Ok i am gathering the parts and materials to install a system in my car. I haven't done this in quite some
time so I am a little unsure of my choices. This is what i came up with so far.


Company Item
SubThump Driver Side 10" Enclosure
SubThump Extended Amp Rack
Elemental Designs eD 11Kv.2 Sub woofer
JL Audio E4300 4 Channel
JL Audio E2150 2 Channel
JL Audio RBC-1 Bass ****
Infinity Infinity Reference 6000CS 6.5" Component Set
Infinity Infinity Reference 6012i 6.5" 2-Way
Alpine CDA-9857 CD Player MP3 /WMA Playback
Alpine KCE-422i iPOD car connection Cable
GM GM Wire Harness GWH343
MAP tech Camaro Humount with Blue lettering
Stinger Hyper 17 Ft 4 Channel RCA Cable
Stinger Hyper 17 Ft 2 Channel RCA Cable
Sound Quest 1-4 Gauge In 4-8 Gauge Out Distribution Block
Sound Quest 3-4 Gauge In 2-8 Gauge Out AGU Fuse Block
Sound Quest 4/8 Gauge Water Resistant AGU Fuse Holder
Stinger 4 - 4 Gauge Ring Terminals
Misc 5 - 60 amp AGU Fuses
Misc 5 - 20 amp AGU Fuses
Misc 5 - 40 amp AGU Fuses
Misc 20 ft 4 Gauge Red Power Wire
Misc 4 Ft 4 Gauge Black Ground Wire
Misc 6 Ft 8 Gauge Red Power Wire
Misc 6 Ft 8 Gauge Black Power Wire
Misc 20 Ft 16 Gauge Remote Power wire
Misc Twisted Blue/Silver 12 Gauge Speaker 50 Ft



System Diagram.



Now for the long list of questions.

Will 50 ft of speaker wire be enough to wire up the front components, Rear sail panels and sub? The amps
will be located in the rear well on the Subthump amp rack and the crossovers for the fronts will be in
the kick panels. The sub will be in a Subthump stealth enclosure on the drivers side.

Is 12 gauge twisted pair speaker wire overkill?

Any thoughts on the stinger RCA cables? I didn't want to drop 150 buck on high end cables. Do you think
there will be a noticeable difference?

Does my component choice look good? I didn't want to drop a fortune on components and rear fills. Are
there better speakers than these in the same general price range?

Same for the Amps any other option in the same price range?

Any thoughts on mounting the tweeters at the bottom of the a pillar pointing towards the windshield?
Will this be two much separation? Is there a better place (Other than moving the components to the kick
panels) to mount them?

Did i list the correct wiring harness?

Any fitment issues with the speakers i selected?

What did you guys use to connect the main power wire to the battery? I listed some ring terminals but
i wasn't sure if the factory terminal had enough space to connect these.

Is 50 Sq Ft of dynamat enough to cover both doors, Sail Panels and rear well area?

I am going to run a 60 amp fuse on the main power line. Is this the proper size for the two amps i listed?
The distribution block will hold a 20 amp for the e2150 and a 40 amp for the e4300.

What would be the best way to wire up the Sub? It is a Dvc 2 ohm. The sub amp is a two channel but it
can be bridged to 1 X 150W at 4 ohm. It also states that operating the amp bridged at lower than
4 ohms is not recommended. Any ideas?

Will i need to run a Cap?

Did miss any other items?

Sorry for the 1000 questions i just want to make sure i got all the basics covered

 

-50' of wire will be enough.

-12ga is somewhat overkill, but in a good way. It doesn't take up that much more room, so why not? As long as you don't mind spending some extra money.

-As for your speaker choice, personally, I say no. Infinity speakers are very bright and they make my ears practically bleed. If you've heard them and liked them at high volumes for extended periods of time (this is important) then they are a good choice for you. If you haven't heard them much then either hear them first or pick something less bright.

-I recommend Eclipse XA amps. The JL amps aren't bad, but Eclipse XA amps put out plenty of power and they are full-range class-D so they draw about half the power. And they aren't extremely expensive.

-Stinger RCA cables are fine. You won't gain anything from the expensive ones.

