Home and Auto Attn: Car audio junkies

Viper400 · 06-10-2017, 06:49 AM

My son has a 2008 Dodge Ram 1500. It has the basic AM/FM/CD system. He wants to install amp/subs, but keep the stock HU. Will the stock HU run the upgraded epuipment? I know that it wont have RCA outputs and he will have to get a line out converter. I was told that we could "tap into" the door speakers. Whatever the hell that means.

I am pretty much a novice when it comes to audio installation. Done a few aftermarket stereos back in the day. That's it.

Any installation info would be appreciated.

MIAdragon · 06-10-2017, 07:05 AM

The stock hu is garbage, that's the first thing he should do, it also simplifies adding the other things he wants.

**hometeam** · 06-10-2017, 07:08 AM

you could keep the stock head unit but its going to be shit. Between the terrible HU itself, and the RCA converter the sound quality is not going to be good. Even a 70 dollar media unit from sony will have better quality/control features.

If you do decide to do that im not sure why you would have to tap into anything if its just subs and amp. You will still need to run your power, ground, remote wires and then your wiring form the amp to the subs.

Before you get started, please please know the ohms that the amp is stable at, the ohms on the speakers and wire them accordingly. You wire them too low an you'll fry the amp/subs, too high and you wont get the rated power and your setup will be anemic.

Check out http://www.termpro.com/asp/pubs.asp?ID=124 and go through it. This gives you an idea of why and how to wire your subs correctly for a given situation. There are also TONS of other resources out there on wiring. If you dont make it a point to wire the subs correctly, your gonna have a bad time.

My advice, spend a little bit of money and get a proper head unit, and make a plan on how the setup is to be wired before you even turn a screwdriver~ With a proper head unit, and a basic understanding of what impendence your amp is, and subs are wired for, its a very easy process to install a basic amp/sub combo.

Marcellus · 06-10-2017, 07:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MIAdragon

The stock hu is garbage, that's the first thing he should do, it also simplifies adding the other things he wants.

Bingo, that needs to go first. You need bluetooth and all the modern stuff anyway.

You can pick up a decent head unit for $200 no reason to skip that.

Viper400 · 06-10-2017, 07:30 AM

All info appreciated.

He is on a budget, which is why he wants to keep the stock HU. I'll probably tell him to save up a little more coin and upgrade the HU.

Opinion on this setup:

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_236MB2....html?tp=61893

This is what he is planning on ordering.

**Perineum Ripper** · 06-10-2017, 07:35 AM

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_905KDR...cc=01&tp=72310

Have him add something like this as well and he will be much happier

**notorious** · 06-10-2017, 08:50 AM

Hmmm.... A dual 10" sub box made with 5/8' particle board? If you buy that, get some scrap MDF and reinforce the insides to minimize flex, or you can line the insides with rope dipped in a hot batch of fiberglass resin.

**notorious** · 06-10-2017, 08:54 AM

For 200......

Sub

http://www.ebay.com/itm/IMAGE-DYNAMI...AAAOSwh6xTsz0K

Amp

http://www.ebay.com/itm/JBL-Subwoofe...5YvX36&vxp=mtr

or

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kicker-Cx300...3D152575986572

The sub enclosure won't take much wood to construct, and this setup will probably sound very nice and smooth, much better than a preloaded MTX bass package.

Kids usually want loud and don't care about sound quality and trunk space, though.

**notorious** · 06-10-2017, 09:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hometeam

you could keep the stock head unit but its going to be shit. Between the terrible HU itself, and the RCA converter the sound quality is not going to be good. Even a 70 dollar media unit from sony will have better quality/control features.

If you do decide to do that im not sure why you would have to tap into anything if its just subs and amp. You will still need to run your power, ground, remote wires and then your wiring form the amp to the subs.

Before you get started, please please know the ohms that the amp is stable at, the ohms on the speakers and wire them accordingly. You wire them too low an you'll fry the amp/subs, too high and you wont get the rated power and your setup will be anemic.

Check out http://www.termpro.com/asp/pubs.asp?ID=124 and go through it. This gives you an idea of why and how to wire your subs correctly for a given situation. There are also TONS of other resources out there on wiring. If you dont make it a point to wire the subs correctly, your gonna have a bad time.

My advice, spend a little bit of money and get a proper head unit, and make a plan on how the setup is to be wired before you even turn a screwdriver~ With a proper head unit, and a basic understanding of what impendence your amp is, and subs are wired for, its a very easy process to install a basic amp/sub combo.

