Well, my parents were pretty generous this Christmas, and got me an Alpine MRP-F240 amplifier (40 watts by 4 channels RMS, 90 watts by 4 channels max). After 2 days of installation hell (no, it didn't take me 2 days to do the amplifier alone, I put different speakers in up front, ran some new power cable, and had to wait until today to pick up a few more things), it's sounding pretty damn good, if I do say so myself . . . but I'm looking to get ideas for what might be a good next step. Keep in mind, I'm happy at the power level I'm at (it doesn't take much to fill a 240 with sound, and I prefer quality over quantity anyway) . . . the only thing I can think of are components, but are they worth it? Here's a quick overview of what I have now . . .
Alpine CDA-7894 Head UnitAlpine MRP-F240 Stereo Amplifier (4 channels, 40x4 W RMS, 90x4 W Max)Alpine MRP-M200 Monophonic Amplifier (Subwoofer, 200 W RMS, 300 W Max)Boston Accoustics "Competition" 10" SubwooferBoston Accoustics 746 4"x6" Rear SpeakersPioneer 4"x6" Front Speakers (not sure of model number, they were in the back of the car when I got it, put them up front, and they sound pretty damn decent).
An 8-gauge power cable is run back to the hatch, along the driver's side of the car, with a 30-amp fuse; both amplifiers utilize the same ground. RCA and speaker cables are run up through the center console, and the speakers connect through the factory wiring (not worth the expense and trouble of redoing, if you ask me, especially at the power rating I'm at now).
I'm not looking to go competing or anything, and it sounds great to me now, but if you guys have any ideas on stuff that would make a decent upgrade to what I have, feel free to comment. :-)
What's next?
I feel round speakers are more efficient than oblong, so if I could make any reco (off the cuff) it would be to upgrade to 6" speakers up front, maybe even components (seperate mid/tweeter). Other than that, I'd say look into a different/better sub box. Now keep in mind, I know nothing about your current sub box, but rarely does anyone build the perfect box (compromise of space and shape) the first time.
Overall, sounds like a nice clean system.
Happy Listening
Overall, sounds like a nice clean system.
Happy Listening
Thanks for the comments. If I ever feel like sneaking into my school's woodshop, I could probably make a bracket for a 6" speaker, though this is assuming I don't cheap out and not do anything at all. :-)
The sub box that I have is one of those Q-Logic boxes; generic, yes, but it seems to work well. Of course, I've never heard one really designed for either a specific subwoofer, or car, so I don't know how differently I'd think knowing that. ;-) Thanks again for the advice, I'll definitely look into those options . . .
The sub box that I have is one of those Q-Logic boxes; generic, yes, but it seems to work well. Of course, I've never heard one really designed for either a specific subwoofer, or car, so I don't know how differently I'd think knowing that. ;-) Thanks again for the advice, I'll definitely look into those options . . .
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Well your system is under powered only 40 rms per speaker...alpine amps are the worst bang for the buck…don’t get me wrong they are nice little amps, but cost a fortune.
I probably spent the same you did but I’m pushing closer to 100rms per speaker
and 200rms to the sub is I guess enough for you...
it isn’t for me however I have 2- 12" and putting about 450rms in each
I probably spent the same you did but I’m pushing closer to 100rms per speaker
and 200rms to the sub is I guess enough for you...
it isn’t for me however I have 2- 12" and putting about 450rms in each
Thanks for the reply.
I listened to a few different amplifiers before deciding on the Alpine; it was rated for less power than almost the rest of the competing amps in its price range, but it sounded just as loud with the same speakers, and IMO, was cleaner as well. And while 40 watts RMS/4 channels might not sound impressive, you should remember that in the S13 fastback, the speakers are only 4"x6" all around, so unless I were to upgrade to something of a different size (and make custom brackets, etc), more power really wouldn't help, as the speakers probably wouldn't be able to handle it. And believe it or not, the system gets loud enough to hurt my ears . . . my 100 watt/channel stereo in my room doesn't do that. :-)
Again, with the subwoofer, it's only a 10" subwoofer . . . doesn't take a lot of power to drive (relatively, of course), and, really, the only reason why I have it is because there was no way I was going to get adequete amounts of bass with just 4x6 speakers all around, and it was the easiest and most efficent way to remedy the problem. In fact, if you were to listen to various types of music in the car, you wouldn't even be able to tell there's a subwoofer there, it just sounds natural, which is exactly what I was going for, even if the majority of people who like my types of music (rap and R&B) like it really bass-heavy. :-)
Anyway, thanks for the comments . . .
