Hey, Im an absolute NOOB when it comes to car audio.

Im getting an amp this week, I have pretty much no idea about it, I just traded it for a video card. Its a Kicker IX402.

For now, I just want to incorporate it into my stock HU and stock speakers. I'll probably get some new front speakers soon though.

Um where do I start? Is the amp wired up between the speakers and HU?

Will there be no noticable difference if I install an amp with the stock stereo equipment?

Please point me in a direction where I can read some stuff

 

SC,

i have a writeup in the works. ive learned alot from a few guys on the forum, namely bumpin yota, cebby, nisaznmonk, to name a few.

good idea getting new speakers first. i bought components which make a lot more sense, esp if they are mounted in kick panels. those alone make a world of difference

bob

 

Always can count on you on doing a writeup!

I was just reading a few electrical writeups here in the Tech Section.

So you're saying I should install the speakers with the amp at the same time?

 

stock speakers arent that great. putting more power to it will make it louder, but they arent quality, so they wont exactly sound clean also, if you can afford it, buy a new headunit. i got mine from another member for $150 (iirc). you can get really good quality one for $200 that will hook up to an ipod w/ just a standard 3.5mm cable.

oh wait, i just remembered: a stock stereo does not have RCAs. you will ahve to buy an aftermarket headunit

bob

 

I agree whole heartedly! Sure you can add an amp now with stock speakers and you should notice a change for the better, but not a very big one. For 2 reasons, the first being the stock speakers...well...suck. The second, and somewhat lesser reason, is that the stock HU lacks any type of control for that power. (When compared to aftermarket decks.) You may also end up blowing your stock speaker sooner with an amp on them...lol

I first put a deck (Alpine CDA 9831) in my rent's '05 F250. Change was there but minimal. Put in a Kicker KX100.2 running 2 ohm stereo to the four speakers. Sound was much better, but still well short of even the cheapest coaxials. Keep in mind that I tuned the snot out of the system both times...lol Now Im itching to put some nice Eclipse pointsource or Eclipse 3ways in the F250, then tackling the bass...

You might also want to swing by your local circuit city and buy about 18' of the 9 wire cord. This cord is about 3/4" in diameter and has 9 wires in it all color coded to the industry standard...makes amp4ch installs a breeze!

bob - need any pics for the writeup? Im constantly doing amp installs and using LOC's

 

bumpin,

i guess i was wrong about SC have to buying an aftermarket deck. but yes, the reasons you listed are definitely what i was thinking

i got plenty of pics..it just takes forever to write these things but i may have you proof it if you dont mind, so i dont put up any factually incorrect things.

bob

 

Thanks for the help guys, but, I am still unfortuently way still too much of a noob to understand much.

What I have gathered is this amp i have is a 40watt x 2 channel.

I have no idea what 2-channel means or the 40 watt means!?

What exactly do I need to hook the amp to?

HU -> amp -> speakers
amp -> HU -> speakers ??

9-wire? Whats that? RCA? Whats that?

Would it be easier to just get all the new stuff before installing everything? Maybe I should just do that.

 

20 watts will be allocated to each speaker. 1 channel will go to each front speaker.

HU connected to amp by RCA cables....amp connected to speakers by speaker cables

oh edit: i would HIGHLY recommend a sub in an enclosure in the back. i got some pretty good CDT components in kick panels up front but i knew something was missing...bass! so i got a small 10" sub in the back and boy, it made all the difference. when i remove it, the sound experience is not the same. by the wya, i unhooked the rear speakers because soem of the forum experts advised that it ruins the imaging.

well, before you buy anything else, determine what kind of sound performance you want. usually determined by the kind of music you listen to and your budget. im sure there are guys on the forum who could hook you up

bob

 

OKay, that clears some stuff up for me.

Well, I listen to black and death metal .. hheh. I listen to classic rock too a little, but, mostly hard guitar-heavy noise

I've never thought about buffing out my sound system, but, thought it would be pretty sweet to pump it up a little!

I just traded this amp for free, so I know its not the best out there, but, from the research I've done on it, its decent for being so old.

What size speakers do I get in the doors? (front)

 

What is black and death metal?

 

What amp do you have in particular?

it goes HU > amp > speakers. The HU is the source of the music. That information will travel down to your amplifier. From there it will output through your speakers

9-wire: Think of a big yellow extension cord you may use for your yard work. Inside thiere are 9 individually wrapped wires color coded with the car audio standard colors. Once you get used to these colors you'll understand what they mean. They also sell a 3-wire version for the power side of your amplifier.

http://www.audiooutfitter.com/store/S9W250.html

^^^ there is an example of 9-wire.

RCA's is basically the pathway your music will travel through from your radio to your amplifier. If you have hooked up a VCR or DVD player at home, check out the audio/video wires on the back. The wires are cosmetically designed like those wires. Crappy example i know, but it was all I could think of

 

If you want to learn a little more about car audio this is a great place to start reading
http://www.bcae1.com/

 

Cool thanks guys for the help. I'll try reading that stuff first.

What is black and death metal? Umm its just really fast, heavy guitar. Black is more gothic, dark and orchistrated, like organs and almost like choir but more down tempo. Death metal is faster, more upbeat but violent.

Just for the record, Im not a freak or goth or anything... I just like heavy metal whaaaaaa!

Here is a few free songs from myspace: http://www.myspace.com/oldmanschildfanpage

Old man's child is sweet, its more speed black metal.