About to pull the trigger what do you think?

[Brock79 10+ year member]

Stay away from those PBR amps, they have to many issues, yes they are tiny but just to many problems. The Alpine PDX and the JL XD amps are both great amps. I am running the older PDX amps in one car and I have ran the XD amps before also. I have the HD in another car right now. You can't go wrong with either.

 

[matt_bennett05 10+ year member]

In all honesty your best bet is the classifieds or hoping you find a craigslist dimwit. Chances are that dimwits is actually dumber that he was thought to be already and you need to ask 21 questions first.

 

[perferd 10+ year member]

I agree with pioneer, don't buy overpriced alpine gear

I dont like the look of pioneer or the fact I have to hit several buttons or scroll using knobs to get to my preset stations. Alpine looks great and I can just hit one preset button for each of the stations I like to listen to...

 

---------- Post added at 02:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:28 PM ----------

 

In all honesty your best bet is the classifieds or hoping you find a craigslist dimwit. Chances are that dimwits is actually dumber that he was thought to be already and you need to ask 21 questions first.

Not sure I am cool with used gear...

 

[naughtyca 10+ year member]

if i am not mistaken JVC head units is now being built by Kenwood, you can look at that too

 

[perferd 10+ year member]

if i am not mistaken JVC head units is now being built by Kenwood, you can look at that too

I just went to crutchfield to check them out and I still like the look of the alpine but good looking out brotha...

 

[perferd 10+ year member]

I checked out Pioneer being a couple people have mentioned them and I dont mind their DEH-6400BT. Anything above that I dont like the look and has no preset buttons. That pioneer only has 2 preouts I thought I needed 3 sets? Also is there a diff between 2v and 4v?

 

[perferd 10+ year member]

I have decided to drop the rear speakers altogether and put more money in the front components. I am thinking no more then $450 for the set

Imagine dynamics xs-65 $429

Rainbow cs 265 x plain pro $449

Jl c5 650 $399

Hertz hsk 165 $449

Focal 165vr polyglass $429

Cdt hd 6mo $429

I basically picked the brands I thought people were leading me to then set the budget at $450 and selected the pair that was right there...

My amp space is limited (11x9 ish) so I think the arc ks alpine pdx and jl xd are my only bets...from what has been discussed in this thread so far..

 

[neo_styles 10+ year member]

Sorry for the first post here, but you've gotta start somewhere...I had to chime in after observing some of your choices for components. First, congrats on stepping it up to the next level. There was nothing horribly wrong with your first choices, but you would have been kicking yourself in the butt afterwards hoping for something more.

As for your current list of choices for comps, I'd recommend either the Rainbows or the Focals. I have personally owned the Rainbows and the midbass you get from them is freakin' insane. Not to mention the clarity and separation of sound. The one downside to them is with regard to soundstaging. If you're not concerned with feeling like you're in a concert hall all the time while driving, this won't be an issue, but I did feel like they sounded a bit flat with regard to space. The Focals are an excellent choice (and will be mine when I can scrounge up enough cash), but they're last in line for my upgrade path.

Realistically, you could spare yourself a lot of time and get a much bigger bang for your buck if you put the necessary prep steps in first before upgrading your speakers. First, get a bulk pack of Dynamat or whatever acoustic matting you prefer (I like Dynamat Extreme, but anything will do). Start with installing it on your doors and rear cargo space and use the remaining pieces to fill out wherever you feel necessary. A little piece behind the license plate will save you TONS of frustration with trunk rattle.

If cost is a concern, consider downgrading to the Focal Access series vs Polyglass as they're still CRAZY good comps and don't require external amplification at first. You could add the amp later. Additionally, you could also try and pick a local audio shop owner's brain about your setup and see if you can swag a deal on one of their floor models. I managed to do that for both sets of Rainbows that I owned while in Hawaii. One set of cs 265 comps and one set of coaxials COMBINED were the same price as the cs 265s retail.

One last thing, if you do take this stuff to an installer, watch them carefully. Car speaker installation may be tedious, but it's extremely easy once you've learned the basics. It's not just way less expensive, it's a million times more rewarding when you install your own stuff knowing that you had everything to do with the process.

Hope that helps and sorry for the monologue.

 

[05trailblazer 10+ year member]

this hobby is all about space, lots of money; if wantin to get loud, n knowledge atleast a bit...

 

[perferd 10+ year member]

So I turned off my rear speakers today to see how it would sound and I didn't mind it/notice it at all...

Secondly I am wondering about my exhaust? I have a pretty mean exhaust on my durango thats loud all the time with some drone at certain RMP's...Will this be an issue?

Any thoughts on my amp selection?

 

[neo_styles 10+ year member]

For amps I swear by JL slash series. I have never had one fail on me and I love how it doesn't matter what voltage is going to the amp as it will always output the same power. It's getting harder to find them online, but Craigslist and ebay should be good friends. Especially since there's only two models of slash amps still being made (god I miss the 1000/1).

From an SQ perspective, your exhaust could pose an issue, but if you follow my recommendation and acoustically mat your interior, you shouldn't even detect it at normal listening volumes. If you're building a SPL system, it's not even a concern.

 

[perferd 10+ year member]

I am starting to think it is a concern cause my exhaust is loud at all times...There is a noticeable drone at certain RPM's but I dont mind it at all...Hell even with the windows up its still loud...

 

[perferd 10+ year member]

Just took another look and I can go up to 13" x 9" Maybe even 10"...for the amp

 

[neo_styles 10+ year member]

preferd,

Before you installed your exhaust, did you have a lot of issue with road noise? Do your doors close relatively easily or do they require a little more effort and have a resounding THUNK? It could just be that your vehicle isn't very well soundproofed.

There's also the possibility that the exhaust is tuned to let some of its notes intentionally into the vehicle. Think of a GTI, same principle. I understand some people want to hear their own exhaust, but I've never been one of them. Now if I owned a Veyron...

As for the answer to your amp question, when space is a concern, just look for a good multichannel option. I know for my prospective system, the only amplification I'm looking at installing is a JL HD900/5; even if I have to go piece by piece, this amp allows me to upgrade right to the top. Realistically, you want to find the cleanest, most reliable power you can within your budget. The startup cost is pretty hefty, but when you look at how much it'll cost for a monoblock and separate 4-channel amp of comparable quality, the 5-channel is the better value. What saves you here is finding QUALITY components that function well on lower power. Those Focals realistically require about 85W RMS to shine.

Finally, like I said before, worry less about amplification and more about how you can take care of your outside noise. Or remove it as a concern altogether and get yourself some quality comps.

 

[perferd 10+ year member]

^Its an 02 Durango R/T 5.9 so that tells you a lot lol.