Ground Up System Install

CarSoundDude

First off, I am still in the pre-building phase of my installation on my 2003 G35 Coupe. As such, I am trying to get as much ideas and information as possible before beginning my build. (Of course, I will be eliminating every shred of the stock bose system.)

So far, I have come to the conclusion that Polk's SR series would be the best starting point as far as speakers go.
- My first question here is... 5250s or 6500s. (noting that 5250s do not require modification of the door to be installed)
- Secondly. How many speakers? Just because the stocks system has 6 speaker locations (not including the tweeters), doesn't necessarily mean I need to install 6 high quality mids. But, what would be optimal number and locations for sound quality considerations, just the 2 doors? (Avaliable locations are the front doors, rear deck and rear side panels)
- My thoughts on the head unit are currently a DDX812(the non nav version) to fill the double din slot I'll have available. Though I am willing to consider others in that price range.
- From what i have read thus far. Going with a bi-amped setup will be better as well, though I have never done this before and and am unsure of the advantages/challenges.
- I'm currently awaiting delivery of 80sq feet each of Damplifier Pro and overkill, for sound deadening of the interior. So, I have time to think and learn more before making decisions as I plan to finish their install before moving on to purchasing and installing the electronic components of the system.
- Any direct advice or links to posts which might have already answered questions I have would be appreciated as I'm tryin' to become less of a noob

MacLeod

CarSoundDude wrote: »

- My first question here is... 5250s or 6500s. (noting that 5250s do not require modification of the door to be installed)

Depends on your preference. If you want to do a little hacking on your doors then Id give the edge to the 6500s for their better low end response. But if you want more of a plug and play application then the 5250's are just fine. I competed all thru 2007 with the 5250's and did just fine.

- Secondly. How many speakers? Just because the stocks system has 6 speaker locations (not including the tweeters), doesn't necessarily mean I need to install 6 high quality mids. But, what would be optimal number and locations for sound quality considerations, just the 2 doors? (Avaliable locations are the front doors, rear deck and rear side panels)

The optimal number of speakers is the minimum amount possible. The less speakers you have playing the same things but from different distances, the better. The best option would to get as high a quality set of components as possible for the front stage, a sub and some amps.

- My thoughts on the head unit are currently a DDX812(the non nav version) to fill the double din slot I'll have available. Though I am willing to consider others in that price range.

Im not familiar with that head unit but if you will want to tune any on your sound, youll want as much processing power as you can get. Alpines usually have the best for this. The 9877 is the best one IMO. You have 5 bands of parametric EQ, a great 3 way crossover and best of all, 6 channels of time corrections!

- From what i have read thus far. Going with a bi-amped setup will be better as well, though I have never done this before and and am unsure of the advantages/challenges.

Yes this is the best for using the processing power of your head unit. By having a dedicated amp channel for each driver, you can set the crossover and time correction for each driver. And if you get an external EQ, then you can independently EQ each driver. Use the front channels for the tweeters and the rear channels for the mids.

CarSoundDude

Thanks a lot for the effort you put into your response, MacLeod:) Taking some of your input, I started to look at the Alpine head units, though I was unable to locate the 9877 on their website. Perhaps it is the old number or something... I did find a 9887 though, which seems to have many of the described features. Luckily, I have plenty of time to decide.

cadenceclipse

macLeod knows his shtuff. however you could bypass the eq and buy something like an eclipse 7200 which has independant eq adjustments for high, mid, low, 11 band

MacLeod

Yeah, Im a moron. That is the 9887 Im talking about.



That Eclipse 7200 mentioned above looks pretty damn good too. Wasnt familiar with them but they certainly have the features I would want. Definitely worth a look.

CarSoundDude

I checked that Eclipse Head unit out and the stats did look to stack up nicely against the Alpine, I'll admit. I actually like the fact that an amp is required, and am surprised more head units of decent quality are not similar, saving the space for more junk. Comparing it to the 9887, the 7200 is a tad more expensive(by about 150 bucks), though the 9887 does require the imprint setup stuff, which runs like 250 ( if not rented ). So the difference in price is not that much. I am curious how good the imprint system is, and if that alone will give the edge to the Alpine or if those adjustments are achievable by a competent installer's tuning.

cadenceclipse

i heard some who had imprint liked the sound w/out. on the other hand, well, to me, imprint is like having a "competent" installer tune. i spend more $ than i should on car audio b/c i love music, the best sounding music possible. if your like me and would rather pay 500 on 200 quality watts vs 500 garbage watts, or tune for 2 hrs for optimal sound vs 2 min and forget it, stick 2 what works which is time and quality. for $50 i'm pretty sure u can purchase deck and imprint aNd return if not satisfied(restocking, crutchfield). r u an audiofile?

