amp/ new speakers/ stock head unit

[kevinc.hua]

alright so i bought a set of the infinitiy component system. my question is would it be recommended to install an amp to my speakers and if so how should that be done?

[bchaney]

Definitely. I'd also recommend an aftermarket HU.

The audio signal from the HU is sent to your amp (via RCAs), amplified, and sent to the crossover to be split between tweets and midbass. The amp is powered by a wire from the battery.

[SiN05]

depending which Infinity ones they are would depend where or not to amp them. if its kappa's or perfects I would suggest it.

[Danny J]

i'm curious my self. I'm starting to shop for components and i was looking at the Infinity Kappas 60.7cs. Now really i guess my question would be rather if its a need or want. Would amping components make that much of a difference, with or without a aftermarket HU?

[JakEP3]

i'm curious my self. I'm starting to shop for components and i was looking at the Infinity Kappas 60.7cs. Now really i guess my question would be rather if its a need or want. Would amping components make that much of a difference, with or without a aftermarket HU?

You should hook them up to an amp. Even with an after market HU the speakers will only get around 20 watts RMS while ideally they should get 90 watts. I'm giving mine 80 watts and they sound terrific.

[xsimplistikaznx]

like they said. yes to the amp. if not, eh oh well. btw what size component you talking about?

[Blackexcoupe]

Components should be powered by an amp. It'll be easier if you get an aftermarket headunit, but if you decide not to it'll require a line output convertor for your stock unit.

[p1nk50ck]

i'm curious my self. I'm starting to shop for components and i was looking at the Infinity Kappas 60.7cs. Now really i guess my question would be rather if its a need or want. Would amping components make that much of a difference, with or without a aftermarket HU?

amplifying makes a huge difference. both in sound, and speaker protection

lets say you buy a pair of components for the front, and for sake of ease in explanation, you decide to remove your rear panel speakers completely.

you decide to get the infinity reference 5020c components. they are rated at 2 watts to 75 watts RMS at 2 ohms, with 225watt max. (rms meaning the consistent power) http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?g=410&i=1085020CS&tp=106

these speakers will work fine with our factory head unit or aftermarket head unit. however, you will get more output and better sound by pairing the speakers with an amp. i would suggest getting an amp that will give you around 50-75 watts x 2 at 2 ohms. you could always go higher, but you run the risk of overpowering your speakers if you don't tweak the settings properly. you can also go lower as well. a standalone amp will almost always sound better than your headunit's amplifier, even if the wattage rating is the same. so if your aftermarket amp has an output of 17 watts rms, a standalone amp that puts out 17 watts rms will sound better.

how can you ruin your speakers if you underpower them? well, usually it happens when you crank your stereo. if you put your windows down, or highway road noise is too loud, people tend to crank the dial on their stereo to overpower the ambient noise. if your headunit isn't outputting enough power to your speakers, you will send your speakers a distorted signal, which will eventually ruin them. if you had an amp, you can safely send more power to your speakers with a clean signal, and therefore your speakers are happy.

basically this means that your speakers are capable of much more when you power them with an amp. ie - you could drive your car and keep the rpms under 3500 and you'll drive around just fine. however, our cars are much more fun to drive above 5000 rpm :)

[Danny J]

Man....i luv you guys:eyebrows: This is why i want a components so i can listen to my music on the highway with windows down. I know in the super near future i'm going to get rear speakers. So should i fork out money now for a 4ch or stick with two 2ch amps. I kinda want the 2ch more because i'm affarid that with having only 2chs being used on a 4ch amp. It'll take all that power nd distribute to the 2chs being used. While with a 2ch amp it wont have has much power, right?

[p1nk50ck]

Man....i luv you guys:eyebrows: This is why i want a components so i can listen to my music on the highway with windows down. I know in the super near future i'm going to get rear speakers. So should i fork out money now for a 4ch or stick with two 2ch amps. I kinda want the 2ch more because i'm affarid that with having only 2chs being used on a 4ch amp. It'll take all that power nd distribute to the 2chs being used. While with a 2ch amp it wont have has much power, right?

hey,

just a few things to clear up some of the confusion.

components sound great. it isolates the tweeters, so you can place them in the factory window sail for better positioning. however, 2-way speakers powered by an amp will also provide plenty of sound. so if you're on a budget, they're not "bad". my point being that you don't "have" to get components just to enjoy the music in your car with the windows down.

rear speakers are somewhat pointless. if you have a good set of components up front, you don't even need the rear speakers unless you really really care about your rear passengers. however, an extra set of speakers always help increase the volume of sound in your car. some audiophile nit-pickers will argue that it's not optimal to have sound coming in from behind the driver.


if you're going to get a nice set of components in front, you really only need to get a 2 channel amp. forget the rear speakers. the factory ones are crap. take them out.

a 4 channel amp is usually capable of being "bridged" which means that you can pair up the channels to make the 4 channel amp a 2 channel amp. however, you usually have to manually do this. depending on the brand and model of amp you get, sometimes it's done with a dip switch, sometimes it's done with the way you wire it. it's rare that an amp will automatically switch the empty two channels into the two that you're using.

