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rjdmmfl1
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maxentropy wrote:
I must say I have been listening to my bose system with the bass maxed and the treble down 1 tick (if I remember properly). Understanding that music is firstly created at a certain dB level, and then burning software sometimes likes to auto-level volumes, and sometimes not etc-- basically different tracks are different volume levels. I listen to most music at max volume or three ticks down from max-- depending on track dB level (you get some clipping at max if the track was already at a high dB level)...

With an aftermarket system you won't get that clipping as the system can handle those higher dB levels and process them through with no issues. But anyway, my point is that I have my Bose system with the bass maxed, treble down a tick, and volume all the way up-- and I've been listening to tunage every single day in my car since I bought it over 6 months ago or so and I have had not a single bose speaker blow.

I also might add I got suckered into the warranty-- however the warranty covers blown speakers as well (which I'd lose if I went aftermarket).

So in conclusion Doc, you and I do both agree-- however we each have seperate wants and needs from an audio system and reasons for each of those.

I can't wait to see the pics (and vids) of your completed system, and I am most definitely very jealous!

I was driving with my girlfriend a few days ago and she mentioned if I install an aftermarket subwoofer, intake, and exhaust that I would need to rethink whether or not to replace the speakers all around (and nav system) due to the more sound my vehicle would be putting out. Of course she was being totally sarcastic...

We'll see down the road, but for now I want me an extra sub or two with remote bass knob so I can get some more kick!
.. I think we are on the same page my friend... honestly, I didn';t think I was gonna overhaul my system for a while because I wanted to have the option of putting my daughter's stroller in my coupe ... but then I saw that our damn little a$$ trunk wouldn't even fit the stroller with nothing in it, I convinced the wife to let me put a small system in the back. I was gonna go with 1 10" sub, but I wanted ported, so I was gonna need a correclt built box to do this... then I decided, hell, I may as well go with a 12" for the times when I really wanna pump it, so I decided on the Rockford Poer T1 sub.. but then I saw that the T1 and T2 needed the same size box, so I decided to get the T2.

After all of that, I wanted a nicely done amp rack, decided to have that custom, then wanted another ap to push the highs, but Bose speakers are only really good with Bose amps, so I decided to replace the Bose highs and amp and... blah, blah, blah.. and I ended up with an entire system overhaul. I'm just gonna do it right onece, and get it ove with.

Honestly, for those of you that have the tech package, I wouldn't replace anything at all. You obviously bought the tech package for the NAV, so getting rid of that wouldn't be agood idea, or cost productive for that matter. If you want to add a sub, you could always go with something small like the FAI-3 or SLC-4... this will give you additional RCA outputs for your subwoofers, but allow you to keep your factory 6 x 9's connected.

Some folks want to forego the 6 x 9's and replace them with the subwoofers, but as you know, a good system will have the mid bass and the deep bass from the subs. The BOSE 6 x 9's I will say are some damn good 6 x 9's! And I think they may even have neodynium magnets for the cones, which makes them even more powerful.


Canadian Coupe
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rjdmmfl1 wrote:
Max, I think you and I are in total agreement! As I mentioned, I'm an audiophile, and for an audiophile, the Bose system is just not enough. For the average listener, the BOSE system probably sounds great! So we both agree on that. regarding, the quality over quantity issue, BOSE still doesn't get any cool points from me, because I know how they could have designed a better audio system in our vehicles and not have to use 9 speakers to do so. But again, for a good sytem, its not about quantity, that why you don't see me setting my system up with three or four subwoofers and 4 mid bass speakers and 6 x 9's and 8 sets of tweeters like you see some guys doing... its not about that, and I think true audiophiles know that!

