help me design a system

[burton7 10+ year member]

Hey everyone so im trying to decide what i want to get for the system im gonna put in my car. I dont have a lot of experience so i figured some of you could probably help me. I have a 2001 Saturn L200. I want this system to bump loud, but i still want it to sound as clean as possible. For my head unit im thinking something from alpine or kenwood, but i dont know exactly what yet. Ive been looking at 2 12inch fi ssds as a possibility for my subs, but i also came across a GREAT deal on craigs list on 1 12inch Mojo with a lifetime warrenty and enclosure so ive been trying to look at that too. Would the mojo be too loud for what im looking for? As far as comps, amps, and any other things i might have missed, i dont really know what i would need to get the sound im looking for so maybe some of you can guide me in the right direction? Thanks everyone

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[misfit138 5,000+ posts]

What's your budget?

 

[burton7 10+ year member]

up to about 1000 or so. a little more or a little less is ok

 

[misfit138 5,000+ posts]

CD Player:

Alpine CDA-105

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_18875_Alpine+CDA-105.html?utm_source=froogle&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=froogle

$180.00

Component Speakers:

Rockford Fosgate T152S 5.25" component system

http://cgi.ebay.com/ROCKFORD-FOSGATE-5-25-COMPONENT-SPEAKERS-T152S_W0QQitemZ370240370976QQcmdZViewItemQQptZCar_Speakers?hash=item56340bb920&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

$99.00

Rear fill:

Rockford Fosgate P152 Coaxial

http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/CarAudio/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=21836

$59.00

2 channel amp:

Hifonics Txi 4008

http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/CarAudio/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=18804

$86.00

Subwoofer:

RE Audio SX15d2

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-RE-AUDIO-SX15D2-SX-15%22-2000w-CAR-SUBWOOFER-SX15-D2_W0QQitemZ300331070571QQcmdZViewItem

$320.00

Subwoofer Amp:

Hifonics TXi-1508D

http://www.price2match.com/txi1508d.html

$160.00

That'll leave you almost $100 for wiring and building supplies...

 

[eharri3 10+ year member]

Funny how there's plans in place for subs but the front stage and amps are lumped in with 'other things I may have missed.' Don't know why no matter what they're looking for when people think 'system' the first thing that comes to mind is subwoofer.

Are you looking for overall clean lound sound with fair representation for all frequencies that are present or do you just want clean bass? Are you big on rap, actual music, or a little of both?

Depending on what you want you can build from what you've already thought up but I'll go ahead and throw a crazy thought out there: Subs are the last thing to be picked by alot of people doing SQ systems. What you listen to and what you want will determine whether you choose a substage and go from there or choose a front stage and go from there.

 

[misfit138 5,000+ posts]

Funny how there's plans in place for subs but the front stage and amps are lumped in with 'other things I may have missed.' Don't know why no matter what they're looking for when people think 'system' the first thing that comes to mind is subwoofer.
Are you looking for overall clean lound sound with fair representation for all frequencies that are present or do you just want clean bass? Are you big on rap, actual music, or a little of both?

Depending on what you want you can build from what you've already thought up but I'll go ahead and throw a crazy thought out there: Subs are the last thing to be picked by alot of people doing SQ systems. What you listen to and what you want will determine whether you choose a substage and go from there or choose a front stage and go from there.

I hear it everyday, man. They always think a huge sub in a prefab box is all they'll need. That's why I use 30 - 40% of their budget on a sub. It seems as if the budget is ALWAYS $1,000 too. I have 3 or 4 different $1,000 "systems" that I keep in mind, and I spit them out depending on how big they want their sub and or subs to be.

Most of these people are new to the hobby, and they don't know a thing. They usually have a friend with a pair of Alpines or Xplode's, and they're impressed with the bass. They don't know a thing about comps or amping replacement speakers either. They think a pair of Pioneer coaxials powered by their cd player will sound absolutely fantastic, and sometimes they flat out refuse to accept otherwise. I always talk them into buying a pair of comps, a 2 channel and some coaxials for rear fill, and the results are always the same. They love having loud, clear vocals along with their bass, and they leave thinking they have something special.

I've done dozens of $1,000 "systems" for people, and they're always pleased with the results.

cliffs: Noobs always have a $1,000 budget, and they want to spend it all on subwoofers. I always tell them to spend less on the sub so other upgrades can be accomodated They've never actually heard a decent stereo, so they're impressed when they hear the vocals too.

 

[okiedokie 10+ year member]

So you need

1-Headunit

2-Amps

3-front speakers

4-Subs

5-deadener

6-wires

7-RCA's

8-fuse block

9-MDF wood

10-glue

11-0,4 gauge wire to do the big three.

12-if you are looking into those FI's, how much power are looking at pushing those puppies? I think they are 800rms, so you should have an amp that will push each sub into 800rms to start with.

13- probably a new alternator

you need to really look at what you're asking, car audio isnt cheap.

if you want a SQ or SQL car then you're going to pay for it.

 

[misfit138 5,000+ posts]

So you need 1-Headunit

2-Amps

3-front speakers

4-Subs

5-deadener

6-wires

7-RCA's

8-fuse block

9-MDF wood

10-glue

11-0,4 gauge wire to do the big three.

12-if you are looking into those FI's, how much power are looking at pushing those puppies? I think they are 800rms, so you should have an amp that will push each sub into 800rms to start with.

13- probably a new alternator

you need to really look at what you're asking, car audio isnt cheap.

if you want a SQ or SQL car then you're going to pay for it.

Well put, but most new guys aren't going to buy deadener, high quality wiring and install hardware. It would eat up their $1,000 budget and leave no money for actual equipment...

 

[burton7 10+ year member]

Alright, i listen to mostly rap and techno. im kind of new to all this so i didnt even know about deadener and all that until you mentioned it. i want it to sound as good as possible so if i need to save more money than 1000 im willing to do that. Im buying 2 12 inch mojos today off craigslist for $400 but they dont yet have a box. So i have the two subs, im getting a Alpine iDA-X305 for my head unit and so what would you all recommend for deadener and all of that? i could probably get up to$2000 if that helps. thanks

 

[misfit138 5,000+ posts]

Deadener: Dynamat, Second Skin, etc. Look up online tutorials in order to learn where/how to use it. Wear decent gloves unless you want to tear your hands up. Buy a roller and take your time. It's the small details that make or break your build.

CD Player: The Alpine iDA-X305 is pretty nice. I think you've made a good choice here.

Subs: The Mojos are nice, but I don't think you fully realize the commitment and money it takes in order to effectively use subwoofers of this caliber. Also, we need to know their impedance in order to help you pick an amp for them. You're going to need 2,000 - 2,500 watts rms to power them correctly, but without knowing their impedance noone can help you here. I think you should've went with something a little more modest.

Components: The RF comps that I listed earlier are pretty good, but they're out of the question now. You'll need something pretty high end that can comfortably take way more than rated power in order to compete with all that bass from the Mojos. Some people may disagree with that, but if you want clarity, you must have high quality comps. This will not be a cheap upgrade by any means.

Component Amplfier: Can't pick one until you decide which comps you're going to buy. You should've picked your cd player, comps and amps right off the bat. In my opinion you've made a mistake here.

Wiring: Find an online tutorial for "the big 3". I suggest you use 1/0 awg for the job. It's relatively easy to do on most vehicles. You'll need 1/0 awg for powering and grounding a 2,000 watt+ mono amplfier as well. Don't forget about the multi-channel amp for your components, because it'll require decent wiring too. One more thing, don't get cheap with the speaker wire. It's important as well. Wiring is far from cheap, and this is an area that seperates noobs from guys who actually know what they're doing. Had you been a little more modest, you could've gotten by with less expensive wiring.

Electrical upgrades: 2,000+ watts brings with it yet another expensive upgrade. A high output alternator. You're going to need one, unless you want massive voltage drops that can destroy your equipment and dim your headlights. An extra battery is now a given as well. A high quality dry cell is a must. Once again, this is not a cheap upgrade.

This is the most discouraging part of this post. Even with all the expensive upgrades I've listed, there are many that I didn't bring up. I'm going to be completely honest with you, man. It would be in your best interest to use only 1 of those mojo subs. You'll still have great bass with only one of them, and it'll cut your install budget in half. You'll be able to save money on wiring, component speakers, amplifiers, your enclosure and many other things if you bring your expectations down a little. Lots of people in your shoes think 2 big subwoofers are the best way to go, but that simply isn't the case. You own a pretty small vehicle to begin with, so two monster subs aren't really necessary. I'm sure there are hundreds of guys on caraudio.com with similar vehicles, and many of them run a single sub setup that's capable of massive output. But, if you're comfortable with the huge investment and amount of work, go for both Mojo's.

 

[burton7 10+ year member]

Ok thanks for the help. Instead of buying 2 12s would it be better to buy 1 15? or is that still too much? Ive been thinking either Image Dynamics CTX65cs or Rainbow SLC 265.02. Im looking at dynamat for deadener and for amps i was thinking this to power the comps

http://www.woofersetc.com/p6274/TXi4008-Hifonics-400Watt-A-BClass-2Channel-Amplifier.htm But i dont know what i should get to power the sub.

 

[misfit138 5,000+ posts]

Ok thanks for the help. Instead of buying 2 12s would it be better to buy 1 15? or is that still too much? Ive been thinking either Image Dynamics CTX65cs or Rainbow SLC 265.02. Im looking at dynamat for deadener and for amps im looking at some by hifonics but i could use a little more help as to what i need in my amps. Thanks again for all the help

You're beginning to be a little more reasonable now. You seem to be interested in sound quality, and if that's the case, you could do MUCH worse than Image Dynamics and Rainbow.

But Hifonics isn't going to cut it in a SQ system.

How about this:

Comps: Rainbow SLX 265 Deluxe http://www.woofersetc.com/p7033/SLX-265-Deluxe--Rainbow-SLX-65"-2Way-Component-System.htm

Rear fill: Rainbow KX 130 http://www.woofersetc.com/p7189/KX-130--Rainbow-KX-525"-Coaxial-Speakers.htm

2 channel amp: Arc Audio FD-2200 http://www.woofersetc.com/p6856/FD-2200--ARC-Audio-2-Channel-370-Watt-Amplifier.htm

Subwoofer: Image Dynamics IDQ12V3.D2 http://www.woofersetc.com/p6224/IDQ12V3D2--Image-Dynamics-12"-IDQ-Version-3-Dual-2-Ohm-Subwoofer.htm

Mono amp: Arc Audio FD 600.1 http://www.woofersetc.com/p6859/FD-6001--ARC-Audio-1-Channel-620-Watt-Amplifier.htm

This equipment would sound fantastic. I listed most of the stuff from woofersetc because it was easier that way. You can probably find most of this stuff cheaper elsewhere.

You'll still need deadener, wiring, etc...

 

[misfit138 5,000+ posts]

That Hifonics you linked is the same amp I initially told you to buy. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif But it's no good if you're looking for a SQ setup...

 

[SotoGrip 10+ year member]

sony xplod. 1000w walmart amp. 8ga wire. box from local pawn shop. pine cone air freshner. blank cds to make a bumpin cd. lolumad?!

 

[misfit138 5,000+ posts]

lolumad?!