec...

[djmh]

141355

141356

141357

[LowSky]

your going to pay best buy $80 and the cords are already run. thats a rip off. 12V remote will turn the amp on when the car or radio (best option) turns on. If you have an aftermaket Radio then it should have this feature.


OK look at this picture Red wire is power cable, it goes from your battery to the trunk in most cases. The silver cable on the bottom left is the ground cable, it connects to bare metal in your trunk to the amp. the stereo cables are the ones on the top right. the clear plastic thing is the fuse holder for the power cable to protect the amp from killing your battery. what isn't here is a 12V remote cable, that can be a normal thin wire that goes from the 12V accessory wire form your radio to the amp, it will then only turn the amp on when the radio is on.
http://akamaipix.crutchfield.com/products/2006/211/h211PSK08Ri-f.jpeg

[djmh]

well i have analpine head unit...does that mean i have a 12v remote then ?

and 80 is a rip ?
they said 160 to run and install...is that a rip too ?

ugh, its just i cant find any local shops...

[LowSky]

well i have analpine head unit...does that mean i have a 12v remote then ?

and 80 is a rip ?
they said 160 to run and install...is that a rip too ?

ugh, its just i cant find any local shops...

best buy is not the place to get it done at all. they do horrible work. you would be better off doing it yourself.

and yes the alpine has the 12v wire. infact all stereos technically do, but aftermarket radio clearly label them

this website is the best place for audio stuff hands down. They will even give you lifetime tech support and give you instruction based on your car for speaker and radio instalation.
http://www.crutchfield.com/

Running wires and hooking up subs and an amp isn't that hard. you could probably do it your self if you have access to tools

[Gizenshya]

(regarding LowSky's pic/post) well, mostly. The top-right cables are the RCA cables, which are stereo.

But if you'll notice, with those RCA cables there is a third wire without an end. That is the remote wire. There should (hopefully) be a "remote out" or "rem" out in your head unit ('radio,' cd player, whatever is in your dash). One end goes in there, and the remote connection in your amp.

The remote wire is simply an on/off switch. When 12v positive is connected to it, it turns on the amp. If not, then the amp will just sit there, turned off. The remote out from your head unit turns on when your key turns on (ignition key for your engine).

If there is no remote out on your head unit, you can run a wire from the + terminal of your battery to a switch in your dash (or wherever), and then on to your amp. That way you can still turn on your amp.

[LowSky]

Gizenshya I didn't even notice that, good eyes.

[djmh]

best buy is not the place to get it done at all. they do horrible work. you would be better off doing it yourself.

and yes the alpine has the 12v wire. infact all stereos technically do, but aftermarket radio clearly label them

this website is the best place for audio stuff hands down. They will even give you lifetime tech support and give you instruction based on your car for speaker and radio instalation.
http://www.crutchfield.com/

Running wires and hooking up subs and an amp isn't that hard. you could probably do it your self if you have access to tools
ok...so, first of all sorry for some serious noob questrions... i really appreciate you guys getting me set up though !

but if the alpine has the 12v wire...then does that mean i dont have to purchase a 12v remotre ?

right now i have those cords shown in the pic run... and im just trying to figure out what else will need to be purchased ?

[djmh]

(regarding LowSky's pic/post) well, mostly. The top-right cables are the RCA cables, which are stereo.

But if you'll notice, with those RCA cables there is a third wire without an end. That is the remote wire. There should (hopefully) be a "remote out" or "rem" out in your head unit ('radio,' cd player, whatever is in your dash). One end goes in there, and the remote connection in your amp.

The remote wire is simply an on/off switch. When 12v positive is connected to it, it turns on the amp. If not, then the amp will just sit there, turned off. The remote out from your head unit turns on when your key turns on (ignition key for your engine).

If there is no remote out on your head unit, you can run a wire from the + terminal of your battery to a switch in your dash (or wherever), and then on to your amp. That way you can still turn on your amp.

ok....what ?
lol, are you talking about my pic ?
im seriously lost here ...
can you guys see the pics i uploaded, are they the cables i need ?
or do i need to purchase more stuff ?

[djmh]

best buy is not the place to get it done at all. they do horrible work. you would be better off doing it yourself.

and yes the alpine has the 12v wire. infact all stereos technically do, but aftermarket radio clearly label them

this website is the best place for audio stuff hands down. They will even give you lifetime tech support and give you instruction based on your car for speaker and radio instalation.
http://www.crutchfield.com/

Running wires and hooking up subs and an amp isn't that hard. you could probably do it your self if you have access to tools


are you referring to buying stuff from them ?
...cause i already bought my sub..

but are they just an online store ?
cause if not, i would be more than happy to go to a retailer, and have them install my stuff !!

but i dont see any locations on their site ...

