PLEASE don't waste that $$ on a sony sub, why in the world would you want to do that? There are lots of cheaper subs out there that are much better quality. You will notice that i said the sony was junk BEFORE you even said that you had any. I said that because they really are.

And really a 4 channel amp would be your best bet. a 2 channel could run it but you would need a real good one which would cost you much more than you will want to spend.

It looks like you have no intentions of doing it right anyways so just get whatever you can afford and put it in there. It will make sound. If you want to do it right though you will need to spend a little $$. Sell the 6x9's and combine that and the $50 and get a nice amp. Then later on add a sub to that amp that is ready for it.

 

I think I'm gonna get them door speakers put in, and then wait until I have a job so I can get some good , I'm still gonna use the 6x9's though, because I had 6" round speakers back there once upon a time and they sounded fine, I don't care how ty sony is because I like there stuff so I'm still gonna use it, I'm not trying to have a "thumpin" ride with a fartcan and eight different 15" subs, I just want a dang sound system, and It doesn't have to be absolutely crystal clear 100%, anything is better than the crappy house speakers that are back there now.

 

sorry that this is off topic but is there any place for speakers in the dash of a 97 tacoma. i got 2 small door speakers and not much room behind my seats

 

that sounds good texas i think i will run the front 2 and the sub on my amp

 

Should work pretty good, what kind of amp is it?

 

its an amp made by a company called c2 i think or nitro? its not a big brand amp and i know but i got it because of the sub (combo deal). i bought this 1200 4 channel amp and 12'' sub on craigslist for 200 bucks. i think it was a really good deal.

should be going in end of janruary.

 

It will work but it ain't no 1200 watts. I would check the RMS watage on it if you can so that you can set the gains right. But that will work for what you want, you will just need to be careful with it. Make sure that there is no clipping both in the amp and speakers/sub. With cheaper amps/speakers that will killl them REAL quick.

 

if you dont mind me asking what is "clipping"?

yeah, i have read that the cheaper speakers wont put out what the "say" they will. but hey, i dont think i really need all 1200 watts for 2, 4'' speakers and a sub right?

 

Ok, quick (EDIT: Well not so quick, i got a little carried away) Car audio 101.

Clipping is what you hear on cheap audio installs. It is that cracking/distorted sound that you hear when you turn it up. The amp and speakers will determan when the clipping starts. A cheaper amp will start clipping at very low volumes compared to a quality amp of the same wattage. speaking of wattage...

Your amp is a perfect example of low end wattage. You can tell a low end amp by seeing what specs are advertized. I googled yours and after looking around it took me a few mins to find the RMS ratings for it. All i could find was the max wattage which mean NOTHING.

Max wattage is what the amp can "do" (i put quotes because a cheap amp can VERY rearly even handly the RMS wattage much less the max) for about .5 seconds. The RMS wattage is what it is supposed to be able to do non stop.

In your case the RMS wattage was near impossible to find and i never could find it for the 4 channel. but the 2 channel was only 100 watt RMS X 2 channels on a 1200 watt max amp. so the 4 channel is most likly 50watt X 4 channels at 4 ohm. It says 2 ohm stable but i would not do it. (ohms is a whole nothing pot of worms, google it. Basicly doesn't matter for the speakres but sub you will need to worry about)

Where a Good amp will not only not advertize the max wattage but most of the time it is near impossible to find. That is because it means nothing. Also with the high end amps they are nearly always underrated vs overrated like th low end. take my A/D/S/ Apms that i use, 1 of them says 100w X 4 channel but really in tests it puts out as much as 175 a channel and it can be bridged to 350w x 2 chnnels which is really more like 500w x 2. and at 4ohm that is darn good but you add in a THD of just 0.01 and the ADS name and that is why these amps even though old are GREAT amps.

So now you know what the differnce between cheap and good amps and speakers (speakers have the same problems as the amps). lets move on.

Clipping is when these main things happen.

1: The speakers are being overloaded and/or start hitting the baskect. needless to say this is very bad.

2: the amp is being overloaded or overdriven. overloading means that you are trying to make the amp produce more watts then it can. On cheap amps this is ofthen way below the RMS rating. Overdriven means that it just can't handle the speaks/signal that it is being given. basicly it is not able to control the speakers and the speakers instead of being stoped being they hit the bottom/top they are left to float until the next signal from the amp.

Tell the differnce between speaker clipping and amp clipping is hard sometimes. But more ofthen then not it is the amp and not the speakers. I know this to be fact from my own install. I used to have a cheap amp running some cheap speakers as a temp setup from the previous owner. well i put in one of my A/D/S/ 6.25 amps (6 channels X 25watts) and i was just amazed at how the speakers actually sounded good! they got twice as loud and twice as good sounding then the cheap 75 x 4 channel amp that was in there. Just goes to show right there the differnce that a good amp can make.

I have yet to chang the speakers actually since they sound pretty good.

