Configuring New System

Kazimir

So I have never upgraded a system before beyond HU and now Im planning one out. Want to make sure all components play nice together and I'm not missing any.

Car: 2008 Honda Accord Coupe LX-S
Front: SR6500 or 5250 components (probably 5250 due to availability)
Rear: MM 6.5" or sr5250/6500 (Need advise here)
Sub: MM or SR 10 or 12 (Need advise here)
Amp: PA1100.5

Currently, I am sticking to the stock head unit and waiting to see what the new Kenwood 9960 offers. I also plan to sound dampen the doors, rear, and floor. The install will be placed in stock locations.

For front speakers will I lose anything going from a 6.5" to a 5.25" beyond 6500 are supposed to be better midbass and 5250 are better for the rest?

For rear speakers should I use components/coax/just mid no tweeter/just midbass no tweeter for a good filler set? (I have people ride in the back from time to time and dislike not being surrounded by sound)

For rear speakers would a MM series be sufficient to fill or would sound quality diminish by not using SRs?

Is the PA5 channel sufficient and not too much for this set-up? (I believe so from what I have read, just want to confirm before ruining a speaker)

Which sub would be better/sufficient, MM or SR? I don't want load bass and the inability to breath it hits so hard, just clear, crisp sound. And for size, if i don't want super load would it be better for the 10 or would the 12 provide better performance with less power.

Beyond a sub box and wire (prob 12-14 gauge), is there anything I am missing or any recommendations for a first timer?

Kazimir

Also, which would be better or is there a difference between running a 5channel vs a 4 and a 1 channel amp?

Looking at PA1100.5 or PDX-F6 and a mono

arun1963

Kazimir wrote: »

Car: 2008 Honda Accord Coupe LX-S
Front: SR6500 or 5250 components (probably 5250 due to availability)
Rear: MM 6.5" or sr5250/6500 (Need advise here)
Sub: MM or SR 10 or 12 (Need advise here)
Amp: PA1100.5

You don't need rears. The 6500 are stronger on mid-bass and the 5250 on mid-range. The 6500 will be tough to find , unless you're willing to go 'used'.
I'd go with the sr-12" in a sealed 1.25 cuft box. I'd also give it plenty of power, 7-800 watts and the keeping the gains low. You may be better off going with a 4 ch + mono. The PA1100.5 will work though. If you're going for the PA, know in advance that it is HUGE.

Kazimir wrote: »

Currently, I am sticking to the stock head unit and waiting to see what the new Kenwood 9960 offers. I also plan to sound dampen the doors, rear, and floor. The install will be placed in stock locations.

The one thing I would definitely change is the HU. The 9960 has good tuning features. Unless you're specifically looking for navigation, you can also look at the DDX 896 which has all the tuning features of the 9960 and is probably cheaper.

Kazimir

Was looking for navi/BT/RV camera. I am just waiting for the next gen 9960 with hops that it will provide zune support. Given it will be a month till I have everything completed, 1 more month to see the new releases isn't bad.

More companies need zune support :P such a higher quality product just minus apps. And an interface like that can't be that difficult to support.

MacLeod

Dump the rear speakers and use that money towards better gear elsewhere. If you can already afford the SR5250's and SR124 sub then use the money youd spend on the MM rears on a boat load Dynamat. Spending $300 on Dynamat will do a lot more to improve your SQ than a pair of MM's in the rear deck.

Or if youre the type like me that loves to tweak and tune on his system, then invest in a really good head unit with a ton of tuning features like time alignment, 3 way crossover so you can run active and so on. Pioneer has one that has independent left and right 16 band EQ I believe. That would be a nice piece.

Kazimir

So I changed up a few things, I will worry about the head unit after the rest is installed. This is a complete list of everything I am looking to buy. If I am missing anything please let me know. Ex: Connectors...

Front: Polk SR5250
Rear: Polk SR5250 Mid only
Sub: Polk Audio SR124 DVC 12-Inch
Amp 4 chan: JL HD600/4
Amp Mono: JL HD750/1
Sound Proofing: MLV 1/8" (doors, floor, trunk)
Deadening: Dynomat Extreme (Inner door panel and rear deck)
Wire: 14-gauge 200ft
Sub Box: Custom Sealed - Fiberboard (Have the rest of the mats)

Can the stock battery power this or do I need an external? Rears will be off most of the time, but as I said above people ride in the back. With that said, for mids only in the rear do I need to hook them to a crossover to limit the frequencies? Was planning on running passive for ease.

KaosTsoc

I was once told that for every 1,000 watts you will want to add 70 amps. Dont think this applys to your set up, but just putting that out there for you.

So, the big question is how many amps does your current alt produce? You can get the amp rating by looking at the alt, or the owners manual.

