I'm looking to spend about $1400 on a new system (cheaper is better )

Essentially I am looking for something to replace my entire Bose system in a 4th gen. I'm talking about amp + sub + head unit + tweeters + normal speakers + wires + insulation etc. Labor should not be a problem I can do it myself/enlist help.

I'd be willing to skip replacing my main speakers if I could get something that was worth the extra $$$$$.

My main concern is sound quality. I read on the board that getting Brahma's would be a lot better than getting two infinity perfect 12". That true? I'm not looking for a ghetto rider just something that I can really enjoy listening too. I understand porting the box will really improve the sound quality?

Any suggestions for parts for a full system would be good.

FYI I plan on getting the XM radio/its competitor in the next few months so anything comparable would be good.

 

Bump

 

I say look into eclipse all around. 6.5 mid for the front door, tweet for the piller, 4" for the rear door, eclipse amps, eclipse head, eclipse single 10" svc non alum.

 

Will do. Any reason people around here are so obsessed with Eclipse?

 

It's a solid mid line product.

But if you'd prefer i can metion about another dozen companys if you'd like some more choice.

 

I'm just looking for a v good mid priced system. I know the prices of these sytems can easily sky rocket to $5K+ without even trying. Basically the best system for a budget of $1400. I just spent 5K on my max so I really dont wanna spend another 5K+ on a bangin system.

Any recommendations on a nice head unit?

 

You don't gotta tell me about wasting money on audio systems! I may be the king of that on here Check out all parts of the eclipse line, see where you'd prefer to spend money, check out alpine, mb quart, focal, Zapco,Diamond, all good companys and see which parts you'd prefer to spend more on. Or if you know what percent you want to spend on each peice give me some figures and I'll put some things together.

 

Jayson,

Can u recommend a sweet LCD panel headunit?

GC

 

Hrmm well for the sub I was thinkng $200? Like the Brahma I mentioned above.

Another $300-$400 for the lcd/non-lcd head unit. ie it needs cd/fm/am blah blah blah. I would like a motorized unit but its not that important to me.

As for the rest I have no clue as to what nice units cost/what they go for so I'm essentially going on whatever you think I listen to a lot lot of techno so nice tweeters are a must. Maybe a silk tweeter?

I'm guessing insulation + wiring will cost me another $200+ just for parts? As for the budget I would be willing to go up as long as it was a big step up. Not going to spend over $2K on the entire system. I would probably end up getting a second sub at some later time but not for the next 6 months.

 

Well if you like the eclipse Idea, then you could go with, an eclipse 8062 componets upfront for the doors and pillers, the ps. 89440 for the rear, maybe for the head a 54400. to power the sub a 33230, just some ideas, you could play around with.

You could look into alpine amps and speakers they have good stuff, or diamond which is a name stating to pop up I like alot.

 

Since I'm on Eclipse right now how about a 54400.

 

So far, the only thing I need to do is to replace the factory speakers, but no way I'm shelling out more than 300 for all of them.

 

Will do

I think I'm going to waste CircuitCity & BB car audio sections time on Tuesday

Actually I was just looking around and realized that Cadence might be a good bet as well. The only thing is the price?

Could I build a nice primarily Cadence system for $1400 or am I just dreaming?

 

Forget cc, forget bb. tweeter, maybe some good ones some bad ones. Some like cadance some don't. Personally if you want somthing different, that is midline verge of high end, resnable price, look into diamond. Not a big name but big results.

 

Head Unit: you won't like what i want so skip that..
Doors : Diamond Audio M561 components - $235 - will take 120 RMS
Rear: Diamond Audio 600mx3 - $300 - will take 120 RMS
Subs: IDMax 12 inch - $300 - will take 1000 RMS
Amps: you won't like what i want so skip that..

so thats a $835 .. use the rest for a HU and Amps

 

Get a brahma ($380). It will blow that $hit eclipse out of the water. Combine it with a 1200 jbl amp (around $350). That leaves you with 670 for the rest. Remember that 1 12" brahma will perform like 2 infinity perfects, in one cube and it can handle 5000 watts max. You cant lose with adire audio. My friend blew one of his subs, and they sent him a new one before he even sent the blown one away, without a charge. Plus what other company will have the president answer your questions by email? I have 2 shivas now....and it pounds mad, powered by a brax x2000 amp. I'm gonna get 2 15" brahmas when they come out.

 

So the brahmas are really that good? Hrmm definetly worth looking into. Any info as to the price of the 15"s? I've read a couple of reviews about it and it is apparently the very good. Maybe the best so far.

I will probably wait for a new Alpine head unit, I understand they are coming out in the next few weeks I know they are a bit overpriced but I am waiting for something that is XM compatible or its competitor if they ever launch.

