When to put the amp in, ..now or lateR? Options

[amory_Tarr]

Alright, i just bought an alpine 9805 head unit to replace the stock GT tape/radio player. Anyways, i will be adding some form of a RF Punch Amp in in the near future and was just wondering if me and my dad were to put the head in, would it make a differance in finding a used amp to put in now, or is that something that would not be made easier or more difficult if i didnt put it in when i put in the head? Also, how much wattage should i be looking at? for xmas im getting a front component set that'll be powered by the Fosgate(im thinking either the 45.2, 55.2 or 75.2?) and then use the Alpine to power the rear two. Thoughts, suggestions?

Thanks,
Amory

[amory_Tarr]

I have a '94 GT for reference....

[amory_Tarr]

One other question, for about $15 more i can get a 4 channel vs. 2 channel amp. But i'm running very low on cash and wouldnt be able to swap out the rear speakers. If you had to either power the 2 rear speakers (i have a 6 speaker system) with the 23rms watts from the alpine or from about 55rms watts from a 4 channel fosgate which would you choose? and would the fosgate overpower/blow out the rear speakers?

thanks again everyone,
Amory

[runriot95]

It absolutely would be easier to install the amp while you're putting in the head unit since you will already have a lot of parts removed. You will have to take the HU out anyway to hook up the amp so you might as well do it while you have everything out. But don't get an amp now just to make the install easier. It's always better to get the equipment you want and put in the extra work.

I have the Alpine 9815 and this is my setup: I have an RF 4 ch. amp powering the front comps and bridged to power a Bazooka sub. I have the rears powered by the HU. Since you're keeping the factory rear speakers I wouldn't be concerned about how you power them because they're not very good. BUT, if you forsee a time when you WILL be replacing them you might want to go with the 4 ch amp to give you that flexibilty.

As for the power rating of the amp, I would base it on the power of your comps that you plan to put in. Try to go a little more powerful than the comps, ie if your comps are 50W then look for a 60 or 70W amp. The extra power will help you push your speakers with clean power.

Try to have a plan when doing the install. Even if you're not putting in the amp now, try to plan where it will go and how you'll run the wires.

If you haven't done so already, check out www.installdr.com Good luck!

[Guest_Matthew_*]

oh and do this


PREPARE FOR FUTURE SYSTEM UPGRADES

that means that instead of buying a single 10 guage power cable or w/e go to ebay buy a kit (a big power one) and you will get a 4 guage power cable, distrubition block, etc.

its way cheaper in the long run to buy big cable now than spend the same for thin wire and then buy bigger later then buy bigger once more.

i think a good amp kit on ebay is like 50 bucks

they are extremely good deals

same thing at a stereo shop would run ya like 100+

[amory_Tarr]

Thanks for your help guys, that website is very usefull too! I don't know if i'd replace the rear speakers if i didn't have to. Would it sound good enough sitting in the front two seats with a fosgate powering the front and the alpine head powering the rear speakers and then doing something like fade a little to the back/turn up the fosgate to compensate type of thing. If i could get away with that then i wouldn't replace the rear speakers.

I am not going to use a sub, so i wouldn't need a 4 ch. for that. The only reason i'd consider a 4ch. would be if it would really sound that much better to have the rear speakers powered by 40W@4 Ohms RMS or 72W@2 Ohms RMS from a 4ch. fosgate vs. the 23W RMS from the alpine. But a few have commented elsewhere that that would blow out the stock speakers or push them too much etc..

The front speakers will be the Boston Acoustic Pro 6.5 Comp set which recommend a 20-400watt power amp, which is a pretty broad range, but i couldnt find their actual wattage ratting. One last thing, they are made to run at 3 ohms, but most amps are rated for 2 and 4, can you still run say a fosgate punch series amp through 3 ohms?

Thanks,
Amory

[amory_Tarr]

in giving everything some thought thought, it makes more sense for me to just put the alpine in now and have it power the stock speakers, b/c that'll still be more power than the stock radio is feeding them. And then put in an amp at the same time as replacing the speakers, as i won't be able to get the speakers from my dad until around x-mas time.

[runriot95]

First off, nice choice on the comps. I have the BA 5.4 Pros and they kick. Don't worry about the Ohm rating, they'll work fine.

I would suggest though that you get a more powerful amp for those speakers. As you noted, they can handle A LOT of power. Yes, you can power them with as little as 20 W but, if you're going to be cranking up your stereo, you'll be doing more harm than good to your speakers.

The analogy that I give is like driving a car. Say you drive your car at 80MPH everyday and you're looking at buying a new car. The max speed on one car is 90MPH and the max speed on another car is 150MPH. Both cars WILL DO 80MPH but the one that is capable of going much faster will do it with more ease and less strain on the vehicle. Consequently, going 80MPH in the first car will be rough and noisy while going 80 in the faster car will be smooth and quiet.
Obviously, this is a simplistic analogy as there are other variables in the ride of a car but the basic premise remains the same - something that is being pushed to it's maximum capability will not perform as well as something that is only running at half it's capability. There is also a point of diminishing returns. Meaning, that you don't want to buy something that has SO much more power than you'll ever use.

I hope I didn't muddy your plans on your system, I just wanted to give you some info to get the most out of your system. The more time you spend planning and deciding how you want your system, the less time and money you'll spend on replacing or upgrading components.

[amory_Tarr]

hey so the B.A's are nice? i just chose them because my dad is upgrading and would rather give thme to me for xmas then to go to ebay with them. So near what power rating would we be talking about? as the celica is a small car so i dont want to create it to be so loud you cant think in the car. Also the 20-400 is peak NOT rms, correct?

[amory_Tarr]

How much of a wattage increase would you want then? Like would 100W rms @2ohms be more in line? Also, if the comps run at 3ohms, do i just estimate somewhere between the 2 and 4 ohm ratings?

thanks,
amory

[amory_Tarr]

or what about this:
Fosgate Punch 301S
* RMS Power: 75 W X 2 @ 4 Ohms
* RMS Power: 150 W X 2 @ 2 Ohms

[Guest_Matthew_*]

damn dude use the edit button

you have 8 out of 12 replies on this thread

[Andason]

Where in WI are you at?