Hiya all - I just won a brand new empeg/rio-car unit on ebay, and as soon as it arrives I'm going to begin the process of ripping my dashboard apart to install it. I've already learned I'm going to need an amp for it, as neons never came with seperate amp units factory-stock..

If anyone has done an install on a neon, I could really use some pointers as I have no idea what I'm doing.

Thanx!

-c*

I did an install on an 97 Neon. Basically its just like installing any other radio. Installing the amp is the hard part, if you want to maintain the factory speakers (i wouldnt advise it) you will want a very low wattage amp (30W/channel or so) and once the amp is installed the empeg install is cake.

ED7

Make sure to check out the "car installation questions" section of the empeg FAQ, linked at the top of this page.

Keeping the factory speakers would be nice, as that would save me the price of buying new ones. I'm a little unclear on what you're saying though - are you saying it would be harder to install an amp IF I kept the factory speakers, and easier if I didn't?

As I get closer to the ripping-and-tearing time I'll likely want to call on your knowledge. I have a vague idea that installing an amp will mean sticking it in the trunk, then running wire to it, and back again - but seeing it in my head and doing it are two different things, I realise.

Tips, tricks and hints are always good things to have. Thanx for the quick reply, too!

I don't wanna hijack this thread, nor do I want to showcase my ignorance, but...

if you want to maintain the factory speakers ... you will want a very low wattage amp

I was under the impression that the speakers were the ultimate arbiters of how much wattage was passed to them. That is, the speakers might never ever use more than 30W of power, and, therefore, slapping a 400W amp back there wouldn't do any worse or better than a 30W amp (ignoring quality differences between the amps).

Am I wrong in this? The reason I ask is that while cobalt might not want to replace his factory speakers now, he might want to do it at a later date, and if he did so, then he might have to get a new amp, as well.

Woah, replies popping up, even as I type. Way cool...

I already took a wander through the FAQ, which is how I came to disover this wasn't going to be easy easy a job as I initially thought it would. Unfortunately I don't have the kind of setup that would let me just plug the thing in and run it. Oh well..

What I did was go to a random installer and have them install the appropriate cables, then installed the rest of it myself. It wasn't really very expensive to get them to do just that.

I was under the impression that the speakers were the ultimate arbiters of how much wattage was passed to them. That is, the speakers might never ever use more than 30W of power, and, therefore, slapping a 400W amp back there wouldn't do any worse or better than a 30W amp (ignoring quality differences between the amps).

For the most part, you are correct. Just because you have cheap speakers doesn't mean you need to use a cheap amp. In fact, a better amplifier can tend to make even factory speakers sound better.

If you intend to upgrade the factory speakers to nicer ones, it might be a good idea to get a powerful amp now. Just turn down its gain controls low so that you don't blow the factory speakers.

But if you don't intend to upgrade the speakers, then there's no sense in wasting the money on a beefy amp.

But if you don't intend to upgrade the speakers, then there's no sense in wasting the money on a beefy amp.

Oops. Meant to include that point.

But, just to clarify, a 400W amp has no more facility to blow your speakers than a 30W amp. In fact, as I understand it, a 30W amp might have a greater chance since it's more inclined to clip when driving speakers that need more power than it can deliver. Right?

But, just to clarify, a 400W amp has no more facility to blow your speakers than a 30W amp.

Well... sort of.

A 30 watt amp might well play as loud as you ever wanted, without capacity to let the smoke out of the speakers. The 400 watt amp would play just as loud as the 30 watt amp, and would send a cleaner signal that was less likely to cause problems. BUT... the 400 watt amp would also have the "head room" to play much louder than you ever wanted and if you were careless with the gain control, could blow up your speakers.

All in all, however, when it comes to amps, more is better. Go with bigger amp.

As for keeping the stock speakers -- that will make installation easier, but at the expense of sound quality. Think about it -- there isn't a factory speaker in that Neon that cost Dodge more than $6 to buy. A really good quality replacement speaker costs 25 times that amount, and people line up to get them. There has to be a reason for that!

tanstaafl.

Agree.

A 30W (if correctly rated, on the limit to clipping) amp can output up to 60W (at 100% distorsion - essentially sending square waves to the speakers) - and a 30W speaker won't like that. But it won't like being fed 400W of power either, no matter how clean the signal.

/Michael

But it won't like being fed 400W of power either, no matter how clean the signal.

Right, but the point is that if you turn the amp gains down very low, and make sure not to turn things up so loud that you clip the speakers, then it's not sending 400w to the speakers. You could drive 30w speakers off of a 400w amp without damaging them. As long as you're careful.

I mean, yes, you could also melt the speakers quite quickly if you weren't careful. It certainly would be harder to get a 30w amp to melt speakers than a 400w amp. But the 400w amp doesn't necessarily have to be deadly as long as it's turned down.

Oh, and as long as it never "pops". A 400w "pop" could certainly be deadly for some factory speakers. Hmm, hadn't thought of that...

AOL

/Michael