My Idea

[hondaboy92]

OK...im completely redoing the stereo in my EG8. Heres what i want...I just need recommendations for cheap/decent components.

Door/Deck speakers - what size and brand
Amp for 4 speakers
2 - 10" subs
Amp for subs
Headunit
Dynamat the trunk lid, deck, and doors

Im not good with car audio at all...so please help me out.

[custom_junky]

how much are you willing to spend?

Money has a HUGE part in an audio system, it can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to thousands.

my recommendations are going to be the following brand names:
audiobahn
kenwood (amps ONLY, there other items are so so)
kicker (there subs always kick ass)
xtant(they have GOOD amps)
infinity (REALLY good sounding interior speakers)
polk (REALLY good sounding interior speakers)
MTX (subs ONLY, just recently they started to make some good shit, but they still need some work on there other items)
pioneer (IMO the BEST in head units, i say this because of the flexibility they have built into them, however it is a different story with the rest of there stuff)


As for the size you'll need (interior speakers), that is something you'll have to look up

[00kickercivic]

dont do 2 10's... just do one better 10 that can take more power and you will be much happier with the sound and the room taken up in the car

[custom_junky]

^^that's what i'm doin. if you can, get an audiobahn q1000

[hondaboy92]

sounds good...for a single 10" sub...i would need a mono amp right?

[Fooshitinkinjssomethingorother]

First and foremost, before you go buck-wild with your system, consider your car's charging system. Know your alternator's output amperage and keep this in mind when you decide on how many watts you're going to be pushing out. Most shops will just tell you to "slap a cap on there and everything will be fine." This could not be further from the truth. A cap (in this case, an oversized capacitor, hence the name) acts a a resevoir of power for when the amp needs it. It charges quickly, and discharges quicky, making it very useful for car audio systems. HOWEVER, these ONLY prove to be beneficial if your car's charging capacity can already sustain the load you're putting on it. If you put one in otherwise, this will just be one more thing your car has to deal with to keep full in addition to the battery, heater, lights, distributor, etc. It all adds up and will take its toll. Most times it's your alternator that goes, not fun to replace. (trust me)

When calculating your required current for your audio system, this is an easy way to do it:

1: calculate the total RMS (NOT PEAK) wattage of your system based on how the amplifiers are wired (2 Ohm load, 4 Ohm load etc)

2: take that total RMS rating, and divide by 12 (this is 12 because it's an average number of volts that your car puts out during driving. It can go as high as 14, and as low as 8).

3: add 20% for class D and T or 40% for class AB. (If you don't know what your amp class is, catch me on AIM and i'll help you figure it out. Most amps have this listed in the specs.)

4: add amplifier totals together for a combined measurement.

This is (roughly) how many Amperes your audio system will require in addition to what your car already needs (stock alternator rating) at full output (this will err slightly to the high side, but this will act as a built in safety feature to give you a emergency buffer zone should something go awry). If this number exceeds your alternator's stock rating, or comes within 10 amperes of your stock rating, you'll need to either upgrade your alternator, or downgrade your system. Adding a high output batttery like an optima yellow top or other upper end brands will help slightly, offering more juice when the car needs it, but that will

For head units, go with a nice alpine, panasonic, or kenwood model. They all make really nice pieces that will last.

For speakers, since you're on a budget, (isn't everyone? not you, bizzar ;) ) go with either infinity or alpine. Can't go wrong with any of their lines, and there are always good deals for them out there.

As for subs, I recommend the Kicker CVR. Great price, killer sound :TU: I swear by them and so do most of my friends.

For amps, you have a alot of choices. I'm running a old school alpine 4-way and a rockford series 1 2-way. Just because they're old, doesn't mean they're crap. Don't be afraid to buy used when it comes to electronics. I paid less than $130 for both of my amps, and they're pushing 18 years of use with no problems (except a few scratches from yours truly ;) ). Most of these newer amps are more flash than performance with very few exceptions. About the only names that remain true to the quality standpoint are JL, Alpine, Denon, and a handful of others like McIntosh, Zapco, Nakamichi....I'm rambling..... If you can find them, Rockford series 1 amps are awesome models. If you MUST buy new, i'd go with JBL or Alpine.

Sound deadener. This is a topic with multiple paths. Dynamat is expensive, and there are other products that work as well if not better for a fraction of the price. Brown Bread (http://www.b-quiet.com/brownbread.html) is one of those products. Do a little research on others like this (fatmat (http://www.fatmat.com/), eDesign (http://edesignaudio.com/category.php?type=damp), and several others) and you should find some good alternatives that better fit your budget.

So with that in mind, go out, and buy. But be smart, don't rely on sites like crutchfield to do all your buying. I only use crutchfield because its comparison tool is very handy for comparing specific details of multiple items side-by-side. Here are some sites that should help you find some good deals:

www.ebay.com (http://www.ebay.com/) (duh)
www.thezeb.com (http://www.thezeb.com/)
www.etronics.com (http://www.etronics.com/)
www.knukonceptz.com (http://www.knukonceptz.com/) (gotta have wire, right? :roll: )

Hope all this helps

[hondaboy92]

thanks bro...that was exactly what i needed...damn thats good info

[Fooshitinkinjssomethingorother]

I try :wink:

[transzex]

I just sold 2 killer MTX amps................

