Some basic deck + speaker questions..

[BlitzSix]

Hey guys. I need some guidance //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

Ok, so I'll be driving my mom's Mercedes C class for a while and I want to upgrade the sound system in it. The deck kind of sucks and doesn't play MP3s, so I bought this bad boy here: CLICKY HERE

Also, the speakers on the car kind of ****, because a) the sound sucks when you turn it up and b) the base sounds awful, it sounds like a tiny little sub that's blasted all the way (which leads to harsh sound, etc, i **** at describing.) It's running 6.5s in the front 2 doors and the rear 2 doors, and it has some kind of speakers in the back like where the headrests are. Now, I listened to it carefully today and it seems that only the speakers in the doors are actually playing the music and the back seems to be just more for bass, I don't hear much music coming out of there.

Anyways, my buddy AlpWhite46 here is rocking a 200W deck (like mine) and some 9x6s in the back, where the headrests are. As far as I know, he does not have any speakers in the rear doors. He is running stock ones on the front for now (he bought new ones just not installed yet). Anyways, what I'm getting to is that I love the way it sounds, even with just those 2 back speakers. It sounds very nice, even loud, and the bass feels great too (compared to my car).

Now, I won't be running a subwoofer (at least not for a LONG time) on my car, so I want to get some speakers with a nice base like my friend. So I assume 6x9s are the best for this, since they're the biggest right. (they should fit..) I'll upgrade these for now and upgrade the front and back door ones later.

But thinking leads me to some questions.

1. Ok, so my deck's power output is: 200W Max. (50W x 4). Now, the 50W x 4 implies that I have only four speakers, right. However, my car seems to have 6. Now, logically speaking, that's 200 / 6 which equal 33.3. Does this mean that each speaker only get 33.3 W compared to the 50 W which they would get if I was running only a 4 speaker system ? If so, then does this mean that if I get the exact same speakers as my buddy, that mine will sound shittier and have less bass coming from them since it's only 33.3 W instead of 50? If so, then what's the advantage of having 6 speakers if it's just gonna make the main ones (with the bass, etc) sound shitter? It kind of sucks.

Now, as if that's not confusing me enough, I found another thing when I was looking at speakers on the best buy site.

here is the picture comparing all the 6x9 speakers.

Queston #2:

Now, I was looking at "Recommended power range" and I foudn the definition to be:

Recommended Power Range - The range of power that is recommended this speaker receive. Going outside of this range could cause damage to the speaker.

This does not make any ****ing sense to me because it says "range" yet it only gives ONE number? Does that then mean that you can only have exactly the watts it says running to the speaker or else it will get damaged?

My buddy has the ones on the very right, so it seems perfect as he has a 200W deck and 4 speakers, so each gets exaclty 50. Now what the hell do I do in my case??? If each speaker will only get 33.3 watts then I can't run any of those????? wtf????

Any advice/tips/help/anything to help me is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

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[Justinw303 10+ year member]

I don't know much about car audio, but I do know this:

NEVER pay attention to max power ratings on anything.

Your Head Unit is not pushing 50 x 4, it's doing more like 22 x 4. Give or take a few watts.

And the recommended power range is usually represented by a range, ex. 50-200 RMS. However, since most people are not going to bother powering a sub or speaker anywhere near the bottom of that range (50), sometimes only the top number is given as the range (200). You don't have to hit 200 exactly. If you can, go for it, but just try to get as close as possible.

Also, what you'll probably have to end up doing is buying a seperate amp to power the 6x9's in the back. In my opinion, the head unit you have will be good enough to power the 4 door speakers since you're a beginner (like me). People who use amps to power door speakers have enough money to do this, and they are really picky about the sound. Trust me though, The HU will work fine.

But a small 2 channel amp for the 6x9's is recommended, since they are used primarily for bass.

 

[BlitzSix]

Thanks for the advice.

Amps are so expensive though. The CHEAPEST amp I saw on bestbuy is like 150 bucks.

I was actually planning to just install the headunit and the 6x9s in the back now, and leave the door speakers stock for a while, then upgrade them later.

I realize that if I want more sound out of the 6x9s, I would need an amp, but, do you think it will sound decent if I get install them without the amps?

And, will my 6x9s sound worse than my friend's 6x9s since I have more speakers ?

THanks.

Edit:

PS this probably a stupid question but can I like just disconnect and take out the speakers in the back doors until I can afford nice ones and afford an amp to power the 6x9s? So that for now more power goes to the 6x9s. I doubt those speakers contribute much anyways, and it seems that it would just be a waste of power to run them.

 

[BlitzSix]

Bump //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/frown.gif.a3531fa0534503350665a1e957861287.gif

 

[liar2 10+ year member]

Are you planning on doing this install yourself? In this car, since you have 6 speakers, you obviously have a factory amp. So you are either going to need to connect the amp to get power to these speakers, or you are going to need to bypass it to connect your own amp. And as mentioned before, your head unit is not putting out 50 x 4 RMS. It is more than likely putting out about 18 watts RMS.

As for speakers, your best bet is to walk into a shop and find something that you personally like. Everyone's taste is different. However, it might be cheapest if you were to buy stuff online. Places like bestbuy will absolutely rip you off.

I'd also advise you to get an amp. Save up for a bit and get one. It can only help.