Stereo Questions

[Rick]

I want to know if I should bother amping all my speakers (coaxials in the doors, 6x9s in the rear shelf) in order to really boost the sound level, or whether just doing the 6x9s will improve the sound enough.

Also Ive been thinking about getting a sub and amp. If I end up with two amps do you have to run two separate power cables back to the battery or can you use just one to power both amps.

 

[alex_e3]

Depends on your budget and headunit really. What head unit you got? If its like 4 x 45w then i personally wouldnt bother amping them up unless you want amazing quality sound, coz the headunit should have sufficient power to power them.

As for the sub power lead get just the 1 power lead, run it to the boot then use a splitter to split the power each way. Each wire off the splitter needs to be fused to the specific amp. & you should really have it fused in the engine bay near the batter too.

You can do a similar thing with the earth wires so you can just earth it up to 1 point in the car so you dont lose any quality.

Dont take my word on any of this stuff coz i dont really know much about car stereos!

 

[derv]

if you use one wire for both amps make sure it is a nice thick one as it will need to draw more current to run both amps.

 

[Rick]

alex, the headunit is a poor Sony one. Its got a max output of 4x50W but as its the budget model I think they overlooked actual sound quality in the name of big numbers. I read somewhere that the RMS output was more like 4x26W.

Will upgrading to a better head unit give better sound quality? The Head Unit at the moment is OK but if I push the volume up to just below half, it distorts like hell!!

Rick

 

[Scott_Mck]

Adding an amp would be a good step, I am not a big fan of Sony - dont worry most distort at about hal volume anyway.

If you add an amp, you dont even need to have it set to play really loud, it will just supply more power to the speakers, thus giving more headroom and a considerably better sound.

As for running two power cables if you need another amp, no. Just get a power cable splitter somewhere where you feed one lead in, and take two out.

 

[MattyL]

Right, Im lookin to improvin my stereo system in my clio too, but do you think there is any chance of saving my original head unit?? sounds bit mad but it would be cool to keep it on as then the stering wheel remote would still work an the little screen on the dash - im not bothered bout looks just LOUD TUNES!!
so does anyone know if i can connect an amp to the original factory fitted head unit? or is this a really really poor question and the fact im asking it, i deseve my clio being taken off me???????

 

[djmcfish]

You can (but most stereos have a s/w remote now).

You can plug your original speaker outputs on the unit into either hi inputs on an amp or a speaker level to RCA (line) level converter and run a normal amp from this.

If your not bothered by looks though get a nice £130 ish pioneer and it will sound 1000 times better, have more features and have the RCA output ready to go!!

 

[djmcfish]

Have a look at the stereo guide on the main site for ideas

 

[Taffy]

you can plug an amp straight into the head unit the is one that is designed to do exactly that, its made by sony and it is in their sound on top range it is 4x50w rms, this might not sound a lot but a 50w max stereo kicks out about 20-22w rms, so this amp effectively doubles the volume and quality of your music. as for wiring the safest way to do it is with one thick wire, a fuse at the battery and a distribution block in the boot.
cheers all
justin