Hello all,

I have a 2006 Mustang with the basic crappy four speaker stereo system. I am interested in upgrading, but not spending a ton of money (already spent a lot of money on performance and appearance mods).

I am looking at the following:

Kenwood DPX-501 Head Unit
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-j9cjUd7...01&i=113DPX501

Kenwood KFC-P707 Component Speakers
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-j9cjUd7...7&i=113KFCP707

Do I need an amp for these component speakers or would running them off the head unit be adequate? I really don't need my music to be real loud, I have bad ears so anything too loud will hurt them anyway, so I am mainly looking for sound quality (anything will be better than the stock system).

Would adding an amp make a huge difference in sound quality?

If I were to add the following rear speakers, would that change anything?

Kenwood KFC-X680 6x8s
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-j9cjUd7...0&i=113KFCX680

 

an amp will ALLWAYS make a good differance in sound quality. with an amp you will get better response from the speakers and also they will distort less at higher volumes

 

I figured that much, but I guess my big questions is if I buy the Kenwood KFC-P707 Component Speakers WITHOUT an amp (and instead power them off the Kenwood DPX-501 Head Unit), am I going to be wasting my money and am I better of just getting some less expensive speakers (maybe even just some coaxials).

I realize I may not be getting the maximum performance from them without an amp, I just think the extra money for the amp may not be worth it, since I am not concerned with high volume levels, only sound quality (assuming the sound quality of the component speakers is still good without the amp).

 

What im gonna do is buy all my speakers and run them off the headunit, and then decide after I hear them if I want them amped or not.

I would also recommend buying brand new off eBay and saving about $200 worth of hardware.

 

More newbie questions...

If I buy an amp to power my front component and rear speakers, would their be any added benefit to upgrading my head unit (as far as sound quality is concerned). I am thinking since I am trying not to spend to much, that I might go for sound quality over the fun and functionality of a new head unit.

Also the power range for the Kenwood KFC-P707 component speakers I am looking at is 8 - 65 watts RMS.

The Kenwood DPX-701 head unit I am look at is rated at 22 watts RMS x 4 channels.

If I am using this to power front and rear speakers, does this mean that the head unit is way too underpowered to get any decent sound out of the components?

 

component speakers sound better when they are amplified. if you dont want the volume then dont turn it up. if you are getting a component set then get the amp too.