So before summer rolls around I'll be doing a bit of work on the audio in my 1980 International Scout 2. Pre-warning, I'm not looking for anything too amazing for this thing. It's old, it's loud, it rattles, and half the year I have to top off which probably isn't great for acoustics.
When I bought it two years ago it had a 1980's Kenwood tape player, 1990's Kenwood speakers in the doors, and 1980's Pioneer speakers in the rear sheet metal. Last summer I found a good deal on a new Sony MEXBT2700 head unit. My only criteria was price and an AUX input , as honestly anything was an upgrade. I've actually been happy with it and I see no reason to upgrade because I don't think I'd see any real benefit for the cost. Is it going to be an issue that this head unit only has 2V pre-outs?
Having a decent head unit, next I need to replace the speakers. After looking around I decided on going with four 6.5" Polk Audio DXi650 speakers due to looks, price, great reviews, and the requirement that they had to be waterproof. There are probably better options out there but I really didn't have time to research further. Perhaps the biggest plus is the fact that these speakers look somewhat retro in their styling, so they'll fit with the rest of the interior. I'll be installing these in the same location of the existing speakers.
When I do this install I'll be relocating the head unit from the dash to a Tuffy center console. I figure while I'm doing all this I might as well find an affordable amp , as I've heard these speakers sound much better with a bit of power going to them. I'll be mounting the amp in the Tuffy console, so space is at a premium. I need the smallest amp I can find at a reasonable price. Since I know nothing about amplifiers, I'd like to get some input from you guys. I'm looking at the models below, which all get great ratings. I'm not sure the 50Wx4 is enough power or if I should try to find something compact that can put out 75W-100W. It'd probably be difficult considering I'd like to keep this around $100-$150.
- MB Quart ONX4.80
- Kenwood Kac-8405
- Alpine MRP-F300
Lastly, do you guys have any suggestions for things I should do to make this system sound better in this old rig? Would sound deadener placed in the doors and rear quarters be worthwhile or a waste of money? If worthwhile, what's the best cost to performance deadener on the market now? Any other suggestions?
