Amp selection help

I’m looking for help selecting an amp.

I’m putting in kicker cs component 6x9 in the front, 6.75 in the rear.

Looking at going with either the Kicker key 200.4 amp, or Rockford TM400x4AD with AudioControl LC2i.

I don’t need fader control once it’s set, so the 2 Channel LC2i should be fine.

Will it be worth it going with 100wRms over the 50wRms?

Is my thinking right with the LC2i and Rockford?

thanks for any input

 

50/50.

the key is nice because it had a built-in DSP that can adjust and make the speakers sound little better. you simply can't get any amplified setup, with a dsp, for a better price. i've tried...

the rf is nice because it has more power, it doesn't need a line level converter though. both the key and the rf can accept the speaker level inputs directly. biggest disadvantage is the lack of dsp to adjust for the factory eq programming.

the only reason to really run the lc2i in this case is for the bass processing, which really doesn't benefit you much without a subwoofer.


but, considering you're nearly at $500 for the thought of the rf with the lc2i, that puts you within range of another option.

https://www.crutchfield.com/S-J2g5WsEXeEe/p_161D4800/AudioControl-D-4-800.html

that would get you 125w/channel, as well as accubass processing, and the dsp control similar to what the key offers.

 

I probably should have added I already have the 500.1 key with compVX 10” I’m planning installing. So with that, for the main 4 Channels, I would not need the LC2i for bass restore. Only thing I would be missing with the RF over the Key is the DSP.
If I were to go with the RF and just use the front speakers as the input for the 4 channels, how noticeable would not having a DSP be in that case? I guess I thought the LC series did something else besides giving me RCA and restoring bass.

 

About a month ago I put in the same speakers....the Kicker KS 6x9 components with the 2" "tweeters" and the KS 6.5s in the rear. I chose this Kenwood 5 channel because of the price/reviews/footprint/line-level in/bass knob for the sub (10" Kicker). The system sounds excellent.....

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_113X8025/Kenwood-Excelon-X802-5.html

 

I have a kicker q 500.4. it's been discontinued but the DSP part is worth it's weight in gold. Using a $15 calibrated mic, I was able to tune the output from the stock non JBL head unit and actually make it sound good.

Supposedly the kicker key automate this process. Whatever you get, please look for one with a good EQ.

 

How was the sound before you calibrated with the DSP? Just trying to figure out if the extra 50w per Channel is worth not having a DSP, or worth spending more. Big price jump between the Kicker or higher power amp with DSP.

 

I'm running the Key 500.1, JL Stealthbox, Key 200.4, Focal RSE-165 fronts, Focal RCX-165 rears and the factory 2017 head unit.

The lows, mids and highs all have their place with dsp. If you're keeping your factory radio don't waste a bunch of money on high end amps especially with those kicker speakers you've chosen. The factory head unit will choke the whole system, but the key does a really good job of cleaning it all up. I noticed the dsp more listening to music over time rather than playing with the on/off switch.

75w-100w rms would be nice, but you're not going to get the benefits without gutting the whole system, replacing the head unit, wiring, ect. I didn't want to spend 4-5k on car audio.

What is missing with this setup? Well, I still want CarPlay and some 6x9 components in the front would suit my music taste a little better than the 6.5 RSE-165's.
I don't spend enough time in the truck to spend more on the system.

 

Also, sound deaden the inner door skins and back cab wall. I used second skin damplifier pro.

 

So I think I am sold on the key 200.4 now.
Was going to go with the kicker cs 6x9 components in the front, is this a fair option with this amp or should I look at something else on this price point?
Question about the line inputs, since the rear output from the stock non JBL sucks, do I take it unit the amp or just use the front inputs only?

 

Part of the bad stock quality is due to the front speakers size. Having such a a large mid range in the door and a tiny 1" tweeter in dash lacks some area between them. JBL and infinity make a 3 way component system with a 2" tweeter that fits perfectly in the dash. The 1" tweeter can be mounted in the small plastic piece that covers the bolts for the side mirrors. The entire install is very easy.

As for the amp. You know how people trash talk to stock head unit? The amp made it louder but it still sounded bad. After the adjustment, it sounds fantastic!

 

Here's a good thread for the upgrades you're thinking of...
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/premium-audio-upgrade-for-less-than-250.510424/page-247

Harness options...
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/sub-amp-install-help.821678/

Not sure I understand your last question. BI-AMP or tapping the front speaker wires for sub output? BI-AMP is optional, yes to tapping the front speaker wires for sub output.

Speaker selection is up to you. Key only pumps out 50-55w rms, so options are limited.

Kicker ks speakers and ds18 tweeters are an option...
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...r-less-than-250.510424/page-247#post-29531831

 

thanks for all the info, a lot I had already seen.

What I was talking about is using just the front speaker outputs from the radio into the kicker to run both the front and rear speakers, since the rear output from the factory radio sucks. Looking at the kicker manual, I think I can by setting the fader switch to off. I do have the key 500.1 for the sub, so no BI-AMP usage.

I think I’ll probably go with the DS-18 and the 6x9 Kicker KS for front and KS 6.75 for rear. For the crossover for the front, I saw a recommendation once for this one, thoughts?

300 Watts 2 Way Crossover - (2 Pack) Passive Car Audio Speaker Tweeter Mids and Highs CRX-203

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N9866QM?starsLeft=1

 

I ran dedicated wires to each channel as described here and let the key do its thing afterwards to tune it.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/tpp4s-no-nonsense-guide-to-kicker-key-t-harness-16-19.642415/

Newer tacoma's are slightly different with harnesses. I wouldn't bother with the crossover.

 

Thanks for the link on the key setup, good reading.
I already bought the harness for the 2020+

I saw in that other thread you had issues with the key and looked like it was not working out for you, but then later it sounded like it worked out.
What was your issue, bad amp?

 

you shouldn't need the crossover like that because the ds-18's include their own crossover.

 

I honestly don't recall it's been a couple years. Might have been having to run the auto setup a few times for the key to complete its setup.

 

Oh, I remember now. Ignore that audio build thread.

CDT's were too low of impedance for the key and required more watts than the key could feed them. Amp got too hot. Swapped them for the Focal rse-165/rcx-165. Much better match.

 

@Tacos4all!, where did you purchase the harness from?

 

It’s the Red Wolf harness that’s mentioned all over here. I have not tried it yet, but should be able to cut this in half and use one side to input to the amp and the other to get the amplified signal to the speakers.

 

this is good to know, thanks for clarifying on that.

I think I am all good now, starting to second guess the speaker choice now, still going to stick with the DS18. It the rest not 100% sure.
I’ll do some more research.

thanks for all your help.