Regarding the premium package in the vehicle, I too did not buy if for the stereo, I bought it for the other features. BUt I didn't buy the tech package because I was well aware of what I wanted from my audio/navigation system, and the NIssan navigation system/software is once again average. Not as good as the Infiniti Nav systems, but again, for the average person that just wants to get from A to B and doesn't watch movies, etc, than I guess the tech package is an easy al inclusive way to go (especially if you're in Canada and you package options are even more limited than in the US)

Regarding taking out all of my speakers, well they would blow eventually the way I listen to music so they had to go, again, for high volumes, they can not handle even the factory power for very long without blowing. I listened to music in my dad's LESUX Sc 430 and those come with the Mark Levinson sound system which completely blows BOSE out of the water, and those speakers began to blow eventually due to the volume at which I listened to the music.

regarding your friends aftermarket setups, well if they don't know how to setup an acoustically correct system, then of course it'll sound like crap. But that's not an accurate comparison of aftermarket vs BOSE. regarding Rockford Fosgate, well I'm not a Rockford rep, so I'm not here to defend their entire line of audio equipment. Their lower line punch stuff is subpar (amps and woofers) all of their speakers are average and their decks leave much to be desired. But their power line of amps and subwoofers are as close to perfect as youcan get period.

If you look at my setup, I have Boston Acoustics for components, Boston Acoustics for rear 6 x 9's, a Kenwood deck, and Rockford Fosgate POWER amps and sub. That's because I've been in car audio long enough to know what company makes what products good, better and best. THERE IS NO COMPANY THAT MAKES SUPERB COMPONENTS, AMPS, WOOFERS, AND DECKS. That being said, there is NO WAY the Bose system which has Bose everything can ever be considered a top of the line system! Its just not possible, again they sound good, but not great and marketing has taken them a long way for home and car audio, but don't believe the hype my friend.

If you are disappointed with RF, then next time don't buy their cheap stuff and expect it to sound good, because it doesn't. As much as I stand behind RF, I would never put any of their lower line stuff in my car!
Very informative post.

You say Rockford Fosgate's high end stuff is great. When I get my ride I'm going to add either a 10" or 12" sub to the Bose system. You obviously have a great deal of experience with regards to audio equipment so what would you personally recommend? I'd like to save myself the hassle of getting something I'm not entirely happy with.

Edit / Saw your previous post with the suggestions too.

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rjdmmfl1
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Canadian Coupe wrote:
Very informative post.

You say Rockford Fosgate's high end stuff is great. When I get my ride I'm going to add either a 10" or 12" sub to the Bose system. You obviously have a great deal of experience with regards to audio equipment so what would you personally recommend? I'd like to save myself the hassle of getting something I'm not entirely happy with.
It depends on what you want my friend, I've actually advised folks away from Rockford depending on what they want from their system because, as I said before, Rockford has limits as to what they do great. No company is a master of all trades, many are jacks of all trades, and masters of but a few.

If you tell me what you are going for, and what price range you want to stay in, I could offer some suggestions, and I'm pretty sure that Rockford will not have what you need for all stuff!

For speakers: I generally suggest Infinity reference, Kappa, kappa Perfect or Boston Acoustiocs

For amplifiers: MTX, JL audio or Rockford and maybe the 2006 and older Hifonics amps, not the new ones),

For subwoofers: MTX, Rockford (Power Series) , JL, Kicker (solobarics)

For decks: Alpine, Kenwood (Pioneer for navigation, but they have low 2 volt outputs compared with 5 volts for Kenwood and Alpine)

Modified by rjdmmfl1 at 2:42 PM 5/12/2008
Modified by rjdmmfl1 at 3:21 PM 5/12/2008

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maxentropy
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doc, can you check out the following configs a local audio shop recommended and give feedback about the models/pricing? I'm thinking the pricing is a bit much. Maybe the 12" are too much and I should go with a single 10" since I plan on keeping the bose speakers?

Option 11=12” Eclipse sub (sw6210) $180Kicker amp (zx400.1) $275Box & amprack $320Parts & wire $110----------------------Total $885

Option 21=12” Eclipse sub (sw7200) $195Kicker amp (zx500.1) $330Box & amprack $320Parts & wire $110-----------------------Total $955

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rjdmmfl1
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maxentropy wrote:doc, can you check out the following configs a local audio shop recommended and give feedback about the models/pricing? I'm thinking the pricing is a bit much. Maybe the 12" are too much and I should go with a single 10" since I plan on keeping the bose speakers?

