Any Stereo/ice Experts?

[allye 530 3 Cars]

After a bit of advice, with some time on my hands i find myself planning all aspects of my van. Now, as its going to be a comfy cruiser it's getting a nice stereo install. 4 standard locarion speakers, dash mounted tweeters piggy backing the front speaker wiring, thats all the head unit will be powering. Now my questions is about amp's.

 

I have got some nice goodwood door cards that have been modified to accomodate a extra set of speakers, slightly larger, 15cm at a guess. So, can i power a small 8" sub and 2 larger door speakers from a fairly tame 5/600ish watt 4 channel amp?

 

Thanks, Ali

Edited December 12, 2015 by allye

[Simes 248 2 Cars]

Yes.

I have a mono for my sub and a 4 channel for the rest.

The rear speakers don't do anything so I have thought of getting rid of the mono, and bridging a pair of channels on the other amp for the sub. Mine is all Alpine kit.

 

Of course I first considered this about 6 years ago and not done a thing.

[allye 530 3 Cars]

thanks for the quick reply, just to confirm I'd need to run two seperate amps? If thats the case I may just stick a under seat sub and a small amp for the door speakers in there.

[Anthony 1,003]

Most 4 channel amps can have one pair of outputs bridged to give 2+1 channels that would be fine for driving a small sub.

[sp_en_ny 17 1 Cars]

If the amp is driving two door speakers and an 8 inch sub as long as the amp is bridgeable the bridge two cgannels on the amp to drive the sub then remaining two channels drive each door speaker. If you are driving 4 door speakers and the sub you will need use the current amp for door speakers and another amp preferabky mono to drive the sub.

[sp_en_ny 17 1 Cars]

Also if you can turn off the internal amp of the head unit then do so. This will improve sound quality to.

[barneys66 122 1 Cars]

I'm no expert but here's a link to a thread I started about an install in my wife's Smart Roadster.

 

Since then I unbridged the amp and ran an extra pair of Alpine mids in pods in the back.

 

Sounds fantastic - won't blow the windows out but effortless power (still way more than needed) and quality.

 

I wonder how difficult it will be to balance yours up if you're running speakers from the headunit and mids from an amp..?

 

http://www.rodsnsods.co.uk/forum/tech-discussion/budget-ice-install-wifes-daily-advice-please-67958

[allye 530 3 Cars]

Bit of a simpleton with stereos, am i going to have issues with having 2 speakers in one door being powered by different locations? (one head unit and one amp)

 

Whats balancing!

[barneys66 122 1 Cars]

Me too - I just read as much as I can and asked for advice like you!

 

I can only assume with the stereo powering four speakers the sound you'll get from them will be average at best, but the amplified mids you intend to install will blow them away. Therefore, you either get little to no benefit from the originals, some space filling maybe, or turn down your amp so it doesn't overpower them. Tweeters wired off speakers will always be a compromise - go with crossovers if you can.

 

Balancing to me is just getting a nice sound by tweaking various elements and also ensuring the car is filled with noise, and not just obviously coming from one speaker location. Take a look at an image of an amp and see how many twirly buttons there are to play with! Again, I'm no stereo aficionado, but I was twiddling for hours until happy. Snigger, snigger.

 

Suppose it's a bit like building a car/engine - too much in one area is no use unless you build the rest to suit. Unless you just want to go boom, boom. Boom.

[Simes 248 2 Cars]

All you need are components up front and a sub in the back. The rear speakers offer nothing at all.

Use a 4 channel amp that is bridge able , bridge two channels to power the sub.

I drive my set up fairly hard (fortunately it can't be heard miles away!) and it sounds quite good.

What head unit do you have?

 

I've got focal components up front with crossovers. I set it all up s few years back, never looked back. I can adjust all the pre outs on my HU individually.

 

Tbh the standard set up in our e91 (it comes with 8" subs under the front two seats!!) is great but more due to lack of any noise in the cabin at mega speeds!

[allye 530 3 Cars]

In that case I may sack off the rear speakers, power all 4 door speakers from a amp, the tweeters from the head unit and have a under seat sub, opinions?

[Anthony 1,003]

I personally think you're making life potentially difficult for yourself trying to power different speakers on a given channel from separate amps.

 

Personally I'd power the front doors complete using two amp channels and appropriate crossovers to filter frequencies, and the bridge two amp channels to drive a small sub in the rear.

 

I tend to keep the rear speakers just to provide some fill/depth in a noisy environment like a 205, although you want the fronts doing most of the work to keep the soundstage in front of you. I'd be happy to drive the rears from the headunit in that situation.

[barneys66 122 1 Cars]

I originally had just two mids in the doors (powered by a bridged four channel amp), crossovers / tweeters and a powered sub.

 

Personally, the sound was too focused at the front and I like to be surrounded by sound, so I un-bridged the mids and added a second pair in the rear. Equally, as the Smart was compact, I shifted the balance to the left slightly so the driver was central to the noise. Similarly in my daily I move the sound towards the rear, but as it's a bigger car there tends to be no need to balance left to right. Driver always central.

 

If I were you I'd buy a similar amp to mine, i.e. 4-channel bridgeable with an RCA output, just in case you wire it all up and are dissatisfied. At least then you've got options without buying another amp.

 

Oh, and don't scrimp on sound deadening.

[allye 530 3 Cars]

plenty of food for though there thanks. Don't worry about the soun deadening, it's going to be the quietest 205 ever!

[allye 530 3 Cars]

Ah jeez. Now I've got to read up on and learn what to do with some passive cross overs.

[Simes 248 2 Cars]

Easy, go passive.

I've got these

 

http://www.focal.com/en/k2-power/162-130-kr-3544058751301.html

 

Food for thought.

[barneys66 122 1 Cars]

Yep - get a component kit and, apart from the wire, it's all included.

[allye 530 3 Cars]

Those focals look like the boys! I'd imagine if barely need two speakers in each door with those.

[Simes 248 2 Cars]

The tweeters are fixed to my pillar trim.

The mids in the normal place.

They are fab and can be driven hard.

The quality is good but over 70 they are competing with solid engine mount and throttle body noise!

[allye 530 3 Cars]

I won't have that problem with a heavily sound proofed cabin, standard mounts and a HDI!