Hi all. I'm interested in putting a sub and some higher quality speakers in my car, and i was wondering what i needed to do so. all i have atm is a 4chan 25watt head unit and the default speekers. i am yet to go full ball on that sound system and i can't see myself doing so anytime soon, it holds quite enough power for my liking, but the reason i would like a sub is to give a bit more stomach to music.

also any brands that people can recomend?

note: i'm not a fan of really loud music when i drive (occationally i don't mind a bit of hooning music, but thats like once a week) I'm after quality over power.

Tell us how much you wanna spend.

I have no subs yet still have plenty of bass

I have no subs yet still have plenty of bass

You wouldn't have near as much bass as you would with a single 10"

thinking of spending anywhere up to $650 - but value for money is more important than reaching the 650 mark.

if thats the case whoop, is it worth while spending the extra on the speakers and forgetting the sub,

im just after something that makes it sound like im not listening to it 30 cm above a swimming pool.

$650 should be able to get you something quite nice... especially if you think you can install it yourself.

I'd be looking at Alpine, Pioneer... and then maybe Clarion / Cadence... (In that order) You could also investigate jaycar's range of amps, as they have a fairly good reputation.

The thing that most people get caught up in (as whoop was saying) is subs. They aren't the be-all-and-end-all of your sound. They are like "effect" speakers... your front components will do 90% of the work, so they should be what you spend the most money on... also in that category is your amp.

I'd budget between $225 and $250 each for splits and amp, and then maybe $150 on the sub. Check out Northfield at Moorooka, GCCS at Slacks Creek and Autobarn who all sell Alpine and other good brands.

If you're not after big thumping bass I'd look at spending your money on a decent set of splits and amp to power. With $650 on that alone you could get a quite nice sounding system. So if you don't want big amounts of bass but still have bass there I'd look at maybe some Focal or Hertz. I'm heading to Maroochy Car Sound tomorrow to look at a new set of speakers and amps for myself as they have the biggest range of quality gear around.

My mate went with some cheap VDO Dayton splits and for $79 from WoW un-amped running off an eclipse hu they sound pretty f***ing good.

if thats the case whoop, is it worth while spending the extra on the speakers and forgetting the sub,

That depends, I have just as much bass as I would if I had a cheapo sub (really, what sub+amp+speakers could you get for $650 if not cheap subs) but you can't turn it up all that loud with the bass on full. It all depends on your listening style and what music you listen to. If you listen to nothing but doof doof that has pretty much no melody or song to it, it's just a bassline then get some really decent subs and an amp.

I have 2 6x9's in the parcel shelf and the entire boot is the bass box & it sounds quite nice, they're both running off a kicker amp that alone cost like $400 (leaving what, $250 for speakers + sub). Don't remember how much I paid for my speakers but they were on sale, pioneer 6x9's.

edit: actually that amp I bought was to power subs so you could probably make do with a cheaper one. I just never bothered putting my subs in, they're sitting in the shed still. My friend had a re-sponse amp from jaycar and it was pretty good.

last edited by whoop at 00:32:39 11/Apr/07

My mate went with some cheap VDO Dayton splits and for $79 from WoW un-amped running off an eclipse hu they sound pretty f***ing good.

wtf? why would you buy an eclipse headunit ($$$) and then get $79 wired-crossover splits?

Spoiler:
fagothead

Because he wanted a good headunit?

I thought he was living under a bridge because he couldn't pay his rent. I guess if he's living in his car now it's ok.

i've heard a few stereos in my time, and the best combination, is splits in the front of the car, and a sub in the back... give me 200 bux and ill do the install for u. nah can't be f***ed.

I used to have a 12" sub but like you I just wanted good quality music and found that the 12" was like killing my insides so I sold it and bought a 10" sub.

If you want to do a half decent job sound deaden the front doors - both the outside skin and inside. Yes it's a lot of work, but it makes a massive difference. There are tutorials on www.caraudioaustralia.com. Jaycar sells the cheap stuff, its ok and not as expensive as dynamat.

If you're really keen i've got a 10" JBL sub sitting around, nice sound you can have it for $90.

Bang for buck in an amp you can't go past the response ones, get the 4 channel, bridge two channels to run the sub and use the other two for the front speakers. 4 x 100w rms is $299, might be cheaper on ebay.

Front speakers again the response ones sound nice, $150 for a pair and its a really good deal. You can also get some mb quarts / hertz ones off ebay, although be aware there are fakes on there.

