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Car stereo setup possibility

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hoya
Posts: 130 - Karma: 15
Recently there have been some threads revolving around car stereo head units, etc. Here is my idea: do away with the head unit altogether. Buy a nice aftermarket amp, speakers, sub, etc and run your ipod straight to it.
Granted you would lose radio capabilities, but i hate listening to the radio anyways.
Also you could gain some dash storage/organizational space.

Watcha think?
Oct 28 2009 12:58AM
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Ski4frnt4445
Posts: 420 - Karma: 132
could work. but there would be alot of conversions so the ipod runs direct to the amp and there would have to be a power converter to the ipod. but could work and would be pretty legit
Oct 28 2009 1:01AM
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SethLangbauer
Posts: 1119 - Karma: 74
i like it but i also like being able to use the radio on occasion, and what will charge your ipod?
Oct 28 2009 1:01AM
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hoya
Posts: 130 - Karma: 15
I think you could run it straight in to the amp (line in) but im not 100% sure..

Does your head unit charge your ipod?
Oct 28 2009 1:04AM
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Ski4frnt4445
Posts: 420 - Karma: 132
yeah im not sure on that one eather. yeah it does. but you could just get a charger that runs off the cigaret lighter
Oct 28 2009 1:10AM
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user098123
Posts: 6072 - Karma: 18
You really couldn't...you need preouts for your speakers, left and right side, and then a preout for your sub.  So that is three pre-outs.  You would need some sort of converter box (aka head unit) and then you wouldn't really have any way of controlling the outputs.  You would be able to control the gains on the amps for the amount of wattage each speaker/sub gets but you wouldn't be able to do anything with an equalizer other than what is on the ipod which sucks and isn't really very good.

Best way is to get a head unit with the necessary preouts and one that has a line-in Aux input, like on a lot of the kenwoods and others.  Then you just control your ipod.
Oct 28 2009 1:18AM
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crazy_karl
Posts: 774 - Karma: 5,042
you need a head unit if you want to get good sounds out of the subs/speakers. Head unit allows you to control sound mixes, and is just a good communication device for running the speakers.. pretty much the most important part of running a good system in my opinion.
Oct 28 2009 1:24AM
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user098123
Posts: 6072 - Karma: 18
Ya I would go in this order of purchasing:

1) Head Unit
2) Amps
3) Speakers

Pointless to get good speakers without an amp to accompany them.  If you can't buy the amp and the speakers at the same time, get the amps, they cost more, and then get the speakers after and install it all at once.
Oct 28 2009 1:26AM
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hoya
Posts: 130 - Karma: 15
I disagree.

As far as left and right channels go both are included in a standard 1/8th inch-to-RCA cable. Thats why its got two wires. And as far as subs go one could simply employ a crossover, some amps (shitty ones no less) even have them built in.

word on equalization though.
Oct 28 2009 1:37AM
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crazy_karl
Posts: 774 - Karma: 5,042
word, word, word. if your gonna do it, do it right
Oct 28 2009 1:43AM
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user098123
Posts: 6072 - Karma: 18
Link me a crossover that can do more than mids and highs.

Ya you could get a to-RCA converter but then you still need an RCA for the sub.  You could find some sort of crossover maybe, but that won't have an RCA out, it will only have speaker cable out.  You might be able to do it with an equalizer, but that is expensive and tedious.

The only "crossover" I can think of that will work how you want is...a head unit.  That is exactly what they are designed for.  Why are you so against one?  You can get one where you can still manually control your iPod you know.
Oct 28 2009 9:56AM
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factory81
Posts: 3967 - Karma: 63
your ipod would need a line driver. your ipod also lacks a non-fading output for subwoofers. and you are going to have to figure how to wire your ipod up to factory speakers (or aftermarket speakers). I guess basically you need that ipod to go to a device with some RCA out's that have a line driver on them for your sub amp.

Then you need to figure out how to get that audio signal from the ipod....in to your factory stereo wiring for coax speakers.


Long story short, buy a deck with auxilary input.....
Oct 28 2009 1:26PM
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user098123
Posts: 6072 - Karma: 18
Haha only a little presumptuous.
Oct 28 2009 1:37PM
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hoya
Posts: 130 - Karma: 15
alright you guys win... i will buy a head unit
Oct 29 2009 2:15AM
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crazy_karl
Posts: 774 - Karma: 5,042
most head nits have a built n amp powerful enough to run your speakers, and then you can just get an aftermarket 2 channel amp for the subs
Oct 29 2009 3:07PM
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lorida
Posts: 2833 - Karma: 46

If you had to choose,

wouldn't you do

1) H/U

2) Speakers

3) amp

I'd rather have speakers that could handle what the headunit can put out, then get amps when possible?

I always do everything at once, but hypothetically speaking...

Oct 29 2009 3:27PM
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user098123
Posts: 6072 - Karma: 18
No not really, unless your regular speakers are terrrrrrible.  However on newish cars, the stock speakers will sound just as good as aftermarket speakers that aren't amped.  Any speaker can handle what the headunit puts out.  Headunits don't put out hardly anything for wattage and it is a common misconception that they have any sort of amp in them at all.  18W RMS is nothing really.
Oct 29 2009 4:59PM
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crazy_karl
Posts: 774 - Karma: 5,042
yeah, stock speakers or aftermarket speakers will sound alright running off the H/U (unless you're tryin to run like 6+ speakers) but this is the way i'd go about it especially if $$$$$ is an issue.
Oct 29 2009 6:49PM
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