Time for the planning for my first car stereo

sickofsoyo

Im getting my permit soon, which means you guys should stay off the roads

. My dad has to get a new car for work and Im getting his old one. Im getting a 2003 Chevrolet Impala... but with 120,000 miles. At least its the LS model with the 3.8 L V6.

Anyways, I want to start planning for my car stereo. The Trunk is very large, so I have a large amount of room to play with. I was thinking of 4 subs, 2 8's in a bandpass box behind the seats, and two tens in those slanted boxes near the wheel wells. I was looking at a Pioneer headunit with an MP3 player hookup. I have a Zen vision:M so I need one that will work with it. I want to get 4 3 way speakers, 2 for the door, 2 in the back which are oval, dont know the dimensions for the speakers since he's still using the car. I dont know about amps or brands for speakers. The other thing I was looking at it a couple tweaters for the front. Any suggestions?
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ToggleHead · TWEAKGURU Joined: 03 Mar 2004 Posts: 4360 Location: Jersey

Ahoy! Welcome to my neck of the woods...in YOUR neck of the woods.

First things first....its not the amount of speakers you have.....its where you put the right ones. IMO, your subs are perfect if they can hit every note with clarity...but you cant tell where they are....;D

Four subs is a lot....chances are youd be happy with two of the right ones.
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meobius · Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2007 7:16 am Post subject:

first thing is first, you have a double din for the radio, depending on your tastes you could get a dash kit, and a single din radio, or you could get a really nice double din one. single din is less expensive and you have more choice, but double din can fit an lcd screen.

in any and all cases, aux. in and make sure it has front rear and sub out.
front speakers are 6 and 3/4, and the rears are 6x9's. my recommendation for those would be Rockford Fosgate or Polk. Polks sound warm and have good bass (not a big issue with subs). The rockfords have a very clear, slightly metallic sound. Most people I know end up getting the Rockfords. If you really want to set up the sound stage properly, get a set of components (speakers and tweeters seperate), but for the most part, i would recommend just sticking to the coaxials (tweeters built into the speaker.)

as for the sub, what kind of music do you listen to? how much power are you looking for? the type of encloser will depend alot on the answer to the first question. I would recommend ported encloser if you listen to a lot of hip hop, R&B, Dance (bass has a bit of a roll to it). If you prefer rock, then a sealed is what would be best(very sharp crisp bass). Bandpass isn't a bad idea, sounds similar to a ported, but it's really hard to find ones that are done properly.
The subs I would recommend two 10's, double voice coil. 12's will give you a deeper bass, but response is sometimes a bit slower. Power is up to you, but keep in mind that the more powerfull the subs the more expensive the amp will be.

As for amps, i would recommend getting one for the speakers (as the head units can't put out that much power, nor can they handle 2ohms loads. Either 2x2 channel amps or 1x4 channel amp, something that could put out 80 or so watts RMS. Rockford fosgate has good amps, usually overpriced, but sometimes you can find a good deal on one. Phoenix Gold is good but overpriced. Soundstream is good, unless you can find a good deal on them though they are a bit pricey. Blaupunkt isn't bad, Power Acoustik is good for the money. Shop around, My preference is for the rockfords as they have the cleanest look, and the sound quality is pretty good, but as mentioned, pricey unless there is a sale on them (check best buy). For the sub amp, let us know when you found what subs you want to put in, and we'll help you find a sub amp that can handle them
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Zero_Fresh · Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2007 12:00 pm Post subject:

Also, with the head unit. Make sure you find something with a 5volt preamp. You might want to look into Eclipse. They make quality units that won't disappoint you.

Subs:

Depending your space, I would look into two 10's and one 15. That will cover just about every range of bass there is. The 10's will punch and give you that knock, while the 15 will pick up all the low rumbling that can shake your teeth from your gums.

I would type a lot more, but it's lunch time at work and I am hungry. Keep me posted. Also, if you are going to go with professional installation and you don't already have a place picked out, stay away from Sound Waves on Route 46. They're over priced. I would look into Detailed Sound in Caldwell on ROseland Ave.
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sickofsoyo · Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2007 2:25 pm Post subject:

installation is probably gonna be done by me my brother and his friend (who does this for a living). As for the double din, Pioneer has 3 I was looking at, in the particular the one with the tape deck (to plug my MP3 player into)

I dont need an lcd to watch movies or anything (just something else that will distract me.

I havent heard of eclipse, I will look at them today.

Music I listen to... a little of everything, punk, heavy metal like AC / DC rap, hip hop, etc even some techno in there.

thanks for the help so far guys
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sickofsoyo · Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2007 2:42 pm Post subject:

well, here is some of the stuff Im lookin at...

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-nkae1EGf5Sa/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=520&I=109P1024

^JBL 10' sub, I'd get 2, not sure how to mount em though...

and the headunit, as mentioned, I did look at eclipse but I didnt see any double dins which I like.

