TehMeatWad

He has a 98 Civic EX 2 door and he wants to begin a system. He's willing to spend about $1500 all together. He's looking for a clear sounding system, doesn't want boomy or muddy bass. Basically he wants a decent all around system and not just explosive bass. Recomendations on where to start would be greatly appreciated. Whats a good upper middle class head unit? Should he spend about 300-400 on the head unit? For subwoofers I'd imagine he should go sealed for tight bass, but would 2 sealed 12's provide good response along with a little boom? Should he forgo rear speakers because he'll be putting in subs? What is the concenus of the Alpine CDA-9835 vs the 9833? Thanks.


Modified by TehMeatWad at 11:02 AM 9/26/2004

itr_dc2

two 12's depending on the power will give more than a boom. I would highly recommend going polk momo, that's what i have and it's everything i expected from them. All alpine is a nice way to go too, but they don't seem to have the frequencies compared to the polk lineup. $1500 is about the price of a starter system without interior speakers and amp.

skrewdriver88

If you don't want a muddy bass then I would go with 10's because they will sound more clear for a beggining setup if you don't want to spend a lot of money

EBP_SI

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by skrewdriver88 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">If you don't want a muddy bass then I would go with 10's because they will sound more clear for a beggining setup if you don't want to spend a lot of money</TD></TR></TABLE>

you couldnt be more wrong. clarity depends on the sub design, enclosure and power. not the diameter.

skrewdriver88

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by EBP_SI &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

you couldnt be more wrong. clarity depends on the sub design, enclosure and power. not the diameter.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Your right on that but in general 10's sound more clear.

rcurley55

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by skrewdriver88 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Your right on that but in general 10's sound more clear.</TD></TR></TABLE>

no, they don't....you are basically proliferating a myth of car audio

EBP_SI

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by skrewdriver88 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Your right on that but in general 10's sound more clear.</TD></TR></TABLE>

so by your logic a 6" sub would have even clearer bass than a 10"

TehMeatWad

Any recomendations for subs then?

john666

i like JL or alpine (type R)subs but everyone has there personal fav.

C_H_A_D

He should get 1 good ten inch like a JL or audiobahn or one cheaper 12" and he should replace all factory speakers and put an amp on the speakers a good 4 channel it will make it sound very clear,. go with an alpine or pioneer cd player with 3 preamp outs

Spider Man

9833 cause he won't know how to use the 9835 and they both sound the same cause they are the same unit. You pay more for bells and whistles.

FULL throTTLe

jl audio is the way to go, w3 are designed for a nice smooth bass, w6 is for the ****** knock, but 12w3 should be what you are looking for. diamond audio is another brand you can look at also.

Medek

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by EBP_SI &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

you couldnt be more wrong. clarity depends on the sub design, enclosure and power. not the diameter.</TD></TR></TABLE>


he is right about that, however the general concensus is "not" that 10's are clearer but rather they hit tighter and/or can be more responsive. and the bigger the sub, supposedly the deeper bass you can get. but quality, enclosure design, and power will ultimately decide that, like that JL audio 10w7, what a beast.

fcm

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by TehMeatWad &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">He has a 98 Civic EX 2 door and he wants to begin a system. He's willing to spend about $1500 all together. He's looking for a clear sounding system, doesn't want boomy or muddy bass. Basically he wants a decent all around system and not just explosive bass. Recomendations on where to start would be greatly appreciated. Whats a good upper middle class head unit? Should he spend about 300-400 on the head unit? For subwoofers I'd imagine he should go sealed for tight bass, but would 2 sealed 12's provide good response along with a little boom? Should he forgo rear speakers because he'll be putting in subs? What is the concenus of the Alpine CDA-9835 vs the 9833? Thanks.


Modified by TehMeatWad at 11:02 AM 9/26/2004</TD></TR></TABLE>My $0.02 worth
start with HU, Alpine, very good plainjane units
Panasinic, very good bling bling units
Eclipse, if you don't like removing the face

then speakers, lots out there, I like Eclipse, and JL audio

then anp/s, Alpine or JL audio

then sub/s, Alpine or Jl audio

links http://www.alpine.com http://www.eclipse-web.com94 http://www.jlaudio.com

archmage

Headunit recommendations:

Pioneer 860mp premier
Eclipse cd8454 (mp3), cd8443 or cd8053 (no mp3)
Alpine if you want, sure! - Not too familiar with Alpine model numbers, but 9835 I believe is the comparable model.

