About to purchase this set up. Opinions/suggestions?

[markml0528]

I have a 2002 Dodge Neon. I'm thinking about buying this. I'm curious if you guys think this is a decent set up or not.

HU: Kenwood KDC-X597

Front door speakers: JBL-GTO638

Rear Deck: JBL-GTO938

Amp: Rockford Fosgate Prime R300-4 300 Watt Multi Channel

(New members aren't allowed to post links I guess)

Questions

Do you think these are good speakers? Or are there better ones for the same price? (I want to stick with coaxial)

The speakers are rated for 2 ohms, and the amp does 75 watts RMS per channel. But the front door speakers are only rated for 60 RMS. Will this damage them? I was curious if there was a way to reduce the RMS output on the amp, that way I don't damage anything.

Is this head unit going to give me good sound quality? It has 3 4V RCA preamp outputs, which I was told the higher the volts the better the sound quality.

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[sjv13 10+ year member]

I have a 2002 Dodge Neon. I'm thinking about buying this. I'm curious if you guys think this is a decent set up or not.
HU: Kenwood KDC-X597

Front door speakers: JBL-GTO638

Rear Deck: JBL-GTO938

Amp: Rockford Fosgate Prime R300-4 300 Watt Multi Channel

(New members aren't allowed to post links I guess)

Questions

Do you think these are good speakers? Or are there better ones for the same price? (I want to stick with coaxial)

The speakers are rated for 2 ohms, and the amp does 75 watts RMS per channel. But the front door speakers are only rated for 60 RMS. Will this damage them? I was curious if there was a way to reduce the RMS output on the amp, that way I don't damage anything.

Is this head unit going to give me good sound quality? It has 3 4V RCA preamp outputs, which I was told the higher the volts the better the sound quality.

What's your reason for wanting coaxials? Is it just for ease of installation? I can understand that, but a set of comps will sound a lot better because you can position the tweeter in a spot so it wont be playing into your legs, which will GREATLY improve your high range sound.

Also, as for the "reducing" RMS question, you just need to set your gains properly. RMS is a rating of how hard the amp can be pushed and achieve only an acceptable amount of distortion. You could run a 1 million watt amp without blowing your speakers, but the gain level control would need to be turned way down. So never worry about buying an amp that has more power than you need, because you don't have to use all of the power it can make. Just set your gain to a safe level and you will be fine.

It's always good to look at the preout voltage and 4v is good. I can tell without looking at any other specs that the Kenwood you picked out will be pretty nice, just based on knowing it has 3 sets of 4v preouts.

As for the speakers, I can't really comment on them because I have never heard them or don't really know the build quality of them. But I personally think you should spend the few extra minutes to install a set of component speakers in the front, rather than the coaxials. The coaxials will be fine for the rear though.

Good luck, and don't be afraid to keep asking questions until you actually understand what's going on. We wouldnt be here if we didnt want to help. Also, feel free to PM me. There are a lot of knowledgeable people on this site and you could build a competition winning system if you really listen and take the advice some people give (others are full of BS haha).

Welcome.

 

[trumpet 5,000+ posts]

It looks good. I haven't heard the GTO638s but the GTO628s are nice. I think you'll be very happy with that equipment once it's set up right.

 

[markml0528]

It was for ease of installation. What component speakers would you recommend for that price range? I might go for components. I have two spots on the dashboard for speakers. Could I put the tweeters there? Or would that be too far from the crossover, since I would likely mount it inside the door?

I keep getting conflicting information too. The crutchfield rep I spoke with said that the gain only affects the volume, it doesn't affect the amount of power sent to the speakers, so if I buy an amp too powerful, it will damage them.

 

[E-Rock 10+ year member]

Pioneer D series comps, Massive Audio, even the comp version of those JBL's. Talk to trumpet and let him hook you up.

That Crutchfield rep is wrong. Very wrong.

**I have a 125x2 amp that will be powering 80rms speakers. You can overpower good speakers a little bit, but as long as you turn your gain down slightly it won't be sending full power to the speakers at the set volume. A lot of people on here have amps that produce more power than their subs can handle. It's called headroom and is a good thing to have in the future if you want to upgrade.

 

[sjv13 10+ year member]

It was for ease of installation. What component speakers would you recommend for that price range? I might go for components. I have two spots on the dashboard for speakers. Could I put the tweeters there? Or would that be too far from the crossover, since I would likely mount it inside the door?
I keep getting conflicting information too. The crutchfield rep I spoke with said that the gain only affects the volume, it doesn't affect the amount of power sent to the speakers, so if I buy an amp too powerful, it will damage them.

