New audio setup - need recommendations!

[hodja]

Hi there,

I am a complete noob about car audio. I have a '99 Miata which has stock sound setup ( 6x8 25w Speakers on doors, 25w tweeters ) except a rather acceptable old aftermarket HU (Pioneer deh- series cdplayer) , which is a little more than average. I am planning to setup a good audio system which will provide clear and quality sound. Hi Level sound is not so important.

Free space to place an amplifier and a sub woofer is very limited so I need to be modest on my decisions. My estimated budget is 500$

I'd appreciate if I can get your opinions, experience (if you have any) & recommendations about these units or the complete setup.

Components for front doors: Alpine SPS-171A

* component speaker system includes woofers, tweeters, and crossovers

* Layered Hybrid Fiber woofer cones with air-injected rubber surround

* 1" textile dome tweeters swivels up to 15° (surface and flush mounting)

* 2-way crossovers (12 dB/octave high-pass, 6 dB/octave low-pass)

* frequency response: 35-35,000 Hz

* power range: 8-50 watts RMS

* peak power handling: 250 watts

* sensitivity: 90 dB

* mounting rings included for 6-1/2" applications

* top-mount depth: 2-1/2"

* warranty: 1 year

Amplifier: Alpine MRP-F300

RMS Continuous Power (at 14.4 V, 20 - 20kHz)

• Per channel into 4 ohms (≤1% THD+N)............................................ . 50 W x 4

• Per channel into 2 ohms (≤1% THD+N)............................................ . 75 W x 4

• Briged 4 ohms (≤1% THD+N)........................................... 150 W x 2

S/N Ratio

• IHF A Weighted, Reference: rated power into 4 ohms .................................................. .. 100 dBA

• IHF A Weighted, CEA2006, Reference: 1W into 4 ohms .................................................. .... 80 dBA

Input Impedance

• RCA IN .................................................. 15k ohms

• SP IN .................................................. ... 20k ohms

Frequency Response (+0, -1dB) .......... 20Hz - 20kHz

Crossover Frequency

• 1/2ch .............................. 50 - 400 Hz (-12dB/oct.)

• 3/4ch .............................. 50 - 400 Hz (-12dB/oct.)

Input Sensitivity (RCA IN) ............................ 0.2 - 4 V

Subsonic Filter ....................................... 15Hz, Fixed

BASS EQ ...................... 50Hz, +12dB(3/4ch), On/Off

Dimensions

• Width (Heat Sink / Footprint)

MRP-F300 .................................................. ..........

............... 210 mm (8 - 17/64")/270 mm (10 - 5/8")

• Height ..................................... 60 mm (2 - 23/64")

• Depth .................................... 242 mm (9 - 17/32")

Weight

MRP-F300 .................................................. 2.7 kg

Sub woofer: Alpine SBE-843BR

# 8” Type-E Subwoofer

# Peak Power: 400W

# RMS Power: 120W

# Box Size: 275 x 283 x 215 /325 mm

The sales guy told me that I need a better HU but that's another topic.(Planning to buy Pioneer 5200 series)

I'd appreciate if I can get your opinions, experience (if you have any) & recommendations about these units or the complete setup.

Thanks in advance for all the replies.

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[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

Nothing amazing about the Alpine gear you've chosen, but nothing really wrong with it either. We are going to have a hard time giving you much info beyond that because you live in Turkey, and most of us (if not all of us) have no idea what is available there, or what prices would be. We could help more if you give us some sort of a list of brands/items you have access to. Local price comparisons for us would be beneficial too. Basically, the more info you give us, the better our answers will be. Considering your location, that is doubly true.

Welcome to the forum.

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

If you're using Alpine gear don't waste your time with the S components. The R components sound much nicer for not much more money (and the X is even better but a LOT more money).

Alpine amps are fair, but considering you could get some decent size amps in a "flat rate" priority mail box shipped to you for 55$ ish there's fair odds that you can buy better amps used on the forum here even after paying shipping.

Also consider if you're a total novice and want someone else to do the install and deal with potential problems you should be more worried about finding a reputable/competent shop that will do a good job and stand behind their work and support you after the fact.

 

[hodja]

Hey,

Thanks for the welcome and replies.

@audioholic

I have access to most sound gear brands that you guys have access to, but most common brands here are:

Pioneer (most product range, esp. HU and Speakers)

Alpine, (most product range)

Kicker (amps & subs - very popular and reasonably priced)

JL Audio (Amps & Subs)

Hertz (Very popular but expensive - speakers only)

JBL (All gear - surprised that noone recommends it locally - especially the speakers)

Rockfordfostage (Amps - some subs)

SoundMagus (Amps - never heard the brand before but they're fairly cheap)

I only have experience with pioneer speakers so far, the others are complete strangers to me.

Prices are %25-30 more expensive here most of the time.

For instance, price comparison I got from the shops for new products (no eBay prices):

		                   Local Price	                US Price
Alpine SPS-171A	Comp	          150.-$			130.-$
ALPINE MRP-F300 Amp 	          220.-$ 			180.-$
Alpine SWE-843E Sub	          80.-$                          60.-$
Pioneer deh-p5200 HU	          190.-$			180.-$

These are some of the facts about my country regarding car audio. I can say that 550$-600$ local cost of gear equals

400$-450$ in the US, which is also my budget range.

So, considering these what I have on mind is 6.5" comps in doors, 4 channel amp, 8" sub. I don't need high volume but clear and soft sound where I can hear every instrument. I am into Hard rock and Jazz music, dunno if this matters when choosing the items for the setup.

@hispls

Yes I agree. Main problem is finding the right guy to do the setup, as the technicians I've visited recommended me different things, causing nothing but confusion. I've heard horror stories such as "your car will burn down if car audio is not setup correctly". I am not sure if this a marketing technique! or not so I decided to join this forum and request advice from you guys. Thanks for the suggestion about 2nd hand, don't you think it will be a bit risky to order electronics overseas?

Thanks again guys

 

[hodja]

noone?

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

noone?

The good news, you have access to some very respectable brands. The bad news, your budget will really limit your choices. I generally dont like recommending specific products because so much is about personal preference, but I can say every brand you listed makes quality products, except for Magnus, which I am not familiar with. Also, Id recommend breaking your budget down into the individual components and then go from there.

For example, $600 locally - $200 for comps - $250 for amp - $150 for sub. But this does not factor in for enclosure, wiring, fusing, signal cables, etc. I dont know if you want to build your own enclosure, buy one, or if the miata has a stock place for one already.

You aren't getting replies because people here dont like to read a lot (lol), and for the ones who do, your location makes this a somewhat more difficult situation to give advice about. Most of these are all about the internet purchases.

As for buying used here, I obviously cant vouch for everyone, but if you are careful and only make purchases from well know members who have been here a while, you could feel pretty safe about the transaction. But finding someone who will ship over seas might be difficult.

 

[hodja]

Ok I'll try to build short sentences. Should I also change my location in my profile //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif