Ok, my 89 iroc has all stock speakers...and there a bit..weak. I have never done anything with speakers and am not really looking to spend too much....$300-$500..there going to go in the trunk, and hopefully I will be able to get all of the wiring done myself along with a custom enclosure.

I need suggestions on the what to start looking for...I need a deck with cd..possibly mp3. Some sort of amp, and subs at the very least....

..was thinking two 12" subs and a 2 channel amp...I know these can varry huge from brand to brand and model to model...but don't really understand what it all means...and have no idea what brands are the best...please help me out with any info you can. (suggestions, technical explanations, I am going to keep reading posts and such also)
Thanks a ton-Chris


..looking through ebay, does this look bad or good?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...094597129&rd=1

 

In my opinion the volfenhag setup would be a great starter system, I am using a 1600watt volfenhag amp to run my 2-12s and i have no complaints.

I would buy every thing seperate, I only gave $115 for my 1600 watt 2 channel amp, and less than $100 for 2- 12 inch audiobahn aw121t( 550rms a piece). then you would have enough cash left over to get a good head unit ( I gave $200 for my pioneer deh-p6600) all prices include shipping.

 

If you are looking for tips on a beginner system that is not going to be composed of low end equipment, check out this thread.

 

Amp: Audiobahn A8002T Intake 2CH - $160 + $25 s/h
2 channel - 1600 watts

2 Subs: Audiobahn AW1200Q 12"s $140 + $50 s/h
700 rms each

Deck: Boss MP3-3130R - $79.00 + $15.95 s/h
Box: est $20 (just wood and glue for now, too nothing fancy)
Wiring: Amp Kit Gold Plated Fuse 8 Gauge $6 + $12 s/h

Current Total: $508
_____________________________________

Amp: Kicker ZR240 - $149 + $14 s/h
2 channel - 480 WATTS TOTAL REAL POWER

2 Subs: AUDIOBAHN AW1251T 12"s $65 + $30 s/h
400 rms each

Deck: Boss MP3-3130R - $79.00 + $16 s/h
Box: est $20 (just wood and glue for now, nothing too fancy)
Wiring: Amp Kit Gold Plated Fuse 8 Gauge $6 + $12 s/h

Current Total: $391


would that amp be enough for those speakers? any comments or suggestions greatly appreciated....would that top one sound pretty nice/loud all that?

 

I would go with the audiobahn amp, but thats just my opinion.
I would think about a better head unit than Boss though, I never have had good luck with cheap head units, they either skip all the time or put out a weak signal to your amp and lets not forget short the life span of the unit.

 

ok, need a suggestion for a good, but low cost head unit....can be just cd....but mp3 would be a plus.....really tryin to keep it close to $500 total for speakers and cd player

 

volfenhag is low quality garbage. I can't stress this enough.

I would suggest that you take your budget, and plan for QUALITY instead of quantity. That means pitch the 2 12" subs and buy one nice 10" or 12" sub. A single 12" Shiva will cost about the same as a pair of Volfenhags, go nearly as loud, and sound substantially better.

Elemental Designs and Resonant Engineering both offer great quality, low priced subs. Dayton Audio (Parts Express) is another name to look into.

I'd skip over audiobahn too. You're paying for the chrome plating. A nice JBL amp will give you a lot more bang for the buck.

$500 leaves you a LOT of room to come up with a nice system if you're willing to buy used.

$125 head unit. Forget Boss and go for a brand name. Kenwood, JVC, Alpine, Pioneer and others will be available used.

$125 subwoofer. See suggestions above. I'm leary about buying used speakers.

$100 used 2-channel amplifier. Stick to a brand name, and don't worry about the fact that it's rated at way less power than the no-name crap. I like JBL for the money. Getting a 2 channel amp now will allow you to use it later to power your front speakers when you can afford a more powerful sub amp.

That leaves you well over $100 for a new pair of 4x6s for your dash. Listen to everything and pick what you like the sound of. I'm partial to Alpine, Boston Acoustics, Infinity and some Polk stuff, but there are a ton of brands worth considering.

The rest of the money goes toward wiring.


For a $300 system, you can get some pointers from a thread I started a week or 2 ago. Virtually all of the suggestions are for boom-systems and not anything that offers any kind of sound quality, but it will give you some insight toward what's available used. If you aren't afraid to buy some used (read: NOT STOLEN) equipment, $500 can build you a really impressive system.

