I hope this is an acceptable place for this post... I have a blown speaker in my Impreza and this means it's time to upgrade! I know the fronts are 6.5" and it can take component speakers while the rears are 4" speakers. We usually listen to everything but Country music. 93X, KDWB, B96 before it sucked, JACKFM, Cities97... We span the gamut. We usually travel with our black lab and so the rear speakers aren't usually used and the wife has ruled out a subwoofer... For the time being. :biggrin: I have an Alpine CDA-105 CD deck to build around. I also have a bunch of Mass Loaded Vinyl to install for dampening. I may pick up some CLD Tiles from http://www.sounddeadenershowdown.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi as well... So, any suggestions on some 6.5" Components that can stand on their own? I would like to keep it under $100 if possible... Thanks!
i have use pioneer speakers in my cars and they are good quality and have lasted me awhile. also check your PM's i may be able to help you out with this.
So the wife has been talked into a subwoofer. A little one. I'm thinking 8" or 10". This ups the price range a bit seeing as how I would need an amp as well... This may become a 2 stage project, or get pushed out a bit to purchase all the necessary parts at once... Still open to suggestions considering the new options!
$100 is going to be tough for a set of components. Might be better off with a set of full range. That is a good combo though, a pair of 6.5" in front and a sub. Don't bother with the rear stage. Make sure to check for door depth, which I found out the hard way. Tjamz knows quite a bit about this. He made a suggestion for a set of components, but I can't get the search to work. Does the search work for anyone?
So far, all I've done to my Legacy is some Rockford Fosgate Punch components in the front doors to go along with my JVC headunit, and I've been pleasantly surprised. Pretty good overall sound and they mounted well in the OEM areas (bracketed drivers, of course). The crossover is contained in the driver frame, so there's no need to mount a crossover in the door, but the downside is that the crossover is non adjustable. Easily remedied with some EQ tweaking. Long story short, they're not the greatest components in the world, but they were easy to mount in the factory openings and they're leaps and bounds better than the OEM speakers could ever have dreamed of.
There are also some small subwoofers that will fit under the passenger seat. Look on crutchfield then buy on ebay.
Pick up a JL Audio 10W0. Great sounding. Don't need a lot of power. Fairly cheap. Around that $100 range.
I have been considering an underseat subwoofer... any idea on the amount of clearance under the seat or a reccomended subwoofer? Has anyone done this before?
i have 2 of these with a 1200w mono amp and they sound very good http://www.amazon.com/Kicker-CompVR-07CVR104-subwoofer-4-ohm/dp/B000MRUUQU http://stores.channeladvisor.com/crownautosport/items/item.aspx?itemid=2079509
People seem to like this one: http://www.iwsti.com/forums/gd-i-c-e-security/138995-boss-audio-bass600-one-get-w-pictures.html
Update: I have decided to go a bit above and beyond... I won a netbook at work and so I am planning on selling it to fund this project... I am planning to go with the following audio pieces: Pioneer DEH-3200UB Deck Pioneer Premier TS-A702C Component Speakers Pioneer Premier TS-SW841D 8" Sub or Pioneer Shallow-Mount TS-SW251 (both are shallow mount sub to go under the passenger seat in a custom box. It all depends on the fit...) Pioneer GM-6400F Amplifier running the speakers and Subwoofer. I am also planning to install the Big3 upgrade as well as custom wiring the whole install. My plan for the wiring: 1 AWG for the Big3 Cable 4 AWG for the Amplifier Power and Ground 14 AWG Speaker Wire Custom Quad-Shielded RCA Cables with Gold Terminals for interconnects I just purchased the Pioneer Head Unit and will be selling the barely used Alpine CDA-105 Head Unit once the new one is installed. Any takers?
imho, you are better off making multiple runs of 4AWG than a single run of anything larger, so I guess I'm saying 1AWG wire is going to be overkill and difficult to work with. We put a pair of Pheonix Gold RSD65CS 6.5" components in my GF's Forester, and for the meager price we're quite impressed with the sound quality and depth (good low extension).
I second this. 0/1 AWG is not necessary unless you are running some serious power. I ran 0 AWG in my Jeep when I had 4-600w (rms) running. It was a pain in the @$$ to hide...oh wait, you can't hide it! Just use 1-4 AWG for up to 2-500w (rms)...you'll be good. Don't spend too much money on wires and all that stuff...your car won't be an audiophile car (assuming you put any type of exhaust on it) and if wired correctly the shielded cables are not necessary. Run power on the opposite side of the RCAs and you'll be good. Do NOT let them cross. Also don't my monster, you'll spend double what you need to...however Monster does make a kit for about $100 that includes 20+ feet of 4AWG with a distro block (or two) fuse holder and all the goodies you need. That price isn't too bad. My 2 cents.
Well I am only planning on 1AWG under the hood, from the battery to alternator, battery to ground, and alternator to ground. 4AWG will run from the battery to Amp, and Amp to Ground. Finally 14AWG for the actual speaker wires. The 1AWG cable, terminals, solder, and heat-shrink is going to run $25-$30. All of the 4AWG cable, terminals, solder, heat-shrink, and 60A fuse with holder is going to run $25-30. Finally all of the 14AWG speaker wire will be about $20. RCAs should run about $15-20. Ideally all of the cable, wire, and RCA will be < $75, definitely < $100. Side Note: I got the Pioneer Deck installed and the Alpine sold so I will be moving forward on the next phase, starting some of the wiring in the next week or so. Thanks for all the input!
Personally, under the hood I wanted more connection points, so I ran two 4 ga. from battery neg. to frame, one from alternator neg. to frame, one from alternator neg. to battery, and an additional 4 ga. from alternator pos. to battery supplementing the existing factory pos. wire there. I don't know if you've ever seen/worked with 1awg, but if not the stuff is barely bendable. Its a real PITA. I've done it both ways more than once, and currently I do have 0 ga. from the battery to the trunk (2400 real rms watts) - even managed to run it under the interior plastic and snap it back into place. But its the last time I'll ever run anything larger than 4ga. On the plus side, I'm pretty sure in a pinch I could tow my car with my power wire. But regardless of what size power wire you use, it sounds like you've got a pretty good plan going. The next step, imho, is to get in touch with Gridlocked on here and start planning some sound damping. Done even with mediocrity its the best improvement you can make, done right the difference is astounding.
I know I'm going to do some sound dampening, I just don't know what is best... I got a ton of free Mass Loaded Vinyl for free from a guy at work. I'll have to get in touch with Gridlocked to get some more info and help with that aspect of it all...
