Question on Amp & Sub........

[BaBOo]

Hello guys,

Im a novice in the world of ICE, I managed to replace the factory speakers with Pioneer 5.25" speakers. the sound is better, but not enough bass.

Im thinking about fitting an Amp and Sub to my Clio, but want to keep to original head unit. I dont really need BIG sound, just the bass is deep enough.

What components do I need? and how big the sub should I choose 10"?12"?
Also what sort of Amp should I get?

Im thinking about installing them myself..is it hard to do? any reference website that teach us to install the sound system step by step?

Any help from you experts would be greatly appreciated!!Thank you

Cheers!

 

[James20VT]

I Think the standard Head unit on the clio isnt good enough if u are going to run an amp etc..

does a standard head unit have the connections on the back of it to connect the Amp unit to it?

You would get better sound if u got a unit which has atleast 4 x 50w or something.... i noticed a difference after changing the head unit and the standard front speakers on my williams sounded so much clearer.

 

[SoLow]

You really need a new head unit 1st. Problem with the origional unit is that it doesnt have any rca connections (these allow you to run an amp). You can get a splitter (which I think is called an rca splitter) and what that does is turn your rear speaker wires into rca feeds for the amp, however, this option sounds crap and isnt worth doing.

Even if u go for a bottom of the range head unit for around £150 you will be able to run an amp from them. All you do is run a power cable from the battery (fused as close to the battery as possible) to the amp, run the rca cables from the head unit (making sure they dont come close to the live cos it causes interference) and then eath your amp.

For best results I have found buying something like a Vibe Sub with active amp (IE sub has an amp attatched to it) sounds better. A sub in a box that has been designed for it with an amp specifically designed for it will always sound very good.

o give you an idea of how much I have spent here is a rough breakdown:

1.) Head unit - Kenwood KDC-M9021 4x50watt mp3 player - £350

2.) Vibe sub, 10" with active amp - £180

3.) Amp wiring kit - £30 (these come with everything you need and some have niice diagrams for beginners!)

Changing the origional head unit will bolster the sound from your components, the sub will make probably the biggest difference, but will only sound good if ran off an aftermarket head unit. Trust me, for as little as £350 all in you can have superb sounds for little effort. Its arguable that better sounds mean sa better drive, cos you cant always be booting it when stuck in traffic, but a nice system int he car means you can be trudging along at 30mph and still enjoying the drive!

 

[ClioJohn]

BaBOo..now you have a few choices to make.

Firstly, do you want a really loud system with lovely deep bass...

or

Do you want a system that sounds good and has a a bit off bass.



To get the first option, i would recommend

New Head unit, alpine, pioneer

4 channel amp

10/12 inch sub.

then bridge two of the channels of your amp for the sub, and amp your front components.

estimated price....800ish quid for a nice system. You can install it yourself, lots of places explaining how..www.caraudiodirect.com for one.



Or



If you want the second system, i recommend

A new Head unit, pioneer, alpine

MB Quart DTC 6x9s in an acoustic parcel shelf.

Estimated price...£400. Very easy to install and will give you a nice enough sounding stereo. an amp will help, but as i said its up to you how serious an install you want.

 

[towser]

BaBOO I have done pretty much what you want to do. I have replaced front and rear speakers added a sub and put in an amp.I have however kept the original head unit. SoLOw says you need to get a new head unit becuase the original doesnt have pre-outs well yes it doesnt but just buy an amp that takes speaker inputs. At the end of the day it depends on how much money you want to spend. To get a better quality head unit you will need to spend around about £300. If you buy a cheaper one (£150) then the only real benefit you would be paying all that money for was some pre-outs!! As to installing it yourself I had never done anything like this before and although it took me a little while I now have (in my opinion) a really good sounding system without spending shed loads of money.(about £350)

 

[luke.B]

Other options include an active subwoorfer then you can just use the rear speaker wire to feed the signal, not balls out bass but can create a quality sound if u get the right one. remember you genrally get what you pay for, if you buy a £50 boss bass tube it will sound rubbish.



Luke

 

[BaBOo]

Thanks for your input guys!!

At this stage I probably wont change the head unit, cos of the budget and security...and that remote stalk and display thingy.~

Towser, your setup is exactly what I need. a good sound system (better than stock ones) that wont break my wallet.

Luke, Ive heard of active subwoofer in home entertaining systems, those woofers doesnt connect to any power....still puts out acceptable bass.


SO does that mean I just buy a good active sub and connect it into my rear speakers...and get a decent bass out if it??

 

[ClioJohn]

i really recommend changing the head unit. the difference in sound quality from doing that along is very noticable, even with the orginal speakers.

 

[luke.B]

You need to run a remote and power cab;e through the car to power the sub, but it should give you a decent amount of bass.



Luke

 

[ClioJohn]

GET A NEW HEAD UNIT hehe