i know nothing about sound systems. all i know is that i want to spend less then a grand on everything? is that decent? please tell me how much what costs such as the head unit, subs, amps? i am looking towards a pioneer head...not sure whether want 2 10's or 1 12. thanks

 

if you have AIM, my screen name is QUackQUack2x

 

do you know of the speaker sizes for the front and rear for a 98 cx hatchback?

 

i think their 6x9's, but instead of getting rear speakers, spend more on the front speakers/amp.

 

LISTEN TO GSTEG. HE KNOWS WHAT IS UP. i met him off of houston imports.com and have talked to him alot about audio and he knows what is up.

 

Wow thats all tall order...well lets see:

deck $200.00 ( any brand name deck with dual pre outs (front and rear rca outputs) will do quite nicely..this gives you a few choices)

front speakers : $250.00 ( this gives you the choice of a component speaker (integrated or not) or a well designed coaxial speaker. 6.5" front size

rear speakers: $150.00 at this price point you enter most manufactures mid line speakers,once again the choices are many. you can do a 6x9 or smaller 5.25" 6.5 etc but you will have to use a baffle plate.

amp : $350.00 this will get you into a 4 channel with 40-60 watts per channel,bridged output of 200-300 watts depending impedance and voltage levels.
amp must have seperate gain controls and crossover points ( adjustables will be nice)

sub: $200.00 - once again the choices vary here...try to match the sub to the amps RMS ( continous) bridge output...at this price most subs will handle 250-300 watts rms.

misc parts: dash kit $30.00 8ga amp kit with quality rca plugs 75.00 100' of 16ga spkr wire $30.00 ( now you were not going to use the factory were you?)
custom amp rack/subbox $300.00 ( you want it to look like it belongs there right)

Labor...(avg of $50.00 per hour)
deck- 45
front speaker 75.00 (comps)
rear " 35.00
amp 60.00
re wiring car 100.00

total 1825.00 ( lets say 2000.00)

This is just a generic plan.....a realistic one though.
the prices are just guides,shop around for the best deals you can get for euipment but shop smart.

Based on this system ( deck amping rears while amp runs fronts and sub) will sound great in any car and wont break the bank

Hope this helps.

 

looks good? what wattage for the amp should i go with? and what brand should i go with? what other misc stuff besides wiring do i need?

does that sound good GSteg?

 

isn't that setup over a grand?

 

Well here is my .02$ on this thread....

Personally you can have a nice set up for around 1200$-1500$ with the one I am about to recommend. This is my personal taste but everyone's ear is different.

Sub-Adire Audio Shiva or and IDQ 12" AND JBL 600.1 D Class amp and also build your own box which you can do I am sure. That should total around we will say 320$-350$ depending on where you shop at.

Front Components-Focal Polykevlar line or the Focal Polyglass line or Diamond Audio Hex components. Depending on your size front speaker the price will vary and also where you order them from and what you get.

HU-Clarion HX-D10 if you decide on components or any other amp under 300$ should do you just fine. But the Clarion is nice and is 300$ from crutchfield and should come with the wiring harness and all that stuff. You should be able to do that yourself so you save some money there.

Component amp-Hifonics Z400 100x2 or anything that runs from 50x2-100x2 varying on what components you get if you get components but if you get coaxials then I would still get an external amp to power them if you get a good set. We will say about 200$

The the wiring and all that stuff so you should be around 1200-1400$ but personally I think that you will have a nice set up. But that is just what I think for the money. Best of luck to you and oh yeah GSteg what do you think about this set up? I want your opinion also.

 

Labor? I say to hell with it. It seriously is not that difficult. If you want something done right, do it yourself. Just invest some time and thought, and you could be done in under an hour or two.

Personally, I would go with D1g1tal V3n0m's suggestion. Great stuff. The only thing that I don't like is the Clarion HU. I have the next model down the 710 (basically the same thing, but with an internal amp), and I'm unimpressed with the build quality. The face is very loose and sometimes rattles with strong bass notes. (I'm not the only one with these problems.) Maybe the news ones are better, but I'd go with alpine.

p.s. You should check out caraudioforum.com termpro.com and eliteaudio.com


[Modified by t0p_sh0tta, 11:12 AM 1/2/2003]

 

There are so many possibilities that I would not begin to try to make any recommendations by typing here.

If you'd like I'd be glad to help you over the phone. Give me a call at our business phone number and we can discuss some options to consider.


