upgrade audio?, i know nothing about audio Options

[cnelson]

Hey guys.. heres what i know..

My stock headunit says.. "50Wx4" so does this mean 50W for each of my speakers? (I have four)

I want to get four, or (at least 2 now and 2 later) I know the fronts are 6.5in.. but are the rear speakers the same size? They look like there differant..

Should i buy an amp? I think the answer is yes.. because i want more power to my speakers.. (nothing hardcrode just a little more) I was thinking about getting a 250 or 500 wat amp.

And than maybe some 175 wat speakers than upgrade later if i really want?

Should i install all this my self of get someone to do? I have some experince with wireing lights in my car but nothing more than that.

I was thinking maybe going to pep-boys or buying everything off ebay and doing it all myslef?

Also where would i mount the amp? I would want it in a visible place? I was thinking the sealing?

Thanks for any help.

This post has been edited by cnelson: Mar 8, 2007 - 10:22 PM

[GTS13]

Ok so this might contradict what others have said so far but I'm an audio nut. I'm actually kinda unsatisfied with the acoustics of the Celica, whenever someone sits in the front seat their leg blocks most the sound for my right ear so I depend on the rear speakers; what are you gonna do eh?
Anyway, I would recommend that you do some research on www.crutchfield.com it's an awesome site that lists the specs most places don't.
Installing everything yourself is pretty easy, except for the front speakers because they are an 8" gap and you have to make your own custom mounts for 6.5" speakers. I didn't feel like doing that so I just went to CarToys and had them make them for me.

I recommend:
4x 6.5" speakers.
1x 4 channel amp for all the speakers.

Amps clarify your music at all volumes, even if you buy expensive speakers they're still not going to sound their best until you put them on an amp.
Oh and one more thing, forget about looking at the peak watts of what a speaker can do or what a amp can put out, none of that matters. What does matter is the RMS which is the amount of continuous power, measured in watts, that an amplifier produces. This is also true for your head unit that probably puts out about 22 watts RMS x 4.
So check out the RMS output per channel on the amp and the RMS on the speaker. Try to match them up and keep in mind that it's better to overpower your speakers than underpower them.

If you're interested in learning more on your own, this should help.
http://www.crutchfieldadvisor.com/S-aXMfSC...ningcenter/car/