AMP needed..(a.k.a. My No-Headunit Carputer Stereo Project)

LinuxRacr

Contributor
:
2001 Mazda MP3
Ok, so my Kenwood headunit went out last summer, and I have been without music in my car since then. This is sucking, and I want to remedy this soon. I am not putting a head unit back in my car, and plan to just run an amp. I'm gonna play dumb here so I can get the best answers possible.

What type of AMP do I need to power my stock MP3 Kenwood door speakers, and the stock sub? What are the specs of the stock speakers and sub in terms of how much power they can support? Is it true that the stock sub already has a built-in amp?

Also, as a bonus, I plan to run sirius right to my carputer via rs232 serial/USB. Here are some links about that:

http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=59659

http://www.rush2112.net/

Any help you can give would be AWESOME oh experts of car audio..
 
As far as amps go, stock MP#, yes? I'm pretty sure those came with a bazooka of sorts, I'm sure 1sty will know. At anyrate, as for stock speakers, I believe the wattage rating would be around 60wrms, thatsaid, ANYTHING will work, and with much more than even 30, you'll likely be out-playing your subs capabilities. ALso, look into that pg o5.1 amp, it'll push everything AND has sub output as well, all in one easy package, thisway you could get true surround if you've got, or can manage a digital output.

sirius-wise, I know that while it seemed easy and everyone seeemd to say it was a no-problem kinda thing, actually connecting XM to my carputer was a PITA... I wound up just sorta stumbling around, trying diff settings, and eventually finally running the audiot input part of it directly to the mobo.
 
See, should have went with Sirus....

Not sure what you are referring to when it comes to pg o5.1 amp.
 
pg o5.1? Me neither. pg is usually short for Phoenix Gold but I don't see a 5.1 amp on their website.

If your goal is not surround sound you can ditch the rear speakers and get a 3 or 4 channel amp. However, if you do want to go the surround sound route then you first need to decide if you are ever going to install a front center channel. If you don't, then a 5 or 6 channel amp will work nicely. The JL Audio 500/5, JL Audio e6450, DLS A7, DLS RA50, and DLS CA51 come to mind.

Now if you do want to power a center channel things get more complicated. I don't know of any 6 channel amps on the market that have 5 regular channels and 1 surround channel unless that is exactly what this mysterious pg o5.1 amp provides.
 
Sorry, it's called the R5.1MT, it's a part of the octane line. IT's in the books, but not often discussed seeingas I'd presume there are indeed very few setups capable of outputting a 5.1 digital surround signal Last time I spoke with our rep he kinda halfway knew about it, but really knew no details. Again, I'm entirely unaware of quality, etc, but for a carputer situation it may, indeed be ideal.

physically it loks very similar to the old TI series. listed power is only as max: 100x5 + 200x1. Obviously not going to be a super powerhouse, but should cover what's necessary for decent movie experiences. comes with 5.1 and "phantom center" 4.1 processing, 24bit ad/da converters, independant controls. VIdeo output for onscreen setups, independant testtone and setup ability. one optical, one coaxial, and 2 set of analog inputs. IR remote, and remote turnon. footprint: 10x6x2"

I just found it on their site in the manuals section
ftp://208.187.38.55/Phoenix_Gold/Manuals/Amplifiers/octane_r/

I wish I had a price or availability breakdown, but I don't at the moment. Perhaps it's a bastard child that exists only in theory.

Oh, and as far as the XM thing, At the time I was doing this, there was not Sirius availability, Mostly I jsut kidna did it because it looked like it'd be a spiffy project, and I had that SAT radio button on my roadrunner that took me nowhere...
 
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SO to recap:

5 Channel would be ideal if I want to keep ALL my stock speakers in operation, and power my stock sub?

How many watts do I need? I don't understand any of this audio stuff yet, but am working on it.
 
30-75w x 4 + 200-400w x 1 will suffice.

For example, the DLS RA50...
http://dlsamerica.com/fstark/RA50.htm

The following shops in Texas carry DLS (you can not purchase them online)...
Hectors Tint & Alarm
1391 W. Hwy 77
San Benito, TX 78586
<!--[endif]-->T 956-873-0596
F 956-399-8381
hectorstint@aol.com
Contact: Hector Martinez

Innovative Rides
11564 Cypress North Houston Rd.
Cypress, TX 77429
T 281-250-3380
www.innovativerides.com
Contact: Nam

Visual Audio
507 S. Hwy 87
Orange, TX 77630
T 409-886-2200
F 409-886-2202
Visualaudio507@yahoo.com
Contact: David Bilbo
 
I picked up an Eclipse 5-Channel this afternoon. I can't exactly rememer the model number, but it will do the job. I also picked up a Sirius connect unit so that I can convert it for use on my carputer.
 
I believe the model I went with was the Eclipse EA3532.
 

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Everything is now installed accept for the Sirius tuner... My Sirius connect to RS232 PCB board arrives today!
 
A few

Here are some quick shots I snapped last night:
 

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thats awesome Patrick, I was holding out on getting a carputer because I wanted to keep Sirius

sweet man
 
LinuxRacr said:
So now what's holding you back?


exactly(first)

i'm planning on putting a carputer in my next car. i've got too much alpine integration in my current setup to give it up for a carputer, otherwise i'd already be running one.
 
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