Subwoofer recommendations:

I like larger subs, a smaller sub does not sound "tighter" - "tightness" comes from midbass frequencies, a smaller sub will merely be less able to reproduce subbass, and will suffer from lower efficiency and less output. Listen to Rcurley! ... popular myth

Some great budget subs:

TC2+ : http://www.soundsplinter.com/r....html
and I believe a sub using this motor can be had even cheaper directly: http://www.tcsounds.com/TC2plus.htm

TC9 : http://www.soundsplinter.com/r....html

( TC sounds is a HUGE manufacturer. Many companies use their motor designs (Eclipse Aluminum subs are tc7 model I think...for example)

Adire Shiva: http://www.adireaudio.com/Text...t.htm
Adire Koda: http://www.adireaudio.com/Text...t.htm
Creative Sound SX10 (similar to koda): http://www.creativesound.ca/details.php?model=SX10

Adire Brahma or RE XXX if you feel like spending more: Navigate for Adire, for RE: http://www.reaudio.com ---&gt; Navigate to subs -&gt; XXX.

JL w6v2 (I'm sure you've heard of JL)
JL w7 (probably too expensive)

Arc Audio's new subs: If you were ever considering Image Dynamics IDQv2, well the OLD Arc subs were an improvement over those...these new ones are supposedly redesigned: http://arcaudio.com/arcvark/pdf/arc_series_04.pdf (The website needs to be updated I think)

---

I'd go for a sealed box for simplicity


Speaker Recommendations:

Budget: Alpine SPX-177r (Nice set for under $250, I doubt you'll find something better at this price) It used to be that I'd recommend something from CDT or Phoenix Gold's Titanium set designed by Morel, or something else...but now these new Alpines make it easier.

Expensive: meh...unless you're going to do a great install, I probably wouldn't bother with more than the Alpines. I can make recommendations if you're serious about it.

Amplifier recommendations:

Too many damned decent choices here...I don't know if I can help much.

For amps, you get what you pay for. I'm a proponent of buying used amps for cheap, but you had better be careful who you buy from.

Wiring:

Power Wire: http://www.knukonceptz.com (nice power wire if you ask me)
RCA: Knukonceptz is fine, others are fine, get only as much length as you need. I personally just make my own cables from quad-wire and rca ends.
Remote Turn on (blue wire): This is just a 16-18 gauge wire...
Distribution block: consider if running multiple amps
Inline Fuse + Holder: If running on the stock alternator, and not over 1000w RMS, I'd say an AGU fuse + holder is fine. If higher power, go for ANL or at least a higher fuse rating than AGU's max of 80a. Phoenix Gold and Stinger make some nice inlines.

OR, just get an amp kit from walmart, the scosche kit or whatever...that'll work. Knukonceptz kit, Stinger, Lightning Audio, Phoenix Gold - whatever you want really.

I rewired engine grounds using cheap welding cable (popular thing to do for audio enthusiasts AND gearheads!)


Also must consider that he has a Civic - that thing will Rattle like hell. You might want to invest in sound-deadening of some sort. Refer to this thread: https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1006405


There you go.

PlastikOwl

First of all...does he have an alarm/security system?

TehMeatWad

Yes he does have an alarm, why do you ask?

Archmage, thanks a bunch.

BigPlansNoMoney

I am prepared to get all yall in an uproar about this, but I am still putting in my 2 cents...

I had the Audiobahn 10" 100W bass tube in my Stang, and it gave me good bass, but didn't make my head hurt, and sounded really good acually with my Sony 5700 HU and Mach 460 speaker system.... Best part of it: Sub, enclosure, amp, and wiring all together in one for $250 from Circuit City, and I went the extra step and screwed up by letting them install it for me... Really light too if you're interested in that sort of thing as well...

Your welcome

EBP_SI

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Justin_Bradley &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I am prepared to get all yall in an uproar about this, but I am still putting in my 2 cents...

I had the Audiobahn 10" 100W bass tube in my Stang, and it gave me good bass, but didn't make my head hurt, and sounded really good acually with my Sony 5700 HU and Mach 460 speaker system.... Best part of it: Sub, enclosure, amp, and wiring all together in one for $250 from Circuit City, and I went the extra step and screwed up by letting them install it for me... Really light too if you're interested in that sort of thing as well...

Your welcome</TD></TR></TABLE>


lol....audiobahn. i'd follow the advice given by archmage