Odd project

[yOUR_CHRIST+ 10+ year member]

Hey, I have a project I've never found online yet so I'm going to need some help for this. Not to mention I don't have any car audio experience anyway. The reasopn I think this is odd is because I have a third set of speakers I want to set up, and I've never seen that before. Therefore odd //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

What I want in the end for parts...

1) Alpine IVA-W205

2) Alpine SPR-17S 6.5" Compnent 2-Way Speaker system (2 sets) owned

3) Alpine SPS-10C2 4" Coaxial 2-Way Speaker

4) Alpine SWX-1043D 10" Subwoofer (2X) owned

5) And some amp from Alpine but I don't know what amp could power all this and still sound good.

So that's what I want in my car. Working on buying the deck right now. Then the amp.



I need help setting this up and to find the right amp for power, and just basically any other help that can be said. Thanks a lot in advance guys.

The first of speakers are in the front doors, then the 4" set are in the rear doors, and then second component set is in the back next to the window and I'll custom fit the tweeters into the side plastic piece above the seat belt. Then I'll plant the two 10" subs and the amp in the trunk.

Click to read more...

 

[starkfu 10+ year member]

two options,

A one amp setup or a two amp setup.

one amp:

Search Ebay for a MRV-F357 alpine amp - it is a bulletproof five-channel that I still run in one of my cars for it's clarity and unwillingness to die - you will however have to wire your subs to 4 ohms - it doesn't take to kindly to less then that.

Two amps:

Having that source unit opens you to the world of theater amps - alpine theater amps, and they are the shit, I currently have a MRA-F350 5 channel (fifth channel is center channel, but alpine also has this, can find new on ebay for 100 shipped). The caveat is that you have to add another amp for the subs, but this may be to your advantage running two, as the MRV-F357 five channel breathes better running only one.

The beauty about the theater amp is that there is only two connections between the HU and Amp - no RCA's, you plug a fiber optic from the source to the amp, and ai-net.

All controls are then performed at the HU. And man does it sound sweet!!

 

[yOUR_CHRIST+ 10+ year member]

Awesome man. What would you do with what I have typed in my previous post. Compared ot me you're a pro, and do know your shit especially with Alpine, which is my luck. I dont mind the two amps but I'm thinking it would be easier to do one amp. could be wrong though...Also which is easier two or one amp (to set up with what I've explained)

 

[starkfu 10+ year member]

depends on the car, since you plan on getting the alpine double din, maybe switch that for the IVA-D105 and put a center channel below it. If you are considering the alpine blackbird nav, there is a dock for the IVA-D105 - you can also connect anything to it. I have the bluetooth phone piece, ipod connector, and am getting HD radio soon.

Looking at your proposed set up, The only thing I question is the necessity and placement of the 4" speakers. Ditch those and stick with the center channel and use the theater amp. Then just make sure you get good placement for the 6.5's to set the stage correctly.

As far of ease of installation, doing two amps with the theater amp is very simple, you will need to run an ai-net cable, fiber optic cable, and a remote turn on lead from the head unit to the amps (only the sub amp), then a single RCA over to the sub amp with the remote turn on, then power and ground to both. I would suggest putting all 4 crossovers near to the amplifier and then running new wires to all 9 locations.(including center channel). This way you can get a mono sub amp and wire down to whatever you require. (alpine PDX amps ROCK and are small to boot).

So essentially it depends on what you are looking for sound wise and what kind of car we are dealing with.

 

[yOUR_CHRIST+ 10+ year member]

I have a 2003 Subaru Impreza WRX. Front doors have space for the 6.5" speakers and tweeters. Rear door only have space for 4" speakers. I was looking in my trunk and I could easily cut out the carpet and stick 6.5" speakers under the window, and most speakers on in cars. I figured it'd be pretty badass have six speakers at reasonablly spaced spots in the car and then having two ten inch subs. I listen to Rock music I don't need huge subs so tens are fine. So really I don't need the 4" but I kinda want them sound equailty through the car.

My eyes have been set on the IVA W200 since the thing was 1100 US bucks....Now I can find it on eBay for 625 and it's the W205, which is an awesome price, so I definitely want that.

 

[gijoe 10+ year member]

I have a 2005 RS and I can tell you...sound deadening! Hunt down those rattles. Any sub, even a low powered one, is going to make your car sound like it's falling apart. That place above the rear deck where you want to put your 6.5s it one of the noisiest culprits. I'm not a car audio expert by any means compared to a lot of these folks, but if you need any Impreza specific help with your install let me know! Good luck

 

[yOUR_CHRIST+ 10+ year member]

Awesome man. I figured dynamat could do the trick to get rid of any rattling if I ever encountered it. So since you said lots of rattling, then dynamat it is.

As for the rear doors, is it really 4" speakers there? I've seen sites that say 4" and some things say 6.5". Even the 12 Volt Guide you can find on this forum says there is 6.5 in the rear door up to the 2004 Impreza, which is really weird.

