As was said, and simply put:
1. Don't run RCA's or speaker wires next to your power cable.
2. Ground as close to your amp as possible, and it wouldn't hurt to clean off the contact point so that you're grounding to bare metal.
Good luck!

 

You are right about the sub box. I had a pair of JBL 10"s a long time ago that were cheap. I built my own boxes out of 3/4" MDF that had the correct volume specs with some good insulation in them and they thumped very well. If I had a better amp they probably would have been a lot louder. I have heard people's systems that are terrible with their big amp and big subs just because they weren't anywhere close to the right air space requirement. I think they were even using a totally sealed box for subs that were made to have ported boxed. People have to realize that those specs are there for a reason. Same thing as specs on amps, like THD, total watts. The whole system is exactly that, a system. All parts of the system must be considered in the design to get it to work correctly and last a long time. An engine is a system too, and you can't use weaker stock pistons in an engine that is running good amounts of nitrous. Bye bye pistons, bye bye speakers.

 

Whats up Vipersforsale, I Appreciate your info on grounding an amplifier. My head unit is a Pioneer deh-p6600 and i do believe it has a loop ground.Should i try to run a ground for this loop ground??If so where do i run it too?? I do have the power cable and RCA cable runned on opposite sides. And as far as the ground for my amp. I drilled a hole about 15 inches away from amp. My ground wire is fairly thin. Should i get a thicker cable??? Drop me a line when you get a chance....Thanks!!

 

Sounds like ViperForSale is the guy to listen to. Can't beat experience.

 

Hey whats up... yep thicker cable for the ground is always better and make sure the mounting point for your ground has the paint scraped away from where the connector touches, paint is a terrible conductor for electricity! First things first... make sure the headunit has a good ground, if you have to find a metal bracket behind or under the dash to ground it to. Try grounding the loop to the same ground if that doesnt help try running your ground from the same as what you have the amp grounded to. But as I and another stated already, if the amp is a "less expensive" unit there may be little you can do to reduce any whine or noise. Some whine could be reduced by purchasing a RCA type noise filter or even the old way of a power filter, which looked like a small transformer but those usually dropped the voltage output by about a 1/2 volt. We used to put capacitors across the terminals of older cars alternators to help, but you cant do that stuff in newer vehicles so quality equipment has no substitute.

I just thought of another common problem that most people dont think about, make sure you actually use the ground provided for the radio, just because it turns on when the antenna is plugged in doesnt mean it has a good ground or just because it is mounted by or to a bracket that is metal. The case might be grounded but 9 out 10 times the circuit board inside isnt.

And try to make sure the RCA cable running from the radio to the amp isnt running alongside of the vehicle wire bundle that runs at the bottom of the door, it needs to be at least a couple of inches away from that since it is mostly power wires in it too.