Old Thunder 4160 rated @ 20x4 @ 12.5v

the test certificate.........CLEAN POWER!

http://home.cinci.rr.com/mistab0ne/ebay/MTX%204160-4.jpg

Perfect to run 2 front speakers and a 10 in the back. Let the head unit power the rear fill speakers.

That and a Thunder 280, $120 for both shipped to a good friend. He also owns the 2160 that I sold him 4-5 years ago.


http://www.bettendorf.com/~mrbone/pictures/RR/subbox3.jpg

[Fooshitinkinjssomethingorother]

Nice :) I'm probably going to be using old components all my life :lol:

[flatfourfan]

how much are you willing to spend?

Money has a HUGE part in an audio system, it can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to thousands.

my recommendations are going to be the following brand names:
audiobahn
kenwood (amps ONLY, there other items are so so)
kicker (there subs always kick ass)
xtant(they have GOOD amps)
infinity (REALLY good sounding interior speakers)
polk (REALLY good sounding interior speakers)
MTX (subs ONLY, just recently they started to make some good shit, but they still need some work on there other items)
pioneer (IMO the BEST in head units, i say this because of the flexibility they have built into them, however it is a different story with the rest of there stuff)


Only problem I found with this list is audiobahn........too much bling. I've had 2 amps from them with both busting within a week. Old MTX amps are worth their weight in gold, I love the gear. Front door speakers you can go 5 1/4 with a wood spacer, I put the same but co-ax in the back and 2 tens, a RF 550X powers everything and it's been hitting hard for the last year and the amps been going well for the last 3 years........

[k1dfreeze]

jl, image dynamics, adire (sp?) for subs...xtant amps...eclipse deck...focal or mb quartz for components...just a quick high-end list, i havent been into audio scene for a while so this could be out of date

im personally an alpine whore but thats just me

[custom_junky]

Only problem I found with this list is audiobahn........too much bling. I've had 2 amps from them with both busting within a week. Old MTX amps are worth their weight in gold, I love the gear. Front door speakers you can go 5 1/4 with a wood spacer, I put the same but co-ax in the back and 2 tens, a RF 550X powers everything and it's been hitting hard for the last year and the amps been going well for the last 3 years........

DAMN...sorry about the bad luck with audiobahn, your the first i've seen or heard of having issues with them. i'll keep that in mind when i buy my 4 channel amp.

MTX??? had some bad experiences with both the subs and amps before, seen a few amps fry and subs blow easier than they should. however i will admit that there quality has gotten better exponitually in the past few years. maybe it's time to give them another try.

[flatfourfan]

Yup, I dont' know if it was dodgy stock or something, but I wasn't at all impressed, I got my dosh back, so I wasn't out with any coin. Maybe give them a try when I build the audio in my bus.

Amps wise I still have to swear by my RF 550x. Before that I had a Alpine and a Pioneer amp and I loved both.

[Fooshitinkinjssomethingorother]

A few of my friends have had issues with them too. Mostly subs crapping out. I think one guy had a problem with an amp, but it was determined to be a manufacturing problem, so it worked out in the long run.

[RJwaggs]

I really dont olike abahn, many of thier products lack in performance and quality. I like Adire, Resonant Engineering, Ascendant Audio, SoundSplinter, justa few internet companies that are making it big and still have GRADE A++++++ customer service and performance/price ratios.

one guy mentioned Adire above and Im suprised anyone else over here knows about them. I recommend checking out caraudio.com/vb, termpro.com, sounddomain.com for some good ausio help. Not that this isnt good over here, its just there are a lot more products that can be had for good prices and the info database is sooo much larger.

[Fooshitinkinjssomethingorother]

one guy mentioned Adire above and Im suprised anyone else over here knows about them. I recommend checking out caraudio.com/vb, termpro.com, sounddomain.com for some good ausio help. Not that this isnt good over here, its just there are a lot more products that can be had for good prices and the info database is sooo much larger.

Only reason I didn't is because i think the Brahmas are out of his price range. Hell, they're WAY out of mine :lol:

[flatfourfan]

I know Blade amps and Arc Audio and also good amps and 2nd hand one's are cheap.

My fav brands still are Brax and Geneses...I had two amps stolen out of my old car and I know I'll never have that type of coin to replace them again.

[SilentWrath*]

one guy mentioned Adire above and Im suprised anyone else over here knows about them. .

man i been a fan of adire since for about 4-5 years now, cant beat a shiva for price and quality

id like to emphasize a few points mentioned above:

old mtx amps own
audiobahn is garbage
knukonceptz wire is the best IMO

[flatfourfan]

^^^ wise words......

