Ok, how 'bout this for an inexpensive upgrade. Sony XS-V1631 6 1/2" speakers in the doors, Sony XS-F1021 4" behind the seats. Also thinking about an 2 channel amp to drive all four speakers using a 2 ohm load. That way I should be able to run the front speaker wires from the Stereo unit to the Amp input and then power the 4 speakers. Question, How many Watts per channel of an amp would I need to get around 20 watts to each of the 4 speakers if running at a 2 ohm load (parallel wiring)? Also will the 4" inch sony's fit behind the seats? Does this upgrade sound reasonable? I wouldn't have to buy any harness's for anything, right? And the mute button should still mute all 4 speakers? I could hook up the front speakers to one channel and the backs to the other and then be able to use the balance control on the stereo to actually fade between front and back speakers.

Thanks,
Erik

 

Just buy a 4 channel and be done with it. You paid at least 32K for the car. What is $250 going to hurt?

 

20 watt X 2 @ 4ohms ususally tranlates to 40 watts X 2 @ 2 ohms. In other words, find a 20 watt x 2 @ 4ohms amp that is stable at a 2ohm stereo load. The spec sheet for an amp should provide this information, but you can use the above as a last resort rule of thumb.

 

Get a 4 channel amp, more power the better. The Sonys fit, just hard to find them.

 

If I get a 4 channel amp and only run inputs for 2 channels will the amp still output the signal to all 4 channels? If I only input 2 channels I don't have to mess with a harness and I won't lose the mute funtion, right?

Erik

 

You still have to mess with the harness either way. Right, you will have mute for all speakers. It seems like a lot of trouble to keep the mute. If you want to do it that way, I would hook up the amp using all 4 channels. Using the amp lead that switches the amp on when the stereo turns on, I would put a relay inline that would switch the amp on and off when the switch it tripped. It will give you a clean installation. I replaced the stock headunit so I don't have these issues. Mute works on all channels.

 

What would I still need a harness for? Couldn't I just take the front speaker wires that are currently going to the speakers and re-route them to the amp? What type of harness would I need?

Erik

 

Stock unit directly to the speakers...
You need to run the leads to the rear speakers.

Stock unit through an amp to the speakers...
You need to run the leads to the amp and then to all of the speakers.

Aftermarket...you get the picture.

You would need to run some sort of wire for each setup. It wouldn't nessesarily be a harness. It might just be an extension to the existing harness. That is all Lucid is doing. He is tapping into the rear speaker leads that Honda has, but is not using on our car.

If you are going to go through the trouble of routing the speaker leads from the front channels to the amp, you might as well run the rear channels and the mute lead while you are at it. If you don't use them, no harm done. Before you go out and buy a 2 channel amp, make sure it is 2-ohm stable. It might not be able to handle the current you would run through it with half the spec resistance. Personally I would spend the extra $100 and get the 4 channel.