For speakers I was thinking of the Diamond M561s. I understand with a Bose this is not possible though???????? Something about the Bose being much smaller than the stock system. ie its 4 1/2 vs 6 1/2s?

Rears: are rears that important for sound clarity ie is it something I can skimp?

Amps: more than I thought but apparently for sound quality I need a nice 4 channel amp + a sub amp. Also buying a two channel sub amp will save me the hassle of replacing a single channel amp when I decide to get a second sub. I was talking to a local audio shop and they have a nice V12 Alpine Amp on special ( ie clearance about $80 off). I forgot to check if it was a 2 or 4 channel though.

Capacitor: I was guessing any brand 1 Farrod capacitor or maybe even two 1 Farrod Capacitors? From what I understand it really does not affect quality ie cheap capacitors wont fry my batteries/car.

Tweeters: max'n out mentioned the Eclipse 8062? I haven't done any research on these yet..... so I guess thats what I'm sticking too for now.

Wire: Do I need 2 gauge wire running through my car? The price different for the wire does not seem that great between 2 and 4 and it would be a plus if I decide to upgrade later on. Any comments?

Just a quickie about Amps: I understand that the more amps essentially means the more power I can supply to each speaker/sub. So if I get a nice 2 channel amp + a 2nd channel amp is that the equivalent of having a good 4 channel amp - assuming of course same company/series?

The price seems to have sky rocketed to about 2K with mats + installation (I took at a look at the ghetto jobs that my friends have done and I'm looking for something done really neat ie wires tied back etc. I might as well insulate my rear doors since I'm doing my side doors as well.

Lastly I have also heard some good stuff about Rocksford/Fosgate. Not a name that I have ever heard but info would be good.

 

Forgot to ask about Cadence. I hear they are probably the best audio makers right now but finding a decent priced system will be hard?

 

Cadance is nice, but not near the best makers right now, the best is probley Zapco

 

It depends on how many watts you're pusing but.

Over 1000 watts - get 2 gauge
1 farad for each 1000 watts.
Brahma 15's are not out yet. I'm waiting for 2 of them.
If you want really good components look at focal or cdt, the ones you mentioned are probably good too, i dont know them. Pretty much anything ampmanaudio.com carries is good. I have 2 shivas and a brax amp. Rears aren't necessary but help. Make sure you get sound deadening.

 

you're gonna need a lot more money then that if you want a high end system. Trust me. I went the same route as you @ fisrt. I wanted to spend abotu $1,500 and ended spending more then double. maybe that is just me though.

 

he said he din't want a high end system again, already spent some dough, now he's just looking for somthing decent for 1400

 

Actually looking at things its going to come to about $2000 for a nice system. Another $400 for a second sub and some more if I want a second amp.

Bleh I'm going to talk to the local audio gurus when they get back next week.

I'm going to try and downgrade my options and see what happens to sq & price.

 

It's always been my opinion that 2500 is the magic number, to replace everything with solid gear all around

 

Great now you tell me

Guess I might have to doulbe my budget lol

 

Well you know if 2500 is good 5000 is doubley better And really 10,000 is even better and if you want to get serious why not 20,000

 

Where are my cyanide pills again?

I think I'll stay away from the $10K figure for now, its that pesky law of diminishing returns. But you never know what will happen in 6 months

I was just wondering though whats better. Getting a really powerful 2 channel amp for my speakers and using a splitter then getting a second amp later. Or gettting a superbly powerful 4 channel amp? If I get a 4 channel amp that does 4 X 75W then does that translate into 2 X 150 or is it still 75W? Is it worth it getting the extra amps???? Can the speakers even take that wattage or will that be another upgrade?

Basically the max I can put is like 4 speaker amps + however many sub amps correct? I doubt the tweeters need an amp for themselves?

 

Honestly, you may want to just wait and save until you can afford what you want. With my first car, I saved and bought what I wanted and never replaced anything. I even won a few SQ competitions in South GA and North FL. Anyway, when I got my Max, I had started college and moved away from home. I was living in an apartment, so I had to save as much as I could. I saved some money from every paycheck and bought a system after about 6 months. I think I put maybe $1400 in everything. Amps, HU, speakers, subs, materials, wiring, etc. I would have liked to have bought what I wanted at the time, but I needed like another $1300 or so. So, being the cheapass I was, I went the less expensive route. Since then, I have replaced EVERYTHING that I had at that time. I have forked over almost $4500 for the stuff that I wanted. I had Diamond Audio in my first car and I switched all speakers and subs back to Diamond Audio. Hex components all around and MacDaddy subs. I bought nice amps and good wiring. When I tried to sell the stuff that I had from the first system in my Max, I think I got about $400 for everything. So basically, I spent a total of $5500 to put a system in my Max ($1400-$400+$4500). I wish I would have done it right the first time, because it would have saved me roughly $1000, a couple dozen grey hairs, a lot of stress, lots of my time as well as a bunch of frustration. Trust me, skimp now, pay for it later.

