C6 help with amp
 

I have ordered the (2) 8” subbox from subthump and already have 2 Alpine (SWR-8D2)type R subs. I basically need to figure out a headunit and an amp for the install. Would like a double din nav but have no clue as far as amp. My vette has bose system with nav currently

Are you replacing the other speakers? If so, go with a 3 or 5 ch. Amp. Those subs are very inefficient, sensitivity is only 83db. You will need a lot of power to get then loud. Around 500w fir the sub amp. Gey a double din with android auto if your phone and phone plan can handle it. Pioneer, Alpine, Kenwood are all good brands for the head unit. Alpine or Jl audio for the amp. If you're into old school amps, kenwood, jl audio slash series. Rockford fosgate...

Im open to returning the subs for something for efficient they were a gift any recomendations?

I've looked at other 8" and they have about the same sensitivity. A good 500w amp should be good for these subs.

If you have a budget in mind, we could help you better.

The Alpines are fantastic subs. If you have them, I would stick with them. Amps: the options are limitless, but as Vincec5 mentioned I'd consider future upgrades. You didn't mention replacing the other speakers in the car, but chances are you will want to - and a 5 channel amp will provide the most flexibility in that sense. You can run fronts and rears, or fronts bridged, or fronts active. With those subs you want an amp that is most efficient at 2ohms mono. So pretty much any of the mid-tier mono or 5 channel amps should work for you. 2 channel amps (unless they are special) will have a hard time driving the subs with that voice coil configuration, although they could be configured to run off of a 4 channel amp bridged pretty well. As for the Head Unit, unless you plan on adding an external DSP, I'd look for something that provides a decent DSP. The ability to set bandpass filters, High pass filters over 300hz, time alignment and some form of EQ can go a long way to making basic equipment sound really good. Budget would also be helpful in steering you towards the right gear.

I agree with Vince. A 500/1 mono is the smallest I would run with those subs as they require a TON of power for an 8". Even though I run 2 amps in my C6Z, I'm a huge fan of powerful 5 channel amps. I like the idea of running one amp in smaller cars as it keeps wiring and packaging much smaller. Amp selection would also be simplified if you could describe how you are going to wire them. They are dual voice coil amps, so you have a ton of options...which means you have a ton of amp selections.

I do plan on placing the door speakers just not familiar whatsoever with the corvette specifically I know theres a few to replace. Trying to keep the budget around 1000-1500which i know will be tough but like i said i already have the subs and box and i figure 5-600 for a headunit. Just trying to find an amp that will perform and not break the bank

Im also not really sure how they will be wired I wouldnt be doing the work myself and car audio is something i am very new to so id love some suggestions on that as well. Car audio is all so confusing to me with so many options

I recommend the JL Audio HD900/5 as an amp man. It provides plenty of power and gives you the flexibility you will need during your install AND give you room to grow later. You can find them on eBay from $400-$800 all day long. You can check out the specs on JL's website (posting links to eBay and JL would cause grief as they're not vendors on here.) Here's how to wire yours.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...49ae069b67.jpg

Each sub can be wired as a 4 ohm or a 1 ohm load - so if you plan on using two channels, you would want your amp to produce the most power at one of those impedances. 1 ohm is not a load that most (MOST) 2 or 4 channel amps can drive. The two subs wired together to a mono load will give you either a 2ohm or a 0.5 ohm load. 2ohm load is perfect for the majority of mono amplifiers or sub channels on a 5 channel amp.

With your budget I'd take the K.I.S.S approach.

Subs: already have em
Fronts: Audiofrog GS 60s - $350
Amp: Head Unit: Chime and SWC Module: $50-100
Wiring: Knuconceptz - $130
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...2ee331a419.png

That puts your total at about $1300 and that is not including any labor. You could shave some money off at the amp with some of the lower tier 5 channels. You could also spend a little less on your front speakers, but those audiofrogs are a great value (alpine type R's are only 50 dollars cheaper and are not as nice). The wiring and integration pieces you will need whatever you do. You'll also need some adapters for the doors to fit the new speakers in the bose openings. Readily available, but will not be free.

Ummm...edit above post please. :willy::hide:

Bad picture - sorry about that

Before considering any of these recommendations, what are your goals for this stereo build? Your budget is very doable if you have realistic expectations of the end result.

