Bi-amp with head unit - Will this work?

grateful72
grateful72 Posts: 38
edited January 2008 in Car Audio & Electronics
Ok. I am trying to go with just two speakers and a head unit in a Ford Ranger.

I know head units only put out ~ 15w per channel.

I plan on getting Polk Momo 570's. Since these are bi-ampable and there are 4 channels of power from the headunit, can I bi-amp the speakers using the head unit power?

I know this is probably nuts, but 30 watts per speaker is prob enough for me if this is possible.

Thanks in advance for any help.
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  • MacLeod
    MacLeod Posts: 14,358
    edited December 2007
    Its actually more like 5-7 "real world" watts but yes bi-amping with a head unit is a much better way to go about it if you cant afford or just dont want an amp. Momos do much better with a good bit of juice so if you ever get the itch for an amp it would be money well spent.
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  • grateful72
    grateful72 Posts: 38
    edited December 2007
    First-off. Thanks Mac for the quick reply! You have been a huge help to many.

    5-7 watts - That's too bad. But, 10-14 watts with the bi-amp is still doubly better :).

    I would love an amp, and one day, it will happen. For the time being, I think/hope this will sound way better than the factory stuff. Besides - it's my wife's new truck, not mine. Hopefully this will sound good enough.
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  • MacLeod
    MacLeod Posts: 14,358
    edited December 2007
    Itll work fine. You wont be able to blast the windows out and youll run into distortion probably the first time you crank up a good song with the windows down, but for 85% of the time it will be ok. And dont fight it, youll catch yourself browsing thru Crutchfield.coms amplifier page soon. ;)

    Pssst. Dont click here.
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  • audiobliss
    audiobliss Posts: 12,518
    edited December 2007
    ROFL

    You're evil, Mac.

    Pure evil. :D
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  • grateful72
    grateful72 Posts: 38
    edited December 2007
    Ha Ha! Good one MAc.

    I've already been there a few times. $250 or so on amp, kit, and install is just too much right now after buying a car.

    Besides, I want to wait until we can afford a 4 channel so we can amp up the 570's with a sub.

    Step 1 - get a head unit with CD player (no CD on current stereo) and decent speakers.

    Step 2 - 4 channel amp (or 5) and new sub.
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  • eloplayspolo
    eloplayspolo Posts: 1,117
    edited December 2007
    what year ranger is it? my friend has an 02 i think and he, I KNOW I CANT BELIVE IM SAYING THIS, got a sony headunit for 115 and some sony 6x9s and it sounded GOOD, like best non amped stereo i have ever heard. he just put in a little pioneer 10" and im willing to bet if most of u heard it... u would think he had a 2 chan amp running some kind of Good quality speaker. maybe he got lucky.... but its another way to go
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  • Thom
    Thom Posts: 723
    edited December 2007
    The MMC570 crossover isn't bi- amp- able. On some of our component systems you can run two inputs to the crossover, but on the Momo coaxs there's only one pair of inputs. You could run front channels of the head unit to the tweeters, and rear channels to the mids, bypassing the passive crossovers. But you'd need to have the right crossover points, and most head units don't have many options.
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  • grateful72
    grateful72 Posts: 38
    edited December 2007
    eloplayspolo -
    It's a 2008 Ford Ranger. Should have same speaker size.

    Thom-
    On the Polk Product Description for the MMC570, it says this:
    "Dual Nickel Plated Polarized Terminals for component-like connections. Truly "bi-ampable"! (all models except MMC460)"

    I guess that's only if you by-pass the crossovers, like you said. That's what I was afraid of, and that's why I asked the question.

    Which components have a bi-ampable crossover?
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  • MacLeod
    MacLeod Posts: 14,358
    edited December 2007
    Thom wrote: »
    The MMC570 crossover isn't bi- amp- able. On some of our component systems you can run two inputs to the crossover, but on the Momo coaxs there's only one pair of inputs. You could run front channels of the head unit to the tweeters, and rear channels to the mids, bypassing the passive crossovers. But you'd need to have the right crossover points, and most head units don't have many options.

    Oops. Missed that one. Some Polk guru. :(

    Not a problemo tho. You can still bi-amp them. Run the front channels thru the crossover and to the tweeters and then run the rear channels straight to the mid and use the mids natural roll off. I ran my beloved MMC690's this way for a couple years off a 4 channel Alpine amp and I really liked it. Granted its not the optimal way to do it but unless youre planning on hitting up some SQ competitions, I doubt youll ever notice.
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    08 Car Audio Nationals 1st ~ 07 N Georgia Nationals 1st ~ 06 Carl Casper Nationals 1st ~ USACi 05 Southeast AutumnFest 1st

    polkaudio SR6500 --- polkaudio MM1040 x2 -- Pioneer P99 -- Rockford Fosgate P1000X5D
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  • grateful72
    grateful72 Posts: 38
    edited January 2008
    Good idea Mac :). Thanks again.

    Anyone know of a good head unit that has a High-pass filter down to 40hz (or at least close to it)? I believe that's where the MMC570's bottom-end are rated down to.

    The one I was looking at only has a HPF that goes down to 80hz (Alpine 9883).

    How about the Kenwood Excelon KDC-X591? I've never owned Kenwood, so I know very little. Owner's manual says HPF goes down to 40hz, so it's a fit from that perspective. Aynone heard or used this or other Excelon receivers?
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