Just remembered something........pimp my ride install audiobahn in some of their rides....lol.

nuff said

[Fooshitinkinjssomethingorother]

knukonceptz wire is the best IMO

Glad to see someone else using their stuff :)

[RJwaggs]

Glad to see someone else using their stuff :)


I'm planning on wireing my whole dx with knu :)

Brahmas can be had for round $200 on some of the forums I frequent, especially the Mk I's

[Fooshitinkinjssomethingorother]

True, but right now I have no need for one. I simply don't have the capacity to use one to its fullest potential.

One of my dream projects is to make a complete home theater system with car components. Can you say, stereo W7s? That's right, I knew you could. :lol: I've always loved stereo subs, makes a big difference to me anyways.

[hondaboy92]

Ok, after some research and taking a trip to Radioshack and testing out some equipment. I purchased the following:

2 pairs Kicker DS60 6.5" speakers....about 70 a pair
Kenwood KDC-1028 HU..................about 145


I also tested out the old Sony sub i had in my closet and we came up with a Pioneer amp that pushes the sub perfectly. I didnt think the sub had it in it. Ill be getting the amp soon.

I have to say tho...the Kicker speakers are some of the best bang for the buck speakers ive ever heard. The Kenwood headunit is easy to use and is loaded with top notch features. I would recommend this setup to anyone on a budget but looking for top notch equipment.

I just wanted to let everyone know whats up with my setup. Thanks for all the help Foo, that helped me out alot.

[trex-btnhfan]

IMO I would ditch the sony sub. Whats your price range for the amp?

If you want to stick with the sony sub, what is the rms, and what are the voice coils on it? Single 4 ohm?

[hondaboy92]

The sub is about a year old...its 200w RMS and 800 max, its got a single 4-ohm voice coil and i forget the frequency range. The amp that i tested at Radioshack was a 340w bridged Pioneer

[trex-btnhfan]

Your not going to want to give the sony more than its rms. The thermal handling of it is very low. Are you going to keep that amp and sub, or keep one, or ditch both, etc...

[hondaboy92]

Before i had gone up to Radioshack i was looking at these two amps to go with a single 10" sub.

They are Profile amps...a company ive never heard of before but seems to be pretty decent. The top one is a 300 by 1 bridged and the 2nd is a 480 by 1.

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-JQguk6hp1yK/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=110&I=489AP600&search=profile+car&SearchDisplay=Profile

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-JQguk6hp1yK/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=110&I=489HA1000&search=profile+car&SearchDisplay=Profile

I know the Sony sub wouldnt last too long with either of those but i was looking for another sub without breaking my bank. I dont need something crazy just something about 300-400 watts.

[trex-btnhfan]

Whats your price range for the sub?

Profile makes great budget amps. They do their rated power.

[hondaboy92]

Profile makes great budget amps. They do their rated power.


Thats exactly what i needed to hear...i really like the features and style of the Profile amps better than the Pioneers. As for the sub...i dont want anything over 130-140 bucks.

[trex-btnhfan]

Get the ap profile, the first one.
And sub, since your ordering from crutchfield, you can get either one of these also.

Both are great budget subs.
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-5RPyiTRObfT/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=67600&I=2065C10VR2

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-5RPyiTRObfT/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=67600&I=500SWS1022

[hondaboy92]

Another thing that confuses me is the voice coils on the subs and how you would connect those to the amp. I know you have to have a single or bridged amp to run a single 4 ohm voice coil. But what would it take to run subs like that with dual 2-ohm voice coils? and how would you wire it up for maximum power?

[trex-btnhfan]

You have to wire the coils to 4 ohms.

1 positive terminal connected to 1 negative terminal by the same wire.

Then you are left with just 1 positive and 1 negative that goes into the amp

If you need a diagram I could show you one.

[hondaboy92]

i think i understand but a diagram would make sure i know exactly what im doing

[trex-btnhfan]

http://www.jlaudio.com/tutorials/wiring/images/DVC_Series_1.gif


Thats all there is to it.

[hondaboy92]

thats what i was thinking...but thank you very much for the diagram. i printed it out and put it in my file cabinet (yes i have a file cabinet for my Honda)

[trex-btnhfan]

Haha nice.
Let me know if you need anymore help with it.

[hondaboy92]

wouldnt happen to know of any good tweeters and where i could mount them would you? i just bought 6.5s but i need some better highs (well i want more highs). Its a sedan and has no factory locations for tweeters.

[trex-btnhfan]

The best bet would be to get a component system. It already comes with a crossover for the tweeters and the midbass, and they are made for each other.

[hondaboy92]

Still, if i got a component set i wouldnt have a place for the tweeters...so I guess ill stick with the Kicker 3-ways

[Synth]

I'm too lazy to read all of this. But depending on what you listen to, rock, punk whatever..or rap. If you just want more bass, kicker makes a 300w. 8 inch sub that is friggin awesome!!! Take up very very little space and sounds amazing, with awesome bass to it.

[trex-btnhfan]

There should be sail panels that have a tweeter mount if you search on ebay, or you could make custom kicks if you wanted to.


^^Do you mean the L7 8"?

[flatfourfan]

I had an old 8" H2 RF sub in my old beetle...did a 132..........man that thing pounded.