Just Got Back From the Stereo Shop and Need Some Advice?

[ewillis]

Alright...I'm going with the new Pioneer touch screen double din head unit, Alpine front door speakers, Alpine rear door speakers, two Alpine amps, and a single Alpine 12" subwoofer in the rear. The problem is where to mount the 2 amps. The tech suggested the best two options are:
1: mount the amps to the 12" woofer box, but then the box would have to be mounted/strapped somehow so that it doesn't move (and then would be difficult to move if I needed to).
2: Unzip my pristine cloth seat covers on the rear seats and slide a wood panel in the back of the rear seats and mount the amps through the cloth and into the wood backing. The problem I have with this is that there will be 4 holes through the original cloth on each seat that I don't really want to do.

Any other ideas before I pull this $1200 trigger?

 

[bmac1996acc]

If its a class D amp and is small enough I would mount it behind the plastic paneling on the side of the cargo area.

 

[ewillis]

If its a class D amp and is small enough I would mount it behind the plastic paneling on the side of the cargo area.

It would fit there, but I need to run 2 amps to handle all the speakers.

 

[bahamasair]

I agree I had 2 amps mounted behind the passenger side rear plastics there is a surprising amount of room there

 

[ewillis]

I agree I had 2 amps mounted behind the passenger side rear plastics there is a surprising amount of room there

You mean in the little cubby hole/utility compartment?

 

[scottryana]

Why do you need 2 amps? Just use a 5 channel amplifier. That is 4 channels for the front and rear speakers and a channel for the sub. Alpine makes 2 different 5 channel amps.

 

[ewillis]

I could, but that is a pretty large amp and would still have the "where do I mount it problem"

 

[scottryana]

No it isn't it is the same size as the 4 channel amp, and I mounted mine under my driver's seat. Easy.

Less wiring, single power wire, single ground, no distribution block, single fuse, etc. You want the amp centrally mounted so you don't have to run power all the way to the back and then speaker wire all the way to the front, Shorter RCA's, etc.

Staying with Alpine -
You can get small 5 channel amps that are 60wx4 - 250wx1 all the way up to 100wx4 - 500wx1.

 

[greentruck]

ewillis,
Not the little cubby hole. It's all the space that's behind there in the fender area covered by that panel. The Aussies even make a giant water bladder (20 liters?) that can hang in there. Lots of room for amps, etc, although as other have noted, you can get a little dust and dampness from time to time so need to use the right gear.

 

[ewillis]

Hmmm....it could run 4 door speakers and an Alpine 12"? I think the 2 4 channels would run the system better, but not sure.

 

[ewillis]

ewillis,
Not the little cubby hole. It's all the space that's behind there in the fender area covered by that panel. The Aussies even make a giant water bladder (20 liters?) that can hang in there. Lots of room for amps, etc, although as other have noted, you can get a little dust and dampness from time to time so need to use the right gear.

that's a good idea...how hard is the panel removal and where would I bolt the amps (wouldn't want to go through the exterior panels in any way)

 

[scottryana]

Why would you run (2) 4 channels?? How would that work with 5 channels? Even if you had a dual voice coil sub, and you ran 2 channels on the second amp you would leave 2 channels unused. If you ran (1) 4 channel and (1) 2 channel and bridged the 2 channel it would work, but how much sub power do you need? What sub are you going to run? 100wx4 and 500wx1 is quite a bit of power.

 

[ewillis]

Why would you run (2) 4 channels?? How would that work with 5 channels? Even if you had a dual voice coil sub, and you bridged 2 channels on the second amp you would leave 2 channels unused. If you ran (1) 4 channel and (1) 2 channel and bridged the 2 channel it would work, but how much sub power do you need? What sub are you going to run? 100wx4 and 500wx1 is quite a bit of power.

The 4 Alpine door speakers are pretty powerful (Alpine's best speakers) and the 12" Alpine sub is a BEAST! I'm actually not sure on the wattage but the owner of the reputable shop said the 12" would draw away from the door speakers and vice/versa and the total sound quality using 2 amps and this setup rivals brand new Bose systems in high-end cars. He seems to think this would be the best possible sound setup and I trust him as the two Alpine amps are the same price as a larger single.

 

[ewillis]

Why would you run (2) 4 channels?? How would that work with 5 channels? Even if you had a dual voice coil sub, and you ran 2 channels on the second amp you would leave 2 channels unused. If you ran (1) 4 channel and (1) 2 channel and bridged the 2 channel it would work, but how much sub power do you need? What sub are you going to run? 100wx4 and 500wx1 is quite a bit of power.

1 Amp for the 12"
1 amp for the 4 door speakers

 

[Recruiter]

My set up

I have my Memphis mounted behind the rear passenger's side cargo panel. Fits just fine. It is pushing 2 sets of Diamonds (tweeters with 6.5"mids) in all 4 doors and my Orion 12. I can park in the driveway and set off the house alarm if I want to. My Orion sits solid; I have never had it budge. It is not mounted in any way and I have it set up so it is a quick disconnect and can come out in a matter of seconds. I agree with the rest of the guys; no need for 2 amps. I ran 000 hot wire and 00 ground. Overkill I am sure. I would put the same system in my truck 100 more times. My head unit is a 2005 old school Alpine that still represents with no issues.

 

[86tuning]

the owner of the reputable shop said the 12" would draw away from the door speakers and vice/versa and the total sound quality using 2 amps and this setup rivals brand new Bose systems in high-end cars. He seems to think this would be the best possible sound setup and I trust him as the two Alpine amps are the same price as a larger single.

In that case let him hide the amps where ever he wants. Just specify HIDDEN from sight and mention the rear panel behind the tail lights.

I used to build serious stereo back in the day. Custom fibreglass sub boxes and all that jazz. Last stereo car I built had ~2kw of power. It's easy to hide stuff if that is your priority. Just costs time and money.

One of the amps up front would save a bunch of time and money and weight, with shorter power wires and speaker wires. There's space inside the dash for the factory amp, why not utilize that space for at least the front stage?

 

[ewillis]

I have my Memphis mounted behind the rear passenger's side cargo panel. Fits just fine. It is pushing 2 sets of Diamonds (tweeters with 6.5"mids) in all 4 doors and my Orion 12. I can park in the driveway and set off the house alarm if I want to. My Orion sits solid; I have never had it budge. It is not mounted in any way and I have it set up so it is a quick disconnect and can come out in a matter of seconds. I agree with the rest of the guys; no need for 2 amps. I ran 000 hot wire and 00 ground. Overkill I am sure. I would put the same system in my truck 100 more times. My head unit is a 2005 old school Alpine that still represents with no issues.

What did you fasten the amp to behind the panel?

 

[86tuning]

1 Amp for the 12"
1 amp for the 4 door speakers

Right. A 4-ch amp won't work with most subs unless its a dual voice coil unit. You can bridge a pair of channels to make one, but you still end up with two pairs.

Most modern amps have a beefy enough power supply that a sub won't draw sound quality away from the front stage. But I'd still go with what the shop recommends because the stereo is only as good as the shop that installs it. Like a painting being only as good as the painter.

 

[86tuning]

What did you fasten the amp to behind the panel?

Easy. Make a bracket or use some 1/8" x 1" steel band. Or use a piece of plywood like most stereo shops would use.

Your installer won't even sweat these details, they can handle it.

 

[ewillis]

Cool...that's definitely better than the other alternatives. Is the panel easy to remove?