A clue-less dad

[tunnelgas]

First of all...I didnt expect that I would get that many responses in that short a period of time.

To answer a few of the responding questions we hope the budget would be $800.00 or less.

He seems to think that he needs an amp and a sub.

He looked at a Kenwood KDC-MP342U CD player, an Alpine PDX4.150 600W 4 channel amp, an Alpine PDX1.600 600W x 1 amp, Alpine type R speakers, etc., etc. and got a quote from a local car audio shop for about $2700.00 which is what prompted the email.

We are going to install ourselves. We like to tinker and he has shown patience for these things.

As for the "mowing" comment...I have a 20yr old sophomore at UT-K and between the two and the fact that I am still so young and good looking I feel like one of them sometimes more than I feel like an old man or grey-haired father.

Thanks much to all who have and continued to respond with advice - I do appreciate it.

 

[KEVCO951 10+ year member]

As for the "mowing" comment...I have a 20yr old sophomore at UT-K and between the two and the fact that I am still so young and good looking I feel like one of them sometimes more than I feel like an old man or grey-haired father.
Thanks much to all who have and continued to respond with advice - I do appreciate it.

Yeah, some things are better left unsaid around here.. I was actually awed by it, not the other way around like some people's minds think. And, I knew you would get the help your looking for and, plenty of it.

I hope you the best with your son's project. =)

 

[thedukey42 10+ year member]

Thats a good amount of money, be careful buying things off ebay, apparently going local isn't an option either.

I would say at this time guys, start providing this guy with specific options, links included. Make them from reliable sources.

If you link him to something in the classifieds, try to keep it to a seller who has shown he is legit. That would prob. help him out the best.

 

[smd4life 5,000+ posts]

a good stereo does what the user wants it to...youve come to the right place...stay away from gimmicks and flea market junk...

 

[KyngHype 10+ year member]

Dad helping with car audio FTW Good luck pops, your son is lucky

 

[terra 5,000+ posts]

Would you consider buying some used goods? That budget will go a lot further in the CA classifieds.

 

[oldschoolboomer 10+ year member]

Is that how you look at it? A sarcastic remark it wasn't, so don't put words in mouth, please. Must be something wrong with "mowing" to you but, not I.

dude don't even start to pretend you weren't attempting to be an ***

 

[XxAkroNyMxX 10+ year member]

First of all, I would like to personally thank you for your son. This is a very cool thing you are doing for him.

As for the Headunit, I prefer Kenwood or JVC personally, but its all matter of opinion. Find the one you like for the price you are willing to pay.

I would strongly reccomend doing the front stage first. Im just assuming that since its a chrysler it has 5x7's up front, but you better make sure what size they are. Pick up a decent component set...Heres a link to a decent comp set for cheap.

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_10436_Infinity+Reference+6820cs.html

To power those, look for a decent 2 channel amp. You do not need a ton of power for the components, so I would reccomend something like:

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_9208_Phoenix+Gold+Ryval+V752.html

This would be a very solid amp for this application.

If your son is dead set on putting an amp and sub(s) in his vehicle, you better make sure he bumps responsibly. I never "bump" my system within a few blocks of my house, because when people hear my car then watch me pull in my driveway, they know where I live. I also would not reccomend bumping in the school parking lot, which will also direct attention and say "Steal me". Keep it respectful at traffic lights etc. and avoid those tickets!

Now since he wants the bass, I would reccomend going with Knukonceptz for all of your mobile wiring needs. My opinion is probably biased because I live about 20 mins away from them, but they have nearly unbeatable prices and quality products.

For subs, he can find some killer deals on used subs on various car audio forums. Some fairly cheap used subs you will find around would be Fi SSD's lower model RE audio subs, Ive seen a lot of DC subs around, some Treo's, Image Dynamics, and you can find Alpine Type-R's everywhere, and they are actually pretty good subs...these are all examples of quality subs. A single 10" or 12" will get plenty loud in a wrangler so I wouldnt reccomend much more. Make sure you go with dual 4-ohm voice coils because they will run at 1ohm and you can find amps all day that will do solid power at 1ohm. Amps that do power at 2ohms are more expensive and harder to find.

