Newbie needs system advice

JohnnyStep
10+ year member

Junior Member
Hello everyone. Enough is enough. I'm tired of having a crappy stock stereo. I've currently got a '94 Toyota Camry coupe with a cheap AIWA head unit and stock everything else. I want to put together something that will sound decent, but not break the bank. I listen to dance/techno music at moderate, but not super loud, volume. I'm looking for good sound quality with full, deep bass. I don't want to blow the trunk off or anything, I just want to be able to reproduce those LOOOOW frequencies.

I've already got a set of MB Quart RKB 160 6.5"s that I bought about 4-5 years ago and never used. I'd like to use these up front in the doors. Because I'm on a bit of a budget right now, I'm thinking about scrapping the 6x9's in the rear deck for right now, and just getting a sub to compliment the MB Quarts. I saw a thread here somewhere where somebody suggested that, and it sounds like it might be a good compromise for me right now. Can anyone comment on this?

As far as an amp to power the MB Quarts, I'm considering a Sony XPLOD 2 channel with about 100 watts per channel. The price on these won't hurt my wallet, and I figure Sony is a reputable brand, so the quality should be good. What do you guys think about Sony's amps?

Any imput or suggestions would be appreciated. I've never put together a system before, so I need all the help and advice I can get. Thanks!

--Johnny

 
I saw a thread here somewhere where somebody suggested that, and it sounds like it might be a good compromise for me right now. Can anyone comment on this?
Sounds like a good plan

As far as an amp to power the MB Quarts, I'm considering a Sony XPLOD 2 channel with about 100 watts per channel. The price on these won't hurt my wallet, and I figure Sony is a reputable brand, so the quality should be good. What do you guys think about Sony's amps?

Sony amps are totally and utterly sh!t. Don't waste your money on them. There are many, many other amps out there that will fit your budget.

How much are you looking to spend?? And do you want an amp only for the components, or do you want something like a 4 channel amp so you can run the front components off of the front two channels, and bridge the rear two channels to a sub?

 
yup, that is true. sony *****.

well i second that recommendation.

get a good 100 x 4 amp. power the front ch. to ur comps. and bridge the rear channels to a sub. sending approximately 400 watts to it.

companies to consider for subs: jlw3, idQ's , edO's. All do well with 400 watts

 
I would recommend getting a 4-channel amp, and use the front channels to power the MB Quarts, and either bridge the rear channels to one 4-ohm sub, or two DVC 4-ohm subs, or anything you could wire to 4-ohms. Your AIWA HU may only have one output, if so you would have to split it to run to a 4-channel amp, or better yet get a better HU //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

As far as an amp to power the MB Quarts, I'm considering a Sony XPLOD 2 channel with about 100 watts per channel. The price on these won't hurt my wallet, and I figure Sony is a reputable brand, so the quality should be good. What do you guys think about Sony's amps?
I have purchased a lot of Sony products in the past, including a car amp that I'm using now, multiple head units, car speakers, a couple Playstations, a Playstation 2, CD Players, TVs, etc, etc... The only thing that still works is the amp. Sony hasn't made quality products since the 80s.

The amp that I'm using now is a 4-channel Sony XPlod amp. It actually has pretty decent features with high and low pass crossovers variable from 50-300hz I think, and variable 10db bass boost. Also I read an article on pretty much the same amp as mine and it put out rated power. All the connections and adjustments are kind of under the case so it's really hard to hook up and adjust. Actually it's been a decent amp, but I wouldn't recommend buying any Sony products due to the reliability problems I've had in the past. I only bought it because I got it for dirt cheap, and it was refurbished, so apparently it broke once before...

 
I have a friend that has a 600W 2 channel Sony Xplode amp, and he is powering (2) Dual 12" subs, in a bandbass. After about 30 mins of medium loud playing, the amp would cut off and come back on about 1-2 mins later.... I wouldnt go with sony.

 
Thanks for the advice, guys. I'd like to spend $250 or less (not including shipping) on an amp, but I don't know how realistic that is. Seems like car audio components are MUCH MUCH more expensive than home audio. I saw a factory refurbed Rockford Fosgate 801X on eBay for $265.00, and have known guys in the past that spoke very highly of RF. Would this be a good choice for my application? How is RF's quality and reliability these days?

So I can get a few more options here, let's say my price cap is around $300. Is there anything else good I can get in that price range?

--Johnny

 
Great opinions and suggestions so far...

My $0.02-----

For SQ, go Nakamichi or Eclipse. I went with the nak http://forums.caraudio.com/vb/showthread.php?t=63619

For amp and sub, check ebay for soundstream, nak, JL, etc... These are the only pieces I would buy used since they don't really go bad if the prev owner is somewhat knowledgeable.

Check hlabs.com for a low-pass filter...

Use good wires too....

good luck,

 
OK, I was poking around on eBay last night, and found a few amps that looked good for my application.

Soundstream Xstream XTA720.4

Soundstream EGA1000.4X

HiFonics Nemesis NX880

If you guys had to make the choice, which one would you pick and why?

--Johnny

 
i'm not farmiliar with hifonics, but i do know that soundstream makes very solid reliable equipment. every now and then *like all companies* something will be faulty. but overall i think soundstream is good for the money. IMO

 
I was talking to a guy at work today, and he said stay away from Soundstream 'cuz they tend to crap out. His recommendations, in order of preference, were:

MTX

Infinity

Kicker

HiFonics

I saw a brand new (NOT refurbed) MTX Thunder 1004 4ch on eBay for $310. It's more than I wanted to spend when I first started looking, but I want to get something QUALITY that I won't have to worry about having problems with. No one I've talked to has said ANYTHING bad about MTX. What do you guys think of this unit? I'm very, very new to car audio, and would greatly appreciate any comments on the brands listed above.

Thanks, guys!!

--Johnny

 
I guess I have been lucky since all my amps have been working flawlessly after 10+ years of use. Maybe their quality have gone down since....

good luck,

 
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