Alpine UTE-73BT
07-16-2018, 05:20 AM
#11
Registered User
Do you still have the OEM speakers? If so, I doubt you're going to be happy with just adding more power - you're almost certainly going to upgrade the speakers so why not do that first and see if you really need the external amp? If you choose a pair with above average efficiency, you may find you don't need it.
I assumed that no matter the aftermarkets, an amp will be necessary to do them justice.
07-16-2018, 06:40 AM
#12
Remember that doubling the power of the amp or improving the efficiency of the speaker by 3dB both yield the same increase in loudness. I have an earlier Alpine with the same 18W RMS rating and use Focals with a 93 dB efficiency. They are plenty loud to drive with the top down up to about 65 mph. After that, the bass disappears in the noise. So if you're wanting something beyond that, I expect you will indeed need a bigger amp. But if you're like me and really are more focused on driving and leave serious music listening for outside the car, then you may find that an efficient set of speakers without an external amp is enough.
BTW, going further on this line of efficiency, some speakers are rated at 87 dB efficiency. To get to the same loudness as 18W + 93 dB speakers, you'd need an external amp rated at 72 W (2 x 2 x 18). Above, a 90 W app was mentioned. In reality, it would barely be louder with 87 dB speakers than the 18 W HU with 93 dB speakers. So my point is that you should think about the speaker efficiency too and not just assume you need to add an external amp.
BTW, going further on this line of efficiency, some speakers are rated at 87 dB efficiency. To get to the same loudness as 18W + 93 dB speakers, you'd need an external amp rated at 72 W (2 x 2 x 18). Above, a 90 W app was mentioned. In reality, it would barely be louder with 87 dB speakers than the 18 W HU with 93 dB speakers. So my point is that you should think about the speaker efficiency too and not just assume you need to add an external amp.
07-16-2018, 07:08 AM
#13
Registered User
Remember that doubling the power of the amp or improving the efficiency of the speaker by 3dB both yield the same increase in loudness. I have an earlier Alpine with the same 18W RMS rating and use Focals with a 93 dB efficiency. They are plenty loud to drive with the top down up to about 65 mph. After that, the bass disappears in the noise. So if you're wanting something beyond that, I expect you will indeed need a bigger amp. But if you're like me and really are more focused on driving and leave serious music listening for outside the car, then you may find that an efficient set of speakers without an external amp is enough.
BTW, going further on this line of efficiency, some speakers are rated at 87 dB efficiency. To get to the same loudness as 18W + 93 dB speakers, you'd need an external amp rated at 72 W (2 x 2 x 18). Above, a 90 W app was mentioned. In reality, it would barely be louder with 87 dB speakers than the 18 W HU with 93 dB speakers. So my point is that you should think about the speaker efficiency too and not just assume you need to add an external amp.
BTW, going further on this line of efficiency, some speakers are rated at 87 dB efficiency. To get to the same loudness as 18W + 93 dB speakers, you'd need an external amp rated at 72 W (2 x 2 x 18). Above, a 90 W app was mentioned. In reality, it would barely be louder with 87 dB speakers than the 18 W HU with 93 dB speakers. So my point is that you should think about the speaker efficiency too and not just assume you need to add an external amp.
There seems to be a lot of Focals to choose from in the 6.5" size. Do you have any recommendations? Coaxial vs. component?
(Sorry to threadjack)
Last edited by Su2uKa!; 07-16-2018 at 07:21 AM.
07-16-2018, 08:26 AM
#14
I too wanted reasonable sound quality, but didn't want to spend a lot. I went with the Focal ISC 165. They are not the most neutral sounding speakers but I've been able to mostly correct for that with the EQ in the head unit, although that may not work too well if you only have three bands to work with - hence my original comment in this thread.
07-16-2018, 04:02 PM
#15
Remember that doubling the power of the amp or improving the efficiency of the speaker by 3dB both yield the same increase in loudness. I have an earlier Alpine with the same 18W RMS rating and use Focals with a 93 dB efficiency. They are plenty loud to drive with the top down up to about 65 mph. After that, the bass disappears in the noise. So if you're wanting something beyond that, I expect you will indeed need a bigger amp. But if you're like me and really are more focused on driving and leave serious music listening for outside the car, then you may find that an efficient set of speakers without an external amp is enough.
BTW, going further on this line of efficiency, some speakers are rated at 87 dB efficiency. To get to the same loudness as 18W + 93 dB speakers, you'd need an external amp rated at 72 W (2 x 2 x 18). Above, a 90 W app was mentioned. In reality, it would barely be louder with 87 dB speakers than the 18 W HU with 93 dB speakers. So my point is that you should think about the speaker efficiency too and not just assume you need to add an external amp.
BTW, going further on this line of efficiency, some speakers are rated at 87 dB efficiency. To get to the same loudness as 18W + 93 dB speakers, you'd need an external amp rated at 72 W (2 x 2 x 18). Above, a 90 W app was mentioned. In reality, it would barely be louder with 87 dB speakers than the 18 W HU with 93 dB speakers. So my point is that you should think about the speaker efficiency too and not just assume you need to add an external amp.
Last edited by rpg51; 07-16-2018 at 04:35 PM.
09-24-2018, 01:46 PM
#17
Registered User
I put the bluetooth mic down by the right knee close to the center console. Seems like a bad position, but surprisingly callers have said it's very clear.
09-25-2018, 11:50 AM
#19
Registered User
More android AOA compatibility on the 72
Custom colors (RGB) on the 72
09-25-2018, 03:09 PM
#20