Hi,

I was wondering if anybody could recommend an amplifier which doesn't use much space i.e. avoiding cabling to the back of the car. I don't care if it's low power - I've seen some head-unit upgrade amps, but these don't have a low-level phono input. Power really isn't an issue - I just want to get my Rio Car installed. Also, will the tuner module only work when Rio Car is (finally) installed in the car? (My Rio Car is currently in it's docking sled, tuner plugged in, but getting power via the PSU).
Thanks in advance.

You will be much better off with a proper amplifier and wires run to the trunk. Burying an amp in the dash is actually more trouble than mounting one in the trunk.

Take the time, and do it right. There's a lot more satisfaction in having a good system than a half-assed one.

Regarding the tuner: It only activates when it's in the car. If you want to make the docking sled think it's in the car, you must supply it power via the car wiring connectors, not through the home power jack.

I agree. Running the cables is the most difficult part of the installation. If you get some ICE magazines and find info on the net, you should be able to do the installation satisfactorily. What type of amp you use is sort of irrelevant once you have th cables there. If you dont skimp on the cable installation you only have to do it once and upgrading the amp later on is easy.

You may be able to buy a very thin amplifier and stick underneath the passenger seat?

Or, if you can find one that is both small AND has a fan built into it, you could place it somewhere up in the dash. May want to make sure it will have a thermal protection switch as well, just in case the fan isn't enough to cool it.

I agree it should "be done right", but you do have some options.

You may be able to buy a very thin amplifier and stick underneath the passenger seat?

If you're going to do that, you might as well run the wires the rest of the way to the trunk and do it right. It's just as much trouble (perhaps more trouble) to put it under the front seat than it is to mount it properly in the trunk.

Thanks for the advice guys. I'm buying a brand new car (my first) and just wanted to avoid making holes in the boot/trunk. Also, the car dealer (BMW Mini) said that installing my own head unit would invalidate the warranty, at least on electrical grounds, so I want a setup which is easily removable whenever it goes into the garage. I think I'm trying to have my cake AND eat it!

Thanks guys.

Not to be an ass, just curious. Why is it more "right" to mount the amps in the trunk. I've got mine under my seats and i prefer them there for easier access when i want to tune them or make some gain changes. Not to mention the odds of theft are cut down a tad. Someone would have to fully remove my seats to get the amps out, whereas if they got in the trunk they could more than likely just rip them out. It also makes the wire runs a lot shorter for power and Line In, reducing the chance for interference. Just a thought =]

I also second the motion of installing amps under the seat.. that is if you have room. The two cars I've owned have had enough space underneat their seats to install a 40-watt Kenwood amp no problem.. I didn't even have to take out the seats. Of course I am the king of hacked-up installations of stereo equipment. I ran my amp off the cigarette lighter for about a year until my electrical system started to do weird stuff. If you just want to get the rio installed quick and cheap get a 40-watt amp and throw it anywhere you can find it, under seat, in glove box whatever

Well, your car may be different. But in my car, if I put my amps under the seats, there would be the following problems:

1) Rear seat passengers would bump them with their toes.

2) Passenger legroom is reduced, see #1.

3) They would be more suceptible to damage if the car developed a leak and the floor got wet (happened in my GTI).

4) Amps would be visible from outside the car, making them more of a target.

Again, like I said, your car may be different. But in my car, the trunk is still the best place for them.

We both have Civic's don't we?

1) learned this the hard way when someone stepped on my RCA's and broke the connector off the main board of the amp. I had to solder it back on. They are now covered with a piece of molded plastic to prevent this.

2) How big is your amp?! My amps (Both MTX, one 250watt and one 425watt) both fit under the seats without sticking out at all.

3) Interesting point... though i'd think the trunk would leak before the cabin. Actually... i had this exact thing happen. To fit the MB Quart 6.5"s in my front side panels, we had to cut off the rain guard in the door panel... so for the first time a month ago (when it was raining non stop over the holidays) rain actually got in the well of the drivers side. I'll be fixing that shortly... but point is that the floor is raised up about 1.5 to 2 inches at the front of the seat, so the amp would be pretty secure. It's also raised up with some plastic rings. There'd have to be an inch of water either way for it to get damaged, not likely.

4)Again, i don't know how big your amps are, but mine fit completely under my seat and cannot be seen from the exterior of the car.

All this definitely depends on the car, but if i had the option, i'd still pick under the seat. TEHO.

We both have Civic's don't we?

Mine is an Accord 4-door.

How big is your amp

Amps, plural, and yes they would clear the underside of the seats. But they're pretty good sized and with my light-colored carpet and "open" interior, they would be rather visible.

