s7ven

Hey so I thought I would post some pictures of my new sub setup and give a review for anyone that might be thinking about doing something similar. Here are the components I chose to go with:

• Head Unit - Pioneer DEH-80PRS
• Subthump Stealth 10" Sub Enclosure (Drivers Side)
• JL Audio 10W3v3-4 10" 4 ohm Sub
• Kenwood X500-1 Amp
• Scosche Revopak4 Amp Wiring Kit

With the stock monsoon amp and speakers this seems to be a decent quality system.

Head Unit - I can't say anything negative about the head unit, it works flawlessly and I think it was a good value. The best feature is that it can read music in several ways such as CD, bluetooth, usb storage, and it can even utilize Pandora on your smart phone. I'm not currently utilizing the unit to it's full potential since the audio output is extremely customizable but I have to say the quality and ease of use is 10x better than stock. I was also able to retain my steering wheel controls by using the Axess Steering Wheel Control Interface (ASWC)...a bit pricey but works without any problems. I love this unit and even though I really liked the double din touch units, I couldn't justify spending $300-$600 more. Also...did I mention you can choose from 50 colors for every light on the unit?

Subthump stealth box - This was excellent, sturdy MDF construction, precision cuts, and is sealed up well. The terminal block is held in place well and doesn't pop out like in some cheaper boxes I've used. This is not an issue with the box itself but I would recommend a ported box with more cubes...I think with such a small box and no ports, the low lows just aren't there. As far as fitment, it was tight and took a little work but it's definitely not going anywhere.

Kenwood Amp - Small size, low heat, plenty of power, adjustable LPF, and bass boost. It mounted great in my spare tire compartment. Probably better products out there but no complaints.

JL Audio Sub - Looks awesome, hits hard, and gives the high quality bass I was looking for. The smaller diameter may have also contributed to my lack of low frequency bass so I think I would go with a 12" or bigger next time.

Wiring Kit - Looks awesome, perfect length cables for fbody, and 4 awg is plenty big enough for future power needs. These cables are actually the gauge they say they are...my only gripe is that only one end of the power cables had the connector crimped on (I think this is normal but I like to whine)...crimping 4 AWG connectors is a bitch. Ran +power from drivers side fuse block down right side of car under carpet/panels to amp and ran the RCA sub connectors down the left side...all wires are completely hidden except for engine bay.

And....the pictures:


The left hatch panel had a crack in it when I bought the car but overall a good fit.




Yep...the car used to be blue.


Head unit...a lil dark, got the color set to match the interior lights.


Not a good picture but the amp is there.

FSUNole17

iTrader: (18)

Nice setup, if you really want to make your system shine, buy you a set of decent cheap component speakers, a 4-channel amp, and then REALLY enjoy the music.

s7ven

Thanks, can you recommend a good set of component speakers? I've put Infinity door speakers in one of my friends 01' Camaro and fitment was a pain. How hard is it to run the new component cables to the speakers?

If I could do it for less than $500 I would probably go for it because I'm not a big fan of these paper cone factory speakers...both my sails are already blown anyway.

FSUNole17

iTrader: (18)

I am a big fan of Alpine products and Boston Acoustics. Alpine are cheaper price wise, but don't mistake cheap for not good quality. Boston's are just so clean sounding, that is what I am running currently. Both can be had by looking online for the best deal for between $100 and $200. I am not a big fan of Infinity, they couldn't handle the demand I put on them and the midbass (for me) was weak. Boston's midbass is REALLY firm.

To answer your question about running cables to the new speakers - if you ran the wires from the battery to your spare tire area, this is nothing you can't tackle. It isn't hard, just time consuming to take things apart and put back together. So difficult no, time consuming, yes. But completely worth it in the end.