Carl
AWE
(800) 831-5622
http://www.audio-warehouse.com

 

the setup mentioned before is great. i wouldnt' mind using them

here is what i recommended him. he wanted front and rear speakers replacement with no kickpanels. for the headunit, i let him chose what kind he wanted, and worked from there. some of the headunits, i may choose, he might not like the looks of.

this system has to be simple and easy to install. he's new to all this audio stuff, so telling him to install 2+ amps with dristribution block, etc will make him go crazy, thats why i opted him a 5 channel amp.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Headunit- Pioneer DEH-740MP ($235 shipped)
Component- CDT audio Classic (with free rear speakers) ($264.94 shipped)
Amp- HiFonics Z8000 ($249.99 shipped)
Subwoofer- Elemental Design 12" K-series ($135+shipping)
Amp Kit- 4 Gauge kit ($30+shipping) Speaker/sub wires- 40ft. speak. wire/5ft. sub wire ($10+shipping)


thats all the stuff for now. i'll be changing the amp, since the 4 speaker channels aren't that strong enough to push the components to their potential. total so far is about $924.93 +/-$40 for shipping.




[Modified by GSteg, 5:49 PM 1/2/2003]

 

Yeah I know what you mean. But the system I suggested is good for the money at least in my eyes. Personally I think that he could do the install easily himself or get a friend who has done some before. Or he could get on here or AIM and any number of us could help him out. It would be better then nothing. Personally I think that him paying for install is not the prettiest way to go. I would explore all options before that. I would look for help from a friend a parent or friend's parent or something. Me personally I do everything myself and sell stuff myself and all. I don't like shops really at all because of the fact that alot of people in there are out to make a sale...Granted they feed their families through that but they always recommend something either not good or not what the person wants. I don't shop at any store around here but that is just my standpoint.

Personally I think that the Clarion would be a great HU because if he wanted to then he would not have to upgrade that and could leave that and the Components at the least would be sufficient for upgrade. But I think that in the long run depending on what if he decides he likes car audio and wants to go higher that having two seperate amps would be better rather then just a 5 channel you know. I personally just think that he needs to rather then ask go out and look at give us 3 choices as to what he wants so that we ALL can give our opinions based on our experiences and then decide if that is what he likes. But I wish him the best and hope that he has great luck and enjoys his audio system and brings in others into the aftermarket audio community.

 

i already talked to him over on AIM, and thats the system he's most likely going to go with, but i guess he's open minded. his friend is going to build the box for him, so that helps. the clarion is a nice deck, but he chose to have the pioneer, or at least i asked him what he wanted and he told me he wanted the pioneer. but i guess he might change his mind. if he's ok with installing multi-amps, then sure, i'd recommend the amps. the most confusing part is ordering all the wires and distribution block. pretty hard to know what to do with a whole mess of wire when you don't even know what to look for. but yea, he should get someone else to help him install.

 

Very good points..... A little background about me: I have been in the mobile electronics industry for now entering my 21st Year..so I guess that makes me old school. I have held MECP certification since the program was initiated until recently and now I current oversee my sales and install departments. Enough of that.

You are correct...many salesperson will sell you what pays...its their job...it sucks but thats the reality of it. This new breed rarely has a passion for the industry...its just something cool to do for now.. With the info avail online almost anyone can become " an expert"....and only spit back info that they have absorbed but dont quite understand the info itself. Its really sad. As for install...that a whole different ball game. Long gone are the days of heavy guage wiring that was fused and if you screwed up all you got was a cool light show and the crap scared out of you........Very different story today cross the wrong wire today and *bing* check engine light comes on and your car drives like crap or worse wont run at all. that will be $500.00 we take visa/mastercard/amex. ( man all i wanted to do was add an amp and subs...) Installing can be a breeze and it can also be a nightmare for the novice...please know your limits and do plenty of research before the first screw is turned......I would rather help you now than fix your **** up later.

I guess I am one of a dying breed...the answer I gave was no different than I would give you if you met me on my sales floor. I would ask you what you desired and work from there. If there was a product available that I did not carry that best fit your needs I directed you on how to get said product.....that what a real salesperson does. think about it for a min....you came to me,what I had would not work for you,you gave me info on the right product and how to go and get said product...how cool is that? Now who are you gonna go to when you have a mobile question. the answers I gave him were based on generics,no products were mentioned....there is way to manygreat products out there...what works for you may not work for someone else. Sure I doubled his budget but I also said to shop around and shop smart...there are great bargins to be found if you look.

Okay im off of my soapbox now. sorry for that rant.

 

Bring your car to Brooklyn, I'll take care of everything for under $1000. including installation.

 

i don't think he wants to drive cross country to save a couple bucks, lol. on the other hand.. i live in southern cali also. i think he's about 1 hours away from my house. not saying anything though