[Danny J]

yea i really dont care to much about the rear speakers. I was only going to get a like a decent set from best buy or something. But i really want to get components up front. To be honest i'd rather put like a 8' sub or some kind of speaker thats really great for lows in the rear speaker panel. Plus i really dont have back seat passengers that much. When i do there my lady friends who cluck like hens anyways:blabla:, lol. that was kinda mean:sorry:

[james04si]

amplifying makes a huge difference. both in sound, and speaker protection

lets say you buy a pair of components for the front, and for sake of ease in explanation, you decide to remove your rear panel speakers completely.

you decide to get the infinity reference 5020c components. they are rated at 2 watts to 75 watts RMS at 2 ohms, with 225watt max. (rms meaning the consistent power) http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?g=410&i=1085020CS&tp=106

these speakers will work fine with our factory head unit or aftermarket head unit. however, you will get more output and better sound by pairing the speakers with an amp. i would suggest getting an amp that will give you around 50-75 watts x 2 at 2 ohms. you could always go higher, but you run the risk of overpowering your speakers if you don't tweak the settings properly. you can also go lower as well. a standalone amp will almost always sound better than your headunit's amplifier, even if the wattage rating is the same. so if your aftermarket amp has an output of 17 watts rms, a standalone amp that puts out 17 watts rms will sound better.

how can you ruin your speakers if you underpower them? well, usually it happens when you crank your stereo. if you put your windows down, or highway road noise is too loud, people tend to crank the dial on their stereo to overpower the ambient noise. if your headunit isn't outputting enough power to your speakers, you will send your speakers a distorted signal, which will eventually ruin them. if you had an amp, you can safely send more power to your speakers with a clean signal, and therefore your speakers are happy.

basically this means that your speakers are capable of much more when you power them with an amp. ie - you could drive your car and keep the rpms under 3500 and you'll drive around just fine. however, our cars are much more fun to drive above 5000 rpm :)

Those are 2 ohm speakers. Our head unit is designed for 4 ohms. It would not be wise to use 2 ohm speakers with it. I am not sure why crutchfield would suggest using them on a factory system unless it was bose or infinity which are usually designed with 2 ohm loads. It will defenatly make the headunit run hotter and even cause premature failure of the amp circuit in it. In other words use 4 ohm speakers or plan to run them in series to create a 4 ohm load with the factory headunit.

[Stanz0r]

One benefit of a 4 channel amp is that you can use two channels for up front and bridge the rear channels for a sub. Granted it won't make as much power as a dedicated sub amp but it does give you an additional option in the future.

[p1nk50ck]

Those are 2 ohm speakers. Our head unit is designed for 4 ohms. It would not be wise to use 2 ohm speakers with it. I am not sure why crutchfield would suggest using them on a factory system unless it was bose or infinity which are usually designed with 2 ohm loads. It will defenatly make the headunit run hotter and even cause premature failure of the amp circuit in it. In other words use 4 ohm speakers or plan to run them in series to create a 4 ohm load with the factory headunit.

:mconfused: Sorry, my initial point was a simple explanation to pair the speakers with an amp, i have my crutchfield setup for my car with an aftermarket head unit. i wasn't thinking of the factory head unit at the time i set this up. :doh:

good catch though!

[p1nk50ck]

yea i really dont care to much about the rear speakers. I was only going to get a like a decent set from best buy or something. But i really want to get components up front. To be honest i'd rather put like a 8' sub or some kind of speaker thats really great for lows in the rear speaker panel. Plus i really dont have back seat passengers that much. When i do there my lady friends who cluck like hens anyways:blabla:, lol. that was kinda mean:sorry:

honestly, don't bother with best buy.

their prices are on-par with crutchfield, and crutchfield will send you bracket rings, wiring harnesses, instructions, the whole nine yards.

or if money is the concern, use crutchfield to find out what setup fits your car, and get it for 1/2 off on ebay by a reputable seller.

you can also check out www.woofersetc.com they tend to have some great sales going on from time to time.

