Gratuitous Newbity

[jemorgan85 10+ year member]

jemorgan85 1994 SC2

Yep that's me... lol

Anyway, I believe your Saturn has the same dash as mine....(if not let me know)..

If so, you need to be very careful in the headunit that you choose...our saturns have very shallow mounting depth. If you do get a receiver that mounts deep like I did, you will want to use the deepest frontplate possible on your dash kit... mine is 1 inch deep.

As for speakers, you have 6 3/4" in the front and the back. My suggestion would be to get a nice component set up front (I was lucky and got a nice DEI set for 130 bucks), and some mid-bass or coax's for the rear deck. Be careful, however, as your rear deck will resonate very bad because it is built bad in Saturns... you will need to secure it from rattling with sound deadening and maybe some bolts. Also, you need to get a front stage with a shallow mounting depth.....i.e. Neodymium magnets.

In the subwoofer category, keep in mind that the max volume of your trunk is relatively small, so a single 15" or two small-box 12's will be just fine. I personally have had the most success with a single 15 in a 3.2 cubic feet box. Of course, I have not built a ported enclosure for my HC's either.... //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/verymad.gif.3f39c5c2fd57527b671fad3efdfac756.gif

Anyway, I think a good sub choice for you would be 2 nice 12's in a sealed box or one really nice 15 in a custom built ported box...(PM me I can give you great ideas or the schematics for mine that fits perfectly). Look at the RE HC's, Orions, or Crystal CMPX2's for the 15 inch drivers. Or, look at SI D2's, ED A's, Treo SS's, or Image Dynamics for the 12's.

As for amps, there are endless possiblities, so PM me for ideas on that.. just keep your trunk space in mind and that you have a very small car.... ideal setup would be with the Memphis amps that are very small and very efficient.

I ran my power wire throught a pre-existing grommet on the driver's side under the hood... the wire should come out right below the clutch (if you have one). Then I just ran the other wires on the passenger side under the door guards. However, do keep in mind that the largest wire that you will be able to squeeze in is 4 ga., with is still difficult...

PM me if any further questions and good luck with your car... I like mine.

 

[jemorgan85 10+ year member]

Also, I forgot to tell you that the CDT's mentioned earlier will not fit without extensive door work.

Also, do not buy Rockford subs unless you are really set on them.... but they sound like poo-poo.

Please PM before you buy anything since you are new to car audio. I can help you with good ideas for your car...

Jon

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/toast.gif.bc0657bf54b9ee653b6438524461341e.gif

 

[Pl8er 5,000+ posts]

Found this on a website today. Remembered the discussion from the other day, thought I would post it here. Just more ranting on wires //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif But see they are important:

Don't skimp on the wires: Salespeople at your neighborhood home electronics store will tell you many things, but when they tell you your cabling will make or break a good home theater system, believe it. Proper wiring, between components and receiver and between receiver and speakers, is critical. Cheap or badly insulated cables will compromise your sound and video quality, and the massive amount of electricity humming through your system will jump right through thin insulation to cause unwelcome crackling from those expensive speakers. Monster brand cables are a great standard for the typical home theater system, and even their lower-end products are excellent.

 

[nswartley 5,000+ posts]

Found this on a website today. Remembered the discussion from the other day, thought I would post it here. Just more ranting on wires //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif But see they are important:

Don't skimp on the wires: Salespeople at your neighborhood home electronics store will tell you many things, but when they tell you your cabling will make or break a good home theater system, believe it. Proper wiring, between components and receiver and between receiver and speakers, is critical. Cheap or badly insulated cables will compromise your sound and video quality, and the massive amount of electricity humming through your system will jump right through thin insulation to cause unwelcome crackling from those expensive speakers. Monster brand cables are a great standard for the typical home theater system, and even their lower-end products are excellent.

like i said before, BARRING any interference, wire is wire...many salespeople try to convince you that you need QUADRUPLE SUPER DUPER insulated wire...you dont need it always.

-nate

 

[Pl8er 5,000+ posts]

Ok your stuck on this...so keep your crappy and wire. Just stay away from comps //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[nswartley 5,000+ posts]

Ok your stuck on this...so keep your crappy and wire. Just stay away from comps //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

stay away from comps? now why would i do that? and just because i think that wire is wire doesnt mean that i don't have nice wires //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[Tobe18 10+ year member]

Just because I am curious, what is the panels opinion on the pioneer DEH P8500 M head unit, that is the one I am seriously considering at this point

Thanks

 

[Pl8er 5,000+ posts]

If you do have quality wire why would you go and tell a newbie to just get Wal-mart wire because "its just as good"? What wire do you have in your install currently?

 

[BulldogSr04 10+ year member]

The only reason i dont run wal mart wire is because they dont make 2 gauge.

 

[nswartley 5,000+ posts]

If you do have quality wire why would you go and tell a newbie to just get Wal-mart wire because "its just as good"? What wire do you have in your install currently?

wire? i have lightning audio power wire with phoenix gold RCAs...but thats only because its left over from my brother's install..

and i would tell people to go get wal-mart wiring kits. they will be just as good as any other wire kits out there. talk to mark_ab...i think that he uses wal-mart wiring in his setup. and his equipment is anything but shabby...

WIRE IS WIRE, my friend.

-nate

 

[Pl8er 5,000+ posts]

If you say so.

 

[audiolife 5,000+ posts]

I'm going to have to disagree with you on this. The quality of wire has direct effect on your system. Just being electrical interference or overall sound quality the wire you choose is going to make or break your system. I am not talking about conductivity. Although higher quality copper strands will produce a better flow of electricity. Usually crap wire has just that for insulation, crap. I guess I could go on and on about the importance but I'll just stop there. Just remember most systems are 25% equipment and 75% install.

not to be a d!ck but everything u said here if installed propperly wouldnt matter the wire u used as long as its the right ga. some stuff is cheap meaning it breaks ect ect.

 

[Pl8er 5,000+ posts]

Maybe this just goes to a personal preference or something. But I have always been shown and told that high quality interconnects will make or break your system. For instance look to home audio and you will find wire that costs 5,000 dollars a meter. I am sure that there is a reason for this. I mean power cords costing 2400 dollars that need a burn in time must be better then using a 19.99 cord you get from radio shack. I am getting what your saying. In most systems running any wire will be fine, because wire is wire or something...but I am still going to disagree. I work for a high purity metals factory (http://www.tsmd.com) and I can assure you that we charge more for 5N copper then we do 4N5 (5N being 99.999 pure) the purity matters. I think we have seriously gotten away from the original post though and should get back to the subject at hand.

 

[nswartley 5,000+ posts]

this is a different thread...and i dont feel like arguing anymore. home audio is a different story...

 

[Pl8er 5,000+ posts]

I think home audio and car audio SHOULD be on the same lines. So does Linn audio, they make the stereo system for the Austin Martin Vanquish. They are a very reputable home audio company that just happened to put a system in a car. I mean basically your looking at the same types of technology, just in most home audio your talking 8 ohm systems and in car its usually 4 ohm.

*shrug* oh well. We don't agree, not a big deal. I'm not trying to aggrovate or anything. I am actually interested in your reasoning behind any wire being acceptable. So please don't take my posts as me trying to say I know it all and you know nothing. I take everything said as true and will research this topic further.

Justin