Car Audio: I want a 4 channel amp to power 4 Infinity Kappas

[Thegonagle]

I?m researching to buy a 4 channel amp for my ?01 Mazda Protégé sedan, but I?m a total car amp n00b. This will go with a CD/MP3 deck and speakers that I already own. The head unit (Alpine CDA-9826) only has one pair of pre-outs. The speakers are 2 Kappa 5X7 (572.5cf) in front, and 2 Kappa 6X9 (692.5i) in back. (I haven?t installed them yet.)

Can most, if not all, 4 channel amps split a 2 channel input to all 4 channels internally, or would I need to use an external Y-splitter? (Answered by NutBucket and DPmaster: external splitter required. Thanks, guys.)

I would lose the fader control on the deck if I split the signal, so are there any amps that would let me set the front and rear levels on the amp itself? (Answser: Yes. Thanks again.)

I?m considering a 4 channel amp because I don?t need anything too serious for power and I?d like to keep the installation simple and modest. I figure a clean, honest 40-50 w/ch RMS should work fine for me. Any suggestions on models compact enough to fit under the front seat? (I think it would be easier to install under a front seat, with fewer, shorter wires.)

Of the brands sold at, say, CarDomain.com and Crutchfield.com , who generally makes good amps with honest specs, and who doesn?t? (I?m also considering buying on eBay from good sellers.)

Cliff?s Notes:
-- 1. Splitting two channel input to four channel output?
-- 2. Good brands, compact models.

Thanks.

Updates: I can get an awesome deal on a safe if not spectacular choice, the Clarion APA450 (4X50 watts) for $96.22 shipped. But I'm sure I would enjoy a little more power. Any better bang-for-buck choices? (Now considering Profile AP1040, and US Acoustics USC4065 and 4085 in addition to Clarion.)

2/1/04 Now I'm as confused as ever. Some say that US Acoustics isn't good. I want good SQ first, with adequate power to rock out, but not to be heard from a block away. (I like my hearing, so I'd like to keep it.) Is 4X50 watts from the Clarion APA450, my cheap and "safe" but not very powerful choice, going to be adequate to drive my Kappas to "as loud as stock but no distortion" levels? That's really all I want. I'm all set to go on the purchase, but I'm still a little worried about power. I just don't know how much I need. The sensitivity of my Kappas is 90dB.

(More update details in thread.)

 

[gscone]

JL Audio.

 

[NutBucket]

JL is overkill. You'd need an external Y splitter and you'll lose your fadar but you can always adjust the levels on the amplifier itself.

 

[Thegonagle]

Originally posted by: NutBucket
JL is overkill. You'd need an external Y splitter and you'll lose your fadar but you can always adjust the levels on the amplifier itself.

OK. So I'll need an external splitter for JL? Or in general, with any brand/model?

 

[DPmaster]

Originally posted by: Thegonagle

Originally posted by: NutBucket
JL is overkill. You'd need an external Y splitter and you'll lose your fadar but you can always adjust the levels on the amplifier itself.

OK. So I'll need an external splitter for JL? Or in general, with any brand/model?

That's pretty much the case for most amps out there. There might be some amps that will send the signal from one set of RCA inputs to all 4 channels but I don't recall any off the top of my head.

 

[Thegonagle]

Originally posted by: DPmaster

Originally posted by: Thegonagle

Originally posted by: NutBucket
JL is overkill. You'd need an external Y splitter and you'll lose your fadar but you can always adjust the levels on the amplifier itself.

OK. So I'll need an external splitter for JL? Or in general, with any brand/model?

That's pretty much the case for most amps out there. There might be some amps that will send the signal from one set of RCA inputs to all 4 channels but I don't recall any off the top of my head.

OK, that answers that.

In that case, I guess I would also consider using two smaller 2-channel amps, especially if I could save a few bucks that way.

Are there any brands that I need to avoid? (And why?)

 

[mrchan]

http://www.etronics.com/produc...x6400&store=&catid=306

 

[Dr. Detroit]

Avoid cheap crap brands:
Boss
Legacy
Pyle


I wouldnt pay the money for a High-end amp like JL either.

Check www.crutchfield.com for models and buy on ebay or other cheapo websites to save some cash.

Kenwood & Alpine are fine good quality amps.

 

[Thegonagle]

Originally posted by: Fmr12B
Avoid cheap crap brands:
Boss
Legacy
Pyle


I wouldnt pay the money for a High-end amp like JL either.

