Proposed Setup, tell me what you think

[musical_high 10+ year member]

This is my first post.

I have always wanted a decent system and I finally have the cash to do... something. I know that "decent" varies, but I know I can do well with a 1000.

In high school I knew this guy that had a really great system. At that time it cost him about 1200 dollars. Perhaps my taste is just different, or perhaps everything sounds better in retrospect, but I have never heard a system that could compare in terms of quality and punch. I knew a guy that spent 2000 on a system that made me cringe. I was really bad, but he liked it. I guess that's all that matters.

I knew another guy who did installs for a living and spent a little more and it was very loud, but way too tinny. It was really missing the bid bass region.

I'm thinking about getting a 12" focal p30(300 rms, 4 ohms) and a sealed box. Supplied by a JX1000/1D JL amp (500 rms at 4 ohms). I want good mid bass(thinking 80ish to 500) so I'm looking at 2 8" ZR800-CW JL mid bass drivers with enclosures. I'll probably end up with a bottom shelf alpine deck and work on upper mids and tweets later. I'd like to dynamat just for good measure but probably never will. Don't care about volume, just quality, punch, and none of that awful "confused" bass.

What do you think? I am open to suggestion and would like to know how you would spend 1k to do the best you could from scratch.

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[murph 10+ year member]

don't forget about an amp for those mid basses. The setup is going to sound nice but you might want to consider a nice set of comps instead of mid basses since your looking for nice sq from what I can tell.

 

[OmegaBunny 10+ year member]

What kind of car? I also agree that I would go with a nice set of comps up front and a amp for them.

 

[disturbed471985 5,000+ posts]

Sounds good and looks like u are wanting a decent sq setup and if you are then do not get a crap HU its where u should spend the most money.. Do not skimp on the HU!!!!

 

[musical_high 10+ year member]

Thanks for the replies. Are there any benefits to an amp aside from volume? The reason I ask is that most head units put out enough volume for me. Do component speakers soak up more juice?

Not sure about the car. I'm getting another one in the next couple weeks. For the price, reliability, and gas I'm thinking a late model acura integra.

I've been in some cars with 6x9s and turned the "bass" up and the treble down and that's the punch I want to feel. I remember thinking if I got a system in the future I'd get something with a larger cone(larger than 5 1/4) and dedicate mid-bass to it. I want deep bass, but I want what's just above it just as much.

What component speakers would you recommend?

Which head unit would you recommend for 200ish?

 

[murph 10+ year member]

I would try and find a used eclipse on here if you can if not alpine will do just fine for your hu. How much are you looking to spend on components and they need more then hu power to get them going. Anyways a set of 6.5 comps if they fit in your doors will have plenty of mid bass with the right ones.

 

[musical_high 10+ year member]

Looking as these HUs, some of them have built in crossovers. Are these generally low quality? passive? Should I spring for an HU with crossover functionality and skip separate crossovers? I was looking at the clarion and alpine HUs.

The alpine HUs have an option to add a mini amp to the unit bringing it near 50 db rms x4 for an additional hundred-ish dollars. I'm weighing this against MRP-F300 - Alpine 4-Channel 300 Watt V-Power Series Amplifier for $160.

There's an eclipse cd5100 I see for around 250. After what model does awesomeness begin or does eclipse's base model trump other's best? My info is old. Last I kept up with things, Alpine was a safe bet. I tried using the search function on the forum but no links are produced. The eclipse features gps, but I've got a decent navigation unit already.

I'm leaning toward the setup I mentioned already plus active crossovers and the alpine 4 channel amp. With my budget in mind I know I'd want to replace the component set later unless I can get a good one for cheap. That's why I'd rather get a decent mid bass speaker and replace the factory speakers as more funds become available. I'm now thinking more about the HUs. I know these can vary a lot and its hard to tell what it will sound like until I hook it up. I'm not saying I know my stuff but last time I went to the audio store nearby I didn't like anything I heard. Could've just been the speakers though.

 

[JohnnyBASS 10+ year member]

Hey man just saw your thread and listen to the boys , dont skimp on anything or else youll just be wasting your money most of the time.

its best to save a bit more and invest in a proper system.

I can have a really good system built for you for 1200$ shipped to your front door all brand new in box gear. if your interested just message me

heres what id suggest..

HU - 200$ something decent with bluetooth

6.5" components - 200$ 75-100rms speakers will be plenty

2 or 4 channel amp - 300$ to power your components and bridge a set of channels for the sub 500rms will be plenty!

single 10 or 12" sub - 200- 250$ 300-500rms sub will do

WIRING - 60$ to start you can run a good 4 gauge kit to a single amp set up to save money and time. also dont forget your dash kit for the deck and wiring harness (40$)

total 960-1000$

you'll have a good system on that alone.

 

[musical_high 10+ year member]

I appreciate the advice. Got some amp info from another thread, learned what damping was //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif and now I believe I've honed my as of yet hypothetical setup. My funds wont be available for another month, but after that I plan on ordering everything. I've decided to bump my limit to 2k ish. Here goes:

CDE-133BT Alpine deck at 160ish including bluetooth capability. There's nothing about alpine that I particularly like other than, like JL, its a safe bet for what people claim it does.

JL Audio ZR800-CW x 2 (with enclosure) for 140 per. Covers Midbass.

Focal Performance sub P30 db at 4 ohms= 250.

JL class D monoblock with 500 rms (at 4 ohms) to power sub.

