Car audio questions (NOOB ALERT)

[U4RIA]

So I'm pretty much like :dunno: and :confused: about this stuff. Anyways, I've decided I want to upgrade my cars sound system and have some questions!

I found a Pioneer TS-W2501D4 10" subwoofer off Kijiji for $100 that I'll be picking up this weekend. I just got off the phone with a BestBuy car audio guy and asked what kind of amp I should get to power it. He suggested I get their Alpine 1-Channel Amplifier (MRP-M1000), since the subwoofer has an RMS of 800W and the amp handles up to 1000W RMS. I guess that makes sense, but I thought I would ask here just to confirm.

Also, I'm looking to upgrade the speakers in my car as well. As far as I know, there are four 6 1/2" speakers and two tweeters (1998 Nissan Pathfinder). I'm looking to replace the four speakers with THIS (http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/alpine-6-5-2-way-car-speakers-sps-600/10098228.aspx?path=883121f2fd5f771f71f5139072a2e9faen02). I was told that I would need a seperate amp to power the four speakers? :dunno: In addition to this, would I just be unplugging the existing speaker then using the same wiring for the new speakers, or does it get more complicated than that?

The deck will be replaced with a double din Pioneer AVH-P4000DVD if that even matters when replacing speakers.

I'm desperate for any sort of professional input to help me understand this, or if there is something I need to know before doing all of this.

:D

[U4RIA]

OH and where would you guys recommend getting all this work done? I sure as hell don't know how to do all of this, and I sure as hell won't be going to futureshop after all the bad reviews...

Or is there anyone on here that knows how to do all this very well and wants to sell some of their time.

[Graham_A_M]

You DO know you can buy your sub online for a touch more then $100 eh? Paying $100 used doesn't make too much sense. :nut:
Car audio has a very low resale value generally, but after this weekend you just proved that wrong.

Did you get an owners manual with the sub? I can't find anywhere online that lists how much (RMS) wattage it is. RMS wattage is what you need to look for, thats how much power it can handle 100% of the time. MAX power means fuck all... seriously. :rolleyes: Pyramid and other ultra-low end companies love to exploit that number, as they list a (for example) 20watt RMS full range speaker as "400 MAX" (which it CAN handle for 1/20th of a second). :facepalm:. However SINCE it CAN "handle" that sort of power, they they can get away with it. Companies such as Pioneer, Pyle & Legacy (etc) love to rate their stuff as such, since people that know nothing about car audio dont understand what their BS claims actually mean, and thus it creates cheap marketing. (Yeah, great corporate ethics eh? :nut: ) For a $100 sub, I REALLY think that 800 watt RMS amp is seriously overkill. I'm going to go on a hunch and assume that sub is 300 RMS. For the price, (knowing how honest Pioneer is) 300 RMS for a 10" sub of theirs is even quite generous. It may be 225-275 RMS, given the size of the magnet and the foam surround (ring around the cone) and what not.

For that? I'd get an amp that'll do 400 watts into 4 ohms.
Here, I too was looking for a decent amp, and someone PM'ed me with this.

Hello,
I've got an Audison SRX2S amp that I'm not using. It is in very very good condition and produces a solid 600 rms watts into a single 4 ohm load or 2 x 180 Watts @ 4 Ohms.

I also have a Pioneer Premier prs-d2200t that is installed in my car. 2 x 150 watts @ 4 ohms, 1 x 600 watts @ 4 ohms.

http://www.productwiki.com/pioneer-prs-d2200t/

I'm located in Edmonton, but I do make semi regular trips to Calgary and if you are interested I'm sure something could be worked out.

Feel free to call or text to (PM me for number) for faster response.

Thanks,

Barry
http://forums.beyond.ca/member.php?s=&action=getinfo&userid=1293
^Thats him, and that amp is a *wicked* one at a great price.:thumbsup:
Its always a good idea to get amp that has a higher RMS rating then the sub(s) its going to power. That way, the amp can always power the sub without being pushed too hard, and creating 'distortion'. Thats a HUGE and amazingly techincal topic to get into, so I wont touch on that, but you REALLY dont want to to push your amp too hard, whereas it'll start sending off a distorting signal. When that happens: subs get fried more or less. ;) Its just a question of when in all reality.
Yeah most sales people seriously dont know what the fuck they're talking about. I've been doing car audio since I was 12, so 15 years now, and I can honestly say the average salesperson has an absolutely minimal understanding of anything car audio related. He was probably preying on that, looking to unload a VERY expensive amp on you.
For the speakers, I'd avoid Alpine. Alpine speakers are typically VERY brash and uncontrolled. I find they have remarkably over-pronounced midrange, all at a very steep price tag considering that they perform barely over anything you'd find coming from even Pyramid or Pyle. :nut:

