So I think its time for a new stereo. I have been running a cheaper stereo and speakers and its been driving me nuts. In my house I have a very nice setup that sounds amazing. When I go out to the truck it feels cheap. Bass isn't amazing, clarity is sub par at best, parts to songs just "missing" very annoying sometimes.

Anyway I am looking into a new setup. I have done my research on things and just want to see what everyone thinks. As you will notice I use things from different brands, I am NOT partial to any brand because they all have there ups and downs. Buying everything from one brand is crazy talk to me.

Okay so without further talking here it is. Oh this is by no means a high end stereo just something a lot better than what I have now.

Receiver/Head: Pioneer AVH-P3300BT
Amazon.com: Pioneer AVH-P3300BT 5.8-Inch DVD AV Bluetooth Receiver with iPod/iPhone Control: Electronics

Fronts: Infinity Kappa Perfect 6.1
Amazon.com: 6-1/2 Component System (INFINITY PERFT61): Electronics

Rears: Infinity Kappa 4x6
Amazon.com: Infinity 4629CFP 180W (Peak) 4 x 6 -Inch Custom Fit Two-Way Plate Speakers (Pair): Electronics

MAYBE for the rears I might setup a Kappa Perfect 5.1. We will see what I can get to fit back there, look stock and sounds good.

Out of every single sub I have listened to I like these the best. They may NOT be the loudest but they are very very accurate in reproducing sound. They are NOT boomy at all. Very tight, clean bass. I will do a pair, doesn't mean I will crank them up high, just means I want a natural right and left sub setup.

Subs: Kenwood w3013ps 12 Inch Sub
Amazon.com: Pair of (2) Kenwood Kfc-w3013ps 12" 4 Ohm Performance Series Car Subwoofer with 2400 Watt Peak / 800 Watt RMS: Electronics

For the amps I want to do a pair of these alpine ones. I will have 1 setup for 4 channel for the main speakers then the other 2 channel for the subs. Not quite enough power for the subs when going crazy but then again I shouldn't need to crank it up that loud for my tastes. I have my current sub almost off I keep them that low.

Amp:
Alpine Electronics of America, Inc.

OKAY PARTS I NEED HELP WITH....Sub Box:
12" SUBWOOFER/SUB BOX EXT CAB TRUCK 99-UP GMC/CHEVY

Will this work good? I have NO idea. I usually build my boxes but this time I want to do something like that. I just don't have the time to do it so will them subs and that box work good. I also plan on building mini boxes in the doors for the other speakers. I think that would be wise to get the best performance anyways.

That stuff..the sound deadening material..is it worth the investment? I have heard it is but just want to ask you guys too. I am open to it if it is quieter in there.

Thanks in advance,



Michael

 

I think I might have missed it, but if your truck standard cab, or extended? The setup looks good. I personally swear by sound deadening. I just installed my midbasses in the door of my 2002 rcsb, and just by deadening the doors (covering all the holes in the inner door skin) I have great bass response from the 6" speakers running off a pioneer radio. Some people ask if I have a small sub. I can hardly wait to get all my amps in and hear how it sounds.


Long story short, yes, I would recommend a sound deadener. If you want to cut down on road noise, you would need to look at closed cell foam, and mass loaded vinyl. The regular dynamat-type material is really just to add mass to panels, thus lowering their resonance and cutting down on rattles.

 

Maybe I didn't say it, it is a extended cab. Umm do you have any links to deadener you would recommend I should get? I am kinda not knowledgeable in that particular area. Thanks a lot for the help in advance.



