i'm a noob when it come to car audio. i have a few question on choosing an amp to power my front and rear speakers. Here's some info/ specs on what i have so far.
The headunit is a Sony CDX-GT520 . Front speakers are Infinity Reference 6022si . and the rear speakers are Alpine SPS-69C2 .
My Question for the amp is what do i look for in an amp to find the best amp for the speakers i have. Do i look for a 2 channel, 4 channel, or mono amps? What are some brands for amps do you guys recommend.

 

you can go four channel for all door speakers, or if you have multiple rca outputs on the h/u, you can split the fronts and rears and use two amps for more adjustability.

 

As stated ^^^^^^^

Go for either a 4 channel amp or two 2 channel amplifiers, depending on exactly what you want. Your head unit appears to have front, rear, and subwoofer outputs, so you are good to go with whatever amp configuration you wish to purchase. Amp choice is totally up to you and your budget. Just watch how the power is rated when purchasing an amp for your speakers and make certain that any amplifier you purchase gives you a RMS power rating versus a MAX power rating. Amps that only give you MAX output are generally useless, unless you divide by 3 or 4 to come up with actual RMS power.

Expanding on the mono question you asked, you would only want a mono amplifier if you were powering a subwoofer(s) with it. Everyone calls me crazy, but I swear that I start to notice stereo bass at around 90-100 Hz. As a result, my midbass drivers are always wired in stereo.

 

what's the difference between the 2 and 4 channel amps? also, what do i look for in the PMS power rating and the Max power rating? am i looking to see if the ratings there or am i actually looking at the number to determine the amp that would work for me

 

It would seem that both your front door speakers and your 6x9s handle 50 watts per speaker RMS, so I would base my start in looking for amps that put out around 50 watts RMS per channel. You can go a little higher, but I don't recommend going too much higher just to keep things on the safe side.

Something like this: http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Produ...75P4504&tp=115

or this: http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...+ZXi+4408.html

Would probably meet your needs and be well within your budget.

 

Before i buy an amp for my speakers, Would an amp make a difference in my system since i only have coax and not component speakers or subs? would it make a difference good enough where i should put money into an amp?

I am thinking about a 4 channel amp because i will be powering the front and rear speakers. am i correct? or would 2 channel amp be for powering the front and rear speakers? what i should be looking out for is that the amp should be pushing out around between 50-60 watts per channel. and that it has a RMS power rating versus a MAX power rating. am i correct?

what will i need to install the amp? do i need an amp install kit from crutchfield? what else would i need to do the install? how hard would it be for me that knows nothing about car audio to do? also, i think crutchfield also gives an install guide for specific vehicle, is this true? do not want to have someone else do it when i can do it myself and save money. ALSO, will having an amp drain my battery, i have a regular battery from my local auto store, not yellow tops.

 

An amp should make a difference in your system since it will give each of your speakers a minimum of 50 clean watts versus the 17 watts your head unit is giving them.

With regards to installing it yourself, I just have to ask you a question. Do you feel confident with installing an amp yourself? It isn't that hard, but you need to be patient and take your time. If you feel like running a power wire from your battery to your amp, pulling your radio to run RCAs and the remote turn on, running speaker wires from your amp to your speakers, and finding a nice clean grounding point for your amp; then you can install it yourself. If you do not feel so confident about taking your interior apart, running wires, making connections, etc.; I suggest you check with your local car audio places and get them to install it for you.

As for battery drain with 50 to 60 watts per channel, you shouldn't have any issues. I want to say the breaking point for the stock Civic alternator is somewhere around 500 to 600 watts played at full volume. Granted, if your alternator or battery isn't in the best of shape, you could have issues with a lower wattage system.

 

i will check a local shop to install if it's at a decent price. if not i will take a stab at it. doesn't sound too hard. thanks, gunz4me