Option 11=12” Eclipse sub (sw6210) $180Kicker amp (zx400.1) $275Box & amprack $320Parts & wire $110----------------------Total $885

Option 21=12” Eclipse sub (sw7200) $195Kicker amp (zx500.1) $330Box & amprack $320Parts & wire $110-----------------------Total $955
OK, looking at your setup and prices... I would go with JL audio W6 10" subwoofer with a JL audio 500/1 amp... I'll speak on the rest in a bit, but SQ wise in a sealed box, this will be very very nice...

OK, I gotta go run some experiments, I'll expound on my reply in a few hours....

tarek
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maxentropy wrote:doc, can you check out the following configs a local audio shop recommended and give feedback about the models/pricing? I'm thinking the pricing is a bit much. Maybe the 12" are too much and I should go with a single 10" since I plan on keeping the bose speakers?

Option 11=12” Eclipse sub (sw6210) $180Kicker amp (zx400.1) $275Box & amprack $320Parts & wire $110----------------------Total $885

Option 21=12” Eclipse sub (sw7200) $195Kicker amp (zx500.1) $330Box & amprack $320Parts & wire $110-----------------------Total $955
I know I wasn't asked, but I'm pretty bored so I quickly checked some ebay prices on those .

For option 1, you can get the sw6210 for 133 shipped, and there's a ton of people selling the zx400.1 for $120 or so shipped. That's already $200 less (counting shipping) than you were quoted.

For option 2, I couldn't find the Eclipse sw7200 on ebay, but it's available at sonic electronix for $150 +$20 shipping and the zx500.1 amp is available on ebay for $235 shipped. That's $120 less (counting shipping) than you were quoted.

I can't speak for the sub/amp box, but just from the prices I've seen other people have thrown around, $320 sounds a little pricey.

*edit*I'm planning on getting a JL Audio 10W6 sub which runs for about $245 on amazon (a few bucks less on ebay) with a RF Power T500-1bd amp, which runs for about $290 on amazon (again a few bucks less on ebay). The doc said that'd be a pretty good setup for what I'm looking for. The reason I'm choosing the RF amp over the JL amp is that the JL one is about $40 more or so, and the RF one is at least as good, if not better according to the birthsheets and all. I plan on making my own fiberglass enclosures for them, so I haven't factored in the price for that, but it'll for sure be less than $300! Just fyi.

Canadian Coupe
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rjdmmfl1 wrote:
It depends on what you want my friend, I've actually advised folks away from Rockford depending on what they want from their system because, as I said before, Rockford has limits as to what they do great. No company is a master of all trades, many are jacks of all trades, and masters of but a few.

If you tell me what you are going for, and what price range you want to stay in, I could offer some suggestions, and I'm pretty sure that Rockford will not have what you need for all stuff!

For speakers: I generally suggest Infinity reference, Kappa, kappa Perfect or Boston Acoustiocs

For amplifiers: MTX, JL audio or Rockford and maybe the 2006 and older Hifonics amps, not the new ones),

For subwoofers: MTX, Rockford (Power Series) , JL, Kicker (solobarics)

For decks: Alpine, Kenwood (Pioneer for navigation, but they have low 2 volt outputs compared with 5 volts for Kenwood and Alpine)
Basically I just want some good bass bumpin' in the trunk. Money isn't too big of an issue at the moment. I'd probably want to keep the Bose Navi deck and the Bose speakers but definitely want a sub and the amp as well.

Appreciate the suggestions.

SmokeDaT
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Car: 2008 Nissan Altima 3.5SE
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[QUOTE=rjdmmfl1]

It depends on what you want my friend, I've actually advised folks away from Rockford depending on what they want from their system because, as I said before, Rockford has limits as to what they do great. No company is a master of all trades, many are jacks of all trades, and masters of but a few.

If you tell me what you are going for, and what price range you want to stay in, I could offer some suggestions, and I'm pretty sure that Rockford will not have what you need for all stuff!

