Getting back into the game but confused..please help

[AJ SnkNV 10+ year member]

Here is my problem. I have been out of car stereos for about 7 years now and feel like a complete idiot now when I go into a stereo shop. Here is some background, in my last vehicle I had 4 10" JL Audios, MB Quart mids and tweets, Sony amps, Sony EQ. Nothing that would tear up the competition but people know I was coming. Here is what I am trying to do now. I have a 97 cobra that I have been showing and racing for a while now and she is just getting a new coat of paint on her. I am out of the racing for the most part (blew engine up) and looking to give me something else to do. I am looking for a complete system from subs, head unit, mids and tweets, and amp. The main thing is I dont want to lose my trunk so would I be better off going with 1 or 2 subs. I do want a very clean and tight sounding system but don't want to have to drop 5k to get it. My biggest thing is of course the install of the product since I will be back in shows this year. I don't need all the neon but want a clean install and I will work with a few shops here but help with recommendations for the system. The more I search the more confused I become. I see memphis, Elemental Designs, JLs, Boston--- going crazy.....Please help

Click to read more...

 

[AJ SnkNV 10+ year member]

anybody????

 

[Mark_ab 5,000+ posts]

Well, it's a fairly vague inquiry. The best option, initially, is to decide (a) how much money you are willing to put into equipment alone, and (b) decide whether or not you are going to keep your stock locations for speaker mounting, or dabble in fabrication (kick panels, door pods, other general fiberglassing). Once these two questions are answered, it will be much easier to pick and choose equipment to suit your listening needs.

 

[AJ SnkNV 10+ year member]

i quess i plan on spending about 3k for product. I will probably use the stock locations for some of the speakers but I am pretty open

 

[forbidden 10+ year member]

Determine fist if you are after a good sounding system or a annoy the neighbourhood system. Your vehicle works great with a set of good 6.5" components in the doors and a basic 5x7" coax or 6.5" coax in the rear. I would amplify both sets of speakers to keep them running clean. I would also use two 10" subs in a small sealed box, these fit quite nice in the trunk area of your vehicle and you will not need to sacrifice trunk room too much. I would use a good Eclipse cd player as I am not one for fancy light shows, I like a good cd player that will make an audable difference in the system. You once used MB Quart, well they are still a fine speaker, have a listen to the new ones, if you like them then go for it. For a sub recommendation I would again use the Eclipse Aluminum series of subs. Match up whatever amps you see fit to either go with the theme of your ride or what you visually prefer. Make sure they are matched to the speakers properly. A 4 channel amp rated at 50w x 4 rms to 100w x 4 rms is plenty of power for this small car. Your choice of subs will help determine your choice of sub amp.

 

[General SC 10+ year member]

Go with a nice high-powered Alpine MP3/CD player and get some good sounding efficient speakers. Hook 'em up to the head unit (this will save you lots of money, as you won't need to spend extra l00t on extra amps for your components and all the money you'd need to spend on wiring supplies). Believe it or not, GOOD WIRING stuff can really get to be quite expensive - so I like to keep it simple. As far as a subwoofer setup goes, there are many options. I like the idea of two JL Audio 10" subs in a sealed box with some juice from a good amp, or if you want some serious SPL go with a pair of Kicker 10" L7's, or even L5's to save some money. You can really get a nice simple yet clean and great sounding setup this way. From what you are saying, it doesn't sound like you are doing any kind of major competition stuff, so why not keep it as easy as possible (and as cheap as possible). Another option would be to put a single Kicker L7 10" or 12" Solo-baric Subwoofer in a ported box with an amp that pushes the upper limits of the RMS range of the subs, and that'll thump somethin' serious. As far as components go, you can always decide to power-up with extra amps later on.

 

[ngsm13 5,000+ posts]

ummm, to what General sed.... NO! With $3k to spend you can get a really **** good, well rounded system.

HU: Eclipse 5434....i think, like the new 5--- series line

Front Components: CDT HD 6.5", Diamond Audio Hex Series 6.5" off ebay

Speaker amp: PG Tantrum 400.2

Sub: 1 12" Stereo Integrity Magnum d2 http://www.stereointegrity.com

Box: 1.5-2 cubes sealed

Sub Amp: PG Tantrum 1200.1

Wiring: Knukonceptz.com

Electrical: 200 amp alternator http://www.excessiveamperage.com or http://www.mean-green.com

Optima Yellow top for rear

Video: If wanted, look into some Fahrenheit monitors on Sound Domain...shop around.

that's be a great system, includes everything you'd need. good luck, peace

NG

 

[AJ SnkNV 10+ year member]

thanks for the info guys. I am looking for a clean sounding system not something my neighbors will hear me coming from miles away. What is up with the Design Element speakers and the TRU amps?

