Changing Headunit - Confused about Amplification

[babar]

Hi all and a Happy New Year,


I am looking to change the headunit in my 6th Gen Accord (SE Exec 2.0 Auto) once again. It currently has a Sony Xplod 52 Watts x 4 channels output being fed to the OEM Bose speakers.


The plan is to install a custom computer with a touch screen in the dashboard to provide media playback, as well as Sat-Nav funcationality.


Now, the issue I am unable to resolve at the moment is that the computer sound is not powerful enough to feed the speakers. So there are 3 options that I can think of.


Plan A: Use the AUX-IN port in the existing Sony head unit and feed the speakers using that option. The only thing I do not like about this is that the AUX port is on the front of the headunit, which means my install will not look tidy and OEM, which is strongly desirable to me.


Plan B: Get an Car Amplifier and use it to feed the speakers. If I choose this option, I am not sure if I need a 2 channel, 4 channel or multiple channel amplifier, as I do not understand how auto sound works and how many speakers my car has (it came with BOSE cassette player and a sub woofer in the boot).


Plan C: This would be to use the OEM Bose cassette player again (still have it safe in storage). The idea is to use one of those custom interfaces that allow me to hook something into the MULTI-CD-IN option of the Bose cassette player, and use the OEM setup. This option will obviously allow me to use the OEM woofer, but if I am not wrong, the Bose has a less powerful amplifier than other options.


I am really confused on this, and will appreciate some help. Changing the speakers is an option at the moment. Thanks for reading my long post. Cheers!

 

[nick 9-5]

I can help on a few points but not all. Aftermarket headunits like your xplod have high level output for speakers, that's what your 52 X 4 is an obviously the headunit uses it's internal amplifier to feed the speakers. If you were going to install a separate amp then you would use the pre outs on the back of the headunit and hook those into the amp. The pre outs are low level and give the amplifier a low level of sound so that the amplifier can then amplify this to produce the sound. Depending on the type of soundcard you were going to use on the car PC it may give you low level outputs which would be great news.

In terms of what channel amp etc a channel is a speaker. So a 2 channel amp is good for running a pair of front or a pair of rear speakers. A 4 channel amp could run a pair of fronts and a pair of rears or a pair of speakers then the other 2 channels could be bridged into one to run a sub. When you say multi channel that doesn't really mean anything as a 4 channel amp is multi channel.

 

[babar]

I can help on a few points but not all. Aftermarket headunits like your xplod have high level output for speakers, that's what your 52 X 4 is an obviously the headunit uses it's internal amplifier to feed the speakers. If you were going to install a separate amp then you would use the pre outs on the back of the headunit and hook those into the amp. The pre outs are low level and give the amplifier a low level of sound so that the amplifier can then amplify this to produce the sound. Depending on the type of soundcard you were going to use on the car PC it may give you low level outputs which would be great news.

In terms of what channel amp etc a channel is a speaker. So a 2 channel amp is good for running a pair of front or a pair of rear speakers. A 4 channel amp could run a pair of fronts and a pair of rears or a pair of speakers then the other 2 channels could be bridged into one to run a sub. When you say multi channel that doesn't really mean anything as a 4 channel amp is multi channel.

Thanks for your help. So if I understand you correctly, I need a 4 channel amp connected to my computer ?

 

[nick 9-5]

Thanks for your help. So if I understand you correctly, I need a 4 channel amp connected to my computer ?

If you've got 4 speakers then yes. You would run an RCA cable to the amp then speaker wires from the amp to the speakers. To wire an amp in you need to run the + cable directly off the battery + terminal, do not use any of the cars existing wiring to do this, it will melt something. Stick a fuse on that wire as close to the battery as you can. Run a decent earth cable from the amp to a ground point on the car. Then you need a 'remote' wire going to the amp aswell, this has power and tells the amp when to turn on and off. You could use something that comes on with the ignition to do this.

 

[babar]

Cheers for the wiring run-down Nick. I will definitely come back to it, when I get the amplifier sourced.
Could someone kindly confirm if 6th Gen Accord has 4 speakers or more ?

 

[nick 9-5]

When looking at amps go for quality over quantity, avoid anything that defines itself by PMPO - i.e if an amp says it has 600/700/800 watts, avoid it, it's always a bad sign. You should be looking for it's output rating in watts RMS. 4 X 50 or 4 X 75 watts RMS will be sufficient to drive your speakers.