A great speaker you can buy online is anything by Lanzar, such as their Heritage line up. Back many years ago I had a lot of testing experience with the whole Lanzar line up. While everything else they offer (as of the last 4 years) is just awful in quality; their speakers are still excellent towards value VS. Performance. Go to ebay to get what you need.
http://forums.beyond.ca/category/17/in-car-entertainment-electronics/
here is the specific car audio section, next time you have a car audio related question, just post it here. Anyway, if you have any other questions, PM me or just post them here obviously.

-Cheers!

EDIT: Oh yeah, and for replacing your speakers, yes you're merely popping your speaker grills (or possibly door panels) off and plugging into the factory wiring. There may be connectors used for the factory speakers that wont work on the aftermarket ones, thats fine. Hopefully you know how to solder wiring. If not, look it up on youtube and practice. If not come out to a beyond meet and I'll give you a hand.
For the amp portion, I'd hook up your speakers to the deck and run them like that. If you aren't happy with the output then consider amping them. Thats a fairly big task in itself, so best avoid it if you can. I've never (not once) had the need to amp any of my full range speakers, as most times it comes down to a tuning issue.

[U4RIA]

Wow! Thanks for your reply.

The sub that I was planning to purchase this weekend (Pioneer TS-W2501D4) off kijiji is actually brand new in box though. But after all that you've said, I might need to take a second thought on this whole process.

This is what I landed on when I did a search on the subwoofer, and in the specs it lists that it has a maximum power of 2500W and a normal input power of 800W. LINK TO SUB (http://www.pioneer.eu/eur/products/25/130/201/TS-W2501D4/specs.html) So, am I not understanding something or is the RMS ACTUALLY 800W?

As for installing the double din deck... I don't know how to solder wiring, but after posting this thread I recieved a few PM's offering help.

A big thanks to you for the tips on speaker purchasing and the subwoofer/amp explaination!

[Graham_A_M]

^ 800 watts RMS eh? LOL. If I were to put half that of *true* RMS power, that sub would last 5 min tops. Id still sport one of those amps I listed.

[Splkia]

You can merely pop your speaker grills or door panels off as Graham Am has suggested and just hook up new speakers :facepalm: but you are going to run into an issue.
You have a factory amplified system which will need to be bypassed in order for the aftermarket deck and speakers to work properly.
Another thing, if your planning on getting decent speakers why wouldn't you amplify your full range speakers :dunno:
It is going to improve your overall sound quality. Your highs and mids are going to be a lot louder, a lot crisper and cleaner off of an outboard amplifier than off deck power! (That is one hell of a tuning issue lol)
There is nothing wrong with the Pioneer subwoofer you have chosen, Is it a little overstated on its RMS power handling (ie; the amount of clean power you can run to it everyday without it blowing) maybe, in all actuality most subs are unless your talking something truly high end! In the proper box and tuned properly will you be happy I almost guarantee it. I have done quite a few custom enclosures for Pioneer subs and all have been fairly loud, dug pretty low, and when tuned properly played very clean. Every single manufacture out there has a low cost/ entry level line. Some entry level stuff performs better than others. The trick is knowing what to look for in build quality, materials, vs dollar value.
Pioneer is miles above Pyle and Legacy who I believe last i checked were owned by the same umbrella group that owns Lanzar!
Your best bet for speakers is to actually listen to as many different kinds as you can, in a vehicle enviroment preferably. Find out what kind of sound your looking for, what appeals to you, not what a salesperson or anyone else for that matter is trying to cram down your throat. Make sure you take music you are familiar with and note differences & ask questions does the person have sound damping, how much wattage is running to the speakers, is it just deck power or is he using an amplifier, stuff like that. I like some Lanzar stuff too I'm not a big fan of Alpine but man what does Lanzar produce that is going to compete with Alpine type X components or the F1 status line that they used to make????

I am not affiliated with any car stereo shop or manufacturer, so that is my unbiased opinion if you need anything post here or pm me.