Meh, once you get ahold of it, it's not bad. You doing gauges too?

I'm planning on doing everything. I'm gonna call up the salvage yard today and see if I can snag a few of those clear Sunfire knobs. I don't have much use for red once I get my ass on the right track with these leds.

~Ryan

Cool, cool. I know some Buick knobs work too... they are black. Can't remember if it's Regal or what, though.

Anyway... back to me asking opinions on speakers and whatnot...

How many of you guys advocate the use of Pionier Premier speakers??? I'm looking into the 6x9s for the back and a set of 5.25s of 6.5s for the front, along with some tweety tweets. I'm also thinking of the DEH-770MP head, any opinions?

~Ryan

I use Pioneer for all my speaker and HU needs, always have.

my personal recommendation is to do a quality 5.25 or 6.5 component set up front, amp it, and yank the rest of the speakers. imo, there's never any need for rear fill.

i also like pioneer premier. i had a set of 3-way 6x9s that would blow anything from cc away. even the more expensive alpines. that was about 2 years ago when i was in your shoes. also some of the kenwood decks offer more than one color. i thnik my last kenwood did either red or green. but i bought that about a year and a half ago. since i got my n1 i havent really looked into other h.u's.

Ummm... Rear passengers maybe??? I think I'll stick with the 'rear fill'.

~Ryan

Uhhh... I'd have rears in there. 2 of them. :)

Okay, I'm looking into the Pioneer Premier "TS-D901P" coaxial 6"x9" speakers for the rear dash, and the "TS-D601P" coaxial 6.5" speakers for the front doors. Priced at $100 for the front and $130 for the rear.

They're pretty pricey, and will break the budget with all other components to be added, so I've just decided to forgo the budget, and buy everything in moderation. First, the head (Pioneer DEH-P770MP???), then the speakers (f&r), followed by amp #1, then, sub #1, later, sub #2 (if needed) and then amp #2 to power subs. However, I don't think I'll need two subwoofers, and the Pioneer 6"x9"s in the back, I'm sure they'll do more then enough on the low-end.

Right now, I'm thinking of a single 12" Infinity subwoofer, powered through a mono channel amp, and powering all my speakers through a 4 channel amp. Both amps I am looking at are from MTX and are pretty nice amps from what I've heard. (T3404: 50w x4 RMS @ 4 ohms, 100w x4 RMS @ 2 ohms & T4501: 250w x1 RMS @ 4 ohms, 500w x1 RMS @ 2 ohms.)

~Ryan

I'd get a HU, front and rear speakers, and amp those speakers up. That should satisfy your bass needs, unless you are really in the need of deep bass.

I don't really think I am in need of 'deep' bass. I listen to mainly rock, but not the hard stuff. I also listen to a bit of techno here and there. However, I think I'm going to go ahead and a 12" to start off with, and if that doesn't satisfy me just buy another one. I figure I'll go half-way in between of what I always listen to and what I sometimes listen to. "Always be prepared" right?

~Ryan

revelation moment.... Can anyone comment on the JL Audio 3 series of sub woofers? Particulary the 12" ones.

~Ryan

you can still setup a sound stage that will allow passengers to hear the music. the only situation in which any rear fill makes sense is when you have rear passengers that you want to hear the music on-axis. but at the same time, i've never built a vehicle thinking "what will my potential rear passengers think of my setup". only ever built them for me ;)

are you referring to the w3's or w3v2's?

I'm not sure I know the difference. I thought the only diff. was ohms. But, hey, either one works, I'm just looking for opinions on them in general.

~Ryan

well, as usual, JL's build quality is great. the subs themselves lean more towards a sealed enclosure and have fairly decent excursion when compared to other subs for similar applications. i have 3 w3v2's sitting in my basement going unused at the moment (i think that's gonna be a show install i'll do in my friends civic) and when i was using them previously, i was fairly happy. good response from 30hz all the way through to 100hz (not many subs that can claim that) but the decision comes down to this: good subs, yes. expensive, yes. similar subs available for less money, yes. unless of course you're going to get some form of a deal on them, in which case it's probably a valuable purchase.

What are the other subs that are similar??

~Ryan

Can anyone reccomend a sub that's similar in quality to a JL Audio 3 series??? Or something that would give me a better sq??? I'm really not wanting to blow that much on two 12"s.

~Ryan

MTX 7500's or even 5500's are pretty good...they hit super deep and tight...everyone gets JL's and I personally don't think they're all that good for the price...people make too big of a deal over them

I AGREE! for the price you can usually do better than jl. if you want good sq go boston or kenwood. i am not saying dont shop around for other stuff, thats just what i recomend. also mb quart.

