Thanks, yeah I really like the Alpine Power Pack since it seems to be really easy to install, won't require a LOC, and can hide in the dash.

Would this be enough to increase the bass? I'm not looking for huge thumping sound that will rattle the car. I'm about 60-70% happy with the bass currently in the stock setup. Would upgrading the HU, adding in the Power Pack, and adding a nicer set of door component speakers be enough to increase the base?

Or do you think I would still need to add a sub? That's why I was initially thinking about throwing in one of those powered subs, but not sure if the amp+new speakers would be enough for what I'm trying to achieve.

Thanks again, you've been extremely helpful! I plan on putting this together within the next couple of weeks and will definitely post pics of the install if anyone would like to see.

 

I think the power pack and the upper end speakers will increase your bass substantially. The HU wont matter much. the amplifier negates the power increase from the HU because it will do the same with the new HU and the factory one. The filters in the new HU can be beneficial to more finely tune the sound.

Worst case scenario if you dont get enough bass, you can save up a little more and add step 2 to your system by installing the sub.

Its hard to say what will be enough. I started off with two tens probably doing 115dbs and ended up with a system doing 147dbs. as our system grows so does our tendency to want more.

 

Haha I know what you mean, I've been down that road with other hobbies - hopefully history doesn't repeat itself again!

I'm going to do a little more research on which speakers I plan on using and hopefully I can set this all up within the next few weekends. I really appreciate the advice, thanks man!

 

no problem. I hope I was helpful.

 

So I've been looking everything over and I think I'm ready to submit my order! I'm going to go with the Morel Maximo 6 and the Alpine Power Pack Amp.

The only thing left is I don't know how many RCA cables I need to purchase. There are 3 pre-amp outputs on my head unit (I'm assuming for front, rear, and sub). However, there seems to be only 2 pairs of RCA connectors on the Alpine (I think they say that you connect them to your source's front and rear).

So does that mean I would only need 2 pairs of RCA cables running from the head unit to the Power Pack Amp?

If I were to add a powered sub in the future would it not go through the amp and instead have the RCA cable go straight from the HU to the sub?

 

if it has two sets they will be front and rear. You will need two sets of rca's running from the front and rear pre-out on the HU.

The third will be for the sub. so if you were to add a powered sub in the future you would run another set from the third pre-out to the rca input on the amp for the sub.

 

Ok thanks that makes sense.

While the Power Pack can be powered directly from the head unit, apparently it requires the battery circuit to the HU to be fused at 15 amps or higher. The rep at Crutchfield said that my Accord doesn't quite meet that and that it's recommended to run power from the battery to the amp.

They recommended Crutchfield CK12 kit to help connect the amp to the battery, but I feel like some of their kits are often a little overpriced. What exactly would I need to purchase (preferably from Amazon) in order to run power from the battery?

This is what they include, but I'm not sure if I need all of it:

• 17' Length of 12AWG power wire with in-line fuse holder (red translucent jacket and terminated with ring-terminal on one end)
• 6' Length of 12AWG ground wire (black translucent jacket and terminated by a ring-terminal on one end)
• 15A ATC fuse
• 20A ATC fuse
• 30A ATC fuse
• Firewall bushing
• 2 Butt-connectors
• 6' Length of split loom
• 6 Wire ties

 

Just buy 20' of 12 guage copper wire.


some ring terminals.


15 amp fuse with holder. I would just get one that takes the same style fuse as the car. the amp shouldnt pull more than 15 amps and you fuse to protect the wire.


skip the butt connectors and either use connector caps or solder and heat shrink. (solder and heat shrink is always the more secure option)



split loom in a short incriment.

and a gromet





all of this should cost less than $20 in the automotive department at walmart or at autozone and you will have extra wire and loom left over.

Edit: also measure the length of the piece of wire you will be using. I would use a piece of string to test run and see how long it will be. Here is a chart for amperage to wire length and size. you may need to go up to a heavier wire.

 

Perfect, I'm shooting for installation next weekend and will post some pics of the final install. Thanks!

 

Thanks for adding the pics, didn't see those at first. That'll be extremely helpful to find everything in the store!

I've read a lot of people recommending on focusing just on the front stage of a system by either setting the fade heavily to the front or even disconnecting the rears. I don't plan on upgrading the rears in the future. Someone posted this below and I was wondering if this would be a good idea?

I'm not exactly sure how to do it, but it sounds like you use the amp to provide more power to just the fronts instead of distributing its efforts between the front and rear speakers.