Replacing HU and door speakers

Nillaz

First things first, welcome to the forum!

I would like to reiterate what some others have said: a decent amp for ANY aftermarket speakers is never a bad idea. The NEX headunits are pretty nice (I have one myself and enjoy it immensely), but there isn't a headunit out that has enough grunt to really drive a set of speakers efficiently, the NEX units included.

Having said that, adding a sub is really a matter of personal taste. Some people really dislike the idea of adding one, but you don't have to be a basshead to really appreciate the benefits of a sub. There are some component speakers designed to deliver excellent midbass response, but quite honestly I've never heard a set that can satisfactorily produce the full audible range. A subwoofer can help achieve this and really give your music a nice, full sound, whether it be the Eagles or the latest hiphop.

My suggestion to you if you are really on the fence about adding a sub: get the amp no matter what, but get at least a 3 channel and while you have the installers installing your HU and speakers....HAVE THEM RUN THE SUBWOOFER CABLES ANYWAY, even if you aren't going to take advantage of them right now. If you should change your mind down the road and decide that you do want the sub you already have all the infrastructure in place and won't need to tear apart the interior of the car all over again.

Best of luck!

justsomeguy

Well bro, This is my setup!

My amp is Precision Power PPI 900.4 (900watt 4 channels)- it's the phantom series so it's really small and easy to tuck! I placed it between the spare tire and behind the brace(?) bar that's behind the seats under the styrofoam to keep it hidden. Got a 4gauge amp kit with that.

My door speakers:
Since I am not an audiophile but still wanted sound quality bettter than base.. my friend recommended me to get Alpine SPR- 60c. They are component speakers and hearing them in person before having them installed i fell in love with them because I am a clarity over loudness guy! Although they may not have as much bass as other speakers, that's why ill get to the sub.

My Sub.
I am using an old solo baric l5 and the zenclosure box. I have it wired to take up the other 2 channels I didn't use on my amp (the each component of the door speakers using 1 channel) and that alone provides more than enough bass I'll ever need. Considering the Z is a small car interior wise, I figured I didn't really need rear speakers.

To answer your original question:

No, you wouldn't need an amp to run both the HU and the door speakers, but if you don't have one, your speakers may be underpowered and may not be getting the amount of signal it needs from the HU to produce what they were made for

Good luck!

JARblue

If you want acceptable sound quality, then yes. In my younger and more ignorant days, I ran a subwoofer off a Pioneer HU. I now know that what I thought worked pretty well at time actually sounded terrible. If you're going to upgrade the speakers you should run an amp to them.

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RonRizz

You cannot underpower a speaker. That being said, amplifier power never hurts, just not an absolute necessity.

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P99rs Head Unit--- Amps- 2 Pioneer Prs800d --- Zapco ST1000MX---Zapco ST-4XSQ---- SI BM mk5 Subs---SI TM65v2 Midbass--- SI M3 mids--- SI M25 xbl2 tweeters ----- 2016 MECA street class 3rd place at world finals

daveb91

You can't underpower a speaker but what happens is people don't have enough power and turn it up louder than it should thus introducing distortion and clipping.

RonRizz

Agreed. However, if your speakers power handling capability is much higher than your HU power, you can clip it all day long. Distortion just sounds like hell, it doesn't harm anything but your ears.
The problem with adding an amplifier is the same, though. Most will set the gains wrong, and clip it anyway.... Now you're at a higher power level...Poof. there goes your speaker.

__________________
P99rs Head Unit--- Amps- 2 Pioneer Prs800d --- Zapco ST1000MX---Zapco ST-4XSQ---- SI BM mk5 Subs---SI TM65v2 Midbass--- SI M3 mids--- SI M25 xbl2 tweeters ----- 2016 MECA street class 3rd place at world finals

DeathByMunky

Thanks for the responses everyone. I'm going to go to a couple local shops and see what my options are from them.

JARblue

First, I go to eBay to buy cheap crap cheap, not to buy quality stereo equipment. There are plenty of other online sites that aren't people selling stuff out of their basement.

