e9stibi

After some recent discussions about upgrading the hifi system in the 993 I spent some time with measurements and options for an amplifier under the passenger seat to replace the Nokia amp that comes with the hifi option.

I know that there are a lot of options for trunk install but I am looking for an "under-the-seat" solution even if I need to sacrifice a little bit on sound quality.

General description of the area under the seat (car with Nokia amp):

Hight: I measured 61mm available if the amp sits at the bottom like the Nokia. There is some extra room (maybe 10mm) if you take out the seat and remove some sheet metal that is screwed to the bottom of the seat and re-route some cables. To me more specific, someone needs to take out the seat and have a closer look.

Width: I measured 185mm between the two control units (one left / one right).

Length: I measured 230mm. The amp is mounted into a pan and my measurement is for the flat part in this pan. The pan goes up about 10mm at each side which increase the hight of your installation if your amp is longer. There are some cables at the end of the pan that consume some room (15mm) but can be easily rerouted.

Measurement of Nokia Amp:

H: 53mm W: 165mm L: 195mm

The cable connections are all at the front side.

Aftermarket options:

I just spent some hours to go through measurements for a 2-channel solution because I plan to drive the front with the amp and the rears with the radio.

1. Blaupunkt THA275PnP (2 Channel, 2x75W @ 4Ohm)

H: 38mm W: 159mm L: 171mm

Comments: This puppy is smaller than OEM Nokia. I am not sure about the quality but it will be much better for the 149 USD you will spend.

2. Alpine PDX-2.150 (2 Channel, 2x150W @ 4Ohm)

H: 62mm W: 192mm L: 257mm

Comments: This will be a tough fit and might need some re-arrangement of the other control units to accommodate for the available width (185mm). Length is also more than the flat part of the pan and considering the hight of 62mm, some work will be needed on bottom of the seat and/or pan. I think it can be done but too many unknowns for me. Would be could if someone can share a solution with the adjustments that have been made.

3. JVC Arsenal KS-AR8002D (2 Channel, 2x150W @ 4Ohm)

H: 62mm W: 182mm L: 250mm

Comments: Should fit except for the length. Adjustments to the seat / pan or Amp needed to make it fit. Appears easier than for the Alpine because the width is fine.

4. Hifonics TXI4008 (2 Channel, 2x100W @ 4Ohm)

H: 60mm W: 180mm L: 230mm

Comments: From my measurements, this would be a perfect fit. Only issue is that the connections are at the side where the control units are but the units are small and there are extra 5mm to work with. I think this can be done without hassle but seat might come out to have access for the tight cable routing.

5. Soundstream STL2.350 (2 Channel, 2x100W @ 4Ohm)

H: 53mm W: 166mm L: 245mm

Comments: Except for the length (+15 mm) this appears to be a great fit. The terminals are at front and back which is easily accessible. Because it is so flat I am not concerned to make it fit and/or compensate the extra hight of installation due to being longer than the pan (estimate +10mm).

I have ordered the Soundstream because I am sure that I will make it fit without cutting the pan or the seat. Taking out the seat is easy because I replaced the 'butter bolts' when I redyed them. The Blaupunkt would have been the easier call because it will fit without seat removal but I went for the extra power and the a brand that I already new from installs in earlier times.

I hope this helped. I will add some pics from my install later.

zone5

Awesome -- thanks for your work!!

This is very helpful info for those of us who want to upgrade our stereos....

zone5

Here's the description of the Blaupunkt from the Amazon website:

2/1 Channel 400 Watt Power Amplifier - Maximum Power: 2 x 150 watts @ 4ohms. / 1 x 400 watts @ 4 ohms. - Ultra Compact Design - Highly efficient amplifier with minimal power needs - Features a Direct Auxiliary Input (3.5mm stereo jack) for portable music and navigation - Amplifier is ready for Plug and Play Connection using optional adapter cables - Varaible low-pass filter: 50-250 Hz - Variable high-pass filter: 10-250 Hz - 2 ohm stable in stereo mode (4ohm in bridged mode) - Inputs: 1pr. x RCA, 1pr. x High Level Speaker via PnP connector, and 1 Direct Aux. - Dimensions (w x h x d): 6.8" x 1.7" x 6.3"

This seems to imply that one can somehow hook up an Ipod directly to the amp --- or am I way off base on this?

cy7878

Don't forget the measurments do not include the cable hookup yet. Need to add another few cm to the side to accommodate the connectors.

The Eagle

Thanks for sharing this with us!


~ The Eagle ~
---------------------
'96 Polar Silver/Black C4S, manual, litronics, LED's in the positioning lights, alu/leather shifter & handbrake,
silver face gauges with alu rings, "GT" sport seats, full leather interior, motor sound airbox, stainless door sills,
front protection bar, with split rear grill and layered with Meguiar's NXT Tech Wax
__________________
'92 Carrera 2 (Sold)
'89 Carrera 3.2 (Sold)

e9stibi

To the Blaupunkt:

Yes, the aux input of the BP amp is a nice feature. You can easily run a cable from under the seat to the console or glove box for an ipod. The was not important for me because I already have the aux input in my CDR 220. The amp is so small that you will not have any trouble with running the cables at the side. This is the beauty of the Soundtream that is bigger but has the connections at the front and back where you have enough room. I think this solution is the easiest one of my options (but there might be more options).

SKM

I am looking for a factory hi-fi sound amp if anyone has one they are not using.

zone5

Is the Nokia amp that's in there a 4 channel or 2? If one were to get the Blaupunkt which is 2 channel, can all 4 speaker areas (left/right, front/back) be powered by that amp?

e9stibi

Technically, it is a 6 channel for the cabriolet: 2 channels for front woofers (over active x-over in the amp), 2 channels for front mid/tweeter and 2 channels for rear speakers.

I would not waste any amp channels for the rears and would drive them directly from the radio. With this, a 2 channel should be ok for the fronts but you need a passive crossover for a 2 or 3 component system in the doors. The crossovers are part of the speaker sets.

SuperUser

I love the Arc mini's http://www.arcaudio.com/productdescr...125.2-mini.asp

-dto

zone5

Since all I really want is louder sound, not distorted just louder, I was going to try a new amp such as the Blaupunkt and leave the stock speakers in the doors with their passive crossovers in place. Should work, right?

matt777

Did you look at Car Audio Innovations site? (Rennlist sponsor) He has a good photo of an Audison amp install as well as a couple others. The Audison looks narrow.

http://www.caraudioinnovations.com/tips.htm

DocTock993

If you do the piecemeal approach, replace the speakers first (the Nokia's are just flat out crappy).
If all you do is replace the amp you will just have more power pushing bad speakers.
That will NOT improve the sound at all.

Sorry to hijack this excellent thread.

nile13

Ask yourself a simple question. Are you actually listening to the amp or the speakers? The way to go becomes obvious after you get that answer right :-)

RKB has said it and I'll second it. Speakers.

e9stibi

I suggest to do both speakers and amp. I have already a big improvement now by just having the amp replaced and I cannot wait for the speakers which are still sitting in the garage awaiting installation. Now after my self-built duplex doghouse for 2 Labs reaches completion i might find the time after my next DE. It will be a blast with the new speakers because I agree on the crappy quality of the Nokia speakers. However, I agree with the previous posters: If you just do "one", start with the speakers.