Michael

 

First off, don't think I'm sounding negative. I've just been around the audio carousel one too many times. The head unit is good, but the rest can easily be replaced with better stuff for the same amount of cash. Check out CDT, RE, FI, or Focal components for the front, and you can do coaxils for the back. Run them on a Sundown or Image Dynamics amp. Dynamat is the best sound deadening for the buck, IMO and I've heard it all. Kenwood subs are at the bottom of the barrel, look up some slim RE's or even Memphis S's. I usually wouldn't recommend Memphis, but the S's aren't bad. To get the best sound of of a box pre-made for the extended cab, you're going to be limited on full-depth subs. I'd suggest slim-mount, but you can do as you please. Airspace is severely limited, if you want to keep your seat. Choking the subs of airspace is asking for horrible SQ, and that's why I wouldn't recommend CVT's. Sonicelectronix.com is a great place to start, and so is Woofersetc.com, which carries CDT. I didn't get in depth, but just do some research and ask if need be.

 

Let me first explain that the stereo here I want to be very accurate in notes. The closer to flat without touching a EQ the better. I listen to...Classic Rock, Oldies, Pop, Rap, some Dubstep, and a few other genres I can't think of. I am NOT your average 19 year old kid. This setup is being built for sound quality and only that; not how much bass or how loud it gets. For me around 90db is plenty loud in the car.


Okay now I read through some of them brands. Why wouldn't you recommend a alpine amp? I realize there are different amps but alpine isn't exactly low end stuff that I know of anyway.

If they should be low end and I am wrong, what kinda 2 channel amp and 4 channel amp can I get for around $300 each? Obviously the RMS has to be close to what the subs and components will use, I don't want any clipping at a high volume.

I looked at the subs and I noticed all of them seem to have a really high RMS wattage. Why would I get that when lower is 9 times outta 10 far better? It's a simple math equation to determine the efficiency of the speaker. They didn't seem to get to loud for the amount of power they used. Maybe I was looking at the wrong ones though???? I am not sure. Also why do you not like the kenwoods? I know they are NOTHING to look at but out of every sub I listened to they were the clearest, tightest and dead on with notes. I was actually shocked to see some cheap kenwood sub perform so good.

I looked at the components. A few looked good however how can you judge sound off looks? Could you give me a few links to speakers you would like to see go in instead. I just choose the infinities because again out of all the speakers i listened to they were really crisp and clean at a higher volume. ONLY when you build a proper box for them as I have learned from previous experience.

Okay you said shallow boxes...could you show me a link to what you mean? Will they be tall enough to where the seat pushes them down and the boxes don't move? Taking out the back seat is not a option.

Sorry if this post seemed rude or offended I surely didn't mean it. I just want to make sure I get something good and being told I am making all the wrong choices is yea haha.



Michael

 

Alright, I'm going to go through this one piece at a time and in a super simple manner. If you have any specific quesitons, I'll be sure to pick them up.

Anways, yes the setup I'm describing will work for what you're playing. I know guys who have tons of subs and play strictly classic rock. What I described can be adjusted down to the wire.

Unless you plan on going with a PDX amp, I wouldn't bother with Alpine. Sure, they're not bad for a mainstream brand. They're good out of the brands people commonly talk about, but the input sensitivity sucks *** on the lower models, just as Memphis with their new PR's. The lower-end Alpine's are also known to get pretty hot--not the best choice for an amp that will be under a seat or against a back wall, even with spacers. Now if you want an Alpine h.u., Imprint is genius.

Sundown and Image Dynamics would be my go-to amps for a budget setup to run on the components and coaxils. If you cheap out, trust me, you'll spend more money doing it over to get the sound you wanted to begin with. It's better to piece it out, one at a time, and do it on the right budget. You could do a 5-channel amp, but I wouldn't bother. 4-channel for the components/coaxils, and a good mono for the subs.

The math really isn't simple. RMS wattage is bullshit, unless you're going off of a company that'll actually back it up. A 2000 watt Sony amp and a 2000 watt Sundown amp will be a literal world of difference. It's not all in the specs, I assure you. Kenwood has always made **** subs, and I know lots of guys will agree with me. The cone and coil are horrid, and the overall build quality is garbage. You can buy them. It IS your setup, but I'd never recommend them. I'd seriously buy a Wal-Mart Pioneer any day before I bought a Kenwood sub, even the Excelon slims at their peak. Audio buffs know Kenwood for one thing and one thing only; high-end navi. h.u.'s.

