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Product Spotlight: Firstech FT-DAS II Security Sensor

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FT-DAS II Security Sensor

A laptop bag in the back seat, a smartphone in the center console or shopping bags in the rear of an SUV – each is the perfect temptation for a thief. In seconds, items you’ve spent your hard-earned money to acquire are gone forever. Protecting your vehicle with a premium car alarm that includes the Firstech FT-DAS II security sensor is one of the best options for stopping theft, vandalism or damage.

This impressive device includes four security sensors in one compact, reliable package. The FT-DAS II is also a key component in why Compustar or Arctic Start remote car starters are the safest solutions for vehicles with manual transmissions. Let’s take a look at the FT-DAS II in detail.

Firstech FT-DAS II Features

The FT-DAS II uses a high-sensitivity, multi-axis digital motion accelerometer to detect attempts to break into your vehicle or damage from shopping carts or another vehicle. If the device detects a moderate impact, the system chirps the siren a few times to scare off thieves or alert another driver that they may have touched your vehicle. If the impact is significant, the full alarm will sound instantly. The impact sensor is excellent protection against someone using a battery-powered reciprocating saw to try to steal a catalytic converter or using a cordless impact gun to steal your wheels. Your Firstech dealer (Compustar or Arctic Start) can fine-tune the sensitivity of the impact sensor to keep your vehicle safe without having false alarms when it’s windy or noisy.

The FT-DAS II includes programming logic that monitors the accelerometer to detect when the vehicle is being lifted. If someone is trying to steal your wheels or the car is being hoisted onto a flatbed or raised by a tow truck, the tilt-detection feature will trigger the alarm.

The most obvious difference between the original FT-DAS and the FT-DAS II is the inclusion of glass-breakage detection. If a thief uses a hammer or punch to break a window, the microphone will detect the sound of the glass shattering and trigger the alarm.

FT-DAS II Security Sensor
Thieves commonly use automatic center punches to break windows without triggering an impact sensor. The FT-DAS II’s glass-breakage detection will trigger the alarm instantly.

Forward-Motion Detection Delivers Class-Leading Remote Start Safety

The FT-DAS II is required anytime a CM7 or CMX control module is installed as a remote car starter on a vehicle with a manual transmission. The forward motion sensor is active during the remote start process and will shut the engine down immediately if it detects the car or truck moving forward. Even if all the safety systems have been bypassed (which is very difficult to do), you can be confident that your vehicle won’t drive through your garage when you activate the remote starter. No other brand of manual-transmission-compatible remote starter offers this level of safety and security.

Get Security Alerts Remotely

If your remote starter or security system is equipped with a two-way remote like the T13, R5, T12, T11, Q9, 901 or the T9, you’ll get alarm alerts as long as you’re within range of your vehicle. The remote will beep and, depending on the model, tell you which security zone was triggered. The security alerts include warnings for the door, hood and truck triggers and those from the FT-DAS II. For ultimate protection, the DroneMobile telematics system will show alarm alerts as notifications on your smartphone no matter where you are, as long as your phone has access to the internet.

FT-DAS II Security Sensor
If the FT DAS-II triggers your security system, DroneMobile will push an alert to your smartphone almost instantly.

Factory-Installed Security Systems Don’t Offer Damage Protection

You may have been told that your vehicle came from the factory with a security system. In most automobiles, these systems are typically just a transponder key that helps prevent vehicle theft. They do nothing to protect you against smash-and-grab intrusions as they don’t include an impact or shock sensor. A dedicated Compustar or Arctic Start system that includes the FT-DAS II will provide an instant alert if someone is attempting to damage or break into your car, truck or SUV.

Protect Your Vehicle with A Premium Digital Security Sensor

Whether you’re worried about theft, damage in a parking lot or vandalism, a security system or remote car starter that includes the Firstech FT-DAS II is the best protection you can buy. Drop by an authorized Compustar or Arctic Start dealer to ask about a vehicle protection system today. You can learn more about Compustar remote starter and security solutions by visiting their website and following them on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.

