sal.n

Hi, I am a newbie in car sound systems I just bought this amp Rockford Fosgate P3001, 900W Max, Monoblock Amplifier and a JBL GT Series 1000 Watt Sub in bassworks box. Now i am totally confused about speakers. this is where i need your help please. Now I can't find out how much watt or rms speaker or speakers should I buy. I also read on internet if the amp is 1 channel or monoblock (sorry guys i have no idea how the amp works) it will only send all the bass or power to 1 speaker is that true ? I have a 2002 Civic LX I also want to know will i be able to use the company fitted honda speakers

Hope to get a good advice from some of u experts. Thank You in Advance .

wasted911

iTrader: (2)

Speakers are dependent on what you want to get out of them. If you want a simple factory replacement, then go to some shops and listen. Power handling doesnt mean so much in those applications. If you want to get it to sound the best and be able to go to very loud volumes, then you'll want a decent set of speakers that can handle some extra power, and an amplifier to drive them. Any speakers will generally benefit from an amplifier driving them.

You're correct about the mono amplifier. They generally only run a single speaker (99.9% of the time for a subwoofer). If you are searching for an amplifier for speakers then you would want to find a 4 channel amp to run all of them.

You can use the factory Honda speakers however they likely wont like much more power than what the factory system (or deck power) can feed them. I'd recommend getting new speakers if you're looking at amplifying as well.

sal.n

Thanks for the help wasted I have this amp already Rockford Fosgate P3001, 900W Max, Monoblock Amplifier can you tell me according to this amp should i get 1 speaker or 2 since its a mono block Amp

TragicMagic

Rockford Fosgate P3001 <<< Link.

Hey, Sal.n. This particular amp will output 300W into a 2 ohm load, or 150W into a 4 ohm load. You haven't given enough information on the subwoofer for us to determine whether it's a good match for that amp. Can you give the model version for the sub?

When an amp is called a Mono-block or 1 channel amp, it simply means it's intended use is to power one channel of audio. How many speakers you hook up to that channel is entirely up to you. The trick is making sure that the RMS rating for the speaker (or speakers) matches the RMS output of the amplifier. For instance, your Rockford amp outputs 300W RMS. So you could hook up 1 subwoofer that can handle 300W RMS, or 2 subs that can handle 150W RMS each, or 3 subs that can handle 100W RMS each. NEVER look at MAX or PEAK power ratings - they are utterly useless to you... Always go by RMS ratings.

What does your Civic have for a head unit? You'll need to determine how you're getting the audio signal to the amplifier so it'll send the bass frequencies to the sub.

For now, you will be able to continue to power your stock speakers with the deck. As Wasted911 stated, if you decide to upgrade any of those speakers, your best bet will be to get a 2 or 4 channel amp, depending on if you want to replace all 4, or only 2, of those speakers. Good clean power (from an amplifier) allows the speakers to be controlled more precisely at high volume - so you still get a good sound....

Bring on more questions.

sal.n

Thank you very much for the detailed message TragicMagic. After doing some search on net i found out that the sub is 250 Watts Rms as the sub is in the basswork box i can not check it for model number, in front of the sub it only says "JBL 1000 Watt, GT series high performance subwoofer".

As a head unit i am getting this Kenwood KDC-BT652U.
JBL 1000 Watt, GT series high performance subwoofer (250 rms i believe)

I have a cable to connect the head unit to amplifier.

Should i replace the stock speakers or will they be good ?
If i do replace them i will only replace 2 speakers. what will you suggest which speakers should i buy how many watts or rms?
Will i have to buy new amp if i replace 2 speakers or will this amp be k ?

Apart from that just for general knowledge how will the speakers produce that good sound if they don't get connected to amp directly and if they are connected to head unit ? this question has been bothering me. I know the sub woofer will be directly connected to amp but if all 4 speakers weather i replace 2 or not are connected to head unit how will they produce that good sound if none of them are connected to head unit. Or (will i be able to connect 1 or 2 speaker to this amp or will all the speakers be connected to head unit ?)

TragicMagic

It'd take about 10 minutes to open the enclosure to check the RMS handling and resistance of the subwoofer. There is most likely 8 screws that secure the subwoofer to the front of the Bassworx box. If you remove those screws, you should be able to lift the subwoofer out of the enclosure to check the info on the back of the magnet. Don't yank the speaker out, as you might pull the connected wires out of their terminals, or do other damage. However, there should be enough wire in the box to allow you to slowly pull it out far enough to get the model number, RMS rating, and ohm rating.
That is entirely up to you, but it'll tell you for sure what you're working with.

If you decide not to open the box up, then at least check the load that the sub is going to present to the amp. You'll need a digital mult-meter (DMM). You simply select the proper setting for what you want a reading on, in this case it's Ohms. You touch the corresponding pins to the proper polarity posts on the speaker terminal - and the DMM will display the resistance.
You'll most likely see either a 2 or 4 ohm load. If it's 2ohm, then the amplifier will output 300W to your sub. If its a 4ohm load, the amp will output 150W. So your either 50W over, or 150W below the RMS rating for the sub. It would be ideal to be 50W over.
Having sufficient power is desirable, even if its 50W over. That would allow you to adjust the amplifier's settings for more efficient operation. Which should increase the length of life for both the amp and sub. If you had 150W available for the sub, there may be a tendency to increase the amp's settings to try and get more output from the subwoofer. This is harder on the equipment, and leaves you less room for error.

