amp

[Johnybeas]

I'm looking for a good amp to run my new subs as well as 6 new speakers of which I have yet to determine, anyone have a preference or ones they like better than others???

[McTaff]

You really need to specify what speakers you have and where/how you'll mount them. If you have 6 speakers, are four of them part of a split system? Or if you actually have 6 discrete speakers, where will you mount them, and how much juice do they need?

Talk in terms of watts, and type. Subwoofers should be considered for a seperate amp. For instance, mine are:

2x 6" Splits in doors, tweeters installed in dash.
2x 6x9" Coaxials on parcel shelf.
- To run these, I have an Alpine 4 channel amp.

Two subwoofers, still deciding on type, unpurchased/unmounted.
- To run these, I have another Alpine D-class amp.

++++

If you actually have 6 proper speakers, (not including separate tweeters for splits) you are better to choose your best speakers (which are likely to have the most power requirement) to sound-stage in the front, and have them running off a two channel amp, and get another four-channel amp to run the rest.

For your subwoofers, you are best off using their own D-class amplifier, depending how serious you are. D-Class amps are dedicated subwoofer amplifiers and (last time I checked they were a little more pricey for the same power output).

Once we have a little more info, it'll be easier to see what you'll need.

[Johnybeas]

I have two Kicker 12 in CVR12's that I just got, haven't bought the speakers yet but just got a job at best buy so I'm prob gonna use the discount and get some rockford fosgate 6 1/2's and 6 x9's

[McTaff]

In that case, I'd stick with the two subs, and only get two pairs of speakers for now - at least that's the only space you have in the car without cutting holes in it. One four-channel amp should be plenty to run those speakers. Grab a D-class amp for your subs, keep it separate. A mono-block amp is much more efficient and draws less current to power your subs. My basic setup above is the same.

Look at the RMS power handling of the speakers and ensure your amp exceeds that (again, in RMS). That's only a basic rule of thumb, actual car audio installers match them better that that.

When choosing an amp, look for the lowest THD as well as power output. More money usually (but not always) equals better quality.

Even if you do the install yourself, consider getting a pro to set it all up and ensure that you aren't clipping/distorting.

Mounting is a bit of a choice - I would consider mounting the sub amp in/on the actual sub box, and your 4 channel amp under the passenger seat - but only if you have plenty of room under it to allow plenty of clearance to dissipate heat. I actually have both in the rear, where the box will be.

[Black88GTA]

Don't bother trying to put an amp under the passenger seat. I tried it, and the seat scraped it (the amp I tried it with was only 2 1/8" thick). The only components you could get away with mounting under the seat would be a crossover or something - I would guess that you probably have 1" of clearance under there before the seat rubs.

As for a sub amp - I just ordered a Cadence iA7 for mine. Cadence guarantees the amp will put out 20% more power than rated. Here is a Youtube vid showing this amp doing 1200W RMS at around 1% THD. It's a Class D single channel dedicated sub amp, and Cadence has a great reputation in the car audio community. You also get a 5 year manufacturer warranty!

I decided on this amp by reading around on car audio forums, and paying attention to the brands that everyone seemed to like. The Cadence lineup seemed universally recommended by everyone.

As for mounting options - I currently have a speaker amp with identical dimensions to the iA7 living happily on the back of one of the fold-down seats. It fills the seat back pretty good (requires careful mounting), but I can still fold the seats down without any problems. This amp should mount very nicely to the back of the other seat. I should also mention that I have a '94 LSi with 50/50 fold down rears (I think some earlier cars had 60/40 split seats?)

With the 15% off discount code available from that site, I paid $255 shipped. Excellent price for what you get, IMO.

(no affiliation, blah blah, etc)

[Johnybeas]

you get the amp yet??? is it all that its cracked up to be???

[redlightningsvx]

Some have a 50/50 fold down back seat and ones like mine the whole top folds down.

[Black88GTA]

Originally Posted by Johnybeas

you get the amp yet??? is it all that its cracked up to be???

It came today. Looks really nice I won't be able to install until at least a few weeks from now though, as I won't have a free weekend until then. Plus I still have to wait for a couple other things to get here.

[Johnybeas]

I'm still tryin to figure out what to do for amps... I've decided to do a mono for the subs and a 4 channel for the speakers, I know where i'm going to run the sub amp but for the speakers I'm unsure, I've got to look more when I pull stuff apart. I'll update with pictures and everything when I install it all.

[McTaff]

Originally Posted by Johnybeas

I'm still tryin to figure out what to do for amps... I've decided to do a mono for the subs and a 4 channel for the speakers, I know where i'm going to run the sub amp but for the speakers I'm unsure, I've got to look more when I pull stuff apart. I'll update with pictures and everything when I install it all.

Next questions you need to think about:
Will you ever need to put your back seat down and carry anything large?

If not, take both amps and mount them directly onto the back of your back seat, and build the subwoofer box around them. They are hidden, and apart from extra cabling, it makes things waaaaaay easier. As I said before, that's where I have my 4 channel amp (and Black88GTA agrees). Under the seat is dicey and has very little airflow.

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If you DO wish to use your cargo area with the seat down (ever), you can mount the amp on a thick piece of MDF (18mm or so to prevent any flexing), but use a jigsaw to cut holes through it to keep it light, and give a little airflow. Go ahead and paint it up nice if you want. Mount that MDF to either the back of the sub box, or onto the back of the seat as before. The MDF itself you can mount to the seat or car body using snap-latches, or various other bits of hardware fasteners that remove the need for screws.

As for latches, there are thousands of types to choose from. My instinct is to go for a "case latch" style, or some of this type: click me. This website I'm posting for demo only, you should be able to find similar types in a large hardware store. Make sure you get at least six of the things - four might not be enough solid support and your board may eventually come loose.

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If you mount your sub box and amp mounting boards for quick release: Use nice and secure plugs in the cabling, it makes it easier to remove the thing if you need to - you can simply snap open the plug, unlatch the thing and you're away. Otherwise you have to mess about removing the speaker cables from the amps.

Any car electronics stores will have a starting point for you to look at with respect to this, but commercial application electronics places/fitters will probably have a better selection.

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I recommend removing the car boot (trunk) carpet and getting your own carpet made up with cheap material so you don't need to cut holes in it. You can put grommets in the carpet where your mounting equipment pokes through.

Hope this helps.