My plans are to have a full component speaker set but I'd like to be able to add things slowly as finances allow. Right now I've just got an old Clarion head unit and Alpine 6x9s and stock 4x6s. I'd like to eventually get to this;

2 12" Alpine TypeR 2 ohm subs
Kick panels with tweeters and mids
Alpine TypeR 6x9
Clarion head unit

What kind of head would be good for this type of setup? I'd like to stick with Clarion since I've been impressed with them in my experiences. The subs, I'd like to come last, with the head unit coming first, then the 6x9's, then the kick panels, and the amps to drive each. I'm planning on amping all of this seperatly from the head so internal amp power isn't too much of an issue. What would you reccomend for a head unit with 3 pre-amp outs. Also, any other opinions or comments would be nice. This will probably be a pretty long term project and I don't want to have to skimp on something to keep price down but I don't want to spend tons of money right now, that's for later.
David

 

Headunit choice is almost always based on personal preference in regards to looks and functionality. It's really up to you which headunit to use. Clarion is a great choice, as well as Alpine and Pioneer. Find something that looks good to you, is in your price range, and has the options you need. If you don't need 50-band user adjustable EQ and phasing options, don't buy one that has this. Cutting down on features will save you tons of cash. Make sure you have enough RCA outputs, also, so you can use the proper number of amps. You'll probably only need 2 sets, but 3 won't hurt.

I personally suggest not even bothering with 6x9s if you don't care about being the loudest guy on your street. Kickpanel components and a sub sound spectacular in f-bodies, and with the right component selection, will still be very loud. If you really want to keep speakers for the back seats, get a set of 6" components to put in there, instead. You can run them with lower gain than the fronts or set them up on a crossover to deliver frequencies between 100hz and 1khz as a mid-bass. This will really give you a full and crisp sound.

 

Well, decibals are about the lowest thing on my list of wants as far as speakers go. I think the 6" component idea sounds good since I'd like to keep the speakers out of the way as much as possible. Any suggestions on amplifier brands? The only companys I will not buy are blaupunkt, sony, and audiobahn. JVC also hasn't really been very impressive to me so that's out too. Also, are kick panels hard to wire right? I was looking at rezn8r's page and they look really nice and I've heard good things about them on this forum. One last thing, would it be very difficult to wire an equalizer for the entire system, to boost and cut certain frequencies? Thanks for all the help,
David

 

JBL is a good low-cost amp manufacturer. Look into them if you need to save money. Kicker also makes some nice amps for not too much money. I wouldn't throw Blaupunkt completely out the window; anything that isn't their lower models is usually a good buy as far as amps go.

Kickpanels are no harder to wire than anything else in the car. It just takes a little more time when you have a component setup, cause you need to run wire for the crossovers. Fit your crossovers in the stock 4x6 locations in the dash, and run the wires down to the kickpanels for your tweets and 5" or 6" mids. The crossover will get wired to the amp.

An EQ for the whole system isn't hard; you can buy 1/2 DIN EQ units at most audio shops, and it will fit under a 1 DIN headunit in an f-body with the right faceplates. You may or may not need to get some short RCA cables, but the EQ unit should have everything you need.

 

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good advice! I would scrap the rears or put mids back there, add some tweeters with a custom angle mount towards the front if you feel like goin all out.
As for the head unit, my preferance is clarion but pioneer will not disapoint either. I have had bad experiences and met others with them as well in regards to the quality of alpine head units though. I think they are overpriced for their poor quality control and really bad tech/warantee support, but other people have had good experiences with them. If I were to buy one, I would make sure I did it at a local shop with a good reputation for refunds and replacements just incase...
greg

 

Another quick question, a head unit with front, rear, and sub RCA outs, would that allow me to run more than just three amps? Say, a 4x100 watt for two tweeters in the dash, two in the kick panels. One for the two mids in the kicks, and another for mids in sail panels? Would I still be able to run all those and 2 for the subs? I'd like to have each sub on a different amp to be able to control balance a little better. I'm trying to make it where I'll be getting highs, mids, and bass from all angle and not just say, mids from the kick panels and no where else.
David

 

componet sets come with a crossover, that allows you to run your tweet and mid from one chanel of the amp, so you could use a 4channel to run your componets and 6" and still have an extra set of rca's for your subs(other 2 sets for the 4channel amp)


BTW this is just my opinnion, but alpine type R 6x9 suck for the price around here, you can get mb quartz or eclipse points for their price and both sound way better.

 

Shops around here seem to be only good for euro lights and wings cause I found the Alpines I have for 150 here and I bought them for 110 off Crutchfield which was still higher than other online places. So will I be able to run amps for say, 4 tweeters, 4 mid range, and two subs? The tweeters and mids I'm thinking around 100 watts a piece, the subs 300 each with the alpine 12" type-Rs. I'm completely new to this car audio thing but I'm loving every minute of it and I love learning about it.
David

 

In my opinion Clarion makes top-notch decks. I don't even think I'd buy anything else other than maybe Eclipse or some Alpine models.

For amp/signal setup, if you plan on running an EQ, or parametric EQ/processor (like an AudioControl 3.1), then 3 sets of RCA outs won't do you much good. The reason is the EQ will only accept (in most cases) a front and rear input. Then from there the EQ/processor will supply the front/rear/sub output signals.

For amps you can get a 4-channel for the mids/highs, and a 2 channel or mono block for the subs. I won't get into the theory but you really don't need to control the balance between subs.

I also second the idea of losing the rear speakers and just running components and subs.

 

More and more I'm thinking about getting the Alpine 4x6 plates, and kick panels and running the 4x6 and 6x9s with a 4x30 watt amp and a seperate one for the kick panel components. I really kind of need the space in the well area for a while with my band and everything starting to get into gigs and this being my car/truck/van I need all the space I can get, so keeping the back free for now is a good idea.
David

 

You do NOT want to use dash speakers and kick panel components together. You should use one or the other.

 

True; your sound image will be muddled if you use both. Stick with components. The spots for your original 4x6s can be used for the component crossovers. If you just want temporary upgraded 4x6s until you get components, don't spend so much money on Alpine plates. Try something a little bit lower in price, just to hold you over.

 

Coming soon: REZN8R Stealth boxes......

 

I checked your site rezn8r, and I couldn't find much about the stealth boxes. They're fiberglass sub boxes that should let you use the rear storage right? Prices? Pics of a prototype? I already want a set of kicks when I can get the money, and the stealth boxes sound like they're a good idea.
David

 

They're still in the design process, so that's why there's not a lot of info on them. I'll probably have a couple of design phase pics by tomorrow. I'm guessing the price will be $170-$180, I haven't priced out the material cost yet.