New help questions and/or suggestions

[ecajberry]

My head unit seems to have (according to the manual) a set of output cables for the front, and a set of output plugs for the rear/sub outputs.

1) If the OEM speakers plugs to the rear are disconnected does that route full headunit output power to the fronts?

2) If I do #1, and just use the output plugs to an amp to power the rears and a sub, how many channels does the amp need to be, and assuming the headunit amp powering the fronts is putting out about 25 watts per side, what should the rear amp power be so that everything blends well sound wise?

3) If I do 1 and 2, should the new front and/or rear speakers be "2-ways" or "3-ways"and what would sound best? Im thinking if all of the above is correct that maybe 2-ways in the rear and 3 ways in the front?

4) If I do all of the above, and my thinking is correct so far, would I really need or want tweeter up front. or will the 3 ways give me more then enough highs?

Truck is a 2003 full crew cab F-250. The rear speakers are literaly behind the rear seat in the side panels, and get muffled pretty good by the back seat. So maybe I should even consider 3-ways both front and rear?

Still having a family to raise, I dont have alot of fun money for this project, so I am triing to get the very best sound for the very least amount of money spent. This is why I ask all these questions, so that when the time comes, I can have a good understanding as to what I need to do for an awsome sound and stay inexpensive to boot.

:thumbsup

Maybe I should do it this way......

Head unit is a Kenwood KDC-MPV5025, and everything else is bone stock...

What would you audio pros suggest knowing all the above info. for me to reach my goals?

Speakers?

Amp?

Sub and enclosure?

Help me out folks, please?

Click to read more...

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

My head unit seems to have (according to the manual) a set of output cables for the front, and a set of output plugs for the rear/sub outputs.
1) If the OEM speakers plugs to the rear are disconnected does that route full headunit output power to the fronts?

I am not sure if you are talking about the RCA outputs (that connect to an amp) or the headunit's internal amp?!?! But, either way, nothing will change if you disconnect the rear speakers and only play the front speakers. The internal amp can only push so much power per channel, and that will not change no matter what is/isn't connected to the other channels. If you are talking about the RCA outputs that go to an external amp, then still nothing will change. Those only ouput a signal to the amp....no "power" is being sent through those.

2) If I do #1, and just use the output plugs to an amp to power the rears and a sub, how many channels does the amp need to be, and assuming the headunit amp powering the fronts is putting out about 25 watts per side, what should the rear amp power be so that everything blends well sound wise?

A better idea is to run a amp to the front speakers and to the sub, and leave the rear speakers to run off of the headunit's internal amp. For this, you will only need a single 4 channel amp. You can run one channel to each of the front speakers, and then bridge the rear two channels to a subwoofer.

3) If I do 1 and 2, should the new front and/or rear speakers be "2-ways" or "3-ways"and what would sound best? Im thinking if all of the above is correct that maybe 2-ways in the rear and 3 ways in the front?

I assume you are talking about co-axial speakers? Regardless, there is no "best". It's all personal preference. Go down to the local audio shops and listen to some. Whatever you like best is what is "best" for you.

4) If I do all of the above, and my thinking is correct so far, would I really need or want tweeter up front. or will the 3 ways give me more then enough highs?

No, you probably won't need any additional tweeters.

So maybe I should even consider 3-ways both front and rear?

Again, this is up to whatever sounds best to your ear. It is simply too big of a generalization to say that 3-ways sound better than 2-ways. Some will, some won't, and I can promise you that you won't like them all.

 

[ecajberry]

Isnt the power per channel devided in half each time a pair of speakers is added?

I.E.

25 watts per channel devided by 4 speakers (2 per side) = 12.5 watts driving each speaker?

I know its been a long time since my high school days, but that line of thinking seems to stick out in my mind from way back then......

are the channels defined as left and right or front and rear?

Also. the front output cables are RCA males

and the rear/sub output plugs are RCA females

here is some other info about the head unit....

50w x 4 max output power

22w x 4 full bandwidth power at less then 1% THD

so what is this telling a person like myself who really has no clue, and what can I do to get what I want from the stereo system?

And......if it is a 4 channel amp that I need, what specs should I bee looking for in an amp to compliment everything?

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

Isnt the power per channel devided in half each time a pair of speakers is added?I.E.

25 watts per channel devided by 4 speakers (2 per side) = 12.5 watts driving each speaker?

I know its been a long time since my high school days, but that line of thinking seems to stick out in my mind from way back then......

are the channels defined as left and right or front and rear?

You are confusing yourself. It sounds like you are confusing two separate topics and co-mingling them together.

The headunit has 4 speaker outputs, which in your case are rated 22w EACH. This means, that if one speaker is connected to each individual output, then each speaker will receive 22w. The channels are defined as BOTH left and right AND front and rear, because there are 4 channels. There is a Left Front, a Right Front, a Left Rear and a Right Rear. Two speakers are not sharing a single channel, because there are 4 separate channels.

Now, if two speakers were sharing a single channel (i.e. 2 speakers on the Left Front channel), then the power would be divided between them. But, I don't really want to get into that right now because there is more stuff going on when you run two speakers to a single channel.

Also. the front output cables are RCA males

and the rear/sub output plugs are RCA females

They both should have female connections?!?!

here is some other info about the head unit....

50w x 4 max output power

22w x 4 full bandwidth power at less then 1% THD

so what is this telling a person like myself who really has no clue, and what can I do to get what I want from the stereo system?

This is telling you that your headunit has 4 channels from it's internal amplifier that can be connected directly to speakers.

These 4 speaker outputs are each rated at 22w RMS (kinda like an average). So, you can connect 4 speakers to your headunit, each speaker one it's own individual channel, and each speaker will receive 22w RMS.

These speaker outputs are not to be confused with RCA outputs that connect to an external amplifier. The above speaker outputs connect directly to and power the speakers. The RCA outputs must be connected to an external amplifier.

And......if it is a 4 channel amp that I need, what specs should I bee looking for in an amp to compliment everything?

Mainly, look for something that is in your price range that is rated for the power you need per channel. Also, you need to decide what kind of crossover features you need the amp to have.

 

[ecajberry]

The RCA connections may very well both be females, but since I wasnt paying much attention when it was being installed, I cant say for sure, but if that is the standard, then I assume that is how it is on my head unit.

I am almost thinking that if I install a good pair of tri-axial speakers in the rear and a good pair of co-axials in the front, that I might have a darn good sounding system to last until I have a better understanding of the finer details of car audio, at which point I can make upgrades to make it even better? I mean at 22 watts each, that should drive good speakers at a close to the "recomended" power. I.E. 6x8 replacement speakers from a quality manufacturer, and give me decent sound, and at the very least simply be missing the lowest of lows right?

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

Yeah....for most ppl, a good quality co-axial or tri-axial off of headunit's power is more than they will ever need. It can sound very nice. And yes, most ppl will do just fine without a subwoofer. The frequencies a subwoofer plays only constitutes about .5% of the audio spectrum. You won't be missing out on much if you don't use one.

 

[ecajberry]

I installed the co-axial Rockford Fosgate 4257's, and when I get up to the "rock out" volume level, I start to loose the sound quality. So I guess I do need to amp it up and most likely get the sub afterall. Its just not quite enough right now the way it sits. Whats my next logical move?

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

get an amp...you'd be amazing at the improvement.