ATLHwyRacer

iTrader: (5)

Hey Guys!!!

So I know you remember the thread from last night, well after reading Im going to be spending closer to $700 than $600, because $600 just wont cut it.

The Project:
01 Camaro Z28 w/ Stock Monsoon System.

I've Chosen a Head Unit.
Pioneer In-Dash CD Player (DEH-P7700MP)
(I found one of these BRAND NEW Shipped to my door for $196)
It has the 3 RCA Preouts (Front, Rear, Sub/Non-Fading) just like someone said I needed. Also I think it looks like a really awesome deck.



Now for the Subs:
I want to run two 12' Subs mounted in the T-top area. Help me pick out something that is Solid bass (Not the best, but not the worst)
My camaro does have T-tops and I've seen some solid installs in the well of the T-top area but i LOVE to take the top down and cruise. So any install thats done, I must be able to use my T-tops or easy access to remove the Subs)

Speakers:
Because price is a factor, Im going to upgrade (1) Set of Speakers right now.
Help me pickout a nice set of component speakers to go in the driver/passanger doors. I'm on a budget but I dont want anything that sounds like ***. Anything that will fit inside $700.

Amps:
Help match the correct amp for the two 12's, i dont want to worry about not enough power to push whatever the Sub is, and I also dont want to go out and buy an AMP that has 2 much power that I wont need.
Dont Forget a Seperate 4 channel amp for the speakers.


So help me spend my money!!

Please leave room to include Amp Kits, and install prices (labor).
As for installs, I think ill take it to Circuit City or Best Buy since thats the only places around the Atlanta area I know I can trust!!

GPz1100

Alpine type R speakers & infinity kappa's are recommended.. Can also do alpine type X or infinity perfects.. but more $$$

About the HU, make sure you see it in person, play with it for a while, molest it, etc..

I'm on my 3rd HU now, soon to be a fourth. Going for the pioneer deh-p860mp because I think the entire kenwood line is ***... engineers were on crack when they designed the features... like dta with no separate l/r adjustment, audio processing that cuts sound for brief instant before applying changes for any change, etc..

I went with an alpine amp because it had good clean power, an lcd readout, dual fans, easy to hookup wire terminals (both speaker and power).

The smaller one, mrv-f345 does 75x4, or 75x2 + 300x1 bridged (all into 4 ohms), or 75 x 2 (into 4) + 150 x 2 (into 2). Should be enough to drive the fronts and a small sub.

If you intent on driving 2 12's properly, might as well get a class D mono amp for the subs only. Maybe one of the jl amps... figure at least 700-800 watts rms for 2 12's should be sufficient.

Btw, next time don't kill the entire thread, just change the title. People put effort into their replies, and it's a shame to see 'em erased..

EDIT: By the time all is said and done, I think your budget will be increased some more...

BLOW ME FASTR

You have high hopes for $700. If you want something decent and clean i suggest saving your money. The difference between 700 and 1500 can be a Huge difference.

BTW since you want to save room for your ttops I would invest in 1 sub and not 2....with generous RMS.

You really dont need rear speakers to sound good. Invest in front speakers, a nice speaker amp, a sub, and a mono amp. Then all you got to do is back up your power.

GPz1100

I ran my system without rear (sail panel) speakers for a few weeks. Was not too impressed with the sound.. I felt something was lacking. Since adding full range rears (6.5") and fading partially to the front, the sound is much improved IMO.

Rear fill is a very personal preference. Some like it, some hate it. If you like it, be sure to consider it in your budget.

JarredWS6

iTrader: (3)

good luck getting an entire system for $700. Im an installer at best buy and labor alone is going to run you over $200. your going to need a dual amp kit to run two amps. ours runs $157 for that alone. kits and harnesses for the radio are going to run you about $50. Thats over half your budget in parts and labor. I think its safe to say that you will be looking at over $1000 for an average system. Probably close to $1500 for a really nice one.

The Professor

iTrader: (3)

i spent $1500 on mine and it's only half of what i want.

alpine CDA-9855
JL 10w3
JL 300/4
quart discus components
wires, installation

i still want rear speakers, another sub, and another amp to power all that.

01_TransAm_Man

keep saving your money

A Str8 Up G

iTrader: (22)

I agree with everyone else, you should save your money... but if 700's all you're gonna spend then I'd suggest eBay for your shopping and you could do the install yourself if you feel comfortable with it. I found a set of brand new speakers that would have cost 200 and up from outlet stores / most online stores for 120 shipped to my door. I also got 2 amps ( 1 new 1 used in excellent condition ) for less than 400. I did get ripped off on one bid, paid for a stereo that I didn' get (NEVER buy from anyone with a negative feedback rating ) But that hasn't stopped me from shopping with em and overall it's saved me TONS of money Ebay's hit or miss though and a lot of people don't feel comfortable with bidding / buying from people online so if that's you then you should save your money. Good luck!

BLOW ME FASTR

At Best Buy prices I could see that.

ATLHwyRacer

iTrader: (5)

I see alot of responses but only (1) guy had a positive sugestion, thanks GPz1100.

BLOW ME FASTR

Its not that i was being negative. I was just giving you my opinion with the knowledge i had. I figured thats what the purpose of all of our suggestions and comments were.

iosigma

Hey man, I'm not being negative, just realistic. You can have the things you want it's just gonna take time. If you can install these things your self your gonna save a lot of time and moneyu in the long run. GPz1100 is right about the Alpines and INfinities, Probably the best bang for the buck but it's all about personal preference. That HU looks good. I'm running the Factory Monsoon with everything else being aftermarket. I'm not done yeat and I've spent about $700.00 (1 10 sub, encloser, amp rack, amps, and front speakers. Had the rca from previous install). If you just want an inmprovment, just add teh HU and so forth. Do you have steering wheel contraols are on you car?

