School me on speakers and amps

[KidVermicious]

I've got a 1986 4Runner with a soft top. It's a noisy beast, and the pair of 6 inchers I've got hacked into the door panels just don't cut it. I've got a pair of 4.5's in the dash that I can wire back in, but I'd like to put a pair of 8's or 10's in the back too. My deck has 4 sets of speaker wires. Assuming that the overall speaker wattage doesn't exceed what the deck can push, can I split the right and left front wires to run the dash and door speakers at the same time?

Or do I really need to invest in an amp to do what I want?

 

[BrianSD_42]

I've got a 1986 4Runner with a soft top. It's a noisy beast, and the pair of 6 inchers I've got hacked into the door panels just don't cut it. I've got a pair of 4.5's in the dash that I can wire back in, but I'd like to put a pair of 8's or 10's in the back too. My deck has 4 sets of speaker wires. Assuming that the overall speaker wattage doesn't exceed what the deck can push, can I split the right and left front wires to run the dash and door speakers at the same time?

Or do I really need to invest in an amp to do what I want?

Exactly what head unit and speakers do you have now?

No you dont want to split/bridge the wires. That will lower the impedence and burn up your head unit.

.

 

[KidVermicious]

Exactly what head unit and speakers do you have now?

Cheap stuff. My rig isn't secure, so nice components are out of the question.

Thanks for the input, I'll try and find an amp or a cheap deck with 6 outputs.

 

[IanB]

You won't find a deck with 6 speaker output, it just doesn't exist in the aftermarket world. By "8's or 10's" I assume you mean subs? You could run 4 speakers (fronts & rears) off the deck, but you'd definitely need an amp to power subs. Or you could pick up a 5 or 6 channel amp and run all 6 speakers off the amp power. Those 4.5" speakers won't ever give you the output you're looking for. I'd run the in-door 6.5" speakers as fronts, and put some other speakers in the back for rears (6x9's in a box would work), and then add subs if you want.

 

[shadow247]

You need an amp and a set of components. Forget about rear fill unless you care about your rear seat passengers. I would do a 4 channel amp, a decent set of component speakers, and a 10" sub.

Cheap.

Amp 149.99- Kenwood KAC-8405 720W Max, 4-Channel Performance Series Amplifier
Sub 99.99- Rockford Fosgate R1L-1X12 (R1L1X12) PRIME Loaded 12" Subwoofer Box
Front Component Speakers - 89.99 - Kicker DS6.2 (11DS6.2) 6-1/2" DS-Series 2-way Component Speakers
Install Kit - 26.99 - The InstallBay AK4 Complete 4 Gauge Amplifier Installation Kit
Extra RCA's - 7.99 Scosche A17C2 17 ft. (3.7 m) 2-Channel Platinum Series RCA Interconnect Cables

375 bucks with free shipping!

This will sound great and should have no problem being loud and clear on the highway. Just bolt the subwoofer and amp together then bolt them to the floor of your Runner and you shouldn't have to worry about them being stolen. I would definitely recommend replacing your front speakers with components, as they can play louder without distortion.

Add some sound deadening on the outer door skins and the rear floor area and you will notice a big improvement in sound.

Stinger RKX36B Roadkill Expert Series Sound Damping Material Bulk - 2 of these kits will do most of the interior, including the floorboards, and will really give you a nice quiet ride. All of this is under 600 bucks!

I shouldn't have even made this post! Now I am debating getting bigger tires or a stereo system! Decisions, decisions!

Kudos to IanB for the fastest like ever!

 

[KidVermicious]

Oh, wow. I guess I didn't realize how much I didn't know, glad I started this thread!

So if I want to get off cheap, I forget the 4.5's and run 6's in front and 6x9's in the rear. Any more speakers than that, I need an amp, and anything bigger than a 6.5 or so, I need an amp, have I got that?

 

[IanB]

Oh, wow. I guess I didn't realize how much I didn't know, glad I started this thread!

So if I want to get off cheap, I forget the 4.5's and run 6's in front and 6x9's in the rear. Any more speakers than that, I need an amp, and anything bigger than a 6.5 or so, I need an amp, have I got that?

If you want to run everything off the deck, I'd go 6" fronts, 6x9 rears. You could amp those speakers and get better results as well, but that's extra cost and complication if you don't feel it's needed, and the amp could be added afterwards if you feel the deck doesn't provide enough power.

If you want sub(s), you need an amp. No ifs, ands, or buts.

 

[shadow247]

I wouldn't even waste your time on the 6x9's. IMO they don't sound all that great. You would be better off spending the cash on a decent set of component speakers and amplifier. Believe me when I say that amplifying the front speakers will give you twice as much sound as running a set of 6x9's off of the deck. 6.5" components will give you all the sound you need. The system I posted up earlier is a great budget system with quality components that should last a long time. I'm sure you could pick up everything you need used for under 300 bucks, but 375 for brand new equipment is a great deal! I have installed about 80-100 stereo systems, and always recommended against 6x9's and adding a subwoofer instead. It adds depth to the music with the components filling in the mids and highs. You will not be dissappointed at all if you go for the system I posted earlier, but I can guarantee you will not be happy if you just add a set of cheap 6x9's in boxes and run them off of the deck.