Im lookin at one of these http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/v3/pg/comparison/results/0,,2076_310069880,00.html

more specifically the first one with the tape deck built in as mentioned b4

look good?
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ToggleHead · TWEAKGURU Joined: 03 Mar 2004 Posts: 4360 Location: Jersey

stay with pioneer HUs.....they friggen rule.

Im sure it will have an AUX in jack....for your MP3 player....those tape deck adapters are so 1998 =P
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sickofsoyo · Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2007 8:00 pm Post subject:

well the reason I like the one with the tape deck is the fact it has AAC playback as well as MP3 and WMA. The others dont say they support even MP3 playback..

and how about the subs? I have always been a fan of JBL.
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meobius · Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2007 8:03 pm Post subject:

The radio only has 2x 2v outputs, so you can put an amp for front speakers and for the sub but nothing else. The one i would suggest would be
Kenwood Excelon DPX-701 CD/MP3 player
which has 3x 5 volt outs. also has a usb port on it so you can plug a usb key to it (plays mp3s off a usb key)

one thing to note, if you change the factory radio, unless you get a data interface kit, or a relocation kit for the old radio, you will lose your audible warnings (etc. door chimes, fuel low, oil low, etc)

for subs, those look good,
here is what you have
800watts rms @1ohm
800watts rms @4ohm
2x400Watts rms @2ohm
4x200watts rms @4ohm
as long as the amp you get can do close to one of these, it will do the job.. for 1 ohm, it's hard to find amps that are 1ohm stable... If possible i would recommend a 4ohm setup as they tend to be better for the amp.

amps I'ld recommend would be
soundstream
PCA2.760 2x380w@2ohm (one speaker per channel)
PCA1000D 1x1000w@1ohm (both speakers connected in 1 ohm)
JBL
BPX500.1 1x718w@4ohms (both speakers connected in 4 ohm)
Pheonix Gold
RSd1200.1 1x775W@4ohms (both speakers connected in 4ohm)
Sony
Sony Xplod 2/1 Channel Car Amplifier (XM-1252GTR) (1x800rms@4ohm both speakers connected in 4ohm)

as for encloser, try to find a good bandpass, or ported (bandpass will protect the speakers) The only thing that will suffer will be the punk and slower metal songs
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ToggleHead · TWEAKGURU Joined: 03 Mar 2004 Posts: 4360 Location: Jersey

That kenwood looks nice....

As for JBL subs...i like em too...but not enough to reccomend them. In my opinion, they are REALLY loud...but not as clear id like....

Some i would reccommend:

Series 1 Rockford Fosgates arent bad....im running two 12" right now and they sound great....loud, and very clear for 12's....with only 200w a piece.

Apline subs are tight, and handle a lot.

Audiobahn, if done right can sound great....or done wrong, will break everything constantly Go ahead....ask how i know...

Infinity's are great too...especially their Perfect Series.

JL Audio are wonderful if you want to move a LOT of air around your car...

....i know there are more....
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sickofsoyo · Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2007 8:53 pm Post subject:

wow, I missed that kenwood... that thing looks sick. And I will prob be getting a custom built sub box, which will prob be bandpass.

I think what I'll do is go to CC or BB and check out some of the stuff they have there. I know the CC by me has JBL's there. and maybe alpines, what about MTX?

And TH, I have been instructed by many people to stay away from Audiobahn, so I dont think I will even try those. I will have to test some stuff out and do a little shopping... this is like building a computer for the first time... only this is gonna be a lot more expensive, and pieced overtime I think is how Im gonna do it...
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ToggleHead · TWEAKGURU Joined: 03 Mar 2004 Posts: 4360 Location: Jersey

I like MTX too...they sounds great...but ive blown a few on proper setups.
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meobius · Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2007 10:49 pm Post subject:

i like power accoustik, and there are some soundstreams that really sound good... but i think the models i'm thinking about are canadian only.

Rockfords have a nice punchy sound to them and sound great whatever you do to them

Know lots of people with the Infinity perfects, and they like em

MTX isn't bad, but they really shine in the competition level (MTX JACKHAMMER, a 22inch 369 pound sub 6000w RMS, but i digress)

oh don't trust the salespeople at BB or CC, I know many people who got great deals on equipment, if only it would work together. And last time i was in BB asking for a din and a half radio, they told me they didn't carry that brand. Great place to see whats on the market, hear a few, find out what you like.
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sandness · Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2007 11:53 pm Post subject:

Zero_Fresh · Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2007 9:25 am Post subject:

sickofsoyo · Posted: Fri Jan 26, 2007 10:19 pm Post subject:

well, I was able to listen to a few of the ones above, sry TH, the infinity's are a little too much $$ for the perfect series. JL's are also a little too much. I listened to JBL GTOs, The Pwer Series, and some fosgates, and my personal preference was the perfect series. SO FAR, I am not done looking by any means. TH you were right, the Infinity perfects sound great, but like I said too much $$$, I'd like to stay 200 or below for 1. The GTO's also as you said were a little loud and unclear, but the perfect series sounded awesome.

