Audio Question Please

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Maxine Vannoy

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I have a couple of questions. I don't know a whole lot about amplifiers and such. I have a Pioneer aftermarket head unit and Infinity speakers. I would like to give them a little boost with a small amplifier. I'm not really interested in a sub. I need some suggestions as what to get including any connectors that is necessary. Also, will a factory sub/amp plug directly

into my head unit? Would I need some time of harness to make it work? I thought if I could do that, I would see if anyone has a factory sub/amp they want to sell. It would have all the bass I wanted. Thanks.
 
All depends on your head unit. I know Pioneer makes some decent high-end stuff but they make a whole lot of really crappy stuff that may lack the plug-ins for an external amp and the amp would probably only magnify a distorted sound. What's the model number?

Check crutchfield.com. They have really good instructions for adding external amps.
 
It's a decent unit but it only has sub outputs. However it's rated at 50w per channel. That should be plenty of power for the door speakers. Take it from me, the thing you need most is a sub. 6x8/5x7 speakers are very limited in the amount of bass they can deliver. Adding more wattage to the door speakers is not going to give you better sound. Only a sub woofer and sub amp will make a difference.

If you still want to add a regular amp, most simply use RCA input jacks anyway so it's easy to hook up. You just won't have any control over the amps in your head unit like you would with a sub.
 
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One thin you learn about aftermarket head units is that they do NOT put out the amount of power they saythey do. 50w per channel is the peak power it will put per channel. RMS power is probably around 20-23 watts per channel. A small amp will help your infinity's sound better.



With your headunit, you do have the option of high pass and low pass crossovers built into the headunit. You can block out frequencies you do not wish the speakers to receive. The unit also has the built in EQ so you can fine tune the sound alos, which is great for the door speakers. You have alot of options on what amp to choose, really it depends on your budget or what you feel like spending. Remember, you get what you pay for, lol
 
That pioneer is pushing 50 x 4 at peak power. At normal listening volumes, or even at a loud listening volume, those speakers are being underpowered which is one of the #1 reasons that people blow speakers. I have done a number of installs, just running a basic 50x4 unit on aftermarkets and the speakers have no low end. Once you put a decent amplifier on them, they do get the mid range they were made for. You also have to ask are these Infinity speakers Reference or Kappa, and are they coaxials or components?



Tom is right on the subwoofer though, every system need some kind of subwoofer in it to give the low end. If you dont want any thing too too loud, there are a # of companys that make 8 inch woofers that would most likely suit your needs as 1 8 inch woofer is not that loud and would just accent the music you listen to.



Also, if you are looking for much better sound, you might want to consider looking into a radio that has RCA pre-outs for Front, Rear, and Sub Woofer (only if your going to add a 4 channel amplifier for your mids and highs). Because you dont want to add a line output converter to your speaker wires, cause alot of times those will cause some kind of static or feedback that isnt very pleasent.
 
Would I need a 2-channel or 4-channel amp and how many watts? I don't want to rattle the windows. I just want a little boost. I'm not getting much out of my rear speakers.
 
I'm betting they are Reference, just like mine. They have a great sound without spending to much money. I agree the ratings for most head units are not a true indicator but I still say you have more then enough power going to your door speakers. If you could just divert some of that bass energy to a sub then the Infinitys will sound much better then increasing the wattage to them.
 

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