VZ Ute upgrade

[2005vzute]

g'day fellas, this has probably been covered already..im wanting to upgrade my stereo...i pretty much just want to put in a shallow mount sub behind my passenger seat and replace my door speakers for something a bit better

SLIM251S4 - 10" Single Slim Bass Reflex Subwoofer Box :: Pioneer Australia
16cm 4-Way Speaker with 280W Max power handling - TS-A1683S :: Pioneer Australia

my problem is, i don't know much about speakers and power handling...i want to keep my stock headunit...i want an amp powerful enough to power the sub plus the 2 door speakers

it's kinda hard to get to the point here..

the 2 above links are the speakers and sub i want to use...i have no idea what amp to use..i wanna get the cheapest amp possible that will power these speakers + sub using the stock headunit aswell. also, how would i install it...like i said, i have no idea how to do this..i have no idea what would plug into what and so on...can i just replace the door speakers with the ones above, and wire up an amp to power the sub?

i've read that the amp output shouldn't exceed the maximum RMS for what is being powered to avoid blowing the speakers or sub...but then again..how do you know if it has enough power to power the sub and speakers

electricity is so confusing to me...if someone could explain how i could install those speakers, with that sub, with the original headunit and if you could find me an amp to go with it or tell me what amp to look for, i would greatly appreciate it

sorry if this has already been covered

thanks guys

[HCVP]

Ok, i'll give you a few tips here.

With your speakers, coaxials (like the one's you have in mind in the link) are a bad idea for door mounts. The low mounting point is not ideal for producing mid and high frequencies. Your better off with what are called component speakers. This is where the mid woofer, is seperate from the tweeter. The coaxials you have linked, you will notice that the tweeter is mounted in the centre of the midbass driver.

High freqeuncies up high, low frequencies down low, think of it that way if it's simpler.

Power- you can run any speaker, sub ect, off any amount of power. However, to get the most performance out of them, they will require a certain amount of power. How much power will depend on the speakers themselves, their power handling, or rated input power, their efficiency, and ofcourse their intended use.

At the end of the day, you can never have too much power. Any extra power, is simply known as "headroom" and basically means that your chosen amplifier will run more efficiently, if it has power in reserve above that the speakers require.

E.g, you have a 1 watt speaker, and a 1 wattt amp. You have effectively matched the rated input power. However to deliver the full 1 watt the speaker is capable of handling, the amplifier will be running at full capacity.

Now match the same speaker to an amp that produces 1.5 watts. You now the the power to drive the speaker to it's full handling capabilites, whilst only running the amplifier at %75 of it's capacity. An amplifier that runs more efficiently will also produce a cleaner sound signal.


For an amplifier, ideally on a budget you would want a 4 channel amplifier. Think of each channel as an output for each speaker. 2 channels can drive the front speakers, and the remaining 2 channels can be "bridged" to form one channel to drive the sub.

If you list a budget, we can go a bit further in making reccomendations to you. Also list as much additional info, such as music choice, your location, and whether you have any installation expereince. If you don't you will need to factor that into your budget.

[2005vzute]

HCVP, ur a legend for even bothering to reply to this..i understand abit about electricity and speakers but not heaps...ok well the deal is..i was a first year apprentice working for holden, i got the sack but am still entitled to my first 800 dollar tool allowence...seeing as though i have no job, i figured i could use this tool allowence for a stereo upgrade...however, with no job, i doubt my parents would allow me to spend the whole 800 bux...im lookin to keep the budget under 500-600 bux...im happy to put in whatever front door speakers suitable without modifying the doors at all, im close to getting my p's so i want to put a sub in (you know how it goes, p platers pump their subs in maccas carpark etc)..the only reason i chose the pioneer sub is because it was of decent size, and comes already enclosed and looks perfect to fit in my ute...i listen to abit of aussie hip hop (bliss n esso, hilltop hoods)..country on the rare occasion and some rock (foo fighters, jet, spiderbait etc), it will mostly be hip hop and rock though...

