Stereo amp power for convertible

[Driftwood]

I have a 69 convertible, and when driving on the highway I can't hear the stereo very well. It has cheap front and rear speakers that highly distort before ever reaching a necessary volume. Plus the in dash cassette player only puts out 15W per channel.

I am in the process of installing new 4x6 speakers in the kick panels, and new 6x9 speakers in my rear enclosure. My receiver does have a stereo preamp output, so I'm considering installing a power amp for the speakers. I'm curious, besides having new quality speakers with low distortion and high efficiency, what wattage per channel have people found is necessary to overcome the noise in a convertible? I'm also considering putting 300Hz bass blockers on the 4x6's to protect them from the low end, since the 6x9's are better suited for that task. Also have people found a subwoofer is necessary? Not sure where I'd put it.

Also if anyone has recommendations on power amps it's appreciated, because I'm not very informed about car stereo equipment. I'd love to cut out my console bezel and install a new receiver (maybe then not needing the power amp), but not sure if I could make it work or not. I wish a vendor sold a replacement bezel with a modern sized receiver cutout. I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

Andy

 

[80vette_ca]

You should look at the power handling on the speakers themeselves. Look at the peak power and the RMS. You don't want to under power the speakers or you will do what I did and blow them. Get the power close to the peak handling of the speakers to make them sound the best. Putting a crossover or a bass blocker on the front speakers is a good idea because they aren't meant to handle the bass like the 6x9. What brand of speakers did you get? If you do want a sub you should consider how you listen to music and what kind of music you listen to. If you listen to big bass and rap music then you will want a bigger sub, 12" or 15". For country and softer music that you just want to add a little bass to then an 8" would be perfect. You will want a seperate amp for the sub so you can power it to the max handling. Remember one thing though, you stereo will only be as good as your weakest link or in this case it sounds like you deck, going to a better cd player will improve the quality of the music coming out of you nice new speakers.

 

[Driftwood]

I didn't get the speakers yet-- I guess I should have said I'm in the process of decided what to do. Do you have a recommendation?

I agree-- I'd love to put in a new receiver. But not sure if the console bezel can be modified to accept a receiver. I'll look into it a little more. I'm in no hurry-- this might make a nice winter project.

 

[Mpit69]

I just went through exactly what you describe. I enden up buying a RF 500x Punch amp with 67 watts per 4 channels RMS. Now I can blast my 4 speakers like yours on hiway over the Flow40s with no problem.

 

[Driftwood]

Did you cut your bezel and put in a new receiver? I'm starting to lean that way. Most receivers look like they come with at most around 25Wx4. I'm thinking that's not enough juice for a ragtop with a decent exhaust. Maybe I'm better off putting the money into a good external power amp, and getting a good receiver without paying more the extra receiver wattage.

Now that you have your amp, does 67W seem about right, or maybe I could get by with less? That's the one thing I'm unsure about. I'd hate to buy a whole system, install it, and find it doesn't have enough punch.

What speakers did you go with-- I've read good things about the infiniti Kappa's. Where did you locate your amp? Did you install a sub?

Thanks.

 

[Mpit69]

I've got the infinity Kappas 3 way in back in boxes with the amp tied to back compartment floor between them. There is still plenty of room also. No sub, dont need. Regular 2 way infinitys in the front. I have a Kenwood "Corvette" HU which produces about the same 25 watts per channel which there is no way you can live with that amount. 67 was about right, you could probably still get away with around 50 per channel as long as 4 channel. I dont have CD but am happy with radio and tapes.

 

[Driftwood]

Thanks for the info. Did you install 4x6s up front in the kick panels? I wasn't sure which speakers would fit ok for the front. I'll go back and look for the infiniti's on Crutchfield.

I'm not that familiar with how people set up their car audio systems. According to most 4x6 speaker ratings, it seems like they handle maybe 30W tops. Should I buy just a 2 channel amp for the 6x9s and let the receiver in the back power the 4x6's? This setup would have less wires running back and forth. Or is there an advantage to getting a 4 channel amp and letting it power everything?

 

[Driftwood]

I guess there are higher powered 4x6's available. I was only looking at what Crutchfield said would fit my vehicle. Which infiniti speakers did you go with for the front? And how did you route the amp power cable into the battery compartment?

Thanks.

 

[Mpit69]

All four speakers I have handle 100 watts rms. The front are 4x6 rated at 100W. I dont remember the name of them but got them at circiut city.

Routed power from battery, made hole in plastic frame, then routed around side to back under carpet over wheel wells. Ground went through back compartment floor to frame near sway bar attach (I think).

 

[80vette_ca]

The biggest thing to do when you look for speakers is to listen to as many as possible in the stores so you can determine what sounds the best to you. When you go to put them in the car they will sound a lot different, you will get more bass out of them. With the top down you will need some good speakers with a lot of power if you plan on listening to anything. I have always been impressed with the pioneer 6x9s, they are cheap and they can pump good. As far as the front speakers I don't really have any recommendation except for a set of alpines that I listened to, sorry no model number. They sounded really sharp and crisp which is important for me, don't get me wrong they could handle the bass too. For you front speakers I'd recommend going with something really crisp and clear, unless you want to do some custom work and put in 6 1/2" components with a seperate tweeter. You would get a lot better sound from those but that would take some work to make them fit. I would run all of the speakers through the amp if you can, it will be was easier to match the sound that you hear from the speakers. Right now in my set up I only have the back speakers on the amp and I had to turn the amp down just about all of the way so I could hear the front speakers.