Beginner installing new sound

[Plutoman 10+ year member]

Head unit power is at most 15-20 true RMS power. Anything more is clipping the shit out of it - it doesn't have the internal electronics that can support more power.

The rating on it is max power - ignore it. Head unit power is minimal.

As been said, take the amp you have - locate a decent set of speakers, rated for the RMS output of 40 watts. Brands I've seen that sound good on a budget are Infinity and Pioneer speakers. If you don't use the other channels for a sub, then you can get some more speakers for the rear, but they aren't a priority, imo. The front stage is more important - I'd dial down the gains on the amp to compensate in the rear and keep the sound centered in the front of you.

Don't put a component set in the back - it's not worth it. Put a component set in the front, if possible - if you don't want to do the work, get a good set of 4x6's. The front stage is much more important. If you power anything off the HU, make it be the rear speakers.

As for your subwoofer? Don't get one of those crutchfield ones, imo. More expensive there, not to mention it's much better to build your own box. If you are a carpenter, that's not even a question - you'll have more than enough experience to get a solid one built. Make sure to take into account the sub - don't build a box on its own, build it to the subs specs. On a budget, Alpine Type R's are good, and I've seen some decent rockford fosgate subs, and infinity subs, but they aren't top of the line. Honestly, I'd save a bit of money and get a good Fi or Re sub myself.

The amp, you could bridge the second two channels to power a sub. However, it won't put a lot of power out for it. A separate amp is going to be better.

 

[Ringwood 10+ year member]

Alright. So I wouldn't give rear comp speakers amplified power because they are less important speakers?

So just forget the amp for now. It sounds like I would be better off purchasing an amp and sub further on down the line because currently I won't have a lot of power for it. Would the component speakers work ok if they were overhead in a sound bar? I would draw power from the amp for the comps if I went that route.

 

[SoccaCrazy24 10+ year member]

I'm having trouble understand why I wouldn't want the amp to control the component speakers. Would the head unit have enough power? It's rated at 4x45W, but I've read that it would probably be like 20 watts RMS.

Head unit will have power (You just need speakers in the rear to cover sound/voice). IMO I feel that you should have the amp control 2 front speakers which I showed a link to above or finding your own rated around 50 Watts. While, bridging one of the subs stated above. The purpose of the rear speakers will add sound so its not just bass...

another situation could be run all 4 off your amp then get a sub and another amp... but that runs more money...

 

[Plutoman 10+ year member]

Alright. So I wouldn't give rear comp speakers amplified power because they are less important speakers?
So just forget the amp for now. It sounds like I would be better off purchasing an amp and sub further on down the line because currently I won't have a lot of power for it. Would the component speakers work ok if they were overhead in a sound bar? I would draw power from the amp for the comps if I went that route.

Exactly - it's like listening to a concert. You don't turn around and listen to a concert looking at the parking lot. The front stage is the key portion - second is the subbass, third would be the rear filler that just generally opens up volume a bit more and can slightly center the sound stage.

How you mount the component set is as important as the component set you build. If you mean overheard, as in up against the roof/top of the windshield, I honestly can't say how that will sound, not having heard that before.

My recommendation is to do a bit of cutting and get a 6.5" speaker to fit in the doors - as long as it won't affect your windows, at least. If not that route, then I can't say too much beyond getting a good 4x6 set, or trying out your sound bar.

You have the right idea, though - waiting is best. Use that amp for your comps, you can bridge the sides to two channels, and put more power to each component, allowing you more options as to what to get, and some headroom for power. Set the gains correctly, and the extra power won't hurt at all. But if you rush the whole thing, you'll regret it, and spend way more money than you would waiting, and getting just what you need the first time.

Just a note, when you get a sub, you'll find the bass will overpower the rear speakers a tad anyways. But, the bass is not localized, meaning that you'll not be able to tell it's coming from the rear.

 

[Ringwood 10+ year member]

First of all, when I said :

So just forget the amp for now.

, I meant to say Subwoofer, not amp.

another situation could be run all 4 off your amp then get a sub and another amp... but that runs more money...

That's what I'm thinking. I have no problem spending money further down the line. Right now getting a set of comps and 4x6's and running those off the amp are more realistic and actually will cost less right now. I also don't want to be limited on the subwoofer I get, so when I do get one I can get a sub and amp together. If I like the sound with just the four speakers I may even forgoe the subwoofer.

How you mount the component set is as important as the component set you build. If you mean overheard, as in up against the roof/top of the windshield, I honestly can't say how that will sound, not having heard that before.

My recommendation is to do a bit of cutting and get a 6.5" speaker to fit in the doors - as long as it won't affect your windows, at least. If not that route, then I can't say too much beyond getting a good 4x6 set, or trying out your sound bar.

