New Prius Owner, ? about adding amplifier

Jordan, I've ditched the cap 10 yrs ago since it doesn't seem to be making any audible differences even when I used to compete. HO Alt and an Optima YT were the biggest noticeable upgrades then. Personally I would steer clear of using any CAP in the Prius, for no reason other than it could just add load to the charging system, and a potential to damage something. I have never seen my headlights dim on the prius unlike in my other 'regular' cars.

Just stay on the safe side and don't use big amps that drain a lot of power with the Prius and you should be okay. Those days of bumping are over for me anyways.

 

I use a 2k watt amp and no issues and no dim

 

Dont think you need more than 100rms to power the six speakers, and done right really wont need a sub. I have a 40rms amp in my Camry and it is way more than enough, and the gains are down to nothing.

 

I have an alpine PDX-V9 digital amp going into the Prius next month and my installer says that with these efficient class D amps, I don't have to worry about excess power consumption. Not sure if your amp is class D but perhaps you can do more research in that realm if you haven't bought your system yet?

Good luck.

 

I use a 1 Farad cap with my Eclipse XA1000 class D monoblock but I'm also not so sure it's necessary. I originally skipped the cap on the install and saw no issues with the electrical. After a few months I did put it in though, just for a little insurance. I learned the hard way about caps when I replaced an alternator but that was with an old A/B 2-channel amp. Since then I always had the cap and just feel better with it.


iPhone ?

 

Make sure your SX900.4 is compatible with the other components first. If it's a "D" amp, no cap is required, A, B or A/B...cap it. The charging system can handle it just fine, but use good grounds and fuse it as close to the 12 vdc battery as possible.

 

Yay! another PDX-V9 buddy. I got mine from amazon.com for about $405 shipped from retailer named "WoofersETC." Local stores in my city sell them for at least $659. Good luck

 

Going to take pics on installation process?

 

I'm getting ready to add a subwoofer and amp-- unfortunately, I don't have a lot of experience. My question is should I tap into the head unit to instal the RCA line-level out like you did, or should I just tap into the rear door speakers? I'm planning on putting my amp in the hidden cargo box in the back. Thanks for any input on this.

 

Are you using a line level adapter and keeping the stock head unit? Did they improve those over the years? They used to be garbage in the 90's.

 

I have the 2012 prius model III non-JBL touch-screen nav HD radio. I actually think the stock system sounds pretty good but has almost no bottom end. Only has a 3 band eq and limited controls for sound. I'm pretty sure that adding a sub will be good enough for me though.

 

the '12+ Prius 3 non-JBL navi doesnt have the same wire harness like the JBL navi? (From HU to under front passenger seat.) Kind of miss having amp powered audio.

 

I'm successfully running my amp at 1200 watts @ 2ohm and the prius charging system has not given me any problems. Even when I was running my amp at .5 ohm 2200 watts the prius would volt drop at 13.4 at its heaviest load. I love prius for its ability to run this amount of amps with no extra batteries.

 

That's awesome to hear. I suppose the nature of the car demands a stabile electrical system.

I was amazed a few years ago when I started my setup without using a cap, that it was my first car to have rock-steady headlights! To me, the electrical combined with the big hatchback cabin just scream for a couple amps and a woofer ;-)


iPhone ?

 

Would love to know more about your setup , cause i want to put my 1200watt sony amp in 2010 prius to power 2x12" rf p2's

 

hey sorry so late lol I never come in here.
I want to update that i’m still running my Morel Ultimo at 2 ohms on a 1000 watts with no problems. Car has 105k miles and i’ve only changed the stock battery once to an ultimo yellow top after my original battery died. The electrical system is so good and the headlights never dim or voltage drops. I highly recommend running at least 1000 watts for the woofer if your a bass head like me. Next i’m going to finally replace my front speakers and tweeters and add a 4 channel amp to power them. Will post about it when I do.