Basically they want him to tie into the front L/R speaker outputs to send the signal to the high inputs on the amp. Generally with a sub amp the high inputs won't sound horrible since distortion is not as noticeable with low frequencies, and with a low voltage RCA output HU it's probably preferable to send the high signal to the subs or it will have weak output.

It's probably good enough for a kid that wants loud.

**The Franchise** · 06-10-2017, 12:25 PM

Any idea how hard it would be to replace the HU on a 2012 Honda Accord? They're all ****ing huge now and take up most of the center dash.

**notorious** · 06-10-2017, 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pestilence

Any idea how hard it would be to replace the HU on a 2012 Honda Accord? They're all ****ing huge now and take up most of the center dash.

The car industry has been integrating everything into the factory head units now. I wouldn't even know where to begin with a lot of vehicles.

Get a JL Fix and call it good.

**mdchiefsfan** · 06-10-2017, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Viper400

All info appreciated.

He is on a budget, which is why he wants to keep the stock HU. I'll probably tell him to save up a little more coin and upgrade the HU.

Opinion on this setup:

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_236MB2....html?tp=61893

This is what he is planning on ordering.

Buying stuff, while keeping the stock HU, is like putting a Prius engine in Ferrari

TLO · 06-10-2017, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Viper400

All info appreciated.

He is on a budget, which is why he wants to keep the stock HU. I'll probably tell him to save up a little more coin and upgrade the HU.

Opinion on this setup:

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_236MB2....html?tp=61893

This is what he is planning on ordering.

The head unit is like the brain of the entire operation. He doesn't need something fancy, but he does need something more than stock. Leaving the stock unit in there while adding an amp and sub is going to leave him sorely disappointed

MIAdragon · 06-10-2017, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Viper400

All info appreciated.

He is on a budget, which is why he wants to keep the stock HU. I'll probably tell him to save up a little more coin and upgrade the HU.

Opinion on this setup:

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_236MB2....html?tp=61893

This is what he is planning on ordering.

Crutch is stupid over priced. He can do much better at the same price.

kccrow · 06-11-2017, 04:14 AM

If all he cares about is bass, go for it. Those are entry level subs from MTX and will be fine for what he's looking to accomplish. Splicing into stock lines is going to reduce the quality. That said, if this is what he wants to do, disregard everything else I have to say below...

If he cares about sound quality, he'll use his money on a head unit, then upgrading the surround speakers (amplified)and the wiring with good wire, and then add subs later. Amazing how much better amplified, quality, surround speakers sound compared to stock.

I've always preferred a Kenwood deck, Polk Audio DB for all surround and 6x9's, and a pair of Infiniti Kappa 10's. I use Rockford Fosgate wiring components/wire and amps and a Tsunami 2 farad capacitor.

I do recommend he gets a pair of subs rather than a single sub, helps with SQL.

If he/you care further, here's some more shit to read...

Most audio guys recommend running a sub pair off of a mono amp rather than a dual-channel so you generally gotta wire in parallel if he doesn't get a pre-made kit. Remember to match Ohms impedance and Watts RMS. If you're running 2 subs at 400 Watts RMS, then you need an 800 Watt RMS amp (and I don't recommend going over).

Then comes Ohms, which can get complicated. You need to know the difference between Single Voice Coil and Dual Voice Coil and how wiring will affect Ohms. Parallel wiring will divide your Ohms, so if you wire two SVC 8 Ohm subs in parallel then you're running at 4 Ohms... If those two subs are instead DVC, and you wire the 2 coils in parallel, it divides the Ohms as well. If each sub is on it's own channel, then you'd be running at 4 Ohms, but if they are ran in parallel off a mono amp you'd be running at 2 Ohms. In this case, some audio places will tell you to instead run a pair of DVCs off a 2-channel amp. Whatever you do, make sure that your load coming in (Ohms) equals your load going to the speakers and that the speakers are rated for that impedance.

Other than that, if he goes for surround, I highly recommend getting all surround from the same manufacturer and in the same series so that they "match." You'll generally get much better sound quality than mixing and matching speaker brands. He'll also want to hit all ranges. Bigger the sub the deeper the bass. That's great, but alot of music is really written for mids and highs and I put a big emphasis on having the mid range covered well. I use 6x9's for low mids and tight bass and 5-1/4/6-1/2's for the remainder of the range, but that's my preference.