So youre up to $540 there, with some left over for the sound deadener & material for the sub box.

I've been using Hertz car audio gear in my last two cars, and they have been outstanding. The clarity of my front splits especially is something to behold, especially given the price of the stuff.
Go to Complete Car Sound at Enoggera. I've had both cars done there with Hertz stuff, and I don't reckon they can be beaten as far as service goes. Those guys know their s***, and won't bulls*** you around.
Seriously look into Hertz. I don't think that, as far as price to performance is concerned, it can be beaten.

Its a fair comment that Hertz is a good brand, but once you start talking Hertz, there is Boston and a few other brands that are even better for similar money... I really think for the OP that sticking to something basic would be the best option.

I don't think Alpine can be beaten for Value for money... They are better quality than Pioneer / Clarion / xCommercial brands, but a lot cheaper than MBQuart, Hertz and Boston etc...

By now I hope you've realised that car audio is a very personal thing. Someone mentioned Car Audio Australia, and the first bit of advice they'll give you is "Go and listen to some in a showroom and see what you think sounds best."

Pharcyde obviously recommends Complete Car Sound, but I think I speak for the majority (certainly what you'll get told on CAA) when i say Moorooka Northfield is generally regarded as the best car audio store in brisbane. Talk to Drew, he really knows what hes talking about and will take some time to show you around the different brands.

When I bought my Hertz speakers, they were remarkably cheaper than lots of the other speakers in the showroom (especially Alpine), and, IMO, sounded better.

That's why I like them so much - they're well priced, and sound outstanding. Unless they've gone up in price? (This was a couple of years ago).

Just buy my sound system.. i do ya special white boy price

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v104/zeezee/Cars/1973962.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v104/zeezee/Cars/DSC01695-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v104/zeezee/Cars/DSC01565.jpg

is qgl turning into mywhitewolf/jerry help time or what

Thats childsplay Suckah-Free =P

I highly recommend that you go with Alpine gear.

The best bang for your buck would be the Alpine MRP-F250 pricing at around $200 mark.

This does a decent 4x50 W RMS. Or if you have that little bit extra, the MRP-F450 which will go at 4x100 W RMS.

For the speakers, go for 6" Alpine Type R SPLITS not coaxials. These run around the 75 W RMS (which will be fine on either amp) and price around $250 from memory.

With this setup you may decide that you don't even need a subwoofer. Although if you decide to get a small 10" just for that low level bass that you won't achieve with splits or half decent 6x9's.

This will run bridged easily using the 3rd and 4th channel or either of the above amplifiers.

^^ Bang for you're buck.

My 2 cents = You can never fail with Alpine.

last edited by eP at 15:29:31 11/Apr/07

I just bought one of these for 600 bux at Autobarn.
http://www9.yatego.com/images/43df5f97806c56.4/WCC-PB800.jpg

I've got a VL wagon that I have to pack my drumkit in so its really easy to take the whole bugger out without having to worry about an otherwise installed amp being damaged by the drums.

Head unit (with aux-in for iPod)
http://www.caraudiocentre.co.uk/productimages/full/cdx-gt310.jpg

Kenwood 260W 6" in front
http://www.strathfield.com/images/SimpleProducts/Small/KFCM1628.jpg

gotta put my sony 6.5"s that came with the head deck in the back..

eP... You underestimate your prices something chronic.

a. MRP-F250 = $269 (4x50wrms)
b. MRP-F450 = $469 (4x100wrms)
c. SPR17LS = $349 (Type R Splits)
d. SPS171A = $279 (Type S Splits)
e. TypeS Sub = $219(300wrms, 12" DVC)
f. Box = $80-100
g. Wiring Kit = $30

so basically, if you keep it cheap and go for a, d, e, f and g, you can get it all for $697, which is pretty god damn good.

note, apart from the box and the wiring kit, which are "guesses", those prices came from www.goldcoastcarsound.com.au

they are pretty standard alpine prices though.

I put mine back in the f6 on friday / sat, took like 3 hours a door for the deadening but definately made a big difference.

SPX-177R type-x fronts
Audio system fx.120 front stage amp
9831 head unit
MRD1002 sub amp
SWX-1042D type x 10" sub

Pretty happy atm, would like a 07 head unit but can't seem to get them with 4v out and bass engine pro (time correction ftw) now.

