Car Stereos......

[Stereo]

Heya guys....

Whenever I drive a car I have a tendency to crank the music....

Now since our household is purchasing a cage, I am looking at installing a decent car stereo almost immediately...

Last time I did this I spent a small fortune and had an awesome stereo... How much does it cost these days to get something decent? I see a lot of cheap amps around, are they any good?

Current Setup:
CD/Mp3 disc player, 4 inbuild speakers.

What I am expecting to get:
Possibly the same head deck, 2x6" 2 way at the front, 2x6" 2way at the back, 10 or 12" sub in the boot. I want to keep the car appearing completely stock...

What Kind of Amp would I need to get?

I would like a sub that does not take up too much room, but still puts out a fair bit of sound (doesnt have to be over the top).... Are there any affordable ones out there that you know of?

[red_dave]

I'd be going at least a 6x9 3way in the back...

been a long time since i played with Car stereos...

[Stereo]

I'd be going at least a 6x9 3way in the back...

been a long time since i played with Car stereos...

6x9"s are great if you are not planning on getting a sub but actually give lower sound quality than a 6" for midrange..... Thats why I am opting for 6" 2 ways instead of those....

[Duane]

I'd go, for your type of music

2x 6x9 (in the back) with a 10" sub. (around 200rms)
Get a 600 watt amp, run the two back speakers and the sub off of it

DEpending on what car you're getting, you might wanna get some splits (4" speakers to replace the stock ones in the dash, and a tweeter on the 8 pillar), or if they've got decent room, some 6" in the doors!

But dan's the man when it comes to CA

[hidepenny]

get a tube 8" sub, well it depends on how much ur car is interiorly

[Stereo]

Ive never been a fan of the sound from tube subs..... (also known as cannons or bazookas).... When I considered them about 6 years ago, they all sounded "fluffy" for want of a better word (probably due to the travel of the speaker)... I like the punch of a 10 or 12 better.... Then again, this may be a valid option these days.......

[mfzx6r]

But dan's the man when it comes to CA

Yep he's the Man

[99coconuts]

if your gunna get subs, then 6x9s aint the way to go. i've heard that they actually interfere with each other, but that aside, its a waste of money and install time. the draw with 6x9s is that you can get away with not having a sub and still get reasonable bass. great for something like my wagon which will have a gas system in the only spot subs could go, but if you can go 6" + subs, you'll have a tidier looking install and waste less money/amp power while getting the same or better sound.

my GFs 929 has 4" splits up front, 4" 3 ways in the rear doors (totally unnecissary, but the holes were there and i had the speakers ), 6" 4 ways in the parcel and 2x 8" subs in the boot. looks stock as a rock aside from the boot and head unit and sounds great with any music at any volume.

my wagon has 4" splits up front and 6x9 splits in the rear, for sheer noise, its neck and neck with the sedan and still just as clear, but just cant make some of the same tones. still, i have to carry kids around most of the time so it barely ever gets a workout


both these cars use cheap audioline 800W amps, they work a treat. i've also found that staying away from the more well known brands for speakers has its bonuses too. go down to JB and have a chat with one of the installers or something, you'll most likely walk away with speakers that shit all over your pioneers/kenwoods/jvcs for the same money (i couldn't be happier with my audiobahn 6x splits, they put out twice the bass that my 7x10 kenwoods did and cost less!)

[Stereo]

A lot of the "leading" brands use very complex materials for their speakers.... teflon coatings and crap like that... They mostly do that for looks, and it takes a LOT away from the sound.... In a lot of ways, paper cones are better... and in fact it looks like these days that is the case..... Paper also takes less to drive, so you get crisper sounds...

I agree about the 6x9's... I said it in an earlier post.....

[photomike666]

I used to run 2 8" subs as I found they had a quicker response time than the 10/12", which is nice when Larz gets those little bass triplets going

I still have the set up gathering dust in the shed, might install it in the Combi one day. 4 channel 600W amp, 2*1" tweeters, 2*4" high mids, 2* 6" 2 ways and 2*8" bass and cross overs to match. My old van used to sound awesome.

[deafwish]

With car audio, use the KISS theory......
Keep
It
Simple
Stupid!

In reality, all you need a reasonable quality 'brand name' 4 channel amplifier with a low pass filter and around 80 watts RMS to the front channels and around 250 watts RMS + for the rear bridged channels (for the sub). They will advertise this as being around a 600 watt amplifier.

you will need a set of splits, either 5.25", 6.0" or 6.5". JL audio do a fantastic set of 6" splits that JB sell for around $330. You will get much better imaging from splits, but if space doesn't allow, get a good quality set of coaxials.
For the rears, IMHO, leave them stock, as they are just for 'rear fill' and will be powered by the head unit. You really want a loud, crisp and clear front stage and just enough in the rear to entertain passangers sitting in the back.

For a sub, look for something with a reasonable power handling and one that performs well in a small, sealed enclosure (box). The 12" sub is by far the best of both worlds and can give massive amounts of bass. JL Audio also make great value subs..... No, I don't work for JL!
You can go ported, but you will lose boot space and unless you spend heaps, you will also lose sound quality.

This setup should be more than sufficient for most people!
Don't skimp on the amplifier!

Good luck!
Daz.

[icebreaker]

depends how far you want to go..

I've done SPL and SQ comps so it just depends on how far you want to go and what you expect.


Also the car itself can play a big part in how you get the stuff in...


What are woudl you like? single cd head unit no stacker? would save costs, maybe go an mp3 deck.

splits in the front, the general thing in aus is tweeters sitting up on the dash/A Pilar. Rears are just fill.. aka pasenger comfort, and then the sub, which should pick up where the fronts left off, down to 20hz.

you'd prob be looking at 6 1/2" 2way splits. 6" coax's in the rear. And a sub, my pref is 12".. So you could get away with a 4ch amp, run the rears off the deck depending on the deck, fade to the front 3-5 points so they mix well, and a deck with a SW output so you can tune the sub up and be able to turn it down.

That would be my set up...

If you want loud, I can assist.. My old car was 147.5 dB from 1 12" and I help build aus's loudest car (Dunno if it's been beaten in the past 2 years) 165.9dB from memory. Also competed in SQ comps, etc. So if you want a hand Eelko let me know. I also have a mate at JB for prices, and a mate that imports Audison, Morel, Hertz... Hertz stuff isn't too bad.


You know you want some doof doof...

[varden]

I brought a scruffy old 1983 BMW with the remains of an interesting install.

I'm tempted to at least replace some of the missing goodies!





So ummmm yeah, fill the floor of your boot with fiberglass, build a 4 x 12 inch sub enclosure, add backing plates for 4 amps either side, 6 inch speakers in parcel tray, component and split 6 inch speaker pairs in each door and a head unit........and earplugs.

[Rossi]

OK I know I'm an owd git but and I am serious here .............

How long are you going to spend sitting in your car ?
Seems an awful lot of farkin money and effort just for two 10 minute trips to work each day..........live with what its got and buy yaself sum bling for your bike

[deafwish]

OK I know I'm an owd git but and I am serious here .............

How long are you going to spend sitting in your car ?
Seems an awful lot of farkin money and effort just for two 10 minute trips to work each day..........live with what its got and buy yaself sum bling for your bike

Hahaha!
I'm with you, Rossi!
I'm in the 'been there done that' stage, now......
Expensive stereo shat only makes your car slower anyway!