Car Audio

Chamberlin22

New member
i plan on getting 2 12" subs and a 1000 watt amplifier.......should i get a 4 channel amp since i plan on hooking it up to the 2 front speakers and then the sound bar overhead? Also.....should i get different speakers to put in replacement of the 4, or will the stock ones work okay?
 
Ideally for the best quality sound, I suggest a 5 channel amp.

Little back ground, I worked in the car audio business as an installer for about 5 years when I was in college. the 5 channel will provide you with a Hi pass frequency for your fronts and rears, or bridge it just for fronts, and the subwoofer dedicated low pass output. Each channel can be individually adjusted. you will want to be particular on teh ohms of the amp, then match your subs to that. so.. if your amp's rms out put is 200 wts ar 2 ohms, you will want to get 2- dual voice coil 4 ohm subs and wire them in parallel, this will reduce the ohmage of the subs to 2 ohms each, and you will be utilizing the optimal efficiency of the amp. some amps are stable at 2-4-or 8 ohms. generally the lower the ohmage, the more rms power it will provide. then taylor your subs to the amp. you can do it the opposite way, but A little more difficult.

2DVC_2ohm_mono-1.jpg


here is a great link
Subwoofer Wiring Diagrams
 
OK, I know a bit about this subject... First some background. I have worked for Sony for the past 9 years, and was in charge of Audio Marketing for 8 out of the 9. Now, 2 12" subs is A LOT of base; if that's what you want, it's fine, but one is more than enough to get good base sound. Also, most main units put out enough power (ussually around 52W per channel) to drive 4 goodsized speakers (6X9 or smaller).

Now, if you plan to run the 4 stock speakers PLUS the sound bar, I recommend a 4 channel amp; but the best sound will come from relocating the speakers, using better units (3 or 4 way with better frequency response), and using larger speakers (a couple of 6" and a couple of 6X9" would be ideal) in addition to the sub (or subs).

The sub itself will also affect the taste of the sound; I run a 12" aluminum one in my YJ with a 1000W amp, and I run a polipropilane (sp?) one with a 1200W amp in my DD (Toyota Fortuner; very similar to a 4Runner), and the sound taste is very different (I like the YJ sound better). I recommend either composite or aluminum for the sub, but that's because of sound taste preference (equivalent to suggesting which color is better for a Jeep!).

Anyway, good luck with your project!

Felipe

PS: I am assuming you are changing the head unit, which I REALLY recommend you do if you are investing in amps and subs...
 
The thing is that with a 4 channel amp most times you can convert them to 2 channel by bridging 2 channels, which means more power to the subs.
 
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