Has anyone seen this amp before??? *PICS! + AUDIO SET-UP*

[islandhopper]

So here's my question...
Has anyone heard of a Powerhouse 2.5 made by Earthquake of SanFrancisco?

Im almost certain this model is discontinued, but I bought one for $50 from a guy off of CL. It has definitely been worth the money..

I can't seem to get any solid info on it.. I read somewhere it may be an 800watt RMS 2-channel amp (Definitely feels like it..) but im not sure. On the back of it, it has a diagram that shows a configuration for "mono application"; which is how i have it wired.


It has a two knobs to adjust equal loudness, one in the 45hz range and the other in the 12Khz range; a Filter Setting knob from 20Hz to 5Khz and a gain knob to adjust for a weak head unit (I have my gain knob barely turned up at all). It does have a warning that states the gain knob should never be turned past the "12 o'clock" mark... I've turned it up to about the 10 o'clock mark and blew a fuse.


Im running this "800w RMS" Earthquake Powerhouse 2.5 amp to a 12" MTX Audio Thunder 6000 Series in a ported box tuned to 33mhz with a Clarion CZ109 50w x 4 head unit.

The sub is a dual VC at 4ohms each, so i've only wired up one coil since the diagram shows only one coil at 4ohms when wired for mono application. (Don't wanna fry my amp..derrr)


All in all, this set-up has served me well and is very loud when i want it to be. Even with only one coil wired up, this shit bumps! I do plan on upgrading to a mono-block class-D amp, wiring up both voice-coils and using a cap sometime in the near future... but i was wondering if any of you well educated Audiophiles had any info for me.. whether it be on the amp itself or any tips or suggestions as to how i have it wired up or even suggestions on other equipment that may improve upon what i already have..

Thanks for reading!

oh yeah, here; i'll throw in a pic of my CB..Don't hate! i know im monster truckin'

[ChIoVnIdCa]

30 amp fuse... 14.4 volts x 30 amps = 430watts at normal 70% efficiency that is under 400 watts rms..

[islandhopper]

Oh, well that's not too bad, i'd say. Im somewhat new to this and that math is something im not familiar with at all.. Thanks for the heads up!

[Restless]

I've heard of the name, watched a video of some sound competitions and some guy had like 10 of those, but bigger amps. Don't know if it's a good brand or not, but they seem to get the job done and hold their own.

[islandhopper]

Cool man...was it on youtube?

This thing is freakin' tuff! the case is like almost 1/4" thick on the top and sides.. thicker on the fins obviously..

When it wasn't mounted, it got thrown from one side of my trunk (which has no carpeting or anything soft in it at all, just bare metal!) to the other and kept on keepin' on, no problem! It's never overheated, shut off, or even gotten hot to the touch...ever.

I think it's a great amp for $50.

[onelivinlarge]

30 amp fuse... 14.4 volts x 30 amps = 430watts at normal 70% efficiency that is under 400 watts rms..

this right here is correct

[Restless]

Yeah the video is on youtube but yeah I'd have the same problem with my subs sliding around in my trunk to so I mounted 1 of my amps to the sub box and other to the back of the rear seats. Currently I don't have any subs in my car which I miss dearly cause I want to get my sub molded into the trunk so when I'm hitting sharp corners I won't have to worry about the box sliding.

[islandhopper]

this right here is correct

Uhm, ok, thx....did anyone refute that?

Yeah the video is on youtube but yeah I'd have the same problem with my subs sliding around in my trunk to so I mounted 1 of my amps to the sub box and other to the back of the rear seats. Currently I don't have any subs in my car which I miss dearly cause I want to get my sub molded into the trunk so when I'm hitting sharp corners I won't have to worry about the box sliding.

Browse this forum bro! theres tons of ways members have secured their ICE. The point is just to secure it, so there are a million ways of going about it and you could probably find what you need layin' around the house...but it might not be too pretty

[sonikaccord]

Don't mount the amp on the box unless your going to mount the box to the car

[kapone]

that switch that says bypass ... set it to the left and it will sound 100% better ...

You have it set on high pass right now, for bass you want low pass...

put the filter setting at the 10 clock position...

re wire both coils in series and then connect the positive and negative wire you have left on the amp bridged (like you have it now on the amp)

and you will get a 4 ohm mono load on the amp, which will make the amp work a lot more efficient (less heat, wont blow the fuse anymore) and you will be getting the full potential out the speaker by using both coils...

and your bass will sound 100% better after you tune it ...

