Need some help rating this setup and completing it

[Cerberus2k7 10+ year member]

Hey guys, need a bit of help. I'm going to begin getting building my first "real" setup. I have a Pioneer HU that's been with me for about 4-5 years and while I do like it, I want to make that switch over to digital media. Hopefully you guys can give some insight as to what I have picked out so far - Maybe alternatives? And help me in terms of amps since I am completely clueless in that aspect. And please forgive the formatting if it seems a tad over the top. I have a small case of OCD.

Goals: I want sound quality more than anything. I couldn't care less about girls hearing my truck 2 blocks away. Not like they're going to chase after me.

Music: I listen to everything aside from country. Mostly rock/metal. Children of Bodom, Fear Factory, Five Finger Death Punch, etc... But I also listen to stuff from Ministry of Sound, Lil Wayne, and whatever is on the radio. Listen to rock the most, but Jazz and classical right behind that. Wes Montgomery, Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, Ornette Coleman, Claude Arrieu, James Beale, etc...So I'm pretty diverse in that aspect.

This is going into a Ford Ranger extended cab, and budget wise, I would like to keep it under $2000 for the parts. But since I'm going to be getting it bit by bit I'll probably have a 10% buffer.

This is what I have "picked out" already:

______________________________________________

Head Unit: Alpine iDA-X100

- Heard a lot of good things about this HU, especially when paired with an iPod.

- Only "con" is that it does not have a CD slot.

Subwoofer: JL Audio 12W1v2-4 x2

Sensitivity: 86.81 dB

RMS Power Range : 150 Watts

Peak Power Handling: 300 Watts

Impedance: 4 Ohm

Diameter: 12 Inch

Fronts: MB Quart DSH 216

Sensitivity: 87 dB

RMS Power Range : 50-120 Watts

Frequency response: 40-30000 Hz

Diameter: 6.5 Inch

- Why this? I've listened to them, they seem pretty sharp which would certainly make jazz really enjoyable; but I also have not listened to many other setups.

Rears: MB Quart DKH 116 6.5"

Woofer Composition: Polypropylene

Sensitivity: 87 dB

RMS Power Range : 50 Watts

Peak Power Handling: 120 Watts

Impedance: 4 Ohm

Frequency response: 40-30000 Hz

Diameter: 6.5 Inch

Design: 2 Way

Tweeter Composition: Titanium

Aside from the amps, wiring, this is what I have planned out so far. Just don't know what else I need, or what can be substituted to get a high level of sound quality. So any help and assistance you guys and gals can give me is greatly appreciated!

-Joseph

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[KOL 10+ year member]

HU: An Alpine 9887 would give you a CD slot and still has a great iPod interface and much better EQ/ overall sound control features.

Sub: There's nothing wrong with JL subs but ID makes good SQ subs that are comparable for less. An IDQ12V3 would easily out perform the w1 (more comparable to the w6v2) and your budget allows for the extra cost.

Fronts: Since you like a sharper sound I'd suggest Boston Acoustics Pro60's or Focal 165KF's

Rears: Rear fill does nothing but harm to a good sound stage imo. When listening to music at home on your 5.1 notice the surround and center channel speakers are not utilised, as music is recorded in stereo. I'd definitely recommend against it for a SQ setup...especially in an extended cab truck. It'll also allow for more of a budget to get good sound up front, as I already accounted for in my suggestion for the fronts.

Amps: A Phoenix Gold X200.2 for the fronts & a Phoenix Gold X600.1 for the sub stage leaves you with very versatile power for different ohm loads/wiring configurations for any future upgrades. A JL 300/2 & 500/1 would do the same.

Misc: I'd strongly suggest some sound deadener for the doors. With a door pack of SS Pro my math shows about $600 left in the budget for wiring, enclosure & installation needs.

 

[Cerberus2k7 10+ year member]

HU: An Alpine 9887 would give you a CD slot and still has a great iPod interface and much better EQ/ overall sound control features.Sub: There's nothing wrong with JL subs but ID makes good SQ subs that are comparable for less. An IDQ12V3 would easily out perform the w1 (more comparable to the w6v2) and your budget allows for the extra cost.

Fronts: Since you like a sharper sound I'd suggest Boston Acoustics Pro60's or Focal 165KF's

Rears: Rear fill does nothing but harm to a good sound stage imo. When listening to music at home on your 5.1 notice the surround and center channel speakers are not utilised, as music is recorded in stereo. I'd definitely recommend against it for a SQ setup...especially in an extended cab truck. It'll also allow for more of a budget to get good sound up front, as I already accounted for in my suggestion for the fronts.

Amps: A Phoenix Gold X200.2 for the fronts & a Phoenix Gold X600.1 for the sub stage leaves you with very versatile power for different ohm loads/wiring configurations for any future upgrades. A JL 300/2 & 500/1 would do the same.

Misc: I'd strongly suggest some sound deadener for the doors. With a door pack of SS Pro my math shows about $600 left in the budget for wiring, enclosure & installation needs.

