amp/speaker question

**pnyboy27** · 12-13-2007, 06:57 PM

okay, i have a 92 lexus sc300. on my car, i have the stock stereo system in there. when i put my computer in, i will be removing the headunit, stock cd changer, and stock amp. i have a kenwood amp that i have already hooked up to my system for my sub. also, i didnt hook this up, the previous owner did, so i have pretty much no knowledge on how an audio system really works. now, i have a couple of questions.

-when i tried to test how i would make the sound system work, i purchased a spare speaker for like $8, along with some speaker wire. so i hooked up my speaker to my amp, then plugged my ipod to the amp via an rca cable, and leaving my sub connected as well, and all i got was bass coming out both speaker and sub. now the sub, i understand produces bass, but how about the speaker? why is that playing only bass and no music? i have a kenwood kac-7252. and its a 2 channel amp.

-my other question is, since i have a stock amp, and the stock speakers are connected to that, can i just splice the wires from the stock amp to my kenwood amp, that way i wouldnt have to take apart my whole car to remove the old wires/cables, and rewire them to the new amp?

thank you in advance for any help!

**pokki** · 12-13-2007, 07:51 PM

but how about the speaker? why is that playing only bass and no music?

Because the crossovers have been set so the amp only amplifies the bass signals.

can i just splice the wires from the stock amp to my kenwood amp,

By this you mean the stock speaker wires to the kenwood amp - correct? If so it should work... but I doubt your stock amp is only 2 channel. So you may have to drop the rear channels or look at parallel wiring speakers.

**Mylt1** · 12-13-2007, 10:52 PM

the factory system is pretty much useless without the factory deck. also the factory amp does not have RCA inputs like an after market deck does. so you have no way to send a signal to it. you need a 4 channel amp to run the speakers in the car, i would also change out the factory speakers for something a little more high end. match the RMS rating of the speakers with the RMS of the amp. if you use just the headphone out connection of your computer you will lose either fader or balance control because your taking a L and R signal instead of a RF LF RR LR. also get an amp with pass through RCA's so you can still use the sub.

**pnyboy27** · 12-14-2007, 01:23 AM

Originally Posted by pokki

Because the crossovers have been set so the amp only amplifies the bass signals.

how do i get it to play actual music?

Originally Posted by Mylt1

match the RMS rating of the speakers with the RMS of the amp. if you use just the headphone out connection of your computer you will lose either fader or balance control because your taking a L and R signal instead of a RF LF RR LR. also get an amp with pass through RCA's so you can still use the sub.

what exactly is RMS? im sorry. im a newbie when it comes to car audio. also, as for now, i dont really mind the whole fading issue. maybe later on down the road if i get real picky. and what do you mean by get an amp with pass through rca's? what are pass through rca's?

ill post pix of my amp as it is right now with all the connects on it tomorrow

**Mylt1** · 12-14-2007, 02:23 PM

RMS Power

The amount of continuous power, measured in watts, that an amplifier produces is called RMS power. The higher the RMS figure, the louder and cleaner your music sounds.

amps use RCA connectors(as well as speaker level inputs) to get there signal form the source. some decks only have 1 or 2 sets of RCA's, well if you want to run a 4 ch amp for your door speakers and a mono amp for your sub you really need 3 sets or RCA's. you can get by this if your 4 ch amp has whats called pass through RCA's. they alloy you to run another set of RCA's from that amp to your other amp. you can use a splitter RCA Y but you lose some of your functions.

**pokki** · 12-14-2007, 02:33 PM

how do i get it to play actual music?

turn the crossover off.

**pnyboy27** · 12-14-2007, 03:14 PM

what do you think about getting a 5 channel amp? that way all i need is one amp, then i could run the fronts, rears, and sub all on one, rather than multiple amps.