 

just about everything i wanted to say was stated by Jim. get away from audiobahn, and stay away from boss like its the plague. used amp is a great way to go (plenty of great used amps go for under $100 on ebay). eD, adire both great sub companies that you dont have to pay a premium for the name.

lots of people tend to like the infinity reference series for inexpensive, quality speakers. but know that they dont have bass (especially the 4x6s, but neither do any from the other companies). i'm a big fan of crystal speakers nowadays, and they are also pretty reasonable in cost (they had a huge sale about 6 months ago and i got a 3-way component set for $180, as compaired to $300+). deffinately go new on speakers, they are one of the first things damaged in a system. warrenties on nice for that kinda stuff.

 

ed is having an awesome preorder sale. check it out here http://www.edesignaudio.com/combo

 

WOW THANKS A TON! that ed stuff looks awesome...gonna go for package with 2 15's and amp...later on i will get the other package with the smaller amp and components...

still need a good head unit....specific model's would be greatly appreciated


up to about $470 so far including shipping


ALSO need to know if a standard alternator would probably be able to handle this or will I possibly need to replace (just replaced a little while back, but wasn't thinking of speakers)?

NINe.1 " $250.00* / MSRP $450.00 - -
1200x1 @ 1 ohm, 800x1 @ 2 ohm, 400x1 @ 4 ohm - 3 Year Warranty - Hand Built

(2) 15" Kv.2 Dual 4 $100.00* / MSRP $155.00 - -
300/650WRms. - 1.5/1.8cF Sealed - 2.0/2.5cF Vented - 3 Year Warranty - Hand Built

 

just make the big 3 update to ur car. And Run 0/1 gauge. No need for a cap just fyi.

How much do u want to spend on the headunit?

 

Ok...thought I was doing ok...then you lost me again..update the big three? (keep in mind, this will be the first thing I've ever done to my car beyond changing the oil once)

"And Run 0/1 gauge. No need for a cap just fyi."
Please give me a quick explanation or place where I can read up on these, I really want to learn as much as I can about car electronics..

Preferably under 100 for headunit if its possible, there aren't any decent cd players just for sending a good signal to two amps and not skipping for a low price??...don't really need it to have any power itself, even though it's alright if it does. (I plan on buying the component stuff with a second smaller amp a little later on, all my reg stock speakers are pretty shot)

---------------------------------------------
ok, read through a few more posts a little better..lol so thats just the wiring, u scared me crapless when u said the big three...thought u meant 3 different things like alternator...something and something...not 3 wires....gonna read some more on wiring how big is 0/1?? i thought like 8 or 6 could handle 1800 easily...mine as well just get good wiring though I guess as long as it doesn't hurt anything to go 2 big..i do plan on adding that second amp later on

 

a good rule of thumb is 8 gauge in a car is good to about 40 amps of current (the fuses in the amp will tell you)

i use 4 gauge up to about 80amps,

anything over 100ish amps would need 0 gauge for a car's length of power wire.



adam

 

hmm....we'll i'll get to wiring last =) for now...head unit..

heard good things about alpine, jvc and pioneer...need 2 Pre-Amp Output for when i get second amp

ALPINE CDM-9803 $134 + $11 s/h = $145
ALPINE CDM-9823 $134 + $11 s/h = $145
ALPINE CDA-9825 $138 + $11 s/h = $149

JVC KD-G700 $125 + $21 s/h = $146

PIONEER DEH-P3600 $124 + $11 s/h = $135
PIONEER DEH-P460MP $120 + $28 s/h = $148
PIONEER DEH-P4600MP $125 + $10 s/h = $135
PIONEER DEH-P5500MP $128 + $14 s/h = $142 **nice

ok, need some input, all pretty close prices and pretty similiar

 

How did our suggestions wind up convincing you to order 2 15s? If I were you, I'd order 1 12" or one 15", and spend the rest of the money on good components or coaxes. If you want more bass later on, you can buy a second sub.

 

...i think because of the great pre-order specials EDesigns has going on right now with sub/amp packages

 

yea, basically...i plan on getting the components pretty soon after..if i can ever get the speakers/headunit figured out =)

the deal they have right now has there larger amp and 2 15''s if i got 2 smaller amps a 15'' and a component set from them it would cost quite a bit more....and i would need to get the larger amp later on to run 2 15''s..I'd really like to use the same company as much as possible..i'm just wierd like that..and the 3 year replacement thing is nice

 

Good luck getting those 15s installed...I think your going to run out of airspace and room to build a box big enough for those.

 

yea...i was thinkin about that....ill probably end up going with 12''s i dunno though....having 15''s for like $10 more just sounds so much better...has anyone else done anything with 15''s? how'd it work out....i realize these will have different air space requirements, but still, how much room did u have.

oh i got a pioneer deh-6600 for head unit....160 including s/h