Head unit

[greg928gts]

I know, I'm being lazy. Just not enough time to do everything. Will you help me decide?

The head unit is going in my Porsche 928 GTS. I'm going to use the power in the head unit to feed a three-way Dynaudio system that I've got kicking around. So the power amp section of the head unit is really important to me.

I'm going to use the CD player in the dash only, no changer. I would love to have a really nice DAC built in. I would like the option of hooking up an Ipod or MP3 at some point.

Other things that will help define what I'm looking for. Reliability, ease of use, a good tuner section, and good sound quality. I don't like fancy displays, and I don't need a lot of bells and whistles.

Any suggestions.

Thanks,
Greg Roberts

[I Am An Idiot]

You do know that you will get around 15 watts per channel out of the amplifier of the deck. Even if it says 4 X 2000 watts.

[tsmith1315]

IMHO, it would be heresy to power a set of fine Dynaudio's with a head unit. They are notorius for wanting power. My 17W75's alone would soak up everything a Carver 1.0 had to offer. The shop owner called them my "power sink."

I'd recommend 75-150W/ch on them.

I'm curious as to what others recommend for head units that are minimalistic with focus on SQ. I'm a stickler for analog volume and tone controls, not sure if there are any left...

BTW, great Porsche!

[greg928gts]

Originally posted by I Am An Idiot
You do know that you will get around 15 watts per channel out of the amplifier of the deck. Even if it says 4 X 2000 watts.

Yeah I know. I was hoping that someone had a good quality amplifier inside their head unit. What about the Nakamichi CD500? They claim 47 watts per channel. How real is that do you think?

I do have room for a very small amplifier where Porsche put the stock amplifier, next to the passenger seat. I'm looking for one right now. Then I could go with the Nak CD700, which would be my first choice.

Not much room in a 928 for audio gear.

Greg

[greg928gts]

Originally posted by tsmith1315
IMHO, it would be heresy to power a set of fine Dynaudio's with a head unit. They are notorius for wanting power. My 17W75's alone would soak up everything a Carver 1.0 had to offer. The shop owner called them my "power sink."

I'd recommend 75-150W/ch on them.

I'm curious as to what others recommend for head units that are minimalistic with focus on SQ. I'm a stickler for analog volume and tone controls, not sure if there are any left...

BTW, great Porsche!

You're the second person to tell me that. I guess I'm going to have to find an amplifier that will fit beside the passengers seat. There's an amp in that location right now, but it is only about 7" x 8". I think I could put a RF P200-2 in there if I make a custom cover for it. I'm a little worried about the heat build up though.

Greg

[I Am An Idiot]

Originally posted by greg928gts


? They claim 47 watts per channel. How real is that do you think?

Greg

About 31.9%

[tsmith1315]

Originally posted by I Am An Idiot

About 31.9%

Not poking fun at you Greg. It's just with a 12 V amp and 4 ohm speakers, you're limited to about 15W, or about 31.9% of 47W.

To get more power than that from a 12V suppply requires either a lower speaker impedance, or a higher supply voltage. Either case means more/larger components and more heat to deal with. Neither fits well into a head unit.

How about in the hatch area, isn't there room back there for a moderate amp? Maybe in the rear quarter panel area? I did a pair of Nak amps, crossover, and 8" woofers there in a 944 back in the day. Is the 928 simliar?

[Perry Babin]

These have been recommended in the past but I have no experience with them.

http://www.arcaudio.com/productdescr...s/ks-125.4.asp

http://www.mcintoshlabs.com/products...-cd-player.asp

[jpruden]

+ 100 on the MX406. I have one and it's awesome.

I also have Dynaudio drivers and can verify that they can handle as much power as you can afford to throw at them. tsmith1315 is right on with the recommendation on power as well... I was running mine with 150 per channel and it was truly sublime.

[trusound]

there is no H/U on the planet that will power a set of Dyn 3 ways... they are power hogs.. and you will be lucky to get 13-15 watts to them..

I have owned just about every crazy H/U on the planet and wouldn't dream of doing such a thing..

get a strong 2 channel and call it a day