1999 Tahoe system

[big_mike]

Ok, been a long time since I have planned out a sound system. As I get older my taste has changed, not really in type of music I like but from what I want from a system. I have also never done one with 6 speakers not including the sub, so I wanna make sure I'm not making a dumb move, lol.

Before anyone says ditch the rear 4x10, I have reasons for wanting to keep them. One of which is I like to take my family to the local drive-in and we kick the rear barn doors open and sit in the back together. So having good sound in the cargo area is important to me.

Here is what I'm debating. This isn't gonna be a high end build but should be greatly improved over stock by far. I have always been happy with pioneer quality so that's the majority of my list.

Pioneer AVH4200NEX double din
Pioneer TS-A1606c 6.5" (4 ohm)(front doors)
Pioneer TS-A1676r 6.5" 3-way (4 ohm)(rear doors)
Pioneer TS-A1376r 5.25" 3-way (4 ohm)(replacing 4x10)
Pioneer SWX2502 10" sub/enclosure kit comes with Pioneer GM-D8601 mono amp

Now here is where I need some help. I have been reading that the far rear 4x10 is linked to the rear door speakers in factory wiring.

So this raises the question, should I run a 4-channel Pioneer amp that's 2 ohm stable and keep all rears connected together or get a 6-channel so that the fronts/mids/rear all have individual adjustable gains and keep each set running at 4 ohm.

I'm sure the 6-channel would afford more tunability but is it worth it for the cost difference of amps?

 

[df2x4]

The front door speakers and rear 4x10s are run straight off of the head unit, the rear door speakers run off of a factory amp.

Having done this both ways, personally I'd forget the second amp all together and just run all the interior speakers as they're wired right now. Your head unit will drive them just fine. Set your HPFs to cut everything below 100hz or so and let the sub pick up the slack.

Any particular reason you're swapping the 4x10s for 5.25s? That's going to take a lot of grinding. Personally I'd stick to the factory size.

 

[big_mike]

I was reading around on some audio sites and guys we're talking about the sound quality difference between the ovals and circular speakers. I figured if you can fit a 6x9 in the place with modified bracket then a 5.25 shouldn't be a issue at all.

The headunit only puts out 50w x 4 which would be under powering those speakers, they are 60w rms and I have always heard under powering can damage them just as quick as over powering. I've also never ran a good aftermarket door component set and mid bass without an amp and achieved good sound. Noticeably better than stock but not clear and clean like I'd want from a full system.

 

[df2x4]

Well if you're dead set on amping everything I'd go with the six channel. No point in half measures if you're already set on putting in that much effort.

I used to be big into the SQ scene but the older I get the more I find I don't need to put that much effort into things. I went all out with the system in my red truck and while I really enjoy it, I definitely wouldn't do it again. Took the simple approach in my Suburban and was pleasantly surprised with Kicker KS components running on 20W per channel from my head unit.

 

[big_mike]

How do they sound clarity wise running on that low of power, I mean I know it's got to sound better than stock but how much compared to just replacing the old OEM with new replacement units?

 

[ima93chevyguy]

In my 93 Ext cab all i did was replace the head unit with a pioneer flip up and replace the 4x6 dash speakers and 4x6 rear speakers with Kicker KS 4x6. Sounds really good IMO. It may not be as loud maybe...? but i can't really tell; i also have two 12's drowning out some of that sound, so. Sound quality is amazing though.
I'd recommend no amp because they should be able to run fine off the head unit itself. No sense in over-complicating it.
As far as swapping the rear ones... eh. Depends if you really want to get into it. Installing a sub will recoop any lost bass from deeper speakers so at this point you're looking for highs.

 

[df2x4]

How do they sound clarity wise running on that low of power, I mean I know it's got to sound better than stock but how much compared to just replacing the old OEM with new replacement units?

It was a night and day difference.

While it is true that under-powering speakers can kill them just as quickly as over-powering, it's not really a product of either directly. Clipping is what kills speakers and amplifiers. That's why I suggested setting the HPF and letting the sub do the work down low, that way your interior speakers can use that limited power effectively on the frequencies that they can actually reproduce. As long as you don't drive anything to the point of clipping, you won't hurt anything. For example, in my home stereo I use a set of 1980s Klipsch Heresy speakers. They're rated for 100W RMS, but people routinely drive them with tube amplifiers generating 5W per channel or less and get loads of clean output. I run them on 40W per channel and it's enough to rattle the casement windows in my house at half volume. I've knocked things off of shelves unintentionally more than once.

EDIT - Same kind of deal with round vs oval speakers. Technically round will sound better on paper, but most people will never notice the difference.

Another thing to keep in mind, you say your head unit is rated at 50Wx4... I'm willing to bet that's a peak rating, not RMS. I've never seen more than 23-25W per channel RMS from any head unit. I run Pioneer DEH-P880PRS decks in both of my trucks ($1K MSRP SQ decks from the early 2000s) and they're right around there.

 

[big_mike]

I thought if it was listed with the built in Mosfet 50x4 that you got a full 50w with the built in amp?

Wish I could hear these speakers in person running just off the stock wiring/amp. No doubt only running 1 amp would be alot easier.

 

[df2x4]

I thought if it was listed with the built in Mosfet 50x4 that you got a full 50w with the built in amp?

I don't believe so. I can't find a user manual for download unfortunately but Crutchfield lists it as 22Wx4 RMS.

https://www.crutchfield.com/S-so4qcXssuWE/p_1304200NEX/Pioneer-AVH-4200NEX.html

 

[big_mike]

Hmm, so if wired just straight into the factory harnesses they would only see 22w, man that seems so low for it to properly control the 60w speaker. Granted I'm guessing the factory amp on the other 2 speakers is probably about the same?? So in theory they should all see about the same 22w range right? I have no clue what the stock amp is putting out.

Seems like this headunit has a good enough internal EQ system to possibly get decent sound like this, but wish I could hear a similar setup to make me more confident. Nothing sucks more than getting it all buttoned up only to go back in and rewire/change things around.

I'm also debating the 3 way speakers with 2 way in the rear doors instead. I was reading the 2 way can provide cleaner sound since the tweeter is in the center of the cone where as the 3 way obstructs the cone more.