Quote:
Originally Posted by uberspeed
I've been tinkering with car audio for a bit over 20 years and in reading countless forums and from hands-on work with various vehicles throughout the years the amp was usually the first thing to replace. Stock amp simply doesn't have the power to properly drive aftermarket speakers. By all means though, try that route and best of luck to you.
Attached is the diagram to the last system I did, nothing nutty but the 13" custom enclosure is quite nice, lots of sound deadening and stock appearance was kept as those are my preferences.
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uberspeed, with all due respect, a blanket statement such as 'amp first always' ends up being a misnomer for those not willing or wanting to completely re-do a car stereo system. Fact is, if you select aftermarket speakers that are sensitive enough and that will take a relatively low-wattage load, aftermarket speakers can work fine with an OEM amp, including the one in the 2-series.
For most,
the best way to upgrade ANY system -- car stereos, home A/V systems, computers, horsepower output, etc. -- is to replace the weakest link first and work up from there. As you know, upgrading any sound system has diminishing returns until that weakest link is replaced. In our cars, the weak link is not the amp; it's the speakers. Once the speakers are upgraded, then the amp and its biases (DSP, ASD, etc.) becomes the weak link. Depending on selection, the speakers may or may not work with the OEM amp; that's why selecting speakers
to fit the system you want to end up with is key. Don't want to upgrade the amp? There are speakers that will work better than the OEM ones with the stock amp. Not sure if you want to replace the stock amp? There are speakers that will work with either the OEM amp and an aftermarket amp. Going to rip out the guts entirely? There are speakers (and all manner of other hardware) that will work for such a system.
Based on the info you supplied on the last system you did, your goal was to overhaul the entire system (and by the way: I would consider a custom sub enclosure 'nutty' for any car stereo upgrade. That's advanced-stage stuff.). Others' goals may or may not include that kind of overhaul.