Audio help for a beginner?

Nillaz

I'm sure my answer isn't a surprise, but I always recommend an amp for aftermarket speakers. You don't "need" an amp, but most headunits simply cannot drive aftermarket speakers well.

I love my speakers dearly, but given the choice of my Hertz components running off my headunit vs less expensive speakers plus a decent amplifier I would choose the latter without hesitation, every time. I'm sure you will get varying opinion on this, but that's my 2 cents.

As an aside Kenwood's Excelon units like you have are very nice. They have a strong focus on sound quality and just have an amazing selection of audio options. I can't imagine you being anything but well pleased with it.