The problem isn't whether or not they fit, it's whether or not passengers can fit their feet under the seats. Leg room doesn't stop at the back of the seat, people's feet go under the seats in front of them quite a ways. At least they do in my car.

Sure, someone could sit there comfortably with an amp under the seat, but they wouldn't be able to put their feet as far forward as they could if the amp wasn't present.

Ah. Okeydoke. Different setups for different cars. Conclusion: there's no "right way", depends on the car. =]

I have my amp under the passenger seat. It's out of the way, and in no danger from kicking (it's robust in that direction). It's a cheap Sony one (NX440 or something - the box is now in the attic) as I don't need anything fancy to outperform the OEM system. There's nowhere better to place it in an estate car. Where it is is both out of the way and concealed from the exterior. There's no sacrifice of the flat load space (sleeping space, often as not).

When I next get to borrow a digicam, I'll post some photos on the Installation board.

<quote>Of course I am the king of hacked-up installations of stereo equipment. I ran my amp off the cigarette lighter for about a year until my electrical system started to do weird stuff</quote>

Been there, done that, powers the sub, from a 240V invertor as well

In reply to:

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learned this the hard way when someone stepped on my RCA's and broke the connector off the main board of the amp. I had to solder it back on. They are now covered with a piece of molded plastic to prevent this.

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Why not turn the amp 180 degrees so the RCA's point forward. I hadnt though of this potential problem, but thats the way i have mine under the driver seat. not much problem with leg room in a SUV

That was the original plan, the but floorboard of the car raises up so there's a "bump" right at the front of the seat, which would make it extremely hard to get to the controls. It's all protected now, so no worries.

Hi,
I'd like to reactivate this topic, as no one answered the original question. I'm looking for a small amp/amps to fit under the seat of my wife's S10 pickup. There are no leg room considerations, as no one will be behind the seats of the truck. I don't have a trunk to mount the amp in, and I don't want to mount it to the back wall of the truck.

She doesn't like loud music, and can't tell the difference between stock speakers and my Boston Acoustics, so I'm not worried about a little sound degredation which will most likely result from using a small amp.

She really wants her empeg installed, and that's my goal now.

I'd actually be really happy if I could find a pair of Sony XM-2022s. They're the perfect size for this install.

Thanks in advance,
-Trevor

When I was in Canada over christmas, I installed an empeg in my brother's car and had similar constraints. I ended up with a small 75W-ish 4 channel amp from Walmart, of all places, which cost about $70 canadian. It was surprisingly good with the OEM speakers, giving sufficient volume for normal driving and nothing I could point at as bad sound.

I can't remember the make, but it was very small, about 6 by 8 by 2 inches at most, and anodised bright blue. I'd think that Wallyworld in the US would stock the same range as in Canada, so you may well be able to track it down. If you can't I can ask my brother what the make is.

Patrick

I can't think of anything specific, I checked a catalog just now but nothing stands out. If I can help at all, I'd offer that you should shoot for a 4 channel amp to get it over with in one shot, and also look for one with a small fan installed. I don't think you'd hear the fan, and it might help with any heat issues under the seat.

Do you know how much room you have available?

And if all that was already discussed, sorry - too lazy to inspect the rest of the thread!

It was probably one of these amps:

http://pix.crutchfield.com/products/2000/110/l110A4100.jpeg

I have a low power 4 channel Jenson installed right now on my OEM speakers and it works fine. Gain is pretty low as well, so I know I could easially go deaf with it. I bought mine for the Mark 1 for the car that was cheeper then the empeg, and moved it over to my new Saturn to have the empeg. I plan on replacing everything except the empeg sometime in the future, but it just hasn't popped up on the wish list yet. Currently the #1, #2 and #3 are taken by a motorcycle, parts for a new gaming PC, and a TiBook from Apple.

Other problem is that if I touch my car ICE, it's going to probably cost me quite a bit more, as every time I go to the local store, they have to practicially drag me away from the in dash LCD DVD/GPS systems. One of these would be perfect, considering about half the miles on my car came from road trips.

(Sigh, edited to turn the proper [image]http://pix.crutchfield.com/products/2000/110/l110A4100.jpeg[/image] into a URL tag. UBB code needs a lot of work...)

Thanks for the tip. I'll swing by and check them out.

No, there weren't many relevant responses to my original post. Having done some searching, I'm getting this small Clarion 4 channel model (CPA4068).
http://www.clarionworld.co.uk/stock/cpa4068.asp
I assume it's also available in the US.

Potts