[pwnst*r]

the bazooka didn't come with anything?

*never mind, it doesn't*

[djmh]

ya... well i dont have it yet, but it dosent look like it comes with anything - it will be here next thursday...but i want to make sure i have all the neccassary peices to get it installed ya know ?
like i dont want to get my sub, then have to wait another week before it gets installed...
i know im probably providing vague desciptions of what i have, but meh, idk ?
maybe some one will get me pointed in the right direction... either way, you guys have been great !!

[Gizenshya]

In my last post I was talking about lowsky's pic, since I couldn't see yours yet.

but in this one I'm talking about yours.

The first pic is the RCA cables with remote wire.

The ones hooked into the amp are the 12v positive and ground wires. The short one that is screwed to the chassis somewhere near the amp is the ground, the other is the positive (which is hooked up to the battery).

That little connector that is cut off beside those two is what used to be a remote wire. That is where the amp-side of the remote wire goes. Remote wires are almost always right there beside the power inputs on the amp.

As long as the RCA cables are hooked up, and that silver remote wire that is part of the RCA cable is hooked up to the head unit, and it should work. Just hook them up on the amp.

The other two should be fine as well. Just make sure you change the fuse. Don't forget!!! That amp is more powerful than the one that you're getting with the bazooka. It is probably 80 amp. The one with the bazooka will probably need a 30 or 40 amp. Just add up the fuses on the amp and put a fuse the size of whatever that total is (in one single fuse) into the fuse holder. The fuse holder is under your hood, in line with the power cable to your amp. There is probably about 6-10 inches of wire from your amp, then the fuse holder, then the wire coming out the other end. If there isn't a fuse holder there, there should be! In that case, buy one and put one there. This fuse is just as important as the fuses on the amp itself.

The only problems you might have with those wires you already have is length issues. If they aren't long enough to reach where you want your amp/sub, then I would run longer ones. I'm not a fan of lengthening wires.

There could also be breaks in the existing wires (RCA cables, or whatever). But these are obvious when it is hooked up.

I think you should try hooking it up yourself. You basically plug it in and screw in the power cables and thats it. You'll probably need to do something to the box/amp to keep it from moving. Maybe screw it down, or velcro? But I've never worked with bazooka-type equipment, so I don't know how they tackle the problem of sliding. But you definitely don't want it moving. It could break yor wires or break the connectors on your amp or head unit.

[djmh]

In my last post I was talking about lowsky's pic, since I couldn't see yours yet.

but in this one I'm talking about yours.

The first pic is the RCA cables with remote wire.

The ones hooked into the amp are the 12v positive and ground wires. The short one that is screwed to the chassis somewhere near the amp is the ground, the other is the positive (which is hooked up to the battery).

That little connector that is cut off beside those two is what used to be a remote wire. That is where the amp-side of the remote wire goes. Remote wires are almost always right there beside the power inputs on the amp.

As long as the RCA cables are hooked up, and that silver remote wire that is part of the RCA cable is hooked up to the head unit, and it should work. Just hook them up on the amp.

The other two should be fine as well. Just make sure you change the fuse. Don't forget!!! That amp is more powerful than the one that you're getting with the bazooka. It is probably 80 amp. The one with the bazooka will probably need a 30 or 40 amp. Just add up the fuses on the amp and put a fuse the size of whatever that total is (in one single fuse) into the fuse holder. The fuse holder is under your hood, in line with the power cable to your amp. There is probably about 6-10 inches of wire from your amp, then the fuse holder, then the wire coming out the other end. If there isn't a fuse holder there, there should be! In that case, buy one and put one there. This fuse is just as important as the fuses on the amp itself.

The only problems you might have with those wires you already have is length issues. If they aren't long enough to reach where you want your amp/sub, then I would run longer ones. I'm not a fan of lengthening wires.

There could also be breaks in the existing wires (RCA cables, or whatever). But these are obvious when it is hooked up.

I think you should try hooking it up yourself. You basically plug it in and screw in the power cables and thats it. You'll probably need to do something to the box/amp to keep it from moving. Maybe screw it down, or velcro? But I've never worked with bazooka-type equipment, so I don't know how they tackle the problem of sliding. But you definitely don't want it moving. It could break yor wires or break the connectors on your amp or head unit.

ok...ill go more carefully over what you said in a minute...but i think i get what you are saying...so i have all the neccassary cables ?

but you said that there is a remote wire snipped on the amp, but in the rca cable...so is that ok ?
or do i need to get another one, cause its snipped ?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0017JG47G/ref=oss_T15_product

as far as the amps and stuff, its a 250 watt intergrated amp ...
Bazooka BTA10250D BT Series 10-Inch 250-Watt Class D Amplified Tube - theres a link to what i bought

i got some mounting brackets, that will need to be screwed in...

but i think your right, i have no room for positioning my amp...

ill have to check that !




and i need to make sure to check my fuses, kay !