Hey, the less, the better, as long as it's a good value on something that's well made and honestly rated.

Should I worry about the CEA-2006 compliance on the specs?

What about 2 of these: Clarion http://www.crutchfield.com/S-g....asp?g=110&I=020APA250 ?

 

[NutBucket]

Its probably fine but any reason you insist on Crutchfield?

 

[DPmaster]

Originally posted by: Fmr12B
Avoid cheap crap brands:
Boss
Legacy
Pyle


I wouldnt pay the money for a High-end amp like JL either.

Check www.crutchfield.com for models and buy on ebay or other cheapo websites to save some cash.

Kenwood & Alpine are fine good quality amps.

I wouldn't exactly call JL Audio high-end amps. When I think if high-end, I think of brands like Zapco, Audison, McIntosh, Brax, etc. I understand what you're saying though.

 

[Thegonagle]

Originally posted by: NutBucket
Its probably fine but any reason you insist on Crutchfield?

Actually, I don't. But they're easy to link to and easy to browse. I'm flexible and open to any suggestions in order to get the best deal on something decent.

 

[NutBucket]

Originally posted by: DPmaster

Originally posted by: Fmr12B
Avoid cheap crap brands:
Boss
Legacy
Pyle


I wouldnt pay the money for a High-end amp like JL either.

Check www.crutchfield.com for models and buy on ebay or other cheapo websites to save some cash.

Kenwood & Alpine are fine good quality amps.

I wouldn't exactly call JL Audio high-end amps. When I think if high-end, I think of brands like Zapco, Audison, McIntosh, Brax, etc. I understand what you're saying though.

Its high end for your average chain store considering BB doesn't carry them. Don't think CC does either. Could be wrong on that one though.

 

[DPmaster]

Originally posted by: NutBucket

Originally posted by: DPmaster

Originally posted by: Fmr12B
Avoid cheap crap brands:
Boss
Legacy
Pyle


I wouldnt pay the money for a High-end amp like JL either.

Check www.crutchfield.com for models and buy on ebay or other cheapo websites to save some cash.

Kenwood & Alpine are fine good quality amps.

I wouldn't exactly call JL Audio high-end amps. When I think if high-end, I think of brands like Zapco, Audison, McIntosh, Brax, etc. I understand what you're saying though.

Its high end for your average chain store considering BB doesn't carry them. Don't think CC does either. Could be wrong on that one though.

Yeah most chain stores don't carry stuff like JL, Eclipse, etc. Only one I can think of off the top of my head is Car Toys.

With that said, I am running JL Audio amps for my front sound stage and my rear fill. I'm also using a JL Audio sub (13W7). I'm using a Zapco for my sub amp though.

 

[NutBucket]

Yeah, there's a couple of chains in SoCal that carry Eclipse and JL. Luckily they're both fairly lenient when it comes to pricematching

 

[Thegonagle]

Anything wrong with Clarion? I can get an APA450 (4X50 watt) for under $100 shipped (SRP for the Clarion APA450 is $199).

 

[NutBucket]

Clarion is fine in my book.

 

[Delleet]

Originally posted by: Thegonagle
Anything wrong with Clarion? I can get an APA450 (4X50 watt) for under $100 shipped (SRP for the Clarion APA450 is $199).

That should be fine. Like others have said, you'll just have to use Y-splitters at the amp and adjust the gains for each channel to account for fading. Don't turn them all the way up, though or you can clip the output signal.

Another thing to consider is your power wire. 8ga is fine for that amp, but I would recommend putting in something heavier if you have even the slightest inclination of ever installing a sub. Running power wire twice is never any fun . 4ga would be good for a pretty decent system and isn't really that much harder to run than 8ga. Also, remember to fuse the wire near the battery with a fuse rating relevant to the wire gauge (you fuse the wire, not the amp).

 

[Dr. Detroit]

Originally posted by: Thegonagle
Anything wrong with Clarion? I can get an APA450 (4X50 watt) for under $100 shipped (SRP for the Clarion APA450 is $199).

Yeah fine,

that is RMS watts correct. Ensure the SN ratio is good too.

For under $100, not bad at all.

 

[Thegonagle]

Originally posted by: Fmr12B

Originally posted by: Thegonagle
Anything wrong with Clarion? I can get an APA450 (4X50 watt) for under $100 shipped (SRP for the Clarion APA450 is $199).

Yeah fine,

that is RMS watts correct. Ensure the SN ratio is good too.