Alpine PDX F4 (2 of these, provides 8 channels) = 640

QS216 - MB Quart 6.5" 2-Way Q-Series Component Speakers= 300

Alpine SPR-60C as rear speakers= 150

MiniDSP to edit active crossovers and eq on my computer. x2 = 240.

Total=2200ish.

I would run the entire front with active setup and let the rear alpines run passive while using active controls on the JL bidbass and sub. I do not know what best is, but I have heard JL and they seem to be a strong contender for that sort of setup. I have heard very cheap mbquarts and liked them. I realize that will not necessarily extrapolate to more expensive mbquarts but the reviews are solid and so I would hope that would be the case. As time permits I would hassle with enclosures and dynamat. Realistically I need something very plug and play because I don't have time for complete car dissassembly for a proper dynomat treatment. I am not looking to hemorrhage money so that I can rationalize "well it cost a lot so it must be decent". I want eargasm.

What would you guys do different? Would you spend less, more? What questions would you ask about why I chose particular components(maybe you have a more optimized approach). Do you think that these components would mesh well?

Thank you for your opinions and information.

 

[winkychevelle 10+ year member]

id ditch the rear fill all together,

the jl mids are good but pricey with a little effort in the install just the mb quarts should do fine alone. running active makes a huge difference when done right.

if u like jl id spend the extra and just get 1 900/5 instead of the (2)f4s and jl mono. this would cost the same as all three amps roughly and since the other alpine isnt needed u can put the money elsewere.

the focal sub seem a little on the low end and for the price id rather an ssa dcon in a nice low tuned ported box

have nothing to say bout the deck or minidsp i like my cda-117 has time alignment built in plus a host of other features and im not sure i know what the minidsp is. i know in theory but not what the actual device used is

 

[musical_high 10+ year member]

the advert/product info implies that it offers multi-dimensional functionality... multiple features... but from what I gather it's basically an active crossover with peq functions that's pretty customizable using the software. the price is cheap, I have a computer, I like graphs, so it seems like a good fit. You can time align as well and do other stuff but screen shots of the interface look appealing.

I've immersed myself and read hundreds of articles in the past week and Im enjoying it.

The amp looks nice. The price on the ssa you mentioned is around 125, unless there is a better model I missed. I have heard focal before and really enjoyed the sound. I don't know what line though, I do know it was not utopia or anything that expensive. The reviews are good. What is the best ssa dcon I could get at a similar price point?

 

[WSG Electronics 10+ year member]

What kind of vehicle do you have? Have you bought all of this yet or your waiting to see?

your budget is 1000.00 correct?

 

[Fi_ 10+ year member]

What would I get?...

MB Quart Onyx 4.1000 = $170 Shipped

MB Quart MX60.2 = $70

MB Quart Discuss 1500.1D = $170 Shipped

Pioneer DEH4200UB = $160

AA Carbon Fiber 6.5's = $100

Pioneer 2 way 6x9's = $70

DD2512 or 10" = $300

Rockford Fosgate 8" mid-bass = $120 for two

4th Order Bandpass 3ft^3 tuned to 35Hz = $50

0/1 Wiring Kit = $50

0/1 Wire for Big III = $20

That's $1300 and would be a lot louder and possibly cleaner than your listed setup... My .2 cents. Alot of your money in that current list comes from buying JL product. Personally they have great SQ but not the best by any means for the money a low end DD would be better and personally AA carbons sound amazing and can take massive power also to keep voltage up you will NEED big III off that much power with 3 amplifiers.

It's your choice but I'd scrap the JL configuration and go with something similar to mine, MB Quart makes some amazing products for the price I love their amplifiers.

 

[sam_b03 10+ year member]

There are other brands of sound dampening that work just as well as dynomat and are much cheaper. I used Raamat. If you want mid bass out of your doors deaden them. It takes less than you think Sound Deadener Showdown - Your Source for Sound Deadening Products and Information this a very informative site.

Image dynamics have a good reputation for midbass out of there components.

You can save alot of money buying off the classified here and at DIY. I got some a $500+ set of CDT HD's for $250. I got a nice Elcipse 7200MKII HU off ebay for $300.

 

[musical_high 10+ year member]

Don't know what kind of vehicle yet. I'm moving and with the holidays and registering for school my schedule is tight right now, but I'm hoping to have another car in the next couple weeks. I'd like an acura integra but I dunno. I'm not into modding cars that were never meant to go fast, I just like the gas and reliability for the price. But I dunno.

My budget was 1000 but I after some thought I am willing to go to 2k.

I will check out the soundproofing faq. I am loathe to buy used woofers as I am a cynic and would think there was something wrong with it, being such a delicate part. I would be up for a used HU though. I tried having a go at the DIY woofers but they are all names I have heard nothing of nor have I heard firsthand. If there was a site that had 40+ reviews for any given component I would think differently but just surfing forums turns up only a few entries for any given diy woofer. I realize there is great potential there in terms of quality and savings, but I am wholly unfamiliar with it.

Thanks for the list, I'll check those pieces out and compare to my currrent choices. 3 amps does sound overkill, especially since I don't like especially loud music. I do like loud music but only if it isn't harsh. I know those are good amps and I want a good sound. Unfortunately active setup hogs channels. Ideally I don't want to replace anything unless I get jacked or in a car accident for the next 8 years or so. I have a proclivity for endless tweaking and I've decided I don't want to do that. I'll put in the time to tune the initial setup and after that I don't want to think about it much.

I appreciate the replies. And please feel free to criticize. When its done and I have to justify the pricetag to myself, I want to know that I was as critical of my choices as I could be.