# Help me install a 5 channel amp please:) (With stock Head unit)



## sethrw (May 21, 2012)

So Im looking into replacing all of my speakers, adding a sub, and, of course, an amp.... But thats all that I'm confident about lol

I have installed subs in my old car and that was easy because I had an aftermarket HU but I don't fully know how to do this while keeping the factory HU.
So I'm going to try to summarize what I think i know and see if Its accurate; I may capitalize a sentence is I'm unsure, and all help/suggestion will be greatly appreciated.

Steps:
1, Remove the head unit and use a Pac to get RCA outputs... Will this work for a 5 CHANNEL setup: http://www.amazon.com/PAC-AA-GM44-Amplifier-Integration-Interface/dp/B004M4WHHE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8 ?
2, Connect all of the wires and THE PAC HAS THE REMOTE TURN ON LEAD FOR THE AMP? Then run a power cord from the battery to desired amp location (Trunk). Wire the RCAs, ground, and turn on lead to the amp install location too.
3, From here, run speaker wire from the amp to speakers.

Is all of this correct? 
And threw where I work I can get a nice discount on Kicker product (over 50% off normally) so does this sound like a good setup?
AMP: ZX700.5 Kicker ZX700.5 (06zx7005) ZX Series 5-Channel Amplifier 06ZX700.5
Speakers front: KS65.2 Kicker KS65.2 KS Series 6-3/4" component speaker system at Crutchfield.com
Speakers rear: KS65 Kicker KS65 6-3/4" 2-way car speakers at Crutchfield.com
Subs : Already own, 1262w infinities x2 .

Hopefully all of this together will make a good setup but will the audio quality be hurt do to the Pac and will I have to make/but speaker mounts for these speakers?
Also, would it be better to put two 6x9s in the back instead of the back speakers?
Thanks and all suggestions are welcomed


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

The PAC is the only real option without spending upward of $400 to get a decent head unit and all of the extra modules installed, and you still lose quite a bit of functionality. It is fine for sound quality. Your speaker choices however aren't. 

Kicker doesn't make good speakers, flat out. Their subs are SPL dummies and are made to be abused. Inefficient, high moving mass, low sound quality. Their speakers are no different. I have yet to hear a single set of Kicker front components that I could say were worth my dollar. 

The amp is fine, though. Kicker does make good amplifiers, so I can't say anything bad about that. 

One thing you forgot is speaker brackets. They sell those on Crutchfield for ~$15 apiece. They're plastic and flimsy, and will probably buzz and not really seal very well. Not the greatest, but the only other option you have for cheap. I do build custom MDF mounting baffles for people here if you're interested. I charge $60 per pair shipped, including hardware (gasket tape, speaker screws, mounting screws). I can get you pictures if you're interested. The rear doors are a very tight fit, and I can guarantee you that those components will not fit back there. 6.5" is the maximum overall diameter you can run back there and even that's cutting it very close. A 6-3/4" diameter will not fit unless it has a shallow mounting depth and you use a shallow bracket. 

No need for rear 6x9s if you run rear door speakers, and technically speaking, rear door speakers will sound better anyway as they will be low enough to be muffled a bit and you won't deal with as many cancellations or reflections. The only purpose for those 6x9 mounts is for the 6x9 subwoofers that the Pioneer system came with. 

You have the right idea regarding the PAC harness.


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## sethrw (May 21, 2012)

Thanks, what are the best speaker sub $250 a pair that you would redommend?


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## sethrw (May 21, 2012)

What about this for speakers? Kicker QS65.2 (09QS65.2) 6.5" QS-Series Component Car Speakers


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

sethrw said:


> What about this for speakers? Kicker QS65.2 (09QS65.2) 6.5" QS-Series Component Car Speakers


Those sure look better, but ****, for that much money, you could go full active! Seriously, not even kidding. You could run morel tweeters, some NICE Dayton RS midwoofers, a MiniDSP, an additional 4 channel amp, and still be well within that budget limit. Do you have a laptop you can use for tweaking?

If you're not willing to go full active, just run one of these components. Image Dynamics is known for incredible sound quality.
Image Dynamics CXS64 v.2 6-1/2" Chameleon Component Speakers System
Image Dynamics CTX-6.5cs (CTX 65 CS) 6.5" CTX Component Speakers

And if you have deep pockets:
Image Dynamics XS-65 (XS 65) 6.5" 2-Way Component Speaker System

There's really no point to sticking with Kicker. They simply don't make anything that I've ever heard, regardless of price point, that sounds good in the front stage. There are other companies aside from Image Dynamics, but I recommend them because they are an excellent bang for the buck. 

