Car audio help

[RickC]

Hey guys, I am going to start this off by saying I am new here, and I don't know if I am putting this in the right section or not. Sorry if this is the wrong place, but I need some help with my cars sound system.

My main goal for it is for it to sound nice, but not be at the competition level. I am only looking at spending about $1000 on it overall, and I have a general idea of what I want, but I don't know what the best mixture of components will be.

The car that I have is a 1989 CRX. It currently has four 6.5 inch Pioneer three way speakers in it with a Kicker Comp VR 10 inch running a Kac-9105D 1800 watt amp. The head unit I have is the Pioneer DEH-x8600BH, and it has 3 sets of RCA outputs on the back (front rear and sub). What I want to know is, what would be the best speaker setup for my car? I did some looking around on Amazon and I didn't know what speakers or amps would be the best one. Here is what I am going for

4x 2 way 6.5 inch speakers

2x 12 inch subwoofers

1x amp for the front speakers

1x amp for the rear speakers

1x amp for the subwoofers

Maybe someone here can help me decide which ones I should get? The subs I was looking at getting were the Alpine Type R 12 inch subs, but I also saw some Kenwood subs at Best Buy that looked and sounded pretty nice. But I honestly have no idea what I should get.

Thank you for reading this, hopefully I can learn some things and get a nice build for my car.

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[bradl79 10+ year member]

i have the Kenwood KFC-W3013PS and it seems to bump really good i love it, but i have never tried the Alpine Type R yet

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

kenwood kentucky fried chickens.... no idea why they used that acronym lol.

But I honestly have no idea what I should get.

I'd say you can build a nice system. You can get plenty loud and sound great with your current kenwood amp. Just get a single 15 it'll be close to 2 12s but it will get very loud and sound great since you will have the budget for a custom ported box which is the most important part of the setup.

around $160 to $220 for the sub, A single sundown SA 15 D4 fits the bill, Or FU audio 15 d4 made in usa subs. Both choices will work fine on your kenwood amp. The rest of the budget can go into mids, highs proper sub box (no ebay/amazon bullsheit)

As for the subwoofer enclosure, it can be real cheap if you build it yourself, but if you need a custom enclosure, some members on this site can build and ship you one for a lot less than what car audio shops outside will charge. 60 dollars for DIY and rough ballpark of 120-180 shipped depending on how fancy the enclosure is.

Here is what a single sundown SA 12 can do on only 500 watts in a proper box



$230 for 4 channel amp which powers both rear and front speakers: Q4-90

$130 Front: Incriminator Audio I65c 6.5 Component set

110$ Rear: Incriminator Audio I65 6.5" Coaxial Set

70 dollars for the amp kit for 4 channel amp http://www.amazon.com/KnuKonceptz-Kolossus-Gauge-Amplifier-Installation/dp/B005CIJBKK

Since the amp kit is for a 2 channel amp, you will need another set of RCAs http://www.amazon.com/KnuKonceptz-Bassik-Channel-Braid-Shielded/dp/B00DJ7JKE8

If the amp kit is better than the current wire you have in your car atm, then switch out the power wire you have powering the kenwood with this good power wire and use the old kit for the 4 channel.

45$ electrical upgrades http://www.droppinhzcaraudio.com/sky-high-car-audio-big-3-upgrade-kit/

this helps your system charge efficiently to get the current you need from your alternator to your amps. Bigger river, better power flow. No removal of any wire, just adding extra on.

comes out to $995 with the most expensive options of each.

 

[RickC]

Thanks for the info! I will defiantly look into getting this setup. Just a quick question about the 15 inch sub though. How well do they handle the quick punches, such as a bass drum or something similar to that?

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

Thanks for the info! I will defiantly look into getting this setup. Just a quick question about the 15 inch sub though. How well do they handle the quick punches, such as a bass drum or something similar to that?

If you think bigger woofers are somehow any slower than 15s, you are sadly mistaken, its a myth thats perpetrated by a lot of the mainstream companies that underbuild their smaller woofers. Most top of the line underground competition companies use the same motor and suspension throughout the sizes and all the sizes have the same performance capabilities. the SA series uses the same motor on their 8" as their 15, no corners cut with the current king of research and development.

In a proper enclosure, you should play metal no problem. I had 15s playing double bass pedal drums in a ported box easily. I've heard 18s on metal, its all in the box. I've heard 8s get sloppy as heck because they were in an inadequate enclosure. Main thing with sub sizes is cone area, loudness and efficiency. Any other sound related issues is within the enclosure and how the enclosure works with the car.

The quick punches are in the upper bass frequencies so when you get your box designed, tune a bit higher, have the box on the smaller side so 3.5 cubic feet at 35-37hz should do great.

 

[RickC]

Ah, good to know! I will have to remember that for future reference.