 

Hey I can get you some pills real cheap j/k.

I perfer not using passive xovers. I say get a 4 channel for the front mids and tweets. run the head to the rear fill, if you really want them. Then get an amp for the sub or sub that matches what you get. As far as power is concered it depends what speakers you get. Usally 50-100 watts is plenty.

 

Thanks for the advice but it really does not make a difference if I spend the money now or in 12 months.

I know someone who spent about 4.5K on a sound system for his 4Runner he seems to think its the best car in the world. Anyway he essentially wasted a lot of money. He spent about 1K of that money on LCD units and proceeded to waste the rest on 3 12" JBL 12W6's subs decent Kenwood 600W amp + average capacitor. Hes done a poor poor job of wiring his car wires sticking all over the place. It sounds loud not very good though. He wasted too much money on a mediocre system. I believe this biggest weaknesses are the HU and the amplifier both of which he could have spent a lot more on.

So just run the connection straight from the HU to the rears? Hrmm sounds nice and cheap

Looks like I am going to wait for the new Alpine stuff. I've been told it would be out in the next 2 weeks. Hopefully I can get installed before the next car show.

 

I don't know much about eclipse, zapco, or others like that, but I'll give you a rundown of my system.

Factory HU -- for now,,looking to get a new one soon for @$300
Alpine MRV-F407 4-channel(brand new) -- retail $400-$450,,,,I paid $285 shipped
Boston Acoustics RX67(about 6mths old)- 6.5" coaxials in rear -- retail @$150,,,,I paid $30
Boston Acoustics RC620 separates(brand new)- 6.5"mid,1"tweets in front -- retail $299,,,,I paid $220 shipped
Punch75HD(about 7 yrs old) --already owned, so just running it till it dies. I think these were some of the better amps by RF, the older models....Just my opinion. I'll probably look at a new JL Audio 250/1 for about $250 when the Punch75 dies. I have been quoted that price already. Or maybe another Alpine,,,not sure yet.
JL Audio 10W3(brand new) 10" sub in custom made fiberglass box in trunk over passenger side wheel well. Has about .8 cu.ft of airspace. -- retail @$150,,,,I paid $150

I Have all this in my Max, and I have a false floor setup installed in my trunk with both amps mounted there. I bought all the carpet and wiring (RF 8g wiring kits)totalled about $100, but the fiberglass was free. My brother fishes and trawls(shrimping) alot, so while working on his boat with the fiberglass,,,,I used some(alot) to make my box.

Including all the wood I bought, wiring, components, amps, screws, glue, carpet, and EVERYTHING else, the total came out to be $835.

I figure once I pay around $300 for a new HU, and $250 for a new sub amp, that'll put my total at about $1385. That's right at your budgeted price with enough left for lunch....hehe

I'm not saying I have the best stuff like you hear from others. Who's to say what's the best?? I have what I have, and I am very pleased with the sound I have. All I think I can say is, Be resourceful, and shop, shop, shop. I got alot of my stuff over the net, and off of e-bay from shops, not people. Look for dutch auctions and stuff like that from stores and not individuals.

Hope this helps,,,sorry bout the length, and GOOD LUCK!! It's a never-ending endeavor.......DMAN

 

I agree with getting some stuff off E bay, I found some sweet deals there. Like Dman said, buy from shops not people. I got a $300 fosgate amp for $170. I got a $100 Polk 10" Sub for $30. The deals are there if you search. you just have to be patient. From start to finish it took me about 4-5 month to buy all my equiptment and install it. I know it seems like a long time to wait, but I have a $2500 system that only cost me about $1500. I have a Sony HU, Focal Components, A PPI and a Fosgate Amp, Polk Sub and it sounds like heaven. When I pull up to my garage I don't want to get out of the car it sounds so good.

 

I Skipped most of the last 2 pages, but I read the first one. For all of you speaking on Diamond...your great people !! I have an Eclipse CD8061 headunit,5962 indash changer and Diamond Hex comps for front stage,coax for rear fill (-5db),M6 subs (just released) and a D7056 amp. I absolutely LOVE Diamond. It is true they are not known to many,but theyre gettin there. I do Diamond in almost all of my customers cars, and I havent had a complaint yet. In fact all praises.
Although not too many of them buy the amps...it's money thing. They are pricey, but you do get what you pay for right?

 

What kind of amps/sub amps/headunits would you recommend?

I think I may just stick with Alpine for the HU. Mainly because I want something that is XM compatible.

I agree some really good deals can be found through the dealer shops. They have plenty of Infinity Perfect 12s going for about $150 though no sign of the Brahamas yet Not sure if its 2 Infinity perfect 12"s or one 12" Brahama.......