MB Quart has dropped a lot in quality compared to what they used to be, hence why they've been bounced around and RF recently sold them to maxxsonics. kenwood is not an "sq" company although i can agree that boston acoustics is.

similar (or better) subs for less:
soundsplinter 10" rl-i $169
these: http://www.oaudio.com/TC2_PLUS.html
adire audio shiva $158
image dynamics idq

take a look at kenwoods 25th anversary stuff, and tell me there not a sq company.

link me?

regardless, one particular line does not make the whole company a sq company.

You guys have been so helpful with helping me find a great setup, I just thought I'd throw that out there. I appreciate all the posts you guys have made to make this an 8 page thread to help a noob out with his car audio/visual.

What are you guys' opinion on Alpine Type S, R, and X sub woofers??? I recently re-watched F&F with my brother for kicks, and we noticed something we never picked up on before... Alot of product name droppping. And not even good stuff either. I saw a pair of Type S subs (I think) in the back of "Torretto's RX7" and thought they looked pretty nice. I remembered someone mentioning that those were made by Alpine, and got the ol' curtiosity itch to research 'em, was just wandering what you experts have to say about them. Right now, I'm trying to find as many reviews on them as I can.

~Ryan

i heart type r's. well, not really, but they are a lot of fun. very good sub for the money. the type s, not so much. a friend of mine is doing a 149.xx with a single 10" type r, which is pretty amazing considering he bought the sub new for $107 and it still sounds decent. of course, when he's using his enclosure with which he's hitting the 149.xx, it's more of a one note wonder, but he's abused the hell out of it and it's still sounding good.

http://www.kenwoodusa.com/PDF/Car_Excelon_2005.pdf

its the first 4 items. also the 13" sub is the one i was talking about. the best all around sub that car audio mag has ever tested. i think kenwoods excelons stuff sounds great. again thats just me talking.

not a big fan of alpine. never have been. but alot of people are. i just cant figure out why.

I'm having huge trouble trying to find a suitable amp(s). I'm going to go with the Pioneer Premier DEH-770MP head, and a set of Alpine Type R subs (cant find any better reviews than these have) and I'm still looking, but am getting confident in purchasing a set of Pioneer Premier 6.5"s for the front and 6"x9"s for the rear. also going to get the Pioneer tweeters for the front. Now, I'm looking to run from my head, to my amp, and out to my speakers. I'm also looking to run from my head to a second amp and then to my subs. I just don't know what I should be looking at, RMS-wise or even brand-wise. I was looking into MTX amps, but apparently they're going down hill (as stated in another thread). I was also looking into MB Quart, JL, and even Pioneer and Alpine for amps, but I'm completely baffled.

Help?

~Ryan


PS... Specs.

Post make & model numbers or links to the items from the manuf sites.

hahaha, the best sub car audio mag has ever tested?
http://caraudiomag.com/testreports/0312cae_kenwood/
have you even read that article? i mean, 13mm xmax? brutal. 11.6 bl? again, not great. mms isn't bad, although a tad on the large side for my liking. all of this for the wonderful price tag of $850. i read the entire article. oddly enough, no mention of it being the best all around sub that car audio mag has ever tested. hell, just look at it's subjective scoring it got: 36/50. that's a "B" for those who aren't good with math ;)

i'm not trying to bust your balls, but you continuously mention that it's the best sub cam has ever tested and i just wanted to prove to others to take your info with a grain of salt.

Whoa... I'm like, not planning anything near that powerful... That's just insane in my book, ludacris even. I'm only looking to through 500w at each Type R, and that's "at most" I want.

~Ryan

The pioneer 6x9's are pretty good but why not go components all the way around the car. We all know 6x9's are not the best speaker to produce acoustic sounds. A set of 6 1/2 components all around would be a great sound and around the same price range. But if you are truly trying to go for sq I would not go with the pioneers they are harsh at loud volumes and don't produce the music well at max volumes. But if you are planning on listening to these speakers at a moderate volume then I would suggest them for there price range. Look into some Boston acoustic components you can find them around the same price range and better sound. But this is your car so do what you want experiment! I am sure whatever you wind up with you will love because it's going to be so much better then stock. As for the pioneer 770 I absolutely love that radio. It's a really good deck to run mp3's off of because of the mp3 list option. Alpine type-r subs have always rocked they just love to be thrown in any enclosure and sound great.

http://www.bostonacoustics.com/ca_product_line.asp

theres bostons website. it wont hurt to check it out.