As far as a 4-channel amp, again Alpine has my vote. Their amps are top notch and as far as bang for buck, can't beat them. I have a 4 channel that has 50 rms watts pushing my Boston's and some 6.5" subs in my sail panels and it gets PLENTY loud for me. Honestly man in your case, since you are going on a budget, I would get a 4-channel Alpine amp that does 55 watts RMS for each channel (The exact model is the Alpine MRX-F35) and have the front 2 channels run the components and bridge the 3 & 4 channels and it'll give your sub about 175-200 watts at 4ohm. That would be a sweet little setup for really really cheap.

And if you are worried about not having rear speakers, I have ditched the rear fill and never looked back, but if you MUST have rears just for listening preference, buy a CHEAP set of 6.75" coaxial speakers and put in the sail panels and use the headunit rear channels to power them. In other words, if you want rear fill, put as little money into it as you can because quite frankly if your front stage is set up properly, you will never hear your rear speakers.

LEt me know if you have any other questions.

Rare96LT1Formula

iTrader: (32)

OP -

I'm running the same head unit as you (AWESOME unit, one of the best on the market right now).

Here is my setup:

Pioneer 80PRS
Image Dynamics CTX-6.5cs (Front components)
Image Dynamics CTX-65 (Rear soundstage)
Alpine PDX-F4 (Powering my ID's)

Just waiting on DoubleDMods to get their stealthbox back in stock and I'm planning on running a massive audio subwoofer.


Honestly, you're doing yourself a disservice by NOT having components right now. The 80prs has one of the best built in EQ's on the market, so you should be using that feature! Look at Image Dynamics, Polk MM6501, and Hybrid Audio Technologies for a nice set of component 6.5" speakers that won't kill your wallet. Keep in mind though, you'll need an amplifier to power them. I think you could definitely do it with a $500 budget, assuming you install yourself.

IrbyBocksnick

Just my personal opinion. The lack of low bass could be that you are installing a ten in a small sealed box. Yes sealed boxes can hit lower but not as loud. If you want to hit lower and harder. Think about going with a 12 in a bigger ported box.

s7ven

I completely agree with you but the reason I went with a stealth box is because I didn't want to lose my trunk space and wanted more of a factory look. I had dual 12" 500w subs in a big sealed box in my old 99' Firebird...it hit hard down low but I really missed my trunk space. Also, this time around I'm going all quality and don't care much about quantity...I still miss my low bass though :\. I might try playing with the bass boost but I doubt it will make much of a difference.

Not sure where I could have made a good compromise on this... I suppose I could install a larger ported sub box on the passenger side?

IrbyBocksnick

I see a lot of Fbodies with 2 12s and it's overkill. Those 12s are starving for air space and you are going to get just as much spl out of a ported 12. Especially if you get a high wattage handling 12 and a high watt amp. There is only around 2 cubic feet of air space in that back cubby hole unless you really build it up and out. A better setup for 1 12. Something you might could do, is to go with a higher wattage sub and a higher powered amp to get more bass back there.

s7ven

Thanks for the feedback guys, I'm definitely going to do some research and get some component speakers. I'll probably forget the rear speakers and only use the door/sail speakers. It doesn't sound like running the wiring is going to be that hard but where is the best location for the new amp?

I know each door has two speakers, one tweeter and one normal, would both of these be replaced by one speaker for both highs and mids? (drop the tweeter) Also, are the sails best left for mid-bass or would it be better if they covered more highs? Just wondering since my sub is supplying quite a broad range of bass already. (30-200hz because I haven't set the LPF yet)

s7ven

Even if they were starving for air, it was way more bass than I needed. Back then I was out to rattle mirrors and make ears bleed but now I just want a high quality sound that I can enjoy. I'll probably stick with what I have for now but I might add a 500-700w sub/amp to the passenger side down the road. IIRC my small 10" 300W sub required 1.5cu ft. of air if used in a ported box (.65 cu ft. sealed)...I think I would have trouble finding any stealth box with that many cubes.

IrbyBocksnick

Yah no stealth box is going to have 1.5 cu ft. I was just saying, if you wanted more, you can probably get a little more out of a stealth box.