-NEVER mount tweeters facing the windshield, always point them to somewhere towards the seat on that side if you have a choice. Angle them in a bit, that is, but not a ton. You want them to vertically point to ear-level when possible.

-Not sure if it's the correct wiring harness, don't feel like looking it up

-I don't believe there will be fitment issues, but someone else correct me if required.

-You can use a ring terminal yes, but honestly, the best thing you can do is convert to a top-post battery. Side-post terminals have crush washers in them and if you overtighten them, you can put a tiny crack in the battery housing that you probably won't see but will leak battery acid down your wires and that will kill your alternator.

-Don't know how much dynamat you'd need

-60A is fine, but if you go with Eclipse XAs, then you can go even lower.

-Wire the voice coils in series to give you 4 ohms and you will be golden.

-You should not need a cap.

-I think you got it all.


One thing to keep in mind is that since you want to put speakers in the sail panel, if you have the premium system (I assume it's monsoon for 98s too) then they should only be subs there and you'd need to rewire. I don't know if this is the same if you don't have the premium system.

 

Thanks for the input dragonrage.

What about using a single 5 channel amp? I was looking at the Kicker ZX700.5 amp. It lists the following
85 Watts RMS x 4 (2 ohm)
420 Watts RMS x 1 (2 ohm)
Any possible problems with running everything off one amp? I could dump the distribution blocks and save some coin.
Im assuming this amp has a 4 gauge power and ground terminal on the amp.

Would it be a better idea to get a Dvc 4 ohm sub and run the voice coils in parallel with the above amp?

Also how do the Kicker KS65.2 2-Way components stackup?

Thanks

 

Consider knukonceptz.com for your cabling needs. They ship relatively fast, have good prices, and reasonable quality products (as far as cables go). I was not too impressed with their distribution block or battery terminal hardware.

 

Running everything from 1 amp is fine, and try to get a sub to match the amp, so yes a 2x4-ohm sub would be right for that amp.

I never did like Kicker speakers/subs, but they will be better than stock definitely...

 

If price isn't an option, you should listen to their SS line. The RS line ins't bad.

 

I Ordered the CDA-9857 head unit and iPOD connector yesterday. I also ordered the GM wire harness and the Metra 99-3300 Radio install kit.
I decided to put the extra 60 bucks that was going into the humount into the front component set. Im leaning towards the RS series now from Kicker.

I think i'm still going to stick with the KS series 2-ways for the rear sail panels. I probably will turn the gain down on the rears for a fill effect. Any opinions or concerns on this?

GPz1100
Thanks for the link. They got great prices. I will be placing an order with them shortly

Again thanks to all that have chimed in here.

 

Here is my 2 cents on your setup. Of course, this is just my opinion and take from it what you will.

The Alpine 9857 is not bad but, it is not like the Alpine of old. Sadly, Alpine has gone down hill since 2004. Since you already ordered it, I am sure it will be fine. I will say, put the money into the HUmount. I did and could not have been happier. The fit and finish is top notch and quality is second to none. It is a nice way to finish off them system. Too bad you already bought the IPod adaptor, I have a brand new one that I am not using.

JL Amps are good but, pricey. Like anything else, you get what you pay for and JL is top quality. You do not need the bass ****. They are waste of money and the HU will control the sub output.

The Subthump Hardware is a perfect fit and I am using both stealthboxes and the amp rack. You will be pleased once all of it is installed.

For the best setup, do not power all of the speakers with one amp. This is just gives a subpar amp that takes up less space. The sub amp needs to be a class D for the best efficiency. The fronts will be a 2 or 4 channel amp depending on your needs.

For cabling and connectors, go to www.partsexpress.com and they have excellent prices and fast shipping.

Sounds like you already scrapped the Infinity Componets. Glad you did because they are a dissappointment. I had them and they sound bad and had not midbass reproduction.

 

Well i ordered all my parts. Thanks to everyone for taking the time to help. I made some changes to the original plan and here is what i went with.

