I picked up some new Hertz Mille Pro 165.3 components for dash tweeters and front door speakers, along with coaxial speakers for the rear door, from Marketplace at a great price. While I figure out the wiring for the crossovers and where to put them, I need help choosing an amp.
The car is a 2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime (plug-in hybrid). I know nothing about car audio, but I’m guessing these speakers won’t sound their best without an amplifier. I also plan to add a subwoofer in the next month or so, but I have no idea how to choose a good one (ported or sealed, size, powered?). There’s so much to learn just to get the basics down. I really respect anyone who understands all of this!
Get an A/B class 4-channel amp from any well-known brand like Pioneer, Kicker, JL (even though they’re overpriced in my opinion), Focal, Hertz, etc. You’ll want something that does at least 100W RMS for those speakers. A little over RMS is usually better because it keeps the amp from working too hard and helps produce a cleaner signal.
For a sub, ported or sealed depends on the space you have for an enclosure. Don’t listen to people who say sealed boxes sound better than ported boxes—that’s just a myth. Some of the highest sound quality setups use vented enclosures. A ported box will generally be louder, though, all things equal.
Thanks a ton! This gives me a good starting point for my search. As for the sub, I was originally thinking about putting it under the passenger seat, but I’ve read those aren’t the best options. I wanted to keep the rear space clear, but maybe a removable sub box is the way to go. The 12V car battery is over the rear wheel anyway. I’d definitely prefer a pre-built box since I don’t have the tools or skills to make one myself.
Just make sure the sub you get matches the specs of the box. I’ve made a $40 sub sound amazing with the right enclosure. If you’re going ported, it helps to get the port length and dimensions from the manufacturer and model the speaker in WinISD. I can help you with this if you don’t know how, or you can check out some YouTube tutorials. The software is free!