For speakers: I generally suggest Infinity reference, Kappa, kappa Perfect or Boston Acoustiocs

For amplifiers: MTX, JL audio or Rockford and maybe the 2006 and older Hifonics amps, not the new ones),

For subwoofers: MTX, Rockford (Power Series) , JL, Kicker (solobarics)

For decks: Alpine, Kenwood (Pioneer for navigation, but they have low 2 volt outputs compared with 5 volts for Kenwood and Alpine)

This is the setup I'm looking for:Dark Slate 3.5SE with Premium Package and VDCKenwood DNX-8120

I want to keep the Bose and the speakers. Now what other components will I need for this to work. I'd want to hook my Ipod Touch up to the Kenwood DNX-8120 also and I also want to add a 10' sub and amp. I'm hearing the JL sub is good, what kind of amp would i need. Just lay all the tools i'd need to make this work and estimated cost. Thanks.

Also being that the Kenwood DNX-8120 is touch screen, could I still have the option of controlling from the steering wheel? If so What piece would I need for this to happen as well.

Thanks again.

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rjdmmfl1
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Canadian Coupe wrote:
Basically I just want some good bass bumpin' in the trunk. Money isn't too big of an issue at the moment. I'd probably want to keep the Bose Navi deck and the Bose speakers but definitely want a sub and the amp as well.

Appreciate the suggestions.
Give me more info... do you want a sealed or ported enclosure, will you ever turn it up and want to FEEL the bass, or is just OK Bass good enough... all of these questions are important..

If you want a ported enclosure, I would say go with a Rockford T1 sub (10" or 12") and a Rockford 500.1bd amplifier...

If you want a sealed enclosure, I would suggest going with a JL audio W6 subwoofer (10" or 12") and either the Rockford 500.1bd or the JL 500/1 amplifier.

AMP KITFor either of these, if you never plan on upgrading, simple 4 Gauge AMp kit wire will do. When you get your amp kit, only use oxygen free copper (OFC) wires. All Rockford Amp kits use only OFC, some of the better STreetwires kits use (OFC) , some of the better Stinger kits use OFC.. the amp wiring kit is often overlooked, but is VERY important! Use only OFC kits, and you'll be fine!

RCA'sAlso, the RCA's are important. Cheap RCA's will lead to a lot of engine noise when you play your system while you're driving. RCA's need to be properly shielded, and only the good ones are! Each one of my RCA's cost $60, but you don't have to go to that extreme. You can get top of the line RCAs from here... http://www.installer.com/rca/

remember, a good set of RCA's will be dual twisted... meaning the internal + and (-) will wrap around each other, and then they both will wrap around each other together! ANy time youe see RCA's where the + and (-) don't wrap around each other... STAY AWAY FROM THEM!!!!!

HI-LO CONVERTERLast thing you will need is something like thishttp://cgi.ebay.com/VAL0R-HI-L...wItem

this will allow you to connect your amp to the factory radio harness... however, since you have the BOSE system, it is wise to do this immediately after the wire leave the deck... for that, you will need to have the wiring code for the rear speakers... if you try to connect this at the rear 6 x 9's, that will be a post BOSE amp signal, and you don't want to send an amplifierd signal to another amplifier!

Other than that, that's all you would need, and those are my suggestions for you regarding the system you want... If you want it to look really nice, I would look into getting a custom box from these guys off of ebay! http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...ZWDVW

They can do single 10" boxes also! Or you can have your own box built!

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rjdmmfl1
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SmokeDaT wrote:This is the setup I'm looking for:Dark Slate 3.5SE with Premium Package and VDCKenwood DNX-8120

I want to keep the Bose and the speakers. Now what other components will I need for this to work. I'd want to hook my Ipod Touch up to the Kenwood DNX-8120 also and I also want to add a 10' sub and amp. I'm hearing the JL sub is good, what kind of amp would i need. Just lay all the tools i'd need to make this work and estimated cost. Thanks.

Also being that the Kenwood DNX-8120 is touch screen, could I still have the option of controlling from the steering wheel? If so What piece would I need for this to happen as well.

Thanks again.
OK, this is my last post for awhile, I gotta go run some more experiments...

