Audio Systems: car audio, component speaker system, watt amp

Question
i have a 2001 millenia s , recently put a 1200 watt and and 2 6x9 kenwood speakers in the back. cant hear front speakers because the amp was only 2 channel is going to the 6x9, what should iget to make a better sound system? get a componenet system or what in the front deck and should i push it with a new amp? should i get a sub? thanks

Answer
Ross,
Sorry it has taken me so long to reply to this email. I was hospitalized the day I got it with a severe allergic reaction, so needless to say I'm a bit behind in everything. As for your question though, your setup sounds a bit strange. A 1200 watt amp to power two 6x9" speakers is waaaay too much.

There are a few different solutions to this problem though. The first would be to use one channel to power all the speakers on the left-hand side of the car, and one channel to power all the speakers on the right hand side of the car. Even though it's only a 2 channel amp, you can set it up to power all the speakers in the car evenly. However, you'll lose the front/rear distinction in the music. You will only have a left channel and right channel.

The second solution would be to purchase another powerful two channel amp, and have that amp power your front speakers. If you did this, you would be able to use any component speakers on the market, and have front left/right and rear left/right channel distinction in the music. You would definitely want at least a 2-way component speaker system in the front part of the car, with a 3-way component speaker system being the ideal choice (but the most expensive). I think that using a 1200 watt amp on a 3-way component speaker sytem up front with a 600 watt amp on the two 6x9"s in the rear would be the best. Of course you'd need a subwoofer (and amp too); at least one 10" or 12" or more (depending on your personal tastes). It can be relatively expensive to build a good sounding system, but a well built system will last you a long time. And you'll love it too. If you have any other questions, please let me know.

Best Of Luck,
Alan