Head unit
Alpine CDA-9857

Amp
Kicker ZX700.5 5-channel hybrid amp
(channels 1-4 class A/B, channel 5 mono class D)

Front Components
MB Quart RCE-216

Rear 2-Ways
MB Quart DKE-116

Sub
eD 11Kv.2 (dual 4 ohm)
This will go in a SubThump driver side box

The Amp and crossovers for the front speakers will be mounted on a SubThump amp rack. I will experiment with the tweeter placement but i think I'm leaning towards putting them in the bottom of the A-pillars. I can use the three settings on the crossovers to adjust the tweeter level if they are to bright there.

I will let everyone know how it turns out.

Thanks again

Updated diagram

 

how much is all this going to cost if you don't mind me asking?

 

Price for everything (equipment, Cables, Dash kit, power etc...) was around $1140.

Shipping was $150

Total $1290

I bought most the items from various vendors on EBay and Amazon.

 

I hope that includes your iPod

 

Nope. Where could i have saved $300 or so dollars?

List of items with prices
SubThump Driver Side 10" Encloser 102A $112.00
SubThump Extended Amp Rack X-Rack $75.00
Elemental Designs eD 11Kv.2 dual 4 ohm Subwoofer 11Kv.2 $115.00
Kicker ZX700.5 5-Channel Amp ZX700.5 $299.00
MB Quart RCE-216 Car Speakers 6.5" components RCE-216 $115.00
MB Quart DKE-116 Car Speakers 6.5" 2-Way DKE-116 $49.99
Alpine CDA-9857 CD Player MP3 /WMA Playback CDA-9857 $246.00
Alpine KCE-422i iPOD car connection Cable KCE-422i $29.99
GM GM Wire Harness GWH343 $2.99
Metra 99-3300 Radio Install Kit 99-3300 $8.99
Knukonceptz 4 gauge 4 channel amp install kit KOL-AK44 $45.99
Knukonceptz Klarity 2 channel RCA Kable KLA-5M $7.99
Knukonceptz Klear Kable Bule 12 Gauge Speaker Wire 50' KLE12BL $27.50
Knukonceptz 5 - Mini ANL Fuse 120A MANL-120A $5.96
Total $1,141.40

I might have been able to shave a few pennies here and there. But i wouldn't have been much cheaper. I searched for the best prices on Amazon & Ebay.

Thanks

 

does not seem like a bad deal to me...this sh*t is expensive for quality.

 

Ain't that the truth. I haven't messed with any car audio stuff for probably 11 years. Everything has changed but the cost. LOL

I priced shopped around but you never know. I could have gotten gouged on something. Like stated earlier i haven't been in the scene for over a decade.

 

rickJames, hooked you up with a better system layout:

 

Nice saving now.

Thanks Snootch

 

I finally got everything installed and working today.

Summary

Head Unit: Alpine CDA-9857
Love it. The iPOD controls work great. The detachable face is a pain to put back on but i can live with that. The BBE feature is also a nice addition. The controls are easy to use and its a nice looking unit as well.

Amp: Kicker ZX700.5 5-Channel Amp
This is a great piece. The gains and crossover points are easy to access and adjust. The amp runs very cool. At 3/4 volume with the sub boost turned up the lights dont even flicker. I guess the Class D portion of the amp is to thank for this.

Front Components: MB Quart RCE-216
On the fence with these. The sound quality is good but not as good as i expected. I did go with the lower end MB Quarts so i cant expect to much. I am happy with them though and with a little tunning (crossover and gains) they could possibly improve some. Still much better than the stock units. The tweeters were placed at the bottom of the A-Pillers. The separation is not to bad here and they were not as bright as i expected.

Rear Components: MB Quart DKE-116
Same issues as the front components. These are just rear fill so im not as worried with them. Im still pleased with the outcome.

Sub & Enclosure: eD 11Kv.2 dual 4 ohm Subwoofer & SubThump Stealth box
I love this sub and box combo. It hits hard and clean. I didnt put any polyfill in the enclosure. I will try that next and see what it does. I am very happy i chose this combo.


The system is not gonna win any awards but it is more than adequate for my needs.

Now im not putting another dime in this car until somthing breaks

Thanks for all the help and advice given