Pelican Pete

My new Phoenix Gold XS 4600 amplifier arrived today. (Soundhabit.com is awesome!)
This is one impressive looking amp!
(And all of my home-audio audiophile friends agree that PG is awesome too.)
THe PG 4600 is 75w x 4.

Since I am still very new to car audio, I thought I would do something out of the ordinary, and actually read the owners manual. (Especially since I plan to install it myself, which should be pretty easy since all the wires are in place from the previous amp.)

Question # 1 -- what is the recommended fuse size?
The amp has 2 30A fuses, and the manual says that the max current draw is 55A. So can I get away with putting a 60A fuse inline at the battery?

Question # 2 -- Can I even still use the previous power wires ? My ADS amp was 40w X 4. The inline fuse was 30A. And the power & ground wires are dual conductor 12 gauge twisted together, for a total gauge of approximately 8 gauge. Is that sufficient for the PG amp ?
Or should I run larger power & ground cables ?

Question # 3 -- What's with the crossovers ?!?!
They are not adjustable. Well the literature says that they are, but there's no front panel adjustment for the crossover frequency.
I read the manual cover to cover, in English and in French (although I don't understand French) and it appears that the only way to adjust the crossover frequency is to open up the unit and rebuild the resistor networks.
I guess that's better for "audiophile quality" sound, but it makes tweaking a real pain in the a$$.
The factory setting is 85Hz, which should *probably* work fine for the Stealthbox, especially since it is a very steep Xover slope (24dB/oct). But I would prefer to set it a little bit lower. When I had the ADS amp, I set the frequency around 60Hz (but it was only a 12dB/oct slope.)
Where do other people have their Stealthbox Xovers set ?

85Hz would also work fine as a high-pass frequency while I still have my stock front speakers in the doors. And when I get the Focals (hopefully next week) I plan to run them full range.

But still -- I like to tweak ! I can't just turn a **** and have my fun.


I plan to install this thing this evening.


Thanks,
Peter

Foo

I wish i knew the answer to the crossover question... i would use a 60amp inline i think thats prolly fine...i would probably upgrade to a true 8 gauge power at minimum, im using 4 (overkill i know but incase i go multi amp later im ready)

good luck

Darren

MoBrazen

Cade Austin or Morgan West at PG. They are wonderful guys and they'll help you through anything your heart desires about your amp. The number is 503-288-2008.<p>"I'm that Blue Menace in your rear view!!!"

MoBrazen

Whatever!!! :-) I hope that paint doesn't melt off your Xtant amp!! (Hee Hee) I was gonna powder coat my PG amps to Nogaro Blue, but it was too much hassle for my taste. He'll like the amp after he gets things straightened out with Morgan or Cade.<p>"I'm that Blue Menace in your rear view!!!"

Foo

Added HighTemp polymer.... no worries. P

Roastie

When I got my Stealthbox a couple of months ago, the installer recommended the Eclipse 3322 over the PG amp. Reasoning: Eclipse offers adjustable x-over, while PG was pre-set. Personally, I like the looks of the PG much better, and I'm sure quality is excellent as well.

After playing with the system for a while, mine sounds best at a fairly high frequency setting, about 150 Hz. My otherwise stock Bose system loses mid-high bass easily, so I have to ask the sub to do that work. The 8" speakers in the Stealthbox seem to handle the job well. It's not a perfect system but much better than stock, and good enough to stop spending money on audio. (Gotta save for suspension & brakes.)

I've been very happy with the sound and quality of the Eclipse, and it also offers adjustment of the subsonic range.