As for your setup, i would go with some new components up front and replace the sail panels with better subs.
I do like the looks of the stealth box thought. Don't think I haven't thought about going that route myself. It saves the ttop space in the back. How deep does that box go in that setup? I mean mounting depth.

s7ven

I think subthump sells a box that takes up the ttop area but has a slot for the ttops to slide in. I thought about that one but the trunk space is still lost. The mounting depth on the drivers side box is 9".

Blazen Fire

Love it man. Looks good.

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

Another option would be to forgo the rewiring and just get a decent set of replacement speakers to run off the Monsoon amp as you are setup now. You could even get replacement sail panel "subs" to help fill in some of that mid-bass that you are missing because of the blown factory subs. Both of our sponsors, Kee Audio and Double D Mods, offer individual speaker replacements and complete speaker packages designed to go well with the factory mounting and the oddball Monsoon wiring.

The advantage is that it's easy to do now yet doesn't prevent you from adding an aftermarket amp and rewiring if you decide you need more power in the future - the replacement speakers will handle it well.

s7ven

I think so, the bass seems to hit pretty clear and solid. I think it will get better once I lower my lpf a little. I may just leave the bass boost the way it is....I think I can control most of that from the HU using the EQ. I adjusted my gain using a multimeter and I assume altering the bass boost might cause my amp to clip.

I will definitely consider this option but I don't think the new wiring is going to be too hard and I am leaning towards components.

As for the rear speakers...I've talked to several people and they seem to think that the shaping of the hatch area is an ideal place for speakers to be back there... so now I'm having a hard time deciding if I want to get rid of them. I know that my sub response is totally different with the hatch closed vs. open and sounds 10x better. Also...I think I will get new sail mid-bass subs to help fill in what bass I will be missing from my rear sub once I set the lpf lower.

s7ven

Thanks man, I wish I had more of a budget for the sound system but I need to start investing in the performance side of things.

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

You do realize that you already have components in the door and hatch areas from the factory? And that the replacement kits would also be components?

Yes, it is true that the hatch tends to be a good reflector for sound from the rear. No, it is not true that it is a good idea to put regular speakers back there. Subs yes, regular speakers no. The reason has nothing to do with sound reflection or enhancement but with sound staging. Low frequencies are not directional - your ear can't really tell what direction the sound comes from. But higher frequencies are very directional and you don't want to have the feeling that your sound is coming from behind you. That's why the factory speakers in the hatch area are so small - they're there merely for rear fill and not as a primary sound source. Putting larger speakers in the back will make your system sound like the '70s when everyone put speakers under the rear window on the parcel shelf... might as well get an 8-track to go with it.

s7ven

Thank you for clearing all of that up for me, I had some confusion with coaxial vs component. (I'm a N00b)

So I'm looking at the kits now, can someone that currently has one of these kits let me know what they think? I was looking at the Gen 4 Speaker Package #6 from Double D Mods.

On another note, I did get my current setup sounding much better by using the auto EQ/timing and setting the HPF to stop my blown sail speakers from rattling.

I'm pretty happy with it but definitely not rattling the change in my cup holders or vibrating my mirrors. The bass is clear and solid but if you are looking for a lot of bass I think you might be disappointed with my setup. If you went with a higher wattage amp and sub you might have more bass but I would think that requires more box space than .6 cu ft.

IrbyBocksnick

I may just use a P3 I have and build a ported box. I'll have to figure out another arrangement I guess for the TTops. It's not that I need earth shattering bass but would hate to do the ten and get just a little bit.

s7ven

I suggest looking at subthump's T-top box...it holds two 10 or 12" subs and you get 1.1 cu ft. per sub. Also, like the name says, you still have space to stick your T-tops. The bad part is that its a bit expensive at $270 plus S&H. I haven't checked but maybe a sponsor on here has a similar product as well.