amp selection

[khOa`]

hey guyz i just got a pair of 6x9 jvc cs-hx6946 (capable of 480 watts) which are currently running off my jvc kd-g825 headunit, i'm thinking of getting an amp to run the speakers but not to sure what amp to get and how powerful the amp should be, any suggestions would be appreciated. thanx

[micka]

Depends on your budget... Personally, I'd upgrade the fronts aswell (but that's completely your choice).

As for Amp, 4x40wrms would be sufficient for most people's everyday listening (amping fronts and rears). I've had a little experience with the alpine v power amps, and they seem pretty good for the price (build quality, reliability, ease of install etc); MRP-F250 @ RRP$299 (street price would be lower) could be something to look at. Depends on budget and what you want to achieve.

[SPL77Civic]

I wouldn't bother amping them, even though your fronts are stock I'd be amping those 1st, you'd be amazed as to how much better stocko speakers sound when amped.

What are your future plans?? new front speakers, sub/s etc....

As mentioned have u got a budget at all?

[m3ntAL_l2]

dont bother amp'ing speakers... thats is if u gonna get a sub down the track,

[micka]

It's always better to power speakers from a dedicated outboard amplifier, rather than from the head unit. It's even more important if you've got a sub, unless of course you want the bass to overpower everything (could be your thing but it's not exactly accurately reproducing the music).

6x9s will be made somewhat redundant if a sub is installed at a later date. A lot of systems (mine included) consist of 2 way splits at the front, a sub, and a amp for each (no rears, or rears off the HU). If you're on a budget, and don't really care that much about audio "perfection", then I'd definately upgrade the fronts and get a 4 channel amp to power the fronts and 6x9s... but that's just me.

[mugeneration]

Get some new fronts before amping your rears, or at least get a sub and amp that as well. Id recommend getting a 4 channel amp which is within your price range, so you can amp your fronts should you get some later, and use a seperate amp for your sub.

[AmateurJazz]

Careful when considering the 480W rating on your new rear speakers. If I'm not mistaken, they are the maximum power output, which means the speakers will probably be capable of putting out that much power once or twice in its life time. You need to consider RMS ratings when trying to find an amp to match it.

But yeah, should amp your fronts before the back as you want sound coming from the front first.

[khOa`]

i see... well i do intend to get some new fronts, my budget for the fronts are ~100, any recomendations for the fronts and ~400 for the amp, and what amp would be good to run my fronts and rear? or should i get a seperate amp for the fronts and rears? thanx for the replies so far

[Fr3aKi3]

$100 won't get much if anything at all in terms of splits, so you'll probably be looking at coaxials unless you don't mind 2nd hand splits.

Plan your WHOLE system out before buying any gear. It's much better to build it up in stages with quality gear (or even the right gear) than to purchase average products "to use for now" until you can get some more $$$.

Do you really need to amp the rears or will just the fronts do? If so then all you'll need is a 2 channel amp.

Will you be getting a sub anytime soon?
Maybe get a 4 channel amp, run all the speakers from the amp and when you get a sub, power it from the amp and run the rears off the deck.
You might want to splurge out a bit more and get a dedicated amp for the sub (a monoblock) so then you can amp all speakers as well as the sub.
Another alternative might even be a 3 channel amp, that way you can amp up the fronts and have power for a sub.

[EuroDude]

Those cs-hx6946 speakers are only 80watt RMS. I rekon an Audison SRx amp would be great to run them. Check out the SRx3 if you are thinking of getting a sub, or consider the SRx4 to run four speakers. Audison are a bit expensive $~600 but they are good quality italian amps that have excellent spl and sq and dont overheat like a sony, and should last years with no problems

[Vinnie]

audison mught be a bit steep but u can prob find sumthing from the pioneer range thats better suited for ur budget. imo u shood be putting at least half of the 400 u were gonna spend on the amp towards getting sum good front splits first. and ur 6x9's are rated to 480watts but that is the absolute maximum they can handle, only ever look at the rms power rating when determing wat they are capable of consistently and how much power to feed them. also, having an amp worth more than all of ur speakers combined is pointless coz u wont get good sq or spl. good luck building ur system tho

[EuroDude]

Yeah true, although the way I see it is that we always want a louder and/or better sound system, so buying a decent amp that can handle more than the current speakers is a good idea if you want to save money in the long run.

I went through three amps, a Sony, an Altec, and the Audison (about $1400 in total). The Audison itself is only $~600


But if $600 is too much for now, a cheaper pioneer would suffice for the time being.