Worth buying an amp for component speakers?

[W124_Man]

Hi guys,

I'm new here obviously, just looking for advice before I order parts for my new audio system.

I've bought a 1994 Mercedes Benz E320, which I believe has 4" speakers up front, and 5.25" speakers in the rear. I want to replace those with coaxial speakers, but what I want to know is it worth buying a separate amplifier (say a 4 channel) instead of running them from my headunit.

I'm not looking for the loudest sound, but I am looking for well defined and punchy sound. So, is it worth using an amplifier that puts out something like 40W RMS instead of using the head unit, which I believe is about 15W RMS?

I will be supplementing the bass with under seat subwoofers. Yes, not the best bass response, but as I said, I dont need anything too loud and I like the idea of not having to cut anything to make them work. Trunk subwoofers dont work well in W124's unless you cut holes in the rear deck for ports, which I dont want to do.

Any advice would be appreciated.

PS. I should mention, I am living in South Africa which does mean that my choice of audio components is limited. Alpine, Clarion and JBL are available but somewhat rare and expensive. Sony, Pioneer and Kenwood are more common, and I think we have other cheapo brands not available in the states.

EDIT: Sorry, thread title should read coaxial, not component.

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[wickedwitt 10+ year member]

Anytime you amp your highs you do two things: 1)Take strain off of your deck 2)Produce cleaner, more full sound (if you set the amp right)

It is well worth your money to do this. You don't have to make it super loud, but you can give your mids/highs more, clean power allowing them to sound more full, and sound much more clean as well. This allows your deck to reach more optimum output voltage (whatever that number is on the deck, varies for everyone) without causing distortion.

 

[SicAudio 5,000+ posts]

I would always amp even if it is just 40 watts a speaker...

 

[W124_Man]

Thanks guys, will look into it. Just need to decide the budget!

Also, I've read that its better to provide slightly more power than a speaker requires, but how much more would be ideal?

I mean, lets say I get front 4 inch speakers at 30W RMS, and rear speakers at 35W RMS. What RMS output from an amp at 4 ohms would be ideal? 35W? 40W? 50W?

EDIT: One more question, if no one minds. Would 2 underseat subs be too much bass? Both of them will be 8 inch relatively cheap subs. I prefer having two because I like the idea of symmetry.