carputer to car speakers

**ph7ryan** · 07-17-2009, 11:42 PM

I have taken on the nobel task of building a carputer, but since I will be using it in place of a radio unit, I will need a way of hooking it to my premium audio system (4 speakers + 2 tweeters) and my sub....logical thing to do would be to buy a pci card with 6 channel audio....Too bad no mini-itx cases are tall enough to fit pci cards properly so my life just turned to hell....

Next best choice is a usb audio solution...http://www.amazon.com/Channel-Extern.../dp/B000XXY5Q4 maybe???? Would this be enough alone to power the speakers as loud as a normal oem radio unit would...if not how loud would it get...

I would like to either use no amp, and just have lines from the computer audio to the speakers, OR I want a CHEAP ($20 or less) preamp output so that I could run it into a small amp...

I basically want to have it loud enough to compare to a normal car radio loudness....

Thanks for any help...

**trader007** · 07-18-2009, 12:57 AM

youre goinjg to need an amp... you made that decision when you eliminated your deck (amp).

**2k1Toaster** · 07-18-2009, 01:24 AM

just use your soundcard and put it through an amp. I bought my amp for $19.99 free shipping and has been going strong since early 2006 with between 2 to 6 hours usage each day (delivery driver).

It doesnt sound great, but it sounds just like my old HU did, and honestly they are going through stock speakers anyways so I dont really care. With winamp at 50%, wave output at about 10% to 15%, and master output around 10% it is loud. I control my master volume only, all the rest of the settings stay the same. Loudest I go before I would kill myself with a headache would be 25% and that was going down the interstate at 80mph+ with all the windows down and the sunroof fully open.

Can't be beat for less than $20...

**ph7ryan** · 07-18-2009, 08:26 AM

ok...I have the onboard 2 channel audio...and you are saying just split the left signal to 2 and the right signal to 2, feed the wires to the amp and have the output of the amp feed the speakers?...is it a problem that it is already an amplified signal going into an amplifier...

Also, when you say it doesn't sound that good, do you mean that it sounds bad, or it doesn't sound like a $200+ system.

**DarquePervert** · 07-18-2009, 08:36 AM

Originally Posted by ph7ryan

ok...I have the onboard 2 channel audio...and you are saying just split the left signal to 2 and the right signal to 2, feed the wires to the amp and have the output of the amp feed the speakers?

Yes.

...is it a problem that it is already an amplified signal going into an amplifier...

Yes.

**ph7ryan** · 07-18-2009, 08:46 AM

soooooo...how do I fix it if you are suggesting me to do just that

**DarquePervert** · 07-18-2009, 08:56 AM

Have you seen the FAQs?
http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/advf...iew&advfaqid=7

**ph7ryan** · 07-18-2009, 12:24 PM

oh...nope never saw the faq's...I read the whole wiki, so I thought that it was the same thing...Thank you for now...

**2k1Toaster** · 07-18-2009, 03:17 PM

Originally Posted by ph7ryan

ok...I have the onboard 2 channel audio...and you are saying just split the left signal to 2 and the right signal to 2, feed the wires to the amp and have the output of the amp feed the speakers?...is it a problem that it is already an amplified signal going into an amplifier...

Also, when you say it doesn't sound that good, do you mean that it sounds bad, or it doesn't sound like a $200+ system.

ok onboard audio, you probably have at a minimum 3 jacks. Most motherboards can convert that to either 2 channel (normal with line out, line in, mic in), 4 channel (converts line in to another output) or 6 channel (5.1 audio no inputs). Also onboard audio is NOT amplified. Nothing coming out of a PC's audio jack is amplified to where it can be heard through speakers without more amplification.

Really I only needed 2 channel since I have a coupe, and I found with having 4 channel, it was too much in the car to have the music whizzing around you. So I put it back to the standard 1 output jack which is 2 channel, converted that to 2 RCA's ran it to the amp, and used 2 y-splitters at the amp. So really I am using it as a 2 channel amp.

And it does not sound bad. I have some people say it sounds great. But it is usually just me in the car, and I love it. I have heard people's sound system that they spent hundreds on, and one that the guy spent over $2000 on speakers and amps alone. They sound the same to me.

And it was blue and shiny so it matched my car. The important things

**ph7ryan** · 07-18-2009, 11:08 PM

Originally Posted by 2k1Toaster

ok onboard audio, you probably have at a minimum 3 jacks. Most motherboards can convert that to either 2 channel (normal with line out, line in, mic in), 4 channel (converts line in to another output) or 6 channel (5.1 audio no inputs). Also onboard audio is NOT amplified. Nothing coming out of a PC's audio jack is amplified to where it can be heard through speakers without more amplification.

Really I only needed 2 channel since I have a coupe, and I found with having 4 channel, it was too much in the car to have the music whizzing around you. So I put it back to the standard 1 output jack which is 2 channel, converted that to 2 RCA's ran it to the amp, and used 2 y-splitters at the amp. So really I am using it as a 2 channel amp.

And it does not sound bad. I have some people say it sounds great. But it is usually just me in the car, and I love it. I have heard people's sound system that they spent hundreds on, and one that the guy spent over $2000 on speakers and amps alone. They sound the same to me.

And it was blue and shiny so it matched my car. The important things

That was awsome...Everything I needed perfectly answered...I would love to know how to convert the minimum 3 jack audio into a no input system with 5.1 channel audio...do you have a page to link me to it please...