Newb here, need opinions on upcoming sound system purchase

[tomcat 10+ year member]

Hi everyone, I've been reading through the posts here and they've been really helpful. I don't really know anything about car audio nor am I aspiring to be an audiophile (although I'd definitely like to learn a little), I just want some good quality sound and decent bass.

Background info:

-Car is a 94-01 Acura Integra, currently with all factory sound equipment.

-I do not want a subwoofer in the trunk, as the trunk space is too valuable for me to give up, nor do I need the bass that a 10"+ sub provides.

-Music will primarily be Rap/Hip Hop/R&B.

-Volume will be between 40-50% max on average, probably won't exceed 75% of the max volume.

After reading around on the forums for a couple days, I've (tentatively) decided on these items to upgrade my sound system:

-Pioneer P880PRS CD Player

-A set of Rainbow SLC265 Kick components

-2 Tang Bang 6.5" subwoofers to go in the rear speaker locations

-Pheonix Gold Xenon X100.4 amp

Questions:

1. First thing I should ask is if the 6.5" subwoofers will even fit in the stock rear speaker locations if anyone happens to know?

2. This is what I interpreted the Rainbow Kick Bass pamphlet as saying: If you are running a sub, you can use the Kick Bass version of their speakers and high-pass them to 80 Hz, then you leave all the sound below 80 Hz to your subs. This results in a much better sounding system than if you leave the full range to your components, correct me if I'm wrong.

3. The Tang Bang 6.5" subwoofers operate between 38-800 Hz. So I would low-pass these to 80 Hz and the Rainbow SLC265 kicks will handle everything from 80 Hz and up, is that correct? Are there any other 6.5" subwoofers that can operate down to 20 Hz or will I even notice a difference at all?

4. 100 watts provided to the Rainbow SLC265 components and the 2 Tang Bang woofers should be more than sufficient, right? Most likely I will not be upgrading the sound system anymore after this, so will the Xenon amp be suitable for me or is it overkill? Can anyone recommend any other good 100x4 amps?

5. The stock alternator on the integra is either 65 or 75 Amps. Should I upgrade to a 165 or 180 Amp alternator or will the stock alternator be enough? If not, where can I purchase a stronger alternator? Can I get away with using a capacitor and perhaps better grounding wires?

6. Last but not least, can someone recommend any good vendors that I can purchase all of this stuff from?

I guess that's it for now, please tell me where I'm mistaken and feel free to suggest any alternatives to any of the items I listed.

-Thanks in advance

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[crow 10+ year member]

1. Not sure. If they are factory 6.5's then they may drop in but you'll want to check the mounting depth. You can buy or build an adapter plate to make them fit most of the time. It just depends on how much space you have available.

2. Sounds right to me. That's how I have my system set up.

3. Yes, though you might do some fine tuning by ear to get to the best crossover point in your car.

6.5" is very small for a sub. With subs, you are compromising between available space and output from the subs. They will probably fill out the sound and cover most music, but don't expect earth shattering bass from them.

4. 100 watts/channel should work fine. Set the gains on the amp carefully and you should have no problem. I don't have any experience with the PG amps so I'll leave that one to someone else. Many good amps are available depending on your budget.

5. For a 400 watt total system, I wouldn't worry about electrical upgrades unless you encounter a problem.

6. My system was purchased through Crutchfield and Sounddomain. Their prices are higher than others, but I had good experiences with both. For Rainbow, I think there is someone on the forums that is a dealer. Someone around here should know how to contact him.

Good luck with your system!

 

[luvinthebass 5,000+ posts]

you don't what a sub for bass? wtf man you're missin out!

 

[tomcat 10+ year member]

Thanks for the replies

A lot of my friends have subs and they do sound nice, but it's just not for me while i'm using this particular car.

I'm not really looking for earth shattering bass, just trying to go for a more "complete" sound system if that's the right term. I figure 6.5" subwoofers would do the job better than simply installing some rear coaxials and powering them with the HU.

 

[Hintzyboy 5,000+ posts]

If you want to save trunk space, you might want to try some 8 inch woofers. I've heard great things about the Ascendant Audio Assassin 8s. They play pretty low for 8s and sound good. More output than you'd expect from that small of a woofer. Grab 2 and put them in a box built to AA's reccomendations, and it should work nicely for you.

As a matter of fact, you really don't have to saccrifice that much space for many subs. My first system was 2 Memphis M-Class 12s in a small sealed box. Box was only about 28" x 14" x 6". It actually fit underneath the speakers in the rear deck.

Otherwise, you seem to be on the right track. If you're looking at Rainbows, PM 6spdcoupe. He deals several different brands including Rainbow, and he's a great guy to deal with. I just picked up some Rainbow tweets from him, and the transaction went flawlessly.

 

[wesl56 10+ year member]

2. This is what I interpreted the Rainbow Kick Bass pamphlet as saying: If you are running a sub, you can use the Kick Bass version of their speakers and high-pass them to 80 Hz, then you leave all the sound below 80 Hz to your subs. This results in a much better sounding system than if you leave the full range to your components, correct me if I'm wrong.

you're gonna wanna hi-pass them on the amp.. doesnt have to be 80, its up to whatever sounds best to you...

3. The Tang Bang 6.5" subwoofers operate between 38-800 Hz. So I would low-pass these to 80 Hz and the Rainbow SLC265 kicks will handle everything from 80 Hz and up, is that correct? Are there any other 6.5" subwoofers that can operate down to 20 Hz or will I even notice a difference at all?

again, you'll just have to play around with it and decide where you wanna set the crossover points.. it depends on the car and your ears

4. 100 watts provided to the Rainbow SLC265 components and the 2 Tang Bang woofers should be more than sufficient, right? Most likely I will not be upgrading the sound system anymore after this, so will the Xenon amp be suitable for me or is it overkill? Can anyone recommend any other good 100x4 amps?

that should be fine

5. The stock alternator on the integra is either 65 or 75 Amps. Should I upgrade to a 165 or 180 Amp alternator or will the stock alternator be enough? If not, where can I purchase a stronger alternator? Can I get away with using a capacitor and perhaps better grounding wires?

i would not even worry about power at all.. a 400 watt amp isnt gonna pull that much... do the big 3 if u want, it will only help... and stay away from caps

6. Last but not least, can someone recommend any good vendors that I can purchase all of this stuff from?

well i assume u know where to get the rainbows, the rest of the stuff depends on if you want to buy from a place with good customer service and warranty for a little more or go with a less friendly place for cheaper

I guess that's it for now, please tell me where I'm mistaken and feel free to suggest any alternatives to any of the items I listed.

soulds like you've been doing your reading and i think you'll be happy with this setup

-Thanks in advance

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