Ok now to the last part about needing that much power. Well you don't have 1200 watts so just forget that number. you actually have about 50 watts per channel. is that enough to power the door speakers? yeah you can get by. Can you power the sub? depends on the sub. I see you say you have a JL sub, what kind? If it is a W6/7 then no way will it power it. If it is one of the smaller ones then it will power it though not very well.

My story about my truck is a perfect example of what you could run into with your amp. Go ahead and install it just leave some extra in the wires so that it is easy to change out amps later. You can get the good ol A/D/S/ Amps on ebay for $100 give ortake some dependiong on maodel. I saw a 6.25 just like mine for go $100 just the other day. Getting something liek that would be $$$ WELLL speant.

If you do want to get a better amp let me know and i can give you some models to look at that would be perfect for you.

Well that concluds this session of Car audio 101. Please excuse the spelling, i am tired and can't seam to hit the right key and am late for work so i am not going to read it over right now.

Also DON'T take anything i said personal. I am not dissing ya'll at all. Just trying to educate.

 

damn dude. you are great.
i think i am beginning to understand this (car audio 101) haha.

what you say makes sense and follows normal logic (this is how i learn).
i am worried now because this subwoofer is huge (its hard for me to carry!).
its enclosed in a box that is about a foot and a half in each direction.

now, with my subwoofer i dont wanna run it if its going to be underpowered. i want some thump, but i dont wanna go full out power (poor alternator). if the sub wont get enough power, maybe i should think about running all the speakers on that amp and then can i run the sub to the headunit directly? i am not sure that would make much sense though.

i like the idea of running the sub and two front speakers on it though.
i appreciate you taking the time to google and find out the specs.
i know i bought excellent speakers. they are rated by 50 people and have 5 stars on them. this was the main reason for buying them. so i know i have good quality speakers, if the amp can deliver (we will have to see i guess, since we dont have the numbers for "RMS"), but good idea to leave some room for another amp in the future.

i just hope i got a good amp. i doubt it because 1, i have never heard of it, and 2 it doesnt list a company name (not that i saw) that you can easily look up... i bought it from a rich guy, he seemed pretty well of. he had a mercedes benz when we met on craigslist.
the JL sub i have been assured is excellent. so i have most of the pieces to the puzzle, i just need this amp to pull through.

next paycheck im going to get the wiring and this system is going in. its been in my truck for 2 months now...

 

Thanks, i try to repay all the help i have been given when i can.

What model JL sub is it? As i said if it is the W6 or 7 serire then you will need a new monoblock amp for it no if ands or buts. Those things need an outrages ammount of power and will eat cheap amps for breakfest. If you have a picture of it i might be able to tell you what it is.

If it is another type of sub then you would have a lot more options for amps. JL is a good brand, so don't worry about that. Over priced but by far better than most out there. And there wattage ratings are real RMS ratings. In fact most of them are underrated as well.

Before i can really help with the sub more i will need to know what kind it is. I can tell you to not even think about running it off the HU. You will kill the HU before the first song is done.

I looked at your sig and it looks like you have polk speakers, Good choice! Those are some nice speakers that you should be vear happy with. You will need to use an amp to get them sounding good though.

Let me know what the sub is and i can suggest some more. You really should get6 channel amp or another amp for the sub. This would sound a lot better, you might have to depending on the sub.

Oh, and if you do have a W6 or W7 sub then you got one heck of a deal for $200. just those subs go for 300 for the 6 and 500+ for the 7. the other JL subs are not cheap either.

 

okay, quickly went out right now and snapped some pics.

 

Ok, great speaker choices. Those will work great.

The sub is not the W6 or 7 but i don;t know what model it is either. You would have to pull it out of the box to see for sure. But the rest of these subs don't need near the power of the W6/7.

Amp is about what i figured. What are those fuse rating on it? That can sometimes be an indicater as to how good it really is.

Ok, you have a few options for hooking it all up. The subs and speakers are good and will work great. Meaning that the only real weak link is the amp.

The best way would be to get new amp(s) all aorund. Cost about ~$200. This would give you the best sound and work the best. If you want to consider this there are a few way you could do it all with their + and -.

You could use that amp to power the fronts and the sub although this is not optimal at all. it would work though.

You could also use it to power the 4 speakers and get a new amp for the sub or vise versa depending on what you like in your music.

With those nice speakers running the with a cheap amp just doesn't make sense. For about $200 you could get an old school amp that gives you 90% of the high end amp of today performance for a fraction of the price.

The option i would do if i were you is this. You have great speakers and i assume a desent HU so with a good install all that is missing is a good amp. I would sell that amp you have and use that $$ combined with a little extra to get most likely an A/D/S/ or orion, soundstream ect... amp. depending on space and $$$ i have i would get either 1 6 channel or 1 4 channel and 1 mono block.

If i was real low on funds i would use what i got for now leaving extra slack in the cables to make switching out amps easy later. use this for now and get soemthing better whn i could. Just be very carful with the volume, no reason to mess up those nice speakers!

