Car systems 101

Shawshanks

hello all... ok i'm back in pdx and starting to get back into the swing of things. after searching for areas where i can house the amps, i've decided to go w/ a false floor in the cargo area option. my buddy is going to build the floor this weekend so hopefully i'll have some photos of the build and post it. my buddy also got a new truck, tacoma, and wanted to sound dampen the whole truck but didn't want to spend an outrageous amount for dynamat extreme stuff so we found a sub. it has the same characteristics as DM w/ the aluminum front and sticky rubber bottom and when we tested a small piece on a cow bell, it worked the same. anyways we paid $75 for a roll that was 36"x75', that a lot of roll but i guess i could double the application and still have plenty left over. the product is called "peel & seal" and u can get it from a roofing material company or home depot or lowes.

now back to the stereo stuff, this is what i'm going with; alpine HU 9855, infinity kappa 6.5 components in the front and 6.5 reference coax in the rear door, polk momo 10 sub, 2 amps. now the delima i'm having is what kind of amps should i go with, i've narrowed it down to 2 brands, alpine and phoenix gold. the alpine amps are MRV545 and MRD605, the PG amps are xeon X200.4 and X400.1, they are all around the same price. so which ones would you go w/ and why???? i'm planning on getting them online through ebay b/c they are way cheaper and some of the sellers seem legit but no physical store near where i live. so the question is, has anyone had any good and/or bad experiences purchasing stereo prods online from ebay? has anyone had probs w/ DOA's? etc....

thanks gain in advance for ally of your suggestions and input, greatly appreciated.

MacLeod

Id go with the Alpine. Ive always really liked the V12 amps. Also the PG amps are fully regulated and those arent my favorites.

Have you listened to those Infinity's? I really dont like em. I had a set in my truck before converting to Polk and I hated them. Infinity speakers are inherently very bright and when you throw in a bunch of glass windows and hard plastic dash panels, they can be pretty harsh especially if you listen to heavy metal.

Just my $.02

audiobliss

Hey, man! It's great to hear from you again and to see that you're still planning on doing something with your 4Runner! Hope you had a great time down in Hawaii!

Sounds like you found quite a deal on the sound deadening material. I bet it'll work just as well as Dynomat.

I, too, am disappointed that you've decided not to go with the Polk components. I really do believe they're the best components you can get for the money. They should really sound much better than the Infinity's. Like Mac said, Infinity's are quite bright. However, if you've listened to them (with all the different kinds of music you like to listen to) and seem to like them ok, then you just might be satisfied with them. Whatever your ears say are right.

I would also go with the Alpine amps. Not because the PG amps are bad, but because Alpine just has a better name, reputation, and probably record. They make really solid, good quality stuff. You can't go wrong with Alpine.

I would never buy anything from e-bay. For one, you always have the risk that the seller is running some sort of scam. You may not get anything, a seriously cosmetically damaged piece, an internally damaged piece, or a refurbished piece. Also, even if it is just fine, but happens to break later on, you will have no warranty. If you go with Polk stuff, they have a great warranty and great customer service. However, (no matter what brand you buy), you'll have no warranty if you buy through e-bay. So, basically, buy at your own risk!

spwuinmk67

The peel and seal should be fine, others on the forum have used it with no problems, you'll be surprised at how much you use. I'd put extra on the door panels, and door skin.

The infinities aren't bad speakers at all, I think you'll be happy. A buddy of mine has all infinities and they sound pretty good, not too bright. Every car is different, so the speakers will sound different from mine, to yours, especially to the sound room. If they get too bright in the front, use the tweeter attenuation to drop it down a bit. Also if you bi-amp them, you will have better luck getting them tuned, but it is more work.

I wouldn't buy any stereo equipment off ebay either. You get absolutly no warrenty, and if something happens your f'ed. Even if you find an online store thats maybe not authorized, but offers a warrenty though them, that would be better then ebay. But shop around. www.sounddomain.com does price matching, so if you find something they carry, anywhere else for less, they will give you a closer, or better price. They are authorized as well.

exalted512

I'm a little late, but yea, the reason why dont want to mount amps to sub boxes is because of the vibrations. You might be lucky, you might not. I say better safe than sorry. Its not something thats going to happen right away either. Itll take a few years and by then your warranty is gone. Also, if a thief gets into your car, all they gotta do is snip the power and speaker wire, pull out the rcas and rem and bam...free amp, box, and subs all in one convenient package.

Order off of ebay if you like, some sellers do offer warranties, granted they will not be from the manufacturer. Just make sure to buy from someone with feedback and read the description entirely...you know, the whole common sense thing;)
-Cody

Shawshanks

hey guys... thanks again for the help. now u guys have got me thinking about getting all polk speakers. i'll have to go and listen to the momo's again and compare them w/ the infins.

i guess it is buyer beware when it comes to ordering car electronics off of ebay, the pricing is the kicker and saving hundreds of dinero now vs. spending more later is the delima... i'll have to think it over.

well i need to get all of my stuff soon. when i do then i'll install the sound dampin product and lay all the wires for the amps, speakers, false floor, etc....

wish me luck...

neomagus00

good luck! and ebay = bad for car electronics unless you buy from a big, reputable seller... also check out paypal, it's kind of a hassle but I believe that it helps ensure fairness (check that claim before you go using it, though)

swerve

i bought my hifonics off ebay for 535 from indoaudio..

