DevineOrn

does anyone know the "official" continuous power output figure (RMS) for the non-Bose factory HU in the 2003 z? i have searched everywhere for two days and i can’t find that simple number. it will help me make some decisions as i prepare to buy a new HU for xmas.

thanks all!

Spike100

The value you ask about is adequate for any aftermarket device (H/U, preamp, etc.) If you are not looking at an exclusively Bose compatible device, you're "good to go."

--Spike

DevineOrn

thanks spike...i guess what i should ask is this:

the stock H/U has:

160Watt Peak Output
___Watt RMS Continuous Output

sorry for my poorly worded ?uestion.

Spike100

^^ Is your plan to replace the H/U and nothing else?

--Spike

DevineOrn

i'm not sure as of now. i've looked at a few systems at BB and CC and i'm familiarizing myself with "sound." my two rear speakers don't work any more and rather that just doing a simple swap out, i want to see what options i have without going "over the top"...meaning i want to, at most, change all 4 speakers and HU while maintaining the current factory wiring and without getting an amp. as you can tell, i am not an audiophile, but i do appreciate good sound nontheless.

i was thinking of getting a HU that puts out at least 20Watts RMS X 4 and four speakers that can handle 20Watts RMS each, but i don't have a reference point to compare to what i have now. Meaning, i don't know what the stock figures are...if the stock figures turn out to be, let's say, 16Watts RMS X 4, then i know i won't be gaining much by buying a HU with onboard amp only at 20Watts RMS X 4.

DevineOrn

i understand that numbers are not everything, and i also hear that you never know how a system really sounds until it's installed in your own car. but i do want to be sure i'm not overpowering or underpowering any component. i also want to be sure not to end up with the same sound quality i have now.

StreetOC192

iTrader: (7)

Going from the OE headunit to an aftermarket headunit, ANY aftermarket headunit, you won't be gaining anything really measurable in the arena of watts. Even if a headunit is rated at 40 watts rmsx4, it is probably more like a real-world 15 watts rmsx4 clean. The figure presented by headunit manufacturers are "perfect situation" numbers and not really indicative of what you will see. And you do realize that you would have to increase the rms watts 5-fold to double the output volume, so going from 10 watts rms to 20 watts rms is almost negligible anyway.

HOWEVER, almost any headunit you buy aftermarket will have better components in their built in amps, thereby giving you better output anyway. The componentry will just make the signal sound better even over the OE speakers. Now if you are going to be replacing all the speakers, you 'could' run them off the headunit and it'll sound decent, but I would suggest even a small 50x4 rms amp to power your speakers. You would not believe the difference between the SQ of the internal amp of a headunit and the SQ of a quality outboard amp.

Bottom line - if you want to just replace the headunit right now, then don't worry too much about rms ratings of the built in amp. It isn't going to be worth your time researching. Just make sure you get a quality piece with all the features you want.

Then later on you can upgrade the speakers and run that setup for a little bit. Then add an external amp and run that setup for a little while. Then add a sub and sub amp. One thing about car audio (and video) is it's very addicting and what you have now is never enough in the future. have fun with it!

Lsmith9523

From what I understand,,,the base OEM headunit produces around 12/13 RMS. Most aftermarket headunits will produce about 17/18 RMS. I hope this helps.

DevineOrn

Thank you both, Street and Lsmith. Great advice! Here is what i have decided based on your input:

i'll start with
a nice HU that puts out 17-20Watts RMS X 4
four speakers that can handle 50Watts RMS each.

later, if i get addicted (i'm a pushover), i will add a small, discrete outboard amp that puts out 50Watts RMS X 4 to match the four speakers (it's the rewiring that i'm trying to avoid, but i'll do it if it comes down to that)

i don't know if i'll get all the way down to a sub, but never say never.

Thanks again.

StreetOC192

iTrader: (7)

Feel free to ask any other questions you may have. Good luck and post pics of your work.

Lsmith9523

DevineOrn,,,,my suggestion would be as follows: If you are going to replace your speakers, I would go ahead and replace them with a decent set up that will handle at LEAST 75-100W RMS. I would also plan to install an amplifier to power those speakers. The sound is so much better. I am not sure how you feel about rear fill,,,,some people here take the rear speakers out all together,,,some do not. Me personally, I replaced my rear speakers with a decent set of Alpine SPS17C's 6.5's. I power my rear speakers off the headunit, for rear fill. I have my comp's amped. I am running the small Alpine MRP F-450 amp to my front stage. It is producing around 70watts RMS. With that medium power,,,I was able to use the factory speaker wiring. If you decide to to put more than 80watts or more to the speakers,,I would suggest replacing all speaker wire.

I am only suggesting this,,so you will not have to go back and tear your doors apart again if you decide to install an amp. Just my 2 cents...

Good Luck.

StreetOC192

iTrader: (7)

Not disagreeing with anything you said, but not sure what rms handling of components has to do with quality. Most of your really high end components are rated around 50-80 rms watts. The 'volume' difference between 50 watts and 100 watts is almost inaudible. And most of the systems I've installed and seen/listened to have the gains adjusted down to avoid the components overpowering the sub-stage. So by turning the gains down on the components you aren't pushing the rated rms power to them anyway. I feel it is most important to like the sound/timbre of a set of components, and of course what fits into the budget set by the buyer.

Lsmith9523

StreetOC,,,I agree with what you are saying. In my eye's, quality is anything better than OEM speakers. I also agree "budget" holds a big part in deciding on which direction to go for your upgrades. I was only pointing out the fact of doing it right the first time, cutting down on installation re-do's.

What might sound good to one person might not sound great to the other. Hence, each person should listen to different speakers and decide what sounds the best to them within their budget.

I was just stating my opinion for He/her to take their time and do it right the first time. Even if it takes saving a little more before making the purchase.

StreetOC192

iTrader: (7)

That's a BIG +1!!!!!!!

DevineOrn

Thank you all, I will let you know of my progress