AkumaNoZeta Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 I want to get the Classic Autosound USA 4-DIN radio and it's a 4X40 Watt receiver. I'm not looking for big sound, just something decent so I'm wondering if it's safe to splice the wires to kind of make it into a 2X80 and just have two 75RMS 2-way speakers in the kickers or something. Opinions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daemione Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 You'll have to check the specs of the receiver and/or check with the manufacturer, see if it can be run bridged safely . . . but I doubt it. Inexpensive 2-channel amps can be found that are really small - small enough to tuck just about anywhere. Takes a little more work wiring, but ultimately worth it. Me, I'd just as soon use some more cheaper more efficient speakers. A Z just isn't a good enough sound quality platform for me to spend money on in that department. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AkumaNoZeta Posted January 10, 2011 Author Share Posted January 10, 2011 I just want a little something for taking some of the tedium out of long road trips. I've never been interested in sound systems before but I haven't had a car with a radio in it since 2008 and I'm starting to miss being able to have some music to make time fly-by quicker when I go way out of town. Why is it unsafe? Just curious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daemione Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 (edited) The receiver will probably overheat & fry itself. By bridging the channels, you're effectively halving the resistance in order to double the power - and most in-dash units aren't designed to do that. For having something fun to listen to, finding a speaker that will run good & loud off a single head unit channel isn't hard. Spend more time on solidly mounting those speakers & reducing noise in cabin will be much more worthwhile than more expensive speakers. My general plans for my '79: ditching the entire lower dash piece that houses the stock radio, storage pocket, & 12v outlet. Carpeting over the transmission tunnel, and installing a simple DIN bracket under the dash (something like this). Then I can put whatever head unit I want in - although I've had my eye on an inexpensive retro-styled one like they have at Custom Autosound: edit: Ha haha, I just realized you're looking at the exact same head unit. I must have glossed over that on my first read-through. :laugh: Not sure what I'll do about speakers yet, the stock locations in the dash are HORRIBLE, and the others behind the seats are almost as bad. Even thought it'd all be coming from the rear, buying one of those premade rear hatch panels w/ 6x9 cutouts is temptingly easy. Then I've got the rear fender spare tire for fiberglassing in a 10" sub if I want to down the road. But I'm not installing anything until I make the car more secure. Right now you can unlock the car with a damn butter knife, so I'm keeping the interior as worthless as possible. :laugh: Edited January 10, 2011 by Daemione Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AkumaNoZeta Posted January 10, 2011 Author Share Posted January 10, 2011 (edited) What about component speakers vs. coaxial? Seems like most people like the component ones better. I have no idea for speaker locations yet. I really want to have them under the seat but I have a feeling that if they're there then they would become more annoying than enjoyable. Maybe 4" speakers with tweeters in the area between behind the door and in front of the wheel well? Yep, I like the Classic Autosound unit because it has the classic look and I'll be playing music from my flashdrive most of the time but would like to have the CD player option with that model in case a passenger has a CD with them that they'd like to listen to. I too have other issues to fix first, but I've got my plans set and started for them so I'm starting to think about what I want next. As soon as tax returns get here, I'm combining that with my profit sharing check from work and buying myself a good MIG so I can replace the framerails under the floor and put in new floors. Edited January 10, 2011 by Grim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5thgenluder Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Components will give you a better sound stage and help give you more choices on mounting locations especially for the tweeters. The draw back is that they need more power. I would almost always recommend an amp with component speakers. A good option would be an alpine radio. They offer a power pack. It's an add on amplifier that will make the radio out out 45 watts x 4 (rms). That's about 3 times the output of the radio you originally mentioned. The power pack is about 2.5" wide x about 7" long and can all tuck behind the radio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daemione Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 I'm probably just gonna go with coaxials. Unless you're willing to invest in some custom kickpanels, getting good sound stage in a Z is pretty much a lost cause, in my opinion. :shrug: Those Alpine decks with the mini-amps are a neat solution - I just wish I liked the styling of their head units. Never have, for some reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(goldfish) Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Component speakers typically have better crossovers. As for needing more power, that is only an issue if you turn the receiver up to much, asking for to much power out of the amps. Amps have a designed load they work against. By bridging or running 2 channels to the same speaker will reduce the load seen by the amps, possibly causing them to burn out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AkumaNoZeta Posted January 11, 2011 Author Share Posted January 11, 2011 Does anybody have any ideas? I really prefer the speakers to be completely out of sight, I think I'd be just happy with coaxials, it's not like my hearing is that good anyways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daemione Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 I'm with you on the "out of sight" preference - I'm always much happier with a car that surprises rather than boasts. But I honestly don't know what I'm going to do about speaker placement. The footwell area of these cars have enough flexibility to build some kickpanels if you're handy with fiberglass, but might require moving some things out of the way (ecm, fuse box, etc.). Kickpanels will be pretty well hidden from someone peering in - probably less so from a passenger. And I assume you've got an S30? I've seen pre-built door panel pods for sale, that'd probably be the most oem look you could find. Sound quality may not be as good as a purpose built pod aimed at your ears, but certainly good enough. Hard to say, really. The wiring & dash area on an old Z is pretty damn flexible, so it's really only limited by your own creativity and the amount of time you want to spend on it. I still don't know what I want to do in the speaker department, but I'm probably a year away from deciding. Much bigger fish to fry (rebuilding my entire dash, replacing my seats, carpet, & all interior trim). I'm hoping inspiration will strike somewhere along the line of restoring the interior - I haven't seen any other s130 stereo installs that quite fit the bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AkumaNoZeta Posted January 11, 2011 Author Share Posted January 11, 2011 Yep, I have a early 260Z and I was talking with a friend of mine earlier and he gave me the idea that since I'm putting in new custom frames and floors then I can make a pocket in the floor under the seat to extend the floor to the bottom of the pinch weld for speakers and try to design (and hope it works) a speaker box to fit in the pocket that will direct sound out of the front seat bracket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AkumaNoZeta Posted March 5, 2011 Author Share Posted March 5, 2011 (edited) Well, I just winged it and went with gut pretty much. I ordered the Classic Autosound head unit, a pair of 6.5" Pioneers from Walmart and mounted them in the stock locations. I am very happy with the results, it looks good and sounds good. Quite a bit louder than I need even. Edited March 5, 2011 by Grim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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