Matching a subwoofer to my mom's Ford Focus

[GZ123]

Hi, I thought about getting a Kicker L7R 12" to compliment my mom's Ford Focus Station. It's a 600RMS sub at 4ohm.

I come from home audio and never worked with car audio. The car has a stock speaker system with 4 door speakers and two twitters. If I'm only adding a (passive) subwoofer, do I need a 5 channel amp, or does a one channel amp sufficent for the subwoofer alone? Or do I need a monoblock?

I'm not planning on installing aftermarket speakers as for now, just adding the sub.

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[1aespinoza 10+ year member]

I'm not planning on installing aftermarket speakers as for now, just adding the sub.

I say a 5 channel is your best bet. The bass will make you want to upgrade the other speakers, so might as well have half the work done. Hindsight.

 

[GZ123]

I say a 5 channel is your best bet. The bass will make you want to upgrade the other speakers, so might as well have half the work done. Hindsight.

But a 5 channel amp that supports 600RMS for the sub is a beast and probably very expensive, right? Or is it a standard... And are the twitters 2 additional seperate channels?

 

[Grimmjoww]

But a 5 channel amp that supports 600RMS for the sub is a beast and probably very expensive, right? Or is it a standard... And are the twitters 2 additional seperate channels?

The tweeters are normally ran on a crossover block with one set of mids, and are normally 8ohms. If your just wanting a little bump get a monoblock for the sub. But it will more than likely overwhelm the front stage if you turn it up, that's what Espinoza is saying and trying to help you future proof.

 

[1aespinoza 10+ year member]

But a 5 channel amp that supports 600RMS for the sub is a beast and probably very expensive, right? Or is it a standard... And are the twitters 2 additional seperate channels?

Pioneer GM-D9705 is a good candidate. Tweeters are part of their nearest speaker.

But it will more than likely overwhelm the front stage if you turn it up, that's what Espinoza is saying and trying to help you future proof.

Will definitely drown out the full range, especially in a wagon type of car like this one.

 

[GZ123]

Pioneer GM-D9705 is a good candidate. Tweeters are part of their nearest speaker.

Will definitely drown out the full range, especially in a wagon type of car like this one.

Yep I do prefer changing the whole system but it's my mom's car, buying speakers a certain size will limit me in the future with a different vehicle and speaker size

It's more of futureproofing the sub and amp for my future car, that's why I prefer buying a powerful sub now

 

[1aespinoza 10+ year member]

Yep I do prefer changing the whole system but it's my mom's car, buying speakers a certain size will limit me in the future with a different vehicle and speaker size

It's more of futureproofing the sub and amp for my future car, that's why I prefer buying a powerful sub now

In that case, a mono amp will do just fine. You can always use the bass knob to blend the sub with the front stage. Using a mono also opens a bigger selection. Just make sure to look for 500-1000 watts RMS, not max. Any particular brands you got an eye on?