Car Stereos: Install Amp, mono amplifier, double din radio

Question
I have a 2008 Honda Ridgeline. I have an aftermarket Pioneer double din radio..PIOAVHP3100DVD,,,, when i installed the unit, the factory sub stoped working. Do I need an amp to power it on? or can i somehow power on the sub without anything? What all do i need and what would be the best way to solve this? Thanks!

Answer
Hi,

Sorry about the delay in answering this question.

In your vehicle, the factory subwoofer is driven directly by the stock head unit.  This is a pretty uncommon setup; usually when you have a factory sub, there's a stock amplifier to run it.  In your vehicle, though, there's no practical way to use the stock sub with an after-market head unit.  You'll need an amplifier.

I don't know the power rating of the stock sub, but I can't imagine the amplifier built into the head unit is all that powerful.  The subwoofer is a 2.5-ohm design; so to run it, you'd need a 2-ohm stable, mono amplifier.  The smallest such amplifier you can find should do the trick.

Hope this helps!

Brian