Since you are only going to using about 800 watts at best give or take (amps are usually about 70-80% efficient) I would say that if your currnent stock alt produces at least 70 amps you should be fine. You will however want to do the big three upgrade, which will help with the current draw, and discharge. And invest in a deep cycle battery like Kinetic, Optima yellow or blue tops. There are several other brands out there, that are just as good. Hope this helps.

Thanks.

MacLeod

Yes your current charging system will work so long as you're listening at a musical level. I ran my system off a stock 07 Accord 4 banger with no issues. I did upgrade to a bigger battery though.

Vital

Kazimir wrote: »

Front: Polk SR5250
Rear: Polk SR5250 Mid only
Sub: Polk Audio SR124 DVC 12-Inch
Amp 4 chan: JL HD600/4
Amp Mono: JL HD750/1
Sound Proofing: MLV 1/8" (doors, floor, trunk)
Deadening: Dynomat Extreme (Inner door panel and rear deck)
Wire: 14-gauge 200ft
Sub Box: Custom Sealed - Fiberboard (Have the rest of the mats)

WOW!!! that's one hell of a set-up!!
Expect people to tell you not to have any speakers in the rear but i like rear fill (no tweets thou, just you want) so your set-up is perfection if u ask me.
Not sure if 600/4 has a gain remote contol for rear channels but would be nice if it did so you could control amount of rear fill the way you like it.
Other then that - don't be surprised to find out that you'll need a lot more sound deadening then originally planned but i'm sure you woulnt have issues getting more. btw also look into Second Skin's deadenign products. A bit less expensive then Dynomat while probably even better in quality.

KaosTsoc

If what I looked up about your car is correct. Then you will be more than just fine. Your alt should produce up to 130 amps max. Which is plenty, for sure when listing at a musical level. I would however, get a deep cycle battery for sure, and you might want to look into the big three upgrade. This will help when you are in the mood to be loud, better current flow etc. So, yes like mac said you will be just fine.


Thanks.

punk-roc

While I'm not car amp connoisseur, I have had the JL HD600/4 powering my Focals in my truck and been very happy

Jason

Kazimir

Thanks for all the help guys

Kazimir

So I'm about to order the JL HD750/1 and I wanted to see what sub I should get first. With a mono amp and single sub, do I need SVC or DVC or does it mater?

Kazimir

I have been debating 10/12 for a while now and was thinking 12, but thats a great deal... Would a 10 in the trunk be able to appropriately fill a "larger" car like the newest gen accords?

MacLeod

12's are usually the best in my opinion. Best combination of SQ and SPL. I went with 10's in my current system cause for one, the subs are in the cabin with me being an SUV and two, I need space for baby strollers and stuff cause this is also our daily driver/grocery getter.

eprater1

hey mack drove through your end of the woods on i-75 north today heading up to chat. im getting close to needing some help, ordered my soundstream hru.4 for the fronts set up active today!

Kazimir

Thanks again, you all have been a huge help.

Kazimir

Oh also, I was planning on going active after some research. To verify, in order to do the I would have to run my sr5250s with tweets and mids on separate channels, correct? Im assuming then the best setup is tweets for front 2 channels and mids for rear 2?

Also, in doing this, is the jl 600/4 too much power or should I be fine?

kawizx9r

Kazimir wrote: »

Oh also, I was planning on going active after some research. To verify, in order to do the I would have to run my sr5250s with tweets and mids on separate channels, correct? Im assuming then the best setup is tweets for front 2 channels and mids for rear 2?

Also, in doing this, is the jl 600/4 too much power or should I be fine?

That's how I have my SR6500's biamped.

Tweeters are connected to the A (front) section of my 4-channel amp, and midwoofers are connected to the B (rear) section. Each channel is rated at 120 watts at 14v so you'll be fine at 150 watts for your SR's.

Btw, nice setup you got going.

If for some reason you plan on getting SR's for the rear and you only run the mids, I'd be very interested in your tweeters. But honestly, I'd suggest not using rear speakers at all

-Freddy

Kazimir

Hey again, sorry for all the questions, but I have a few more.

So I'm looking for a cheap 2ch amp for the rear with little to no distortion. Any thoughts on the Pioneer GM5400t 125x2 @ 4ohms?

Also, for a processor, I am considering the JBL MS-8. Thus far out of the reviews I have read, everyone seems to rave about it. The only downside is that the customization is a little low. Given that I have never tuned a system before or had an active, do you think its a good idea?

Lastly, this is common practice for RC cars, is it possible to Rit dye Scosche and Metra adapter plates? Neither are quite the stock color, and given stock is black for my car, its not a hard color match. For anyone who hasn't done this before, basically just boil water and add dye. Then turn stove on low and place the item in for 5-30 min depending on richness/darkness of the color. Remove and wipe off and your done.

Kazimir

Kazimir wrote: »

So I'm looking for a cheap 2ch amp for the rear with little to no distortion. Any thoughts on the Pioneer GM5400t 125x2 @ 4ohms?

