Need help choosing audio components

[Smitherines]

Im looking to get an whole audio setup for my car and I REALLY help to be put in the right direction since I don't know much about whats available.

I really don't know where my budget should sit with this since I dont know the market, but I'm not looking to be cheap either, I want a really good audio setup, since I listen to all kinds of music, but I do want some nice bass for my rap, and a great sound for my rock and vocals.

Any setup ideas?

 

[DGajre777]

Components in the front, regular speakers in the back, a sub (maybe 2), mono amplifier for the sub, if you want to play your music at high volumes (4 channel amp for all 4 speakers).

Get a receiver that has an equalizer, crossovers, BBE processing, Auto EQ and Auto Time Alignment. I have Pioneer Premier DEH-P860MP and I love it! I also have Alpine Type S 6.5" components in the front, Alpine Type S 6x9s in the back, 2 x Polk Momo 12s (rated at 400RMS each) and a 600 Watt RMS Mono Class D Alpine Amp.

Shop around at www.crutchfield.com and then find someplace to buy. Crutchfield has detailed info about their products but they are expensive.

 

[Smitherines]

What about the two speakers in the dash?


I also have an Omnifi system too .

 

[Liquid Drummer]

If you don't want to go cheap and don't really have a budget then go for a brand called Focal and listen to their Utopia line... Wicked components but you're going to pay an arm and a leg for them $1600 CDN as I have already thought about these in a previous install.

If you want a very good and well rounded system then start looking at some along the lines of the "Matrix" series speakers by OZ. They sound great and aren't too badly priced. The matching subs are a nice piece of equipment as well.

In my old neon I had MB Quard components in the front (their top model, I just forget the name right now) with Alpine "Type R" 6x9's in the back. The speakers were powered from a head unit (Alpine IVA D-300, no amp for them as I didn't want one at the time). The amplifier was just a 500 W RMS mono block from Rockford (go with rockford, their amps always have higher ratings on their birth sheets... More bang for the buck, plus great quality), and it powered 2 Alpne "Type R" subs (10's).

For sound quality stick with one or 2 10" subs as they're going to offer you great bass but maintain a lot of punch and finesse for the rock and punk music (I listened to everything on my system).

The MB Quards are a little harsh on the extreme highs as they are an aluminum tweeter, but I am VERY picky as I am a musician myself.

After having my system for a while and experimenting with my setup I found that I could fade my rear speakers out completely and only use my fronts and subs. Gives much better sound quality as mids (your rear fill) are always messy and take much away from the overall sound quality. Basically think of it like this... When going to a concert would you turn your back to the music? You don't, you just have the music coming straight at you. Subs are a different story as bass is omni-directional and doesn't matter if it is in the trunk or not.

Audio is deep man, and only you can decide what you like and what you don't like. Take a CD in the store with you and listen to every set of speakers you can for 30 minutes each. If the sales associates start hassling you to leave or don't like what you're doing then take your cd and your business elsewhere. Any real audio shop will understand and encourage you to listen to their speakers as every ear is different. They will sound different inside the car though, so don't be surprised when you get the car back.

Ask to see some of their installs as well. Check for things like speakers being bolted in instead of just screwed. Check to make sure that they use all the same screws instead of just what they can find on the floor. See if they tape their connections and things like that.

Don't buy in a weekend, take your time and make sure you're happy with your purchase.

Oh, and go by RMS wattage on amplifiers and subwoofers. Don't be fooled by the 1000W Sony sub for $150... Check the RMS for a better idea of what you're buying.


I could go on and on, but I'm tired so I'll leave it at that. I'm sure there are many more audiophiles on this website to help you out.

 

[Smitherines]

VERY interesting, Id be doing the install myself.

So if you had to say the best brands to look into, what would they be, not extremely expensive like the Focal Utopias. I def want to get all 4 sets of speakers (dash, door, rear, and woofers). Also, what about receivers? What are some really nice ones to be going for?

 

[AVC-R]

If your budget isn't to cheap i would say go with JL Audio. They are (in my opinion) hands down the best but you will pay for the quality. if you can't afford that i'd say alpine is the next best. i have the alpine type s 6 1/2's in front and the 6x9's in the rear and it sounds great. One other big thing is your in-dash, that will make a big diffrence in sound quality.

 

[DGajre777]

VERY interesting, Id be doing the install myself.

So if you had to say the best brands to look into, what would they be, not extremely expensive like the Focal Utopias. I def want to get all 4 sets of speakers (dash, door, rear, and woofers). Also, what about receivers? What are some really nice ones to be going for?

The components have 3 units, the speaker, the tweeter and the external crossover. I mounted my tweeter in the stock dash speaker in my 98 Talon. Here is the write up in the Tech Guide - How to install aftermarket tweeters in 2G factory dash speakers http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=213063

The really nice receivers, you won't find at Best Buy. It all depends on what you want in your receiver. I personally like Pioneer. I paid $350 for mine. If you are getting external amps, make sure it has atleast a 4V preamp output, if it has more, that's good.

 

[Smitherines]

How is Crutchfield's prices for when I decide to purchase?

I dont mean to sound completely dumb, but could you guys help me piece together a nice setup from your experiences? Im going to stop at Best Buy the next time Im out there, and Im also going to stop by the professional audio shops, where I will actually listen, but until then...Id like to see some setups so I know what to look for.


