Expert: Jerry Mael - 7/7/2009

Question
Hey, I am not an expert in speakers and their specs but i do love music.  I bought my car about a month ago and it the previous owner left his speakers in the car. They are Pioneer TS-A1680R 4 Ways speakers.  I have four of them.  Everytime i raise the volume the music becomes distorted, i wanted to know is it because i need to put an amplifier? If so, what is the appropiate wattage?

I also want to put a subwoofer.  Does raising the bass in the car going affect the regular speakers I have even with the subs?

Answer
Hey mike, here are the specs on those speakers:

Pioneer TS-A1680R specs (discontinued):
# PET silver film dome tweeter
# balanced dome PPC (pearl polycarbon) midrange
# PPC dome supertweeter
# Aramid fiber reinforced, injection-molded polypropylene (IMPP) woofer with durable rubber surround
# designed with shallow basket to accommodate more vehicles
# frequency response 30-30,000 Hz
# recommended power range 2-50 watts RMS
# peak power handling 220 watts
# sensitivity 91 dB
# top-mount depth 2-5/16"

If you only have deck power running them, you would probably benefit from a decent 4 channel amp. Most decks have 12-20 watts per channel average (RMS) per channel.
I would go with something that puts out 50 watts RMS x 4 (with crossovers if you want to add the sub). Four channels will let you retain your fade front to rear (if your deck has 4 channel RCA output jacks).
Be sure your deck has some type of RCA outputs before you proceed. Never use high-level 'speaker level' inputs for an amp. Check Google for its make and model number or remove the deck and look. If your current deck has RCA's you are good to go. If it only has 2 RCA's you can still do this (need some RCA 'Y adatpers' from radio shack), but you will not be able to fade front to rear from the deck.  A relative overall front to rear level can be setup on a 4 channel via the amplifier level trims (even if driven with only 2 RCA channels). You just cannot tweak it on the fly without 4 RCA 'sends' from the deck.

Raising the bass will not really affect them.. so much as it will ALLOW you to reduce their bass output with the crossover. Using a built-in 'HiPass' crossover in an amp allows them to play less bass (amplifies less bass too). This lets them play louder and with more clarity while at the same time it helps to keep the amplifier driving them cooler due to the reduced bass load.
Generally, a crossovers' job is to send the frequencies to the speakers most suited to reproduce those frequencies.
You can buy X-overs as a component but many, many four channel amps have them built in and they are VERY convenient.
You may notice a gap at the point where the sub stops and the 6.5's start working. You need to set the crossovers accordingly till this is gone. This final tweaking of the crossovers and the amp levels just takes time, patience and is half the fun, imho.
Once they are set correctly, you should be able to run the system with great clarity at or very near 100% volume with no distortion with just about ANY music.

Thanks for the questions and for using AllExperts.
Let me know if you need further assistance.
jm