Dan25 wrote:
- The main problem I have at the moment with my old Kenwood head unit is that every time I hit a bump, the cd skips. If I were to get a new head unit, would this problem be solved? If so, which one is best?
- For the front speakers, I was thinking of 4-way rather than 2-way. Is this necessary?
- Will I require an amp to get better quality? I have no idea how they operate...
- I don't want a sub coz I don't care about bass. Is this the correct decision?
Any advice/ info would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance
1. A majority of newer headunits will have anti-skip protection. Basically, the disc drive will pre-load the music up to 15 seconds ahead, then when a bump is hit, causing the disc to momentarily jump off the laser, it has 15 seconds of pre-loaded audio during which it has time to catch the disc again, giving you seamless playback.
TIP: If you purchase a headunit with USB input with which you can use a flash drive, the audio playback from a USB device will not be interrupted when going over bumps.
2. Honestly, spend a few dollars and get a set of component speakers (splits.) A decent set of splits will give you vastly superior sound over a good pair of 2 or 4 ways.
3. If you're after a good system that can go loud while still providing clarity, I recommend the use of an amplifier. The amplifier will allow you to get MUCH greater volume from your speakers.
Your headunit, no matter what you end up with, will only be outputting a maximum of 17-19W RMS. A decent set of speakers will most likely be able to handle at least 50 or more, depending on the speaker. This means that, running straight off the headunit, if you try to crank it too loud, your headunit will start throwing out dirty power (distortion) in an attempt to give the speakers what they need. Distortion both sounds terrible and is bad for your speakers. Although you can still run a set of decent speakers just fine off your headunit, an amplifier will enable you to realise their true potential.
If you go for a good set of splits, consider throwing a decent 2 channel amplifer under one of the seats to give you some extra volume out of them. If you're splashing out on speakers all around, front and rear, maybe look into purchasing a 4 channel amp to give you good strong sound from all 4 corners.
4. Honestly, if you don't want a subwoofer, don't get one. However, if you do find that you want just a bit more kick out of your system in the future, my recommendation would be to look into getting a good quality 10 inch sub. A decent 10", in a sealed box, will give you some clear, tight and punchy bass. You can easily play with the gains on your amplifers to attain the level of bass that you're after.
Hope that helps. Feel free to hit me with any more questions, or let me know if you need some more detail on any of the things I mentioned.