[islandhopper]

that switch that says bypass ... set it to the left and it will sound 100% better ...

You have it set on high pass right now, for bass you want low pass...

put the filter setting at the 10 clock position...

re wire both coils in series and then connect the positive and negative wire you have left on the amp bridged (like you have it now on the amp)

and you will get a 4 ohm mono load on the amp, which will make the amp work a lot more efficient (less heat, wont blow the fuse anymore) and you will be getting the full potential out the speaker by using both coils...

and your bass will sound 100% better after you tune it ...

This is exactly what i was waiting for..

Thankyou.

Tomorrow after work i'll give this a shot. Can you explain the proper procedure to wire both coils in a series, please? Electrical is not my strong suit..

And are you sure about turning up the filter setting that high? My box is tuned to 33mhz, so i figured where i have it would be close to that. Is there something wrong with that idea? What are the benefits of turning it up to the "10 o'clock" position?

Thanks again for your help, it is much appreciated.

[kapone]

This is exactly what i was waiting for..

Thankyou.

Tomorrow after work i'll give this a shot. Can you explain the proper procedure to wire both coils in a series, please? Electrical is not my strong suit..

And are you sure about turning up the filter setting that high? My box is tuned to 33mhz, so i figured where i have it would be close to that. Is there something wrong with that idea? What are the benefits of turning it up to the "10 o'clock" position?

Thanks again for your help, it is much appreciated.

series wiring take 1 piece of wire and connect the negative from one coil to the positive of the other... take another single wire and connect the positive you have left to the positive of the amp. take the another single wire and connect the negative you have left to the negative of the amp. thats it ...

here is a link for diagram if your more of a visual person
http://www.the12volt.com/caraudio/wo...1&I=42#results

As far as the "10 clock" position. Its guess to where the 80hrz cut off looks to be since the dial is very vague (personal experience subs sound better at 80hrz and lower)... Now the fact that the box is tuned to 33 hrz does not mean it doesn't play other notes, it just means it plays that one 3 db's louder ... (i'm not very well versed in ported boxes, but this has been my experience from talking to experts through the years. If i'm wrong please some one correct me)

If you like i can give you a simple way to tune it so you don't blow anything....

To let you know I've been doing audio install for over 16 years, most of those professionally, and now I only do it on a personal basis...

[Sarthos]

that switch that says bypass ... set it to the left and it will sound 100% better ...

You have it set on high pass right now, for bass you want low pass...

put the filter setting at the 10 clock position...

re wire both coils in series and then connect the positive and negative wire you have left on the amp bridged (like you have it now on the amp)

and you will get a 4 ohm mono load on the amp, which will make the amp work a lot more efficient (less heat, wont blow the fuse anymore) and you will be getting the full potential out the speaker by using both coils...

and your bass will sound 100% better after you tune it ...

If you've been installing audio systems for 16 years you should realize that would be 8 ohms mono

Wire it to 8 ohms mono
Fiddle around with the bypass switch
should make all the difference in the world.
Or maybe not, but to me it looks like you're losing a ton of power having the switch set that way

And yah, I wouldn't run the subs up past about 80 Hz. With a good set of speakers you could drop that to 60 Hz. But guessing where the 80 Hz mark is on that amp would be nearly impossible. Unless you wanna play around with test tones and a multimeter for hours.

[kapone]

If you've been installing audio systems for 16 years you should realize that would be 8 ohms mono

Wire it to 8 ohms mono
Fiddle around with the bypass switch
should make all the difference in the world.
Or maybe not, but to me it looks like you're losing a ton of power having the switch set that way

And yah, I wouldn't run the subs up past about 80 Hz. With a good set of speakers you could drop that to 60 Hz. But guessing where the 80 Hz mark is on that amp would be nearly impossible. Unless you wanna play around with test tones and a multimeter for hours.

your right... I stand corrected...

I was thinking 4 ohm stereo not mono... but unfortunately with that amp and considering you don't want 2 different signals going to 2 different coils on the same speaker, this is his only choice to wire it properly...

how do you loose power by setting the by pass switch correctly..?
one thing has nothing to do with the other (power/frequency)

the way the picture is shown its set to high pass, its running his sub, it should be set to low pass...

[Sarthos]

That's what it looks like, but if that is high pass I don't see how it's making any sound at all. That switch might be bass ackwards and have the high and low pass switched. Or the crossover may not function.