Product Spotlight: Rockford Fosgate Prime R2D2-12 Car Audio Subwoofer

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Prime Subwoofer

Adding a subwoofer to your car audio system is one of the best ways to improve the way your music sounds. If you are looking for a high-quality subwoofer at an affordable price, the Prime Series R2D2-12 from Rockford Fosgate is an excellent choice. This dual-voice coil 12-inch subwoofer is rated to continuously handle 250 watts of power with peaks at 500 watts. Best of all, you know you’re getting a subwoofer that will sound great and deliver clean, clear bass with minimal distortion.

Physical Features of the Rockford Fosgate R2D2-12

The R2D2-12 is based on Rockford Fosgate’s StampCast four-spoke, stamped-steel basket design. The basket design uses large, rolled edges on the windows to add significant structure and ensure that the motor assembly is secure and solid, giving you the benefits of a cast design without the expense.

The basket also features vents in the base where it’s mounted to the top plate. These vents improve power handling and driver linearity by allowing air under the spider to enter and escape around the voice coil as the cone moves forward and rearward. Features like spider venting are usually reserved for much more expensive drivers. There’s also a sizeable cooling vent in the pole piece to allow airflow from under the dust cap for an extra boost in power handling and performance.

Prime Subwoofer
The embossed and rolled edges of the R2D2-12 frame add significant structural rigidity to the driver.

The voice coil former is made of aluminum to help extract heat from the dual windings, while most woofers at this price point use plastic. The R2D2-12 has a pair of 2-ohm voice coils that can be wired in series or parallel or driven by separate amplifier channels. If you need a pair of 4-ohm coils on your sub, the R2D4-12 is the answer.

Speaker connections are made via a pair of spring-loaded terminals on each side of the motor assembly, with the voice coil’s tinsel leads sewn to the spider to keep them from slapping the cone or spider at high excursion levels. This is another feature that’s typical of much more expensive subwoofers.

Prime Subwoofer
Cooling vents integrated into the bottom of the StampCast chassis enhance power handling and high-excursion linearity.

The cone is constructed from injection-molded polypropylene with mica added for improved rigidity and thermal stability. An inverted dust cap in the center of the cone keeps dust and debris out of the voice coil gap. For compliance, the poly-cotton spider uses a linear design and a half-roll, poly-foam surround treated with a UV inhibitor to ensure longevity and reliability. A semi-rigid, injection-molded trim piece on the mounting flange provides a clean look. The connection between the spider, cone and surround has been reinforced with a multipoint high-temperature, high-strength neck joint bonding technique.

The Prime-Series R2D2-12 from Rockford Fosgate looks great and delivers fantastic sound from even moderately powerful amplifiers.

Prime-Series Subwoofer Applications

When looking at the Thiele/Small parameters, the first thing that stands out is the Xmax spec of 6.4 mm. Unlike most subwoofers that offer an Xmax calculation based on the height of the voice coil and the top plate, Rockford Fosgate’s specification is based on the measured excursion level that produces less than 10% distortion as measured by a laser-based Klippel transducer analysis system. This method considers compliance and motor strength changes for a much more realistic maximum excursion value. Very few companies are this honest and forthcoming with their specifications – quite impressive.

A second important observation is that the driver is impressively efficient. If you have 250 to 300 watts of power, there’s no sense running a giant subwoofer with a heavy voice coil and cone assembly. Rockford Fosgate has optimized this driver to deliver excellent output from minimal power. This is yet another sign that this company knows exactly what it is doing.

In terms of enclosure design, I modeled the suggested 1.02-cubic-foot sealed and 1.79-cubic-foot vented enclosures in BassBox Pro. These enclosures will deliver impressive output from modest power levels, making them perfect for systems with smaller amplifiers or where the electrical system current draw might be a concern in a hybrid or electric vehicle.

