Will an Amp help?

Hello,I have a 2000 GMC Sierra.I put Polk components in the doors and Infinity 4x6's in the back.They sound great with the Delco factory stereo.I changed the receiver and put in a Kenwood mp425 so I could play mp3's.The sound is not as good as I expected, in fact the factory stereo is better.Would an amp make any difference? Thanks.

not really. usually the stock mids are blown in the first two years. check first to see if you blew them.  second, the stock speakers are usually less than one ohm so they get the most out of the stock deck without more power. and check to see if the speakers have a common ground. if they do, youll need to redo the wiring. common ground meaning the positive is the only wire to get sound and power.

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always looking for new info and willing to give it

Yeah, the factory head sounded better because it was made to run the stock speakers without an external amplifier, probably with a higher output voltage than the new Kenwood has.  Your new receiver needs an amp, it was designed to be amplified, and it has RCA outputs to make hookup fairly simple.  Start shopping for a 4 channel amp.  It'll bring those new speakers to life.

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Build the box so that it performs well in the worst case scenario and, in return, it will reward you at all times.

well the kenwood receiver should give more power to the speakers, so im thinking that he has a premium system and/or the speakers have a common ground. i would just buy new mids and tweets

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always looking for new info and willing to give it

mike, he posted that he put in new speakers and that the system is Delco factory.  The 2000 GMC has floating ground.

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Build the box so that it performs well in the worst case scenario and, in return, it will reward you at all times.

oh sh%t,  i forgot about that. well thats weird than. i would just suggest checking the polarity of the speakers, and making sure youre  not turning up the bass too much on the deck. of course an amp would help. it creates a high pass and allows you to turn up the volume higher without distortion.

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always looking for new info and willing to give it

I would take the Kenmore back out and replace it with an Eclipse and you will hear a drastic imnprovement in sound. After that a good 50w x 4 rms amplifier is in your future. Ignore the wattage claim on the front of most cd players, they will make that much power if they get struck by Lightning. There is a huge difference in cd players, especially between one that is built to sound good and one that is built to catch your eye.

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Top Secret, I can tell you but then my wife will kill me.

I am suprised to hear you say that the Eclipse would offer a major improvement over a Kenwood radio.  In my experience Kenwood offers excellent sound quality, and Eclipse has not been as consistent with sound quality.  But then again, that is just my experience and opinion.

I think ya gotta take Kenmore more seriously...aren't they the ones with the exclusive "PhatNoise" music management software?         

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Build the box so that it performs well in the worst case scenario and, in return, it will reward you at all times.

i like them both. theyre the only head units i use.

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always looking for new info and willing to give it