I got a plan... you tell me where Im wrong or could be doing it better.

[Doc Fluty]

I have been out of the car audio scene for awhile. When I was more into it Cerwin Vega Strokers were breaking records and MB Quart ruled the SQ scene.

I recently picked myself up a 2015 srt challenger with a Harmon Kardon system (more info on that here) and am wanting to make it louder and better.

My realistic idea is to use three 3.5" JL in the dash and two in the rear sides and two more in the rear deck... for a total of 7 speakers. Two mid-bass in the doors. The door spot calls for 6x9s but i could put something else there for mid bass. Two JL subs in the trunk with something like an AudioControl Epicenter 1200 to push them.

That is the probable plan.

The more special plan would be to erase the center channel and put a set of Focal PS 165 F3 for the front sound stage. I'm thinking the tweeter and mid-range can go in custom made a-pillars and the 6" 1/2 to go in the door panel. Ive had Hetz components before and loved those... but that was awhile back and i dont know if they have changed as MB Quart seemingly has.

I will also use an audio control LC8i and or AudioControl DQ-61 or something... this is where i get confused.

I would like to know if im on the right track. I will probably push 100 watts or so to each speaker set (fronts/rears) and maybe around 1000 to the subs.

I would like help in a coarse of action to best use my factory head unit but get quality parts elsewhere.

So if you can recommend some good amp brands (apparently mb quart isnt what i remember lol) and signal processors/line converters/eq/ect I would apreciate it.

Also, if you think i will be fine with the three 3" 1/2 jl dash speakers or should splurge for the focals or other 3 ways.

Im not going for any competitions, just want the interior to jam a lot louder and cleaner than it does now.

Thanks guys!

(the brands listed are only listed because that's what Ive heard is good stuff. Feel free to make recommendations as you see fit)

Click to read more...

 

[fly_marlin]

So you have 3.5" speakers in the dash and 6x9 in the doors? Where are the tweeters housed? You should be able to get (or get someone to install for you) adapters for the more standard 6.5" speakers. Sounds like you can do a nice 3-way set up in your car. With that, I'd scrap everything in the rear, unless you're really worried about passengers getting a lot of volume. Don't forget, you need to post a budget because I can start telling you to buy rainbow reference.

 

[Doc Fluty]

The 3 1/2 in the dash i think also have the tweeters there in coaxial form. The link i posted above displays the systems set up more clearly or you can see HERE

Budget would probably be in the 3 thousand range for gear... maybe that initially and more if need be.

 

[fly_marlin]

That's a good budget. You're looking at a pretty nice set - something that's worth in the $1000 range. With something like that, I would recommend custom installation. Maybe woofers in kickpanels, tweeters in the pillars. Once you hear a high end speaker set, you'll never go back. How much bass are you looking for and how much trunk space are you willing to give up? Do you know your alternator amperage?

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

Well, the JL makes some fine sounding components, the "cleansweep" which should do what you need in integrating into the factory HU, the W7 (a single 12 or 13" would be fine in a custom box), and of course their amps are still quite good.

IF you can find a JL dealer that'll hook you up, or shop used you can likely do the whole thing JL and get great results.

I would suggest that 80% of your end product will be install.... speaker locations, proper deadening around the midranges, and a custom box for whichever sub(s) you choose. There's plenty of 50-80$ a piece raw drivers that can sound fantastic if they are mounted in good locations and crossed over properly.

Simply dropping expensive gear into stock locations rarely works well, and a 1000$ sub in a prefab box will be outperformed every time by a 150$ sub in the correct enclosure.

 

[fly_marlin]

Well, the JL makes some fine sounding components, the "cleansweep" which should do what you need in integrating into the factory HU, the W7 (a single 12 or 13" would be fine in a custom box), and of course their amps are still quite good.
IF you can find a JL dealer that'll hook you up, or shop used you can likely do the whole thing JL and get great results.

I would suggest that 80% of your end product will be install.... speaker locations, proper deadening around the midranges, and a custom box for whichever sub(s) you choose. There's plenty of 50-80$ a piece raw drivers that can sound fantastic if they are mounted in good locations and crossed over properly.

Simply dropping expensive gear into stock locations rarely works well, and a 1000$ sub in a prefab box will be outperformed every time by a 150$ sub in the correct enclosure.

I don't have any doubt that JL makes quality stuff, but the prices are not so friendly, so I can't really recommend it. Almost everything JL makes, there's an equal that costs quite a bit less. Agree with the installation, that should be well thought through. Some cars have favorable stock locations. Sound deadening should also be taken care of.

