Don’t forget about the Deutsche Novello connectors. Makes the speaker wire situation a lot easier:
I’m running tubes with mine too. If you are still having noise after input gain adjustment it’s more then likely the tube stage introducing a noise floor.
Also for your mounting. I mentioned earlier about 3M Dual Lock...
Looks like Second Skin started offering the product. It will adhere to the amp and be a pain to remove. It will also adhere to cleaned metal very nicely.
I had a period though where I wanted to mount the amps to a MDF amp rack. I didn’t quite trust the adhesion to wood/MDF so I actually lined the MDF rack with a layer of MLV and viola.. I had solid mounting surface for the 3M Dual Lock to adhere to.
I’m not sure if what Second Skin offers is the 400/400 variant of 3M Dual Lock but that is the one you’ll want. Freakishly strong (more so than SDS/Resonix Velcro in some cases). It’s also more stable and secure as in no micro wobbles that can occur with Velcro products. Just some food for thought.
Nothing much to look at but I’ll attach some pics. It was literally my “drawing board” as I was deciding on gear. Amps/gear never budged during my daily driving activities as well as removing and placing the rack in and out of the trunk:
Back:
Front:
3M Dual Lock 400/400
Amps adhered to MLV on amp rack:
Attached tubes to amp via Dual Lock:
Sturdy amp rack that I removed and placed several times:
Those Novello connectors are nice and streamlined.
I think I might still prefer the small 15/30/45 amp Anderson Power Pole connectors, mainly because both ends are protected by the housing. They also keep a solid and consistent contact due to the spring-loaded interlocking system. They are still relatively small and you can connect the housings together into as many pairs or group as you need.
"The 15, 30 & 45 amp contacts all use the same housing. Therefore, they all connect to each other. The size of the flat contact area is actually the same for all contacts. The only difference between the 15, 30 & 45 amp contacts is the size of the receiving barrel that accepts the wire...
15 amp contacts are recommended for 20-16 gauge wire
30 amp contacts are recommended for 14-12 gauge wire
45 amp contacts are recommended for 10 gauge wire
- Powerpole connectors are both genderless and polarized connectors
- Powerpole connectors are genderless, meaning the supply and load connectors are the same. Since there are no male or female parts, all Powerpole connectors mate with themselves.
- Powerpole connectors become polarized when the red and black housings slide together via molded-in dovetails on the housings. Connections can be quickly made and remade sight-lessly or in the dark.
- Unassembled vs. Permanently Bonded:
Unassembled sets can be assembled in any configuration. As two housings slide together via molded-in dovetails, two half rounds align to form a channel that accepts a slotted roll pin. This prevents the housings from sliding apart. The roll pin is a compression fit and will not fall out in operation.
Powerwerx now offers Red/Black Powerpole sets that have been ultrasonically welded together which creates a permanent bond between the red and black housings. This can save assembly time, guarantee correct configuration, eliminate the need for a roll pin and enable the use of Powerpole accessories such as retaining clips or block-lok clamps." - Powerwerx
The Powerwerx Power Pole Crimper is The BOMB. Definitely worth the money if you think you'll be doing more than just a few of these types of connectors!
They also supply Round and Rectangular Panel Mounts...
Yep, for speaker wire purposes the Novello connectors take up very little space on the amp enclosures!
Definitely agree with you on how awesome the Anderson Power pole connectors are. I use the the larger Power Pole 75 as my quick power disconnect for the BT4250 amp and the Power Pole 45 as my quick power disconnect for the BT4180 amps. Very convenient and secure!
Would be interesting though to have them as an option for speaker wire connectors. They just would take up more real estate on the amp enclosure than Novello terminals.
How are you liking the 6180?!
I’m hoping down the line he’ll make a staggered version with:
4x180 and 2x250
:thinking2:
I’m only using Power Pole connectors in my power cable runs:
BT4250:
XT90(power connection @ amp) —> OFC Cable —> Power Pole 75 (for quick disconnect point) —> OFC Cable —> Eyelet Stud (Connection @ power distro block)
BT4180:
XT60(power connection @ amp) —> OFC Cable —> Power Pole 45 (for quick disconnect point) —> OFC Cable —> Eyelet Stud (Connection @ power distro block)
But specifically for speaker wires, I have seen people incorporate Power Pole connectors or XT connectors in the speaker wire cable near the driver end of the cable as a quick disconnect option for the driver.
