Putting together a system in an Avalanche. Need some feedback!

[KurtisLow 10+ year member]

A friend of mine just bought an '04 Avalanche and wants a good system. He mainly listens to Rap/Hip-Hop so, he wants a lot of low bass. He has the Bose system so, the door speakers will go untouched for now.

The box has already been picked out. It's a Audio Dynamics Design vehicle-specific enclosure that replaces the mid-gate. It's designed for either 2 10s, 12s or 15s. My friend wants 2-12s. The enclosure is 1.32cu.ft. per sub with a port volume of .268cu.ft. per side.

My original thought for the system was 2 Alpine Type R D2s (1,000w RMS per sub) with an Alpine MRX-M240 amp and a 1/0 wiring kit. That amp (wired at 2ohms) puts out an estimated 2400 watts. With the gain set around 70%, it would put out a little over 800w power sub which (from what I've read) is about all those subs can really handle. Now, I'm thinking That's too much for his stock electrical system even if he had a good battery under the hood. He's not wanting to buy a secondary battery or high-output alternator since it's just a daily driver system.

With ALL that being said (sorry for the lengthy post)...I was thinking a pair of DC Audio Level 2 12s (Dual 2ohms) 600w RMS each and a Hifonics Brutus BRX2000.1D amp with a 1/0 wiring kit. Wired at 2ohms, that amp puts out 1400w RMS. Would this be do-able with his stock electrical or, at least, with an upgraded battery??

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[caterham09]

I'd say the max on a stock wiring would be around a thousand watts rms

the alternator on an 04 avalanche is 130 amp. Lets say you have that 1400w rms hifonics amp on the stock electrical. That amp draws 202 amps alone (amps = rms wattage x2/ 13.8 ) you can get some of the amps back with a good battery but you also have to consider the fact that the car probably draws at least 30 amps to run things like its computer and lights.

In my opinion that amp would draw too much current for the avalanche to handle

 

[KurtisLow 10+ year member]

Thanks for the quick response. I'm still leaning towards the DC 12s as the sub option. I just need to get a good amp to push then that won't completely exhaust the stock electrical. The Alpine MRX-M110 comes to mind. I've read some owner reviews that said the Birth Sheet on those M110s rates the output between 1150-1160 RMS @ 2ohms. Putting the gain around 75% puts the amps output around 870w which would be around 126 amps. Would a good battery (Optima Red or Yellow Top) make this do-able? I've installed a few systems before, but nothing this high in wattage/amperage.

Also, 435w on a 600w sub is a little underpowered. Would the results be better if that were pushing a 500w sub (TC Epic 12) instead? That is, if that sub worked well in the 1.32cu.ft. range like the DC sub does...

 

[caterham09]

optima yellow top would be the one you want. The yellow top battery is a deep cycle battery meaning it is meant to discharge 40-60% of its power. The red top is basically a regular car battery on steroids. It pushes all of its power in one go but only discharges 10% of its capacity, they are meant to go in things that need a lot of power to start like high compression motors.

I would look into the xs power batteries or kinetic if you wanted to replace the battery because they were built specifically for car audio.

 

[UGHH]

I'm pushing about 1000-1200 watts in a 99 Plymouth breeze with stock electrical with no problem. Just get a voltage meter so he can watch his voltage. If it gets too low, turn the beat down.

 

[mylows10 5,000+ posts]

Your trucks alt. can barely support 1000 rms. trust me you'll need a good agm under the hood. , not a optima , and a big 3 kit. The dc subs are a good choice. For the power you can run. I'd do a pair of the 15s and build a box a 1200-1500 rms amp should be perfect

 

[KurtisLow 10+ year member]

Knowing all of this...what can my friend expect out of this setup? 2 DC Level 2 12s in a 1.32cu.ft. ported enclosure, Alpine MRX-M110 amp, XS Power XP 950 battery, Kenwood Excelon KDC-X597 head unit, Bose door speakers. I'll probably go with a Rockford Fosgate wiring kit. I have no experience with DC Audio but, I've heard nothing but good things.

 

[mylows10 5,000+ posts]

Knowing all of this...what can my friend expect out of this setup? 2 DC Level 2 12s in a 1.32cu.ft. ported enclosure, Alpine MRX-M110 amp, XS Power XP 950 battery, Kenwood Excelon KDC-X597 head unit, Bose door speakers. I'll probably go with a Rockford Fosgate wiring kit. I have no experience with DC Audio but, I've heard nothing but good things.

Port the box first off hard to tell how loud it will be. If your asking that

 

[KurtisLow 10+ year member]

The box is already made. Port volume is .268cu.ft. per side. Not sure on the port dimensions. 2002-2013 Chevy Avalanche or Cadillac EXT Poly Slot Port Sub Box - Car

 

[mylows10 5,000+ posts]

The box is already made. Port volume is .268cu.ft. per side. Not sure on the port dimensions. 2002-2013 Chevy Avalanche or Cadillac EXT Poly Slot Port Sub Box - Car

It's junk. Sorry to tell ya It won't handle a 1500 watts rms amp for long before falling apart You can build one for about $125. Pay. $30 for a design. And get better response and more bass

 

[KurtisLow 10+ year member]

I'm looking to put about 450w a piece to 2-600w subs. You don't think that box would handle that?

 

[mylows10 5,000+ posts]

It's a prefab 5/8 Mdf. Tuned to high prolly sound like ass

 

[KurtisLow 10+ year member]

I've purchased prefab vehicle-specific boxes in the past (for convenience) but never one from this company and not to put in something as big as 2-600w 12s. I'm a maintenance mechanic by trade with some decent fab skills. I feel like I can build something to serve the purpose better than that thing. Thanks for the input, MyLows.