MacLeod

I will always be preaching about buying from authorized dealers. Ive just heard way, way, way too many horror stories from people that bought crap from what equated to some dude selling stuff out of the trunk of his car!

Shawshanks

ya i've been checking out some of the postings and what company's are selling what on ebay... i've seen indoaudio and couple others like locust, etc... i've been reading some of their feedback from people and reading all of the fine print they've got on the website, but yes its a gamble and hopefully if i do decide to get something off of ebay, my research will make it easier.

oh, now i'm contemplating going w/ CDT speakers for the doors. i've heard some good things about them but don't know anyone here who has them so that i can listen to them and judge them for myself. but i hope to get all my stuff w/in the next month or so and get the project going and done.

has anyone heard, seen, have, or know of what brand(s) are best when it comes to putting a clear plastic coating on the front hood and bumpers of cars? i'm thinking about doing that for my 4runner b/c here in pdx, they use pebbles during the winter to provide traction and that stuff isn't really cleaned up well and tends to fly around and create chips in your window or hood.

Shawshanks

Hey all.... first off a congrats to macleod for getting those new SR's, they are sweet... but anyways after many debates and looking into some other brands, what do u guys think of the MTX -7804? i've read some good things about that amp and that they are working with or part of xtant, correct me if i'm wrong... plus could someone clarify something for me? i've changed my door speakers to CDT's and the rms @ 4ohm is at 120-130watts, if i were to go w/ an amp that puts out 85w/ch/4ohm, will that damage the speakers in anyway? am I under powering the speakers? should i get something that is closer to the watts given by the manufac?

so i'm getting closer and building things very slowly but getting there. will keep u guys posted and eventually post pics when if finally get my **** and money in gear to get the rest of the stuff.

exalted512

its 85wx2 channels???

Shawshanks

would be 85w x 4. should i get an amp thats putts out more watts? closer to the rms of the speakers?

exalted512

well if you bi-amp them youd be giving them exactly what they need. Or did you buy sets?
-Cody

MacLeod

MTX amps are awesome. They are owned by Mitek which also owns and builds Xtant.

If youre getting an MTX amp rated at 85x2 you can bet its actually putting out closer to 100 per channel. Either way, its best to get an amp thall make power closest to the speakers rated handling. Using 85 watts on a 120 watt speaker wont damage it but it will make it more likely youll overdrive the amp, clipping it and the resulting 170 watts itll shoot out may damage the speaker.

Bottom line would be that amp will be ok as long as you use common sense with the volume and set the gain properly. And remember, MTX amps are very underrated.

Shawshanks

sweet... glad i went to this site and there are peeps here that know their stuff.. great to hear that and it makes my decision a bit easier. again, can't thank everyone enough for their insight and input.

Shawshanks

Ok all.. this is what i've got so far.

MTX 7804 (4 ch amp)
MTX 4501 (mono)
CDT CF61 6.5 components
Infinity reference 6.5 (rears)
Street Wire Combo Block
HU installation kit

this is what i still need and/or arriving w/in a couple of days:

Eclipse HU CD8455 or CD8445 (still deciding and any input is helpful)
1/0 Amp kit (any suggestions on good brands, w/ 2 amps do i need the dual amp kit, etc...??)
Knukonceptz Krystal Kable 4m 4ch & 2ch RCA's (shipping)
Knukonceptz Karma 12AWG Bi wire (is 12g good enough? for the seps up front, shippin)
" " " 12AWG Speaker wire (shipping)
Polk Momo 10" DVC sub (shippin)
Yellow top battery
Battery terminals

Do i need caps? anything else u guys can think of that i may need?

the false floor and sub box will be custom built, hopefully they will come out looking good. will be installing sound dampinin material throughout the truck. this maybe a long couple of days when i get everything set and of course I WILL POST PICS during the install and when completed.

thanks

audiobliss

Man. That's gonna be one awesome system, for sure!! Can you remnind me what this is going in? Was it a 4Runner?

MacLeod

You wont need a cap.

As for which head unit, just pick the one that has the features, appearance and price that most closely matches your needs.

Shawshanks

thanks for the responses... audio, ya its a 4runner and i'm get excited about getting things going. the plan is for us to build the floor, sub box, panels to fit the 6.5's in the door properly first and i'll get pics of those when we do them. then when the HU and all other stuff comes in, we'll gut the truck and install everything and put it back together again like humpty.... the HU is gonna take a while, my buddy back home in hawaii owns a stereo shop and hooking me up w/ a great deal on the eclipse, so i don't mind waiting.