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Audio help for a beginner?

Good info. Thanks. I just turned 60 and this is my first Z. Maybe a midlife crisis. Na. I was a gearhead in the 70's burning up the streets with

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Old 01-20-2015, 01:35 AM   #91 (permalink)
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Good info. Thanks. I just turned 60 and this is my first Z. Maybe a midlife crisis. Na. I was a gearhead in the 70's burning up the streets with another Z. Z28. Now I just want to cruise around and listen to tunes. I listen to older rock like zz top, eagles, Pink Floyd etc. When I got the car I put what I thought was a decent headend. The Kenwood. I like it a lot. XM, Stream Spotify from my Samsung S5 on BT, USB drive full of music. I am going to go with Components this time and see how that goes. Let me ask this. Pretty sure I know what you will say. If I go with the Focals or the Hertz do I need a amp for sure? I know it probably depends on the speakers. And I'm not going to run a sub. Just curious. I guess I would be more apt to spend more on the speakers If I didn't need the amp right now. Thanks
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Old 01-20-2015, 04:19 AM   #92 (permalink)
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I'm sure my answer isn't a surprise, but I always recommend an amp for aftermarket speakers. You don't "need" an amp, but most headunits simply cannot drive aftermarket speakers well.

I love my speakers dearly, but given the choice of my Hertz components running off my headunit vs less expensive speakers plus a decent amplifier I would choose the latter without hesitation, every time. I'm sure you will get varying opinion on this, but that's my 2 cents.

As an aside Kenwood's Excelon units like you have are very nice. They have a strong focus on sound quality and just have an amazing selection of audio options. I can't imagine you being anything but well pleased with it.
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Old 01-20-2015, 06:48 AM   #93 (permalink)
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Sound dampen first then upgrade your speakers. You will be very happy that you did.
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Old 01-20-2015, 10:46 AM   #94 (permalink)
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Thanks guys. I will take your advice and get a amp. I kinda knew that was the way to go just wanted to hear it. Yes the kenwood HU is nice. When I bought the car I held out money to get something decent. So here I go shopping for speakers and a amp. This will be a fun project. And I will read the forum about the dynamat. I have the base model with 6speed mt and it gets a little noisy at times. Very fun to drive.
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Old 01-20-2015, 12:40 PM   #95 (permalink)
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Originally Posted by swj123 View Post
... If I go with the Focals or the Hertz do I need a amp for sure? I know it probably depends on the speakers. And I'm not going to run a sub. Just curious. I guess I would be more apt to spend more on the speakers If I didn't need the amp right now. Thanks
If you are getting enough sound out of the HU, no real need for another amp. Want some more volume? Then get more amp.
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Old 01-20-2015, 12:53 PM   #96 (permalink)
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Do you know if I could Bridge the front and back speaker outputs on my Kenwood HU the same way you can on a amp? Just Curious.

Kenwood-Excelon-DDX8901HD
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Old 01-20-2015, 01:46 PM   #97 (permalink)
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Do you know if I could Bridge the front and back speaker outputs on my Kenwood HU the same way you can on a amp? Just Curious.

Kenwood-Excelon-DDX8901HD
Don't do this.

There were some Pioneer headunits that allowed you to bridge the rear channels to run an efficient sub, but what you are considering is a good way to smoke your headunit.
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Old 01-20-2015, 01:54 PM   #98 (permalink)
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I just called Crutchfield and talked to a woman that recommended these with no amp. She said they sound amazing. Any thoughts? Thanks

Infinity Reference X REF-6500cx 6-3/4" component speaker system — also fit 6-1/2" openings at Crutchfield.com
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Old 01-20-2015, 02:30 PM   #99 (permalink)
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Nope. Not going to.
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Old 01-20-2015, 02:37 PM   #100 (permalink)
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Just talked to a lady from Crutchfield that said the best bet without a amp would be Infinity Reference X REF-6500cx. So I'm torn between something like this or better speakers with a amp. Not sure if it would be worth it. I think I'll go to a local shop and listen to some speakers.
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Old 01-20-2015, 07:31 PM   #101 (permalink)
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I suggest you go with an amp. You will have a lot more options for speaker setup and you can also get it louder too if you wish. Your front components will love the power.
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Old 01-20-2015, 07:39 PM   #102 (permalink)
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Great thread a lot of valuable info in here. Thx
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Old 01-20-2015, 07:43 PM   #103 (permalink)
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As Nillas mentioned earlier how the focals would fatigue his ears after long listening at moderate volumes, the Infinitys are 10x worse on the ears. Their tweeters tend to be a little harsh.
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Old 01-20-2015, 07:48 PM   #104 (permalink)
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But if you are so inclined http://www.amazon.com/Infinity-Refer.../dp/B007SNMQDQ Please don't pay crutchfield prices unless absolutely necessary.... http://www.woofersetc.com/p-11545-re...er-system.aspx
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Old 01-20-2015, 08:00 PM   #105 (permalink)
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As Nillas mentioned earlier how the focals would fatigue his ears after long listening at moderate volumes, the Infinitys are 10x worse on the ears. Their tweeters tend to be a little harsh.
I think we should dub thee audio god Ron.
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