EDIT:
Ive been looking at this receiver, I like it, amy comments? Pioneer DEH-P9800BT

 

[TurboDreamzGST]

With my setup I have the Alpine Type-s 6 1/2's in the front, the 6X9's in the back, and the tweeters in the dash with a 12" JL Audio W7. Powering my speakers is a Rockford fosgate 4 channel 1200 watt amp and powering my sub is a JL audio 1000/1 amp. With the JL Audio 12" W7, most people will agree it hits harder than almost any other companies 2 12" subwoofers. In the dash I have an Alpine headunit as well. When i crank it, it's almost too much to handle and you can hear me from blocks away but I would definately recommend getting a capacitor for the amp with the subwoofer because before I got one, everytime the bass would hit, all my lights would dim and now with the capacitor, that problem is gone and the sub hits even harder.

 

[Smitherines]

Is a 2nd amp for the sub necessary? Im definitely going to get a 4 channel amp.

 

[Liquid Drummer]

It is more a question of "is a second amp for speakers necessary?". You're going to want a mono amp for your subs no matter what, get that first or your subs aren't going to run.

The 4 channel for speakers is just going to give the speakers more power. It is going to allow them to go louder while staying crisp and not distorted.

You need a seperate amp for your subs. Look into one of those first and then if you have money left over look into getting a 4-chan.

You could save some money by using a 2 chan amp, but you would lose the ability to either control your fade or your balance of the speakers. I would lose the balance as the front-to-back (fade) is more important.

 

[DGajre777]

You're going to want a mono amp for your subs no matter what, get that first or your subs aren't going to run.

Incorrect. He can run subs from a 2 channel amp, most mono amps are Class D, which take less current compared to regular Class A, B or AB amps.

The 4 channel for speakers is just going to give the speakers more power. It is going to allow them to go louder while staying crisp and not distorted.

4 speakers with high sensitivity ratings will do the same without running a 4 channel amp. I bought the Alpine Type Ss because they had a high signal-to-noise ratio compared to other speakers, I don't get any distortion but my high pass crossovers are set to 200Hz.

A speaker rated at 93db will sound twice as loud as a speaker rated at 90db with the same power going to it. So if you get speakers rated at 87db and push it with a 60x4 RMS watt amplifier, it will sound the same as my 93db speakers being pushed by 20x4 RMS watt CD player. Signal to noise ratio (S/N or db rating) is important when selecting speakers if you don't plan on running a seperate 4 channel amp.

The Pioneer DEH-P9800BT is good.
- Burr Brown D/A Converter
- Digital Sound Processor with 16-band graphic EQ and time alignment
- Three sets of 5-volt preamp outputs
- BBE, Compression and BMX Functions
- High-and low-pass filters
- CD player with built-in MOSFET50 amplifier (22 watts RMS/50 peak x 4 channels)

I am actually against going to an audio shop and spending hours to pick speakers. The speakers that play there will not sound anything like what they sound in your car. The acoustics of a big room and a small car is totally different. You also don't know what they have things hooked up to, it could be a 4 channel amp or it could be a 15 Watts RMS receiver. I prefer to shop by specs, frequency range, RMS rating and S/N ratio or db rating, I'm sure others will disagree.

If you don't want to run 2 different amps, another option is to get an amp that has 5 channels - 4 for speakers and 1 for sub. They end up being more expensive, but wiring is easy. It all depends on how loud you listen to your music.

One more thing, I'm running a 600 RMS Watts mono amp for my 2 x 12 subs and my Polk Momos hit hard. You don't need a 1000 RMS watt amp. One thing no one has been taking about is the amount of power the stock alternator can handle. 2 amps, one with a 60amp fuse and another with a 40 amp fuse, is pushing it. If you plan on getting a $400 high output alternator then don't worry about the fuse rating. A general rule of thumb is that a device will take 1/2 of it's fuse rating. So a 60amp sub amplifier and a 40 amp 4 channel amplifier will suck 50amps for your stock 65-75amp alternator, this causes electrical problems. And NO a capacitor is not a "fix it device" for a small alternator.

 

[Smitherines]

Ok, so where would I purchase a high output alternator for my 1g? How much is a good setup looking for from your PoV DGagre777?

 

[Liquid Drummer]

Caps aren't all that great of an investment to begin with. You can do it properly for cheaper then the price of a cap.

Google the term "Big 3" and find it under a car audio site. Upgrading these wires will give you a huge improvement over the stock electrical system. I believe they are your "Battery to ground, Alternator to battery" and something else.

Someone else might have the information on the "Big 3" on hand, I currently do not.

 

[DGajre777]

Caps do only one thing - provide quick discharge for amps. They do not fix the lack of a amps/bigger alternator. Class D amps take less current, so that's a start. Upgrading wires helps sometimes, not always. The Big 3 are ...
1) Battery negative to chassis
2) Alternator to battery positive
3) Chassis to engine

I paid $350 for CD Player, $300 for amp, $300 for subs and $250 for speakers, so that's a total of $1200 not to include the install kit, amp wires, fuse, fuse holder, etc. another $600 on an alarm.