For under $100, not bad at all.

It's 50 watts RMS, and the THD is 0.025%. Is that good?

Here's a crutchfield link for pics ands specs (they don't sell it anymore though): http://www.crutchfield.com/S-i..._and_specs&i=020apa450

Also, which would you buy from?

-- 1. Etronics.com (Approx $101 shipped.) http://www.etronics.com/produc...c=302&catid=306&store=

-- 2. CarStereoExpo.com (Approx $85 shipped.) http://store.yahoo.com/csexpo/apcl4chcaram.html

-- 3. See if CarDomain.com will pricematch either store.

As far as I can tell, Etronics and CSE are not authorized dealers, so I get a 30 day exchange-only warranty from those retailers. According to CarDomain, they might not pricematch those sites, but I'm going to ask them anyway. I want to see if you guys think CarStereoExpo.com might be too shady to order from if CarDomain won't pricematch.

What do you think?

 

[Thegonagle]

It looks like the Clarion APA450 will fit under the passenger seat, so I think I'm good to go. Seems like a good deal to me if it will do the job.

 

[CTrain]

I was a car audio noob a month ago and I've been doing alot of research and just did my own AMP installing and such.....

Whats your plan ? Maybe I can help.

Will that be your main system forever ??
The 2 sets of Kappas ??
Did you buy the Kappas already ??
Doing the installation yourself ??

 

[Thegonagle]

Originally posted by: CTrain
I was a car audio noob a month ago and I've been doing alot of research and just did my own AMP installing and such.....

Whats your plan ? Maybe I can help.

Will that be your main system forever ??
The 2 sets of Kappas ??
Did you buy the Kappas already ??
Doing the installation yourself ??

It will probably be the main system in that car for as long as I own it. (I always keep my own stuff and return the factory system when I sell a car.)

I may want a sub w/additional amp someday, but I'd upgrade the HU first. I have no immediate plans to do either, because I don't want to take up room in the trunk or spend the money.

I already have the Kappas. I bought them 6-7 months ago with a Crutchfield deal at the same time as I bought the Alpine HU. I didn't have a lot of other choices described as "EZ Fit" for my car, and there was a decent sale on Kappas at the time, making them the same price as a set of Infinity Reference Series, so I figured "why not?" I just never installed them because of time constraints at first, and later because I was afraid the HU wouldn't have enough power anyway. The stock speakers' mediocre sound is starting to grate on me, so now I want to install these speakers soon. Now I just need an amp that will sound clean with these speakers at a reasonable volume for personal use, not competition. (I'm more biased toward SQ than SPL.)

I'm planning to install it myself under the front passenger seat. I've always installed my own speakers and HUs, but I've never had an amp or subs before.

 

[CTrain]

Oh...motherfvcking of god...I just wrote like a novel and it got erased...
dammit.
I gonna have to write a cliff note version.

 

[CTrain]

Anyway cut to the chase, I bought a 4 channel Profile AP1040 from Etronics for $103 shipped(its more now) where crutchfield has it for $150++.

Its a really good AMP. Need sufficient power to run it though.
Really good S/N ratio.
Really good power for a cheap AMP.
It fit under my seat and I have a Honda Civic Si.
That AMP will blow those Kappas easily.

The best recommendation I can ever give is if you ever do DIY AMP install, buy the $25 amp kit from WALMART. Its a Scosche brand and it has everthing you need to install an AMP.
Comes with 4 gauge wires too. The same type kit cost like $70-100 at rip-offs like BB, CC and Frys.
It even comes with a Distrubution block to split the power wire in 2 for a second AMP.

If you really want a super nice Cheap AMP(Its the Cadillac of inexpensive AMP), CarDomain has the US Acoustics USC4085 for $180. I can't seem to find it elsewhere cheaper. Car Domain prices are usually 10-20% higher.
I did see one on Ebay a week ago for ~120 so I should have grabed it.
Us Acoustics AMP require less power to run which is a good thing.

Let me warn you that once you get an AMP hooked up, you might want something better which is why you should just get something decent now. The Profile AP1040 is a really good cheap choice.

Another thing, you can always get a 2 channel amp to run the 4 speakers. By running 2 speakers in each channel, it will run at lower ohms(2 ohms as oppose to 4 ohms) and you actually get more power from the AMP that way but it will also run hotter. Most AMP are 2 ohms stable.

Lanzar, Power Acoustik, Profile, Us Acoustics....those are some inexpensive AMPS that will do the job just fine.