[djmh]

ok, just looked at it - you corrrect... first one (snipped) says rem
second one... 12v i think
3rd grnd - secondand third may be switched ?

and my rca cables have 2 ends with plugs, and a small (remote ?) wire also...with no end ...
i dont have much trunk room... so i think the cables are long enough ...

so really broken down all i have to do is

mount my sub
screw/plug in wires
change fuses

correct ?

[Gizenshya]

In short, yes, you do have all the cables you need.

About the remote cable, it's fine. I don't know why they were lazy and snipped them, instead of unscrewing the connector from the amp. But it doesn't really matter to anything, as nothing is screwed up.

Do you have a crimper and connectors of that size? If you do, just strip the wire back a bit and put one on, then screw it in. If not, it's ok to just strip back the wire, put it in where that old connector is, and screw it down.

[pwnst*r]

the bazooka comes with tie downs, so you're good there.

[Gizenshya]

ok, just looked at it - you corrrect... first one (snipped) says rem
second one... 12v i think
3rd grnd - secondand third may be switched ?

and my rca cables have 2 ends with plugs, and a small (remote ?) wire also...with no end ...
i dont have much trunk room... so i think the cables are long enough ...

so really broken down all i have to do is

mount my sub
screw/plug in wires
change fuses

correct ?

what do you mean about switched? the ground should be shorter, and screwed/bolted to something metal that is connected to the chassis. The longer one goes all the way up to the battery.

and broken down, yes, that's all you need to do. Just make sure your wires are long enough before you screw down the box.

If you do all that and something doesn't work, then you'll have to go through the system (behind your head unit, and other places) to see what isn't hooked up right. Hopefully it will all work from the start, though.

[djmh]

In short, yes, you do have all the cables you need.

About the remote cable, it's fine. I don't know why they were lazy and snipped them, instead of unscrewing the connector from the amp. But it doesn't really matter to anything, as nothing is screwed up.

Do you have a crimper and connectors of that size? If you do, just strip the wire back a bit and put one on, then screw it in. If not, it's ok to just strip back the wire, put it in where that old connector is, and screw it down.

ohhh, so the remote wire thats on the end of my rca cables was hooked into the amp ?
ill just run up to radioshak, grab the end and put it on...

ok, the only thing i could use so more clarifying on is the fuses, are there any links ?
or what should i search so i have them hooked up correctly ?

also, is there anything that should be checked in the cables, to make sure there done correctly ?

i just dont want to ruin my subs.... or can i just assume the cables are correct ?

or maybe theres not much that can really be done wrong on them ?

anything else i should look out for to make sure nothing goes wrong with my subs ?
as far as hooking them up goes really ?

oh, and i had read something about subs taking all the bass load...allowing my mids to perform better, will that just happen automatically ?

[djmh]

what do you mean about switched? the ground should be shorter, and screwed/bolted to something metal that is connected to the chassis. The longer one goes all the way up to the battery.

and broken down, yes, that's all you need to do. Just make sure your wires are long enough before you screw down the box.

If you do all that and something doesn't work, then you'll have to go through the system (behind your head unit, and other places) to see what isn't hooked up right. Hopefully it will all work from the start, though.


oh, by switched i mean i forgot whether the grounds first or the 12v was first..so the may be flipped ...it dosent really matter though...

[djmh]

is there any tuning or anything that best buy or a pro installer would have done ?

or can i do all that on my own - and i have a subwoofer control on my alpine hu...will i able to control my sub with that ?

[Gizenshya]

ohhh, so the remote wire thats on the end of my rca cables was hooked into the amp ? Well, it actually looks like the old remote wire was blue. They may have just ran a blue remote wire from the HU. In that case, if the amp doesn't turn on when everything is plugged up, it might be because the other end of the silver wire isn't hooked up, because there might be a blue wire that they ran. You can check the back of the alpine HU if you are comfortable with that. If not, just wait and see if it works or not.
ill just run up to radioshak, grab the end and put it on...

ok, the only thing i could use so more clarifying on is the fuses, are there any links ?
or what should i search so i have them hooked up correctly ? Look under your hood at your battery. You should find one of those clear cables from the amp that goes all the way to it. There should be a fuse holder in the wire. The vast majority of aftermarket car audio fuses are ANL or MAXI types. In lowsky's pic, it is an ANL-type fuse. MAXI fuses are basically like giant versions of the colored vehicle fuses. Google around for pics and links about each type, to see which you have. Then either call someplace and ask what size fuse you need for your 12v power wire, or wait and add up the total from the bazooka amp when it comes.

also, is there anything that should be checked in the cables, to make sure there done correctly ?