As far as the speaker outputs on the current Biketronics amps, the only option is tediously inserting bare speaker cable into the terminals or using the Novello connectors that the terminals were designed for.
*note that the REMOTE turn on terminal is also a Novello terminal.
XT Connectors (+ and - for power or speaker signal) have a soldered male and female connector to plug into each other for quick disconnect:
Anderson Power Pole connectors (+ and - for power or speaker signal) have a crimped universal connector that is able to plug into itself for quick disconnect:
The Powerwerx products that bbfoto showed above are power distribution solutions for Power Pole connectors. There are several fused and unfused options to distribute power via Anderson connectors.
In my build I use the RigRunner product (fused distribution) to feed protected 12v power to several lower current accessories/devices.
Awesome thanks guys! My amp is back at mikes getting the car audio treatment. Increased input voltage, xover removed, xt power input and mount feet. This particular and will be mostly for mock up and checking out the ucd modules waiting on the ncore modules to be released, prolly test that too. It's nice because everything is the same chassis so mock up and switching out for testing is easy.
Awesome thanks guys! My amp is back at mikes getting the car audio treatment. Increased input voltage, xover removed, xt power input and mount feet. This particular and will be mostly for mock up and checking out the ucd modules waiting on the ncore modules to be released, prolly test that too. It's nice because everything is the same chassis so mock up and switching out for testing is easy.
FYI, the new BT2700-2 shown above is $899. He does offer a 10% discount to Veterans, and H-D/DIY forum members. You must also remember that these are Made in U.S.A. and carry a LIFETIME Warranty. Tell me ANY other amplifier manufacturer who does that???
Mike currently has 2x500w nCore car audio amplifiers in stock and ready to be shipped. I believe they are ~$1500 each, though, but of course, they are under-rated like all of his amps. Probably more like 600-650wpc in reality. These amps are a slightly larger form factor because the modules themselves are larger than the UcD modules. Again, U.S.A. made and Lifetime Warranty.
There will be other nCore configurations available in the future, but he wouldn't say what configurations he is working on. I asked about multi-channel "staggered power" amplifiers, but he didn't seem interested, because in the end, it doesn't cost any more or save any space to use a lower-powered module for let's say, the tweeter channels.
By design, the nCore modules are "modular" in nature and could conceivably be swapped into several different configurations by switching the power supply(s) & individual modules within a "common" chassis...something like the new Zapco HDSP V processors with interchangeable ADC/DAC modules. So conceivably, an nCore amplifier that you already had installed could be changed to meet your needs if & when your setup changes. I don't know if he will make them like that, but it is possible to do so.
Mike will get back to me on the BT2700-2’s 4-ohm measurements.
Tentatively, he thinks it's going to be in the 4-500 watt area @4 ohm because the amp is based on a 4x400 where they internally bridged two 400 watt 4-ohm optimized modules in parallel for big power at 2 ohms. The neat feature is that it's in the same box as a BT4180!
Mike will get back to me on the BT2700-2’s 4-ohm measurements.
Tentatively, he thinks it's going to be in the 4-500 watt area @4 ohm because the amp is based on a 4x400 where they internally bridged two 400 watt 4-ohm optimized modules in parallel for big power at 2 ohms. The neat feature is that it's in the same box as a BT4180!
Forgot to mention that module/amp configuration above in my previous post regarding the BT-2700-2, so thanks for that! The 2-channels each @ 2-ohms configuration is perfect for my latest subwoofer setup, but the 4-ohm output would be great for single 4-ohm subs or a pair of beefy L/R midbass drivers.
Oh, forgot to mention that for the new car-specific amps, the internal fans will be thermally-controlled with temperature sensors. The fans will still startup at full when first powered on for a start-up diagnostic check, but will then shut off until called upon by the thermo-switch.
Just wanted to mention that in case it is a potential deal-breaker for hatchback, truck, or SUV competition vehicles where the amp(s) are mounted in the main listening cabin or under a seat, etc. It shouldn't be an issue if they're mounted in an isolated trunk or boot.
In contrast, the fans remain running continuously on the previous and current "Bike" amps. But they are relatively quiet even when they are at full, but they are noticeable.
I have been waiting for a while to write a review about my DS18 amplifiers. I wanted to spend time with them and form my conclusions after more than a month.
Current system consists:
Kenwood ddx393
minidsp cdsp 6X8
Si m25, M3 and TM65 V2
SI RM 12
and 2 ds18 exl sq 600.4.
Not a whole lot to...
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