Well, I went a little gung-ho and blew 2 of my speakers. :bloated: One in the front (driver's side) and one in the rear (passenger side). So, instead of just getting them replaced, I want get myself a decent system. Not budget, but not high-end. That middle-place between "I want exceptional quality!" and "I have bills to pay!@#$".

So... it looks like I'll need front and rear speakers, an amp... and a sub (yes, just one). I'm not exactly the world's most knowledgeable when it comes to car-audio, so excuse me if I don't clue in right away to the tech-talk. For the sub, I've been eyeing the Pioneer TS-W304C. I'll end up getting an mp3 player in-dash as well. I hate using my mp3/cd player with its cig-lighter power adapter. Egh...

Anyway, I'd like to hear some suggestions on front and rears, amp and sub. I'm open to new ideas, as well as what's "tried and true".

Everyone on here seems to rave about Infinity speakers, but you said you didn't want to spend too much. I would go with Pioneer speakers if you don't want to break the bank. Do you want to amp the speakers, or just the sub? Here's the prices for some stuff.

SPEAKERS:
Pioneer TS-A4667 4X6 (fronts) $100
Pioneer TS-A1795 6 3/4" (rears) $150

HEAD UNIT
Kenwood KDC-MP8017 $250

AMP
Kenwood KAC-819 (Sub) $220

SUBWOOFER
Kenwood KFC-W3005 $130

Thanks for the component info/prices. I will look into them tomorrow, when I get a moment.

And yeah, I'd like to amp the speakers as well. I just need to dummy proof them, so I can't blow them... again.

Go Boston Acoustics. I have the cx 7's in the front, and a pair of the cx 6's on the rear deck. I also have Infinity Reference 12 subs. I have two in a bandpass box, and they rock, but my roommate has one in a sealed box, and it still rocks pretty hard. My roommate has a Civic, and he has one amp powering his whole system and it is sweet. He uses a Sony XM754 (75x4 at 2 ohms), and he has the front right speakers on one channel, the front left speakers on the other channel, and the sub on the 3rd and 4th channel bridged. It is a great sounding system for not too much money. He also has the Sony in dash MP3 deck which is really sweet.
Here is a link to my car (I had this link in the cosmetics section by accident):
http://www.geocities.com/sonyisdope/sonyisdope.html
I will try to get pics of my roommates car up too.

My setup:

Source Unit : Rockford Fosgate RFX9400 CD/MP3

Front Speakers: Eclipse 4.5 components 8042
Rear Speakers: Eclipse 6.5 2ways 82641

Speaker Amps: Rockford Fosgate Punch 200 4 channel
Sub Amp: Rockford Fosgate Power 350S bridged 2 channel

Sub: Rockford Fosgate HE 15"


Whats great about all the rockford and eclipse stuff is that when they advertise a power setting, that is the MINIMUM...not like sony shit or something that gives you the max. Also, RF source units dont distort at any volume level, so you get clean sound.

cool set up 380 driver- i hear you on the rockford fosgate comment. i do need a stronger amp though.

About the front speakers- DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME WITH REPLACING THE STOCK 4X6 SPEAKERS. You can buy an adapter kit for a 6.5 inch speaker from Best Buy!!!

Read my write up here: http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/t27807.html

By the way- my set up, and I can't believe this all fits in my car...

deck: alpine CVA-1000 with whatever video input i have around (lately it's been a dvd player, but before it was just an old playstation)
changer: alpine CHA- 1214
sends signal to DEI EQ 4000
down to a RF 240.4 (4 channel)
and a RF Punch 100.2 (2 channel)
cabin: infinity 625 in fronts // polk 6.5s in the rear
trunk: JL 12w0 small sealed box // 2 10'' MTX Road Thunder Pro speakers in a bandpass box. (I'm debating which box to keep, the JL would be great for trips when I need trunk space)

ANYONE selling a RF amp??? I'm looking for a two channel one to run the subs.

:smoker:

-clifford

Oh, I almost forgot to mention it... but for me, trunk space is a premium. (Thanks for reminding me cliffud... heh) Besides needing the room for 2 hockey bags, I do a lot of road trips. Having truck room comes in handy.

Er, so would that change any of the previous recommendations? :buck

a little modification on that system i listed...

today i just traded 110 bucks and my 12w0 JL sub for a 3rd gen hot shot header.

i threw the 10''s back in and i guess i'll just bump around town with those unless i pick up a single JL ten or something rather.
i found the 12 to hit too low and the sound wasn't audible enough. i could be wrong though... i have a cold and my ears are plugged up.

but anyway- the JL is gone.

and the car goes a bit faster due to the header... however i probably have negated any increase in speed with the extra weight of the huge box... pictured here:


http://www.pandapower.com/g20.jpg

oh well.