CarSoundDude

Not to spoil the surprise...but I have actually already ordered an Eclipse CD7200 mkII. It wasn't an easy choice, but I found it for a very reasonable price when most places, like Crutchfield, were sold out. Since i plan to run a bi-amped setup to either a pair of SR6500s or 5250s, this HU seems to be a perfect fit for what i need. Though I have a long way to go until I actually can listen to it, hehe. (But today I got my shipment of overkill, with the damplifier pro scheduled for this afternoon, yay!) Slowly, but surely, Ill get there...80sq ft of each should go a long way on my li'l G)

Sh**...I need a garage now, lol;)

cadenceclipse

congrats. so you'll b running 3-way, eh, sweet. i tried 3-way on components(high), 8 inch(mid), 12(low). components didn't like it, 8 loved it(lp and hp xovrs). back 2 4-way w/out sub. thinkn bout pullin 8 to biamp eclipse components. what kind of amps u using? 8v!

CarSoundDude

I am looking at different amplifiers now...They can be a little confusing since I know that high S/N ratio is good, and low THD is good, but those numbers can't be the only things i worry about.

If i'm getting SR's and a good HU, i dont wanna skimp here...but at the same time, I'm not looking to spend more than 2k on a 4ch amp for my highs and mids. I know the tweets themselves should require less power than the mids, so maybe 3 amps would be better. ( one for each pair and one for my sub. ) My only reasoning here is that an amp for the highs and mids together might be too weak if it is rated at 50W rms, but might be a waste for 100. There is the "more is better" thing with wattage though in some sense that it is better to have too much that could be dialed down than not enough and you are stuck.

Of course, some amps are rated at 50Wrms at 12V and others 50 at 14.4 etc, so that is a factor as well, the actual power i will get.
Then there is the ...do i choose a class A amp, like Helix or something (pushes the budget limit) , or a class AB, which would be much more cost effective?
I am sure there are other factors that I haven't even thought of. (Like space, duh!)

The PA amps are certainly not out of consideration.

cadenceclipse

2k? class a? sounds like sq music 2 my ears. u still haven't choosen components or sub, right? kicker amps at crutchfield r very nice and half off! what car? electrical system?

CarSoundDude

Components and the sub will both be SR, the only thing with speakers themselves that i haven't decided on is 5250s or 6500s. The sub will be an SR 124.(It's just a little insane:) ).
Unfortunately, I don't live in CA, so I don't know where i can even get good amps from where I live unless I order them online. Finding actual authorized dealers online can be a pain if it's not a widely used brand. I may just go with the PA amps for convenience alone, here. I mean, will a class A amp that i spend double or triple for the price of the PA 500.4 really make that much of a difference?

Everything will be going into my 2003 G35 Coupe, which is currently completely stock, with the exception of the 50lbs of dampening I am starting on today (as soon as the rain stops or i get to use my friend's garage, hehe )

cadenceclipse

example of class a's your looking at? by "class a?" i meant really? rock out! i have class a but u don't c many around anymore at least at a place like crutchfield. i have cadence a4. that would work what others u checkin out? curious f ca

CarSoundDude

If i were to go class A, was looking at Helix primarily. I may have a hook-up of a friend who lives in Germany, but I have to wait a few days until her husband get back since he is a local and knows the language better. The helix "A4 Competition", as well as the "B4 precision". though the A4 looks better wattage wise.

I have also considered Mac's. The MCC404 looks very nice. (I don't really need the watt meters, though they doo look cool, hehe) The closest authorized dealer is 90 miles away, grr.

cadenceclipse

oh yeah, nice amps have any prices? helix better than brax?

CarSoundDude

Helix is not better than Brax, but as far as I can tell, the same parent company makes both since one can get to both from the same company website...but Brax are crazy expensive, even compared to Helix, which aren't exactly cheap. I wonder what other companies make comparable domestic alternatives besides the ones I have found so far ( without having to risk a sketchy seller on ebay, lol ).
Maybe i am being too picky, but I would like to have the amps be the same brand and same styling. (4ch amp and the sub amp, i mean). So, i am trying to avoid mixing and matching companies for the amps.
Also, except for my trunk, I want everything to appear as stock looking as possible( not like a ton of fiberglass on the interior of a car i already like) Some people like the fancy looking installs, but just not my style.

cadenceclipse

course theres audison focal and helix sure looks nice. mcintosh is how old? $$? read some articles on class a. says they perform best w/ tweets and maybe not worth xtra $ specially on non tweets. sure lots of other quality amps out. jus a thought. specially if your talkin polk speaks (poly cost 25% price of those amps)

CarSoundDude

Over the course of the past week, I installed most of the sound deadening I will have into my car. I also ordered a set of SR5250 and an SR124DVC.

I am still trying to decide which amplifiers to use to power the SR's.
The stats of soundstream's tarantula series amps look pretty good in comparison to the PA series amps by polk. But, I am not sure how fair the comparison is.
In particular, I was comparing the TRX 4.640 ( a 4x100 amp ) to the PA 500.4.
as well as the TRX1000D to the PA1200.1
http://www.soundstream.com/amplifiers-tarantula.htm