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I need help building a car audio system


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alright so here's the deal, my little brother has been on my ass to help him build a really kick ass audio system for his car he just got. It's a 1993 Ford Tempo and so I was like wtf? lol well the thing is I have the slightest clue of what to do for the kid, so here's what he wants. He wants something that kicks out alot of bass that he can control the equalization with, that gets really loud, (like on the brink of getting pulled over by the cops loud), that utilizes 1000+ watts, with subwoofers, tweeters, speakers, and amp, and something that will go with the reciever/cd player he already has that is made by panasonic, but at the same time wont eat up any of his passneger space. I sed to be an electrician for my step dad so I know how to wire the stuff, so I wont need any guides or anything like that. Also, he has about $400-$700 he wants to spend on this, and considering the size of his car I really dont know what to do for the kid. So for you guys out there that do this kind of stuff for a living and know alot about this stuff, can you help me out? Perhaps compile a list of things that would build an audio system to his desires? If you list the stuff, I know a guy that can get me the stuff for cheap, or at least considereably cheaper than what most audio places would sell the stuff for. So please help!!!

 

thank you all in advance!

 

D75

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My suggestion  would be to go: 1) upgrade all mids and highs, 2) amp for mids and highs, 3) sub and amp.

 

Mids and Highs

Fist rip out those old 6x9 speakers- Go will component system front and back.

McIntosh: http://www.mcintoshlabs.com/mcprod/shopdisplayproducts.asp?hid=2&id=24&cat=Loudspeakers+-+Component+Systems+(pair)

or

Diamond: http://www.diamondaudio.com/content/view/89/96/

 

Amp for mids and highs and woofers

I may get flamed here for my choice but I like soundstream and fosgateBD

I would go with a 4 Chanel amp for the mids/highs and a separate mono amp for the subs.

Soundstream: http://www.soundstream.com/amplifiers-main.htm

Rockford (cause their BD power amps are fantastic for the price) stay away from anything but the power series. : http://www.rockfordfosgate.com/home/

 

Subs

I like JL but my favorite are Kicker solos: http://www.kicker.com/06/kicker_home.html

 

You can build your own box- Study up though. A box WILL make or break the sub/subs. DO NOT buy a prefab box, DO NOT go to worst buy or an audio place that has no experience building nice boxes- Its an art really.

 

Well hope that helps. My suggestion is always to take it in steps and upgrade one piece at a time so not to end up with something you dont want and have to start over/ spend more in the end.

 

 

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On the space item-

All components should fit well in stock locations with some minor tweaking.

 

Subs in the trunk. the bigger your enclosure the larger speakers you can use. Think about how much space you need in the trunk. You can do anything from a couple 10S or one 12.  Maybe take out the spare tire and do 2 12S in a nice ported box (depending on the tunes he listens to).

Sorry street I just dont get the fiteeens ;)

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UNCLE-SID25 ]

On the space item-

All components should fit well in stock locations with some minor tweaking.

 

Subs in the trunk. the bigger your enclosure the larger speakers you can use. Think about how much space you need in the trunk. You can do anything from a couple 10S or one 12.  Maybe take out the spare tire and do 2 12S in a nice ported box (depending on the tunes he listens to).

Sorry street I just dont get the fiteeens ;)

 

real loud...big reflex long boooooooooommm..here me coming from a mile away

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Guest [+30]PuddyTat

i would check into two smaller subs, 10", in a isobaric, face to face enclosure. massive bass and uses little room. i think kicker builds a really good sub. i can send you dimensions and specs on the box you need if you can tell me what subs you end up with.

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thank you all boys, i really got some good ideas now, and Puddy I'll figure out what I'm going to use on the little bastards car and I for sure will hit you up with the subs, i was at first thinking about going with some 12" subs but the kids car is small but his trunk is freaking HUGE!!!! so I think I'll stick with the 10s and bring the ranges down a bit, he listens to alot of country, classic rock, punk, hard rock, r and b, blues, and some other stuff. So as you can see all the different genres he listens to, that the reasoning for wanting to control equalization on the bass is a must as well as the other outputs.

 

I'm deffinantly getting those fuckin 6-9's out cause they blow! The reciever he has is something that I actually covet for my own system, so that will be something I build around. I've decided to drop a total of 8 speakers in, i have a good configuration with a diagram i drew, including 2 subs, 2 tweeters, and the 4 other comp. speakers. The amp I know I am getting from BD, i pretty much knew that right off the back, and good call on that one Sid. with the power I want to be able to generate for him, I'm debating whether or not to install a larger alternator, I dont think I need it but I'm going to need to generate more power than the car does already somehow. His trunk measurements are 4' deep, 5.5' wide, and about 2' high from carpet to roof of the trunk hood, 2.5 if I remove the spare. but im going to leave the carpeting in so that he looks nicer, as i said he doesnt want to lose any space and im sure he doesnt want anything to look shitty either.

 

anybody have any suggestions on what brand comp. speakers i should look at other than diamond or macintosh?

 

D75

 

 

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Guest [+30]PuddyTat

hey d, one of the guys that works for me has the same car. i am going to go over to his place and check it out tomorrow. i will get in touch with you and let you know what i can do with a car like that. i worked at a stereo installation shop for about 2 years and used to compete with my f-150 all the time. it was 10 speakers, 3000 watts, and plastic windows everywhere except the windshield. thats why i like forums, i cant hear anymore but i can type and read ;D

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For Comp. best for the buck I Like Polk audio- To me they sound great as audio files and can get loud: http://www.polkaudio.com/caraudio/products/speakers/

 

Puddy! I did not know you were into that shit man? lol My ole F-150 had a blow through and killer system too- Could flex the windshield about 1" BOOM! HEHE Only 2 12''s SIDs BELIVE IT OR NOT.  I ran 2 BD's at 1 ohm stable about 5250 Watts give or take...

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I would not worry about a new alt if you are staying under 2k watts with those amps. But if you wanted a little helper and consistent power to the amps, check out some of these items from stinger. They make an item that connects to the bat. and a amp cap they sell: http://stingerelectronics.com/products.asp I would make sure the car has a good dry cell battery though.

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Deutscher75 ]

thank you all boys, i really got some good ideas now, and Puddy I'll figure out what I'm going to use on the little bastards car and I for sure will hit you up with the subs, i was at first thinking about going with some 12" subs but the kids car is small but his trunk is freaking HUGE!!!! so I think I'll stick with the 10s and bring the ranges down a bit, he listens to alot of country, classic rock, punk, hard rock, r and b, blues, and some other stuff. So as you can see all the different genres he listens to, that the reasoning for wanting to control equalization on the bass is a must as well as the other outputs.

 

I'm deffinantly getting those fuckin 6-9's out cause they blow! The reciever he has is something that I actually covet for my own system, so that will be something I build around. I've decided to drop a total of 8 speakers in, i have a good configuration with a diagram i drew, including 2 subs, 2 tweeters, and the 4 other comp. speakers. The amp I know I am getting from BD, i pretty much knew that right off the back, and good call on that one Sid. with the power I want to be able to generate for him, I'm debating whether or not to install a larger alternator, I dont think I need it but I'm going to need to generate more power than the car does already somehow. His trunk measurements are 4' deep, 5.5' wide, and about 2' high from carpet to roof of the trunk hood, 2.5 if I remove the spare. but im going to leave the carpeting in so that he looks nicer, as i said he doesnt want to lose any space and im sure he doesnt want anything to look shitty either.

 

anybody have any suggestions on what brand comp. speakers i should look at other than diamond or macintosh?

I never heard of Diamond or Macintosh (except for the old apple computer ..lol) but im sure they are WAAAY overkill for what you are doing. (they are probably competition speakers which YOU DONT WANT, unless you plan on spending a couple thousand, & have a very good alarm system, & park it in a safe place EVERYWHERE you go; home, work, etc.. or if it is a show car.?)

 

For $700 bucks just dont buy crap ..lol

 

Yes 10's will work fine for what you are doing. you dont need 12's or bigger unless you really want to be "that guy" who bumps cRAP to impress people, but really doesn't have a clue about what he is listening to.

