I'm new to this car stereo stuff so please help me out. I have a 2000 ek hatchback and I want to improve the sound system. I have my heart set on the Alpine 7998 and I need suggestions on a good amp to go with this HU and good speakers.Reason why I might not get a SUB with the setup is because they are so damn heavy, are there any small quality subs I can use? And will the 7998 fit on the upper tray like the factory radio or would I have to relocated it to the bottom shelf?

 

Well if your not going to get a sub then it's up to you what brand you want. What you need to check for is how much power you will need to power your aftermarket speakers (you do have these?) If not then that's where you start. Figure out what speakers interest you, but I would try not to get too dead set on one speaker. You need to be somewhat flexible because you might need too much power for them to work and require you to fork out a lot of money for your amp. When looking at how much power you will need for the speakers, look for the midway point between the peak power and the rms power. ie: the speakers are 50W rms but capable of 125W so use around 75-100 watts for each speaker. This "grey area" will give you optimal spl. If you decide to get a sub, but are worried about the weight then get a sub that will require around 150-200 watts to push it. This way you can still get away with one amp that will power (2) sets of interior speakers and (1) sub. This would be a 4+1 or even called a 5 channel amp. If you have more questions you can e-mail me.
If anyone has any clarifications or additional info....fell free to add on.