[Danny J]

Money is never a concern when i do my sound. I love music way to much to half ass it. It even over powers my luv for Ep's nd cars in general (please dont hurt me:mfrown:). The point of my setup is to have really good highs up front with decent sounding mids (thinkin bout tieing in bass blockers but not sure) Then coming from the rear would be really good mids and lows. Plus like 1 or 2 10 inch subs. Or like i said before maybe putting 8inch subs where the rear speakers are now. But subs arent till later this year. Summer is around the corner and i really need better highs for highway cruisin'

[p1nk50ck]

Money is never a concern when i do my sound. I love music way to much to half ass it. It even over powers my luv for Ep's nd cars in general (please dont hurt me:mfrown:). The point of my setup is to have really good highs up front with decent sounding mids (thinkin bout tieing in bass blockers but not sure) Then coming from the rear would be really good mids and lows. Plus like 1 or 2 10 inch subs. Or like i said before maybe putting 8inch subs where the rear speakers are now. But subs arent till later this year. Summer is around the corner and i really need better highs for highway cruisin'

you won't need bass blockers if you get a quality set of components up front. quality components should come with crossovers, which will protect your tweeters from the lower frequencies.

[Danny J]

Oh ok cool, i was never really clear on what the crossovers did. Mind you this is my first component set ever! So i'm really amped, no pun intended. All my past speakers have been some basic pioneers that you can grab from best buy. p1nk50ck do you have any recomeddations for the rear speakers that can put out good bass/lows? If its possible to stay with infinitiys all around awesome! If not then i guess something that would compliment the kappas 60.7cs

[Danny J]

Anyone else feel free to chime in on some rear speakers too!!

[kevinc.hua]

so i only have a crappy amp because i spent all my money on the components but, do you think a jensen 4ch 370 watt amp will work fine with the components

[p1nk50ck]

Oh ok cool, i was never really clear on what the crossovers did. Mind you this is my first component set ever! So i'm really amped, no pun intended. All my past speakers have been some basic pioneers that you can grab from best buy. p1nk50ck do you have any recomeddations for the rear speakers that can put out good bass/lows? If its possible to stay with infinitiys all around awesome! If not then i guess something that would compliment the kappas 60.7cs

if you have amp-powered components in both the front and the back, it will provide pretty good bass. if you want more bass, you can try to get a set of 6.5" subs or midrange speakers for the rear panels. I remember reading about some really really nice 6.5" subs, but i can't remember the brand. they got very good reviews. it really depends on how much money you're willing to spend on your project, and what direction you want to go.

i travel frequently for work in my car, and i have to not only haul other co-workers but all of our luggage as well. I can't do a sub box in the trunk, because i need all of my cargo space. I also park my car on the street, so i'm afraid to get a prepackaged sub box or bazooka tube.

i've been looking into getting the kicker comp VT 6.5" speakers for my rear speakers. they're shallow 6.5" subs, but they have to be powered with an amp to do their job properly. they're about 110 bucks a piece. i think it'll they'll add just enough bass without rattling all of your bolts loose.

i just did a quick and dirty install this weekend with some alpine type-s 5.25" 2-ways up front, and some alpine type-r 6.5" 2-ways in the rears. they're powered by an aftermarket head unit. the sound is significantly better than stock, but it's still not great. i need some more bass, but i guess this will hold me off for a while.

[Stanz0r]

so i only have a crappy amp because i spent all my money on the components but, do you think a jensen 4ch 370 watt amp will work fine with the components

It will work but Jensen has a very bad rep at car audio, well electronics in general. Reliability is usually a concern but my problem with Jensen is that they highly overrate their amps. Don't expect to see anywhere near the power they claim (rms wattage).

If you can hold out, save your cash and buy a quality amp. How much is the Jensen going to run you? What is your budget?

[p1nk50ck]

It will work but Jensen has a very bad rep at car audio, well electronics in general. Reliability is usually a concern but my problem with Jensen is that they highly overrate their amps. Don't expect to see anywhere near the power they claim (rms wattage).

If you can hold out, save your cash and buy a quality amp. How much is the Jensen going to run you? What is your budget?

agreed. you won't need all that much power to run your speakers, but i always look down on purchasing cheap products.



so i only have a crappy amp because i spent all my money on the components but, do you think a jensen 4ch 370 watt amp will work fine with the components

a decent 4 channel amp will sell on ebay for less than 200 bucks, just make sure that the seller is legit, and doesn't have an negative feedback within the past few months.

here, i did the work for you:

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-ALPINE-MRP-F450-4-CHANNEL-AMPLIFIER-CAR-STEREO-AMP_W0QQitemZ270230795273QQihZ017QQcategoryZ39739Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-ALPINE-MRP-F300-4-CHANNEL-AMPLIFIER-CAR-STEREO-AMP_W0QQitemZ270231014503QQihZ017QQcategoryZ39739Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-KICKER-ZX350-4-4-2-CHANNEL-AMPLIFIER-CAR-AUDIO-AMP_W0QQitemZ350051913006QQihZ022QQcategoryZ39739Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[kevinc.hua]

thanks man!! but couldnt i just install the jensen amp first then when i get a better amp, i can just switch it? and thanks for finding the amps for me, i appreciate it!!

and if im connecting compnents to the amp with a stock hu, is there anything else i need to know for this type of setup?
and im not planning on getting subs.
im getting this all done at an audio shop.