Dumb Down Audio for me

Hey all,

I'm fixing to do an audio set up, all I have is the head unit right now (AVIC).

If I plan on doing components in the front, and a single sub in the rear, is my best option getting two amps? I'd like to get decent sounding stuff, but not ear blowing! It's all going in a access cab, so space is an issue, and I'm trying to stay as factory looking as possible, nothing really showing.

And whats the deal with the channels in the amp? How many do I need for the components, and how many for the sub?

This probably sounds stupid, but I figured you guys were the best ones to answer a question like this to help out an audio newb. Thanks!

 

You can run the front components off your head unit if you wanted to and be just fine. As for the sub in the rear, you'll need a amp. A lot of people hide it under the seat.
Channels in an amp are how many speakers you can connect to it. When picking one for the sub, don't go over 2 channels. That way you can wire it down to 1 channel to work for your sub. A class D amp is specifically made for subs which typically provide a lot of power.
Figure out how much power you want from a sub and then find the amp.

 

What is your plans for the rear speakers? Are you more for front sound staging? If so, you can get a 4 channel amp and bridge two for the sub and wire the other two to the front components.

 

I would stick to just one amp for your sub, and run the speakers off your headunit (your head unit shuold amplify 50x4), single sub i would just run a 2-channel amp.
I have a 4-channel amp rigged up to my single 10" sub, but a two channel keeps things cleaner, easier to tune.

 

It's really going to depend on the components you pick and their power requirements. 50x4 from the HU is not RMS. So you likely really have 18-22 watts RMS for the speakers. This will be pretty week for components.

I'd look for small footprint 4 channel amp. Run channels 1-2 to your front components. Bridge channels 3-4 to run a sub (likely 4 ohm). Run the rear speakers (if used) off the HU.

That would be an efficient way to go.

my $.02

 

Oops. Just saw that someone already suggested that. So, I guess I second it.