 

[93_Az_TransAm 10+ year member]

Dang for $3000 you can do alot in that car i would suggest going with another brand, not saying JL isnt good they are great but for the price you can get other equally great equipment for alot cheaper maybe do the whole car for $2000 depending what you go with and still have it sounding amazing

 

[Doc Fluty]

well, it doesnt HAVE to be $3000 on just gear. it could be less and the remaining budget for a shiney painted fiber glass sub box for the trunk.

As far as the jl cleansweep goes, i looked into that and was wondering if that was the same thing as the audio control items I listed. To be honest, thats my biggest area of confusion.... line converters/timing/dsp/eq and that stuff baffles me... some do some... some do all...one does one... im lost. I do believe the audio control amp i listed above has an epicenter in it... i think that helps?

As far as JL gear.. the only reason they are my go to choice is because i know their stuff is good. Same reason i put Pennzoil oil in my car rather than some other "better oil. I know the name and trust it to work. My plan for the 2 10" jl subs could be Hertz subs... I do like Hertz gear but cant find local dealers and ive heard some stuff online is fake... so im wary.

Would you guys recommend a 2 piece component system with the tweeter in the a pillar and the mid ranges in the door over the 3 1/2 dash stock spot or maybe even a custom made a pillar?

my DREAM for the trunk would look like this... but i dont know what it would cost to do something similar

or this

not so much the custom design on the glass... just the overall clean look

 

[fly_marlin]

You're going to take it to a shop to do it? Make sure it's a reputable one.

Btw Mb Quart Q-series comps still get very favorable reviews. If you are taking the car to a shop to do it, I recommend finding one first. If anyone on here is in your area, perhaps they can recommend something. Personally, I am happy with stock location for my "expensive" gear. Get in your car, close your eyes. Listen to something with good vocals. Is the voice in front of you? Would you rather have it be elsewhere? Where you place the speakers will dictate that. However, if it isn't perfect once installed, that's where a DSP comes in. It allows you to manipulate the signal in many different ways. For example, you're always going to be closer to the left speaker than the right - you can delay the left so it hits you at the same time is the right. Subwoofers are sometimes a tad behind as well, you can delay all of your speakers so that the subwoofer is in sync with everything else. DSPs also have equalization and can also integrate with stock stereo (LOC - line output converter). You only need one if you're planning on keeping your factory radio. EQ simply allows you to adjust difference frequencies to your liking.

Time and phase correction is a bit of an audiophile thing. So if you asked a random person to listen to a system that hasn't been tuned, it'll probably sound fine to them. Btw you can't really compare Pennzoil to this. That costs no more than $10 extra per oil change. If you go with JL gear, you're guaranteed to pay double. If you spend all of $3k on JL gear, I guarantee I can put something at least as good for $1500. Just food for thought.

First, find a reputable shop. Go there, tell them what your vision is. See what they can recommend for your car as far as installation goes. Once everything is installed and you feel that you still need to tweak it, you can get a DSP. There are a handful of speakers people recommend on here. I love mine and it does come in a 3-way configuration and that would run about a grand or a little more. I've also heard ground zero components are good, so are B2 audio. B2 higher end line is under $400 and I've heard good things about them. There's also a PHD dealer on here - those things are Italian with favorable reviews. Hertz Mille I've heard to be good, though not too loud. Hybrid audio Clarus is also good, think you can score a set under $500 or maybe even under $400. As you can see, I run Gladen Audio comps and they are truly awesome. Whatever you pick, you'll probably be hard pressed finding a place where you can listen to them, so you'll need to resort to advice and reviews. Though I don't think you can go wrong with what I've listed above.

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

I have been out of the car audio scene for awhile. When I was more into it Cerwin Vega Strokers were breaking records and MB Quart ruled the SQ scene.
I recently picked myself up a 2015 srt challenger with a Harmon Kardon system (more info on that here) and am wanting to make it louder and better.

My realistic idea is to use three 3.5" JL in the dash and two in the rear sides and two more in the rear deck... for a total of 7 speakers. Two mid-bass in the doors. The door spot calls for 6x9s but i could put something else there for mid bass. Two JL subs in the trunk with something like an AudioControl Epicenter 1200 to push them.

That is the probable plan.