The sound bar goes across the roll bar, so it's basically directly over your head. They are actually somewhat common among newer Jeeps and I see a lot of Jeeps for sale with them.

I cannot fit speakers in the door either. The doors are very thin and would interfere with the windows, and considering I take my doors off in the summer a lot, it just won't work //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif In all honesty, the Jeep Wrangler was not designed to have really good sound systems, they were designed to go off road and do that very well //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/cool.gif.3bcaf8f141236c00f8044d07150e34f7.gif

One more thing, what size of component speakers should I get? It looks like 5 1/4" and 6 1/2" are pretty common. If I get a sound bar, that would also probably dictate what size speakers I need. (until I get out the sawzall //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/satan.gif.9c6a335ed7aeeed3ee273e573f1fcaac.gif)

So thanks for everything so far guys, you have all been really helpful. I think at this point I can start looking around for speakers. If I have any more questions I'll post em up, and I'll certainly post up what speakers I want to buy so I don't end up screwing myself over.

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[shaneb 10+ year member]

Does the deadener serve any purpose besides keeping the sound inside? I'm driving a Jeep wrangler with a soft and sometimes no top.

The deadener is going to act as a vibration stopper, and will improve midbass response A LOT. It will also help with road noise.

I have about 80sq in my prelude. It's Second Skin, which I think is by far the best out there and is definitely worth the money.

 

[Plutoman 10+ year member]

One more thing, what size of component speakers should I get? It looks like 5 1/4" and 6 1/2" are pretty common. If I get a sound bar, that would also probably dictate what size speakers I need. (until I get out the sawzall //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/satan.gif.9c6a335ed7aeeed3ee273e573f1fcaac.gif)

So thanks for everything so far guys, you have all been really helpful. I think at this point I can start looking around for speakers. If I have any more questions I'll post em up, and I'll certainly post up what speakers I want to buy so I don't end up screwing myself over.

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

Well, you'll pretty much certainly want 6.5" speakers. The midbass response is much improved on them, you'll get a more pronounced midrange, and it bridges the gap between the speakers and the sub better.

The only reason to go smaller is because of size restrictions - that'll be your call. Smaller won't sound bad by any means, though. Just it's typically better with larger speakers, they have a lower resonant frequency, and a lower frequency extension.

Deadener is also extremely helpful - but if you have a soft top, you can't really apply deadener to it. I'm not sure if there's really going to be a reason to use it in your case. Especially as you won't have the problems of vibrating doors.

Glad to help //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[Ringwood 10+ year member]

Ok guys, I've done more research and a little "window shopping".

Crutchfield's learning center has a lot of good information. While looking into amp wiring, and wiring kits, I came across this: http://www.crutchfield.com/Learn/learningcenter/car/cable_gauge_chart.html

Is this guide correct? My amp, at 50 RMS x4 channels, is putting out 200 Watts on all four channels. I the multiplied by two and divided by 13.8, to get 29 Amperes that my amplifier is drawing. It recommended doing this calculation with Watts RMS, which I used, but should I figure it with peak load handling watts instead? And also am I doing it right? I still have to figure out how much wiring I need (in length), but it looks like I should use 10 GA wiring.

The price difference in 10GA to 8GA wire is about $10-$15, would it be alright to get larger gauge wire than I need? I know if I go too small I can restrict flow and possibly fry the wiring, but does larger than necessary wire have a downside?

A lot of these kits have fancy, see-through insulation. Is this necessary? Or is it just for looks?

How do I figure out what type of fuse I need? A lot of the wiring kits come with fuses, but I want to make sure I get the right protection.

 

[Ringwood 10+ year member]

I was looking around for component speakers, are these ok:

http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/CarAudio/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=12200?

I'm mainly concerned about sensitivity and efficiency. I guess if you have never seen them in person you wouldn't know but I figured I would ask.

I'm just going to get the comps right now and build a sound bar instead of installing comps and installing coaxials in the dash. Don't feel like having to remove the entire dash right now, and I'll probably be working again so I'll actually be able to afford stuff.

 

[nittanylion64 10+ year member]

Watch out for those front speakers, they routinely take about 1 hr to put in with many a scraped up knuckle. Good luck with the rest of the install.

 

[Ringwood 10+ year member]

Watch out for those front speakers, they routinely take about 1 hr to put in with many a scraped up knuckle. Good luck with the rest of the install.

I don't know if you're driving a YJ, but yeah, it does **** working up inthere. I had a lot of trouble getting the old ones out.

I actually have a new metal dash piece (that isn't as rusty), so when I install that I'll install front speakers.

Thanks //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif