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I'm (finally) putting together an audio system, in order to replace the 1997 OEM stuff.
I'm OCD, so I like uniformity, as well as quality; therefore I've chosen to go with a complete Alpine setup. Also, because I think it would enhance the overall appeal of the car, having the audio system be a unit, versus say e.g. Alpine Monitor, with Rockford Speakers, and a JL Sub, and Amp. I want a clean-looking car overall; so like I said "uniformity". A new car doesn't come with multi-brand audio, so ... I think it makes sense.
I've always used JL's in the past, but this time I have new goals; so I just need quality-sound relative to other cars (2015 OEM systems; like Bose, or Infinity e.g.) which offers a good "kick" with regard to bass. Nothing too fancy though; no "competition subs" or anything like that, but something respectable at least. After all, I'm more interested in the mechanical performance of my car; yet I'm really just tired of the sihtty audio from my OEM system, lol. It's bad, haha. I don't even have an AM radio function, and theres no CD player either :\
This way however, the cars gonna be a bit more contemporary; so I figured it's a worthy update.
That said, I'm also on a budget - But I'm thrifty; so I haven't even spent $400 yet
I'm currently at $327 Total
AND ... I got both the speakers, and subwoofer - BRAND NEW!
So ... I'm on a mission.
I wanna build this whole system for less than $500 Total.
I think I can do it.
I've purchased the following thus far:
Alpine: IVA-W200 In-Dash Monitor.
"Two" sets of Alpine SXE-1750S Component Speakers.
This gives me two more tweeters to add in the rear - *BONUS!*
An Alpine: SWR-M100 10" Type-R Subwoofer ... It's a free-air sub, because I wanna retain the OEM placement of the 10" in the rear-deck, since I don't wanna add more weight the car by building a box in the trunk. So doing a little research, I discovered that Alpine's marine sub, is in fact a Type-R, so I don't have to build a box, while I also don't have to settle for a lesser version, like the Type-S or Type-E models, in order to stay within my budget.
So from what I gather, it's everything I want for this project. Now, I've never heard the marine subs (especially not in a car), but I've spoken to some reputable experts about it, and they said it's gonna be a good choice.
... So now, I'm just looking to complete the system with a 5ch. Amp to power it all.
So as soon as I get one, I will post more updates (with pics) documenting the build, and final setup.
They're pretty cheap (at least on eBay), so I'm considering buying a Reverse-Camera to toss in there also. I'm gonna pop out the lock/key mechanism for the trunk, and install the camera there in the taillight. I think it's gonna be sweet.
How did you get the head unit for cheap? I recommend the Alpine PDX9, it's nothing short of awesome. I have it in my car. I like my set up, but I do like being uniform as well. All Alpine is a good choice, great company, quality stuff. I don't no why you would pop out the lock key mechanism though, just mount the camera by the license plate light. Looks perfect there, you have to pop the light up from what I remember, and slide the wiring up in there, worked great for me.
How did you get the head unit for cheap? I recommend the Alpine PDX9, it's nothing short of awesome. I have it in my car. I like my set up, but I do like being uniform as well. All Alpine is a good choice, great company, quality stuff. I don't no why you would pop out the lock key mechanism though, just mount the camera by the license plate light. Looks perfect there, you have to pop the light up from what I remember, and slide the wiring up in there, worked great for me.
I got the monitor on eBay for $120
It was $200, but no bids; so I contacted the seller and made a Best Offer, which she accepted.
As far as the camera, it's a perfect fit; so it's less work.
Plus, my trunks lock-mechanism gets stuck sometimes, and I can't turn the key to open it; so it's easier to do-so from the inside switch simply. So it just makes sense, I feel. It's more discreet; sits flush inside; looks OEM.
Wow! You have definitely scored on everything!! Alpiine with JL is also my preference. Can't wait to see it all done! Post pics when you are done for sure!
Im actually going to be dropping off my car next week at Al & Ed's Autosound to have my system finally installed. Just haven't had the time recently.
My buddy is the head installer there so he will be doing the work. He will be making a custom enclosure for the trunk, then intall the amp, sub, heady unit and back up camera as well.
I went with an Alpine head unit, JL Amp, and JL Sub as well.
We previously installed Alpine components in the front and Alpine in the rear deck and ran all new speaker wiring, power, ground, and RCA's for the amp along with installing Dynamat in the trunk and interior. So will be nice to finally get everything done.
