I'm an idiot when it comes to stereos, please help me

[Ryan99Z28]

Ok I have a few sets of questions... first regarding my 99 Z28. It has the factory 200 watt amp in it. In 2000 they got the 500 watt amp right? Can I get a factory Z28 500 watt amp and plug it in to work or not? I'm not really looking to do anything aftermarket with the Z28, the only thing I would want to do is change out the speakers maybe, but I would prefer to have factory amps.

2nd I have a pos 95 Neon that has crappy stereo. People complain that the F Body monsoon stereos are crap, but if you are like me and drive a car that has nothing, the monsoon is wonderful... anyways, it has 2 2.5" speakers on the dash, 2 6.75" speakers on the door, and 2 6x9s in the back. I am wanting to power up maybe just the 6x9s or those and the 6.75" speakers. Now how do I know what speakers to get? Is it true that underpowering a speaker will screw it up? Because if I end up just powering the 6x9s, then I am only limited to getting "factory" powered speakers for everything else so I don't underpower them. Also, lets assume I power the 4 speakers and not the 2 2.5" speakers... will I need a stereo with pre-amp outlets for 4 channels or does it make a difference? Finally, based on my setup, what would you simply reccomend I do? Thanks. :cool:

[drm]

about the camaro. A 500w amp will do nothing for you..all marketing. And you cant just change your speakers. The stocks are 2ohm when 99% of the aftermarket are 4ohm (aka you will lose ALOT of volume). The smartest thing you can do is get a new deck, 2 sets of 6.5"s and rewire it bypassing the amp. You will lose bass but it will sound SO much cleaner.

the neon...get 6x9 and 6.5"s..and you dont need RCA unless your gonna run an amplifier. Just a deck and speakers..see how u like it. After that its amps and subs man.:cool:

[Ryan99Z28]

Ok, I will try that, I will replace the speakers and see how it works, but how do I know which ones to get based on what the stereo puts out now? It says 160watts but I have been told to never trust those anyways. So do I just get whatever ones I think are going to be good or what?

[drm]

well most decks are 180w-208w..in reality 19-23W RMS..no major difference. Id get a Rockford or eclipse speaker because they are very efficient speakers.

[Ryan99Z28]

Ok I will check them out and see how I like it. Thanks a lot for the help. :D

[$ickZ06]

yea it will sound clean but there is NO bass at all just like he mentioned. I have plenty of bass with my system but in my sister's camaro she replaced her monsoon with a new head unit and speakers and the bass was the same as my moms honda :dunno: So your gonna have to get an aftermarket subwoofer if you want to have some bass with the crispness of the new speakers.

[Ryan99Z28]

Well I am not really dissapointed with the Slowmaro's sound system, like I said, with the cars I have had before, the monsoon is awesome to me. I was just looking for some simple ways to make it even better, but if it is too much of a PITA then I won't mess with it. The Neon, however, needs jesus.

[drm]

with the camaro..its all or nothing really... But the camaro is an all or nothing kinda car:cool: