It certainly sounds clean, but I am looking for some ideas on how to improve it. I went for a completely (but for the head unit) stock look so as not to attract thieves. Accordingly, kick panels and such are not being considered. Your thoughts are VERY MUCH appreciated.

 

Sound treat the doors and trunk with Raammatt, Dynamat, or Lowes Peel & Seal. That will help get rid of vibrations and rattles, (although not road noise) and treating the doors with it will clean up the midbass and midrange so it sounds clearer.

 

2002 Maxima SE, Grey Lustre pics on my homepage.
Max engine is staying stock... maybe...
Alpine CDA-7995 HU w/ remote
JL Audio 300/4 amp to:
Front: Infinity Kappa Perfect 6.1s (6.25")
Rear: Infinity Kappa 52.3is (5.25")
Alpine 10" subs in Q-Logic sealed box
powered by Alpine digital amp MRD-M300
Monster cables throughout
Radar: Valentine One
Security: Viper 550e w/ RS


Looks like its a pretty solid system to me. The Kappa Perfect component set has to be solid - I haven't heard a perfect component set with my own ears, but the normal kappas are pretty good for the money, and the Perfect 10" I had was very impressive.

What kind of sound are you going for with your subs? I don't really read up on Alpine subs much - I never considered alpine for speakers or amps in my cars, really. I've heard some people say good things about a few of the higher-line alpine amps, but I've also heard car audio nuts talk down on Alpine amps and speakers. I'd probably build my own box instead of a Q-logic enclosure. Aren't the Q-logic boxes the ones that are vehicle-specific and mold into factory freespace locations? If so, then I'd probably build an enclosure that was specifically made with the subs in mind. If you used the right material (and I'm not talking fiberglass here or anything...just not the normal 1/2" thick MDF that places use for crappy pre-fab enclosures, etc), you might be able to improve the sound quality of the subs. This might disturb the "factory look" in the trunk, but it sounds like you're more concerned about in-cabin appearance/thieves than something covered like the trunk.

Also, with a digital amp, that says to me that you're leaning more towards SPL than SQ from your subs. If this isn't the case, you might want to consider a non-class-D amp. At least when I researched amps more a couple years ago, class-Ds were able to supply more raw power with less of a draw from your power system, but the power wasn't the cleanest. For most 1-ohm SPL loads, this was fine, because accuracy wasn't as important as sound pressure/real low frequency response. However, if you had sound quality subs at a 4ohm load or something, running a class-D was a little discouraged.

Did you take a listen to the Perfect subs at all? Like I said, my previous perfect 10" (two model years ago) was very impressive. It was a great SPL/SQ mix, just what I like.

Just a few thoughts. Also, if you can, heed whitemax's advice with the noise-dampening material. Kind of a pain to install though, and not the cheapest stuff.

 

That is an awesome system man. The only thing I would suggest is maybe move the rear 5.25's to the door and put in kappa 6x9 into the rear deck (they must be cut). I had that done to my max and it sounds really good.

 

I believe that the 5.25s he mentioned are in the door, and a 6 x 9 would only work on the rear deck with two cutouts. On the 2K2s we only have one cutout, so he'd need to do some serious modifications to it to work properly. BTW, the rear deck, as we all know, it not exactly the place to add quality sound, there's a rattlesnake living under it I swear!

 

the idea to do stealth is a good one, although you can do kick panels and still do stealth, its just harder.

id ditch the rear speaker idea for an sq install. also, on the class d amps...i have a class d running my sq install, and im happy with it. in fact, im getting ready to get a jl 1000/1 pretty soon, and its 'digital'--technically, there isnt a digital amp, but thats what some people call them. anyway, there is no way in hell youll be able to differentiate my subs sound on that amp versus a class a/b hybrid. trust me .

eric

 

Hey, the system definetly looks strong, great deck, great amp(JL), great speakers, can i get some more info on the subs, Alpine makes more then 1 style, those perfect comps are great, amazing tweet.... ok, nuff of wishing i had the cash for that deck, lets have some constructive thoughts
Ditch the rear speakers... you mentioned kicks, those are for imaging, and with rear speakers you through your imaging off, so even with kicks, there is no point in going through the trouble.
also, i dont recommend kicks, keep it stock if u like, u can still get good imaging in stock locations... but do sounddeaden the doors, helps a ton
whats most important, do u like the way it sounds, ditch the rear speakers, sounddeaden, tell us what u think, it should sound pretty impressive, if not, come back and talk with us
I agree you should build your own box specifically for those subs you have, i can help with a design if needed

'digital' amps arent designed solely for spl, they are designed to be efficent, something tells me you personally couldnt hear the difference between the class T and class D and class AB, nor could i, probably at least, just giving you some knowledge, just cause its class d or t doesnt mean its for SPL, my friend uses a harrison labs class d amp over the previous zapcos he has because he thinks the harrison labs sounds better then zapco... to prove my point
well keep us informed on how the system comes

 

For clarification, my Max is (or was) a non-BOSE...I knew when I bought it that I was going to gut the system, so why "create" a problem to go around by buying a BOSE equipped car. My last Max ('94 SE) had a BOSE and I hated that damn thing.

My subs are Alpine 1041Es, and the Q-logic box is prefab, similar to others I have seen...and the subs are being pushed with the weak digital amp...I know this is certainly a weak link. My thinking was: with the rear seats up all the time, the sound is traveling through 3" thick seats and that "rattlesnake deck" as one of you so accurated referred to it. With all of that, why go to the expense of a high end SQ sub enclosure. See below for the cost of all pieces.

Yes I will certainly be sound deadening the car soon. I figured I would go with DynaMat. Any difference between the various brands? I want the best.

Thanks again for your thoughts and sharing your expertise.

DECK Model Price Install$
Alpine CDA7895 $450.00
SPEAKERS
F Speakers KAPPA Perf 6.1 $300.55 $60.00
R Speakers KAPPA 52.3i $111.99 $50.00
Sub Woofers Alpine SWE 1041's (10"x2)$250.00 (box incl)
AMPLIFIERS
JL Audio 300/4 $450.00 $66.00
Alpine Sub Amp MRDM300 $283.50 $56.00
MISC
Dash Kit $40.00
RCAs Gold tipped $120.00
Power Wire Kit Monster Cable $130.00
Security System VIPER 550ESP with RS $450.00
Valentine One With Stealth option $440.00 $20.00

 

And, yes my rear speakers are in my doors...I have no factory rear deck options...

 

Yeah, back when I was researching whether or not to go with a class D amp, I'd always get reminded that they were for SPL systems and not SQ. I'd imagine technology has given way to some improvements since then. A guy trying to sell me a replacement amp early last year said something about how class D is no longer frowned upon in that respect, but I figured he would say anything to get me to buy the amp

 

dont buy dynamat, its too damn expensive. peal and seal from lowes/home depot, brown bread, b-quiet,...etc do as well or better than dynamat, they just dont rip you off cuz they have a big name.

eric