CityKnight, does that sub fit depth wise over the gas tank?
Hahaha, we'll see
I hope so!
If not, Im gonna have to make a lil' ring, in order to lift it up an inch or so, off of the deck.
I actually took the idea from Rossman66's Thread
All I need now is an second amp for my component speakers.
I think I can find a matching amp (same gen.) as my sub amp for under $50.00; something like the MRV-F300. If I can (I'm on a mission, haha); then I'll go the extra mile and buy some sound-deadener to go with it (Dynamat's overpriced just for the name; I can do better).
In sum, if I achieve all this, then I'm friggin' awesome, and this systems gonna be riDONKulous! considering the total-cost
I can't wait
Oh, btw, we should probably compare this cost to retail, right?
I feel that one brand don't make all the best, for a head unit navigation system Kenwood tops them all, but there speakers are ok, Polk makes fantastic speakers, amps I would stick with Rockford.
for a head unit navigation system Kenwood tops them all, but there speakers are ok, Polk makes fantastic speakers, amps I would stick with Rockford.
I hate to be that sanctimonious ****, but this kind of thing is really personal and subjective. Kenwood only makes 2 head units with 4 volt preouts, which is pretty important if you plan on running amplifiers. It's not necessary but it allows for more control of amp output though the gain setting when you don't have to make up for diminished 2-2.5v outs from the head unit. I actually eally enjoyed Nakamichi's aftermarket head units, there are enough pre-outs, all at 4v, they look like stock with none of the gaudy chrome or bright displays so are not typically a target of theft, and offer solid power if you just use them to drive speakers.
Polk's speakers are good but overpriced, there is better quality out there Same can be said for Rockford Amps, Any amp with a Zenon board is going to be quality, so companies like Incriminator and Sundown are going to have better amps for cheaper than Fosgate since Fosgate has the name recognition tax. And Sundown has the best customer service bar none of any car audio company I've dealt with. Jacob will pretty much fix anything with his company name on it and not charge you a dime, regardless of if you bought it from him, or used from someone else, or how long its been out on the market.
But again, a lot of this is subjective, and very few people have ever really gotten to experience a lot of different types of equipment and brands for extended periods of time. So even if they have an opinion of one brand they typically don't have a quantitative experience with another brand thats easily comparable. So even my opinion here should really come with a grain of salt.
I hate to be that sanctimonious ****, but this kind of thing is really personal and subjective. Kenwood only makes 2 head units with 4 volt preouts, which is pretty important if you plan on running amplifiers. It's not necessary but it allows for more control of amp output though the gain setting when you don't have to make up for diminished 2-2.5v outs from the head unit. I actually eally enjoyed Nakamichi's aftermarket head units, there are enough pre-outs, all at 4v, they look like stock with none of the gaudy chrome or bright displays so are not typically a target of theft, and offer solid power if you just use them to drive speakers.
Polk's speakers are good but overpriced, there is better quality out there Same can be said for Rockford Amps, Any amp with a Zenon board is going to be quality, so companies like Incriminator and Sundown are going to have better amps for cheaper than Fosgate since Fosgate has the name recognition tax. And Sundown has the best customer service bar none of any car audio company I've dealt with. Jacob will pretty much fix anything with his company name on it and not charge you a dime, regardless of if you bought it from him, or used from someone else, or how long its been out on the market.
But again, a lot of this is subjective, and very few people have ever really gotten to experience a lot of different types of equipment and brands for extended periods of time. So even if they have an opinion of one brand they typically don't have a quantitative experience with another brand thats easily comparable. So even my opinion here should really come with a grain of salt.
when it comes to a navi headunit. "eclipse" is the top. price is sky high as well.
when it comes to car audio its not so much the brand. its really the ERA/ where it was made.
alpine was the TOP when it was made in germany back then. now its asia crap.
(compare the old school alpine to new, sound quality way better on the old decks) not saying it doesn't work or look nice. but its not as good as before.
or older rockford fosgate subs that will hit hard & cleaner and last way longer than their new line stuff today.
(RF was USA made before. its not anymore)
pioneer is nice kenwood would be below pioneer.
alpine it really depends now on the double dins (hit or miss)
pioneer when it comes to the 6x9 5 ways are clean AF.
infinity and pioneer are kind of neck & neck BUT infinity catches highs cleaner than pioneer.
or you can go super high end, FOCAL/JL audio equipment few others brands as well for speakers.
the list goes on. every brand has its own uses.
like highs that are clean get this brand & if you like lows with blah blah get this one...
just really depends on wallet/owners ear/biased by brand.
but aside from it all that double din was a STEAL. i remember people paying 1k and 350-600 used for those double dins a while back. cant wait to see it all installed!
you will enjoy the type R i had the red ones back in the day.
@FSU nice job getting the w3. for a small speaker you will hear a clean bump outta those. when i was ignorant back then i had 3 of those in my trunk. JL really has the DEEP feel down.
went from that to the w7 13.5 and i was in homer simpson donut heaven.
car didnt like me so much (BMW e30) but i sure enjoyed it. those days are long gone making car alarms go off being herd from blocks away.
i hope to get the anniversary yellow w7 8' soon and fit it in the trunk. all this stereo talk is making me want to rip everything out w/ the nakamichi system.
There's no reason to go back in time to purchase car audio equipment honestly. I understand a lot of it was better before the Korean Build houses popped up and most US companies shipped overseas. However there are lots of great brands right now that are making car audio equipment that you can actually get serviced if something breaks. Sure you can get some SoundStream amps from 1995, or a USAmps Amp from before 2004 when they sold out, but good luck getting that fixed if anything blows.
Zenon is a build house in Korea that provides boards for several companies, and they make the best boards on the market today that are less than $1,500. I personally don't like very many of the brands you mentioned because they're all overpriced. Most of them have licenses with the big box audio stores so and they're typically more expensive. Focal and JL are NOT high end. Try Morel, FI, Hertz, or Dayton if you really want some high end equipment right now. Now I'll admit the old school RF Audiophile series was pretty damn sweet, and I wouldn't give anyone a hard time for running that. Even their T series subs can do some serious damage and take most anything you throw at it, but they stack up with Sundowns Nightshade Subs which are still about $100 cheaper. So it's kind of hard to point to that as the best, when someone else is doing it just as well if not better for less with great customer service.
A lot of people think brands have an affect on sound quality and performance, but for the most part they really don't. Obviously a few things are important like the Thiele small parameters and spider stiffness and xmax when determining how low a sub can perform and how much dampening is needed to stop it from over-excursing. But all of that can be adjusted for with the installation. The installation is 90% of how audio performs. The right box can make any sub sound like any other sub. The problem is most people just purchase whatever pre-fab box is suggested to them and they typically lose out over what a custom box can offer, so they start having silly opinions like "10's are better for rock, 12's are better for rap" which is ludicrously unscientific. It really doesn't make any sense to spend a couple grand on audio equipment and then just a couple hundred on the enclosure when it has the most effect on how it will sound. Having a custom box made really isn't even that expensive, and putting in the research to do it right will insure that you get the most out of your investment. More than choosing the right brand ever will.
The SC is just a weird platform for car audio in general though. Aside from odd stock speaker sizes which aren't such a big deal, there's the issue of sub placement, maintaining trunk space, corner loading, cabin gain and the gas tank placement. Eventually I do plan on installing an infinite baffle system in this car, as I think it's the only practical option for my specific goals, but I'm still debating with myself about it.
What kind of system did you have planned Mack? Those W7's are pretty stout pieces of machinery in the right box, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.
There's no reason to go back in time to purchase car audio equipment honestly. I understand a lot of it was better before the Korean Build houses popped up and most US companies shipped overseas. However there are lots of great brands right now that are making car audio equipment that you can actually get serviced if something breaks. Sure you can get some SoundStream amps from 1995, or a USAmps Amp from before 2004 when they sold out, but good luck getting that fixed if anything blows.
when it came to the navi headunit. i mentioned eclipse. most of them we sold to customers & used in our custom installations out performed any headunit even if it wasnt a navi. its overpriced by alot but the quality is there. (aside from the navi being too detailed which i wasn't fond of)
when it came to mentioning back then. i just ment most users think that oh alpine was beez neez back then so they must be good now (wrong) kinda like nakamichi is pretty much dead now... when it comes to subs you can always go back in time, amps not so much but its possible... i know a few places that can always fix old school amps/subs equipment. but your point is valid for most other users, want the easy RMA customer service... really depends how audiophile the owner is i guess.
