OK, What do you think of this

Jstas

My friend with the Jeep is back again. He has a new, 2004 Wrangler that he traded his '01 in on. This one came with a crap stereo in it for the stock system. So he wants to upgrade. Gave me a budget of ~$1200.00

So I came up with this as my best solution. I was looking at all brands but for the space restrictions he has imposed on me and the limited budget, Polk Audio gear offered the best bang for the buck.

Amplifiers:
$114.95 Qty. 1 Hifonics Warrior Eagle 4 channel (50Wx4)
$309.90 Qty. 2 Hifonics Warrior Merlin Mono channel (200Wx1 @ 4 ohms)

Subwoofers:
$179.90 Qty 2 Polk Audio MM2084

Speakers:
$119.95 Qty 1 pr. Polk Audio MMC460 (Front)
$149.95 Qty 1 pr. Polk Audio MMC525 (Rear)

Wiring:
$63.95 Qty 1 Kit Streetwires PS04B Multi-amp wiring kit
$56.85 Qty 3 pr Streetwires Zero Noise ZN250 Interconnects
$19.90 Qty 2 Streetwires Zero Noise ZN2MFF RCA Splitters
$13.00 Qty 50 ft. Streetwires Super Cable SC14 14 guage speaker wire

Head Unit:
$288.95 Qty 1 Kenwood eXcelon KDC-X879

$1249.80 Total

I know the speaker wires ar only 14 guage and nothing fancy but the budget constraints don't really allow for it. Also, the reason for 2 8 inch subs is also space. I can get a good deal of volume from two 8 inch subs without taking up the space of big **** amp and enclosure to drive a single 10 or 12 inch sub.

The reason for two subs with dedicated amps is also related to space. The Merlin amps are small and easily tucked away, out of the way. I couldn't find a single amp big enough to meet the 200 watts RMS requirment of the two subs and still fit the budget or space requirments.

The plate speakers were chosen because they are basically, components for a 4x6 inch hole. Better imaging, better performance from a small speaker. Just a better deal all around than oval 4x6's or cramming a 4 inch speaker into a 4x6 inch hole.

Also, I know the budget is $1200 and my total right now is about $1250 but given the added constraints of space in addition to cost, it's more difficult to hit the financial target. I think being within $50 of the target is great given teh circumstances. The only think I am missing is the supplies to build the boxes for the subs. It's hard to factor that in without having a layout for the boxes determined yet.

LittleCar_w/12s

Well you did awfully good for hittin that budget for the limitations there. If you wanted to clip a little off you could suggest to him that he only have front speakers. I used to want rears, then Cody and the others convinced me otherwise (thanks for the help it really does sound better even though it's a set of crappy R.S. 4x10's in a cardboard box on the floor -LOL-). That would cut enough off for it to work. Also, I am not sure if rears really make a difference at all in a wrangler, if any only when the top is on and closed. My dad's wrangler only has fronts, I don't think i'd go with rears.

As for the subs, It's really hard to say, I could not know where to begin to get anything to fit nicely in a wrangler, the only thing I can think of that will give better is maybe a kicker L7, and only because an 8" square has more surface area, and they can handle more wattage in general. Maybe only one would work for him, and then you'd have the extra room for a bigger amp.

All in all great selection.
-Jerry

Jstas

Ever listen to piddly little 4x6 inch speakers in a Jeep with no doors traveling down the road at even 35 MPH?

I'll bet you haven't 'cause you really can't hear them. The rear speakers are in a speaker bar which is situated directly above the heads of the front seat passenger and driver. Not the best location but it's really the only other place to put speakers in a Jeep. On top of that, the little 3 or 4 inch woofer in the 4x6 plates just won't make up teh difference between teh 8 inch sub and the smaller woofer. The mid-range will suffer and bass response will be boomy and muddy without any mid-range. The 5.25 inch speaker are pretty much essential for the stereo to be heard and have a complete frequency response range.

Besides, in open top driving, there is a hell of alot of road noise. It cancels out alot of info due to a phenomenon known as "white noise" and "pink noise". The only real way to oversome it aside from expensive and cumbersome subsonic filter systems is to just plain out muscle it.

As far as the woofer goes, I was considering an L5 or L7 but Kicker doesn't make an L7 8 inch sub anymore and the L5 is not what I'm looking for. The 2 MOMO 8's have a better response, higher sensitivity and the pair will have more oomph to them than a single square L5 or L7. On top of that, since the full-range speakers a compromised by thier size, I want the subs to blend as seamlessly as possible. If they are MOMO Carbon speakers and subs then they will have similar voicing and should blend well. On top of that, IIRC, the two subs are 180 and the Kicker was over 200. So the two subs are cheaper and will probably be easier to mount in the Jeep.

exalted512

the last one is was a lease...im guessing this one he actually bought? or is a lease again?
if he bought it...i STRONGLY recommend taking the 4x6s and and putting some 5.25s on their spot(a little modification has to be done)
from a guy who has to deal with 4x6 speakers a lot because i help out a lot of people near by with chevys(i go to fullsizechevy.com and help out a lot of people around here) and 4x6s cannot compete with 5.25s
so if at all possible, take out the half inch of metal on each side of the 4x6 hole and put some decent speakers in its place
other than that, to save a little money, go with www.knukonceptz.com and look at their different amp kits...it will def. save you some money, even if you do end up having to end up not going with a kit and just getting it by the foot
both their speaker wire and their power wire are of great quality, i have their power wire and can personally vouch for its amazing durability and flex...ive used 4awg thats not as flexible as my KK 1/0awg
i have used their speaker wire in multiple applications and its good stuff as well
i already had all my speaker wire for my truck so i didnt order any
i ended up buying some monster cable speaker wire a few weeks ago...only a few feet to extend the speaker wire on my sub box...and holy crap that stuff sucks ****
you cannot pull it apart by hand because the insulation will tear unevenly and expose the wire...so everytime i have to split it have to use a knife
i like my RF speaker wire...works very well and its as good as KK wire, just at a higher cost, SW is good stuff too, but again, KK is as good and will save some $$
or you could always go to ebay and pick up your kit...as long as its new you wont have problems
otherwise, everything looks great...i was wondering why you were going with 2 dedicated sub amps and was going to say get a big mono to save space, but i understand now
my friend has a TJ and i know how hard it is to make a good install in em...its impossible
where are you putting the subs?
-Cody

MacLeod

I for one think youve done about as good as can be done with the budget in mind. I could probably dig up some different amp choices but the wattage and price would be about the same, and they wouldnt be any better than the Hifonics in SQ so it wont matter.

As always, the Polk speakers are the perfect choice when wanting the best value, so, again, good call!

I also like your decision to use 8s. I am a big fan of 8s and have used them many times over the years. They arent the loudest but from a SQ standpoint are great sounding and especially in rock and metal, they dont drown out the mids as much. A pair of Momo 8s getting 200 each wont set any DB records, it will sure sound damn good!

Are you sure Kicker doesnt make an 8" L7 anymore? They are still listed on their website and SoundDomain is still selling them. These are the new versions of the L7 and not last years model so Im pretty sure you can still snag some.

Jstas

Well, this Jeep is leased right now but he's looking to buy it when teh lease is up in 3 years. So right now, I can't modify it 'cause he could decide to get rid of it at the end of the lease.

The amps weren't really chosen for price. They were chosen for size. They are rather compact and that is what I need. I also highly doubt you would be able to find an amp of better quality at that price point.

The small Kickers must be fairly new them because when I was looking the last time, back in March/April, they didn't have any 8 inch speakers.

exalted512

ok....then thats pretty limited to what you can do then...
sounds like you made the best with the cards you were dealt
go for it...but with knukonceptz wiring:D
-Cody

Jstas

I havcen't had a chance to look at what was available from knukonceptz but the main reason I chose teh Streetwires kit was because it comes with a fused distro block. That alone is 35 bucks for a 4 spot fused block. The kit comes with all the wire I would need and it's pretty high quality StreetWires or Esoteric Audio wires.

I'll look at knukonceptz though and see what is available. I will most likely need extra wire and it's cheaper than StreetWires bulk from sounddomain, I'll go with them. Right now though, I have 50 feet of speaker wire for 20 cents a foot. Dude, you can't beat that with a stick! So I'll go look for whatever power wires they have there,

MacLeod

Wal-mart has Schoshe 4 guage wiring kits at $25!

They have 15' 4 guage wire
I think 10' of 8 guage
distro block
Maxi 100 amp fuse holder and fuse

I know Schoche aint high end like Streetwires but thats not a bad price for what ya get.

exalted512

wire...generally...is wire
as long as its not crap speaker wire with **** insulation or stuff that has such a low strand count thats its impossible to move...
-Cody

nadams

Am I the only one who just uses the factory speaker wire?

exalted512

i draw the line at factory wiring
i dont think they could handle the 200+ watts for my 6.5s...lol
-Cody

Jstas

Originally posted by MacLeod
Wal-mart has Schoshe 4 guage wiring kits at $25!

They have 15' 4 guage wire
I think 10' of 8 guage
distro block
Maxi 100 amp fuse holder and fuse

I know Schoche aint high end like Streetwires but thats not a bad price for what ya get.

Honestly, that's not enough wire. I have 3 amps to power so I will need to have a good deal of wire to run to 3 amps. The speaker wire isn't such a huge deal but power is a different story. That 3 extra feet makes a difference.

MacLeod

Originally posted by nadams
Am I the only one who just uses the factory speaker wire?

Probably!

Factory wire is the devil! LOL