 

alrighty, i really wanted to get my stereo up and running soon, but it will have to wait. your right, i just wanna get some good tunes in there. ive been saving (part time job) for a long time.

can you help me find a good deal? it has to be something i can save towards, and not just buy right this minute.

where can i sell my amp? can i trade? :]

oh yeah, my hu is about 7 years old. its called blaupunkt and its old, but never skips or anything. i will have to upgrade later, i want this in already.
thanks for the help (but dont stop haha).

 

In that case put your amp up on ebay. Should be able to get $50 at least for it from some kid.

As for where to get an amp, the best place i have found is ebay. Or fourms BST sections. I am a big fan of old school audio. Some of it is better than the new stuff and all of it is better than most of the new stuff. The Dollar to performance on this stuff can't be beat.

An example: i got my A/D/S/ p850.2 Amp off ebay a few weeks ago for $300. This gives me 8 channels @ 50 watts (WAY underrated) or 4 channels @ 150 watts (once again underrated). this gives me FULL flexibilty for anything i want now or want to do later. something like this would run your system but would be a little overkill.

It all really depends on what your sub wants for power. One of the best amps for you would be an ads ph15 amp. It gives you 55watts x 6 channels and is bridgeable for the sub. It also has the crossovers on it.

Would you prefer 1 amp or would 2 work fine? if you go with one then you will need a 6 channel bridgeable amp. A/D/S/ is the king of 6+ channels amps. they are very easy of the battery as well. if you want 2 amps then you could get a whole host of other amps.

Really just keep an eye out on ebay and BST boards and wait for what you need to pop up. Here is a list of good brands that will work great.

A/D/S/ (my personal fav, I will have all ADS except for sub in my new system)
Orion (ADS owned them, basicly ads selling differnt stuff)
Soundstream (great old school amps)

There are a lot more but those should get you started. basicly just look around and you will start to see what is what. Anything from these brands will work well, just check the specs to make sure it is what you need.

And what do you need? Watts don't really mean squat for quality sound. my 25 watts is a great example. If you can get 50 watts a channel for the speakers on one of these then that will be fine. 100 would be better of course but on these brands names not needed.

The sub will need at least 100 watts going to it, though you need to check on the model and see what the ohms on it is (google that, to long for me to explain). Try to get 150+ though.

don't worry about the HU for now. It should work fine for now.

http://cgi.ebay.com/a-d-s-P650-2-Car...QQcmdZViewItem

That would be about perfect for your whole system. 50 watts to the doors and 150 for the sub.

Once you have a few hundred bucks saved up post here and i can help you find something. These things go by pretty quick but there is always something around.

 

wow, that amp looks really nice. 100 bucks?
i will bid on that if i check my funds in the bank, should have 100 to scrap, 140 with shipping and all that jazz..

whats funny is my name is rion (pronounced ryan) so an orion amp would match haha.

 

haha, i have 137 in my account. think that will work? with all costs associated?
though that is 50 watts per channel. will that power everything? the 2 4'' in the dash, 6.5'' in the rear, and the 12'' sub?

i want to buy this if it will work.
think i can get it for less than 110?

 

Well the reserve is not even met on that listing yet and it will go up some more. Those usually close for right around $200 give or take a little bit depending on who needs one.

It was more an example of what to look for. The p650.2 is a great amp. My p850.2 is the same thing only with 2 extra channels.

Orion amps are great amps indeed though they tend to be a bit more pricy then the ADS. They are usually more powerful though as the orion line was the "power" line from ADS.

 

oh okay, you are right once again. i guess i will have to pass on this amp. i will start saving. next paycheck goes to oil and tanny with filter change. maybe i can scrape up the leftovers of that check to get me something on ebay. i will definately let you know when i get a couple hundred.
just to check, i need about 50 watts per speaker, and 150 for the amp.
does this mean that an 8 channel will work for me? use the 4 channels at 50 watts, then double up with the other 4 and get like 200 watts on the sub?
is there a watt ratio i should follow?

 

There is no set amount of wattage that can really be followed. Here are a few break downs:

There is cheap wattage which is junk, you will be lucky to get half what the RMS rating is and even then it will sound bad. Avoid it at all costs.

Then there is the real wattage, from good makers that actually rate the amps with real ratings. As long as you have good wattage 25 watts can be some fun. Of course more is always better ;-)

For your speakers 50 watts from a good maker like ADS will do them proud and 150 for the sub should work good. Though i would need to know the model to say for sure. you can't bridge the bridged channels though, it will blow the amp. the best setup you could get would be a 4 channel ADS for the speakers and a mono block for the sub. but that will cost more.

If you can find an A/D/S/ P650 or a PH15 amp either one of those will work great for you. Both of them run about $200 give or take and will run your whole system. And if at a later date you decide you want a bigger amp for the sub then you can bridge 2 channels for the front speakers like i have mine setup to get more power to them. the PQ20 or PQ40 would be even better but they tend to cost a fair amount more.