The Kenwood DNX-8120 is an amazing unit. Is so good, it made me leave pioneer after 6 years of owning pioneer headunits! Pioneer has gone backwards, and Kenwood is moving forwards...I 'm not gonna go into detail about this unit, but it is literally the single best all in one unit I have ever seen!!!!

oK, keeping the Bose speakers and amp for this won't be a problem at all...the Kenwood has built in EQ and crosssovers that will allow you to fine tune your audio system the same way you could with a JL audio cleansweep or a Rockford Fosgate 3sixty.1

first thing you want is the stereo install package from honest dee on ebay.. it has everything you need for the install (dash console, antenna adapter, radio harness) http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...76644&

Next, for the ipod, you need the KCA-ip300v http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-KENWOO...wItemget the real one. not the ones from Hong Kong**NOTE*** If you have an ipod touch, iphone, or 6th generation Ipod, you WILL NOT be able to watch video using this adapter, for that you will need another ipod cable that hooks up to the RCA A/V inputs on the Kenwood.

For the steering wheel interface, you will need the PAC-SWI JACK http://cgi.ebay.com/PAC-SWI-JA...wItem

Install is a bit tricky on this one, I would suggest soldering the wires resistors to the white wire on the interface (you'll see what I mean when you do the install)

Please see my above post regarding the JL sub, AMP, AMP install kit, RCA wires! **NOTE** Since you are goin with the aftermarket kenwood, you won't need a HI LO converter in that the Kenwood has 6 RCA preouts (Front, Rear, SUb, and CENTER for 5.1 Dolby Surround) and these RCA Preouts are powerful 5volt preouts!

OK, no more free advice for the day... good luck with your projects!

Canadian Coupe
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rjdmmfl1 wrote:
Give me more info... do you want a sealed or ported enclosure, will you ever turn it up and want to FEEL the bass, or is just OK Bass good enough... all of these questions are important..

If you want a ported enclosure, I would say go with a Rockford T1 sub (10" or 12") and a Rockford 500.1bd amplifier...

If you want a sealed enclosure, I would suggest going with a JL audio W6 subwoofer (10" or 12") and either the Rockford 500.1bd or the JL 500/1 amplifier.

AMP KITFor either of these, if you never plan on upgrading, simple 4 Gauge AMp kit wire will do. When you get your amp kit, only use oxygen free copper (OFC) wires. All Rockford Amp kits use only OFC, some of the better STreetwires kits use (OFC) , some of the better Stinger kits use OFC.. the amp wiring kit is often overlooked, but is VERY important! Use only OFC kits, and you'll be fine!

RCA'sAlso, the RCA's are important. Cheap RCA's will lead to a lot of engine noise when you play your system while you're driving. RCA's need to be properly shielded, and only the good ones are! Each one of my RCA's cost $60, but you don't have to go to that extreme. You can get top of the line RCAs from here... http://www.installer.com/rca/

remember, a good set of RCA's will be dual twisted... meaning the internal + and (-) will wrap around each other, and then they both will wrap around each other together! ANy time youe see RCA's where the + and (-) don't wrap around each other... STAY AWAY FROM THEM!!!!!

HI-LO CONVERTERLast thing you will need is something like thishttp://cgi.ebay.com/VAL0R-HI-L...wItem

this will allow you to connect your amp to the factory radio harness... however, since you have the BOSE system, it is wise to do this immediately after the wire leave the deck... for that, you will need to have the wiring code for the rear speakers... if you try to connect this at the rear 6 x 9's, that will be a post BOSE amp signal, and you don't want to send an amplifierd signal to another amplifier!

Other than that, that's all you would need, and those are my suggestions for you regarding the system you want... If you want it to look really nice, I would look into getting a custom box from these guys off of ebay! http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...ZWDVW

They can do single 10" boxes also! Or you can have your own box built!
I'll turn it up the odd time but the majority of the time I'm OK with just decent Bass. I also probably want to keep a bit of my trunk space (if you can call it that in the Coupe ) so I'd likely look at a sealed enclosure.

I'll definitely check out those links, thanks.. your info is really helpful.

SmokeDaT
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Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2008 5:32 am
Car: 2008 Nissan Altima 3.5SE
Location: Westchester

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rjdmmfl1 wrote:
OK, this is my last post for awhile, I gotta go run some more experiments...