-clifford

My System:
Head Unit: Clarion DRX9675z
Front Speakers: Boston Acoustics FS60 components (going to replace)
Rear Speakers: Boston Acoustics FX6 (also going to replace)
Subs: 2x 12 Infinity Perfect
High/Mid Amp: Rockford Fosgate Power 400.4
Sub Amp: Rockford Fosgate 1000bd

Okay, so i found myself a REALLY good deal on a pair of Polk EX369's. $150 Canadian ($100 US), after shipping and taxes.... and I bought them last night. Heh... I'll probably end up installing spacers to get the 6x9's to sit in the rear. I'm not all that interested in taking tinsnips to my rear dash. Unless anyone knows of another way...

The front speakers will also be Polk. I just haven't found the ones I want. For an amp, I was thinking Alpine or Kenwood. The sub....? I'm still undecided. I'd like to go Bazooka... but the $$ is an issue. To me, SQ and size are more important than breaking windows or setting off car alarms. I need something small, reliable, with tight/clear bass... that's still in an acceptable price range. Am I asking too much? :confused:

bazookas are pieces of shit.

...suggestions then?

So you want to save space and have decent bass? An 8" sub in a ported box with poly fill. Or, you could get an open air sub and build it into your rear deck between the speakers.. so no box that way. Definitely don't go with bazooka tubes.

Ahhh, cool. And 8" subs can still thump, eh? :huh: What brand/model do you recommend?

I'm open to the idea of an open-air, but does it deliver the clairity that a tube or box can?

Open air subs are built to not use a box. from someone I know who has one, if you are outside the car, you don't really hear it, but inside sounds nice. and about 8" subs thumping, if they can handle the wattage, it's all about the amp you got powering it. About a good 8 inch sub, how much do you want to spend? I mean, you could get a Kicker Solo-Baric S8L7 it's 4 ohm and can handle up to 450 watts RMS, 900 watts max. (that'll thump) and it only needs a .66 cubic feet ported box. but it's gonna run you about $230 for just the sub (no box).

I'm willing to spend up to $250, including the box... so I won't be able to afford a Kicker. :crying: ...unless I can find one at a pawn shop or something. My other route is to get a Kenwood from a buddy of mine that is upgrading. I'm not sure what model it is... but I know he has a 10". Its something for me to think about anyway.

i'm looking into some new front/rear speakers as well
crutchfield has some good prices on some Clarions i'm looking at

I already came upon a nice Clarion amp, to power my two 10" Rockford Fosgate Punches, which are pretty mean. i'm not trying to win any competitions, and if you are the same, might want to check those out ;)

Originally posted by Redlight_2002
i'm looking into some new front/rear speakers as well
crutchfield has some good prices on some Clarions i'm looking at

I already came upon a nice Clarion amp, to power my two 10" Rockford Fosgate Punches, which are pretty mean. i'm not trying to win any competitions, and if you are the same, might want to check those out ;)

Actually, I'd love to hear more about the RF's. I was told by a friend that RF's don't have the greatest sound quality... but as much as I love the guy, he couldn't tell a quality speaker from a hole in the wall. :buck I will do a little more research on the RF punches tonight.

Rockford Fosgate is the way to go...you pay for what you get :)

Rockford Fosgate Punch RFZ2408 8" 4 ohm can handle up to 100 watts RMS and costs $59.99

If you want to go up a size you could get a 10" MTX Blue Thunder BL104 for $59.99 also. I had a Blue thunder and I loved it. It can handle up to 250 watts RMS, 500 watts max.

redlight_2002: I'm looking for a clarion amp as well. The cd/mp3 play I'm getting will likely be a Clarion. They are coming out with a couple new cd/mp3 models in late Feb/March. My only beef is that they don't show id tags. :(

a380driver/swonder67: I'm going to look into the RF's. :sun:



Thanks guys... so far you been A LOT of help!!

Okay, so the RF's are definately an option. I found a local supplier. They are little more expensive in my area, but still in my budget.

As for the front speakers, I'm wondering what will fit! I know the 6x9's have been suggested, but aren't necessary. Personally, I'd prefer some 5.25's or 5x7's. :confused: Help?

Originally posted by paean
Okay, so the RF's are definately an option. I found a local supplier. They are little more expensive in my area, but still in my budget.

As for the front speakers, I'm wondering what will fit! I know the 6x9's have been suggested, but aren't necessary. Personally, I'd prefer some 5.25's or 5x7's. :confused: Help?

no no no no no... pop in some 6.5'' speakers with this adapter kit from Best buy-

__________________snip-snip_________________________________
I got a tip off from Kyle Davis on how to put 6.5 inch speakers in the front doors of the P10. He mentioned something about a Chevy Cavalier and speaker mounts from Best Buy.

