2011 DC Amplifier wiring for after market speakers

Hi everyone, I’m hoping someone can explain this to me.

I upgraded my head unit last year as well as my speakers. Rockford Fosgate components (mid range and tweeters) in the front and 3-way in the rear doors. After about a year I feel they are way underpowered by the head unit I’m using so I want to add an amplifier. What I noticed is that the speaker wire comes from the head unit and directly to the tweeters on either side. Then the mid range in the front doors tap into the tweeter signal. So here’s my question:

Since I have 6 speakers total does this mean I need a 6 channel amp?

Or do I just tap into the FL and FR speaker wires on the harness and wire them to a 4-channel amp (along with the RL and RR speakers). Please help me understand this, I’m so confused.

Punch Series P1675-S Components in the front (installed)
Prime Series

$70 R165X3 Prime 6.5" Full-Range 3-Way Coaxial Speaker (Pair) , black

R165X3 in the rear (installed)
Sony XAV-AX100 head unit (installed)
Prime Series R2-500X4 Amplifier (considering purchasing)

Thanks!

 

4 channel. You would connect front left, front right, rear left, and rear right to the input on your amp.

Your components should have a crossover somewhere. The crossover (for each front) would have one input and two outputs. The input would come from your output on the amp, then one of the outputs of the crossover go to your tweeter and the other one goes to your woofer (they’re labeled and usually have the wire already soldered in place).

Did you install the speakers? If you did you’re probably familiar with what I’m talking about.

 

Yes, I installed the speakers myself, but it did not include separate crossovers. When you read the description it says “crossovers built into woofer baskets.”

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_575P1675S/Rockford-Fosgate-P1675-S.html

 

Weird. Never seen that. But I’m also not super up to date on car audio technology.

I checked out the manual and it actually shows a version with a built in crossover and a version that has a separate crossover. None the less, based on what you’re saying, the image above is how it’s set up (if not let me know). If this is the case then you would still just need a 4 channel amp. 2 channels for your rear speakers and then 2 channels for your front (looks like you would just connect one channel to each woofer in the front and then Rockford magic happens and sends the signal to the tweeter).

 

Lol, Rockford magic. Yes, I think that’s how it’s set up. I remember calling Crutchfield during the installation and the tech was confused about this as well. He said the way the Tacoma was wired made this install a little bit different. Thanks for making more sense out of this for me. Now I know I’ll be good to go with a 4-ch amp. Now I need to think about under seat amp mounts.

 

The only amp i ever had under my Tacoma seat was one of the small kicker key 4 channel amps (literally the size of a brick). Honestly, I just used Velcro. There a hard side and a soft side to Velcro. I put the hard side on the bottom of the amp and the carpet of the truck acted as the soft side. It never budged at all. When I traded the truck in it was exactly where i put it and was 100% secure. I would think a regular size amp would be the same way. Just put a strip around the permitted and then a couple down the middle. Should be good to go.

Some people use amp racks to allow for the air vent under the seat to function. I just slapped some duct tape over it to seal it up. The air will just go elsewhere in the truck. I never really half ass things, but it was a simple solution. It’s not like the air disappeared. It was just diverted to other vents since it couldn’t get out from under the seat.

 

This is actually brilliant! I never thought of using Velcro, but it makes complete sense. They make industrial Velcro as well that I’ll buy for the extra strength. Thanks for the tip! You just saved me a lot of time and $$$

 

Sure thing! I used some that I had in my garage. I think I bought it from Amazon. You really don’t need industrial strength but I suppose it wouldn’t hurt. One sec and I’ll get a link to what I bought

 

Says industrial strength. This A LOT more than you will actually need. Probably like 5 times more at a minimum. But it’s $6. Lol

$7 SOON GO Self Adhesive Hook and Loop Tape Strips 1" x 5 Yards Heavy Duty Industrial Strength Fasteners Indoor Outdoor Use Black

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07VF4PSPV?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

 

You could also use some ABS plastic to make an amp rack to hold the amp which shouldn't be too hard to work with. That will put the amp on a smooth surface to help with cooling as well. If that is the Rockford amp, its 75x4 which should be some good power for your setup. I have a 2010 and I am in the process of piecing together items now to get my stuff swapped out.

 

Yeah, agreed. Having ventilation is always a plus. Just make sure you leave enough room for your seat to freely slide back and forth.

 

Using ABS first is probably a good idea! Then I can have a nice surface to Velcro it all down on the carpet. I’m excited to get the amp, the speakers are wayyy underpowered by my HU. This is the RF I’m getting:

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_575R2500X4/Rockford-Fosgate-R2-500X4.html

 

Nice amp. I also looked at their small T series amps. Supposedly great power in a small chassis. Can’t wait to see what you end up doing. Check out 5 Star Car Audio on you tube. They have some nice Taco builds and he shows some of the underwear amp racks he does for tacos, tundras, and other rides. Great vids

 

Installed the amp today. It is definitely a tight fit. The seat is basically sitting right on top of it. I can move the seat back and forth, but it is definitely not as smooth as before. I’m considering removing the ABS plastic to see if that 1/8” less will make a difference.

 

Do you have enough slack in your wiring to move it back 3-4 inches closer to the edge of the floor mat. Maybe that will give you enough clearance. I cant tell by the photo but it looks like there may be a slight ledge or slant. I havent pulled my seat out or looked under it to see mounting options or challenges.

Another option may be to add the aluminum seat mod spacers. They get you another inch of lift on the back to seat mounts. There are a couple of threads on here where they make and sell them

 

Yeah, there is a weird hump towards the drivers side under the carpet. Then you have the air vent. This is the best possible position. I did a dry fit and seat moves freely now. Now I need to reroute the wires, smh.

 

Nice, let us know what you think of the sounds. Did you treat your doors any when you installed your speakers

 

Yes, when I originally put the speakers in I sound deadened the doors. There is a night and day difference with the addition of this amp. Much louder and clearer. You can really pick up on new parts of the songs you play. Rockford makes it very easy to set the gains with their CLEAN technology. It was set up in less than a minute using a Rockford 1khz - 5db tone provided in the Spotify app. I still have some EQ tweaking to do on my head unit, but feel that is a never ending process.

 

Awesome, thats good to hear. Any plans for a sub?

 

This is the finished product. Not sure about a sub yet. I don’t think I can part with my extra storage compartments behind my rear seats. We’ll see.