JL amps are very nice but you pay at least a 50% premium just for the name. The last Vette stereo that I installed I had the front speakers (polk MM) and sub (older 600wrms type-r 12) running from a 4 channel pioneer GMD8604 amp, rears disconnected, sounded great and didn't break the bank. After that I connected a matching set of rear speakers and got a mono amp for the sub. Sure it was louder but was not worth the money AT ALL to add the rears. Rear speakers came back out and the system went back to fronts and a sub powered by the 4 channel.

That was on a C5 so maybe the C6 has magical rear speaker placement and it would be way better, but I doubt it.

Much cheaper options here:
Polk MM speakers
Newest version of Pioneer 4-channel

Dave gave numbers for the wiring and modules.

Total drops by around $450 and the head unit has better features.

I just want a system that is decently better than the stock, I have an 06 3LT and its just average at best but not looking for anything crazy at all

Agreed, don't waste money on the rear speakers. As I mentioned, K.I.S.S.

You certainly can shave some money off my recommendation with other options. As for amps:
This Kenwood is pretty well regarded and offers a pretty good level of quality for a decent price
This Pioneer also offers a lot of bang for your buck, although I have read of some reliability issues

Realistically if you don't want to splurge on your front speakers, you can go with whatever component set you want that lands around 150 to 200 range and expect pretty good quality, although I'd recommend listening to them first to get an impression. So that will shave about 300+ off of the overall total I provided before. Like I said, the wiring, OEM integration pieces, and speaker baffles are all pretty much a fixed cost. You need them no matter what equipment you put in. Also remember that sometimes shops don't like installing gear that you bring in - just something to be aware of if you have a specific shop in mind to do all the work.

Mine was not really a budget build but my Sony XAV-AX100 head unit is pretty reasonable. I have been pleased with it, it's the second one I have installed.

I am running 2 Focal Sub P 20F subs in the subthump box. They were actually the only 8's that seemed to fit the subthump box's volume? I have not had a sub in a car in a long time, though, so I am certainly not an expert.

I have had great luck with Alpine amps, and I am running two in the vette. Sub amp is an Alpine PDX-F6 which, unfortunately, ships and looks like an Alpine X-A90M. 600x1 amp, though it has two outputs and I ran one each to the subs. I wish it looked like a PDX amp but without the silver trim installed it looks fairly decent, which is good because I have it mounted to the front of the subthump box.

I may wind up trying to build my own box for various reasons, but now I'm starting to ramble about my build. The sub/amp combo seems decent but I am still tuning. 2 8's in a sealed box is definitely not the same as my single 10 I had in a ported stealthbox way back in the day!

The pioneer 4 channel won't run the subs as efficiently as a mono amp. It' can't do a 1 ohm load, and at 4 ohms it won't make quite enough power. I'd go 5 channel so I can pull the full power from the amp for them. And then either run the fronts active or bridge to 2 channel. I've also heard those android head units have really low quality pre-amp sections. Otherwise we're on the same page here.

I think the subs he has are dual 2 ohm so that pioneer should handle them fine assuming he wires them to 2 ohm final load (not .5 or 8). As for the android units I don't really know the exact components used in their construction but for non audiophile grade listening they have served me well, plus the excellent touchscreen response is thing of beauty compared to most name brand stuff. Also the torque app with a bluetooth OBD2 dongle is a cool feature to be able to use without having to pull your phone out.

So many choices for stereo stuff... and then there's the go-fast parts! :cheers:

Yes, his subs are dual 2 ohm. That means each sub can either be wired to 1 or 4 ohms, and the pair can be wired to either 0.5 or 2 ohms( or 8 ohms, but that's counterproductive). The average 4 channel amp produces the most power at 2 ohm stereo or 4 ohm mono, and they aren't stable to loads lower than that. If he tried to run the pair of subs as a mono 2ohm load on the bridged rear channels of that amp it's highly likely he'll be sending the amp into protection or cooking it. His subs won't work well with a 4 channel amp unless he bridges both pairs of channels and runs each sub on a bridged pair at 4 ohms. The 5 channel version of the pioneer you recommended is negligibly more expensive and has a proper sub channel that will push those subs with no problem, with the added benefit of more channels and power for his front speakers as well.

From what I read about the android units - even the cheapest name brand head units sounded miles better. I agree that you get a lot for your money with the android head units, but you also have to wonder how they can sell them for so cheap. Part of the equation is inferior sound quality. This is just hearsay though as I've never had my hands on one. I was really tempted to buy one given the low entry cost, but was scared off by reports of really quite bad sound quality. You have one and you like it, so maybe it's not as bad as I was lead to believe.

I hope I'm not coming off argumentative - Just trying to be clear about how this stuff works for the OP as he doesn't have a deep technical understanding.