most of the brands are overpriced but that's where your customer service comment comes into play. like focal ive never had a problem, same with JL, LOVE rainbow... i could have mentioned morel etc. but we dont drive ferraris and i doubt anyone here will spend 4K+ on a set of morel 602's. not saying they dont perform BUT my reason being, the morel virtus ($800+) is overpriced (wouldn't even touch tempo or maximo) compared to some kicker SS series ($600+) that out perform & rape the morel setup... (not 602's though) ive herd infinity kappas+reference mixture sound better than the Kicker SS series... (you can see where im going here) so i didnt bother mentioning it before. like hertz i would praise more but i know some focals that sound better even though hertz frequency range is wider... where its made in the end is really what matters. most of those companys are asia now and its very noticeable compared to hi-fi equipment.
its very hard as well because type of music comes into factor and some people like mids more or this brand will have too much of a metallic sound and the other one will have a warmer sound so in the end it really comes down to the owners ear.
only thing a brand name does for me is reputation/customer service.
(its kinda hit and miss every now and then because ive seen some new product from a well known company be utter crap)
most brands ive come to learn is that not 1 company is "well rounded" most are only good for certain things. like one will only have best components, another for subs or this company catches highs very well and another company catches lows better than others... really depends on application and use as well of course...
some cheapy stuff can perform just as good if not better than other companys. i agree the right set up the box specs, the car has alot to do with all the sound deadening & sizes go into play...
i remember a set of powerbass 15's outperformed a set of kicker L7 15's both custom boxes made by the same company 2 spec. i couldn't believe it...powerbass is kinda cheapy but it did out perform well known pricey kicker... but how long they will last? who knows i dont really buy too low end to find out or bother but i have seen it here an there. not many are too memorable though.
the trunk space does cause a factor w/ the gas tank being right in the way of the 10' factory hole. almost seems like getting the best "shallow mount subwoofers"
(which perform but not to be like blown away awesome or anything)
is a clean nice alternative if you just want that noticeable thump/clean safe install 4 the SC...
i highly doubt infinite baffle will be possible with the SC trunk space, more like a dipole like sound.. using that stock subhole the trunk space isnt far enough because the rear waves are present still. the only way i can see utilizing the most of the trunk space is too completely dynamat/seal the trunk to use as a huge box. Also, would be to angle a subwoofer so the magnet will clear the gas tank. (since only a sub that could cause that damage or be useful enough to sound clean in a sized trunk like that would have a long/huge magnet behind it usually)
if you reach iB on the SC then sir you must be jesus or something higher because that task is impossible for it to be true iB on this car.
What kind of system did you have planned Mack? Those W7's are pretty stout pieces of machinery in the right box, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.
a while back i was lucky enough to obtain a set of HAT legatias.
- Legatia L6SE
- Legatia L1 R2 Pro Tweeters In Black
(have Legatia L4SE for mid's but this would be to OP for the SC door w/ major modification)
- w7 8" anniversary (for its compact size thump ability)
- Original Precision Power Amp 1800.2
(still outperforms almost anything new out just hate how HUGE it is though)
-JL Audio M/400-4
(as the SC has condensation issues and the drains are right next to where i want to install the amp as well) safety pre-caution even though all the drains and seals will be refreshed and not have leak issues.
i could get a much different set up but this is just what ive came across and learned to love.
ive owned alotta different systems and it really comes down to what the person likes personally.
something could be better but it wont mean the buyer will like it.
im still not sure if i even want to install this set up in this car since the nakamichi wiring will be a pain in the ARSEEEE to rip out (as i dont like leaving connections open in my cars or just simply cutting & capping off)
who knows. audio is a crazy process when done properly.
When I wanted to upgrade the audio system in our '92 SC300 did some minor research on head units and then left the rest up to a professional installer. The Pioneer X-940 has been a real treat and easily the most feature laden electronic device I have come across in any car.
The sub woofer was shot due to sun/heat damage and there are only a few limited models that will fit the available space on top of the fuel tank. A JBL model was selected and it required a separate Alpine amp so the installer used the Alpine for the sub and rear mains and the Pioneer on board amps powers the remaining, stock speakers. (I must point out, though, other than the Pioneer logo on the double DIN, you can't tell or see what the other components are in use unless you tell....).
The OP's goal of having a great system but with minimal investment is both noble and praise worthy. Assembling a "near all Alpine" collection of products that work in these cars is a project by itself and the investment so far is impressive.
07-28-15, 11:32 PM
Operation: <500