 

Also what kind of deck are you using.? (is it old/worth keeping?)

& what other components are installed already that you plan on keeping/using.?

 

Sounds like there are a few people who know about car audio here, so i'll stay out of it, but just dont over do it, if it isn't the right application. (going to get stolen or cost more money then necessary)

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i plan to shit bag everything in the car, and Ian doesnt want the sound to be all shitty, he realizes that with the space he has, his sound capabilities are limited so i for sure am only going with the 10's. If i did 12's I would only do 1. and your reference to "DECK" Chili, thats a new term for me, so Im not sure what you mean by it. If you're talking about the reciever that I want to keep, that is really new, perhaps only 2-3 months old. It's made by Panasonic, here's the link:

 

http://www2.panasonic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/vModelDetail?storeId=15001&catalogId=13401&itemId=112158&catGroupId=25028&modelNo=CQ-C8405U&surfModel=CQ-C8405U&cacheProgram=11002&cachePartner=7000000000000005702

 

and the kid has already been thinking ahead, he's already made all his windows plastic except for his front windshield, via my step-dad, and he's rigged the mirrors so that they dont catch the boom.

 

We live in a really good area and he has no reason to go anywhere that would be considered a bad area, plus I plan to keep the stuff out of view in the vehicle. The face plate on his CD receiver unit is removable, so it's pretty safe all around, I dont forsee his shit getting jacked, especially if he doesnt show off to be shouldnt be. Its more just for his listening pleasures so that he can really enjoy his music, (huge musics buff, so the reason why he listens to all the different genres)

 

and I look forward to hearing what you have to offer Puddy, cause if I have a better idea of what will sound best and fit best in the amount of space he has available then I can really get accurate with this system for him, and tweak it to what will make it sound the best.

 

lol and what does happen when you play a country song backwards?

 

D75

 

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Guest [+30]PuddyTat

no one in this thread has mentioned it, but when you build a stereo for anything, car or home, the only good way to fine tune it is with classical music. a really good recording of an orchestra. like a beethoven symphony or something. in a symphony, the volumes change repeadedly, and it is the only form of music that uses the entire range of sound, with hundreds of instruments playing at once. in a good stereo system, you should be able to think of any one instrument, and then listen. if you cant here that instrument, go back to the drawing board.

 

i would not get that carried away with a tempo, but if he gets a new car soon it would be nice to be able to transfer the stuff over.

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Plastic windows?

*Sid walks away shaking head :-\

 

Puddy can guide you from here on out just a few last things before I run from this post:

 

Simply tinting the windows would have tripled their strength, given that you are not pumping 4-12k watts out of this thing and most likely will never come close to 140-160db range I doubt even tinting the windows was needed. As my last words of advice- Keep anything out/ off of the car that resonates (vibrates) Like plastic windows- Unless we are talking 2 inch thick Plexi that is riveted to the body for windows.

 

Chili: McIntosh and Diamond are as close as you can get to having an eargasm. If you have not listened to them coming from some clean defined power than you would not understand. More for audiophiles than competition- As there are unfortunately not too many compitions out there that measure accuracy, clarity and warmth.

 

Street: Country music played backwards is- Bluegrass.

 

D: A deck is the head unit/ receiver.

 

 

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PuddyTat ]

your wife comes home, you get you dog back, your house back, your truck back, etc....

 

LOL.....

 

D75   HOMEBOY GOT PLASTIC WINDOWS IN THE TEMPO.....LOL....GOTTA SEND ME A PIC OF THE HOOP-D RIDE..

 

lol I never said it was the nicest looking vehicle, for the car being comppletely free and being as old as it was and needing 3 windows replaced, it seemed logical and much chepaer for the kids wallet. so that is why the windows are plastic, I'm not sure of what grading or thickness they are, frankly i dont really care. I'm just trying to build a system for the kid that has something worhty in it, that can give him the bump whne he wants it and the ranges he needs for all the genres of music he listens too.

 

and yeah I thought that's what a deck was SId, just wasnt completely positive.

 

I'm trying to get this all figured out for him and its going to be something special but its not going to be ridiculously elaborate ya know?

 

D75

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