So I go to Best Buy and inquire about a set of speaker mounts for a Chevy Cavalier (95-99 model year) and the guy shows me a pair of speaker mounts that are for a 6.5 speaker but the mounting plate under that is a rectangle...


They look like they will fit so I buy them for 12-13 bucks.

I take off my door panels at home and uninstall the blown 4x6 speakers that I've had for the past month and screw in the brackets. Then I check to see how the door panel would fit over the bracket (should have done this before I mounted the brackets- but I was so anxious.

finally i put the door panel on- and everything worked well- they sound great too.

here's a diagram on how to make it.

http://www.pandapower.com/door.jpg

good luck!!

-clifford

Erp... :spit: but I don't want to trim the door panel or damage anything. Now I will probably have a buddy of mine help me out (he installs audio equipment all the time). But if he's isn't available, I will be doing this myself. Since Best Buy isn't very popular up here, can these brackets be purchased online? (I couldn't find them.)

_If_ I don't end up putting 6.5's in (with the help of those speaker mounts), what's the biggest size speaker I can put in the front doors?

Originally posted by paean
Erp... :spit: but I don't want to trim the door panel or damage anything. Now I will probably have a buddy of mine help me out (he installs audio equipment all the time). But if he's isn't available, I will be doing this myself. Since Best Buy isn't very popular up here, can these brackets be purchased online? (I couldn't find them.)

_If_ I don't end up putting 6.5's in (with the help of those speaker mounts), what's the biggest size speaker I can put in the front doors?

you don't want to trim anything?? the biggest speaker will be a 4x6.

seriously- the trimming that you will be doing for the speaker mounts won't be that much and there will be NO - REPEAT- NO - visual difference when the door panel is mounted back onto the door. the trimming of the panel will also NOT AFFECT the structural integrity of the door panel.

since best buy isn't big up there- if you send me some cash, i'll go pick them up for you and send them your way.

btw- your buddy who installs stereos trims stuff ALL THE TIME so he most likely will say the same thing i said above.

good luck and if you need my help- lemme know.

:smoker:

-clifford

If you are going to buy a box definately dont go ported of u want to save space. Ported boxes are the biggest of them all. Rember this: Bandpass= more boom with less room!!!

I went to my local car audio dealer and he made a mounting plate for my speakers up front. I have 5.25" rockford fosgates up front and they sound sweet. But if I'd have known that I can get a mounting bracket for 6.5" I woulda done that. Knowing this I think Ima run across the border to Detroit since I'm in Windsor and get me some adapters.

Opps almost forgot to tell ya something. Sound is produced by the movement of airmasses. the bigger teh cone the more air it can move. Therefore its always best to buy the biggest cone possible; except when you get into really big subwoofers. When they get to 15"+ they canot reproduce the midrange frequencies so it becomes a trade off. The definate speaker of choice is a 12". If you are concerned with space then 10" and under will suffice but an 8" wouldn't sound to good in our car since the rear seats and trunk are so well insulated. So if you are going to buy a subwoofer definately go with a 10" sub in a BANDPASS box. More boom less room!

MP3/CD player: I think I'll be going RF. Haven't decided which model.

AMP: RF or Crunch. I think I'll save a bit of cash if I go with Crunch... but I don't know how comparable they are. cdzone.net seems to have some pretty wicked prices.

Sub: Audiobahn seems to offer the best bang for the buck, without compromising sound quality; ALUM10X, or if I run out of cash, one of the lesser models.

--[sigh]----------------------------

CanadianG: I will be in Buffalo in a couple weeks. I may hit BB while I'm there. Although I like the look and "boom" of bandpass subs, I prefer SQ and a tight "thump"... so I will probably go with a sealed box.

cliffud: I will run the idea by my CarAudioInstallerBuddy. I hate to admit it, but my bet is that he'll side with you. Heh..

If u've noticed my setup is a sealed enclosure
http://mistadik.tripod.ca/files/System/trunk2.jpg

CanadianG: Very cool. :sun:

Ermm... the 6 ohm sub (ALUM10X) has me discouraged. I now have my eye on a Blaupunkt Overdrive 10" (ODWA1000). 350w RMS and 1000w MAX. [drool]



.....So here's my latest question. Should I run 2 2-channel amps ... one to the rears (4ohm - 100rms, 300max) and one to the sub (4 ohm - 350rms - 1000max)... or should I run 1 4-channel amp and bridge two channels for the sub? I'm not sure if I can afford to purchase two amps, but I'd like to get a couple recommendations before I close my mind to the idea.

what? no front speakers??????

how about this:

one 2-channel amp running front speakers

one 1 or 2 channel amp running your sub.


or- to simplify your wiring scheme- one 4 channel amp running your two fronts and two of those channels bridged to run your sub.

very very simple system.

