AudioFreak: help me out, I hate local installs. Options

[Andason]

My aftermarket deck was wired to use the stock amplifier so I have RCA's going into my deck. The deck has more amplification then the factory, and I am losing a lot of potential sound from my Eclipse deck/Alpine Speakers. How would I rewire this? Would it just be easier to rerun all new speaker wire, or clip wires off from the factory amp?

This post has been edited by Andason: Jul 19, 2003 - 2:04 PM

[Guest_Matthew_*]

thats what i did

screw the factory amp

also keep in mind that the deck amp doesnt really put out all the wattage that says that it does

[AudioFreak]

This should walk you through it.
www.installdr.com/InstallDocs/Toyota/PDF/869009.pdf

If you plan on adding an amplifier later rewiring all the way to the speakers could be helpful but it isn't nesscesary. Just extend the wires to reach your radio and you'll be fine. The article explains it pretty well.

Also like gt2gt4 said don't trust the numbers on the headunit. It will sound better than the stock amp but put in a quality amplifier with the same wattage ratings as the radio and it's like night and day. The highs are crisper and the bass is tighter and deeper.

This post has been edited by AudioFreak: Jul 19, 2003 - 7:33 PM

[Andason]

So let me get this straight, all I need to do is unconnect a couple of snaps and bring them up to the radio and from there just use wire harnesses connect wires correctly and done?

[AudioFreak]

Pretty much. All you are doing is bypassing the wiring to the amp. The standard scosche or metra harness for toyotas plugs into the plug that went into the amp. The biggest pain in the ass is getting to and unpluging the harness from the back of the amp. Some people found it possible to just reach in and work at it till it came loose others pull the trim off. See what works for you.

[snadman]

Yeah this weekend, I did the whole trying to use the stock amp. Ish! The sound was worse than when I bypassed it.

[AudioFreak]

The reason it usually sounds worse is because the stock amp is optimized for the stock headunit. Trying to use an aftermarket headunit usually overdrives the stock amp causing it to clip and distort.

[Andason]

Thanks AudioFreak. I disconnected it from the amp and its running on my deck. Sounds twice as good.

Shawn

[AudioFreak]

Glad it worked out and you're happy. Adding a real amp would be a good next step.

[Andason]

Any recommendations for an amplifier for these four speakers

Alpine SPS-170A
6-1/2" Type-S Series Coaxial 2-Way Speaker

• Peak Power 200W
• 40W RMS Power
• Frequency Response: 35Hz – 30kHz
• Strontium Ferrite Magnet
• Aluminum-Coated Woofer Cone
• Rubber Surround
• Nomex® Spider
• 1/2" Balanced Dome Tweeter
• Neodymium Tweeter Magnet
• Variable Swivel Tweeter
• 16cm Mounting Adapter Included

[AudioFreak]

Personally I like MTX amps. MTX rates it's amps at 12 volts but the power supplies are unregulated so when the car is running and producing 14.4 volt you get a lot more power. Each amp comes with a report card telling you how it did at the factory before it left the door.



Right now Sounddomain.com has the MTX6304 on sale for $199. It was $349 and it's worth every penny. I've used a lot of these and they kick ass. Rated at 37.5 watts x 4 channels. The report cards I've seen with them are generally in the 60 to 75 watts per channel range at 14.4 volts. Also if you ever want to use it for subs you'll get 325W x 2 @ 14.4V.

For the money that's gonna be the most bang for the buck.