Installation ideas

[KonArtist69]

Hey there,

Im not familiar with what is needed to make a proper sound system. For example, what wiring to use, if i need more parts to make the sound system work in my car, etc. So i'll start from the beginning.

Driving a 98 Honda Civic 4dr. Everything is stock in the car, nothing changed. These are all the parts im looking to get:

Deck: Alpine CDA-9886

Speakers: Alpine SPR-17 6-1/2"

Amp: BXI 2010D

Sub: Alpine SWX-1243D

Wiring: Unknown

Alternator: Unknown

Extra Battery: Unknown

I'm leaning towards Alpine products because that's what i was introduced to and haven't looked into anything else. The amp is the hifonics brutus because i was told it would support the Type-X sub. I don't know if another amp is required for the speakers, I'm open to suggestions. I have no clue what wiring i should get, or if i need an alternator or an extra battery. I'm sure i need 1 of those, just not sure which one.

My budget for this whole system is 1200$, i'll be buying products of ebay and other varies places.

Also i listen to all types of music, so i want a sub that has a lot of kick.

My list of products is flawed and i need someone to get me on the right track. Willing to accept changes to save myself money but still get over 1300Watts from the sub and nice sound.

Any help is welcomes and please, dont come into this post and start trashing the setup or my knowledge, as i know nothing about this.

Thanks,

Kon

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[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

Welcome, and thanks for taking the time to be detailed with your question.

Personally, I prefer to put an external amplifier on my front speakers - and I invest the most time and money into my front sound stage (speakers + amps). I also like to keep brands consistent when possible - if only because it looks nicer. Alpine MRP-M1000 would work great with a SWX-1242. An MRP-F300 would do nicely on the SPR-17's.

Wiring - anything good. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif Rockford Fosgate, Streetwires, Stinger, JL Audio, even Knu Konceptz. The trick is knowing what you need to even pull off the install - and that is where experience comes in handy. I keep a huge collection of terminals, grommets, connectors, etc. on hand for installations. If you buy a complete amplifier installation kit - you usually get everything you need - minus tools.

amp kits include - power wire, ground wire, RCA's, remote wire, 14awg speaker wire, wire terminals, ties, grommet, etc.

Tools include

wire strippers (automatic are nice)

wire cimpers

wire cutters

flashlight/headlamp (very useful)

a volt meter or DMM (digital multi-meter)

box knife (for carefully stripping large wire)

electrical tape (3M Super 33+)

List:

http://www.carstereo.com/help/tools.cfm

general tools - screwdrivers, socket set, electric hand tools - drill, jig saw

optional but important to do the job right:

heat shrink and windproof butane grill lighter - size heat shrink just larger than the wire - several sizes for power wire and speaker wire

good firewall grommet (i.e. Streetwires FB4 or FB0)

wire ties - black 4" and 6"

split loom or tech flex (sized for power wire and speaker wires)

 

[mxer69 10+ year member]

Please do not get an alpine type x nor an alpine amp. There is much better out there for your money and much better amps period.

 

[chawski 10+ year member]

Alpine is a great place to start. For the 6.5s, you really dont NEED an amp. I ran my alpines without an amp for probably a year and it was more than sufficient. Sound quality was great. Im now using a 4channel alpine amp on my interior speakers, and it sounds really good. Id say check the FS section on here and see what you can find for a 4channel. If you can pick one up in your budget, might as well, but if its gonna run you over budget, you really dont need one. Even if you start without one, its an easy upgrade later on as funds come around.

As far as wiring goes, its a toss up between 8g and 4g. 8 should be sufficient, and generally costs around $1/ft. 4g is thicker but youre lookin at like $3-4 a foot, so you can see how that can get pricey pretty quickly (probably $60+ dollars to get from the battery to the trunk). Id say start with 8 and see how it works. If it gets warm to the touch, swap it for 4g. Dont even bother looking at 1g. Until youre running some serious amps (thousands of watts) its nothing more than a "my dick is bigger than yours" competition

Your stock alternator and battery should be fine. Hook everything up and see how they perform. If your lights are dimming in the car, when the bass hits, it might be worth starting with a new battery. I have a 01 civic with a optima battery and stock alternator and its never been a problem.

Your product list looks pretty solid overall. Id think about maybe going with the alpine 6.5 components upfront to get better hi's and just doing 6.5 coax's in the back, but its really all about whats in your budget. The only thing id add is some sound dampening. Id do the front doors and trunk lid at the very least. A real good pruduct is Elemental Design's edead45. Its like $1 sq ft, and works really well, compared to something like Dynamat, that costs like $25 for a door speaker kit, with like 2 sq ft. I just did a number of parts in my car with it and the results were really good. At first glance when i opened the box, i thought there was no way the stuff would work, but its flawless. Not a single rattle from the trunk.

