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Car audio help needed

S

Sniper82

Lifer
I am a newb when it comes to car audio but I and a quick learner. I know how to hookup the amp power wise(at least I think). Run wiring from the battery to the amp with a 20-30amp or so fuse a foot or so from the battery. Ground it to a seat belt bolt is best but to the car frame somewhere.

But what I ain't sure about is hooking the sub to the amp. Say I have a 2 channel 200watt amp. I want to hook a 200watt sub to it how do I bridge the 2 channels so I can hook it to the sub?

Also if I was to buy these:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog...gsp?product_id=2569443

And these:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog...gsp?product_id=2569442

And hook them to say this:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog...gsp?product_id=2569436

Would the radio alone be able to push them enough? Or should I consider a 4 400watt or so amp for the speakers and a 200watt amp for the sub? If so how would I power 2 amps? Or should I just go with some weaker speakers that the radio can handle?

Maybe I should just keep factory speakers since it has built in tweeters. Just a 2000 Pontiac Grand Am SE.

Sorry for all the questions. Thx
 
That deck should be powerful enough to drive those speakers. As for the sub, when you bridge an amp, you hook one lead to the + on one channel and the other to the - on the other channel. The manual for the amp should also tell you how to do it. Also, I wouldn't buy anything from walmart. Try real audio places like crutchfield.com.
 
Try out this site - I started as a -complete- noob and after reading through that site, I've installed 2 amps & 2 sets of speakers on my own. Worthwile doing it yourself; just take the time to read up.
 
those 6x9's are awesome, I have a pair in my 66 Mustang, they have good bass. The deck should be adequate power to run the speakers. I have similar 6.5's in a truck and they sound good also, cant go wrong with Pioneer. I would suggest getting a MP3 compatible deck. And also a deck with a remote....I bought the Aiwa Mp3 deck and it works great. Never go back to a non-mp3 deck. And a deck without a remote. Good luck...installing is easier than it looks. Look for prewired harnesses and install kits for you vehicle....makes things go alot easier. Good Luck.
 
Amps put out X amount of power at Y ohms, and subs handle A amount of power at B ohms. Most likely the amp would be rated at 4 ohms per channel and bridged at 4 ohms. A single voice coil sub will probably be 4 ohms or 2 ohms. Or if it's dual voice coild it could be a variety of impedences - 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 0.5, etc depending on what each coil is.

Make sure those speakers are an appropriate depth for your doors. Pioneer is okay on a low budget, but don't expect to be amazed.

As far as wiring goes, if all you're powering is a 200w amp you would be fine with some 8 gauge wire. If you go to two amps you might as well get some 4 gauge and run it to a fused distribution block with a couple 8 gauge outputs. So you run one 8 gauge from the distro to each amp. You can probably get away with just splitting the amp turn on wire from the deck to turn on each amp. Fuse the main power wire within 18 inches of the battery with a fuse appropriate for the wire gauge (less than the wire's max current).
 
I think I am gonna stay away from 2 amps. Just alot more trouble on hooking up. I would have to rerun wiring from all my speakers to the amp which sounds like a pain. Whats my best bet speaker selection thats decent and fairly cheap that the Pioneer can push good?

Also whats the difference between 2 way,3 way and 4 way speakers? Does each sound better and does each require more effort on hooking up?
 
Originally posted by: ^Sniper^
I think I am gonna stay away from 2 amps. Just alot more trouble on hooking up. I would have to rerun wiring from all my speakers to the amp which sounds like a pain. Whats my best bet speaker selection thats decent and fairly cheap that the Pioneer can push good?

Also whats the difference between 2 way,3 way and 4 way speakers? Does each sound better and does each require more effort on hooking up?
Click to expand...
The "way" refers to how may separate components the speaker has. A 2-way has a woofer and a tweeter; a 3-way has a woofer and 2 tweeters (1 for midrange, 1 for highs) typically. A 4-way has a woofer and 3 tweeters etc. They all connect the same.
 
Originally posted by: ^Sniper^
Which should one go with if just hooking to the head unit? Which sounds best?
Click to expand...
Well, as a general rule the more separate components you have to reproduce sound, the better the sound, since each component is then responsible for a smaller range of frequencies. So all else being equal a 4-way will sound better than a 3-way and a 3-way better than a 2-way. Not that there aren't some 3-way speakers that will sound better than a 4-way depending on brand or model, but as a rule of thumb, the more components the better. As for hooking to the head unit, it doesn't matter as long as the speaker will handle the power.
 
Originally posted by: ThisIsMatt
Amps put out X amount of power at Y ohms, and subs handle A amount of power at B ohms. Most likely the amp would be rated at 4 ohms per channel and bridged at 4 ohms. A single voice coil sub will probably be 4 ohms or 2 ohms. Or if it's dual voice coild it could be a variety of impedences - 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 0.5, etc depending on what each coil is.

Make sure those speakers are an appropriate depth for your doors. Pioneer is okay on a low budget, but don't expect to be amazed.

As far as wiring goes, if all you're powering is a 200w amp you would be fine with some 8 gauge wire. If you go to two amps you might as well get some 4 gauge and run it to a fused distribution block with a couple 8 gauge outputs. So you run one 8 gauge from the distro to each amp. You can probably get away with just splitting the amp turn on wire from the deck to turn on each amp. Fuse the main power wire within 18 inches of the battery with a fuse appropriate for the wire gauge (less than the wire's max current).
Click to expand...
Subs handle a certain amount of power period - it doesn't matter what the resistance of the voice coil(s) is.
 
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