Ok, how do I not blow greater than $400 on a decent system?

[Gilliz 10+ year member]

the components only require 2 channels.

1 channels per speaker.

the tweets are so small, u can mount them anywhere...like on the corner of ur dash or between the windshield & the driver & passanger side window.....

the tweets dont require a channel to power themselfs....they share off the comp's...the crossover changes the low freq into high freq for the tweet...

the tweets dont require the amount of power the comp's do.....dont connect the tweets directly to the amp...u'll destroy them....

dont put those 6.5's in the back....ull be waisting good speakers....u want good sound quality from the front ....which is why u got those comps.....

also.....the sub will overpower the comps....inturn-----u prob wont here them...

u will damge the channels if u bridge a sub w/ those 2 comps running off it at the same time(same channels).

 

[sumone 10+ year member]

Does this sound good(/right)?

[just to get sound to the speakers - i know there's other things involved like the ground+power+fuses+etc. wires I still have to connect]

1. get an amp. 50Wx4 [rms] seem reasonable? My head unit puts out 20wx4 rms and compared to that, I think 50W would be more than enough volume.

2. get component speakers - 6.5s or 5.25s with tweets. Buy [or be ambitious and try to make] kickpanels since my doors have 4x6s. Put the 5s/6s in the kicks and the tweets somewhere on the dash [do I have to cut a hole in the dash???please say no!]

3. get a sub - a 10 perhaps. Sealed box most likely for space concerns.

4. connect head unit's preamp outs (a left and a right) to amp. disconnect the spekaer wires connected to the head unit.

5. on amp, channel 1 goes to compon. left, channel 2 to compon. right, channel 3+4 bridged to go to sub.

Based on this, does it sound like I'm getting a grasp on what to do/what I want? Hopefully!

So does this sound like a good setup for someone who wants SQ over SPL, but still some SPL, but not to the point where I can be heard more than 1/4-1/2 a block away, listens to rap+r&b mainly, but also jazz and classical?

 

[Gilliz 10+ year member]

u plan on running the sub off the 50wx4 amp??

if so ....dont.

theres not enough power for the sub even if bridged.

plus u plan on placing the sub in a sealed box which requires more power to pound.....and no: u dont have to cut a hole in the dash to mount the tweets.....just securly mount it on top off the dash (or where ever u desire).

yes,with the cdt's, and a good sub (with the right setup), looks like ur set.

 

[sumone 10+ year member]

u plan on running the sub off the 50wx4 amp??if so ....dont.

theres not enough power for the sub even if bridged.

plus u plan on placing the sub in a sealed box which requires more power to pound.....and no: u dont have to cut a hole in the dash to mount the tweets.....just securly mount it on top off the dash (or where ever u desire).

yes,with the cdt's, and a good sub (with the right setup), looks like ur set.

What's a good amp wattage I should be looking for then, for that particular setup [components on 1+2, bridged sub on 3+4 - and not super loud]?

Is it right that if I bridge the sub over the 2 channels that are 50W each, that the total power is 100W, or is it not that simple?

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

u plan on running the sub off the 50wx4 amp??if so ....dont.

theres not enough power for the sub even if bridged.

That depends entirely on the sub and how you set everything up. For personal listening in a SQ oriented setup, 200 watts is plenty for an efficient sub. At the very least, it will get him started. If he decides he needs more bass later, he can always upgrade from there.

On a tight budget, efficiency is key. The ID series from Image dynamics and the K and Kx series from Elemental Designs are good sounding subs that don't need a lot of power to get going. They are also pretty easy on the wallet. The general concensus is that the CDT CL-61s are the best thing going on a budget. In your case they will require a bit of fabrication work but it will be worth the effort. As far as an amp goes, many on here would recommend the US Acoustics 4065 or 4085, whichever you can fit into your budget. I have had no personal experience with them but many on here swear by them for "bang for the buck." All of the above can be had for around $400 plus shipping and install parts. For power wire and hardware, Walmart is actually a good source. For RCAs get what you can afford. As long as you are smart with the routing, noise through the RCAs shouldn't be a problem.

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

Is it right that if I bridge the sub over the 2 channels that are 50W each, that the total power is 100W, or is it not that simple?

When you bridge two channels on an amp, each channel produces the amount of power that it would if it were running a speaker that was half the impedence of the bridged impedence. Example: Typical speaker is 4ohms so we will use that as our bridged load. Amp produces 50 watts per channel into a 4 ohm load and 90 into a 2 ohm load. If we bridge this amp into our 4 ohm speaker, each channel produces its 4 ohm power (90 watts) and the total is 180 watts going to our speaker. Many good amps double their power when you half the impedence ie 50 watts at 4 ohms becomes 100 watts at 2 ohms and 200 bridged.

