I want to install a good system in my car, what are some things I should know about?

 

This might not be what you are looking for but over many years of doing this I want to give you this advice. Do it right the first time as far as installation goes. Be patient and buy the highest quality things you can afford (wire, RCA's, etc.) You can have the best amps and speakers but you'll never know how good it can really sound if you take shorcuts with the installation. Ask lots of questions. That's what this boards for.

 

ok, The car I have 1987 IROC-Z (just bought) already had a system in it. The factory head unit has been replaced by an Alpine CD Receiver and pictures i have you can see the whole interior riped apart and him installing everything. The 6 guage power wire for the subs in the rear is still there along with some good looking speaker wire. I basically have a car pre wired for a system. I have ben told that if you leave the head unit connected that it drains the battery and this is why it is disconnected, but I found a blown fuse and replaced it and it works fine now. I am just testing the little fact about a draining battery as we speak(write). The 6x9s are busted but eh 4x6s??(front) work fine and has been re wired with heavery guage wiring then stock. I will replace these with better units. What I am looking for is how to setup a good 6x9, 4x9 sub and amp. What do these things ned to have in common in order to work at their peak? Stuff like Watts, RMS, sesitivity, frequency response. Maybe if you guys gave me the stats on your setup i caould learn something.

 

don't rely too much on specs, especially with speakers.

Buy good name speakers, and only decide which ones are better by listening to them. For example, just about any good 4x6 or 4" in a plate will handle 20 to 50 watts, while playing from 20khz down to 200 hz.
Just about any good 6x9 will handle about 75 to 100 watts, down to 45 hz.

When looking at amps, RMS wattage is the only number that matters.

For better quality sounds than what the factory locations offer, I suggest looking at my kickpanels, they let you use up to a 6 1/2" speaker up front.

Mike



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custom 3rd gen kickpanels at http://www.lachernet.com/kickpanels

 

first thing is that you get what you pay for, so dont skimp. i'll usually settle for what i can afford now and then upgrade it in a year or so anyway (in the 3 years I've been driving, I've gone through about 5 head units, 5 amps, only 1 pair of 6x9's but i hate them, and 3 pairs of 4x6's and subs) so let me be a lesson to find what you want, then save for it. the best thing you can do is get good quality speakers. personally, I like Boston Acoustics Pro Series. Unfortunately, I dont have one piece of it yet lol but I've been checkin stuff out a lot lately, and they seem to be the nicest. For an amp, I have a Phoenix Gold and it's awesome. you jusy need to put ample power through what you have (not too much!!!) and the Alpine head unit you have is probably nice, which one is it? they make some nice stuff..good luck!

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85 Z28- 350, Comp 262, Edelbrock Performer intake, Edelbrock 600 cfm carb and Edelbrock cat back, Summit headers and vette servo
-JVC, Eclipse, Pioneer, MTX, Phoenix Gold, Planet Audio

 

In-dash deck:
They all sound pretty much the same, except for the really low-powered ones. Get something with an appearance you like, and controls you can operate with your eyes closed. You don't have to get the most expensive model, but do get a reputable brand name...the no-name ones are unreliable. If you plan on adding things like amp(s), CD changer, sattelite radio...make sure the deck has the features you need.

Speakers:
Forget about all the specs, especially the "watts" thing. Listen to some speakers...buy the ones you like the best...it's really that simple. It would be wise, but not necessary, to get the front and rear from the same brand.
As the other guy said, the 4x6 size does limit the quality somewhat...but kickpanel pods are expensive and rob foot room.

Subwoofer/box:
In the case of your car, pick the box first. You can spend some money for a custom one that will fit nice, but eat up all your space. It's also tough to find any generic boxes that fit.
After you have the box, find a few subs that will work in it, listen to them, and choose.

Amp:
In my opinion, they don't really sound that much different...look for quality, power, and features. Most of the flea-market stuff is cheap, but is either unreliable, or is missing key features like a built-in crossover. Get a brand name, and buy as much power as you can afford...can't have too much.
Do you plan to amplify just the subwoofer, or the speakers too? You could buy a 4-channel...bridge two for the sub, and amp the fronts....or use two for the sub and run all 4 regular speakers off the other two channels (but you lose your fader control that way).

 

This is what I reccomend.
Alpine Head
Polk Audio 4x6 and 6x9's
Fosagate 12" Punch XLC in a small sealed box sitting in the rear of the car with the sub facing towards the back.
Fosgate 500a2 for the Sub
Alpine 4ch Amp (30watts/ch)

This is what I have and it sounds awesome and doesn't cost an arm and a leg.
you can get all this for less than $1500.
Probably get it for well under a grand if you get it used.
I'd reccomend buying the 4x6 and 6x9's new from a store and get an extended warranty for 4 or 5 years. That way when they blow you just bring em back and walk out with a new pair.

Here is a link to one of my old pages showing my amp rack.
http://www.leannrimes.cz28.com/mods.htm


High Speed Run: 157mph
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[This message has been edited by Zepher (edited May 10, 2001).]

 

1. Buy the radio din or din 1.5 if u buy a din a 1/2 din in dash eq will fit with it.150-300$(stores)100 (streets)
2.work on the inside speakers all bass and no sound is no fun.4X6 and 6X9 for better staging, get a kickpanel 6 1/2 add midbass and tweeter fo the highz. NO amp is really needed for the inside.
3.In amp for the subz for 150 you can get a chunch amp on e-bay that push out 1200 when briged.or 400x2 at 4ohms 600x2 at 2 ohms.
4.speaker box 2 10 or 2 12" runs about 100 to 150
5.cable and rca run rca on different side *** you ron the battery and remote wire.

750 $ ya'll be on ****'n statis

 

The top most important thing, and some people have said this already is to take your time, and do everything right the first time.
Something I just learned from doing my system is run the power cables down one side of the car and run the rca's and speaker wires down the other side.. DO NOT RUN THEM TOGETHER!!!! you will get alternator noise in your system!

don't be afraid to go rip out all your seats, pull up your carpet, lay down some dynamat, run the wires clean and hidden.
and make sure when you put your system in.. that you think about burglars, dont put a system in without first putting a very good security system in the vehicle.
and make sure that everything is bolted down, SECURE!!!! make it look, and BE very very difficult to remove your components.. always hook up the bracket in back of the head unit to the vehicle, thieves will give up if it dont come out with a swift yank!
and as other people have said.. I will just add this again, get good stuff.. dont look at your wallet and think about saving money.. thats not what system building is about.

Mark