help for a car audio noob?

AdamRagland

hey guys, i'm a home audio guy so car audio is a little new to me but i want to buy a small system for my girlfriend. i'm just pricing right now so my question is..i don't want a sub but i do want to amp the speakers. are all amps the same type or are there sub amps and then amps for your speakers? i was ooking at an alpine 400w amp to power both the front and rear speakers. also can it be wired for stereo and not mono? thanks for your help!

zingo

Amps are amps, but some have features that lend themselves to subs or speakers. You are going to want a 4 channel amp. Just like a home amp, just make sure the watts output of the amp you get is well matched to the speakers you are running with it. If the amp is mono, then it is usually made for a subwoofer. I hope this helps and feel free to ask any follow up questions.

Greg Peters

AdamRagland wrote: »

hey guys, i'm a home audio guy so car audio is a little new to me but i want to buy a small system for my girlfriend. i'm just pricing right now so my question is..i don't want a sub but i do want to amp the speakers. are all amps the same type or are there sub amps and then amps for your speakers? i was ooking at an alpine 400w amp to power both the front and rear speakers. also can it be wired for stereo and not mono? thanks for your help!

Post a link to the amps you have questions about just to be sure. A Monoblock (one channel) amp is designed to be used with subwoofer(s) and will only output summed mono, it's not possible to use it for stereo full-range speakers, so as mentioned above you'll want a four channel amplifier for the task.

MacLeod

Mono amps are for subwoofers. Theyre mono only and usually have high distortion which is fine for subs but not for full range. Plus, most mono amps dont have a frequency response very high. But theyre very efficient and make a ton of power in a small package which makes them ideal for a sub.

Alpine makes outstanding amps so that is an excellent choice. If youre wanting to amp all 4 speakers, then look for one of their V Power 4 channels. Theyre a good price and would work fine. For just casual listening, the F250 would be a good choice.

http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/Group/ProductMenu.aspx?g=120&tp=115&nvpair=FFBrand%7cAlpine&nvpair=AG_Number_of_Channels%7cFF4%40Channel

1996blackmax

My mono amp can also be used as part of a clean stereo system.....you just need two. Man, that would be alot of headroom .

AdamRagland

thanks for the help guys. you think it would be possible for me to get a fairly decent system (no sub) for under $500?

Kinetic

AdamRagland wrote: »

thanks for the help guys. you think it would be possible for me to get a fairly decent system (no sub) for under $500?

go for the new DBs those ones have better bass than the old ones, and are 100 RMS each, and its important when you dont want a sub, o momos if you want better sound.

i would go for the DB6501 for the front and the DB691 for the back

Alpine HU CDA-9883 $144 on amazon or better a CDA-9885
Alpine Amp MRP-F450 $119 on amazon or better a MRP-F550

1996blackmax

If you are not going to be running a sub, you may want to look at the Momo's.

MacLeod

Kicker 60x4 amp. $200 shipped.
http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?g=120&i=206ZX3504&tp=115

Momo 6.5 $150 shipped. You can buy 2 sets and get the 2nd 50% off so youre at $225 shipped for 2 sets. I dont know if these will fit your car but its an idea.
http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?g=52000&i=107MMC650&tp=95

I dont know if you need a head unit or not but if so here is a basic entry level Alpine head unit for $150 shipped.
http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?g=300&i=500CDE9874&c=3&tp=5684&avf=N

So there is a pretty solid system for $575 assuming you will do all the installation yourself. For wiring, Walmart has dirt cheap wiring kits thatll work just fine.

cam5860

Yeah I'm running that 8 gauge wiring kit from walmart in my truck now. Can't beat it for the money. Just don't use the rca cables that come in the kit. Buy some good quality ones.

1996blackmax

I would recommend KnuKonceptz for wiring, and RCA's. I have my RCA's running next to my power wires and have zero issues with noise.

http://knukonceptz.com/

http://knukonceptz.com/productMaster.cfm?StartRow=11&Category=Krystal%20RCA%20Kables

black magic

Hey blackmax, what do you think about their power wiring? I was looking at this:
http://www.knukonceptz.com/productDetail.cfm?prodID=KOL-AK0

versus one of stinger's power kit:
http://stingerelectronics.com/prodDetail.asp?strID=375

I like stinger's ground connection on this kit... it looks like it has more surface area.

1996blackmax

I am actually using two of their 4ga wire runs in my car.

Stinger makes quality cables as well. If I could get a good deal on the Stinger, I would have no problem using it in my car.