I have a jeep wrangler I am updating the sound system in. The catch is I have to purchase the majority of appliances from best buy because I have a credit there that I need to use. I have already ordered a custom sub enclosure to house one 10" subwoofer to fit behind my rear seat. This is what I decided on so far: - One 10" Alpine Type-R subwoofer. - Pair of 5-1/4" Alpine Type-S Speakers for my roll bar. - Pair of 4" x 6" Pioneer Speakers for the front. - Deck - Undecided - Amp - Undecided My problem is I have no idea what Amp to get. I am new to audio systems so I am pretty clueless about the science even though I have been trying to learn. I'm not sure what Amp will adequately power my sub. The rep at best buy advised me to get the Rockford P500-2 Amp which costs $430. I have also read good things about the Alpine-500W Class D Mono Amp which is much cheaper at $210. Why is the Rockford Fosgate Amp double the price the Alpine is? Can you guys point me in the right direction with what type of Amp to buy to power one 10" Alpine Type-R? Will I have to buy a separate Amp to power my speakers, or can a Deck take care of that? Thank you for the help!
Welcome! IMO just get the alpine amp if those 2 are your choices. Kinda funny how the dude at best buy would recommend a two channel amp for a sub. lol The D class (alpine) is more efficient so I'd say go with that. Just make sure that the sub your getting is a dual voice coil 4ohm sub so you can wire it into a 2 ohm impedance so it will see 500watts from the amp. You will have to get a separate amp for the speakers upfront. it's just kinda weird that you'll go with 4x6's. I know they are the stock size but you may be able to get 6.5" in there, maybe... if you don't wanna mess with it then get the 4x6's.. anyway, you'll need at least a 2 channel amp but personally i'd get a 4 channel amp just to power everything (front and rear). I don't know what best buy carries nowadays so what choices do you have for a deck? Generally, look into Alpine or pioneer for your deck. Ask about the preout voltage for the decks. You wanna have at least 4V and up for your preouts on the deck. For the amp, to make it easy try looking at another alpine 2 or 4 channel amp to keep the brands the same for your amps.
Thank you for the response, that info helps a lot. "Just make sure that the sub your getting is a dual voice coil 4ohm sub so you can wire it into a 2 ohm impedance so it will see 500watts from the amp." - The 10" Alpine type-r is a dual voice coil 4ohm sub so I guess that should work fine with the Alpine 500W D Mono. The Subs RMS is 500W so if they wire it into a 2 ohm impedance (i have no idea what this means) and it gets 500 watts it sounds like a good match? "You will have to get a separate amp for the speakers upfront. it's just kinda weird that you'll go with 4x6's. I know they are the stock size but you may be able to get 6.5" in there, maybe... if you don't wanna mess with it then get the 4x6's.. anyway, you'll need at least a 2 channel amp but personally i'd get a 4 channel amp just to power everything (front and rear)" - I had no idea that I could get something other than 4x6's for the front, I just figured that since those are the stock size thats all I could fit. I will look to see if I can fit a pair of 6.5's in there. Here is what the stock looks like, it seems like a tight fit: http://i350.photobucket.com/albums/q401/ortanis26/Mobile Uploads/0913091852.jpg http://i350.photobucket.com/albums/q401/ortanis26/Mobile Uploads/0913091852a.jpg As far as powering them with an Amp, what Watt should I go with if I wanted to power all 4 speakers with it? If I went with only a 2 channel amp, does that mean I would only be able to power 2 of the 4 speakers? Probably a stupid question.. Also, I was told that the deck might be adequate enough to power the 4 speakers. The speakers I am looking at handle around 55W RMS, but all the decks they have (Sony, Alpine, Pioneer, Kenwood, etc) only power 17-23W RMS x 4 channels, so how would that be enough? Thanks again for the help!
you could look into a 4x6 plate speaker in front( 4'' and a separate tweeter) but the cone area of a reg 4x6 is good enough it think. just use what fits instead of having to squeeze something in there. it wouldnt fit BTW i guess i should have just said that.lol.