i will have a responce for you punkorama, its been a long day and right now all i want is some shut eye.

alrighty you have proved me wrong. the kenwood did not get the best rating ever in car audio mag. in that case it must have been car sterio mag. see if you can find a link to that because i cant. what i remember of the article is the guy saying that this was the best overall subwoofer he had ever reviewed. not in output but in overall sq. i read it man i swear to god i did.

yes i know your not looking for a sub that big or expensive. i was just trying to make a point about kenwood.

i gave you bostons website to check out there g2 subs. i have a pair of g5s and live them. my buddy has one g2 in his crx, and all i can say is wow. the good thing about boston is they sound awsome, you can get a g2 on ebay for about $110, they have a small rms, and they mount in 1 cubic ft. there worth looking into. i highly recomend them.

like i said, not trying to bust your balls, but even if it was another company, it proved my point perfectly: a magazine review is not something solid to go by.

anyways, good luck shopping around and update us when you've been able to at least get it narrowed down to definite decisions, lol.

I'm going to try my hardest to hear some Boston Accoustic speakers as soon as possible. You guys are making them sound like heaven, lol.

The only thing i am in need of, is suggestions for an amp. I'm looking for one 4-way for head and speakers, and one 2-way for head and subs. Since I'm planning on the Type R's, I really want to push like 400-500 watts to each amp, I read quite a few reviews that say these amps love the juice!

~Ryan

ryan buddy let me help you out here. you dont need amps to power you hu. you need them to both power your speakers and get really good sq. also you dont push power to an amp, you take power from it.

amps are about my weakest subject, so i really cant recomend any. well, probley not in your price range. no offence man. i would just stay away from kicker amps. also going cheap on amps scares me. it shouldnt but pushing 1000 watts out of a $50 amp from wal-mart doesnt give me the best feeling in the world. thats just a example i know they dont have 1000 watt amps for $50 at wal-mart.

on bostons website there is a store locater. type in your zip and they will give you the stores closest to you. then call the stores and see what they sell. i mean the full line or just a select few pieces of it. i hope i dont hype them up to much for you but i have never, nor has anyone i have ever talked to not liked boston. i take that back i had one idiot say boston sucked and his 2 xplods would kick the sh*t out of them. then i popped my trunk and he shut his mouth. the kid is retarted. any way you shouldnt be disapionted.

i know your not trying to bust my balls punkorama. its cool. you caught me on a mistake and called me out on it. thats cool to. just dont call me a liar and we should be just fine. it does show that mags are just as opinionated as people. and it all depends on the reviewer. good piont.

...Not yet at least...

I'm completely avoiding Kicker and Audiobahn amps at all costs. I was looking into Inifinity possibly MTX, but I don't get good feelings from them like I do the other components I've selected. I was thinking possibly some JL Audio amps, I've never heard anyone talk much about them.

~Ryan

i'm not sure why you would avoid kicker amps.... they're fairly famous for being underrated and good build quality, and the SX line is fairly attractive imo.

it's hard to pick out amps without knowing what subs you're going to get, because if you pick one company, they may not have an amp in their line that would do what you're looking for depending on which sub you were going with.

Hell, to be honest, I don't even know how to pick out an amp to match my subs. Right now, sub-wise, I'm wanting two 12" Alpine Type Rs, however, I may get two 10"s instead, seeing as alot of people say 10"s hit harder for rock, and since I'll have a controll on my head, I can turn it up for techno and stuff. Not too mention it will free up space for the tank in the back to support my future air-ride system.

A good friend reccomended I get a Kicker 2 thousand watt amp from CC, and if it blows, take it back with the warranty. However, I think I may just go with MTX amps, as I planned to begin with. I just want to throw as many watts as I can at these subs, seeing as alot of people say they sound amazing like that.

~Ryan

Getting stuff from Circuit is not as big of a rip off as people think because of the protection plan. Blow it up, and get new ones for free...simple as that. Only thing is doesn't cover is theft and personal damage. Other than that, you can pound on your stuff all day long, and if it blows just bring it back for new stuff within 2 or 4 years. If you ask me, it's not a scam at all. I don't get how they don't end up losing a crapload of money by doing this, but w/e. And this isn't b/c I work there, cuz it's not like I benefit at all if sutff is bought at a Circuit City in Cali or something, + we don't get any kind of comission anyway. My advice: get whatever stuff your interested that they actually carry at Circuit...get the extended protection plan on it...use it until you get sick of it...crank the hell out of it til something pops, fries, melts, messes up, etc...bring it back and get new stuff.