Prime Subwoofer
Predicted free-field response of the R2D2-12 in 1.02 cubic feet sealed (red) or 1.79 cubic feet vented (yellow) tuned to 45 Hz.

Upgrade Your Car Stereo with a Rockford Fosgate Subwoofer!

If you’re looking for a subwoofer system for your car or SUV, drop by your local authorized Rockford Fosgate retailer and ask about the 12-inch Prime Series R2D2-12 subwoofers. We think you’ll be very impressed with their performance and value. To learn more about Rockford Fosgate’s automotive, powersport, marine and motorcycle products, visit their website. Also, be sure to follow them on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.

Product Spotlight: Rockford Fosgate Punch P1000X5 Five-Channel Amplifier

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Rockford Fosgate P1000X5

If the sound system in your car or truck doesn’t put a smile on your face, it’s time to visit your local authorized Rockford Fosgate retailer and ask about the impressive P1000X5 five-channel amplifier. This single-channel amp can dish out an effortless 75 watts of power from the four main channels and up to 500 watts of power to a subwoofer. Best of all, it has all the features your installer needs to connect it to almost any factory-installed audio system. If you aren’t intrigued, you should be! Let’s dive deeper.

A Five-Channel Car Audio Amp Is the Perfect Upgrade

If you’ve ever tried to crank up the volume on your car stereo and it began distorting just as things were getting fun, then you need to upgrade your audio system with an amplifier. The P1000X5 is part of the Punch Series from Rockford Fosgate, so it has all the power, features and sound quality you’d ever want.

Let’s start with the power specifications. The P1000X5 is rated to produce 75 watts by four and 150 watts from the subwoofer channel into 4-ohm loads. When connected to 2-ohm speakers, the maximum power output jumps to 150 by four and 300 for the sub channel. If you want to go all out, your installer can design your subwoofer system to present a 1-ohm load to the mono channel so the amp can produce 500 watts of power. The amp can also be configured for three-channel operation where it can produce 250 watts into a pair of 4-ohm speakers and 500 watts into a 1-ohm subwoofer.

Rockford Fosgate P1000X5
All the controls and adjustments for the P1000X5 are on top of the amp to make it easy for your installer to configure.

The P1000X5 includes high-pass crossovers on the front and rear channels that are adjustable from 50 to 250 Hz with -12 dB/octave slopes. The subwoofer channel has a low-pass crossover that’s also adjustable from 50 to 250 Hz and a selectable infrasonic filter set to 28 Hz. The front, rear and subwoofer channels have dedicated sensitivity controls that will accept from 150 millivolts up to an impressive 12 volts. The inputs are differential, so they can handle direct connections to low-power source units without the need for an adapter. The amp has dedicated stereo inputs for the front, rear and sub channels, or it can be configured to feed the sub output from the front and rear, or the rear and sub from just the front.

All three sets of channels feature the on-board Punch EQ circuit, designed to correct for acoustical deficiencies in the cabin of the vehicle. Your installer can dial in up to 18 dB of boost at 45 Hz on the sub channel and up to 14 dB of boost at 12.5 kHz on the front channels. The amp also has a provision for the optional Remote Punch Level control to let the driver adjust the relative level of the sub to the rest of the speakers. In addition, the front, rear and subwoofer channels all feature the C.L.E.A.N. Set-Up feature that lets your installer match your source unit to the amplifier and know when the output signal is clipping.

Rockford Fosgate P1000X5
The famous Rockford Fosgate Punch EQ circuit adds impact and detail without boominess or harshness.

The P1000X5 is 15 inches wide, 7.8 inches long and only 2.4 inches tall. As with the other amps in the Punch series, this amp uses a high-mass cast aluminum heatsink that helps keep things cool while reducing distortion and extending reliability. The amp also features NOMAD protection circuitry that monitors voltages and temperatures to keep the amp safe.