The sub your getting is the correct sub for the alpine amp that you want. Just make sure they wire the sub is wired in parallel to get the correct impedance. they should know this but just to make sure here's a pic for correct wiring below. Regarding your speakers, just stick with the stock size so you won't get confused. You should be good with them. If you want an amp to power all four speakers then get a 4 channel amp (that would be 1 channel per speaker). So the deck you should be looking for either pioneer or alpine should have at least 3 set's of pre outs. 1 set for the sub, one for the front and one for the rears. Remember, if possible try to get a deck with at least 4V preouts. They said that the deck would give adequet power for the speakers? hmmm, i'm sure it would but the sound would be so much better if you put an amp to them. It's totally up to you. If you're putting 500 watts to the sub then i would recommend you putting an amp to the speakers so they can keep up with the sub. If you just run off the deck power you'll risk your mids and highs being drowned out by the bass. feeding 17 watts to a 55 watt speaker would be ok but would probably distort at higher volumes. I know that my speakers did when i ran them off the deck. Just look for a amp that would give you at least 55 watts per channel at 4ohms (most speakers are 4ohms), then you should be good.
Wow, thank you guys for your help and patience with my newbie questions, I really appreciate you taking the time to spell it all out for me.
I have it down to two 4-channel Amps to power my front and rear speakers: An Alpine 200W Class A/B Bridgeable 4/3/2-Channel MOSFET Amplifier w/ Adjustable Crossover or an Alpine 180W 4-Channel Mini Amplifier Here is the comparison page: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=cat13504&type=page&pageIdentity=searchDriven&useProductString=true&productString=1199494646190*1218112724899&unProductString=1218009772145*1218012119504*1218012148385*1202648988290*1179165803051*1167444748318*1218063831557*1218012124981*1218009783623*1170289779383&catId= Both have 4 channels at 4 ohms, but the Alpine 200W puts out a little more at 50W RMS vs the Mini at 45W RMS. The 180W Mini is also $80 cheaper but I am not sure if it is a good product. Any opinions on which one I should go with?
Thanks Pedro - Quick question though.. Do you mean more "flexible" in the sense that it can be hooked up as either a 4,3,or 2 channel Amp if you choose? Can the 180W Mini not be used for just 3 or 2 channels also? or does it have to be hooked up with all 4 channels to work properly? I will only be needing it as strictly a 4-channel to power each of my 4 speakers. Also, in my search for a Deck - What is the importance of having 4V pre-outs? Some of the decks I have seen only have a voltage of 2 or 2.2 or 2.5V's rather than 4V. How big of a difference would this make out of curiosity? I have my decision down to two decks: An Alpine (2V's per pre-out) and a Pioneer (4V's per pre-out). The Pioneer has slightly better RMS wattage. They are both really good for Ipod navigation which is the only way I play my music right now. Here is the comparison page: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...199496560341*1218056226522&catId=abcat0302012
more flexible like you said, can be configured many diff ways. the pre out voltage is to eliminate any possible unwanted noise getting into the signal. i had an amp that i had to turn up the gain to have it match my other amps output only to induce noise. if the install is done right then 2.5v should be fine.
I'd say go with the Pioneer deck. and i'd go with the 200watt amp. the mini amp to my understanding is for an alpine deck while the other amp can go with anything. trust me, you be better off spending the extra money and getting the 200watt amp.
Thanks for the input cullen Alllright, one last question haha - How important/beneficial is it to match your deck to your speakers, subs, and amps? I didn't mean it to be this way but I just realized all of my appliances are Alpine except for my font speakers (which Sh*t, I mine as well order Alpine for those too and keep it all the same now! *sarcasm) Would it be wise to go with an Alpine deck then? or does it really not matter at all and I can go with the Pioneer? BTW, when it comes to pure looks I'm leaning towards the Pioneer.
