After reading the Pyramid thread and the comment about a $300 sound-off, I thought it would be fun to start hearing what people would build with a $300 limit. This is a seriously tight budget, but I'm sure people will come up with some great ideas. It may give a newbie an opportunity to do better than the Pyramid and Volfenhag garbage that most newbies gravitate toward.

So... let's lay down some rules.

1. The system has to be for a thirdgen.
2. Used stuff is allowed but you can't just make up prices. Auction prices should be a good measuring stick.

Even though most newbies want SPL, I'm going to design my theoretical system with sound quality in mind. I think this is a MUCH harder goal to achieve with $300. Getting 135dB or more isn't hard anymore.

Anyway, on with the show.

speakers
subwoofer:
DAYTON 8" SHIELDED DVC SUBWOOFER (295-480) $22.40

highs:
VIFA BC11BG07-06 4-1/2" JBL MIDBASS 6 OHM (299-432) $14.22
Onkyo tweeter (269-776) $1.74
crossover components:
.5mh inductors $6
10uf capacitors $1.10

Total speaker cost: $45.46

amplification:
used JBL P80.4 4-Channel Power Amplifier $110 buy-it-now on ebay
Total amplification cost: $110

Source unit:
KENWOOD KDC-7009 CD PLAYER (used ebay, buy-it-now) $75
Metra dash kit: $9.90
Total head unit cost: $85

wiring
PHOENIX GOLD QSX8 450W AMP INSTALL KIT $26.65
PHOENIX GOLD ARx.305 20" RCA PATCH CABLE $4.40
Total wiring costs: $31.05

Installation materials
Wood, carpet, glue, blah blah blah... up to $28.49

total costs: $300

Now, unfortunately, this budget uses speakers with a custom built crossover (albiet a very simple one), which is something that most folks may not be able to do without doing a little homework first. A good pair of commercially available 4x6" coaxes is going to add at least another $50 to the cost of the system, but is highly reccomended for anybody who isn't comfortable working out their own crossovers.

I've personally used all of this equipment except for those vifa/jbl mids, although I have 4 very similar units in my living room waiting for me to find time to experiment with them. I'm using those tweeters in a pair of 2-ways I'm working on and they sound way better than the price would indicate. I used the 8" woofer to build a subwoofer for my home stereo and I'm quite impressed by it. I've used the head unit in the past and it's a solid piece. I haven't used the JBL amp, but it's got a great reputation. To save a couple more dollars, you could use a 2-channel amp and run the highs off the head unit, although I like having the active filter of the amp to filter the bass from the mids.


Ok... so what if you would rather boom instead of having good sound quality?

Here goes:
subwoofers
2x DAYTON 12" QUATRO SERIES SUBWOOFER (295-555) $148.56

amp
MTX Thunder 421D Class D 420 Watt Sub Amp (ebay buy-it-now) $100

wiring
PHOENIX GOLD QSX8 450W AMP INSTALL KIT $26.65

building materials
wood, glue, etc... $25

Total: $300

This will sound like complete garbage, but it'll get loud. As soon as you can afford a head unit (say $100 for a nice used one), the bass will sound much better, and when you can come up with more money for coaxes and an amp for them, you'll have a great system.

 

Ill go ahead and use my own system...

Kenwood KDC-122? $172.49
Infinity Tweeters + Crossovers $40.00
Infinity 6x9s $50.00
Infinity 4x6s $40.62
Infinity 1220W Sub $46.60
MTX Blue Thunder Amp $162.32
---------------------------------------------------------
Total $512.03 CAD
$379.54 US

**** i went over budget,

 

Actually, I've done just that. My wife's car is a '93 MX6 LS and we came across some damn good deals.

We were at Sam's Club and saw a sweet deal.

$87 = Blaupunkt BPV650 CD Player with a pair of 6.5" PCx1652 coaxials
$96 = Used RF Punch 200 DSM
$50 = 2 used Kicker 12" Comps from a friend
$50 = 1 pre-fab box from K's Merchandise, 3/4" MDF w/ divider
$283 = Total

 

alright, to keep it simple ill just do a cheap "booming system" no fancy crossovers or anything

homemade rcas -$2.25
1 pair of long jumper cables linked together end to end (power wire) -$8
1/2 foot 8 gauge wire (ground) - $0.60
pioneer deh-3400 -$75 ebay
us acoustics 2100-$100 ebay
cerwin vega vega series 10 inch sub- $55 ebay
mdf, screws, glue- $25

$265.85

or substitute the vega 10 for an autotek mx 12 for $89 ebay

$295.85

on a side note ive owned the us acoustics 2100 amp and its a very stout little amplifier. Only rated down to 4 ohm mono i ran it at 2 ohm mono for over a year with no problems.