My head-unit is a Kenwood Excelon KDC-x696. It looks identical to the unit you mentioned. The only difference is the pre-out voltage (4V instead of 2.5V) and the Excelon models have a 2 year warranty. It also costs $40 more. But the deck you've selected leaves you room for expandability. Do a search on pre-out voltages and how they affect an amplified system.
The KDC-BT652U head-unit has 3 pairs of RCA pre-outs. So you Rockford amp should be getting one set of RCA's plugged into it from the SUB RCA output on the deck.

If you decide to get a decent set of speakers to replace your front stage (front speakers), then you'd need a 2 channel amp to power those. I would suggest looking at speakers that have an RMS handling of 60 to 100WRMS. Then, you find an amplifier that has on RMS output that matches the speaker RMS handling rating. Most car audio speakers are 4 ohm resistance drivers, so your amp rating should looking something like 80W RMS x 2 into 4 ohm.
Your upgraded speakers would get their power from the 2 channel amp, the amplifier would get the signal from the head-unit via another set of RCA cables that go from the FRONT RCA output on the deck to the input on the 2 channel amp. Your rear speakers would continue to get their signal from the head-unit.
This is the setup my wife has in her car. Sub and front speakers are amplified off a 3 channel amp. And her rear speakers simply run off the deck power. It most cases that's sufficient to make a very good audio system.

sal.n

The sub woofer is 4ohm , 1000 watts peak power handling 250 rms. Is this good or bad ? Should I buy a new amp ?

I want to get the rear speakers changed because they are easier to replace. will it be k if i get the rear speakers replaced.

So there is no possible way to connect speakers to this amp the one i have right now Rockford Fosgate P3001. If i replace rear speakers won't i be able to connect 2 speakers to amp as I only have 1 subwoofer ?

If I do replace the speakers can i just connect the new speakers to head unit ? will it sound good ? does connecting speakers to amp instead of head unit makes sound quality better.

Man i just bought this amp 1 week ago i was unaware of this channels thing. what would you suggest what should i do after knowing all the info . I am past 25 yrs age and i Just want a good sound system something that i can make loud at times and enjoy. I wont be blasting music all the time. just not to forget the fact that I don't have alot of $$$ to spend.

If I do buy new amp and speakers can give me an example of a good speaker and amp combination. (the model and company)

TragicMagic

In this case your amplifier is only going to have 150W available for the subwoofer. It'll work, but its not really ideal. If you got the amp I suggest below. You could bridge the rear channel to make one subwoofer channel good for 400W RMS. But that would be too much for the sub you have. So you could find an amp that does 75W or so on the front channels, and the bridged channel would be 250-300W. Then you'd be okay powering that sub.



Absolutely. There's no harm in replacing your rear speakers. However, most of us refer to rear speakers as "fill". They're generally seen as a less-valuable aspect of a stereo system. The front stage is generally seen as more important, mainly due to their proximity to the driver - as he/she is sitting between the speakers that make up the "front stage".
The nice thing about neglecting the rear speakers is that you leave more money for crucial components of a good system... amps and front component speakers.

Technically speaking, it would be simple to connect your rear speakers to that amplifier. However, this is NOT its intended use. There is absolutely nothing to be gained from hooking them up to that amplifier. There's a list of reasons and explanations as to why this is simply a TERRIBLE idea, but they'd take a while to go over.

When the deck you choose is installed, its get connected to the existing audio system with a wiring harness. The factory stereo has all the audio wires attached to a plug, and that plug fits the factory radio. But that plug doesn't fit the aftermarket headunit. So the wiring harness is an adapter that allows you to connect the car's plug with the plug of the new stereo. So the speaker wires that currently go to your speakers will be the same, they'll just be connected to a different source. Therefore, as soon as the new deck is in, all of your speakers will be running off the new headunit. The aftermarket headunits put out a greater amount of power. That in itself is going to make your OEM speakers sound much better - which is why replacing the rear speakers won't be that important.

My suggestion is that you get your deck and amp installed. Those two pieces of equipment are good enough to get you started... You've still got to ensure that your sub and amp are a good combination (take the time to physically check the RMS rating and resistance as I stated before). Then, I would listen to your stereo for a few weeks with the speakers running off deck power, and your sub and amp setup properly. You may find that this setup is good enough - or you may want more. But you can't determine that until you've heard it.
Amplification is what brings a system to a new level.



MB Quart FX4.100 4 Channel Amplifiers at Onlinecarstereo.com
This is a lower-tier amplifier, but it'll do the trick. Its a 4-channel amp, but I'd still suggest you only replace your front speakers and put the extra money towards them. The nice thing about having a 4 channel available, is that if/when you decide to replace the rear speakers, you'll already have amplification ready for them.
Earthquake FC6.2 (FC62) Component Systems at Onlinecarstereo.com
These 6.5" speakers have an RMS of 100W, which would match that amp.
You really have to go into stores and listen to what's out there to find out what you like...

Hope that helps some more.

Dukk

Let me make this as clear as possible. The Rockford P3001 is a single channel amplifier made to power a subwoofer or subwoofers. It will not power your 'car speakers'.

TragicMagic

Hey Dukk,
I've been working with Sal since he posted this thread, through PMs and email. I'm going to give him a hand installing the Kenwood deck he bought. We found a Soundstream Tarantula amp for sale on Kijiji for the right price, with a decent amount of power.
Then it'll be a matter of finding a decent set of front speakers, and he should be good to go.