In terms of output device topology, the front and rear channels feature a Class AB design that uses Rockford Fosgate’s proprietary TRANS•ANA configuration to minimize circuit complexity and maximize sound quality. The subwoofer channel is an efficient Class BD design that delivers big power without drawing significant amounts of current from the charging system.

Rockford Fosgate P1000X5
The P1000X5 features top-mounted controls with power, signal and speaker connections located on one side to ensure that the installation remains neat and tidy.

Rockford Fosgate’s Punch P1000X5 – The Perfect Car Audio System Amplifier

One of the most significant benefits of powering your audio system with a five-channel amp is the simplicity of installation. A single-chassis amp doesn’t require multiple power wires or distribution – which can save you a lot of money. Second, five-channel amplifiers typically take up less space than using an amp for the main speakers and a second for a subwoofer.

If you want more performance out of the speakers in your car or truck and are thinking about adding a subwoofer at the same time, drop by your local authorized Rockford Fosgate car audio retailer and ask about the amazing Punch Series P1000X5 five-channel amplifier. You can learn more about this cool amplifier by visiting the Rockford Fosgate website. Be sure to follow their Facebook page, Instagram feed and YouTube channel to learn about the latest audio system solutions for your car, truck, motorcycle or boat.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.

Product Spotlight: Rockford Fosgate M2WL-8 Wakeboard Tower Speakers

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Rockford M2WL-8

Whether you’re waterskiing, wakeboarding or towing friends on a tube, having great music to accompany your time on the water makes a day of fun even better. When it comes to wakeboard tower speakers, the powersports audio fanatics at Rockford Fosgate have the perfect solution to ensure that everyone on the boat and at the end of the rope can hear your favorite jams. Let’s look at the Rockford Fosgate M2WL-8 wakeboard tower speakers and the PMX-RGB LED lighting controller.

Wakeboard Tower Speakers Done Right

The M2WL-8 are Rockford Fosgate’s second generation of wakeboard tower speakers. The kit includes a pair of enclosures loaded with the 8-inch M2-8 coaxial drivers. In addition, a set of universal tower bar clamps are included, along with inserts to work with bars from 1.5 to 3 inches in diameter. The clamps allow the speakers to be rotated by 360 degrees for each alignment during installation. Stainless steel grilles are mounted to the speakers out of the box but can be removed quickly to reveal the white, sport-style, twin-six-spoke grilles in behind. Finally, the speakers include Rockford Fosgate’s Color Optix RGB LED illumination system, and the rear of the enclosures boasts the new 3DIL RGB-illuminated Rockford Fosgate logo. The tower speakers are also available in black as part number M2WL-8B.

Rockford M2WL-8
The included clamps have inserts to allow secure mounting on tower bars from 1.5 to 3 inches in diameter.

When it comes to marine speakers, there are three important product selection criteria: performance, longevity and style. Rockford Fosgate uses Klippel testing during the speaker development process to ensure that all of their drivers operate as linearly as possible. This design verification and testing process translates to speakers that deliver clearer and more detailed sound, especially at high output levels. In addition, the speakers are rated to handle 250 watts continuous and an impressive 1,000 watts of peak power, thanks to the large-diameter voice coils and high-quality crossover networks.

Rockford M2WL-8
The RGB LED illuminated 3DIL logo on the rear of the speakers can be rotated to suit any installation angle.

The M2-8 speakers are based on a PA66 glass-fiber-reinforced chassis for rigidity and thermal stability. At the heart of each speaker is a 1-inch voice coil wrapped around a high-temperature Kapton former. The voice coil is centered by a linear spider made from an aramid-polyester composite. The woofer cone is mineral-filled polypropylene with UV inhibitors and is bounded by a UV- and salt-resistant thermoplastic elastomer surround. The surround and cone benefit from Rockford Fosgate’s Vertical Attach Surround Technique, which allows for up to 25% more effective cone area than conventionally designed drivers. The tweeter in each speaker is made from what Rockford Fosgate calls laminated PXNX, and they have a dome profile with a 1-inch voice coil and dual neodymium magnets.