The more special plan would be to erase the center channel and put a set of Focal PS 165 F3 for the front sound stage. I'm thinking the tweeter and mid-range can go in custom made a-pillars and the 6" 1/2 to go in the door panel. Ive had Hetz components before and loved those... but that was awhile back and i dont know if they have changed as MB Quart seemingly has.

I will also use an audio control LC8i and or AudioControl DQ-61 or something... this is where i get confused.

I would like to know if im on the right track. I will probably push 100 watts or so to each speaker set (fronts/rears) and maybe around 1000 to the subs.

I would like help in a coarse of action to best use my factory head unit but get quality parts elsewhere.

So if you can recommend some good amp brands (apparently mb quart isnt what i remember lol) and signal processors/line converters/eq/ect I would apreciate it.

Also, if you think i will be fine with the three 3" 1/2 jl dash speakers or should splurge for the focals or other 3 ways.

Im not going for any competitions, just want the interior to jam a lot louder and cleaner than it does now.

Thanks guys!

(the brands listed are only listed because that's what Ive heard is good stuff. Feel free to make recommendations as you see fit)

For an SQ setup, you dont want anything distracting the attention away from the front stage. You can have rear fill but i'd keep budget for that to ZERO and keep the stock rear speakers. Money should be focused on much more important things.

I'd get a jbl ms-8 DSP instead. (makes audiocontrol looks like crap in comparison.) since it actually has a dedicated built in 8 channel amp with enough to power tweeters and dash speakers and the rears. Then get a dedicated bigger amp for your midbass woofers.

The DSP will require some work tuning but it will make everything sound waaaay better along with proper imaging and time correction/sound stage options.

For subs, I'd get a pair of TC sounds epic 12s on an alpine mrp2000 or some other 2 ohm amp kicker/taramps/mmats/banda since the epics are D2s.

Or a pair of dayton HO 12s on a 2k @1 ohm amp. You can go sealed or ported depending on your preferences.

The rest of the money should be spend on electrical upgrades like big 3 and under the hood AGM battery and big OFC/welding wire.

 

[fly_marlin]

For an SQ setup, you dont want anything distracting the attention away from the front stage. You can have rear fill but i'd keep budget for that to ZERO and keep the stock rear speakers. Money should be focused on much more important things.
I'd get a jbl ms-8 DSP instead. (makes audiocontrol looks like crap in comparison.) since it actually has a dedicated 8 amp built in enough to power tweeters and dash speakers, have the dash speakers on the ms-8 power, tweeters on the ms-8 amp along with the rears. A dedicated amp for your midbass woofers.

The DSP will require some work tuning but it will make everything sound waaaay better along with proper imaging and time correction/sound stage options.

For subs, I'd get a pair of TC sounds epic 12s on an alpine mrp2000 or some other 2 ohm amp kicker/taramps/mmats/banda since the epics are D2s.

Or a pair of dayton HO 12s on a 2k @1 ohm amp. You can go sealed or ported depending on your preferences.

The rest of the money should be spend on electrical upgrades like big 3 and under the hood AGM battery and big OFC/welding wire.

Second that. Before you commit to a DSP, look through their manuals and read some reviews. Make sure you understand what you're getting into. MS-8 is the way to go if you don't intend to mess with settings much and want to let the DSP auto calibrate everything. Don't forget to look at TC-sounds LMS-R and Axis - one of those single 12s will do wonders for you in the right box. TC built drivers are known to have outstanding SQ. I've also heard great things about flatlyne subs at ssaudio.com as well as SSA xcon. I run B2 reference woofers, which is their SQ line and I'm pretty happy.

What I'm not sure about is your sub idea from the picture. I don't know much about flushing subs into the spare tire space, but I can tell it's mostly geared towards aesthetics. Make sure whoever does it, ensures it is also good for SQ and not just looks. Having a great sub in the wrong enclosure will make it sound like crap.

 

[trumpet 5,000+ posts]

I use rear speakers and I like it when you have good separate of the vocals, drums and guitars up high and in front of the seats. It doesn't have to be pinpoint accurate, but it needs to be fun. Your vehicle may not be set up like mine in regard to speaker placement and aiming, but right now with no DSP my rear speakers are definitely not distracting from the front. DSP helps, especially with MS-8 and a center channel with Logic 7, but you don't always need it to have a **** good time.

However, when you're adding amps to a factory premium amplifier sound system that most often would require some signal correction to get the best results. The factory 2-way or 3-way components are not going to have crossover settings that are useful to us when changing things out. Time alignment is another factor that a lot of people overlook, as that will mess with phase in your summed channels.