Hello All, I went to a auto stereo store today, and they said they worked on several priuses before. They suggested this layout Front - Alpine Type-S SPS171A Rear - Alpine Type-R SPR-17LS Amp - DHD NTX-3106 4-Channel Amplifier (and 2 Hi-Lo Converters...whatever that is) They said they would do this for $600 with install. First question is...do I need the amp? (they say yes, i'm not sure...) Second question is...Is this a somewhat reasonable price, or would you suggest differently? What price should i shoot for? I appreciate the input, thanks!
The speakers have about the same power rating as the Infinity's I have. I tried mine without an amp first, if you don't listen to the stereo above moderate volume levels, then you don't need an amp. Something around 30-35 with the stock speakers. But if you like it loud, get the amp. The install price isn't too bad. I would try to get them to go a little lower. Do some shopping for the speaker and amp prices, then add about $100 for install. Also, with that amp you shouldn't need Hi-Lo adapters, as the amp has high level imputs. That should take off about $20-$30 on the price. Their reason for these is probably just to make it easier to modify the install later. It would make sense if there was a possibility of changing out the stock head unit. But even then, it would still be easy to modify without the adapters.
Amplifiers are not just about quantity, but quality also. Chances are a good aftermarket amp will sound better than a factory amp even at lower levels. If you can't tell any difference between FM and CD, then it probably won't matter either way, and you can do without it.
Check out the Infinity basslink II with the Expansion module, it's a 250w sub with a 4ch. amp (35x4) that can power the door speakers. It has high level inputs so you dont need the converters and it comes with a bass knob that you can install in the front. I just got the basslink II w/o the expansion and I am very happy with the sub output, I'm going to get the expansion module soon.
I'd spend the money on higher quality speakers and forgo adding an amp in that price range. Since they are recommending two hi-lo converters, they are probably tapping into the front woofer signal and the rear full range signal to allow factory fading. But beware of the limitations of not getting any treble in either the front or rear depending on how it's installed.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DocVijay @ Oct 9 2006, 07:16 AM) [snapback]330021[/snapback]</div> Agreed. Amps for the win! What I would do is get the better speakers in the front and the others in the back. The rears are more for fill. I didn't go with any rear speakers, and I just run a front stage with Infinity Kappas. It sounds excellent. Starting off with an aftermarket amp is a good idea, but as Doc said, if you can't tell any difference between FM and CD then getting an amp isn't a big deal.