 

Want boom?

Phoenix Gold Titanium 10" $57 - ebay
Phoenix Gold Tantrum T500.2 $189 - ebay
Phoenix Gold amp kit $18 - SD
RCA $5
box supplies $25

Total $294 and it'll be loud (500+ true RMS watts) with great SQ. Impressive.


For an extra $286 get the front end done

Alpine 4x6 $43 - ebay
Alpine 6x9 $49 - ebay
PG T200.2 $89 - ebay
Used CD deck $100 - ebay
RCA - $5

 

kicker l7 10 125 ebay
kicker 400.2 170 eaby.
plus wire and wood. itas a little over buget but in a 1.5 cu ft box tuned to 32 htz it'll sound pretty good and be pretty loud.

 

boom? i got it.

kicker zr1000, just picked one up for 20$, and 30$ for the SWX
subs 2 Coustic CF1244 80$/sub
custom ported box, tuned high 20$ for a sheet of 3/4 mdf, 5 dollars in screws/glue
source, kenwood KDC 522, 61$

everything else can be had free.

adam

 

i figured i'd search ebay a bit, all with buy it now (resonable prices):

amp: mtx blue thunder 300x1 $75
sub: mtx 6000 series 12" $50
deck: kenwood kdc-122 $60
wiring: scosche 4ga kit (walmart) $30
speakers: infinity reference 4x6 $40
infinity reference 6x9 $67

ok, so i hit $322 (could be closer to 300 if you go with 6 1/2" for the rear. didnt include box for sub, but thats all of $10-20. speakers running off the deck for now, but nice quality amp and a decent sub. as close to a decent SQ setup i could get for this price. if you watch ebay closely, you can find better deals on regular auctions, but i figured going with preset prices would be more reasonable

 

summit has and adaptor so you can get one rca out of ur stock HU to wire and amp $20...

im not trying for $300... i dun know how.. i mean my front and rear speakers alone are like $500.......

 

Im under $300 now, but thats cause I traded alot of stuff, But Id figure I'd post anyway

Custom made fiberglass box- $132.00
(2) Bazooka EL Series 12s- Traded for a $30 Alpine deck
Sony Xplod MP3 deck-Traded for my old 12s, Which I payed $50
Infinity Kappa 6x9s, Already in car
Legacy (I know, ugh) 1400 watt amp (Really pushes around 1000 if that) Bought it back off a friend for $50
Speaker Wire- $18
RCAs $20
Ground Cable- Free, Old Battery Cable
Power- 4 guage monster cable, Free, Was sitting in my
S-10 I bought

Total $300

As soon as some cash comes I want to upgrade the 12s and amp, Cause thats such a nice box I made, It should have bigger boom...Now I just need to decide what I want!!

 

I would say that outside of the Homeboy's Shopping Network, finding $20 ZR1000s isn't exactly common.

 

lmao

 

yeah, a few of us have gotten awesome gear cheap/free (i got an old usamps cheater for free), but it doesnt work that way for everyone. one of the reasons why i chose buy it now stuff...

 

I just put an el-cheapo stereo in dads car. After he heard how nice my stereo sounded he gave me 300$ and told me to get stuff for his car but not to go overboard. this is 300$ cdn. Off to Canadian Tire I went

• Pioneer DEH-1600 CD Player (125$)
• Wiring harness and 1.5"dIN Addapter (20$)
• KOSS 10" 500watt Subwoofer (175watt rms) (69$)
• KOSS 300watt 2 channel amp (89$)
• had material at home to make him a decent box (0$, Nadda, Freebie!!!)

I did the installation. I had some 4 guage left over when I did the install on my tempo. The stock speakers in my dads Saturn were pretty good and the Pioneer deck only made them sound better.

I installed all the stuff in about an hour. He helped me build the box as he is the carpenter. We had some left over MDF from the cabinet he built a while ago. We used cocking to seal the box. Carpet was an extra 20$ which we got from fabric land.

Grand Total $333.00

I ended up shellin out the extra coin. My dad is happy with it and it actually doesn't sound all that bad. Has nice low end for the country music he plays.