i just dont want to ruin my subs.... or can i just assume the cables are correct ?

or maybe theres not much that can really be done wrong on them ? the only thing that could damage your equipment is having the positive and ground (negative) wires reversed. The ground is easily identifiable as the short one that's screwed to the vehicle near the amp. As long as you get that one right, the other one must be the positive. After those two are hooked up, the worst that could happen is the thing won't work, or the left and right channels could be reversed. Troubleshooting from there is easy. So yeah, it is safe to assume everything is right, as long as you're sure the pos and ground are right.

anything else i should look out for to make sure nothing goes wrong with my subs ?
as far as hooking them up goes really ? [/b] Not really. Wiring the subs to the amp can be confusing, but that doesn't apply to your case since it is a sub/amp combo.[/b]

oh, and i had read something about subs taking all the bass load...allowing my mids to perform better, will that just happen automatically? ... depends on what the people you heard this from were talking about. It seems like they were talking about a crossover-less system where all speakers were hooked up to one amp. And yeah, there is that effect somewhat... but it still doesn't work well and you could easily damage speakers. A crossover is best.

BUT, you don't need a crossover. The bazooka sub uses a class D amplifier, which means it only amplifies bass-range frequencies, even if you send mid and high-range frequencies to it.

That being said, it is best to turn the bass down that goes to your other speakers, to take the bass laod off of them. You can usually do this by adjusting the EQ settings on your HU (in this case, your alpine HU). You may have to make up for that by adjusting the 'gain' on your bazooka box higher, but it comes out to be the same thing. It will probably take a bit of trial and error to get the settings to suit your personal taste.


oh, by switched i mean i forgot whether the grounds first or the 12v was first..so the may be flipped ...it dosent really matter though... ohh, ok. It only really matters that you hook iy up right when it comes in.


...
is there any tuning or anything that best buy or a pro installer would have done ?

or can i do all that on my own - and i have a subwoofer control on my alpine hu...will i able to control my sub with that ?

Well, they would adjust the EQ and levels probably, but only the stuff that I bolded above. And you would have almost certainly changed them as soon as you got the thing anyway, so it doesn't really matter lol

Just remember to not stress your other speakers by trying to make them output bass. It won't make it louder in the vehicle, and it will reduce overall quality.


see bolded :)

[djmh]

awsome !!

i know exactly what your talking about as far as the bass on my speakers, i know thats alot of stress..ill probably turn it right off - but will i be able to controll my sub from my HU ? there is an option labeled sub on the HU ..will adjusting this adjust my sub ?
or do i have to connect something else ?


do you think my speakers are probably fine though even though a few times i was pushing alot of bass through em ? ...i think i was hearing distortion, though it may have been the panel rattling.... is there anything i should check to make sure there fine ?

and when i get my sub ... can i turn my speaker bass all the way into the negative ?
so its completly off ? maybe ill just experiment, i guess what im asking what is an appropriate amount of bass and volume i can put through my speakers ?

my sub too i guess, how will i know how hard i can push em ?

i just dont want to wreck anything ...im willing to put alot of cash into this, and i want it to last :)

ive heard my friends systems that sound like crap from being abused...im just trying to avoid this ya know ?

[djmh]

on the hu my speakers can go to -7 bass or +0
should i just keep it at -7 for no bass ?
or 0
or just expiriment ?

btw, i just tried to look for the fuses...popped the hood, didnt look long..its freezing !! - maybe ill get back with you when i get the sub ?
i dont have any idea where they are, or what im looking for lol ...

[Gizenshya]

If they have the RCA cables hooked up right, you should be able to adjust the bass from the HU just fine. You will probably need to make adjustments to the bazooka's amp in the beginning, but after that you should be golden with the alpine.

Your speakers should be fine. They can take more than you think, and it is really obvious if they are damaged-- they start rattling and scratching at low volumes.

Whenever you hear distortion, it means that you are asking your sub/speakers to go harder than they were designed. Push them, but not to the point of distortion.

It isn't really possible to take out all the bass form the front speakers. You can turn it all the way downm, and there will still be some bass, and that's OK. The whole idea is to set it to where the front speakers don't distort from bass whenever you're at your desired listening level (loud). So as long as you get to that point, you'll be fine.

That's general stuff to maximize sound quality and system life. If you want something more detailed, you can google around about bazookas. I'm sure you can find lots of forum posts because the bazooka line has been arounf for years. You have a few days to wait still, so go ahead and see what you can learn.

I also suggest searching for problems. That way you'll know what to look for and how to avoid those issues. I can't really help you much with that, unfortunately, because I've never had any experience with bazooka equipment.

[djmh]

well that really sums up all my questions !!
thank you so much for your help !!

cant wait to get my subs !!

thanks everyone !!