For highs, get some tweeters, but don't place them at ear level on the A pillars like a bunch of idiots like to do. It sounds like shit. It's like having your wife bitching in your ear while the kids are throwing shit behind you, not pleasant. The best place is somewhere on the door panels or in the kick panels, below and forward of the mids, aiming towards the center of the headliner. This helps reduce the distance discrepancy between the tweeters and your ear.

You gotta know your wiring needs too. You need to take total system Watts and divide by 12 Volts to get your Amp needs. Use this chart to figure out what size wire to run to your distribution block: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com...a7d6387eac.jpg

From your distribution block, you gotta figure using the draw of the amplifier.

If he installs crossovers, he'll want to reference speaker frequency response curves and set the crossover to each speaker so that it only allows sound to play on the flat area of the response curve. Let's say you have a Polk Audio DB522 5-1/2" mid range speaker in the door rated 55-22,000 Hz. Well, it's flat range might only be from 150 to 10k Hz, so those are your crossover points. Yes, it can handle outside that range, given the rating, but there'll be some level of "distortion" of the sound compared to another speaker that is made for that range.

Good luck in your endeavors.

06-10-2017, 06:49 AM
Viper400 Starter Join Date: Feb 2012 Casino cash: $9885025	Attn: Car audio junkies My son has a 2008 Dodge Ram 1500. It has the basic AM/FM/CD system. He wants to install amp/subs, but keep the stock HU. Will the stock HU run the upgraded epuipment? I know that it wont have RCA outputs and he will have to get a line out converter. I was told that we could "tap into" the door speakers. Whatever the hell that means. I am pretty much a novice when it comes to audio installation. Done a few aftermarket stereos back in the day. That's it. Any installation info would be appreciated.
Posts: 183

06-10-2017, 07:05 AM	#2
MIAdragon Someone pass the antifreeze Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Miami (North Cuba) Casino cash: $1077819	The stock hu is garbage, that's the first thing he should do, it also simplifies adding the other things he wants.
Posts: 15,778

06-10-2017, 07:08 AM	#3
hometeam Supporter Join Date: Jul 2011 Casino cash: $3751956	you could keep the stock head unit but its going to be shit. Between the terrible HU itself, and the RCA converter the sound quality is not going to be good. Even a 70 dollar media unit from sony will have better quality/control features. If you do decide to do that im not sure why you would have to tap into anything if its just subs and amp. You will still need to run your power, ground, remote wires and then your wiring form the amp to the subs. Before you get started, please please know the ohms that the amp is stable at, the ohms on the speakers and wire them accordingly. You wire them too low an you'll fry the amp/subs, too high and you wont get the rated power and your setup will be anemic. Check out http://www.termpro.com/asp/pubs.asp?ID=124 and go through it. This gives you an idea of why and how to wire your subs correctly for a given situation. There are also TONS of other resources out there on wiring. If you dont make it a point to wire the subs correctly, your gonna have a bad time. My advice, spend a little bit of money and get a proper head unit, and make a plan on how the setup is to be wired before you even turn a screwdriver~ With a proper head unit, and a basic understanding of what impendence your amp is, and subs are wired for, its a very easy process to install a basic amp/sub combo.
Posts: 10,651

06-10-2017, 07:30 AM	#5
Viper400 Starter Join Date: Feb 2012 Casino cash: $9885025	All info appreciated. He is on a budget, which is why he wants to keep the stock HU. I'll probably tell him to save up a little more coin and upgrade the HU. Opinion on this setup: https://www.crutchfield.com/p_236MB2....html?tp=61893 This is what he is planning on ordering.
Posts: 183

06-10-2017, 07:35 AM	#6
Perineum Ripper Supporter Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Missouri Casino cash: $1409542	https://www.crutchfield.com/p_905KDR...cc=01&tp=72310 Have him add something like this as well and he will be much happier
Posts: 5,229

06-10-2017, 08:50 AM	#7
notorious Supporter Join Date: May 2005 Location: Who knows? Casino cash: $2405884	Hmmm.... A dual 10" sub box made with 5/8' particle board? If you buy that, get some scrap MDF and reinforce the insides to minimize flex, or you can line the insides with rope dipped in a hot batch of fiberglass resin.
Posts: 83,749