The Kenwood DNX-8120 is an amazing unit. Is so good, it made me leave pioneer after 6 years of owning pioneer headunits! Pioneer has gone backwards, and Kenwood is moving forwards...I 'm not gonna go into detail about this unit, but it is literally the single best all in one unit I have ever seen!!!!

oK, keeping the Bose speakers and amp for this won't be a problem at all...the Kenwood has built in EQ and crosssovers that will allow you to fine tune your audio system the same way you could with a JL audio cleansweep or a Rockford Fosgate 3sixty.1

first thing you want is the stereo install package from honest dee on ebay.. it has everything you need for the install (dash console, antenna adapter, radio harness) http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...76644&

Next, for the ipod, you need the KCA-ip300v http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-KENWOO...wItemget the real one. not the ones from Hong Kong**NOTE*** If you have an ipod touch, iphone, or 6th generation Ipod, you WILL NOT be able to watch video using this adapter, for that you will need another ipod cable that hooks up to the RCA A/V inputs on the Kenwood.

For the steering wheel interface, you will need the PAC-SWI JACK http://cgi.ebay.com/PAC-SWI-JA...wItem

Install is a bit tricky on this one, I would suggest soldering the wires resistors to the white wire on the interface (you'll see what I mean when you do the install)

Please see my above post regarding the JL sub, AMP, AMP install kit, RCA wires! **NOTE** Since you are goin with the aftermarket kenwood, you won't need a HI LO converter in that the Kenwood has 6 RCA preouts (Front, Rear, SUb, and CENTER for 5.1 Dolby Surround) and these RCA Preouts are powerful 5volt preouts!

OK, no more free advice for the day... good luck with your projects!
Damn Doc , your the man for real . Thanks for all the help. I definitely appreciate it. Your audio knowledge is crazy !!!

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rjdmmfl1
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SmokeDaT wrote:
Damn Doc , your the man for real . Thanks for all the help. I definitely appreciate it. Your audio knowledge is crazy !!!
no problem fellas, even though we fuss and fight and all of that, in the end, its really all love...there is a wealth of knowledge here on NICO from many years of folks doing what they do in their respective field or hobby... some guys do turbos, so guys do suspension, some guys can build an engine... I'm not that involved, but I live for car audio/video... glad I can be of some assistance!

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maxentropy
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tarek wrote:I know I wasn't asked, but I'm pretty bored so I quickly checked some ebay prices on those .

For option 1, you can get the sw6210 for 133 shipped, and there's a ton of people selling the zx400.1 for $120 or so shipped. That's already $200 less (counting shipping) than you were quoted.

For option 2, I couldn't find the Eclipse sw7200 on ebay, but it's available at sonic electronix for $150 +$20 shipping and the zx500.1 amp is available on ebay for $235 shipped. That's $120 less (counting shipping) than you were quoted.

I can't speak for the sub/amp box, but just from the prices I've seen other people have thrown around, $320 sounds a little pricey.

*edit*I'm planning on getting a JL Audio 10W6 sub which runs for about $245 on amazon (a few bucks less on ebay) with a RF Power T500-1bd amp, which runs for about $290 on amazon (again a few bucks less on ebay). The doc said that'd be a pretty good setup for what I'm looking for. The reason I'm choosing the RF amp over the JL amp is that the JL one is about $40 more or so, and the RF one is at least as good, if not better according to the birthsheets and all. I plan on making my own fiberglass enclosures for them, so I haven't factored in the price for that, but it'll for sure be less than $300! Just fyi.
Tarek, cheers for checking into that for me.. I did also look into pricing and found the same issues-- he seemed expensive since I could buy most the parts myself. However, included in all the costs was the custom enclosure he was going to do for me-- he was going to remove the spare tire and put a 12" in there and amp.. see thru glass.. and thinner carpeting so the bass could come up through it.

Honestly a single 10" should be enough. Thanks for the help Doc and Tarek

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Rellz CT
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how is the voice directions the nav gives you?

are they clear and loud?

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hiroprotagonist2005
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anyone buy that zenrin updated nav DVD? is it worth it? Does anyone know if the coupes come with the most recent 7.3 update?

anyway to hack it so you can change it while driving or watch DVD while driving?

