Need some guidance, setup for small car

[JTriz87 10+ year member]

Okay, I just got a 1989 Toyota MR2 about three months ago, this whole time I have been loving the way the car drives... but I knew something was missing; This is where you all come in.

For the amount of space I have (not much) I'm going with a 10" Kicker CVT in the pre-fab sealed kicker box. The amp I am planning on getting is the Kicker ZX400.1. I already have a Lanzar headunit (given to me, I know Lanzar is a shit brand) which I will be using for a month or two until I file my taxes and get the Pioneer P4000-DVD I really want.

I am pretty much set on that particular sub and amp, as they both work well with the size of the car. My first question is for the ZX400.1 amp should I buy the CVT in 2 Ohm or 4 Ohm?

I want to get the sub/amp/headunit all installed next weekend, and then within a month of that I will be looking to replace all 4 stock speakers, presumably when I have the Pioneer P4000-DVD installed (4" up front, 3" in the rear). I have a 1000W 2 channel Pyramid amp [pb449x to be exact] (I know Pyramid is a shit brand, and that 1000w is a magic number they pulled out their *** and I will probably be lucky to get 200w out of the thing, but this amp was given to me as well and I don't turn down free shit). I also believe speakers up for 5.25" will fit up front, maybe depending on a modified fit.

What recommendations do you all have for 4" and 3" speakers? I was thinking of infinity's because I hear that they have a nice sound to them, but I have absolutely no experience with them (other brands that come to mind are polk and kicker). I want to be able to replace all four of my interior speakers for less than $100, and I was wondering would it be a possibility to power the front speakers off the pyramid amp I have and then the rears off my HU?

I am going to spend about $250 on the 10" CVT (w/ box) and ZX400.1. I want to spend less than $100 on the speakers inside but I'll go up to $150, I could probably afford up to another $100 to buy an additional amp to power my front speakers if you guys say the Pyramid won't cut it (I'm guessing ya'll will).

Right now I would say my totat budget is about $650-$750, but keep in mind the amp/sub/HU will be going in next week, and then another amp/2x 3" speakers/2x 4" speakers/and the P4000-DVD HU about a month later.

Also if anyone can recommend a better sub/amp combo for less than $300 that will work in a very small place please do let me know.

Here are some pictures of the car, just so those unfamiliar with MR2's can get an idea of how much space I'm working with. I want the sub to fit behind the passenger seat in the cabin, I will probably mount one amp under the passenger seat and the other either behind the driver seat, in the frunk or in the boot.

I know its hard to get a grip on exactly how much space I have, so I put an ipod on the floor for comparison. Even with the passenger seat all the way back there is about 6" of empty depth directly behind the seat that goes up for maybe 10 inches. If I get a chance I will measure the space so you all know exactly how much I have.



















I greatly appreciate any advice you guys have to give.

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[JTriz87 10+ year member]

I know there is someone on this board who can give me some advice, is my topic posted in the wrong forum or something?

 

[Fender5 10+ year member]

is there a reason why you want that Kicker 10"

theres lots of other 10" subs that hit harder/sound better

 

[gunz4me 10+ year member]

My first question is for the ZX400.1 amp should I buy the CVT in 2 Ohm or 4 Ohm?

Get the single voice coil 2 ohm version. That way you will feed your subwoofer the 400 watts RMS it will need in a small sealed enclosure!

What recommendations do you all have for 4" and 3" speakers? I was thinking of infinity's because I hear that they have a nice sound to them, but I have absolutely no experience with them (other brands that come to mind are polk and kicker). I want to be able to replace all four of my interior speakers for less than $100, and I was wondering would it be a possibility to power the front speakers off the pyramid amp I have and then the rears off my HU?

That is going to be a tough budget to make. Regardless, I would try to figure out a way to go bigger than 3 or 4 inches for speakers. IMHO, if you go with these small speakers, you will have a big gap in your sound. Unless you are all about BOOMING and HISSING, you may need to see if there is any way you can squeeze a pair of 5.25s or 6.5s in the car.