Rockford M2WL-8
The M2WL-8 set includes wire pigtails, brackets and all the hardware your installer will need to start the installation.

Marine Speakers Made to Last

In terms of longevity, the M2WL-8 meets all the water- and UV-resistance requirements to bear the Element Ready moniker. The speakers are IPX6 water-intrusion rated, and the enclosures are molded from UV-resistant ASA plastic for rigidity and to keep weight down.

Rockford Fosgate’s attention to detail includes dual water-resistant Deutsch/Amphenol DT-Series connectors with silicone gaskets. One connector is in the center of the clamp, and the second is behind the mounting hardware access port. The speakers can be mounted directly to many tower brackets without a clamp, and the dual-connection options keep wiring simple and clean in every application. Speaking of mounting, a concealed security Torx fastener keeps everything rock solid, even when you’re pounding across the tops of waves and wakes.

Great Sound with a Cool Look

The Color Optix RGB LED lighting works with the RMX-RGB wireless controller module. Using the free RFConnect app on your Apple iPhone or an Android device, you can set the illumination color on the speaker cones and 3DIL logo to almost anything under the rainbow. You can even adjust the brightness or choose from 30 color scrolling patterns. In terms of attention to detail, the Diamond R logo on the 3DIL can be rotated, so it’s upright, no matter what angle the speakers are installed.

Rockford M2WL-8
The M2WL-8 kit includes removable stainless steel speaker grilles, so you can choose the style you want at no extra cost.

Upgrade Your Wake Boat with Rockford Fosgate

If you want a set of wakeboard tower speakers that will sound amazing, look cool and last for years, drop by your local authorized Rockford Fosgate retailer and ask about the M2WL-8 system. They’d be happy to provide you with a quote to upgrade your boat. For more information on these tower speakers, visit the Rockford Fosgate website and be sure to follow them on Facebook, Instagram and of course YouTube.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.

Product Spotlight: Rockford Fosgate P3D4-12 Car Audio Subwoofer

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Rockford Subwoofer

If you’ve been into car audio for as long as I have, you’ve likely had a memorable experience with a Rockford Fosgate subwoofer. I vividly remember being in one of the Korbon Trading (the Canadian distributor of Rockford Fosgate in the ’80s) Blastro vans. This GMC Safari had four 18-inch Punch subwoofers powered by a pair of Power 1000 amplifiers. It was the first time a car audio system left me breathless. Fast-forward 33 years and Rockford Fosgate is still a leader in developing car audio subwoofer solutions that get loud and sound amazing. Let’s take a close look at the flagship of the Punch Series 12-inch drivers – the P3D4-12.

Rockford Fosgate Punch P3D4-12 Features

The P3D4-12 is a dual voice coil subwoofer constructed with each coil having an impedance of 4 ohms. The sub is available in a dual 2-ohm model called the P3D2-12. Both are based around a custom-tooled four-spoke hybrid stamp-cast aluminum basket. The main vertical supports and the mounting lip are stamped. There is a cast cooling insert at the base of the basket around the voice coil. Underneath the basket is a 96-ounce double-stacked ceramic magnet assembly that is concealed with a protective PVC rubber cover. The bumped T-yoke is visible through the bottom of the cover, exposing the vented pole piece and eight additional small cooling vents under the voice coil former. These extra vents also allow air pressure to be released from inside the motor as the driver moves rearward, thereby improving linearity and reducing distortion at high excursion levels.

Up top, the additional cooling and ventilation are provided by vents below each window in the basket. These allow hot air to escape from under the spider, helping to keep the motor assembly cool and reduce power compression. All the cooling features combine to ensure that these subwoofers continue to sound great without losing efficiency, even after hours of play time.