I also found that headunit for cheap at 6th Ave electronics... still searching tho. its 295... http://6ave.com/product.jsp?x=CAR500-3

so so far, its 295 headunit, and 360~ for the two subs... total so far = 655

now amps and speakers, 3 ways in the door and 3, 4, or 5 way in the back? also separate amp needed for those?
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fussnfeathers · Lord of the Tweak Joined: 14 Dec 2004 Posts: 2763

I'll throw in my 2 cents here........

I agree totally with the folks who said to stick with one size/model of sub. If possible, buy matching full-range speakers. JBL's, for example, are reverse-wired, so depending on how your crossover works, you may have an out-of-phase "gap" in the low end if you buy, say, Polk deck speakers.

I am also not a fan of anything larger than 12" subs in cars. 15's are just too long-throw in their frequency range, meaning most of the bass is past your head and through the windshield before it really hits you. A couple of 10's in a bandpass box will be more than enough, if you pair them with the right amp. Ideally, you'd want double the wattage for your subs compared to your main speakers. Meaning, if you have a head unit that puts out 40 watts per channel, you wouldn't want any less than a 320 watt sub amp.

Also, which should go without saying, match the subs and speakers to the wattage of the amps. Too many people go out and buy a 100 watt sub amp, and get suckered into buying 500 watt subs, thinking they'll be louder. In fact, the opposite is true. The amp is working 5 times as hard to drive the subs, which never get very loud. If you buy two subs that total 500 watts, for example, wired in parallel, buy a 500 watt amp. A little more power is ok, as long as you turn down the output volume of the amp to compensate, but too little is a big no-no.

Personally, I like Polk and JBL for gear. I prefer the JBL's for what you listen to, as they have a bit more "punch" while retaining their musical tones. I used JBL SR series cabs for my PA system, and always got compliments on the sound. Think bass that is beefy, but musical.........compared to the dog-fart WOOF that some people call bass.

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meobius · Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2007 9:23 am Post subject:

For speakers i'ld suggest going for jbl or for rockford fosgate, polks are good, but only if you don't have a sub (good bass no highs) JBL's sound good too.

for the sub, one i'ld recommend is http://www.soundstream.com/subwoofers-picasso.htm
300rms per sub, dual voice coil, and sounds great in a bandpass
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sickofsoyo · Posted: Sun Jan 28, 2007 12:26 pm Post subject:

well, after a trip to bb, and laughing after finding half the stuff on their floor broken, I got to test out some speakers (only about 2 subs were hooked up, and they sounded like crap)

these are the speakers I looked at and liked (amazing highs, good midrange)

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-xIx1OyFMWzR/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=52300&I=130TSA6991

and match it with these (which also sounded good)

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-xIx1OyFMWzR/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=52100&I=130TSA1781

as stated before, far from done with shopping, gotta hit up some specialty shops.
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[TN] Nathan · ALMIGHTY PWNER! Joined: 14 Feb 2002 Posts: 7406

From my experience, don't full the trunk with subwoofers.

Get one large 12inch witha high wattager rating and a good class D monoblock amp and you will have better overall sound than a trunck full of bass.
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sickofsoyo · Posted: Sun Jan 28, 2007 4:19 pm Post subject:

Yeah, after reading a little, I know 4 is not a good idea as I was thinking in my first post, I am looking for 2 tens, and I have no idea about amps yet...
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[TN] Nathan · ALMIGHTY PWNER! Joined: 14 Feb 2002 Posts: 7406

Stick to one GOOD 12 and a good amp and you will get the same sound.

I have two tens and the sound isn't any better, just less space.
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ToggleHead · TWEAKGURU Joined: 03 Mar 2004 Posts: 4360 Location: Jersey

And i bet you get more punch with those 10's.....the 12 is probably THUMPIER....and has more low end rumble.....but that 10" will handle the true sound of a real bass drum better than a 12.

The truth is...everyones ears are different, and everyones body has different resonant frequencies. Youre going to have to get in there and get started playing with speaker setups, and find whats best for your car, your ear, and your taste.
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ToggleHead · TWEAKGURU Joined: 03 Mar 2004 Posts: 4360 Location: Jersey

also...SoS.....dont be afraid to ask for our help!

Im sure Fresh would shoot down with me to help you with the wiring and such on a weekend...just buy me a sandwich. =]
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Zero_Fresh · Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 2:07 pm Post subject:

Yeah, I'd be willing to give you a hand if you need it. You don't even have to buy me a sandwhich.
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