I listened to a few different amplifiers before deciding on the Alpine; it was rated for less power than almost the rest of the competing amps in its price range, but it sounded just as loud with the same speakers, and IMO, was cleaner as well. And while 40 watts RMS/4 channels might not sound impressive, you should remember that in the S13 fastback, the speakers are only 4"x6" all around, so unless I were to upgrade to something of a different size (and make custom brackets, etc), more power really wouldn't help, as the speakers probably wouldn't be able to handle it. And believe it or not, the system gets loud enough to hurt my ears . . . my 100 watt/channel stereo in my room doesn't do that. :-)
Again, with the subwoofer, it's only a 10" subwoofer . . . doesn't take a lot of power to drive (relatively, of course), and, really, the only reason why I have it is because there was no way I was going to get adequete amounts of bass with just 4x6 speakers all around, and it was the easiest and most efficent way to remedy the problem. In fact, if you were to listen to various types of music in the car, you wouldn't even be able to tell there's a subwoofer there, it just sounds natural, which is exactly what I was going for, even if the majority of people who like my types of music (rap and R&B) like it really bass-heavy. :-)
Anyway, thanks for the comments . . .
honestly you'd be putting your amp to waste if you just ran 4x6's off of it... 4x6's are pretty much the worst speakers for SQ 
i had JBL GTO's up front and some decent pioneers in the rear, but being that they were 4x6's they still sounded like crap. so go through the extra effort to make an adapter ring to accomodate some 6.5" components.
i'm now runnin CDT 3-way components up front with no rear fill, and i must say, it sounds AMAZING although fitting 4's somewhere up front along with the 6's isn't possible without some fairly hefty customization, so i would probably stick with just the two-way (tweeter+6 combo)
www.thezeb.com has the CL-61a's for dirt cheap ($150 US) and it'll be hard to find a nicer set of components for that cheap (well, there's always Ebay :pface)... there's other components out there for sure, i'm just a CDT fan.
i had JBL GTO's up front and some decent pioneers in the rear, but being that they were 4x6's they still sounded like crap. so go through the extra effort to make an adapter ring to accomodate some 6.5" components.i'm now runnin CDT 3-way components up front with no rear fill, and i must say, it sounds AMAZING
although fitting 4's somewhere up front along with the 6's isn't possible without some fairly hefty customization, so i would probably stick with just the two-way (tweeter+6 combo)www.thezeb.com has the CL-61a's for dirt cheap ($150 US) and it'll be hard to find a nicer set of components for that cheap (well, there's always Ebay :pface)... there's other components out there for sure, i'm just a CDT fan.
Rex: I didn't really have an amp budget, per se. Aside from the head unit and speakers (I bought them before I got a car, haha), the other components were all Christmas presents. I knew I wanted more power, but there was also a limit as to how much a 4x6 speaker could handle. I was pretty much looking at amps in the $200-300 range (the Alpine amp I got was $200). I had gone down to Tweeter (the best chain store in my area, IMO), and listened to a few different amps in that price range, and the Alpine sounded the best, so it was what I asked for, hehe. If I had larger speakers, more power would be worth it no question, but I don't. I also have a Kenwood KAC-901 laying around from my dad's days of playing with car stereo, but that thing is at least 20-25 years old, and doesn't even use RCA connections; it's from back in the day of DIN connections, and 8-tracks. :-) 100 watts/2 channels though . . .
Ayjay: Trust me, I lived with 4x6's for a few months without a subwoofer, awful audio experience, I know. :-) I think with a subwoofer for the bass, they sound pretty decent, but then again, I haven't heard components yet, and from what I've heard, it sounds like that might be the way to go. The Alpine amp that I have is bridgeable to 100 watts/2 channels RMS, which I would imagine is enough for those components, and I still have my head unit for the rear "fill" speakers, though I often pop the hatch, and use the rears to help make my "boom box" work, hehe. I'll definitely have to check those out the next time a paycheck comes in. Thanks for the link!
Oh, and Rex . . . I wish I were taking woodshop to make a bracket, hehe. Maybe if I can bribe a friend to make me one . . .