With Rockford Fosgate’s FlexFit basket, instead of eight fixed holes in the mounting lip for fasteners, eight slots allow your installer to align the subwoofer perfectly in the enclosure. An aluminum ring is included to finish off the installation and conceal the mounting hardware for a classy and tidy look.

Rockford Subwoofer
The heavy-duty hybrid stamp-cast aluminum basket ensures a solid foundation for this impressive subwoofer.

Voice Coil and Moving Part Features

The cone of the P3D4-12 is made from aluminum, as is the inverted dust cap. Both have an anodized finish, and Rockford Fosgate is screened on the cone. At the top of the cone is a Santoprene rubber surround that is attached to the basket with Rockford Fosgate’s VAST design. In essence, VAST moves the surround closer to the outer edge of the basket and increases the effective cone area of the driver.

Rockford Subwoofer
An aluminum trim ring conceals the FlexFit mounting hardware for a clean and tidy appearance.

At the base of the cone are a pair of tear- and fatigue-resistant linear poly-cotton spiders mounted face-to-face to reduce nonlinearities. Four 16-AWG tinsel leads are sewn into the spiders to ensure that they won’t make noise at high excursion levels. The 2.5-inch voice coil former is made of anodized aluminum so that it can withstand extreme temperatures. The driver uses a four-layer voice coil winding. A spun-laced NOMEX reinforcement collar adds strength to the connection between the cone, the voice coil former and the spiders.

Electrical connections are handled by four nickel-plated spring terminals. The terminals push inward toward the voice coil and wire up to 10 AWG in size is inserted from below. While it seems inconsequential, this vertical wiring method helps keep everything organized during installation.

Rockford Subwoofer
The bottom-entry terminals on the P3D4-12 accept up to 10-AWG cables and keep the wiring out of the way when installing the subwoofer.

P3D4-12 Specifications

The P3D4-12 subwoofer is rated to handle 600 watts of power continuously and up to 1,200 watts maximum power. The driver has a total weight of 20.9 pounds (9.48 kilograms). Mounting depth is 6.66 inches, and the driver requires a cutout size of 11.25 inches.

In terms of electromechanical specifications, Rockford Fosgate specifies the driver as having a resonant frequency (Fs) of 27.7 hertz, an equivalent volume compliance (Vas) of 2.04 cubic feet and a total Q (Qts) of 0.52. The maximum linear excursion (Xmax) is listed at 0.547 inch in each direction.

The owner’s manual suggests a sealed enclosure with a net internal volume of 1.02 cubic feet to produce an F3 frequency of 42.2 hertz and a system Q of 0.78 – which should be well-controlled and impressively musical. If you want to increase low-frequency efficiency, they suggest a 1.79-cubic-foot vented enclosure with a tuning frequency of 40 hertz. This should result in an F3 frequency of 32.8 hertz and a lot more output. If you have the room, we always suggest the vented enclosure.

Rockford Subwoofer
Predicted frequency response of the P3D34-12 in the factory-spec enclosures: red, sealed; yellow, vented

If you want a little more rumble from the sub, ask the Rockford Fosgate retailer you’re working with to build the vented enclosure with a tuning frequency of 30 Hz. You’ll lose some of the 50-60 hertz efficiency, but pick up more output below 35 hertz.

Rockford Subwoofer
If you want to trade some boom for more rumble, drop the enclosure tuning frequency from 40 hertz (yellow) to 30 hertz (green).

Upgrade Your Car Audio System with a Rockford Fosgate Subwoofer Today

If you’re searching for a high-performance subwoofer that’s designed to sound great while delivering impressive amounts of bass, drop by your local authorized Rockford Fosgate retailer. You can find a shop near you using the dealer locator on the Rockford Fosgate website. Be sure to follow Rockford Fosgate on their Facebook page and Instagram feed and check out the awesome videos they produce on their YouTube channel.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.