[Denzil]

Hey everyone, I was hoping some of you might be able to help me with a few car audio questions.

I currently have a Pioneer DEH-P7400MP deck (yes it's very old but it still works great) and I am interested in hooking up some Polk Audio db6501 component system speakers.

Now my questions are:

• Does it really matter what gauge wiring I use from the receiver to the crossovers and from the crossovers to the woofer and tweeter? If so, what would you recommend? I was thinking along the lines of 16 gauge wire if wire really did matter.
• I tested my woofer/tweeter and connected 24 or 22 gauge wire from the receiver to the crossover to hear what kind of sound I would get and the signal seems to be a little dirty. Keep in mind I was playing a CD (not burned). Is under driving the woofers/tweeters causing the dirty signal or is it the wire or combination of both?
• Following up on my previous question, does it seem absolutely necessary to purchase an amplifier to drive the woofers/tweeters more and clean up the signals at the same time? If so, what would you suggest? I'm not completely familiar with amplifiers but I have an idea.

Anyway, I hope someone here on DB can help me out here. My car's interior is partially in pieces right now, LoL.

[Chris]

16 to 18 gauge is fine try to keep it away from any power wiring as that induces noise into the signal.

The Polks want 10-100 watts RMS which is just normal operating power the deck is at best putting out 22 watts RMS so yes an amp is pretty much a necessity.

Amp buying is tricky unless you know the full path you plan on going down in the future. So do you plan on adding more speakers later on are you looking to add a sub would you mind having a multi amp setup? there are a lot of questions and then probable the most important one what is your budget?


Edit I just want to say yes they will physically work on that deck but the performance would benefit greatly from an amp. Didn't want to sound like they just wouldn't work period. /edit

[Cooter]

You would be better off getting a small amp and put it on that component set. It wouldnt take very much and it would sound better for sure. A small amp like a 50wx2 would really open them up and you should get alot more sound out of them. Just my 0.02$

[Denzil]

Yeah, they're all hooked up now with 16 gauge wire and they sound pretty clean but I can tell that they aren't being driven enough. Now I just have to search for a decent multi-channel amp and where I'm going to place it in my car.

[Cooter]

There are several good amp manufacturers out there. I'm a Kicker guy myself. Rockford Fosgate, MTX, Kenwood,Hi-Fonics, and Alpine all make good amps. There's so many to pick from these days.

[Denzil]

Yeah, I think when I did some research back in the day I was looking at Phoenix Gold, RF, or Alpine. I guess I'll have to check out the car audio forums again.

[Cooter]

There are several good car audio forums. I was looking through one when I decided to get my CVX 10's. U can find something about any amp or speaker made!

[brianja]

An amp would definitely make a difference in the system, but if you are happy where you are don't go crazy.

I did a lot of research online on various forums before I did my current sound system build-up. Some of the ones I really found usefully were ICIX sound and DIYMobileAudio.

Good luck. Car audio is fun, but is a money pit... even more than detailing.

[Chris]

Originally Posted by brianja

Good luck. Car audio is fun, but is a money pit... even more than detailing.

Agreed, I've got the receipts to prove it.

[Cooter]

Yep, you will drop alot of $$$ before you know it!