Powered sub's

[etlsport]

the way this sub will have to be wired to a factory head unit is using line level input. tapping off of both rear speakers to provide a signal only, the actual power being drawn will be minimal.

normally an aftermarket head unit would have RCA terminals to provide a signal for the sole purpose of a subwoofer and the amplifier in the basslink should have rca inputs.

using line level inputs will give you sound just fine, but any distortion picked up by the factory speaker wires will be amplified too. RCA wires are shielded so they deliver a cleaner signal.

It doesnt take much power to get the signal though, most RCA signals are delivered 2v or 3v.. occasionally 5v on some nicer head units, so I don't think you are going to have a huge effect on the sound quality of the rear speakers. IIRC i think that the basslink has crossovers built in anyway, so the sub will produce NO highs or mids

[tom4bren]

RCA wires are shielded so they deliver a cleaner signal.

Not always. I've seen them as shielded, twisted pair, & twin conductor (speaker wire).

Be careful when you get a set to make sure it is shielded.

[etlsport]

Not always. I've seen them as shielded, twisted pair, & twin conductor (speaker wire).

Be careful when you get a set to make sure it is shielded.

true.. GOOD RCA cables are shielded

[RamAirZ]

the way this sub will have to be wired to a factory head unit is using line level input. tapping off of both rear speakers to provide a signal only, the actual power being drawn will be minimal.

normally an aftermarket head unit would have RCA terminals to provide a signal for the sole purpose of a subwoofer and the amplifier in the basslink should have rca inputs.

using line level inputs will give you sound just fine, but any distortion picked up by the factory speaker wires will be amplified too. RCA wires are shielded so they deliver a cleaner signal.

It doesnt take much power to get the signal though, most RCA signals are delivered 2v or 3v.. occasionally 5v on some nicer head units, so I don't think you are going to have a huge effect on the sound quality of the rear speakers. IIRC i think that the basslink has crossovers built in anyway, so the sub will produce NO highs or mids

exactly! That's what I was getting at. I can understand the theory of the rear speakers losing power but if they lost any it's minimal because the sub isn't using any of it technically, basically just making a longer path for the power to travel to the speakers. And yes the Basslink does have a crossover built in.

[tom4bren]

exactly! That's what I was getting at. I can understand the theory of the rear speakers losing power but if they lost any it's minimal because the sub isn't using any of it technically, basically just making a longer path for the power to travel to the speakers. And yes the Basslink does have a crossover built in.

You can't think of 'lectricity in that way. It travels the path of least resistance. The amount of power lost by the rear speakers is proportional to the input impedance of the power amp. If it's designed properly, it should have a very high impedance which will minimize the amount of loss to the rear speakers.

I'll refer back to my last comment in post #35 now & shut up.

BTW Eric - just rattlin yer cage Dude. Since yer so young, I didn't expect you to remember the old days when RCA connectors came on nuthin but twin conductor. Nowadays you can even drive video through "good" RCA cables.

[Ldub]

You can't think of 'lectricity in that way. It travels the path of least resistance. The amount of power lost by the rear speakers is proportional to the input impedance of the power amp. If it's designed properly, it should have a very high impedance which will minimize the amount of loss to the rear speakers.

Says the man with lightning bolts in his shorts...

[RamAirZ]

You can't think of 'lectricity in that way. It travels the path of least resistance. The amount of power lost by the rear speakers is proportional to the input impedance of the power amp. If it's designed properly, it should have a very high impedance which will minimize the amount of loss to the rear speakers.

Yes I know this, but the path would still go to the rear speakers. I'm looking at it from my experience, I never lost much if any off my interior speakers when i ran line-level converters off the rear speakers to run subs with a factory head unit.

[tom4bren]

Says the man with lightning bolts is his shorts...

I have no response to that.

Yes I know this, but the path would still go to the rear speakers. I'm looking at it from my experience, I never lost much if any off my interior speakers when i ran line-level converters off the rear speakers to run subs with a factory head unit.

I stand corrected then

Actually not - you just kinda proved my point. You either got lucky or were kinda picky & bought decent quality products. Did you ever make your purchase decision based upon input impedance?

Just rattlin yer cage now.

[RamAirZ]

I have no response to that.



I stand corrected then

Actually not - you just kinda proved my point. You either got lucky or were kinda picky & bought decent quality products. Did you ever make your purchase decision based upon input impedance?

Just rattlin yer cage now.

lol first what's this lightning bolt thing, second, yes. I always choose an amp and sub combo that will run at a certain impedance and power. I think the thing we need to know here is the impedance of the signal input on the amp when using the line-level converter or the inputs like on the Basslink. I'm sure the resistance is very high to not allow the power to actually funnel through. A typical set of Pioneer 6x9's has an 4-8ohm impedance.

[tom4bren]

lol first what's this lightning bolt thing,

Never ever, ever piss of Zeus. He'll drop a lightning bolt down your shorts.

It's an old discussion we had about the power savings by converting to an electric fan. Comments about a 0.1% increase in throttle response come from that same discussion.