with the amp and speaker part, you wre talking about having an amp running at 75%...just with that scenario, and based on what i have read(not saying it's true or false because i have no idea), but i've read that if ur amp can put out more power then ur speakers maximum (eg 250watt sub and 300 watt amp) then when you go to turn the system up full ball, the amp will provide too much power to the speaker and pretty much blow it...is this false, or are amps different nowadays or something...i suppose what im saying is..with the volume up loud, would the amp continue to run at 75% or would it apply the extra 25% of power and blow the speaker?

as for speaker choice..i would use pioneer, clarion, fusion or alpine, but i don't want to have to muck around wiht building a custom box for the sub, hence why i chose the pioneer...no in that particular order either btw...oh, and i haven't had any installation experience...as i said, i know/understand parts, but not all...i'll gladly return a favour if i can for any help..thanks mate

[HCVP]

Well, when you hear auddible distortion through your speakers, you know that it's time to turn them down a notch. To blow a speaker , either it's surround, or burning out it's voice coil, you would be driving the speakers way beyond distortion. You also need to adjust your gain levels correctly, as with any amplifier.Amps aren't any different today, who ever gave the infomation has a lot to learn Only silly people destroy speakers from overdriving.

Pretty tight budget you've got there. if you happy with spending $155 on speakers, you might want to consider these. 6.5'' Splits

I'm the owner/seller of these. If you have any interest, i'm sure some fellow member will express their opinion on them for the money they are going for. But basically they will blow the Pioneer's your looking at clean out of the water.

Amplifier - At the moment the best bang for your buck amps in my opinion would the the new range from Ground Zero. As luck has it, our Forum sposnor for car audio stock them on their website. Shopping Secure - Car Audio Specialists - Ground Zero Iridium GZIA 4110HPX Joe the owner, is a great guy to deal with, and if you shoot him a message http://forums.justcommodores.com.au/...ellissimo.html i'm sure he would be happy to help out with component choice and advice. At that price, everyone on a budget should have one of them allready on their list.

That covers you for front speakers and an amp for about as cheap as your going to get it, unless you look into buying a used amp also. Basically spending any less isn't worth while. Whilst stock speakers arent the best, there comes a point where you have to spend a certain amount more to achieve a noticible and worthwhile improvement, otherwise you'll be sitting there listening away and wondering where your money just went to. That's not me trying to sell you something, that's just being honest with you.

You will need to factor in money for a wiring kit also , approx $50-70 depepnding on where you buy. Incase you unclear, a wiring kit provides you with everything needed to connect an amplifier.

That brings your total to $425. You can see how quickly things begin to add up.

Trying to include a sub aswell for that price is a hard thing to do. My only suggestion would be to buy the sub driver on it's own, and build you own enclosure. The factory one's are rubbish anyway. If you picked up the driver seperate for about $150ish, then provided you have some DIY skills, and the nessacary tools, or know someone who does, you could build yourself an enclosure possibly with what's remaining from your $600 budget.

You also have the advantage then of making the enlcosure a better fit for the location behind the seat.

That's just my 2 cents worth, other's may have some suggestions for you. By no means is my post a guide line to follow, it's simply my opinion and one of many suggestions your likely to get.
Your only other option really would be to ditch either and just run eith er aftermarket speakers, no sub, or stock speakers with a sub..

[2005vzute]

wow, so many options haha..well im gunna go see a car audio specialist (extreme car audio) as they are close and know what they're talking about...they also do custom boxes and you can sorta bargain with them..i had a mate that got a kenwood head unit, fusion powerplant 12 inch and amp put into his car for 550ish which is pretty reasonable..however, i have been notified that i have a final job interview for a bus mechanic paying out big bucks, 15 out of 36 people will get the job...i've been through the steps of getting this job..started with 154 applicants...with tests and so on it's down to 36..1 more interview and hopefully i'll be earning some biggggg dollars..anywho, before i start rushing into things, i might see how i go with this job..if i get it, i'll hit you up and we'll start talking some real figures..thanks heaps for your help but dude..i really appreciate it