Clueless on AMPS looking for help.
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Member
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 20
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From: Delaware
Clueless on AMPS looking for help.
Hello,
I have replaced my factory speakers with polk dx7's (4) and they sound great. Now i realize that I need more power, I would like to keep the factory hu and add an AMP to my system. My problem is that I am no expert on AMP's and need some help finding the right one. I would also like to keep the factory speaker wires if possible and maybe use molex connectors the inter connect the amp the the hu, i think i have the premium hu because i also have a factory 6 disc changer. lastly, i have to deal with a reasonable budget to get this all done. with a little help from all of you quite experienced audiophiles on this page i may be able to this system. I have read many discussions on the audio systems here and they leave me a bit confused, there is odviously some brand loyalty for good reasons, but i'm not sure where to start. please clue me in
I have replaced my factory speakers with polk dx7's (4) and they sound great. Now i realize that I need more power, I would like to keep the factory hu and add an AMP to my system. My problem is that I am no expert on AMP's and need some help finding the right one. I would also like to keep the factory speaker wires if possible and maybe use molex connectors the inter connect the amp the the hu, i think i have the premium hu because i also have a factory 6 disc changer. lastly, i have to deal with a reasonable budget to get this all done. with a little help from all of you quite experienced audiophiles on this page i may be able to this system. I have read many discussions on the audio systems here and they leave me a bit confused, there is odviously some brand loyalty for good reasons, but i'm not sure where to start. please clue me in
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 441
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From: Lake Zurich, IL
I just went thru this as well, and kept my factory HU. First off, what is your planned budget for this? that determines a lot.
second, will you be adding a sub?
- if yes, get a 5 channel amp, easier setup than multiple amps (crutchfield has some deals goin on right now on the Kenwood amp I bought. works well)
- if no sub, look at the 4 channel amps to power all 4 speakers. find out what RMS watts the polk DX7s can handle and find an appropriate amp. I wouldn't go with anything less than 40x4 rms. (40 watts continous to each speaker) the more power, the better, but it raises your budget.
Make sure the amp you select has speaker lvl inputs, so you can use factory wiriing (well this doesn't really matter as when I had mine installed, the guy used line level converters and put in RCA patch cables from the HU to the amp anyway)
BTW, the amp I bought was the Kenwood KAC859 5ch. amp. they're selling them low b/c it's last years model. I got it for less than 1/2 normal price. it works great so far (just got it installed last night) I also bought the Polk audio EX10 10" sub. I have yet to put it in (waiting on box to come) probably not THE best sub out there, but it'll fit my needs perfectly, and I got 2 for 1. so Im selling the 2nd one to a friend and he bought the same amp for his truck.
second, will you be adding a sub?
- if yes, get a 5 channel amp, easier setup than multiple amps (crutchfield has some deals goin on right now on the Kenwood amp I bought. works well)
- if no sub, look at the 4 channel amps to power all 4 speakers. find out what RMS watts the polk DX7s can handle and find an appropriate amp. I wouldn't go with anything less than 40x4 rms. (40 watts continous to each speaker) the more power, the better, but it raises your budget.
Make sure the amp you select has speaker lvl inputs, so you can use factory wiriing (well this doesn't really matter as when I had mine installed, the guy used line level converters and put in RCA patch cables from the HU to the amp anyway)
BTW, the amp I bought was the Kenwood KAC859 5ch. amp. they're selling them low b/c it's last years model. I got it for less than 1/2 normal price. it works great so far (just got it installed last night) I also bought the Polk audio EX10 10" sub. I have yet to put it in (waiting on box to come) probably not THE best sub out there, but it'll fit my needs perfectly, and I got 2 for 1. so Im selling the 2nd one to a friend and he bought the same amp for his truck.