I am going to spend about $250 on the 10" CVT (w/ box) and ZX400.1. I want to spend less than $100 on the speakers inside but I'll go up to $150, I could probably afford up to another $100 to buy an additional amp to power my front speakers if you guys say the Pyramid won't cut it (I'm guessing ya'll will).

The Pyramid will probably power your front speakers. I won't testify as to how good it will sound compared to a quality amp nor would I want to guess its power rating. Here is a hint.... Take your fuse size for the Pyramid and multiply it times 9.5. That should give you an idea of how much RMS power your Pyramid puts out or at least a ball park figure.

Also if anyone can recommend a better sub/amp combo for less than $300 that will work in a very small place please do let me know.

Unless you have a trustworthy friend selling something used, you are going to be hard pressed to beat the Kicker combo. I managed to score a pair of JL Audio 10w3v2s with a Rockford Fosgate Punch P5002 from a friend of mine for $180 after his wife totaled his truck.

 

[JTriz87 10+ year member]

is there a reason why you want that Kicker 10"theres lots of other 10" subs that hit harder/sound better

no reason in particuar, i had L7's in my last car but that was two years ago so I somewhat trust the kicker brand. I can get that sub for $104.50 on ebay and the ZX400.1 for $95, sounds like one of the best deals I think I'll find.

That is going to be a tough budget to make. Regardless, I would try to figure out a way to go bigger than 3 or 4 inches for speakers. IMHO, if you go with these small speakers, you will have a big gap in your sound. Unless you are all about BOOMING and HISSING, you may need to see if there is any way you can squeeze a pair of 5.25s or 6.5s in the car.

I'm willing to spend up to about $150, and there is basically no way a 6.5 would fit, the 5.25 would probably fit with some modification. I don't plan on upgrading the other speakers for a month or two, whenever I purchase another head unit.

 

[gunz4me 10+ year member]

no reason in particuar, i had L7's in my last car but that was two years ago so I somewhat trust the kicker brand. I can get that sub for $104.50 on ebay and the ZX400.1 for $95, sounds like one of the best deals I think I'll find.

Plus, Fender5 probably has no idea how little room you have to work with in a Toyota MR2. That is one helluva cramped car! You are going to need a shallow mount sub of some kind with the little space you have to work with. About the only thing I would suggest over the single 10 would be a pair of 8s of you can shoehorn them in there. THESE would fit the bill nicely and you could still use that amp!

I'm willing to spend up to about $150, and there is basically no way a 6.5 would fit, the 5.25 would probably fit with some modification. I don't plan on upgrading the other speakers for a month or two, whenever I purchase another head unit.

These aren't bad for the money. Just triple-check to ensure that you can get them to fit:laugh:

 

[JTriz87 10+ year member]

I actually was not even interested in component speakers, what advantages do components have over regular speakers? I was just planning on buying 4 regular speakers, powering the rears off my Head Unit and buying a separate amp for the smaller speakers.

Sorry if I sound a little noobish, but I haven't been driving for over 2 years, it's funny because when I had my last car I had a pretty good knowledge of all this stuff, but that kind of stuff floats away when you don't use it.

 

[gunz4me 10+ year member]

I actually was not even interested in component speakers, what advantages do components have over regular speakers? I was just planning on buying 4 regular speakers, powering the rears off my Head Unit and buying a separate amp for the smaller speakers.
Sorry if I sound a little noobish, but I haven't been driving for over 2 years, it's funny because when I had my last car I had a pretty good knowledge of all this stuff, but that kind of stuff floats away when you don't use it.

Better tweeter placement. In many vehicles, the 5.25 or 6.5 stock location fires directly into your ankles. With components, you can get the tweeters pointed more at your ears. Granted, you can always angle a pair of coaxial speakers to get them pointed towards your ears. The only downside is when they are mounted low, like most factory options allow, there is always the chance that a passenger leg or something you have on the floorboard will block the tweeter path to your ears.