Am I right that the empeg requires an external amp (it has line-level output only)? If so, anybody have ideas about some nice small-ish amp units? What would be really cool would be if I could replace the stock radio in my '95 ford explorer with the empeg, and an amp.

You can get some small 4 ch units for pretty cheap. Check out Jensens stuff.. I'm looking for a 5 way digital amp unit..

Yes you will need atleast one amp, and you shouldn't have a problem replacing your existing head unit with the empeg and adding an extra amp or four. The hardest part would be wiring the amp(s) the correct way and making it look good and stay maintenance free though all the tight turns and off-roading you might do :)

Depending on how many, and what types of speakers you want to drive (and the quality of sound you want), you shouldn't have a problem finding a decent amp (price wise). Power might be a problem if you plan on driving large 12's or any strong subwoofer. I have two amps (one under my driver's seat and one under my passenger seat) a Kenwood and a Sony. They work really well, and can't be seen; but they do just barely fit under the seats. Make sure you 1. have a decent place to put the amp(s) and 2. that there is enough air circulation to avoid extreme heat if you are drawing a lot of power. 3. That you have an easy enough way to run the power, ground and lines from behind the dash to the amp(s). I went under my carpeting, so there is no evidence of any amps. Also, try to keep your ground for the amp(s) as close as possible to the amp(s), make sure it is a good ground, and the gauge of the power and ground lines is more than enough. I hate responding to automobile fires.....

TheJourneyM@n

Precision Power has a 4x25w amp that is really good. The model is PC4200 or it may be PC4400. Those are in their competition series but if you want to match the sound quality of the empeg sometimes you have to pay for it.
Jake

Oh my God, don't get a Jensen!

Acceptable amp brands: Pioneer, Alpine, Sony.
Better amps: Rockford Fosgate Precision Power, Phenix Gold.
Best (expensive) amp: McIntosh. Good luck finding them tho.

If I'm not mistaken, there is a fair amount of room under the rear bench seat of the Explorer (even prior to the '95 remodeling). I would say that that is an excellent place for even a large amp (or two, one on each side). You can run the wires to the empeg under the carpet along either the main tunnel (housing the drive shaft), or along the door sills under the carpet there. Another reason this is an optimal location is this: the bolts for the rear bench bolt *directly* to the frame of the car...scrape some paint (if it's even necessary) and you have the ultimate ground. You can cover it all up with the carpet and not see a thing (more theft-resistant). If you are going to be generating an obscene amount of heat (driving subs or what-have-you), you can cut very neat holes in the carpet to fit around the amps and allow them to radiate. Even this setup is very low visibilty as it is under the bench and the rear windows are fairly well tinted. Doesn't interfere with power front buckets either. Wire length should not be a problem, if it is for some reason, just buy heavier wire ;)

Festus

I would definately say Alpine is better than Rockford Fosgate (get rf if you want loud mushy sound). Or of you really want to spend the bucks get Tube Driver (division of PPI). 6L6 (if I remember maybe EL84s) tubes for a car power amp!!!