 

[General SC 10+ year member]

Just a quick side note to what nqsm13 said...

You are right that what you said would make a great system. But why spend 3 thousand bucks when he could spend less than 1 thousand, and get what he is looking for. He just wants something that'll sound great, not something that will shake pictures of neighbors walls when he rolls down his street.

Just think AJ - with that 2 thousand bucks you'd save, you could A LOT with other aspects of your car. However, if you do want something that will annoy your neighborhood, go with the other guy's recommendation. If you want something that is modest, yet nice and clean, go with something in the ballpark of what i'm saying. At least look up some different options and see what you feel you would want to do.

 

[cobra65427289 10+ year member]

thanks for the info guys. I am looking for a clean sounding system not something my neighbors will hear me coming from miles away. What is up with the Design Element speakers and the TRU amps?

elemental designs can be found at edesignaudio.com. as for the tru tech amps, those are out of your price range even with about 3g's to spend. if you want something that gives a little bump with great sound quality for a cheap price, check the mag D2 or the O or even A series from elemental. good luck.

al

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

No matter how good the HU, component speakers will always sound better of a decent outboard amp. It doesn't need to be an expensive amp.

 

[General SC 10+ year member]

Undoubtedly it will sound better with an external amp - but again, he may be looking for good sound without having to spend an extra coupla hundred bucks just to get a minuscule amount better with SQ. You are right though - SQ will always be better with an external.

AJ - See what's out there and see what you would like. When you get back into this thread - check out all the stuff I've said, as well as everyone else has said and do some investigating. It all depends on how extreme you would like to go with it.

 

[AJ SnkNV 10+ year member]

thanks everyone, I will keep on researcing and let you know

 

[ngsm13 5,000+ posts]

I don't know wtf ur talking about general...but an amp for components is A MUST. Why even waste money on components in the first place, and the jump in better performance/output will be tremendous! I mean, i could tell the difference from when i jumped from a an giving my components 40 watts each side, to an amp giving 100 watts each side....huge difference. For what he's looking for, what i listed is amazing...he wouldn't have to upgrade in the future b/c of not being satisfied. What i always like to do is, list the best possible system he can get for the amount of money he wants to spend. the only amoung of money i haven't been really able to justify is $5k+ his system will sound WORLDS better than anything u sed, and be very well-rounded, and sound ridiculously amazing. heh, what are u thinking with coaxial speakers running off the HU when he wants GREAT sq and has $3k to spend. Even if he had $1k to spend, i would still include some components and an amp to power them. peace

NG

 

[fv04as 10+ year member]

Go with a nice high-powered Alpine MP3/CD player and get some good sounding efficient speakers. Hook 'em up to the head unit (this will save you lots of money, as you won't need to spend extra l00t on extra amps for your components and all the money you'd need to spend on wiring supplies). Believe it or not, GOOD WIRING stuff can really get to be quite expensive - so I like to keep it simple. As far as a subwoofer setup goes, there are many options. I like the idea of two JL Audio 10" subs in a sealed box with some juice from a good amp, or if you want some serious SPL go with a pair of Kicker 10" L7's, or even L5's to save some money. You can really get a nice simple yet clean and great sounding setup this way. From what you are saying, it doesn't sound like you are doing any kind of major competition stuff, so why not keep it as easy as possible (and as cheap as possible). Another option would be to put a single Kicker L7 10" or 12" Solo-baric Subwoofer in a ported box with an amp that pushes the upper limits of the RMS range of the subs, and that'll thump somethin' serious. As far as components go, you can always decide to power-up with extra amps later on.

Ok, First off if your trying to save this guy some money dont reccomend JL products. The w7 is a great sub but its overpriced.....

Second, there is an incredible amount of difference when components are amped and when they are running off the stereo.

AJ -- ngsm put down a great system that will sound awesome, i would seriously look into it.

General no offense man, but it kinda sounds like your a little stuck on jl and kicker. There is a lot more out there than what you see in car audio shops.