Wrong, that is peak power output which realistically will never be seen. You need to look at the decks RMS.

 

Yeah, most decks RMS power will be like 7-15 watts.

 

I did this same setup

HIGHLY recommend

With any newer Alpine, the little amp (45x4 that fits behind the head unit) is money WELL spent.

Even with the stock speakers it souds great.

I cant believe the lowend freq response of the factory speakers..

 

I have been ghosting this thread... my next upgrade will be a new head unit. I like the http://www.crutchfield.com/s_500IDA3...S.html?tp=5684

Is the little amp you are talking about sold with the unit|?
A co worker said she will give me two 12's mounted w/amp for 150 bucks... some off brand i think JP audio? I know it wont be amazing but i was thinking mine as well as 150 is nothing... should i wiat to have the alpine installed until i get that set up from her as well?

I will have the alpineinstalled at best buy, as i know nothing about electronics in vehicles

 

you will get more power and more control from a new deck.

 

He is correct. Most current aftermarket radios put out about 22 RMS continuous power and 40 to 50 peak power.

 

Most decks will be lucky to push ~7-10wpc continuously and ~22wpc peak (as if that even matters), given a reasonable amount of distortion.

 

I have the MR model and it has the stock gauges on top of the stock radio. Can I still get a DVD or Navi stereo?

 

It would definitely be worth it to upgrade the factory HU. The added features and controls will be nice.

 

So does anyone know the specs of the factory amp? All this talk about bypassing it, yet I find it hard to believe that it is truly that underpowered.

 

Bumping my last question. I am still curious as to what the factory amp is rated at...

 

It's not underpowered for the stock speakers. If one is looking for something that just makes a sound, the stock speakers can be driven by the output of a line stage with no amplifier at all. Other factors come into play. The stock amp includes crossovers for the speakers and the woofer, and most likely a limiting/compression mechanism. There's also the audio quality of the amplifier to consider. This being said, I'd like to know the specs for the stock amp, too.

 

Felix,

I was hoping you would come in here and shed some light on this topic. We chatted a couple of months ago in regards to my current setup and you were extremely knowledgeable and helpful. If and when I decide to improve upon my setup I plan to seal and deadenate(sp?) the doors.

Between your recommendations a couple of months ago, along with your recent stereo setup, it appears that the sensitivity of the stock speakers is something that shouldn't be forgotten.

The reason I was curious on the specs of the factory amp is because people were stating that it should be bypassed completely which I found interesting. Personally I find it extremely difficult to compare audio specs as they can be manipulated so easily. Not to mention power has no correlation to quality.

When it comes down to it, I find it hard to believe that the built in amp from the headunit is better than the factory amp, thus bypassing it sounds silly IMO. Unfortunately I am not nearly educated enough on this topic hence where you come into play

 

I've come to believe that sensitivity is crucial in our application. Even when pumping megapower into a pair of Polk SRs, their overall sonic perspective wasn't as lively, vivid, and ultimately fun to listen to. Then there's the issue of distortion. We all have certain sonic determinates that drive our respective preference structures. For me, distortion is right up there. I don't mean the kind of distortion that's easily identified as distorted sound, like the kid in a broken-down Sentra playing Young Jeezy and all you can hear are the speakers breaking up. The distortion I'm talking about is more subtle.

You know how you listen to music at a good clip and after a short while your ears start to hurt? It's distortion. Similarly, listening to music and turning down after a little while, as it makes you feel uneasy? That's also driven by distortion. Having speakers that can play pretty loud with little power goes a long way toward reliving such a situation.

Yea, spec sheets are useless. There's only one sure way to choose audio gear; one just has to listen to it. J. Gordon Holt left his position as the Technical Editor of High Fidelity (defunct since ~1990) and started Stereophile magazine, because test data did nothing to show how a component sounded. FWIW, Automobile Magazine was started by David E. Davis for the same reason.

I understand your logic completely. There's no reason why the amp in a HU - essentially consisting of opamps and a PSU - should sound better than a dedicated amplifier. All things being equal, it shouldn't. Next time I'm at STM, I'm going to ask Shawna for a ride so I can play with the SSL system. It would be unusual for a factory amp not to include some kind of limiting, if only for the warranty claims.

 

wrong place to post this lol