home stereo speakers

Are the speakers you are using car or home stereo speakers? If they are home stereo speakers they are probably 8 ohm speakers and you could damage the head unit if you drive them hard. If they are car speakers how are they installed in the shelves? Are they just flush mounted in the cabinet or does each one installed in a sealed "box" in the cabinet? Every speaker is designed for a certain type of installation. Deviating from that optimal installation can degrade the sound quality or lead to speaker damage. Also depending on the design and size of the speakers, you may want some type of low pass crossover so the speakers do not play the lowest bass which can lead to large amounts of distortion, especially with car speakers installed out of a car.

Lastly you should think about the heat the head unit generates during use when you figure out where you're going to install it. Don't install it in a cavity just big enough with no possible air flow. You should try to leave some air space on all sides and the back of the unit and some type of vents to the room air would be a good idea also. Depending on how hard you drive the amp in the head unit, it can create quite a bit of heat. High heat can be damaging and will definately reduce the life of the head unit.

While installing a car stereo in a house is possible, I wanted to make sure you know there is some planning and research that should be done before installation. Car stereos are designed to be played in a small enclosed space at close proximity. Change that to a larger space and moving farther away from the speakers, you have to take some time in choosing the components and designing the install to make sure nothing is damaged and to achieve quality sound.


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