proman

I'm thinking to go with the infinity references for the rear in my sedan. I'm also deciding to go with a set of components for the front so i will need to get an amp. Should i get a 4 channel amp to power both front and rear or get a 2 channel amp just for the components and run the rears off the headunit? I got an alpine by the way. The headunit made a big difference. Will the references sound good if they were amplified?

blahblahblah

If you need to get an amp I think I would get a 4 channel amp. I think if you run one set off the HU and one off the amp, one set of speakers will be getting more power. Maybe you can offset that with the HU or amp?? I am not sure though I am pretty new to the car audio scene. I believe the main thing with the references vs. the kappas is that the kappas need an amp to sound good. The references don't but i think they will sound just as good or better with an amp.

I am at UB right now

proman

Yeah me too. I go to UB and live at sutton place. I'm thinking it's best to go with a 4 channel amp also. I don't plan on running a sub. I guess I'm i'm going to get an amp i might as well go for the kappas since from what i understand they sound good as long as they have power. So are you saying sound domain price matches etronics?

blahblahblah

Yeah, sounddomain will match a competirors price and beat it by 5%. I did some searching and found that etronics had some real low prices. Plus etronics is not an authorized infinity or pioneer internet retailer according to sounddomain. So yeah sounddomain matched etronics prices and beat em by 5%.

onehawaiian

proman- if ur going w/the ref's, u really don't need an amp. but if you do go with one, i'd suggest just a two channel for the fronts (keeping the power even back/front is not important) wait...what are u running up front?

well in any case if your gonna use all 4 aftermarket spkrs, go 4ch. if u plan on using kappas, go 4ch.

proman

I am definitely going with components in the front which will require an amp. Probably inifinity kappas. I don't plan on getting a sub so i was planning on getting better speakers in the rear. Of course going with a 2 channel amp is cheaper. Still think i should get a 2 channel?

onehawaiian

hmmm, the ol' argument of whether or not you need rear fill... i like the way i have mine setup, so i'm a bit biased toward a 4ch amp. if $$$ is an issue, then go w/the 2ch and get really good 6.5 components.

ru sure you're not gonna get a sub? it'll give you a more complete sound... keep in mind that if u get the kappas, the tweeters are a bit harsh so u will get some highs but with no real bass to even it out. just pointing out a few things is all. car audio is not a cheap hobby and is very addictive, so u may wanna plan this out and do it right the first time instead of getting something "good enough for now".

go 4ch. you don't have to use all 4 but it's there should you need it. my $0.02

hihoslva

Wow - this post is really confirming everything I'm soon to install:

Infinity Perfect 10.1 sub, and Reference 605cs components up front, amped from a RockFos 360.2 and 300s respectively.

I'm giddy with anticipation.....

proman

I'm not SURE i won't get a sub. I want one but i don't want to take up any trunk room. am not looking for one now though. Knowing me I'd probably get one later down the road. I guess I'll just get the components , a 4 channel amp and the references in the rear. I'm sure the references will sound even better when amplified. THanks for all your help.

jcilforever

hihoslva
Before you install the Infinity seperates in the front try them in the back, that is what I did and swiveled the tweeter towards the front. It gives the effect of being surrounded, like a movie theater.

hihoslva

Y'know - you're the second person I know who has installed the Infinitys that way.

However, being that I'm concentrating on the front stage (and that's all that will be amped), I think I'll put them up front. Actually, I already ordered new mirror plates (I have a crappy tweet set in that triangle behind the mirrors now - I'm taking them out) and I plan to make some angled adapter plates for the Infinity 6.5"s in the stock location, and mount the tweeters down low, angled up - I hope to achieve a pseudo-kickpanel setup like that.

Appreciate the ideas, though.

jcilforever

One more, you might want to balance them out and get a second pair for the rear. 2cents

sunbyrne

I have similar kinds of constraints--I absolutely will not put anything in the trunk; defeats the whole purpose of having a hatch. I also like both the appearance and the ergonomics of the stock HU--what's with modern aftermarket units with all the tiny buttons, and remote controls? Why on earth would anyone want a remote for something that's in easy reach? Ugh.

Anyway, my plan was to get either Infinity Reference or BA replacement speakers (I need to get to a BA dealer so I can listen to them) and a relatively modest 4-channel amp with speaker-level inputs. Hopefully I can find one that will fit under one of the front seats so it won't take up any usable space. Any recommendations?

onehawaiian

sunbyrne, how much u wanna spend?

sunbyrne

For which piece? I figure a couple hundred, maybe $250, for the speakers and about the same for the amp, then another bill for the install. So in the $200 range for the amp--nothing too fancy.

I know, that's not a lot, but I don't get spending a big pile of money on car audio because there's so much ambient noise and the car really isn't a good listening enclosure anyway. But the stock speakers really do suck...

Also, I just heard that in new P5's once they get the mid-year updates (tiptronic auto tranny, leather as an option), Mazda is going with component speakers up front, mounting the tweeters up by the side view mirrors. Grr, I'd sure like to have that from the factory...