15k Budget Options

[Pil]

Hey y'all - Need some help deciding between a few options I've been given by different shops in the east texas/louisianna (beaumont) area. To be completely honest I would probably even go as far away as DFW if it meant the right setup, but I'm concerned about what I've heard so far. Y'all know a lot more about this than I do and that's why I'm here. First shop says 2 way focal power M front, 8w7 with vxi amps/dsp. Asked about utopia, was shrugged off. Second shop says hertz 3-way front, alpine subs and audison amps. I know theres gonna be a lot of wiring and all that but neither of these seem adequate for my budget? Not sure what to do, thanks.

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[Firewalker]

Go to DIYMA and contact a person there with the name ANS. He is known in the Texas for his top notch installs and equipment. He does really nice quality work and has top quality equipment.

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

I'm not following, is your goal here to try to spend 15,000$ on equipment and an install?

 

[Firewalker]

Yeah that is also my question as well. For 15k you can do a whole lot of stuff with really high end equipment.

 

[Pil]

I'm not following, is your goal here to try to spend 15,000$ on equipment and an install?

Yeah - basically haha

I saved up and just got a new suv so I want to upgrade the audio. I have considered doing it myself but I just don't have the time right now and need to drive a lot for work. Y'all have heard it all before lol

 

[Pil]

Go to DIYMA and contact a person there with the name ANS. He is known in the Texas for his top notch installs and equipment. He does really nice quality work and has top quality equipment.

Awesome! Do you know where he's based out of?

 

[Firewalker]

I think either houston or dallas. I am not 100% sure but he is there and active all the time and will answer right away.

 

[deez283 10+ year member]

Go to DIYMA and contact a person there with the name ANS. He is known in the Texas for his top notch installs and equipment. He does really nice quality work and has top quality equipment.

Gonna need to find his personal contact.. He is banned at Diyma right now..

 

[Pil]

Gonna need to find his personal contact.. He is banned at Diyma right now..

In the interim, surely y'all can give me some feedback right?!? I thought for sure 15k would be enough for a mega focal system LOL

 

[deez283 10+ year member]

In the interim, surely y'all can give me some feedback right?!? I thought for sure 15k would be enough for a mega focal system LOL

What is your main goals for the System? SQ or SPL? Have you had systems in the past? If yes, What did you have?

 

[HardofWhoring]

Can I just be real with you for a second. Saying you want to spend $15K is ridiculous, and just setting yourself up to be cheated. If you want a system like that, then cool go for it, but don't tell people a number like that. This is like that critical audio. That was basic equipment back in the day, and some idiot athlete had them put it in his car, and bragged about having a $90K system, and it was only a thousand bucks or so worth of equipment.


If you really want to spend that much, you need to find where the professional athletes go to do their stuff. Seriously, if you can find where the Cowboys or Texans players get theirs done, they talk amongst each other, (might be able to search it), that would be a good bet.


The only speakers I can even think of that are priced up there are the Focal Utopias. The problem with doing that is they just don't make sense. You're going for the last bit of clarity that you won't ever be able to notice in an SUV.
* You're going to need $1K+ for sound deadener. Between labor, the size of your vehicle, and you would do not just the mat but also the skin, probably closer to $2k, maybe even a little more. If you're in something like a full size, a tahoe or even a suburban, I could even see $3k for a fully done setup (with labor). Otherwise top of the line equipment doesn't make sense.
* Alternator and battery with wiring, $1K. Depending on subs, you might need a second battery. Big 3 is a little more, could put you about $1500.
* If you want speakers like Utopia, you can use em, but you'll need top of the line amps and high quality cables. You'll only want digital quality audio, HD radio, maybe a hard drive setup to store for that bitrate, or it's not worth it. You can get clear music, but it makes it a little more difficult than just copying it to a flash drive and being done.
* I'm sure you want more than the factory mounting locations. If I had that budget, I would redo speaker placement. Custom made fiberglass door panels alone could be $1K for fully done on the high end, for just one set, once they are fully finished looking great.

If that was me, I'm going with Zapco audiophile series amps. (I'm really limited on my knowledge of top tier stuff though). You might be able to look around and find someone on craigslist or facebook marketplace that does really nice custom fiberglass work.