Anywho, hope this helps. post your progress on here and ask questions along the way

I do agree with the above post that alpine stuff can get pretty pricey, but if youre goin the used route, which it sounds like you are with ebay, it can be had at a really reasonable price. I think i paid like $50 shipped for my alpine 4ch.

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

Please do not get an alpine type x nor an alpine amp. There is much better out there for your money and much better amps period.

such as...

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

As far as wiring goes, its a toss up between 8g and 4g. 8 should be sufficient, and generally costs around $1/ft. 4g is thicker but youre lookin at like $3-4 a foot, so you can see how that can get pricey pretty quickly (probably $60+ dollars to get from the battery to the trunk). Id say start with 8 and see how it works. If it gets warm to the touch, swap it for 4g. Dont even bother looking at 1g. Until youre running some serious amps (thousands of watts)

don't bother with 8awg - especially if you expect >1000W from an amp. 4 awg is a minimum. 1/0 is future-proof.

but base it on this wire sizing chart: http://74.50.20.110/wiringdiagram.jpg

 

[mxer69 10+ year member]

Deck: Alpine CDA-9886

Good choice!

Speakers: Alpine SPR-17 6-1/2"

Go with these: Phoenix Gold RSD65CS 6.5" 120W Component Speaker System

Amp: BXI 2010D

Decent choice. Better value than alpine but I'd recommend taking a look at the MB Quart Discus 1500.1 and 2000.1 which actually put out a little more than rated RMS and can be found quite cheaply on egay

Sub: Alpine SWX-1243D

This is where you went wrong. If you're going to have 1500-2000 watts RMS to play with, get something that can utilize it. I'm not sure how many or how large subwoofers you want, but take a look at the Audioque HCD3 12" and 15" which would wang off of 1500 watts and get low 'n loud like everyone wants. Some other companies to look at are Incriminator Audio, Fi, DD, DC, and Sundown. Also browse the classifieds since there are ton of good subs waiting to be snatched for a killer price.

As for wiring, run 0 gauge to the amp for optimum performance but you can get away with thick 4 gauge defnitely go with KNU wiring.

As far as an amp for you highs, I'd go with a MB Quart 4125 or MB Quart 450 both put out rated power.

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me. If there is room in the budget, I can even some things out and improve on things. Good luck!

 

[Carnivorous18 10+ year member]

don't bother with 8awg - especially if you expect >1000W from an amp. 4 awg is a minimum. 1/0 is future-proof. but base it on this wire sizing chart: http://74.50.20.110/wiringdiagram.jpg

Question about that diagram. It says at 3,000 watts it recommends 3/0 gauge wire. What is that i've never heard of it just 1/0?

 

[hatedonmostly 5,000+ posts]

Wow, tons of people who don't know what the **** they're talking about ITT...

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

sure 3/0 wire exists, but parallel 1/0 runs are more common since you need to actually bend the wire. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif Stinger makes an oval 3/0 wire.

though not for car audio use, you can get 1/0, 2/0, 3/0, 4/0, 250 kcmil, 300 kcmil, ... up to 1000kcmil.

 

[misfit138 5,000+ posts]

Wow, tons of people who don't know what the **** they're talking about ITT...

lulz

 

[chawski 10+ year member]

sorry i looked at the wrong amp. I thought you were talking about the first one on the page. 8g definately isnt enough. 4g should be good, 1/0 if youre looking to upgrade in the future, but certainly not necessary now if its gonna blow the budget

 

[Carnivorous18 10+ year member]

sure 3/0 wire exists, but parallel 1/0 runs are more common since you need to actually bend the wire. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif Stinger makes an oval 3/0 wire.
though not for car audio use, you can get 1/0, 2/0, 3/0, 4/0, 250 kcmil, 300 kcmil, ... up to 1000kcmil.

Oh wow that shits thick. So wait if im running 3000 watts should I just stick with 1/0? Sorry for off-topic but that chart has thrown me off.

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

Oh wow that shits thick. So wait if im running 3000 watts should I just stick with 1/0? Sorry for off-topic but that chart has thrown me off.

it's an issue of length and wire ampacity. Note that not all 1/0 wire is created equal. To be safe for "3000W" the wire would need a published ampacity greater than 250A.

 

[Carnivorous18 10+ year member]

Now I know. Thanks keep_hope_alive