Since you should go with a dual 4 sub, I would reccomend a Hifonics amp, or possible a crunch or cadence. These are all pretty good budget amps, and most of them are 1 ohm stable.

Keep in mind that if you guys decide to do a sub-stage, its all about RMS power, not MAX power. Meaning, if the subs are rated at 600 RMS, you want a amp rated at 600 RMS or better. Headroom is a nice thing to have, as long as he does not crank his gains and fry his sub.

Well, I hope you find my opinion useful, and good luck to you and your son.

 

[XxAkroNyMxX 10+ year member]

Oh, one other thing I forgot to mention. I generally buy my products from the forums because I like to support other peoples car audio habit, and get a good price on quality products at the same time.

Im not going to say DO NOT use Ebay...but I will say that if you do, be careful who you buy from. There are some excellent quality dealers on ebay, but there are also some shady characters as well...keep that in mind.

And in case you didnt notice, Sonicelectronix.com is a pretty good place to buy from.

 

[KEVCO951 10+ year member]

dude don't even start to pretend you weren't attempting to be an ***

dude, dude.. stfu

 

[grassroots 10+ year member]

my two cents....

DOWN FIRE THE SUBS. (helps avoid water damage/any kind of moisture you typically get in jeeps)

BOLT THE SUB ENCLOSURE DOWN. (i think it was mentioned earlier. jeeps are easy to break into. make it difficult to take anything out.)

 

[hornedfrog1985 5,000+ posts]

6.5 Components.

http://www.woofersetc.com/p6201/CTX65CS--Image-Dynamics-65"-Component-Speaker-System.htm

I would look at SSA for subs. I believe they are running a special where you buy the subs, and they make you a custom box, and ship it for free.... That is a very good deal.

http://www.soundsolutionsaudio.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=27460

 

[denim 5,000+ posts]

Welcome to CA.com.

 

[W8 a minute 10+ year member]

As a 40 year old Wrangler owner I can tell you what's going in my Wrangler. Keep in mind that mine is a TJ. I don't think you specified which year his Jeep is?

Here's the breakdown:

Headunit:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=290313190169

Plenty of inputs, good sound, easy to read display, and not many people want to steal a Sony.

Front speakers:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=110385940357

With this adapter:

http://www.offroadtoystore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=33-5100

Soundbar speakers:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=290316118523

The factory soundbar in a TJ comes with 5.25" speakers but 6.5" are easily fitted.

2 of these subs:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=320371748061

In this box (I'm building my own but it is very similar to this one):

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-CAR-AUDIO-DUAL-10-JEEP-WRANGLER-CUSTOM-SUB-BOX-U_W0QQitemZ310140646045QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item4835d2b29d&_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116

All powered with this amp (it fits under the rear seat of a TJ):

http://cgi.ebay.com/KICKER-ZX700-5-CAR-STEREO-700-WATT-5CH-AMPLIFIER-AMP_W0QQitemZ310140813968QQcmdZViewItemQQptZCar_Amplifiers?hash=item4835d54290&_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116

Using this installation kit:

http://cgi.ebay.com/KICKER-DCK4-4-AWG-2-CHAN-AMP-INSTALLATION-KIT-09DCK4_W0QQitemZ200344743129QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2ea57a2cd9&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2|65%3A10|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A0|293%3A2|294%3A50

Don't let these people talk you into buying expensive gear for a Jeep. The law of diminishing returns apply much sooner in this situation. I was an installer for several years, I'm now 40, I've owned 2 Tj's and 1 CJ and this is what I've bought for my current Wrangler. I also highly suggest a security system with a proximity sensor and disabling the shock sensor.