New member/upcoming build

[godzirrasti]

Hello caraudio.com,

I am looking to replace my stock stereo equipment. I am not really looking to be heard from miles away, and I have been out of the "audio" world for some time. A little bit about the car:

2007 Subaru WRX STI Corn fed

Kenwood DNX5140 (I hate this head unit BTW)

Stock everything else stereo related

Made 343hp to the wheels on E85 and is currently tracked/DD

The car is loud (no cats and open waste gate) but the stock speakers are horrible (as expected). I plan on replacing the head unit and the door speakers. Since it is a track car, and I rarely have anyone in the backseat, it was suggested that I remove the back door speakers. Anyway I was thinking of picking up whatever the lastest iteration of the Pioneer Avic series is right now. I have always had good luck with them in the past. As far as subs go I do want as least one, but I plan on removing it for track days as well as the amp. Most anything that is not needed is removed for weight. This was suggested by someone in my family who works in the industry:

pioneer AVIC-z140 $1000

Hertz HSK-165 $300

Hertz HCX-165 Optional $200

ARC Audio KS-300.4 $275

ARC Audio KS-300.2 $250

ARC Audio Black Series 12" $300

My question is will this be the best way to spend my money? Can I get more bang for my buck elsewhere? The prices are his cost I believe.

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[trumpet 5,000+ posts]

A problem with this is the noise, both created by the car and road noise. It's going to seriously mask the benefits of better speakers. More power helps, but the noise is still going to be a major distraction. The way to block noise is by adding mass, which is counter to the point of this car for you.

If you want an AVIC for built-in navigation that's fine, but you can save money with a different model or a different brand. I don't see the point of spending $1k+ on a navigation head unit for a track car. I did see that you DD the car as well, but I'm thinking of ways to save you money that can go toward the driving experience without drastically compromising the sound system. You could even use a separate GPS unit that is removable, or use a smartphone.

An upside to buying such nice equipment is you can reuse it in other vehicles without wondering if it's worth the effort to remove it. It should hold its value fairly well.

 

[godzirrasti]

Thanks for the reply. I had considered different units, especially since I do own an iPhone with maps. Maps that are updated with zero cost. Are there any head units you suggest? Really just looking for iPhone connectivity and possibly Sirius.

 

[trumpet 5,000+ posts]

If you have an iPhone 5 I can't promise a Pioneer head unit will do everything they advertise. They're still having major issues getting their A/V interface to be fully functional, as in video doesn't work at all. Audio isn't a problem over either Bluetooth or the required cable. Clarion has the NX602 and NX702, plus upcoming models that come with our without a CD/DVD mechanism. For a non-nav double DIN unit they have the VX401. It's a more basic head unit that has an older interface than the NX602 or the upcoming NX603, but it comes at a lower cost.

 

[White02wrx]

Not sure if you have your heart set on a 12 but if you stepped it down to a 10 you could hide your sub under the floor board so you still have your trunk. I own a suby and plan on doing this soon. But as far as your setup goes it looks solid! Also Not sure if you have gauges for your track days, but with a single din head unit you would be able to put 3 gauges just above or below the head unit.

DIY Spare Tire Subwoofer Box (Retains Spare Tire in its Stock Location!!) - i-Club



I know this photo is of a vw but you get the idea.

 

[godzirrasti]

Not sure if you have your heart set on a 12 but if you stepped it down to a 10 you could hide your sub under the floor board so you still have your trunk. I own a suby and plan on doing this soon. But as far as your setup goes it looks solid! Also Not sure if you have gauges for your track days, but with a single din head unit you would be able to put 3 gauges just above or below the head unit.
DIY Spare Tire Subwoofer Box (Retains Spare Tire in its Stock Location!!) - i-Club



I know this photo is of a vw but you get the idea.

I do have gauges. I have the clock pod, and the gauges turned (needles up=ok, anything else=oh ****.) I really would not mind a ten, and I had not considered putting it under the seat mostly because I assume it will be a pita to remove.

I will check out the clarion units, FWIW my kenwood connects to my iphone 5 about 15% of the time, and I have to reset it and lose all of my presets about every two days. This has been the same way since the iphone 4. I am going to look for software updates this weekend for my kenwood but im 99% sure I will be selling it.

As far as the pioneer goes I am not crazy worried about the video, I rarely have passengers and with 9k front springs and 8k rear I am usually fighting to keep the car on the road lol. It really is not that bad but sudden movements from me and I am switching lanes. I have 18x10 +15 wheels with 285's all the way around. It can be a pain in the *** at times.

The ONLY thing I need is a nice head unit, I would like BT and Iphone connections. I do not make many calls in the car but the feature is nice (most people cant hear me anyway). I have lately discovered apples maps app works pretty well and it talks also.

Thanks for the suggestions!

 

[dbeez 5,000+ posts]

I think you need to spend time pulling all the interior and putting down some luxury linor or something of the like to block all the exterior noises thats where your best time and money will be spent. Get the cabin much quieter then get firing into audio so you can actually enjoy it.

 

[White02wrx]

I think you need to spend time pulling all the interior and putting down some luxury linor or something of the like to block all the exterior noises thats where your best time and money will be spent. Get the cabin much quieter then get firing into audio so you can actually enjoy it.

I totally agree, but the only problem with this is he is trying to keep the weight down for the track days that he does. But im sure the 10-20 pounds on the floor wouldnt really hurt b/c of the low center of gravity. but when you start putting it on the doors and roof it would cause more problems with body roll and change how his car handles.