New Speakers!

Stereo, security systems, vehicle electronics, and electrical-related discussions
Post Reply
Emerica13
Posts: 207
Joined: Thu Jan 13, 2005 9:12 am

New Speakers!

Post by Emerica13 »

Well I finally did it...My first mod to my vibe was the installation of 4 Alpine Type S speakers. It went alright, I thought maybe the speakers would be screwed in but NO..rivets so that was just a pita to drill out and then drill new holes to mount them, but alas, it all worked out and they sound really good. A lot clearer than stock, but a surprisingly noticable loss in bass. I'm planning on buying an amp to boost them in the near future (read: when i get money) and I could definitely use a sub, but that'll be a while because I have no source of income as of now haha. What should I look for in an amp to power the 4 door speakers? I really have no idea about any of this kind of stuff and the only reason I installed the speakers myself was because I wired up a friend's car a few weeks ago for "practice" he didnt know I had no clue what I was doing. Anyways, any suggestions as far as amp wattage/channels/ etc would be helpful. The speakers are 250w peak btw Thanks
2003 Shadow Vibe GT
Jahntassa
Posts: 2979
Joined: Wed Jul 09, 2003 2:06 pm

Post by Jahntassa »

Don't look at the peak values, look at RMS. Pretty much just find any four channel amplifier that'll fit into your budget and closely matches the RMS values of the speakers.
2003 Vibe GT Lava"He inched his way up the corridor as if he would rather be yarding his way down it.""For a moment, nothing happened. Then, after a second or so, nothing continued to happen." - Douglas Adams...we all miss you
Emerica13
Posts: 207
Joined: Thu Jan 13, 2005 9:12 am

Re: (Jahntassa)

Post by Emerica13 »

sweet ill check it out..Thanks!
2003 Shadow Vibe GT
Emerica13
Posts: 207
Joined: Thu Jan 13, 2005 9:12 am

Re: (Emerica13)

Post by Emerica13 »

RMS wattage is 50 watts, but is it ok to run like..60x4 or 75x4? What would be the best/most wattage i could run them at safely?
2003 Shadow Vibe GT
rocket9005
Posts: 29
Joined: Sat Sep 03, 2005 11:07 am

Re: (Emerica13)

Post by rocket9005 »

The rule of thumb is to use the most power that you can afford. You'll blow more speakers with a low power amp that with a high power one. When you overdrive an amp it sends out lots of high frequenciy energy right to the speaker that least handel it (the tweeter) . The best way to do it is to use a seperate amp for each set of speakers (subs, mid-range, and tweeters) with a crossoversending just the frequensies that the amps need to drive the speaker: with the subs getting the most power. That way if you over load an amp it doesn'r affect the other speakers in the system.
2005 Base Vibe, 5 spd, NeptuneMoon & TunesPower Windows & Door LocksAlloy WheelsStill No mods (yet)
Jahntassa
Posts: 2979
Joined: Wed Jul 09, 2003 2:06 pm

Post by Jahntassa »

S-Types are Coaxials. It'd be really tough for her to use multiple amps in this situation.Yes you can get 60x4 or 75x4, whichever you can afford. Just make sure to get the amp tuned so you won't blow the speakers by over-driving them.
2003 Vibe GT Lava"He inched his way up the corridor as if he would rather be yarding his way down it.""For a moment, nothing happened. Then, after a second or so, nothing continued to happen." - Douglas Adams...we all miss you
Emerica13
Posts: 207
Joined: Thu Jan 13, 2005 9:12 am

Re: (Jahntassa)

Post by Emerica13 »

Alright cool, I've been looking at amps and I think I found what I want. Thanks for the help! btw I'm a dude
2003 Shadow Vibe GT
Emerica13
Posts: 207
Joined: Thu Jan 13, 2005 9:12 am

Re: (Emerica13)

Post by Emerica13 »

I'm thinking about the Pioneer GM-6200F amp. It says 60w x 4 at 4 ohms and 75x x 4 at 2 ohms. Should I run it at 2 or 4, or does it matter?
2003 Shadow Vibe GT
Jahntassa
Posts: 2979
Joined: Wed Jul 09, 2003 2:06 pm

Post by Jahntassa »

You'd be running at 4 Ohms if you have one speaker per channel, which is what you should do. If you're unfamiliar with car audio, going more complex than that could be problematic.The 60x4 rating should be fine.
2003 Vibe GT Lava"He inched his way up the corridor as if he would rather be yarding his way down it.""For a moment, nothing happened. Then, after a second or so, nothing continued to happen." - Douglas Adams...we all miss you
Post Reply