johnp66

I've settled on Dynaudio 240s for the front and 160s for the rear to upgrade my 2000 GS4. I would like to spend up to $1500 for a replacement subwoofer and an amplifier. The $1500 is in addition to any other costs: installation, wire upgrade, LLCs, etc. Sound quality is critical, and my musical preference runs the gamut but includes jazz and symphonic music. How would you apportion the dollars and what would you buy?

BananaGS

sound like you need to change the factory head unit and the stock amp also if you are willing to spend that much (for sound quality)

johnp66

Not sure I have read this before. Contacted TheAutophile.com about McIntosh and received the following:

I am sorry John, we no longer work with McIntosh products......

Peter Lufrano -Owner
The Autophile
http://www.TheAutophile.com

Anyone recommend another online sources for McIntosh?

johnp66

Before I jumped into the stereo upgrade, I read extensively on the posts here and on the SQ forum at Elitecaraudio.com. But I had a hard time sizing up the total cost for an upgrade on the stock GS400. Maybe this will serve as a case study for one approach to doing this upgrade:

After spending $850 on the DynAudio 240 MK II and 160 speakers, I decided to put $816 in an Arc 4150 4x85 amp, $169 in an IDQ10 sub and $335 in a PPI PCX1250 1x250 amp. I wanted the DynAudio 190 but couldn't find them in stock. The IDQ version shipped is 2 ohm and I'm a little concerned about the PCX1250 overheating. Also, I purchased the Arc parametric EQ for $284. With shipping, I was a litle under the $1500 budget for the amp and subwoofer/amp setup. The DynAudio would have been $115 more.

The Dynaudio 240MkII and 160s arrived last night. Installation is this weekend and I'm downloading the installation photos from bananags' website to take with me. Installation will cost about $500 plus Monster Cable, etc. By the time I sober up, the total will approach $3500. Eventually, I'll replace the head unit if I can find someone to make me a professional faceplate.

400DGRZ

iTrader: (2)

Ah heck, take $500 more, even it out at $4k, and celebrate
over at Platinum Plus Saturday night John!!!

engin_ear

iTrader: (1)

Amp overheating: depends on the impedance the amp is rated for and how hard you're going to drive it (what kind of music you listen to...). Your amp should be rated for 2 ohm loads or below, or it may not just overheat, it may distort. You might also consider putting two IDQ's in series (your install plan may not support this), or using a 4-ohm woofer.

Percy

Mc won't sell online for various reasons. Plus, they're not very good at 2 ohm loads. They'll handle it, but even Mc will agree, the operational lifetime of the amp will be shorter. 4 ohms and above (like the Dynaudio speakers) and they'll be very happy.

Any chance you'll install the components yourself and save the bucks?

Percy

johnp66

Percy, I have two written bids on the install here in Greenville, one at $1000 and another at $1100. So, there is real incentive to try it myself. Could almost upgrade to McIntosh with the savings.

I probably could do any one piece of this with detailed instructions. But it would take me considerably longer than someone with experience. One installer wants two days and the other three days for the complete install: speakers in all doors, two amps, a sub amp with a box and an EQ in the dash. It would take me at least twice as long. Now if the price is out of line ...

crsow

John, let me know what all you have to be installed and let me see if I can get you a better price on the install.

I'm in Rock Hill and I know that we would be able to help you out.

johnp66

Installation is complete and I am quite pleased overall. A moulding on the bottom of the door sill was accidentally pushed under the car and came into contact with a hot muffler. So, we'll be replacing that. And, today a piece of trim on the back of the passenger-side pillar fell into the window casing, binding the door glass. Cranked the glass back up and we'll pursue that on Monday. Hopefully, that turns out to be minor, too. Took about nine hours to complete, mostly with one guy working alone.

These components have been discussed ad nauseum here. The definition of the Dynaudios is stunning. Almost like wearing a set of high-quality headphones. Tweeters are never shrill or tiring, yet lively and airy. The Arc 4150 is strong and seems clean, and the Dyns sound wonderful, so the amp must be doing its job. Separation was a dramatic surprise over the stock setup.

The IDQ10/PPI PCX1250 combination is not up to the Dynaudio standard. Sounds decent on upright bass for jazz -- good definition. It gets a little boomy with Eric Clapton, but sounds at home with a little toe-tapper from George Strait. But a classical piece with complex. fast-moving low-end stuff overwhelms it. By comparison, the midbass on the Dyns is tight and seems relatively quick. I suspect that the sub is dragging a little. Not sure if it's speaker or amp, or maybe even a tuning issue. My installer was coming from another world on the bass end.

DaveGS4, you are absolutely right about MP3s. The recording industry should give away Dyns and start selling better source material. Having tasted the Dyns, I have to wonder whether there's even more to be savored from a quality CD player and a good pre-amp. And perhaps a better bass amp and/or speaker down the road.

Percy

John,

Preamp and processor combo will make quite a bit of difference. If there's a weakness up front (head unit/processor) then it will definitely show up later in the chain.

Percy

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

Congrats John - sounds like it's all coming together. Can't wait to hear it, will have to set up a mini-meet sometime after Turkey day some weekend when Dex is in town.

I'm definitely not a fan of MP3s in my car system now, especially in a mixed changer of real CDs. What a difference in sound quality!

Very interested in how better amps sound with the same speakers I/we have with the same headunit. Of course some differences in the install are going to be there, but hopefully since the speaker locations are the same that'll be minimized somewhat.