-clifford:smoker:

and if you have money?
I need to know this answer first to really help you out. What kind of deck are you running? How many pairs of rca outputs are in your deck?
Ie. 1 left, and 1 right = 1 set

solution one(more money extra eqipment needed)
-two amplifires[1 amplifier (monoblock) to runn subs(built in crossover recomended), and a 2 channel amplifier to run highs and mid ranges(built in crossover would be nice aswell)
-You will now need a power distribution block and a ground block to split power to both amplifiers
-You might need a capacitor depending on how big your amplifiers are and how much current they will draw
You can play all four or six midrange and tweeter speakers off a two channel amplifier. The subwoofer should have an independant signak from the mids

Solution two(best for money and decent sound quality)
-One four channel amplifier {Crossover necessary!}(rear two channels for subwoofer and front two channels for satelitte speakers)
- no unecessary accesories
This is what I would do if I wanted to keep my system simple. Previously I have a monoblock amp. running my bass and a four channel amp running my satelittes only because I have 3 sets of RCAs from my deck. I thought that it would be better to have two seperate amps because they have individual power supplies. But I was foolish I know have a six channel amplifier and I have alot of control over my system and it sounds amazing.

Solution three(not recomended but works)
-One two channel amplifier(two channels to power satelitte speakers at the same time bridging the two channels to play a subwoofer)
-Passive crossover for subwoofer so it recieves propper signals.
Not really recomended b'cuz it doesn't get alot of power. But it can be very efficient if done correctly

It all depends on what equipment u have and what u wanna spend. Dont forget you need to determine how complex you wantyour shit to get

CanadianG: Dude, that's exactly the stuff I like to hear. I need this stuff spelled out for me. Hehe...

Personally, I would prefer simplicity, BUT... I want to maximize the use of my $$. =)


So, here's the breakdown. (All done in Canadian $$)

$500 - sub speaker, sub box and sub amp (if necessary)

$380 - rear speakers (6x9), speaker enclosers, amp

$120 - front speakers (4x6 - which I'd like to amp)

-------

$1000 - TOTAL $$ for car stereo



So that's where I'm at. BTW, how important is S/N ratio on an amp? And is the S/N ratio more important on the rear amp than the sub amp?

Originally posted by paean


$120 - front speakers (4x6 - which I'd like to amp)



Spring for the extra 12 bucks (US) for a set of adapter plates so you can run 6.5'' speakers in your front doors.

You can get them at your local Best Buy. If you don't have a Best Buy over there, I can send you a set.


-clifford

cliffud: I'm not going with the 6.5's. The suggestion is appreciated though. :)



Amp update: I just landed an Infinity 202a (200W rms x2 @ 4ohm, 300W rms x2 @ 2ohm) for $130 US. How sweet is that? $25 for shipping is a bit steep... but DEFINATELY worth it. I guess I need two subs now. :right:

Things never turn out how you think they will, eh? heh...

I have ordered 2 Polk dX10-4's in separate Qlogic .65 sealed enclosures. Since the dX10 has a SVC (too bad... I wish it was DVC), I'm going to run them stereo instead of bridged/paralel. That will give me 200w rms to each sub. The dX10 can handle 300w rms, so I'm definately not worried about blowing them. If they were DVC, I'd be able to pump 300w rms to each sub... but alas, I am not so fortunate. ;)

All that's left is a 4 channel amp and my front speakers.

hey,
i got a 360a2 rockford fosgate powering an infinity perfect 12.1 sub and it thumps! i got the amp faily cheap on www.ikesound.com. Ikesound (http://www.ikesound.com)
so if you need rockford stuff they have it cheap at like wholesale prices.. cuz i used to work at Best buy and my discount (which was cost) was still 20 bucks more than what i paid for the amp.

gusman: Very nice. I'm familiar with Ikesound... but unfortunately their international shipping rates are pretty harsh. They overbill, huge. Ikesound.com actually sells their stuff on ebay $20+ dollars cheaper than they do on their website. I'd recommend trying there first. :)

As for the 4 channel-amp, I went with a Concept CC-504. I forgot about this posting, so I might as well make this an update.

Head Unit: Pioneer Premier DEH-P740MP (3 4-volt rca preamps out, mp3 playback, sub control, insanely details lcd display)
Fronts: Polk Audio eX2540 component set (4" 2-ways and .75" tweeters + crossovers)
Rears: Polk Audio eX369 (100w rms @ 4ohm, 6"x9" 3-ways)
4-Channel Amp: Concept CC-504 (2x50rms + 2x100w rms @ 4ohm, 14.4V, S/N Ratio: 100+dB)
Subs: Polk Audio dX10's (10", 300w rms each @ 4ohm)
Sub Amp: Infinity 202a (600w rms)

I ended up paying _way_ more than I originally hoped to spend... but its worth it. :)