Just bought new spks for my X ,330 watt alpine spr17s,components for the front..alpinespr17c 300w for the rear and two kicker free flow300w 6.5 subs for rear deck.What i need to know is what size of amp do i need,or do i need more than 1 such as a multi channel big enough to push all of them.I dont want to get hosed by the audio shop .have a new alpine deck as well ...no sub but maybe in future.thats why I'm thinkin multi-channel.......IDK kinda a stero newbie,so please help me out all you audio jockeys out there p.s inset is a pic of my dream X ........wonder what that wuld cost lol

 

Keep your subwoofer and component speakers amped separately. For now, since you don't have a sub, go ahead and get a 4-channel amp, Alpines have always been good to me, and it will keep your system with the same name. The V-power line has always served me well in the past, and the MRP-F600 (100w/channel @4ohms) is the equivalent one I had running in my Jeep. That was more than enough for the components I was powering.

When you get a sub, get a mono amplifier, they're more tailored to subwoofer applications, with more tuning options just for that use.

good luck

 

Thanx for the help

 

IrishXType, I am currently in the middle of a stereo upgrade in my car. I am personally running the Kicker KV700.5. I Will be running 70 W RMS to each of the mid/tweeters in each corner of the car. Then to match up to that, I am running 420 W RMS to the subs. I Will probably end up dialling down the subs a little bit as that will be overkill more than likely.

I haven't looked up the specs on your speakers to get exact numbers, but based on what I recall, your speakers are rated at 300 W peak, or 75 W RMS. So, as long as you stick with an amp that is under 75x4 W RMS, you will be just fine. If you run say a 60x4 W RMS amp, that should be plenty of sound for what you will need and will also make it easy to match up subs later.

Please note, I keep on talking about W RMS (watts root mean square). There is a big difference between W RMS and W peak (watts peak). W Peak is an instantaneous power rating. Really good for that single cymbal crash, but anything more and the W Peak rating is out to lunch. The W RMS rating is your continuous power rating. This is what gives you your sustained sound. Amplifier manufacturers love to advertise the peak values because it makes their amplifiers sound a lot bigger than they really are. Compare apples to apples. The only way to do this is to look at the W RMS values.

Another thing to keep in mind is that some manufacturers will fudge the numbers some. A quick check that you can do to see how far the manufacturer is fudging the numbers is to look at the peak power and RMS power. Now, take the RMS power and multiply it by 2. IF the peak power is under (or equal) to that number, then their numbers are more than likely pretty accurate. They get above the 2x RMS value and they are putting out a crappy product and are looking to rob someone.

If you need to know more, let me know. I have used Clarion, Kenwood, and Soundstream for the most part over my years. If you can find some of the newer Soundstream or the old school Soundstream, you will have a pretty good amp. I can't speak for the newer Kenwood or Clarion stuff as I haven't used it recently. I know my son installed a Kenwood KAC-959 and for the power the amp was rated for, it shook his Civic. I loved my Soundstream MC140X and the D100 I had in my Expedition. They were small amps, but made big sound.

 

Now i get it.Its seems there is a lot of connon fodder out there,I will look for that brand of amp you talked about.Looks like the guy at best buy was tryin to hose me,wow i thought the amps would be much bigger,anyway .One last thing do you have any dealingá with in dash gps,I want to get the whole pakage in dash unit,but want it to be easy to use,and perferabbly all in one..ie no seperate trunk gps add on..if ya know of any let me know,

 

Good addition Thermo!

As for your all-in-one in dash unit, almost all manufacturers have navigation built into their units. Alpine, unfortunately, doesn't and they sell a separate 'module' that will accommodate their high-end large screen decks.

Crutchfield.com is a good source for comparing apples to apples, give them a look over.

 

i know this is a old post, but i still cannot see pictures, it says waiting to be activated, but i done that already?