 

[sumone 10+ year member]

Went to the us acoustics site and found that the 4065 does 160Wx2CH and the 4085 does 240Wx2CH bridged (Mono @ 4 Ohms @ 12.9v input)

Looking at the Kx specs from edesign, the recommended wattage input for the 10 & 12 is 150-400W.

Does this mean I would be better off with the 4085, since 150W is the subs' lower end, and pretty much the 4065s higher end?

Can someone give like an explanation of what I can expect from a sub at certain input wattage [with an ideal sub and ideal scenario/setup]?

For example, something like

50W: You may hear the sub

75W: Soft response

100W: Suitable for most listening occasions

....

1,000W: The neighborhood is happy when you leave town

My current thoughts as of now:

· CDT-61 components [$209 - thezeb.com]

· cdt image enhancement system?? [$50-thezeb.com]

· US Aco. 4085 Amp [$180 - crutchfield.com]

· 1 edesign 12kx [$85 - edesign.com]

- and if I decide to buy[most-likely] instead of making:

· sealed box enclosure @1.0cuFt [$50-$100?]

· some kick panels for the cdts [$100-$150? any others than q-logic? also will have to get the cdt-51s if I go with these kickpanels since 6.5s won't fit]

- and if I decide to get everything installed somewhere:

· installation costs...[???]

I really do want to try and do it myself, but doubt I'd be able to...I would rather have someone else do it, learn from that, and then not have to go back to that person. Just don't wanna "break" anything or like drill into my fuel tank, etc. I know next to nothing about cars...so that's another excuse.

So I'm looking at somewhere around $750 w/o going the e-Bay way. If I do decide to do some e-Bay'ing, which would you recommend me find in a real store, and which over e-Bay?

Helotaxi, where's that $400 figure coming from???

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

$400 broke down this way:

$125 for the US Acoustics 4065 from sounddomain.com (I'll cover this in a sec)

$150 for the CDT CL-61a at the Zeb. ( the paint is not quite right on these and they are $60 cheaper for the same speakers.)

$85 for the 12Kx from Edesigns.

add about $30 for shipping.

You don't need the Image Enhancement kit (you can always add it later if you want)

If you have any woodworking skills or know somone who does, the box is really easy to build. Materials will run about $30.

Wiring kit from Walmart: $20

Speaker wire $10

Fiberglass resin, mat and fleece $30

Total: $480 with most everything you need for the install

Add some if you don't want to do the work yourself. Most shops will insist you get wire from them if they do the install. I have also seen shops that will not install equipment that they didn't sell or charge extra to do so. The only part of your install that will even be marginally challenging would be the kickpanels and if you know anybody that is good with their hands, get them to help and buy them lunch for their trouble.

Like I said earlier, you do not need a ton of power on a sub. One more time for the hard of hearing around here, you do not need at ton of power on a sub! Back in the day you couldn't afford big amps on a budget. The majority of people that post a lot on here don't remember the days when 150 watts a channel cost $600 plus dollars. $1 a watt was considered cheap. I have amps right now that were $10 per watt when they were new. Were subs underpowered back then? Ummm, no... Efficiency was one of the most important aspects of a sub then because a ton of power was just not available. My first system had one 2 channel amp running everything. It was 30 watts per channel and I got a great deal at the time at only $200. I used it to run a front component set and a single 10" sub. The sub was getting ~120 watts and it got more than loud enough to be easily heard outside the car. The Kx is made for lower power applications. It is made to make the most out of amplifier power. Min recommended is 50 watts according to the eD site for a 1.0cf sealed box. 160 watts will be about 5dB louder than 50 watts. At normal listening levels the sub will only really be getting about 40 watts anyway. Any more than that is wasted power.

 

[sumone 10+ year member]

Got[actually just ordered] the US-Aco. 4065[over the 4085; thanks helotaxi!], and the CL-61a's. Will get the sub-related stuff [sub+box] once these come in and I get them hooked up.

So, the next big thing I need to be worried about is kick panels. I'm personally not good with my hands [don't really know if that's true - I've just never _made_ anything big/significant], nor do I know anyone who would be able to make them. Like I've said before, I'm pretty alone with regards to help getting and installing a decent system - so I rely heavily on this forum and what you guys say...not to mention I'm addicted to these forums ever since I've discovered them.

The only buyable kick panels I've seen on the web are from Q-Logic, and they have car-specific ones, however, mine [2k malibu] isn't listed. But they do have a "Universal" one.

The custom one would look something like:

and the universla, like:

Should I just go with the universal, or is there someone who can make them for me? Would you have to have the car in order ot make them?