Now when it comes to anything car related I am a complete and utter noob. So I would really appreciate some input. I currently own a 2000 ES300 with premium sound and I’m planning a project. As of right now the only components I have at a 4 channel 1200watt amp and a pair of 12’ subs that I may not even use at the moment (or at all).

The goal of my project is to add a good and relatively cheap CarPC system. I don’t want to compete with others in sound competitions, and I don’t want to shake my neighbors windows. I just want good sound for a great price.

At the moment all I need to focus on is the aftermarket head unit, the amp(s), and speakers. Now the car itself has 4 door speakers, 2 tweeters, and 1 rear deck speaker making it a total of 7 speakers. Now I want to make sure I have everything I need in order to replace the factory speakers and radio and I’ve tried searching and googling but I haven’t turned up with a solid conclusion.

1. I’m assuming that your typical aftermarket head units will contain a similar plug:

Which will then hook up to this plug:

Which then hooks up to the OEM amp and then the other colored wires hook up to each other.
Am I somewhat right?
2. For better sound should I use a second amp? I figure that since better speakers will require better output, the original amp will no longer cut it? Correct?
3a. The higher channel amps are EXPENSIVE. So should I add a secondary amp that will power 4 channels and leave the other 3 to the OEM amp?
3b. How will I go about wiring that exactly?
3c. Will the 4 speakers drown out the rest?
3d. Which 4 speakers should be hooked to the aftermarket AMP and which should be hooked up to the remaining 3?
3e. If I have to connect both amps should I splice them BEFORE or AFTER the OEM amp?
4a. I currently already have a 4 channel amp collecting dust. Problem is it’s REALLY big, and I’ll have to mount it in the trunk. Is there a limit of how long I can run speaker wire before sound begins to degrade?
4b. What about RCA?
If there are ANY other accessories that you think I will need feel free to slap them here. So far I managed to pick out the harness (as shown in the picture): http://www.autotoys.com/x/cust/produ...productid=1133
And I have a Pryamid 1200 watt 4 channel amplifier.

 

It's been a few days and it's getting buried fast. Time to bump.

 

1. I haven't seen an aftermarket HU without a plug like that. Some have the RCA outputs connected with short lines that don't unplug or they just may use RCA jacks in the rear of the unit.
2. You can bypass your OEM amp for the front, rear or both. It really depends on the aftermarket amp you are getting. And no, better speakers don't always require a better amp.
3a. You didn't mention 7 channels. Just because you have mids and tweeters in a door doesn't mean you have 2 amp channels running them. More than likely they are run through a passive cross-over network.
3b. It depends completely on what equipment you choose. If you want to go active, you would need an electronic crossover or an amp with one built in.
3c. No speaker should over power the others if you have a balanced system. I'm not a fan of rear speakers or even rear fill. I don't ride in the back seat so I could care less if it sounds good back there. I like speakers in front and a sub in the back.
3d. Pick the parts for your system and then we can start to get more into what should connect with what.
3e. Splice what? See 3d.
4a. You can run speaker wire thousands of feet. The resistance will be higher so larger wire is recommended. The only problem you may get into is higher inductance since the wire is twisted. Again, that only happens at thousands of feet. You will never have a problem in a car.
4b. I'm running RCA cables 55 feet in my house for both full range sound and sub output from my home stereo. I've read where others have gone 100+ feet. Should not be a problem in a car with quality cables.

I'm sorry to tell you that Pyramid is not the most well thought of car audio company. In fact, they are flea market/pawn shop quality at best. Your 1200w amp would only output that much power if it were struck by lightning. I used Fultron and Pyramid gear back in the '80s and it sucked then (except for an amp they had built by PPI). Otherwise, it's crap. Getting a quality amp that puts out 50w/channel or even 25w/channel will sound much better than that Pyramid. When I finally upgraded to Orion and PPI gear around 1990, I became a believer. Power isn't everything. My 20w/channel Orion sounded better and louder than a 400w Pyramid.

-Robert