 

Alright boys here it is,

SUBS:

6 of these puppies-
8" LEGACY Woofer - 250 Watts - Foam Surround - 4 ohm - 4 layer Coil - Strontium Magnet
www.nexxon.com woofers by the case
$79

Box:
$15 for materials, plywood of course :lala:

Head unit:

so good it doesnt have a brand name
AM/FM RADIO WITH AUTO-STOP CASSETTE PLAYER with rca outs
www.jcwhitney.com
$19.95

Sub amp:
since i go to iowa state and we are the cyclones i thought id put in some school spirit, so for this amp i have for you the CYCLONE.
1600 Watt 1/2-Channel Power Amp
* 1600 watts x 1 max power
* 800 watts x 2 max power
* 2 Ohm stereo stable
* Wired bass boost remote
* Top mount plexiglass window
* Input level control
* Built-in crossover network
* + 18 dB bass boost circuit
* Low/high pass filter
* Variable bass boost
* Soft turn on/off
* Power protection LED
* Left/right channel line outs
* Measures 11.5" X 2" X 17.5

www.nexxon.com
$149

Front speakers:

Legacy 160 WATT 4x6 speakers
$10
www.ebay.com

Amp install:

$7.00
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...093898018&rd=1

so that brings us to ~$281
i think i need an alarm for my new bumpin system
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...093029775&rd=1
$24.00

o well i went over by $5


heres the site for pics
http://www.picdump.org/gallery/view_...mName=album471

 

Ok...this setup is just my sub system and doesn't include my headunit of speakers.

1. A elemental designs e10kx.22 sub $90 shipped

2. A kicker 200.2 amp $200

Plus a walmart amp kit which was like $20 and $25 for materials to make my box. It doesn't sound like much but a few months ago when I put a topic about doing a system on a budget this is what I found to be the best quality, sound, and bang for the buck. And I'm really happy with it as a first sub system. Its loud enough, has great sound, and will hit hard when i want it to. I built a lower well box for it and made a stealth plate to cover it so it can't be seen. Its totally concealed and I can still use my t-tops.

 

you MAY have a point there, but MOST people have no idea what that amp is without the badge on it.


adam

 

I started a similar thread awhile back

https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=196660

 

is delcon a good brand??

 

My turn... the goal: What everyone usually wants for their car while they're still in school and want to impress the chicks. (Hey, that was why I did it! ) That's an aftermarket radio with decent sound, and some thump from the trunk.

$100: Pioneer DEH-P25, $76 buy-it-now, $13 shipping
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=3095566635

$16: Metra radio installation kit, $8 buy-it-now, $8 shipping
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=3095732908

$12: Rockford Fosgate 10-ga amp kit, $6, shipping $6
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=3096018875

$22.50: Streetwires Zero Noise 2.0 20ft RCA patch, $16.50 buy-it-now, $6 shipping (Note: $50 retail!)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=3095843806

$106: Kenwood KAC-5201, 40x2/120x1 car amp, $100, $6 shipping
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-Dsxt8BS...p?I=113KAC5201

$24: Pioneer TSW-28, 10" subwoofer, $10 bid, $14 shipping
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=3096246614

$30: 10" sub box, truck style, 0.97 cuft, $14 buy-it-now, $16 ship
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=3095269263

Total Cost: $310.50

But ya know what? I'm the only guy to include shipping so far. Total shipping costs = $69.

So... if I take that $69 that everyone else ignored, I could spring for a set of rear 6x9's. Take that fader control and fade slightly to the rear so the already-ancient front speakers don't sound any worse, and you're all set to impress the girls.

 

yeah, but i included front and rear speakers

 

Well not everyone had stuff shipped....

 

Infinity kappa 4x6 = FREE (came with car)

Infinity Kappa 6x9 = FREE (came with car)

Pioneer DEH-P3600 Head unit = FREE (girlfriend bought 4 me)

Duel (brand), 2, 12"Woofers w/ enclosure, neon lights included, $140, best Buy

Optimus 400watt 4/2/1 amp = $30.00

All wireing = about $30.00

GRAND TOTAL = $200.00 and it dont sound bad at all

















Pioneer

 

" it dont sound bad at all"...
i guess that depends on whose ears you are using.



adam

 

Yeah those Duel subs arent much, My friend has one of their 10s and he thinks its sweet...The stock system in my mom's 2003 Saturn has more thump!

 

rofl my moms plymouth breeze has the stock stereo and hers has a cleaner thump than my no-amp 12. the only thing is the radio automatically turns down the bass if it hits too hard so you get one good thump then crap

 

i got............
JVC KD-LH1000......$250
Rockford amp hook up kit.... $130
xpold 1000 watt amp....$200
2 12" infinity subs.....$200 (as a pair)

Total---$780

gettin new amp soon. prolly a rockford

Beats pretty good though... it would beat even better if i had a diff. amp.

 

And you $780 dollar system has something to do with this post?

 

having a sound system on a stock radio is rediculous...You can buy low quality stuff on ebay and make a crappy system but its not worth it. It is funny to see the combos. You want cheap bass get a preamplified bazooka tube.

nate

 

We dropped 2 of those bazookas in my dads Saturn SL. Gave him the low end he wanted and he still has room for his hockey gear.