matching a component system to a deck

[surfahbum808 10+ year member]

would this component system match with this deck in terms of impedance? im not exactly sure how this all works.

Head Unit : Premier DEH-P600UB

Component system: JL Audio VR525-CSi

also, would it be possible to power the speakers with an amp besides the one already built into the head unit?

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[Fusion_FREAK 10+ year member]

Components aren't meant for being powered by the head unit.

Do some research.

 

[adio 5,000+ posts]

would this component system match with this deck in terms of impedance? im not exactly sure how this all works.
Head Unit : Premier DEH-P600UB

Component system: JL Audio VR525-CSi

also, would it be possible to power the speakers with an amp besides the one already built into the head unit?

components don't ever have to match a deck/HU. there's no such thing as a matter of fact. and yes, most comps are powered by an amp besides the one in the deck/HU.

 

[eharri3 10+ year member]

Kind of like buying a Porche then putting on cheapo Pep Boys tires, filling the tank with 86 octane, and installing 120$ Midas brake pads.

 

[krisfnbz 10+ year member]

anytime you buy a pair of component speakers, you want to amplify them accordingly. Most speakers are 4 ohm, and handle anywhere from 60-150 or so watts per set of speakers..

 

[atoprak 10+ year member]

Yu can run some component systems like Alpine SPE-17CS from your head unit...

but keep in mind that the component system power rating shouldn't be over 35-40wrms ... otherwise you get muddy sound ...

 

[beatle 10+ year member]

I'm trying to do a similar thing by driving a set of comps off the deck power of my Alpine 9835. It's a slightly different situation as the Alpine has a little more juice than most decks (26w rms) and I'd be able to run the comps actively so each driver would have its own channel. I haven't gotten much response on my queries, however...

 

[eharri3 10+ year member]

You will almost never see that 26 watts. More likely than not you will be sending 1-10 watts to your speakers at any given time. Regardless of any deck's rms ratings most of them end up sending about the same amount of real clean power to a speaker at any given time.

 

[beatle 10+ year member]

Any reason why you would think that? It should put out 26w RMS per channel @ 4 ohms, 14.4v and 1% THD, 20hz-20khz. That's the CEA-2006 standard. Now, I'm not kidding myself that it'll sound as clear as a dedicated class-A with great damping and ultra-low THD, but it's still 26w. I found a noticeable improvement coming from my old deck that was rated at 16w RMS.

 

[eharri3 10+ year member]

RMS power ratings really have nothing to do with what power you are seeing during normal listening. They are created using testing procedures that are like night and day when compared to popping in a CD and playing some music. Music rises and falls in volume and changes in frequency. Sometimes you are seeing a few of those watts. Occasionally when you reach a 'peak' you may see all 26 of them for a brief instant a few times per song. Even with a separate amplifier making decent power, say 100 watts/channel, at any given time you may be seeing about 15-20 of those watts. At other times, 50 or 60. For brief instances you may see that 100 watts. In both cases it's quite possible that 100% of that wattage may never, ever actually be delivered if you never get anywhere near max volume. An amplifier isn't just beneficial due to a higher rms power rating but also because it delivers more clean power and better sound during normal listening than your head unit will. At times when your head unit is only giving you a few 'watts' your amp may be giving you 4-5 times that amount.

Really matching RMS ratings is of little use except for deciding exactly how much loudness you're looking for because you have to be able to deliver a certain amount of clean power at your normal listening levels in order to get a sufficient loudness to be able to appreciate the details in the music. It takes a doubling of power to get a 3db increase in loudness which has been determined to be the bare minimum that is perceptive to the human ear. Nobody thinks everyone who wants decent sound has to have amps and spend lots of money, but it's considered a waste to get good components and then limit their potential.

You may not have received lots of replies or advice to your other thread because others are tired of trying to convince people that they will be unhappy with such a setup and have decided that it's best to let people spend the money and find out for themselves. You may actually find that what you want to do will satisfy you but if you end up driving around with the head unit volume at 32 out of 35 90% of the time then you know you need an amp. There may or may not be components out there that will sound OK off of 26 watts, the issue being that most manufacturers find it easier to design an excellent component set that requires power than an excellent component set that requires very little. IF you want to give it a shot look for something with an rms rating of 50 or 60 watts and a high efficiency rating, like over 90db. I just think there is only so far you can go trying to make improvements off head unit power before you face diminishing returns.

And BTW I know a friend who used to compete using a separate amp on high end components in a Miata and I don't think there was a huge amount of custom work involved. IF you ever considered changing your mind I would ask him where he put his amp and relay that to you.

 

[krisfnbz 10+ year member]

good info, but this thread if definitely off topic.