Or are there any other decent, low/no noise, 80-125W @ 4ohms amps you would recommend. Budget is 300ish MSRP tops.

kawizx9r

Kazimir wrote: »

Or are there any other decent, low/no noise, 80-125W @ 4ohms amps you would recommend. Budget is 300ish MSRP tops.

2 channel amp that provides 80-125w@4 ohms?

Why not look into 4-channel amps as well that'll provide 50-100w@4ohms that way you can bi-amp your SR's! You can still keep it within budget too.

Have my SR's bi-amped and love it :biggrin:

Kazimir

bi-amping the fronts w/ jl hd600/4, just need a low end for rear woofers.... I know, dont have rears...

arun1963

Kazimir wrote: »

.... I know, dont have rears...

Ok, maybe start off by not having rears at the end if you still feel the need, then install them. This way if you decide that you don't need them, at least you would have saved some money .

Get everything else installed and tuned. The MS-8 sets your TA and gains and then lets you play a bit with the xover points (I think) and a 31 band eq. It would set things up at a fairly good level. So for most audio enthusiasts who are not going to spend hours and years on tweaking this is a great solution.

Once you have everything hooked up, then see if you still want rears.

jay27

Kazimir wrote: »

Hey again, sorry for all the questions, but I have a few more.

So I'm looking for a cheap 2ch amp for the rear with little to no distortion. Any thoughts on the Pioneer GM5400t 125x2 @ 4ohms?

Also, for a processor, I am considering the JBL MS-8. Thus far out of the reviews I have read, everyone seems to rave about it. The only downside is that the customization is a little low. Given that I have never tuned a system before or had an active, do you think its a good idea?

Lastly, this is common practice for RC cars, is it possible to Rit dye Scosche and Metra adapter plates? Neither are quite the stock color, and given stock is black for my car, its not a hard color match. For anyone who hasn't done this before, basically just boil water and add dye. Then turn stove on low and place the item in for 5-30 min depending on richness/darkness of the color. Remove and wipe off and your done.

If you plan on using an MS-8, it uses rears for it's Logic 7 processing. You can turn Logic 7 off if you are running a stereo system only. However, if you use rears with the MS-8's Logic 7, it is recommended you use a tweeter along with the midbass. A center also apparently helps to focus the sound for both driver and passenger.

By the way, the MS-8 has a gazillion crossover points to choose from, just no overlapping (which isn't necessary anyway).

Kazimir

So I was looking at a ton of install picks for an amp rack to see if anyone did it the way I designed and noticed a few people w/ MS-8s running passive crossovers.

With that said, does the MS8 allow me to run active (I assumed it would since I had to set Xover points) or is that for tuning purposes?

jay27

Kazimir wrote: »

So I was looking at a ton of install picks for an amp rack to see if anyone did it the way I designed and noticed a few people w/ MS-8s running passive crossovers.

With that said, does the MS8 allow me to run active (I assumed it would since I had to set Xover points) or is that for tuning purposes?

The MS-8 is designed to run active, yes, for up to 8 channels. Most people who use passives with the MS-8 are doing so because they need or want more than 8 channels. Most of these people are using 3-ways up front, a center, rears, and a sub (10 channels).

As far as speaker selection, it is recommended to use a midbass and tweeter for the rears (not a full range/wide bander or midbass only) and a center channel that is as close in size to your other speakers as you can get (5.25/6.5 inches with a tweeter as well).

Kazimir

Couple questions about sound dampening.

1) Is expanding foam a good idea for a trunk door? The are 2 pieces to the door that are welded and I cant really get into. My idea was to lay a few pieces of second skin on the parts I could, then put expanding foam in the rest.

2) Does second skin have sales often or is there a cheaper place than their site?

3) Am I spending my money properly?
Dampener (dynamat) = Cover the whole interior
Luxury Liner Pro (mlv w/ ccf) = Outer Door panel, Trunk Door
Luxury Liner (mlv) = Floors, Trunk
Speaker Tweakers = Behind front mids

Any other advice or things you would do differently?

Kazimir

Also, was planning on second skin b/c it seems highly over engineered to withstand high temps. I live in the DC area and temps range annually from 0-120 degrees F with humidity considered. If then is another product which can hold up and work as well for cheaper I would consider it.

Kazimir

Also, how are crossovers on amps (JL HD series)? Going to be late Jan before I can get a processor so was hoping to hook up speakers over Christmas and run them off the amp x-over so when the processor gets here its plug and play.

Installer4life

Can't run active on your SR components without a processor. JL amp highest high pass frequency is only 500 hz. You will have to use the passive crossover provided with the components. Install the passive crossovers in the trunk so that when you do get the processor it will be easy to remove them and wire the speakers straight to the amp. You could leave the crossovers in and bi-amp with them but with the processor it would not be necessary.