 

[starkfu 10+ year member]

I am sure it is easily upgradable, but I would personally keep the front door speakers, skip the rear doors, and go for the rear deck with the other 6.5's.

I also must point out that the IVA-D105 is the same price as the W200, but preference is yours, just that the staging of the theater amp is reliant on the center channel speaker.

You may want to consider creating a custom rear deck to angle the speakers forward more, you would get a really nice stage with such a setup,

Let me know specific questions of what you want to do and I can answer accordingly.

 

[yOUR_CHRIST+ 10+ year member]

Ok, I do want to keep the 4" speakers, and still add in the 6.5" speakers. So with the diagram up top how would I hook up the amp to all the speakers and subs and the deck. I don't even understand at all because I also have to connect the crossovers also and then you have the tweeters.. Just so complex for me to figure out.

 

[starkfu 10+ year member]

seriously,

If you still hook up the 4" in the door you run the risk of unbalancing the stage in your car.

Here are the inherint problems:

1. you would have to parallel the rear channel, so two sets of wires would come off of the amp's rear outputs, one would go to the 4" in the door, the other to the crossovers for the rear deck. The problem here is that your 6.5's will handle more power then the 4", but you won't be able to give it to them as the 4" speakers become the delimiter, as some might see this as a good thing, and rightfully so, it isn't. All adjustments should be made from equal amp gains - especially on the alpine theater amp. to set a proper sound stage, everything should be receiving equal power and allowed adjustability at the head unit.

2. Having a paralleled rear output is going to make the amp work harder and increase wattage loss in heat, it will also degradate the quality of amplifier output.

3. The sound from the 4" could affect the sound waves coming from the rear deck, now I know this is being nitpicky, but the 4" have no chance of being correctly aimed to properly compliment the 6.5's in the rear deck and will most likely cause a negating effect such as echoing or wave cancellation at 90 degrees phase imbalance. Not to mention that the sound will be absorbed by the front seats.

4. Even if you decided to parallel them off of the front speakers, now you just lost all of your front / rear stage capability as front sound will be coming from behind you.

It must be said that I am all about sound quality and don't see any advantage to having them, unless you had them up front to balance the stage with hardware, but then you are looking at running a third amplifier just to power the 4" speakers.

Final thought - don't do it, save your money and buy the quality stuff that is going to give you the best sound.

 

[yOUR_CHRIST+ 10+ year member]

Ok sounds good. I'll get rid of the rear door speakers. So let's just go with the regular two sets of 6.5" in the front door and rear deck. Could you help me set everything up now?

Also, what kind of amp will I need? I understand it'll last for a long time but still...A 5 channel? a Theater? Does it necessarily have to be a theater amp? Just some crap I should know before I go out and buy one.

 

[starkfu 10+ year member]

sure.

Here is what I would do:

assumptions:

IVA-W200 HU and alpine MRA-F350 / mono subwoofer amp - X2 6.5 comp's - x2 10" subs - single din center channel speaker (or use a 3.5 or 4" speaker in the top of the dash) - alpine single din placement would be good in the pocket below the heater controls - up to you. If you don't use the center channel - then you are better off with the old school five channel or even a 4channel and sub amp setup.

Anyway - amplifier outputs go directly to the crossover inputs which should all reside in the trunk. A typical setup would face both subs back, with the amps and crossovers all on the back of the sub box flushed in when the setas fold down.

Then run 8 speaker wires from the crossovers to the eight speakers placed in the car (or 9 if you go the center channel route)(I would go the center channel route, nothing beats 5.1 dolby in your car while watching gladiator - or whatever).

Doesn't get much simpler.

If you use the theater amp - you run a fiber optic from the IVA to the amp along with an ainet cable, then an RCA from the theater amp to the sub amp (which will be right next to it), the sub amp will require a turn on lead from the head unit tho. Then run your power back - 4 gauge or larger - and ground everything using a proper 3/8" bolt and star washers. Wire up subs to the sub amp - and spend a few hours adjusting everything to your ear.

SPEAKER PLACEMENT -

for the rear deck - I would pull it out and mount some MDF baffles to it angling the speakers about 30 degrees to the front center of the car - wrap it up and fiberglass it, then either carpet or paint it - mount the tweeters just above or below the woofer on the same angle to keep phase in check.

for the front doors, angle them up or mount them to the front of the door panel and properly glass and seal it - if behind the panel, you will muffle the sound a little bit - mount the tweeter no more then 1 foot above the woofer on the door panel.

It is easy to say all this, but doing it is another thing. This is also how I would do it all. More then likely you will just cut the hole in the rear deck and mount (just make it all congruent from left to right). For the doors tho, you definately want to get the tweeter out from behind the door panel and cut into the panel to mount it. (comes with some good mounting hardware)

any specific questions I am not answering?

 

[Qbenjamin 10+ year member]

:yawns:

 

[yOUR_CHRIST+ 10+ year member]

So, you are saying I should use two amps?

 

[starkfu 10+ year member]

:yawns:

ok, so I guess I won't try to help?