Ayjay: Trust me, I lived with 4x6's for a few months without a subwoofer, awful audio experience, I know. :-) I think with a subwoofer for the bass, they sound pretty decent, but then again, I haven't heard components yet, and from what I've heard, it sounds like that might be the way to go. The Alpine amp that I have is bridgeable to 100 watts/2 channels RMS, which I would imagine is enough for those components, and I still have my head unit for the rear "fill" speakers, though I often pop the hatch, and use the rears to help make my "boom box" work, hehe. I'll definitely have to check those out the next time a paycheck comes in. Thanks for the link!
Oh, and Rex . . . I wish I were taking woodshop to make a bracket, hehe. Maybe if I can bribe a friend to make me one . . .
100W RMS would be perfect for each channel up front... more power is always a good thing.. hell you could run 300W RMS per channel up front, but you'd only have to turn the volume up half as much as you would with 100W to get the same result... somethin called HEADROOM... it's always good to have headroom cause then your deck doesn't need to stress to force out a distorted signal to your components
Are you talking about powering the existing setup, or the components? I would assume components . . . 100 watts/channel, and I think those poor Pioneers would end up dead, hehe. Oops, just notice you said components at the end, hehe . . . long day, and still not over at close to 3 in the morning, haha. Thanks for the advice man, I appreciate it . . .
elbles wrote:... I also have a Kenwood KAC-901 laying around from my dad's days of playing with car stereo, but that thing is at least 20-25 years old, and doesn't even use RCA connections; it's from back in the day of DIN connections, and 8-tracks. :-) 100 watts/2 channels though . . .
Your reference to the days of DIN & 8-tracks hurts just a little bit. They weren't really of the same time, but I get your point. Yes, I am that old. How many of you even remember that you had to register with the government when you bought a CD player?
It might be worth looking to see if you can find a DIN to RCA adapter to see what that little amp will do?
Hehe, sorry Rex, it was before my time, don't know much about either of them. I'm only 18, heh . . . still have one of the first Beta Hi-Fi VCRs from 1983, a SL-2700B, working perfectly, maybe I'm just nostalgic like that (or maybe it's because Betas seem to be immune from DVD copy protection).
But anyway, I did look for DIN to RCA converters, they seem to be non-existant, as I guess they figure any DIN equipment is virtually non-existant anymore. I found pinouts and such, but when I played around with it, I think I hooked a 12 volt line up to one of the speaker connections (I took it apart to try to find out what was what, as I don't have the original harness for it anymore), and I think that fried one of the channels. :-( It has since been disposed of (threw it out the other day after taking it apart to see if I could find anything obviously fried).
But anyway, I did look for DIN to RCA converters, they seem to be non-existant, as I guess they figure any DIN equipment is virtually non-existant anymore. I found pinouts and such, but when I played around with it, I think I hooked a 12 volt line up to one of the speaker connections (I took it apart to try to find out what was what, as I don't have the original harness for it anymore), and I think that fried one of the channels. :-( It has since been disposed of (threw it out the other day after taking it apart to see if I could find anything obviously fried).
I just used 1/4" plywood, sprayed it black and used the factory speaker baffles to trace on to the wood. Bought some infinity 61/2's and they came with a metal mounting ring which I used to renforce the ply. didn't have to mod the door panel at all. You mentioned that you are running the same negative off both amps. That is not a really good idea. Are you running off the same positive as well? As far as 4x6 speakers not putting out power, I believe infinity is about 60 to 80 rms per speaker.
NoezUP: Neat idea, might have to try that when/if I go with components.
With regard to the amplifier hookup, why would it not be a good idea to use the same ground and power cable for both of them? There are 2 ground cables run to the same spot, with one going to each amplifier; I can't see how this would be a bad thing, considering that a ground in a car should be electrically identical to any other ground (i.e the difference in potential is none). And I see plenty of kits out there with one power cable run from the battery and using a distribution block . . . just wondering why you don't think it was a good idea.
With regard to the amplifier hookup, why would it not be a good idea to use the same ground and power cable for both of them? There are 2 ground cables run to the same spot, with one going to each amplifier; I can't see how this would be a bad thing, considering that a ground in a car should be electrically identical to any other ground (i.e the difference in potential is none). And I see plenty of kits out there with one power cable run from the battery and using a distribution block . . . just wondering why you don't think it was a good idea.