Not having a CD slot doesn't bother me. I'm in AZ and heat isn't exactly a CDs best friend. Now when you say the Alpine 9887 has better EQ, in what aspects exactly? My Pioneer has some features, but I'm fairly new to this. Now in terms of not having a rear setup; I have heard that before, but I also have heard people running tweeters only in the back. I've also heard people running - I think it's called a 3-way front stage? Also, you mentioned IDQ12V3 subs, and a PG amp, but how does PGs subs compare? My friend just got an RSDC model(not sure on the exact one) but I haven't gotten to listen to it yet.

Focals: My old roommate had a set in his Honda. They were one of the cheaper ones(Around $150) but they sounded decent. I'll see if there is any audio shops around here that carries them. There was one shop that did, but they switched over to Hertz. In terms of sound deadening, it's going to have quite a bit. Truck is going to be set up for having fun in the desert so the interior is going to be stripped down. Not sure how "complete" I'm going to make it in terms of carpeting all of it, or just the floor, or what, but it will be getting quite a bit of treatment. Especially once the cage goes in. Speaking of cages...how "tough" are subs? Would it best to completely remove the box if I want to go have some fun, or can I put bushings under it to help absorb the shock? Or is there a little trick to securing them/intigrating it with the cage?

Stuff like this:

I was thinking about a carputer since I have 2 Xeons just chillin in my closet, but figured it wouldn't enjoy life very much even with a SSD.

 

[Cerberus2k7 10+ year member]

Also, on the amp you listed the Phoenix Gold X600.1. Is that for a single IDQ? On woofersetc it lists the sub as handling 600RMS and I wanna run 2. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif I also got to listen to the Pro60s and holy crap! :faint: The guy at the shop said they are comparable to the Focal K2P line. So yeah, thanks for making me spend even more money. I have a feeling this is going to become an addiction.

EDIT: Also, in terms of the box, is it usually best to have one built? The IDQs according to the sites PDF need 1cu.ft for a sealed audiophile box. But I saw two online that were 1.25cu.ft. How big of a difference would that usually make? n00b question I know. Gonna be hitting up the sub forum to check out the stickies in a few but that was a question that just popped into my head.

 

[Cerberus2k7 10+ year member]

^^^ Anyone else have any ideas?

 

[Cerberus2k7 10+ year member]

Anyone have a prerunner with a sub box?

 

[LaserRed38 10+ year member]

Man that Ranger is going to be awesome. I'd have a removable box built though. Also, a carputer would not fair well in those types of conditions either. Heat and parts being shaken loose. I haven't looked at a Ranger door in a LONG time, but I'd look into the possibility of doing a 3-way front stage with 8" mids in the doors and fiberglassed kick panels with 4-5" midranges and tweeters. That way, you can have pretty decent bass for your offroad runs.

Do you know the difference between active and passive crossovers? There are a couple head units on the market that can do a 3-way front stage plus a sub channel if you wanted to go active 4-way (3-way front plus sub).

You say you're going to deaden most of the truck, but correct me if I'm wrong, wouldn't it be better if you just gutted the interior? I run into the same kind of conundrum doing an SQ-based install in a Mustang. Most people fix up a Mustang to be faster/lighter (myself included which is why I'm sticking with 2-way up front and small sub...with no enclosure - infinite baffle setup). Just making sure you know what you're getting in to. Hardcore SQ competitors will use 100s of square feet of deadener in their rides.

If you don't want to mess with active crossovers, but are intrigued with 3-way front stages, there are companies like Hertz (I recommend over Focal btw) and DLS and Dynaudio that offer 3-way passive component systems with external passive crossovers. If you're not concerned with super loud bass while you're running offroad, then just stick with a 2-way set-up up front and removable sub box. I wouldn't trust bolting down a box that will be in a vehicle that might see 20-30 ft jumps.

Also, don't be afraid of buying used. You can find some really good deals in the Classifieds (it just makes you go broke SLOWER //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif). I don't think you will get the SQ you are looking for if you stick with the iPod only head units. The 9887 is a really good starting point, even if you never use the CD slot. It gives you the option to go 3-way active (2-way up front + sub) if you choose to later and a lot better EQ and tuning options.

If you go active I'd do this:

-HU: Alpine CDA 9887

-Amp: used US Amps AX 5600 or used Audison LRx 5.1k if you can find one

-Speakers: piece together a component system from Madisound.com or Partsexpress.com (raw drivers are cheaper than a whole component system) 6.5 mids and 1" tweeters. Many will match up easy and you can use the 5ch amp to power everything; just unhook the sub when you want.

-Sub: Incriminator Audio Flatlyne

-Wiring: KnuKonceptz (RCAs, speaker wire, power/ground and Big 3)

-Battery/Alt upgrades if you want

If you stay passive keep everything the same, but you could get a separate 2 channel amp for the speakers and mono amp for the sub, mount the sub amp to the sub box and pull it out when you want. Speakers, either go for the Bostons you heard or DLS/Hertz/Dynaudio/Rainbow. Those are some good brands to start with.

Lastly, look into SecondSkin.com. They have a new deadener called "Damplifier Lite". I'm going to be ordering a bunch soon. It's supposed to be a lot lighter, but almost as effective as their normal lines.