06-10-2017, 08:54 AM	#8
notorious Supporter Join Date: May 2005 Location: Who knows? Casino cash: $2405884	For 200...... Sub http://www.ebay.com/itm/IMAGE-DYNAMI...AAAOSwh6xTsz0K Amp http://www.ebay.com/itm/JBL-Subwoofe...5YvX36&vxp=mtr or http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kicker-Cx300...3D152575986572 The sub enclosure won't take much wood to construct, and this setup will probably sound very nice and smooth, much better than a preloaded MTX bass package. Kids usually want loud and don't care about sound quality and trunk space, though.
Posts: 83,749

06-10-2017, 12:25 PM	#10
The Franchise Most Valuable Villain Join Date: Dec 2006 Casino cash: $2605047	Any idea how hard it would be to replace the HU on a 2012 Honda Accord? They're all ****ing huge now and take up most of the center dash.
Posts: 92,311

06-11-2017, 04:14 AM	#15
kccrow MVP Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Michigan Casino cash: $2837078	If all he cares about is bass, go for it. Those are entry level subs from MTX and will be fine for what he's looking to accomplish. Splicing into stock lines is going to reduce the quality. That said, if this is what he wants to do, disregard everything else I have to say below... If he cares about sound quality, he'll use his money on a head unit, then upgrading the surround speakers (amplified)and the wiring with good wire, and then add subs later. Amazing how much better amplified, quality, surround speakers sound compared to stock. I've always preferred a Kenwood deck, Polk Audio DB for all surround and 6x9's, and a pair of Infiniti Kappa 10's. I use Rockford Fosgate wiring components/wire and amps and a Tsunami 2 farad capacitor. I do recommend he gets a pair of subs rather than a single sub, helps with SQL. If he/you care further, here's some more shit to read... Most audio guys recommend running a sub pair off of a mono amp rather than a dual-channel so you generally gotta wire in parallel if he doesn't get a pre-made kit. Remember to match Ohms impedance and Watts RMS. If you're running 2 subs at 400 Watts RMS, then you need an 800 Watt RMS amp (and I don't recommend going over). Then comes Ohms, which can get complicated. You need to know the difference between Single Voice Coil and Dual Voice Coil and how wiring will affect Ohms. Parallel wiring will divide your Ohms, so if you wire two SVC 8 Ohm subs in parallel then you're running at 4 Ohms... If those two subs are instead DVC, and you wire the 2 coils in parallel, it divides the Ohms as well. If each sub is on it's own channel, then you'd be running at 4 Ohms, but if they are ran in parallel off a mono amp you'd be running at 2 Ohms. In this case, some audio places will tell you to instead run a pair of DVCs off a 2-channel amp. Whatever you do, make sure that your load coming in (Ohms) equals your load going to the speakers and that the speakers are rated for that impedance. Other than that, if he goes for surround, I highly recommend getting all surround from the same manufacturer and in the same series so that they "match." You'll generally get much better sound quality than mixing and matching speaker brands. He'll also want to hit all ranges. Bigger the sub the deeper the bass. That's great, but alot of music is really written for mids and highs and I put a big emphasis on having the mid range covered well. I use 6x9's for low mids and tight bass and 5-1/4/6-1/2's for the remainder of the range, but that's my preference. For highs, get some tweeters, but don't place them at ear level on the A pillars like a bunch of idiots like to do. It sounds like shit. It's like having your wife bitching in your ear while the kids are throwing shit behind you, not pleasant. The best place is somewhere on the door panels or in the kick panels, below and forward of the mids, aiming towards the center of the headliner. This helps reduce the distance discrepancy between the tweeters and your ear. You gotta know your wiring needs too. You need to take total system Watts and divide by 12 Volts to get your Amp needs. Use this chart to figure out what size wire to run to your distribution block: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com...a7d6387eac.jpg From your distribution block, you gotta figure using the draw of the amplifier. If he installs crossovers, he'll want to reference speaker frequency response curves and set the crossover to each speaker so that it only allows sound to play on the flat area of the response curve. Let's say you have a Polk Audio DB522 5-1/2" mid range speaker in the door rated 55-22,000 Hz. Well, it's flat range might only be from 150 to 10k Hz, so those are your crossover points. Yes, it can handle outside that range, given the rating, but there'll be some level of "distortion" of the sound compared to another speaker that is made for that range. Good luck in your endeavors.
Posts: 12,687