That Crutchfield rep is an idiot hahaha. I wish I could get a job there and give people the RIGHT information. The gain level on an amp adjusts the amperage the amp puts out (voltage x amps = watts, and the voltage is not changeable).

How much are you looking to spend for all 4 speakers? And dont worry about not having enough speaker wire. It's pretty cheap and you can always buy more. I wonder if there are already speakers in the place in the dash.

Personally, I dont even use speakers in the rear and only have a pair of components in the front. But that's because I have a subwoofer too. Wouldn't hurt to have them in the rear, except people never even notice I don't have them since my fronts and sub are loud enough you dont notice (unless you are in the back seat of course).

 

[markml0528]

Pioneer D series comps, Massive Audio, even the comp version of those JBL's. Talk to trumpet and let him hook you up.
That Crutchfield rep is wrong. Very wrong.

**I have a 125x2 amp that will be powering 80rms speakers. You can overpower good speakers a little bit, but as long as you turn your gain down slightly it won't be sending full power to the speakers at the set volume. A lot of people on here have amps that produce more power than their subs can handle. It's called headroom and is a good thing to have in the future if you want to upgrade.

Is there a certain amount of headroom that is "safe" to have? Or can it just be as much as you want, so long as you turn the gain down appropriately?

That Crutchfield rep is an idiot hahaha. I wish I could get a job there and give people the RIGHT information. The gain level on an amp adjusts the amperage the amp puts out (voltage x amps = watts, and the voltage is not changeable).
How much are you looking to spend for all 4 speakers? And dont worry about not having enough speaker wire. It's pretty cheap and you can always buy more. I wonder if there are already speakers in the place in the dash.

Personally, I dont even use speakers in the rear and only have a pair of components in the front. But that's because I have a subwoofer too. Wouldn't hurt to have them in the rear, except people never even notice I don't have them since my fronts and sub are loud enough you dont notice (unless you are in the back seat of course).

When you're turning the gain down, how do you know how many watts it is sending out per channel?

For all 4 speakers? No more than 150 total.

 

[sjv13 10+ year member]

Is there a certain amount of headroom that is "safe" to have? Or can it just be as much as you want, so long as you turn the gain down appropriately?


When you're turning the gain down, how do you know how many watts it is sending out per channel?

For all 4 speakers? No more than 150 total.

If you want to be sure you're safe, then you should use a DMM (digital multimeter) and set the gains using that. They are some videos on youtube describing how you do that. The vids will probably be about doing it for subs, but you can do it for speakers too. But you use a 1kHz test tone instead of the 50 or 60hz tone used for setting a sub amp. Or you can do what I did and set it by ear. I've never actually had my gain up to the point where I can hear distortion, just because it would be too loud and my speakers get plenty loud for me.

 

[markml0528]

So would the Pioner GM-D8604 be a good amp to get?

Here's some specs: GM Digital Series 4-Channel Class D Car Amplifier

RMS Power Rating:

4 ohms: 100 watts x 4 chan.

2 ohms: 150 watts x 4 chan.

1 ohm: 125 watts x 4 chan.

Bridged, 4 ohms: 300 watts x 2 chan.

 

[markml0528]

Okay well I think I've got it figured out, mostly. I've changed a few things though.

HU is still the same. Front door speakers, I'm picking the Pioneer TS-D1720C based on E-Rock's recommendation, they also have good ratings too.

Rear Deck: Should I pick the Infinity Reference 9633cf OR the JBL GTO938 ? Which one and why?

Amp: Well, I'm not sure which one I need. Since my door speakers will be 4 ohms, and the rear ones will be 2 ohms, will this complicate things?

 

[AsianPerzuasion]

^ How does the 4 ohms front and 2 ohms rear work with a 4 channel amp? I'm new haha

 

[mclerico83 5,000+ posts]

WoofersEtc.com - ZRS-C9 - Cadence 1000 Watt 4 Channel Competition Amplifier

does not matter if the front are 4 and the rears are 2

this is a much better amp korean made vs chinese quality of the rf amp. your paying for the name on that one. basically top notch quality on closeout. its a steal of an amp.

4-ohm RMS Power: 100W x 4

2-ohm RMS Power: 150W x 4

Max RMS Power: 300W x 2 @ 4-ohm Bridged

 

[AsianPerzuasion]

Do I have to buy different wires for the rear and just adjust the gains correctly?