Any opinions on this one? I'm gonna do a system (my first) for my
son's Ford Escape, his first car. The other details:

Pioneer HU
Infinity Kappa front doors
Infinity Reference rear doors
Audiobahn 10" tube

I'd like to stay around $750. I also like simplicity and this seems
simple enough. But what do y'all gurus think? Any opinions,
suggestions, or recommendations?

 

Sounds like a decent start. If you are dead set on that amp, I would suggest skipping the rear speakers and bridging the 4 main channels to 2 channels for the Kappas. Rear speakers add nothing in terms of quality to a system. In my mind, the Kappas receiving 70 watts RMS will outperform the 4 speaker set-up with 35 watts per. Just my preference. For a first system a bass tube will be OK, but make sure your son has fair expectations of it. It will not sound like a custom made competition set-up. They are a kind of "made-for-convenience" item. An easy way to get some bass, but hardly astounding performance.

 

I agree totally with Linear. Those tubes are often underated however, it's more of a bragging right usually to have a custom made system. There is nothing wrong w/ a good old tube in my eyes, especially if your pressed for space (probably not in your case)

 

Thanks, Linear, I was hoping you'd chime in here. No, I'm not dead set on the MTX 5-channel amp and I think what you're trying to say is to keep these four speakers but get a bigger amp, right? I can do that. I just can't understand how just 2 front speakers with more watts can
outperform a 4 speaker setup with less watts. I've always had that mindset that says the more speakers, the better and more pleasing the music'. But I'll take your word for it, so I guess we'll increase the power to all four speakers. Do any specific amps come to mind that you can recommend?

Andyman, I'm not pressed for space, I just don't have the time to do
the research and learn about subs and how to build the proper enclosures, etc. I just want to pick something off-the-shelf that's
convenient and will provide some bass to fill the void, and the tube
seems ideal. I'm glad that you and Linear do not totally dismiss them. Besides, my son can always upgrade if he decides he
wants better performance. Right now, _any_ sub will be a great
improvement.

 

[QUOTE=gti]Thanks, Linear, I was hoping you'd chime in here. No, I'm not dead set on the MTX 5-channel amp and I think what you're trying to say is to keep these four speakers but get a bigger amp, right?


For a strictly music based system, I would personally NOT use rear speakers. But, if you prefer the sound from a 4 speaker system, by all means that is what you should do. I believe as far as SQ, you would be ahead to use the Kappas and place them strategically for the listener's position. With the subs it will give all the fullness of sound your son will need.


I just can't understand how just 2 front speakers with more watts can
outperform a 4 speaker setup with less watts.



The thing about the Kappas is that they will really come alive with the 70 watts. It's my opinion that they would outperform the 35 watt 4 speaker system in every way. But also, a lot of that is personal taste.


Do any specific amps come to mind that you can recommend?


The MTX is fine. I would stick with something like that from a reputable company. By that I mean avoid what I like to call the "flea market" stuff. Go with Hifonics, Rockford Fosgate, PPI, Autotek, Eclipse, etc. There are lots of good amps.



Andyman, I'm not pressed for space, I just don't have the time to do
the research and learn about subs and how to build the proper enclosures, etc. I just want to pick something off-the-shelf that's
convenient and will provide some bass to fill the void, and the tube
seems ideal. I'm glad that you and Linear do not totally dismiss them. Besides, my son can always upgrade if he decides he
wants better performance. Right now, _any_ sub will be a great
improvement.

The bass tubes are actually quite nice when compared to no sub at all.

 

Hey LinearPower,

How do you come up with 70 watts if you bridge the 4 main channels. Would that not be more like 140 watts x 2 at 12.5 volts and 200 watts x 2 watts at 14.4 volts? Is that not to much power for those speakers?

I got this info from http://www.mtx.com/caraudio/products...thunder895.cfm

I may be wrong about this. I am no expert that is for sure.

 

I agree, some bass is better than no bass. If I were you I would understand what you're son wants from his system.. Also, I would go with the 4 speaker set up, it will sound fuller, and will surround you more, since this is going into a car. The bass tubes will be great for a first system, but he might want more.. it just depends on what he wants.

 

I am so intrigued with Linear's recommendation of going with only the front
two Kappas and driving them with 70w each, but we're looking for clarity and
fullness, not necessary volume, and will probably go with four Kappas. But I'll make sure there is at least 70w available for each of the four in case he wants to crank it up. The bass tube is not a big concern to my son and should provide enough to round it out nicely.

I'll have the same concern for clarity, fidelity, and fullness when I do my next
upgrade on my wife's full size high top conversion van. I'm gonna need help on that one Thanks all!

 

I personally have had systems with just fronts and systems with 4 speakers... I liked the 4 in my car... When I am driving in my car I don't have time to notice the little nuances in the music like I do at home... I want to be enveloped in the music and enjoy it. My 2 speaker set up sounded great don't get me wrong... but I liked the 4 speaker set up in my car. Everyone is different though, so to each their own.

Also, as for a tube sub... Wow do I ever dislike those, but I do have to admit that it is better than not bass at all. Just my 2 cents...

 

You are correct. Depending on which Kappas he has, he may need to run the 4 speaker set-up like he said, if he uses this particular amplifier. The Kappa 5x7, for example is rated at 100 watts RMS, while the 5 1/4 is a little less. And on this subject, personally I would not be afraid to use the 140 watt RMS amp with the 5x7. The user has to have the good sense to know how to control the volume ****. The 140 watts RMS of the amp is CAPABILITY. Rarely, very rarely, would a sensible listener ever use the maximum capabilities of any amp, in terms of this spec. If someone could destroy a decent set of speakers capable of handling 100 watts RMS with that amp, he is not sensible. Some people say you can never have too much power, you just need to know how to set up your system and use it properly. As I've mentioned before, I know of a guy who had a competition system with 8 identical bridged amps, each CAPABLE of over 1000 watts RMS. Each amp drove a single speaker, 2 tweeters, 2 midrange, 2 woofers, and 2 subs. No speaker had an RMS rating of more than 100 watts. That's an extreme, but it lets you know that while RMS ratings are important, they are not an absolute guideline to go buy like so many people think. Sorry to ramble.

 

Hey Linear, which Kappas would you use? The stock speakers both front and rear are 5x7/6x8 but if possible I'd like to use 6.5 if they'll fit. Don't know if we would notice the difference but were told they were better than oval.

 

Just as another option, since you're in the market for a 5-channel amp, I had really good experiences with my PPI 5440. I think you can get one on eBay for a price that's consistent with your overall budget. They're very well made and quite high quality.

 

6 1/2" components would rock, and maybe a coax in the rear, if you are going with 4 speakers.

 

Finally got a chance to post a follow up and to thank Linear and all the others for all the advice I got. Ended up with Pioneer P7600MP with MTX 684, Kappa 6.5 components in the front, 6.5 coax in the rear, and I put a Alpine type R into an Audiobahn tube with MTX 421D. My son and I are very, very pleased with the system, especially with the surprising performance of that type R sub. It sounds great and he even turns down the EBC on some CD's. Next job is to Dynamat the car, it rattles! Thanks again to all. My next installation is for myself in my Club Wagon daily driver and I'll be asking for more expert advice for this, but that's another post. Cheers!

 

Glad to hear that it's all in! It's been what.. a year since you posted in here? Haha. Well good luck with the Wagon, post in here what you're thinking about getting, and we'll be more than happy to give opinions. See ya around.