Thinking of doing a system

[jperryss]

Originally Posted by Tank33

I do get it, however, I am a perfectionist, I am extremely fussy with my vehicles, it has to be done right and done the best way, or I simply will not do it.

My main concern is my system taking its juice from the battery because my Alternator cannot keep up, then I get somewhere, come back out to leave, and my battery has no juice left to crank with.

There is people who have 700 watts RMS and say they have very bad dimming issues, then there is others with 900 who have very little or none, so whats a guy suppose to think??

JL amps are the shiz in my books, you can't get much higher quality then those amps unless you want to jump way up into a much higher price range, in my opinion anyways.

But JL speakers are nothing to write home about, IMO. Especially for $1000/pr.

Question: Do you really want it done 'perfect' or do you just wanna buy the most expensive stuff you can afford and expect it to sound perfect?

Invest in a few hundred sq.ft. of sound deadener (something butyl-based, NOT asphalt-based). Gut the entire interior of your car and throw a layer or two on the entire floor and headliner. Gut your trunk and do the same. Pull your doorpanels off, seal off all the holes and add a few more layers of deadener and some closed-cell foam (like Ensolite) to help block road noise.

I'm not saying you need to go this extreme (I didn't) but if you really want it 'perfect' than this will be WAY more important than which speakers and amp you choose.

Rule #1: install > speaker choice, ALWAYS, in a car environment.

Then, choose speakers and amps based on your budget. Ask around on some dedicated car audio forums like DIYMA.

Rule #2: expensive does not equal good, cheap does not equal bad.

Your speakers need to be mounted in a sealed fashion, where the speaker mount is airtight and there are no immediate holes near the surface of the speaker. Holes around the area cause cancellation ('speaker incest' as one member here once put it) which is bad. And yes, you'll want to amp all of your speakers.

Rule #3: amp your speakers.

Decide on an amp (or amps) that puts out the power you need for the speakers and sub you chose. When in doubt, go with more power than you think you'll need: You can always gain the amps down. Run something fat (can't go wrong with 0g) from the battery to the trunk with a fuse within 12" from the battery, then use a fused distro block in the trunk to split it into smaller wire (4g or 8g) for each amp. Do the same with the ground, but obviously you can use a non-fused block.

Hook everything up, set your gains properly (I've got a tutorial outlining the exact process around here somewhere) and play around with it for a week or two. Once you've got it dialed in the way you like it, decide if you need a charging system upgrade. If you think you do, do a Google search for "big three upgrade" and follow the steps to improve the electrical capacity of your charging system (the only cost is a night in the garage and however much you pay for the wiring).

If you do all of that and then STILL think you need an electrical upgrade, then think about a new alternator and/or battery. In most circumstances, people are satisfied before they get to that point.

[cardude007617]

thank you^ i agree 100%. great post. JL really isn't what people make it to be, IIRC jperry isn't running the most expensive shtuff in the world but the way he installed it, it sounds like it.
im not up much on SPL and SQ competitions but does JL even get close in either?

[Tank33]

I will agree that equipment is pretty much preference based. I am just a diehard JL Audio fan, I have heard all the others, and out of all the systems I have had, my JL stuff has always sounded the cleanest and tightest, and has impressed me very much so. I will not ever buy another brand of speakers or amps, JL is just incredible to me, some people may not say it is so.

As far as trying to block road noise, I am not decided yet how far I will go in that category, as this is my only vehicle so I cannot put it down for longer then half a day, so I will probably just mat the inside of the doors, and the trunk, and that is most likely all.

Thanks for the help guys, I will try what you suggested if I can get the funds together for this bad boy.

[cardude007617]

just keep in mind, its not the quality of the equipment you buy as much as the quality of the install you perform.
i just hope all goes well and leave the electrical issues for after everything is up and running.

[jperryss]

Originally Posted by cardude007617

just keep in mind, its not the quality of the equipment you buy as much as the quality of the install you perform.
i just hope all goes well and leave the electrical issues for after everything is up and running.

My setup probably doesn't sound even close to high-end to most people, but it sounds better than any setup I've ever had, cost me less than some people pay for an amp/sub/box alone, and plays loud and clear beyond volumes that I can tolerate for any length of time.