You can't judge sound by look, which you obviously know. You can read up on specs, but when you're dealing with a good brand, you know what you're getting. When you look at a Ferrari, you know it's quick. No need to read up and ask others. Same with CDT, Image Dynamics, Focal, and RE. Look at their components and coaxils. Go to woofersetc.com, look for 6.5" CDT's and make sure the mounting depth is correct. Put Dynamat in the doors and amp them. You'll be good to go.

You don't need shallow boxes. The box that fits the truck just needs a shallow sub or a shallow full-depth sub. Shallow-mounts are just generally more forgiving on airspace, but you need the right one. Just search up on the ones I mentioned above. The box will fit and your seat will remain as-is.

I'm not being a jerk, and I didn't take your comments as offensive, I just know a few things concerning audio and I like to share the facts. There are a lot of gear heads on here, but few audio guys. Questions are all good.

 

Have you thought about going with a dual 10" setup? It would take up less space than a dual 12" setup and still bet plenty loud for your taste. Also If you like the sound of the Infinitys have you had a chance to listen to the JBL Power series? I had a friend that had the Kappas and I used to own a pair of JBL Power sieries in my old truck and IMO the JBL sounded better and were still very decently priced. The JBL's wern't as bright and had more mid bass than the Infinity's. Infinity and JBL are sister companys (both owned by Harman Kardon).

 

Okay so I found some amps. I like the sundown ones so here are the links for them.

Amazon.com: SAX-1200D - Sundown Audio Monoblock 1200 Watt Amplifier: Car Electronics

Amazon.com: SAX-100.4D - Sundown Audio 100W 4-Channel Amplifier: Car Electronics

Okay now I have a few questions. I want stereo for the subs, mono is kinda defeating the purpose of having 2 subs. Although they don't seem to make a 2n channel amp.

I propose 2 of the 4 channel amps instead of a mono amp and run 1 of them in 2 channel mode. How does that sound? I know its not as many watts but 320 watts RMS is quite a lot, even for a sub.


Quick Edit: Also the math I am talking about only works for the speakers. You take the RMS wattage of the speaker, and its sensitivity and throw it into a equation and it tells you how efficient that speaker is for a particular application. As we should all know if we have 2 speakers, 1 a RMS of 500 watts and 1 a RMS of 150 watts; the one that uses 500 watts doesn't mean it is louder, clearer or anything.

 

Yea I think I might go with a 10 inch setup too. The less space in back the better. I really never thought about the fact that its a shallow sub box so now I have to find some of them around the right wattage. As far as the infinities I like the brighter sound. I don't like it to sound dead. I don't know quite what to do, I am looking around at possible setups. I will report back here with everything I find with questions and such.

 

Tell you what... This is the typical grade stuff. I'll just put it out there. Done this box with these subs, and they do work.

Box: http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...CHV07D-10.html

Subs: (2) http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...-10CVT102.html

Amp (for subs): Image Dynamics Q600.1 (Q6001) Monoblock Class A/B Q Car Amplifier OR RE Audio XTX-1500.1 (XTX1500.1) Monoblock Class D Amplifier

H.U.: (Opt for dash kit and harness. All you need WILL be included. No need to go to Crutchfield and pay way more.) Pioneer AVH-P3400BH Touchscreen Car Stereo Receiver w/ Bluetooth

Components for front: (comes with sound deadening)http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...Dampening.html

Coaxils for rear: http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...io-MM461p.html

Amp for components/coaxils: http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...T-800.4V3.html OR http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...ics-i4500.html

Wiring for mono amp: http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...K4-09ZCK4.html

Wiring for 4-channel amp:Kicker ZCK84 (09ZCK84) Complete 8 Gauge Z-Series Amplifier Kit

I promise you'll be satisfied with all of that. It'll sound good when dialed in right, unless you're an audiophile. Also, still check out CDT components. I highly recommend them.