 

[BucknutBob]

KidV, if you really want some decent tunes, and your rig is making a lot of background noise, you really need to consider at least a small amp, even for just four primary speakers. Head unit amps simply cannot match an external amp for clean sound as the volume increases, and if you like bass notes much, you WILL need to crank up the volume to hear them (the primary freq's blocked by road noise are low bass lines). Although I've always included rear speakers for fill (just simple coax's, with the fader set about 80% front), what "shadow" suggests would work very well--front components will give your best sound right up front, with the sub to fill and tighten the low end (the part that gets lost in a vehicle). Keep it simple, but with an amp and quality speakers, and you can have some good sound for modest output. You can hide the amp and speakers for a factory look that doesn't invite theft.

 

[KidVermicious]

Thanks, guys. The component speakers that shadow linked, I'm confused, are those designed to be installed with the tweeter in front of the driver, or are they supposed to go in different locations?

 

[Victor_inox]

you are in the wrong place if you want to learn about audio. audio treads on t4r.org suck s with very few exceptions
try this one instead
diyAudio

 

[KidVermicious]

you are in the wrong place if you want to learn about audio. audio treads on t4r.org suck s with very few exceptions
try this one instead
diyAudio

This thread has been awesomely informative for me. Thanks for insulting everybody who's contributed, I'm sure that's going to get you lots of answers the next time you ask a question around here...

 

[BrianSD_42]

He is right that you would be much better off (car audio wise) jumping over to avsforum.com or the one mentioned above.

Look for a newbs guide to car audio.

 

[Victor_inox]

This thread has been awesomely informative for me. Thanks for insulting everybody who's contributed, I'm sure that's going to get you lots of answers the next time you ask a question around here...

I din`t say anything bad about this particular tread. did my comment insulted you? sorry if it is, that wasn`t my intention.for me it looks like much bigger problem if you get insulted over my harmless comment. I`ll say this again.. if you think that audio portion of this board is awesomely informative you should try specialized boards like avsforum, diyaudio and such.:thanks:

 

[Victor_inox]

check you local CL. amps and used speakers sold very cheap, HU alone will never get you satisfied.
you can get good used amp for 40 to 50.
same with speakers. I bought 12"W7 jl audiofor a 100, like new condition. used for 2 years and sold for 200.
I would never buy new electronic component at retail again. used is much better bang for your buck.

 

[KidVermicious]

I din`t say anything bad about this particular tread. did my comment insulted you? sorry if it is, that wasn`t my intention.for me it looks like much bigger problem if you get insulted over my harmless comment. I`ll say this again.. if you think that audio portion of this board is awesomely informative you should try specialized boards like avsforum, diyaudio and such.:thanks:

If you "din`t say anything bad about this particular tread", why did you choose this place to announce that you think audio threads here suck? I'm not insulted, I'm just annoyed that you'd come into a great thread like this and completely derail it with such a rude comment.

I've been on avsforum and diyaudio in the past, and I wasn't impressed. I appreciate the advice, thanks for your time, please stop hijacking my thread. Thanks.

 

[Victor_inox]

good luck with your project for better sound.

 

[KidVermicious]

good luck with your project for better sound.

Thanks.

 

[BucknutBob]

Thanks, guys. The component speakers that shadow linked, I'm confused, are those designed to be installed with the tweeter in front of the driver, or are they supposed to go in different locations?

I kinda got lost with the sideshow, and almost missed the fact that your question wasn't answered (LOL). I didn't look at the specific speakers in that link, but yes, components are typically mounted separately in their own locations; BUT, you don't want them too far apart, or it messes with the timing of the signals, and your ears will notice the separation. The higher the freq., the more directional the sound, so you want the tweeters to have the most direct path to your ears--high on the doorpanels usually works well, and is a simple spot to install. The woofers can also go in the door, as high as the door's structure will allow, to minimize signal separation. Subwoofer freq's are the least directional, which is why they can be mounted in the back in no particular direction--you FEEL them more than you hear them. Of course, this info is from a guy who's not a member of those audio forums, so my advice probably sucks (LOL)...

 

[KidVermicious]

I kinda got lost with the sideshow, and almost missed the fact that your question wasn't answered (LOL). I didn't look at the specific speakers in that link, but yes, components are typically mounted separately in their own locations; BUT, you don't want them too far apart, or it messes with the timing of the signals, and your ears will notice the separation. The higher the freq., the more directional the sound, so you want the tweeters to have the most direct path to your ears--high on the doorpanels usually works well, and is a simple spot to install. The woofers can also go in the door, as high as the door's structure will allow, to minimize signal separation. Subwoofer freq's are the least directional, which is why they can be mounted in the back in no particular direction--you FEEL them more than you hear them. Of course, this info is from a guy who's not a member of those audio forums, so my advice probably sucks (LOL)...

Cool - so if I placed the tweeters in the dash right next to the door, and the drivers in the door down by my foot, and the crossover somewhere relatively in the middle (like hidden in the kickpanels), I'd be solid? Or do I want them closer than that?