How many watts should my in-dash stereo have?
 

I'm getting a new in-dash unit so I can plug my ipod into it.
My car already had a infinity sound system installed when I bought it, I was wondering if I add 2 subs to it, will I need a more powerful in-dash unit or can I add an amp and then it doesn't matter how powerful the indash is?

The ones I'm looking at are 200 and 320 watts. Is that enough for a sound system without subs?

thanks

Re: How many watts should my in-dash stereo have?
 

you must have a dedicated amp if you add subs. no stereo in the world will supply the needed power. most are only 18-22w per channel and barely enough to drive regular speakers.

Re: How many watts should my in-dash stereo have?
 

you can adjust the output of your subs to be level with the sound from your regular speakers. all amps have a gain on them.

Re: How many watts should my in-dash stereo have?
 

buy an amp. Without one, your speakers will distort when you turn them up. Adding an amp gives you much more clarity.
subs will require a different amp altogether

Re: How many watts should my in-dash stereo have?
 

yeah just pick up a Mono block or a 2 channel amp with say 300 - 600 watts of RMS power and your set. Alpine made a 50W RMS x 4 head unit back in 2004 but it required you to still run a 4awg wire to the battery.. waste of time.

Re: How many watts should my in-dash stereo have?
 

How many watts are in a stock setup? Mine is stock and sounds terrible. I am looking to replace it very soon.

Re: How many watts should my in-dash stereo have?
 

prob 10-15 watts RMS, most aftermarket radio's will give you 20-25watts RMS. but more importantly you will have a more adjustable EQ curve so you can "tune" your sound

Re: How many watts should my in-dash stereo have?
 

Thanks for the reply.

I am looking at an inexpensive bluetooth solution at bestbuy here

... and one at frys here

Re: How many watts should my in-dash stereo have?
 

pioneer is usually pretty good. although i now have a DEH-X8500BH and it seems to skip a lot with the bluetooth. But I have an old iphone 4 so I think that's to blame. Whenever the phone makes noise (i.e. text message, lock button noise, etc) the BT drops for a few seconds. Other then that it's a great radio.

I would also be cautious of the cheaper flip-out dash units. I used to work in a car audio a best buy many years ago and the cheaper ones always seemed to break after 2-3 years. Only ones that seemed to last were the nicer pioneer or alpine units.

Re: How many watts should my in-dash stereo have?
 

Many thanks for the advice, I went ahead and pulled the trigger on a Pioneer DEH-X3500UI for $59.99... reason being that I had a bunch of gift cards from Christmas and this seemed like a decent deck. Originally $99.99, after a price drop of 40 bucks, I got out the door for 13 dollars and some change. No Bluetooth, but the AUX and USB port should suffice for now until I can afford a nice flipscreen. I think for the money it is a good starting point, next up: some speakers and amp!