Aldente

Thanks a lot for your help guys! This community is really great! I'm gonna fallow your advices and ,maybe, enjoy great crisp sound in my car! As for the box, I think I'm gonna make a custom one, since I'm pretty good at wood working. Again, thanks a lot guys. I'm gonna have a nice week working in my car

Folk128

iTrader: (1)

Decks use IC chip amps (like computer chips), so the size is very small. Other car amps use individual components on a circuit board so they are a lot bigger and components can be changed if something breaks.

If your going for SQ then use an external amp so you can run an EQ or even a parametric EQ to get a completely flat frequency response. If setup properly of course.

Justin LaRouche

to amp as everyone else is saying!

RScooby

iTrader: (3)

You'd be amazed what a small amp will do for SQ. I remember when I first amplified my front speakers in my old Tempo. I bought the cheapest amp I could find, a little Kenwood 25rms x 2, and the difference was unbelievable. This was instead of running deck power which was *supposed* to be 18rms per channel.

The thing to consider, as mentioned previously, which makes the greatest difference is that an external amp will produce its power over a wider frequency range with less distortion. Full range amps should be rated from 20Hz to 20kHz, whereas the typical deck (but not all) is rated @ 1kHz because it is an easy frequency to reproduce.

Now I'm running 70rms x 4. I'm warning you, you will get addicted

theif

clean power + good speakers = tight . crisp. clear . good amp = clean power .

Cutra

iTrader: (3)

Well I just did what you are thinking of doing.
I went from the deck power (which was pretty good 60 X 4) to a amp set up.
I installed a Hifonics Gemini vii, it's a 4 X 50 watt channel amp with a built in xover.
I set it up in this way. I used 2 channels for my interiors like dash and doors running them at 2 ohms so dash and 4 door speakers. Then I installed 4 8' kickers on the back deck running as well at 2 ohms. Therefore if I use the stated wattage from Hifonics i'm running at 70 watts at each speaker which would work out to be 560 watts very conservativly. We all know the old school amps pushed out more than what they claimed to do...Anyway Everything sounds amazing, actually it's too loud for me. There is no real earth shattering db's in there but it's pretty good for one amp.
Good luck with your install.
I'll be posting pictures of my install soon.....
L.

maltesechicken

Not quite true.
When you wire speakers parallel to drop the impedance down from a 4 ohm load to a 2 ohm load the final 2 ohm power is 70 watts. 70 watts to the 2 ohm load means that whatever makes that total load sees 70 watts. In your case, it means the 4 ohm speakers are sharing the load of 35 watts each. Just like the two 4 ohm speakers totaled to 2 ohms, so also the 35 watts totals the 70. So your system RMS is 280 watts. Your other statement is true. That is likely a very conservative 280 watts.

Secondly, your system proves the earlier point that "less" power from an amp will actually be louder and sound better than the "more" power from the deck. Each speaker is only seeing 35 watts, but it screams with that power (and the fact that you have 8 speakers really helps it be loud).

I have 80wrms x 2 running my components. I love it. However, I am addicted and I often think "I bet that 125 x 2 will give me that little extra I want."

Cutra

iTrader: (3)

Ya know I was just talking about this with my buddy the other day.
Maybe I was confussed as all my old school amps just seam to be puting out much more than what they clain and that is why i thought that.
I guess it's because if my old amp says 4 x 50 at 4 ohms then 4 x 70 at 2 ohms split up by 8 speakers it may actually be 70 or more not 35 at stated due to the amp being so under rated.
In any event my system is pretty good for now... Until I get hungry for earth shattering bass ( I'll just install a couple of 12's or 15's with one of my many
HiFonics Zeus vii ... hehe....

03rejo

iTrader: (1)

Not exactly on topic anymore but all this talk about multi-channel amps has got me wondering - anyone know any good 4ch amps that will run 200-250RMSx4? Right now i've got a PPI PC4400.2 that's running an old school 125x4 to my hcca components, and that is really earshattering. sometimes annoying. But I'm looking to either bi-amp my components or maybe find an amp that's 250x4 clean rms power.

M.C. Ryan

Or C) seeing how it's a small car, and you're going for SQ and not video (5.1) forget rear speakers, spend that money on better front speakers and amp.