If you can spend $250 or more on front components, have a laptop, and are willing to learn how to tune an audio setup, I would go with a MiniDSP system hands down. It will destroy anything you can buy for 2x what you'd spend. Let me know if you're interested and I can get you some exact parts.


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## sethrw (May 21, 2012)

Okay thanks, the sonly reason i have been sticking to kicker is I can literally get this speakers for a fourth of their retail cost. But I'm going to look into other brands now and see what I can find 
One more thing, I have never installed component speakers before, is it easy to fit them under the factory tweeter cover? and how should i install them in the back? will I have to worry about the mounting depth there?


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

sethrw said:


> Okay thanks, the sonly reason i have been sticking to kicker is I can literally get this speakers for a fourth of their retail cost. But I'm going to look into other brands now and see what I can find
> One more thing, I have never installed component speakers before, is it easy to fit them under the factory tweeter cover? and how should i install them in the back? will I have to worry about the mounting depth there?


Retail prices don't really mean much. They're so over-bloated that it doesn't even matter. Online prices are usually pretty good. 

It's easy to fit them in the factory tweeter cover. All you need is a hot glue gun. You won't have mounting depth issues in the pillar. 

If you're referring to the back door, the mounting depth also shouldn't be too much of an issue. There's actually a cutout in the glass in the back there, but that assumes you have a certain motor size. I'm not 100% sure of this though. What I do know is that using my baffles, you can fit a 3" depth driver in the back doors, up to 6.5" in total diameter. The biggest issue back there is the total width.


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## not-so-bright (May 19, 2012)

I used this video to help me 2012 chevy cruze amp install with stock radio - YouTube


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## Dale_K (Jul 16, 2011)

There's another recent thread about adding an amp to a stock system. The other poster complained that the car's warning chimes became annoyiingly loud after the amp installation.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Dale_K said:


> There's another recent thread about adding an amp to a stock system. The other poster complained that the car's warning chimes became annoyiingly loud after the amp installation.


I'll be working to figure out how to overcome this or at least alleviate it. This will be highly dependent on the gain you set on the amplifier. The biggest issue will be your maximum volume.


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## amalmer71 (Apr 5, 2012)

Dale_K said:


> There's another recent thread about adding an amp to a stock system. The other poster complained that the car's warning chimes became annoyiingly loud after the amp installation.


"Like" x 10,000

I was so tempted to amp the audio system in my wife's Cruze, but voted against it for this reason alone. That is so annoying. We had a 2006 Pontiac SV6 that had the same thing. By the time I turned the gains down to the point the door chime was bearable, it defeated the entire point of amping the speakers.

My son's 2002 Cavalier has a similar problem, but he bypassed it. It was either that or buy a +$100 contraption to allow the use of an external speaker for the door chime. That's no so easy to do in the Cruze.


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## Dale_K (Jul 16, 2011)

I have a 2010 GMC pickup truck and had the stock radio replaced right after I bought it. I had the shop use one of those chime modules because there wouldn't be any chimes on an aftermarket radio otherwise. The chimes on a stock system come through the radio speakers. The chime module works excellently for that application but I'm not sure it would do any good if you kept the stock head unit with an aftermarket amp.

The stock head unit has a GM serial data link and the head unit communicates with other modules on the car for a variety of functions. I think the chimes are internally generated by the stock head unit when it gets a signal over the LAN bus to do so. You can't just cut the LAN bus wire because then the head unit couldn't talk to the other modules in the car. I'm not an expert at this stuff, so take this with a grain of salt. I recently purchased a full set of factory service manuals and I looked at the section for the radio but I wasn't really able to understand most of it. The manual does show a serial data bus line and gives the color code for that particular wire.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Yeah, running a new head unit for the Cruze is not easy. So far, I don't know of anyone who has been able to make the steering wheel controls work correctly. That's a bit of a deal breaker for me.

You can still amp the doors and keep the door chimes bearable. The idea is to have better sound quality. In my particular case, I can use the external gain pot on my minidsp to adjust gain inside the car.

Sent from my Bulletproof_Doubleshot using AutoGuide.Com Free App


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