And is still unfinished.

[cardude007617]

, is car audio ever finished?

[jperryss]

Originally Posted by cardude007617

, is car audio ever finished?

Not really. But mine is only unfinished from a cosmetic perspective, heh.

[Tank33]

As far as install goes, I will not be the one doing it. I have a custom box all planned out, and some other things, that I just do not have the time or space to do. I have no garage, no driveway, and work almost all the time so, my only option is to let them have the car for half the day.

I sure hope if I can get the funds together, that this system will turn out like I want it to. I just want people to get in my car and be amazed at how good the music sounds.

As far as the install being professional, the shop that I am looking at is extremely professional, they do all the big time cars/setups in my city, and come out with some wicked custom setups and the cleanest installs I have ever seen. Nothing I hate worse then when you see peoples wires just hanging all over the place.

Worst I have ever seen was a guy with his power wire from the battery to the amp, running, OUTSIDE of his vehicle.

[Bryan]

Sounds like you're gonna be spending a pretty penny on this.

[Tank33]

I will be honest, I am scared to do a system. All that happens nowadays is people are to lazy to get a job and actually have some pride and be a man. Nope, instead they steal everyones crap instead. So that is one fear.

Also, it IS alot of money to drop. I am trying my hardest to do double payments and get this car payed off. Since I keep my equipment immaculate, even once I get this car payed off, it will be in top notch condition, because I love this car, I have no intentions of getting rid of it haha. When she gets old and tired, I will use it as an excuse to put in a purpose built 3400 haha.

So between living, the cost of driving and what not, it is pretty difficult to have money left over after living costs are paid, not sure I want to take on this extra burden.

[Tank33]

Here is another one for you guys.

Is it worth the time and money to go with components, or should I just put some 4x6's in the front doors, and do the rest of the system as planned?

Or, should I actually do the component swap?

[cardude007617]

yes to components, HELL no to 4x6s . no matter what type of speaker you go with, go for the 5.25 or 6.5in rounds.

[Bryan]

^Yeah, the speakers in the front doors should be one of the main focuses. If you're looking to save money somewhere, go cheaper on the 6x9s since they're more of a filler.

[Graxall]

Buy my system =)

Ive ran mine off stock alternator, no cap, no bigger wires ect..hits very hard...just a sub and amp tho =) 220+shipping!

[Bryan]

^spam!

[hass]

Originally Posted by jperryss

Are people really having dimming issues with 800w RMS? Maybe the 4-cylinder GAs are different, but I've got a 3.4 and was running 900w+ across two separate amps and had no dimming issues whatsoever.

I have horrible dimming issues with 800w RMS.
I get it to about half volume, then the Amp safety kicks in and shuts it off because the voltage drops too low.

[jperryss]

Originally Posted by hass

I have horrible dimming issues with 800w RMS.
I get it to about half volume, then the Amp safety kicks in and shuts it off because the voltage drops too low.

Only running one amp?

Are you running thick wire (at least 4g) and a solid ground?

[Tank33]

Isn't that a little bit extreme? I mean I know are stock alternators are weak, but at half volume it shouldn't cut out and drop voltages that low, Wouldn't that be like a bad battery not accepting much of a charge or your alternator on it's way out??

So I called the local shop this morning to ask about having mine re-spun. They said to build me a whole brand new unit, built to handle the higher amps, heat and what not, would be about $300. That is for a 160 Amp. He said also that, they COULD probably go higher to 180, but it has not been tested and so it brings up issues with reliability. The guy also said they have done alot of 160 amp ones, and they have been very reliable and taking it well, anything over 160 amps, basically there is no data to support any kind of conclusion.

[hass]

Well, I put in a new battery. It was last summer when I didn't know much about it, and the guy at autozone talked me out of an optima.. When I went there with the intentions of buying one. He told me that the Duralast 78 size would put out more than enough power for any kind of system I'm using, unless it's a competition setup.

What a dumbass I was.
But it's still a brand new battery. Think it's rated at 800CCA or 850...
Def not deep cycle though.

[ltpats]

I have a 2004 as well. You think this is frustrating try and buy a front strut tower brace !!! =0)~