Looking to see if anyone has mounted an amp (on the physically smaller side) somewhere in the front. Under a seat. In the dash?

I'd rather not have to run power/rca/speaker wire from the HU, to the back, then wire up to the speakers. Hoping I can find a place up front to mount the amp. Likely an Alpine MRX-F35 (7.5x9x2.25")

 

Maybe under the center console,seats, or steering wheel.

Just try around.

 

Don't have the amp yet....but I guess I can mock up a box with the appropriate dimensions and use that to try fitting it around. Just hoping that maybe someone else out there has done something like this and has some ideas already.

 

Smallest GOOD 4 channel amp that could be hidden really well I know of is:

Alpine Electronics of America, Inc.

After this comes the massive audio NANO line;

Massive Audio Amplifiers Archives » Massive Audio

The biggest problem with hiding any amp, is HEAT. The amp's heat sink is designed to dissipate heat, however there has to be room, and relative air movement for this to happen. So keep this in mind when trying to hide or tuck an amp into a small place.

If you are not looking for a TON of power, then the Alpine would be my recommendation, ebay has them and various other online audio sites, last I looked you could get one new for around $125.

 

Wow... that 2 channel Massive nano amp is SWEET.... I miss my good stereo... I was considering how to get the MOST out of a stock head unit in my GD with the least wiring/weight (racecar vs daily driver problems ) ...hmm...

 

Found another candidate (PPI ion i350.2)
PrecisionPower - Products - Amplifiers - iON - i350.2

Really wondering if there's somewhere inside the dash I could install this. It's a class D, so it should run fairly cool. Also heard on the GD models that there's some nice room inside the dash on the passenger side. Don't know if that still applies to the GE8's though.

 

I don't think Clarion is the best amp, and this one doesn't push a lot of power, but this is the one I am considering due to space restrictions:

Clarion XC1410 Compact 4-channel car amplifier — 50 watts RMS x 4 at Crutchfield.com

 

I REALLY liked my JL amp that was stolen, but it is $$$ and a bit bigger than these at 8.52x7.09

XD400/4 - Car Audio - Amplifiers - XD - JL Audio

 

http://compare.ebay.com/like/330926576911?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar

 

Starting to rethink things....
Might just go with a 2 channel setup (amp) and power the rears from the HU (Pioneer 8500)

The Alpine 445U really looks sweet! It's a 4 channel amp, but it can also be bridged - giving me 90W@4ohms total, which works for me!
It also completely blows away any of the other compact amp choices, in terms of physical size!! I know I could fit this thing in the dash!!

Here's a nice high level review of the Alpine amp:
PASMAG | PERFORMANCE AUTO AND SOUND - Alpine Electronics KTP-445U Amplifiers

 

Went ahead and ordered the little Alpine amp.
Love the size, and the fact that I don't need to run a new power wire for the amp!
Fits inside the dash, and running in bridged mode, gives me a nice 90W@4ohms for the fronts. (For now, I'm thinking I'll just power the rears from the HU)

I'm not looking to setup a high-end system - just want a nice upgrade.
The rest of the system is a Pioneer 8500 HU, front speakers will likely be either ID ctx 6.5cs, or JBL ms-62c (if these will fit!), maybe stock rear speakers, and an Alpine SBR-S8-4 sub run by an Alpine MRX-M55 amp.
If some extra change comes my way in the future, I'd love to try out a JBL MS-8 !!

 

I think like the above poster. It's just easy and practical. Ya you could run two amps but your costs just went way up. My way of thinking is, i buy a decent amp, speakers and install kit and not spend out the behind. I get smallish, quality components that won't take up any of my limited space. Because everything is so small, anyone looking to rob me won't to be too excited when he sees my boring "stock" system.

 

I'm looking to do something similar. Want an upgrade, good sound quality, and slim discreet placement.

Appreciate the amp suggestions - do you also need a digital signal processor if connecting to the stock stereo?

I want to preserve my steering-wheel controls , center console, etc.

 

For the sub, I ended up actually going with a JBL 6" microsub (yes, 6" sub! but man is the thing nice and small!!)
It's being powered by a JBL HX300/1 (300W mini amp). The amp is not much bigger than the Alpine that is powering the front speakers!

The box is about as small as you can get for a sub. It's enough to create some nice low end. I don't blast bass-heavy music, so it's enough for me.

As for the question, no DSP needed. DSP is optional in all scenarios.