Oh and another thing, if you do the install right & set the gains properly you shouldn't be using "loudness" or any other filter that cranks up the treble & bass and generally makes things sound like absolute ass.

Little bit of eq here and there is ok but those ridiculous "music enhancing" "features" are a complete waste of time.

cue booyah know some people who know how to uninstall car stereos call

6" splits + 6x9's and a 2 channel amp for the 6x9's is all you need

the rest is just extra weight

7x10's if you want to go all out

do you know what bass engine pro is?

i agree with paveway

i even reckon the sub is just too much extra weight too

speakers that aren't stock should be run from amps... thats definate.
amps don't give volume, they give signal strength.

eh?
please explain. i know very little.

A set of adjustments, one of which is time correction for each speaker in 0.1ms increments.

I realise it also has a whole lot of other boosts etc, but you don't have to use them. I only like it for the time correction part.

bass engine (pro) is basically a "loud" setting, and then bundled under the same name is a 5band eq and time correction. if you have an f6, there is no way in god's earth you could need time correction. you just couldn't.

amp's aren't like a volume booster for speakers... they have the effect of increasing volume... but mainly, their effect is to clarify everything. you notice more intricate details.

its like putting a larger aerial on your wireless router, you can't make it go any faster, but you can improve the quality of the signal.

Exactly, leave the "loud" setting off, 1.5ms of time correction on the right front shifts the sound stage to right in front of the driver. It's very noticeable for speech etc - and works nicely for music.

Shifting it back to equal sounds decidedly lopsided after you've had it on for awhile.

Mongie, I disagree with what you are saying. How can increasing power not increase loudness?

If only we could all record how our setups sound & give whitewolf a listen. Unfortunately due to the varying design of mic's it wouldn't be a fair test.

Lets all meet at maccas car park & have a sound off, the one he likes the most gets fuel money for driving out there. (ha)

eP... You underestimate your prices something chronic.

heh Sorry mongie.. didn't really look at the prices when I bought 'em.

I was going for ball park figures

last edited by eP at 19:44:03 11/Apr/07

Alpine Type R 6 & 1/2" Splits and a v12 amplifier. Save for a Type R 10" or 12" and a V12 Monoblock.
Headfirst.

Spoiler:
thread hijack


i had my own thread about car audio a while back, but still havent got around to buying stuff

im gonna get 2 6x9"s and a head unit (mayb an amp too) soon, just wondering how hard it is to wire everything up urself?

like do i have a chance of succeeding given that i have no experience doing it before, and how long would it take?. if not, whats the going rate stores charge for installation?

I don't recommend attempting to wire / install s*** yourself. I do alot of this sort of work and its pretty f***ed up trying to fix where newbies have attempted and failed.

Leave it to the pro's or find yourself a mate or someone on here who might do it for a fair dollar.

Well have you got a ballpark figure of what it should cost for what i want to make sure i dont get ripped off?

I'm going to get a pair of 6x9"s and a head unit (maybe an amp too) soon, just wondering how hard it is to wire everything up yourself?

If you know how to solder then it's easy. Example of joining a head unit wiring harness to the car's wiring harness: dsc05951.jpg

One part comes with the head unit, the other part you get from repco/supercheap/autobarn.

The wiring part is pretty easy to do yourself. If you don't have a soldering iron you can get crimp together connectors or screw in block things but soldering would be neater.

As for actually making the radio fit in your car, that depends on your car, the radio, the hardware supplied with the radio. If your car is old like mine & has the 2 holes for the radio knobs to come through & a tape deck thing then you've gotta go cutting up your dash, if it's a modern car with the DIN setup or whatever it's called then you usually just slot the mounting thing they give you into the hole, bend some tabs and it's in. You can also add a metal bracket at the back for extra strength if need be.

Time wise depends too, the kingswood was easy, cut the dash to bits, fit the braket they supply with the radio, done. Commodore? ahhaha, take the entire center console to bits just to get the radio in & out. f***en holden s***.

I don't recommend attempting to wire / install s*** yourself. I do alot of this sort of work and its pretty f***ed up trying to fix where newbies have attempted and failed.

Leave it to the pro's or find yourself a mate or someone on here who might do it for a fair dollar.

You'd have to be utterly f***ing s*** to not be able to wire up a few speakers and a hu yourself. Wiring diagrams are available on the net and if not there will have been plenty of people before you who have wired a HU into the same car and speakers thats just f***ing piss easy. Its also not hard to run some wires to the back of the car.