RahuL

iTrader: (10)

my set up cost me $2500 [ $850 for the DVD though ] ..

Kenwood eXcelon KVT-815DVD
JL XR650 CXi Comps
JL ZR sail panels
JL 10W3V2 Sub
Alpine MRP-M350 Mono Amp
Wires
Install [ free for the Player ]
dash kit
Stealth Sub box from Subthump
Amp Rack from Subthump

With a $700 budget, get a nice HU [ a must! ] and speakers [ fronts and sail panels ] .. and enjoy it! That in itself, will be a huge difference from OEM!

IMO, you'll regret trying to squeeze an entire system within that price.. because sooner or later it'll either blow up or sound crappy [ distortion ]

Do the HU and speakers [ fronts first ] and save up ... when you accumulate more funds, do an amp + sub or 4 channel amp for speakers...

I highly recommend taking your time and doing the upgrade in steps, as opposed to just throwing everything together at once.. I know it's very tempting when you're looking at these great systems online, in stores and online forums.. but try to stick with your budget and make the best of what you have!!

Goodluck !

prelude00782

Hmm I think I disagree with pretty much everyone here. The only reason you might run over 700 is because of costs of wiring. Most people forget that wiring kits and accessories alone usually run at least $100. Anyway, consider getting a single 10" sub instead of two 12"s. Do you really need people outside your car to hear your bass? Unless you're going to dynamat your car, which clearly you aren't at a price range of 700, it's going to rattle until your bumper falls of. A single 10 or two 10s, or 1 12 is more than enough unless you really want to be obnoxious. You can compensate by buying a better quality sub and still save money. I've seen a single 10" blow away two 12"s easily just by quality. And there's really no point in you buying decent speakers unless they are amp powered, because if the RMS is too high you will blow them (Yes, UNDERPOWERING SPEAKERS WILL BLOW THEM.

Actually...what you could do, is buy a 4 channel amp, buy two decent speakers for the rear, wire them to the amp, bridge the other two channels to a sub and I guarantee that it'll sound amazing. Get alpines or polks ONLY for the front. The reason for this is that they have good highs and will resonate nicely for acoustics. And besides, highs take alot less power so it'll be easier to match with the rear.

Deck - $200
4x100 amp - $200
Decent speakers - $100
Decent sub - $100
Wiring - $100

That's $700 and you'll have a nice setup. You'll have to look on ebay for speakers though, $100 isn't for cheap speakers its for good speakers at a cheap price. For the ones going to the amp, Pioneer are decent but if you want something good, expect to spend more money and don't waste your time at best buy because they have garbage.
Plus you need money for a box. But if you email me, I can give you step by step directions on how to fiberglass a custom box into your car for half the price and it'll like 10x as good.

ATLHwyRacer

iTrader: (5)

Ok as the research continues looks like Alpine is the set of Component speakers I will go with for the 2 front doors.

Heres a Million dollar question:
Is buying ALPINE SPX-177R worth the extra $60 over a set of Alpine SPR-17LS.
(The $60 dollar differance is from looking at ebay's lowest set of both component speakers). What are the BIGGEST Reasons that I should spend the extra $60.

Hey, GPz1100 maybe since you run Alpine you can give me some feedback.

00PewterSS

iTrader: (3)

I'm sure you can only spend $700 and have a high quality system. I have found some very good deals on used stuff and done it for less than that in my daily driver.

My question though. Have you forgotten about the enclosure for the sub(s)? If you build it yourself regardless of the type it will be $50-$100 in supplies. If you purchase one it will most likely be >$200 unless you just throw something in the back seat or buy used. Personally I think a ported well powered 10" or 12" can outpower a dual 12" setup with the same power.

I have a fiberglass stealth box I built I need to sell if you are interested in that type of setup.

Find a sub thats peak RMS is close to the amp you are purchasing. A four channel amp is a good way to save money also.

Brian

GPz1100

I got the X's for 2 reasons.

1) Comparing them to the R's at the store side by side, the X's sounded a bit clearer overall.

2) The woofer for the R components weighs ~5 LB each. The woofer for the X weighs about the same as the factory speaker. I was worried the oem baffle would have trouble with such a heavy speaker..

prelude00782

They look pretty similar, but the type-r's have better highs it seems. Other than that, RMS seems pretty much identical. GPz seems to know more about them specifically. Personally, I don't know why you or anyone would spend that much money on these. You can get much nicer stuff for the same price that they don't sell at best buy or circuit city and there's a reason why. Personally if you are looking at $$$ speakers, look for diamond audio and mb quart.

just as a side note, isn't buying anything labeled "type r" a bad idea fromt eh start?

I have 6 1/2 and 6x9 mb quarts powered by a 75x4 alpine amp and a 300x1 alpine amp powering an alpine type s sub. Not a huge fan of the alpine subs but a friend put a drill through my diamond audio dual voicecoil sub. And again, I am going to agree with pewter that a well-designed single 10" or 12" will blow away any set of 2 or even 3 12"s. I can turn my stereo all the way up and it's as clear as hell. My systems best feature is clarity not obnoxious bass or absurd highs. MB quart and diamond audio are on par with boston acoustics, the brands a high end mercedes or bmw would UPGRADE to. Also, mb quarts are hand made in germany. Gee, i wonder if i like mb quart.

GPz1100

Prelude,

The type r's have better highs based on what?

prelude00782

GPz, their frequency ranges.

Type R: • Frequency Response: 35Hz – 30kHz
Type X: • Frequency Response: 35Hz - 60kHz

Sorry, I got them switched up, the type X have better highs.