recommend a good amp for starter system

[phokus]

i listen to a lot of live cd-rs in my 96 honda civic sedan. i'm interested mainly in tight, punchy rock sounds - very clean and non-distorted, but with a healthy bottom end for that 'live feel'. i've got a sony 10 disc changer going, but everything else is the factory stock. although it sounds fairly decent, i'd like it to get louder and stay clean at 'road' volumes. Soooo, i'm looking at getting a multichannel amp which will beef up the front 2 speakers and drive maybe a 12" sub at the same time. as the imaging is not so good in the car (sounds significantly better when you lean your head toward the center, but kind of hard to do this while driving- lol), would this be the best initial upgrade? should i replace the factory 6.5"s with new directional tweeter speakers. i don't really want to go component, but i will if that's the only way to improve the imaging. i want good bang for buck, am not interested in show/appearance models, or distorted boomcar boominess.

thanks!!

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[rsflores 5,000+ posts]

you need to find out if your hu has rca jacks to hook up to a amp

if not you ll prob have to up grade this first.

and yes go w/ 6.5s w/ dirc. tweets

amp wise find speakers you like then find an amp to match

up rms wise with you speakers. if you go w/ a 4 ch you

bridge it for the sub..

 

[phokus]

so does anyone know if the factory 96 civic (supposedly bose) has rca outs? they'd be in the back if so? if not, can't i go with speaker-level inputs. didn't really want to have to replace the head unit...

thanks for your help peeps!

 

[justchillin 10+ year member]

i have a 2000 civic si and i don't have rca's and most likely you don't either...

as far as an initial upgrade i would do speakers first as that has mad a big difference in my car (while i'm saving up for everything else)...i don't know what your budget is but for sq i can recommend infinity kappas (refrence series is a little cheaper but if you can afford it go with the kappas)...focal and mb quart are supposed to be good too but i haven't used them before...

as far as hu i am going with a pioneer 7400 or 8400 because i want mp3 compatabilty and pioneer seems to be a very good hu for the money...if you don't need mp3 you can get the 6400 for a little less...

that would be a good start...but shop around and listed to different speakers and hu to find the one that you like best...

hth,

mike

 

[justchillin 10+ year member]

sorry just saw your other post...

best buy and other audio shops can get the no rca's problem so you can run an amp if you want...someone on here can probably tell you how to do it to...so you don't HAVE to replace the hu but i would suggest it if you can afford it...

 

[phokus]

None of the infinity 6.5's fit the 2" mounting depth on my civic.

i may get some Jl Audio XR650 Csi components - anyone know the mounting depth?

also- i believe i only have a 35 ampere alternator and this will cause problems using any amp over 150 watt RMS, right?

 

[justchillin 10+ year member]

well technically they don't fit in mine either so i just cut out the plastic behind the factory speakers in the front door and then just use a drill to make the holes line up right (my factory speakers had three holes and my kappas had four so you have to drill new holes so everything lines up right)...i don't have a drill so i just let best buy do that part but if you have a drill you can do it yourself...but if you don't want to bother with it best buy will do all of it for you...

 

[rsflores 5,000+ posts]

JL'S 650S ARE 2 7/16 DEEP.

CADENCE HAS A ZXN6K 6.5 COMPS AT 2'' DEEP 150/300 WATTS

KICKER RMB6 6.5 COMPS ARE 2'' DEEP 125-250 WATTS(MID BASS ONLY)

YE S35 AMPERS WILL NOT BE ENOUGH . IF YOUR CAR IS ALL POWER

(WINDOWS,ETC.)GET IT REBIULT IF THATS ALL THE POWER YOUR GOING

WITH. IF NOT YOU MAY NEED A CAP TO.

 

[n2audio 5,000+ posts]

Originally posted by phokus i believe i only have a 35 ampere alternator and this will cause problems using any amp over 150 watt RMS, right?

35? wow, I'm no mechanic, but the smallest I've ever heard of is like 55. Are you sure it's only 35 amps? There should be a plate riveted to your alt. that says what it's rated for. I believe you can figure a 40% surplus. For example if it says 50A then there should be approx. 20A unused by your car's stock elec. system. 20A reserve and a newer battery is more than enough to supply a good sized 4 ch amp.

 

[indosia 10+ year member]

Kappa components will fit. They are 2 1/16(2.06) inches deep. You can use dynamat or a thin mounting ring to increase your mounting depth from 2.00 to 2.06. If you want good imaging go with components. Mounting the tweets on your dash will give you the best sence of imaging because the distance from the speakers to where your sitting is more equal. If you plan on keeping your car for a few more years, you won't regret spending time and money to have good sound. Trust me it's worth it.

 

[ctdsq 10+ year member]

i have a 96 lx you head dos not have pre outs and they are not 6.5 in doers they are 5.25 the speker that wold be a good for you wold be a cdt audio hd 2 way up frunt but foe the back cdt audio has 6*9 s no amp need for bad a$$ sq a for a good price and a sub look at a cdt HP-1000/ 1200 Subwoofer Series wold on a a good amp ( auto tec alpine orion jl audio) that set up will make you get a pugy !!!!//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/cool.gif.3bcaf8f141236c00f8044d07150e34f7.gif

 

[phokus]

5.25s eh? i popped off the panels and there are 5.25s in there, but crutcfield keeps telling me i fit 6.5s...

as for the alternator, the reason i thought it mayu be 35 is also from crutchfield:

Some Hondas, on the other hand, have alternators only rated for 35 amps. This will only support about 125 watts in amplifier power. http://www.crutchfield.com/infocenter/S-SaDAptHwngV/car/amplifiers_install.html

how can i find out if they mean MY honda?

thanks

 

[ramos 5,000+ posts]

Originally posted by n2audio  

35? wow, I'm no mechanic, but the smallest I've ever heard of is like 55. Are you sure it's only 35 amps? There should be a plate riveted to your alt. that says what it's rated for. I believe you can figure a 40% surplus. For example if it says 50A then there should be approx. 20A unused by your car's stock elec. system. 20A reserve and a newer battery is more than enough to supply a good sized 4 ch amp.

I was thinking the same thing. D@mn that's the smallest alternator I have ever heard of. Did it come off of a motorcycle ? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

I would go to my local auto parts store and ask about the oem replacement. That should give you an idea of the size of yours. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[phokus]

so crutchfield could have been a little more specific about WHICH hondas...

probably not mine, since i have power locks/windows, but just in case -

where do i locate the alternator under the hood?

i'm more inclined to find out for certain rather than go by what the mechanic says...

sorry to be such a newbie, but i'm getting it slooooowly

oh yeah- my current speakers are 6.5s- NOT 5.25s as mentioned above - they look like this :

 

[phokus]

ok nevermind about the alternator - i found out it's a 75 ampere so that'll be good for now. first thing i want to replace is the speakers and am looking at Diamond Audio s600s, cdt cl-61 or infinity kappa 60.5cs. i really like the smooth highs of the silk tweeter with the dimaonds and the price seems right. opinions?

thanks!