whitney

Hey guys,
I got my AVIC F-700BT installed and now i'm wanting to upgrade the speakers and the sub.

I don't really know enough about car audio to really make an informed decision, so i was wondering what you guys had preferences for?
I really don't want to spend a whole bunch of money on this project, so no speakers that cost $500 a pair will be considered

With speakers, are component speakers better? (Again, i have a lack of knowledge here)
Would it be best to run the speakers through an amp, as well as running a sub through an amp?
How well will the alternator hold up in the tC if i installed 1 or 2 amps it in?

Just a FYI, since i guess it may make a difference for sound - i'm a metal head. I don't listen to rap/hip-hop/dance/techno etc etc, so if any other metal heads have a decent setup, let me know!

YanksFan

To keep the answer simple, yes, I would run a set of component speakers as opposed to set of coaxials. Yes, I run definitely use an amp to power the speakers and one for the sub. The alt depends on how much power you intend on running and the amps you plan on using.
Some brands of speakers you can check into are Hybrid Audio Technologies (pricey but incredible), Mmats, Diamond Audio HEX, upper CDT line, Rainbow, and hundreds others. Amp brands to consider are DLS, Mmats, Audison, and again hundreds others. What is your budget for the front stage?

whitney

Thanks for the reply.
I'll take your advice on the components.
As far as pricing, i really don't want to spend more than like $1000 altogether for everything. I'm not doing this for an amazing sound system, i just want something better than i have now.

nodsetse

Now that your requirements are clear...

You can upgrade everything needed for a decent system and still keep it under $1k.

I'd suggest a single 10" or 12" sub in a small sealed box, whatever component set you like to replace your stock front speakers, and a single 4-channel amp to power it. 2 Channels bridged to power the sub (with built-in low pass filter set to ~80Hz) and the other two running the front stage with the high-pass set to the same frequency. Disconnect the rear speakers for SQ, or just power them off the HU if you're one of those that simply must use them for some reason.

Will you be doing the install and building the sub enclosure yourself? If so, you'll save enough on labor that you can get better quality parts. If not, $1k is still enough to get decent stuff, along with the wiring and labor for installation.

whitney

I will be installing everything myself but will like have someone make the enclosure for me or buy an already made one.

Why would you disconnect the rear speakers? I honestly don't mind if their hooked up or not but i am curious as to your reasoning for doing that.

Hyghgynx

Because they sound like poo.

I was in a similar situation about 3 1/2 years ago. Here's what I did...

Alpine HU $179.99 (No brainer. Needed a way to hook up my iPod.)
Polk dbs Component Speakers F/R $299 (They had a "Buy one get one 1/2 off" sale.)
Profile Amp $149.99 (3 Year warranty.)
Kenwood Powered Enclosed Sub $200 (Decent bass in a small size.)
Amp Wiring $40
Speaker Wiring $30

Total; a little under $900. I just wanted something decent while driving to the coast or wine country.
I know I will not be winning any awards for SQ but that wasn't my intent. I could have searched
online for cheaper prices, but I didn't want to. I ordered all my gear (sans the Speaker wiring) from
Crutchfield.com. They also gave me FREE shipping and other free goodies. (Mounting brackets for the
speakers, a harness for the new HU, and a single din kit.) I 'pieced' together my set-up. Meaning I
didn't buy it all in one swoop. Sound is really good. People who sit in the back (on those rare occasions)
often compliment how clear the components in the back sound. (A little improvement over the previous
poo sound.) The bass hits, but it won't rattle the windows. Just nice, clean bass. There are other
people who will chime in and tell you about their set-up. I just wanted to let you know what I did. My
set-up is for me. Find out what you want from your set-up and go from there.

BZinn1

does the $1000 go just for the install of the speakers,amps,and subs.........if so you can go a long way with that

A nice set of comps in the $180 range will sound sweet in the car,you will need trim rings,but if the person making the box can cut them for you then they are free.

Get a good amp to run the comps........I use Elemental Designs amps and they work great,but there are better out there......but for an amp find one that gives a good 100w to each comp......you do not need to use it all,but it is good to have so the system can be upgraded over time without cost.

subs a nice 500w sub in a sealed box will hit great.again you will need an amp to push it that gives at least 500-600w so you get clean power.

If you went jsut with ED products,you would be able to buy a set of comps for the front for $180,sub for $175 range,and still have room for comp amp and sub amp.

Wireing kits cost in the $50 range so with amps and wire and everything if you installed it your self you would be just under your $1000.

My wife likes hiphop and I like metal and the system we have in the car plays both great and is plenty loud and no distortion as the amps have been tuned and every thing is also sound deadened.

nodsetse

It's all about what the owner of a system prefers. If you like rear speakers, fine, then you can just power them off the HU.

I don't like them because they detract from the soundstage & imaging. My preference is to try and recreate a concert experience inside my car, and I don't have my back to the stage at a concert. Some people say you need "rear-fill", but inside the tC the output from the front speakers will reflect all the way to the rear and back, just as the sound does at an indoor concert. Now there's nothing wrong with rear-fill when it's implemented correctly, but it's rare to see it done right. You have to look at your ear's locations in relation to the front & rear speaker locations. In the tC's driver's seat, your left ear is actually closer to the rear speaker than the front. This means that the output from the rear speaker will arrive at your ear before the front's output, leading your mind to believe the source of the sound is behind you rather than the front. Some people say the solution is to simply use the fader so that your front speakers are louder, but that's a nasty band-aid, because you can't trade intensity for time, psychoacoustics don't work that way. To implement rear-fill correctly, the bandwidth should be limited to roll off around no higher than 3kHz with a 2nd order slope, and the output should be delayed by several milliseconds, relative to the front. Done this way, rear-fill can mimic the reflections at an actual performance.

Does that explanation adequately satisfy your curiosity?

trialsindude

I ended up piecing my front stage DIY style! Dayton RS180s and Dayton RS28a. The 180s are BP from 80hz-2200hz, and the 28a are HP 2200hz+. I am running an active setup. Those 4 speakers cost me about ~$120ish. They are all running off of a ZAPCO DC ref1000.4 amp, it has a built in DSP that's why I can do what I do. It sounds damn good! I also don't have rear speakers.

nodsetse

^ Very nice choice of separates, especially considering price/performance.

whitney

I like the sound of this setup but i nearly cried when i saw the amp was $1000 by itself lol

nodsetse

You can still use those speakers without going to a fully active crossover system.

Here's the link to the RS180 woofers;
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/show...number=295-374

These are the RS28a tweeters;
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/show...number=275-130

And here some passive crossovers appropriate for them;
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/show...number=260-140

Total cost for all 6 parts to form a stereo component system would be about $250, including tax & shipping.

This way you could still use a comparatively inexpensive 4ch amp to power the whole system, as I described in an earlier post.

mytcrox

i went with infinity kappas's 3-way...n im satisfied...i dont have them connected to an amp YET! but soon will...i got them for 200 buxx all 4...n i got 2 10's in a ported box... im satisfied...but then again wouldnt mind gettin another amp to connect the speakers...

trialsindude

haha! But like nodse said you don't have to go fully active with it all you need is a passive crossover for it.

But reading around on like DIY audio forums that's why I got the speakers I did. There are a ton of other different DIY setups but that will all depend on your budget. Some DIY setups can cost 1/2 the price of a brand name setup but will sound as good if not even better.