Second, major online retailers, such as Crutchfield or Amazon, have better prices and better customer service than any retail shop with very few exceptions. Warranty is generally from the manufacturer anyway, not the retailer, so there's no difference there.

Lastly, any shop that refuses to install equipment you bring in yourself is a shop that I have no interest in doing business with. If they refuse work because you didn't buy your equipment from them, it's most likely because they didn't get their markup on the equipment purchase. Any good shop will not hassle you over this. I've had a shop spend hours on the phone with Crutchfield trying to figure out an install, and it turns out they were missing a part. Crutchfield overnighted the part at no cost to me or the shop. I didn't even have to get involved as the shop just took care of it. That's what a good shop (and good online retailer) should do. The audio shop may not have made a ton of money on my job, but they have made much more from the additional customers I have sent their way because of the stellar service I received.

Just to clarify, I'm not against local spending. In fact, I'm all for local spending. Unfortunately, most electronics are sold in big box stores that aren't truly local. Any real local electronics shop is generally significantly more expensive than the big box stores, which are generally more expensive than online retailers. And it doesn't help that the big box stores only hire idiots that can't answer even basic questions about the products they sell. Crutchfield is far more helpful on the phone than employees in the car audio install bay at Fry's or Best Buy.

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RonRizz

That's the truth. I'm all for buying locally as well, But finding a dealer nearby that sells what I specifically want is basically impossible.
A close friend of mine owns a shop nearby, and is an authorized Pioneer dealer. When I was shopping for my P99, he tried to get me one through his channels, but Crutchfield was the ONLY place even authorized to sell it.. too bad for him, but he understood. I also drove 100+ miles to Philly to a shop for my Hertz components. (that's only because I'm a lunatic, and wanted them in my hands that day) or I would have bought them online.
Point is, not everyone has access to a local shop that carries anything worthwhile. And although if I need something that is carried locally, I don't mind paying a little extra, but Most high end stuff is special order, so you need to wait for it anyways. Why am I paying local shop guy a markup to place the order for me? That's just foolish.

I'll always buy my produce from local sources.....anything else is up for grabs.

__________________
P99rs Head Unit--- Amps- 2 Pioneer Prs800d --- Zapco ST1000MX---Zapco ST-4XSQ---- SI BM mk5 Subs---SI TM65v2 Midbass--- SI M3 mids--- SI M25 xbl2 tweeters ----- 2016 MECA street class 3rd place at world finals

daveb91

I supported my 370z site sponsors for most of my stuff. Something wrong with that?

kenchan

i support amazon 134%

DeathByMunky

I just talked to the guy from my local shop and he said that he would install anything I bring in.

He said: "Install on the door speakers would be $35 if they are coaxial speakers or $85 if you get a component set. Installation on the headunit would be $125 and if you wanted to run the amp wiring it would be $50 plus any necessary wire."

So I'm pretty set on the HU. Do you guys have any recommendations on speakers for around say $150? How much would an amp cost and what would you recommend (I'm not looking for anything fancy obviously)?

RonRizz

As mentioned previously, The Alpine spr 60c 's can be had for around $150. As for amplifiers, well, there are literally 100's of brands, and prices from here to eternity. Your best bet would be to set a budget amount for it, and give us something to shoot for......

__________________
P99rs Head Unit--- Amps- 2 Pioneer Prs800d --- Zapco ST1000MX---Zapco ST-4XSQ---- SI BM mk5 Subs---SI TM65v2 Midbass--- SI M3 mids--- SI M25 xbl2 tweeters ----- 2016 MECA street class 3rd place at world finals

memphisz.exe

I actually have the AVIC 7000NEX and I got it on Ebay for a pretty good price. More functionality that the 6000. In reference to the HU part don't get the AXXESS module if you plan on keeping your steering wheel controls. I'm actually looking at NVX for my subs and speakers.

DeathByMunky

Gotcha. Would the $100-$150 range be too low end assuming I get the Alpines you mentioned and I don't get a sub?