If you wanted an all out system, you could realistically spend more than half of that $15K budget on not audio equipment. It's certainly a high end budget, but I would still plan this all out before you do it.

 

[2RZ-FE 10+ year member]

For 15k I would do 10k system and 5k booze and hookers

 

[djdilliodon!]

With a budget that high, like mentioned before by another poster, what to go with all depends on your goals (spl, sq, sql). What your goals are may require you to sacrifice lots of space in the vehicle as well. Gotta know what the goal is and then we can go from there.

 

[spokey9 5,000+ posts]

Spend a good portion of that on deadening and how/where speakers are intalled...that matters more than the cost of the speakers..

A great install will make average speakers sound great...a poor install can make the best speakers very disappointing...

 

[Firewalker]

ANS Banned? Okay that is interesting to say the least. I'll see if I still have his contact info from a deal I did with him awhile back.

 

[Firewalker]

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www.soundexpressusa.com

That is his website and it looks like he is in Forth Worth.

Also yeah depends on what you want to do. With that kind of budget definitely make sure you get all the sound deadening you can get as well. Resonix is rated the best across the board right now.

 

[Pil]

What is your main goals for the System? SQ or SPL? Have you had systems in the past? If yes, What did you have?

SQ is primary concern, but want it to bang too. I like punchy base, so not averse to smaller subs as long as they're good. I did have a system back in the early 2000's with mostly pioneer and MTX stuff. Mostly remember it rattling my shitbird car and not sounding the best, but it had a sweet detachable face!

 

[Pil]

Can I just be real with you for a second. Saying you want to spend $15K is ridiculous, and just setting yourself up to be cheated. If you want a system like that, then cool go for it, but don't tell people a number like that. This is like that critical audio. That was basic equipment back in the day, and some idiot athlete had them put it in his car, and bragged about having a $90K system, and it was only a thousand bucks or so worth of equipment.


If you really want to spend that much, you need to find where the professional athletes go to do their stuff. Seriously, if you can find where the Cowboys or Texans players get theirs done, they talk amongst each other, (might be able to search it), that would be a good bet.


The only speakers I can even think of that are priced up there are the Focal Utopias. The problem with doing that is they just don't make sense. You're going for the last bit of clarity that you won't ever be able to notice in an SUV.
* You're going to need $1K+ for sound deadener. Between labor, the size of your vehicle, and you would do not just the mat but also the skin, probably closer to $2k, maybe even a little more. If you're in something like a full size, a tahoe or even a suburban, I could even see $3k for a fully done setup (with labor). Otherwise top of the line equipment doesn't make sense.
* Alternator and battery with wiring, $1K. Depending on subs, you might need a second battery. Big 3 is a little more, could put you about $1500.
* If you want speakers like Utopia, you can use em, but you'll need top of the line amps and high quality cables. You'll only want digital quality audio, HD radio, maybe a hard drive setup to store for that bitrate, or it's not worth it. You can get clear music, but it makes it a little more difficult than just copying it to a flash drive and being done.
* I'm sure you want more than the factory mounting locations. If I had that budget, I would redo speaker placement. Custom made fiberglass door panels alone could be $1K for fully done on the high end, for just one set, once they are fully finished looking great.

If that was me, I'm going with Zapco audiophile series amps. (I'm really limited on my knowledge of top tier stuff though). You might be able to look around and find someone on craigslist or facebook marketplace that does really nice custom fiberglass work.


If you wanted an all out system, you could realistically spend more than half of that $15K budget on not audio equipment. It's certainly a high end budget, but I would still plan this all out before you do it.

I think this makes a lot of sense - I reached out prior to starting this and was told to be up front with my budget? Maybe that was just poor advice.

 

[Pil]

For 15k I would do 10k system and 5k booze and hookers

It's on the table!

 

[Pil]

Spend a good portion of that on deadening and how/where speakers are intalled...that matters more than the cost of the speakers..

A great install will make average speakers sound great...a poor install can make the best speakers very disappointing...

I think that is part of my problem though, I can look through a crutchfield listing and see what they're priced at, but I don't know what an average speaker is these days.