Bearcat
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Car: 2008 Altima Coupe 3.5 SE w/ Fujita Intake

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I think I can add some input into this since I definately found the bass with the bose package lacking. I spent a long time researching prices and components and how to install... and let me tell you the install is NOT easy on this car. Getting the power wire through the firewall is a PITA for your amp... I tapped into the speaker wires from the bose amp and plugged them directly into my Kicker zx750 amp. I bought the ebay box made specifically for the coupe and its pretty high quality and they even lowered the price for me and made a special one for me when I emailed them. I got 2 JL w3's (4-ohm) off ebay (from sonic-electronix) and wired them together into a 2-ohm load. Their max rms power is 500 watts each and my amps power rating sheet was over 800rms. Let me warn you guys thinking about putting in a sub... You may want to go lower end and less power, I almost wish I put in w1's with less power because the altima coupe is a rattle machine! I found the main culprit of the rattling and its the passenger side panel in the backseat. I don't know whats behind there or how to take it off and I've never sound deadened before so maybe one of you can give me some instructions? I've had subs in both of my previous cars, even had 3 10" MTX subs in my 03 sunfire I had before and it didn't rattle nearly as much as the altima does so I don't know what the deal is.

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Rellz CT
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uh so yeah

the voice turn by turn directions

how are they?

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Rellz CT
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the fuk

yo

is there a 'dont reply to rellz's questions" sign hangin somewhere?

goddamn

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rjdmmfl1
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Bearcat wrote:I think I can add some input into this since I definately found the bass with the bose package lacking. I spent a long time researching prices and components and how to install... and let me tell you the install is NOT easy on this car. Getting the power wire through the firewall is a PITA for your amp... I tapped into the speaker wires from the bose amp and plugged them directly into my Kicker zx750 amp. I bought the ebay box made specifically for the coupe and its pretty high quality and they even lowered the price for me and made a special one for me when I emailed them. I got 2 JL w3's (4-ohm) off ebay (from sonic-electronix) and wired them together into a 2-ohm load. Their max rms power is 500 watts each and my amps power rating sheet was over 800rms. Let me warn you guys thinking about putting in a sub... You may want to go lower end and less power, I almost wish I put in w1's with less power because the altima coupe is a rattle machine! I found the main culprit of the rattling and its the passenger side panel in the backseat. I don't know whats behind there or how to take it off and I've never sound deadened before so maybe one of you can give me some instructions? I've had subs in both of my previous cars, even had 3 10" MTX subs in my 03 sunfire I had before and it didn't rattle nearly as much as the altima does so I don't know what the deal is.
this is some of the worst advice I have ever heard anyone give on this forum... applebonker and take great pride in steering folks in the right direction... please don't come on this forum with bad info...

1st off, going lower end with less power is a dumb/bad suggestion. I have 2000 watts RMS of power going through my sound system with ~ 1100 watts RMS going to my 12" T2 subwoofer.. and I don't have a single rattle... Applebonker has arguably the most powerful 12" subwoofer in existence... a $2000 dollar critical mass UL12 pushing ~ 3000 watts RMS, and he doesn't have a rattle... HOW??? SOUND DEADENER

First,NO audio enthusiast would even dream of putting a subwoofer in their system without sound deadener. And its not just for subwoofers, sound deadener makes your entire system sound better by getting rid of excess road noise and elimanting sound loss through vibrating panels and the thin sheet metal of your car.

Second, regarding your W3's, if you have 800 watts going to those continuosly, they will eventually blow... JL subwoofers are designed to NOT need a lot of power to hit hard.. your W3's want about 300 watts RMS, will begin to distort @ 400 watts RMS, and are in danger of blowing @ 450-500 watts RMS...

Third, hopefully you followed my info above and tapped the speaker wires BEFORE they hit the BOSE amp....tapping into the speaker wires after leaving the Bose amp is yet another BAD IDEA... now you're sending an amplified signal to another amplfier

Please go back and fix your entire system before it blows up and your panels rattle apart before trying to direct other members on car audio!

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rjdmmfl1
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Rellz CT wrote:the fuk

yo

is there a 'dont reply to rellz's questions" sign hangin somewhere?

goddamn
That's a good example of how to NOT get a response from someone... most folks on here don't have the tech package, for the ones that do, email them directly and ask them before you post verbal profanity while simultaneously asking for help

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Rellz CT
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oh..

but im sayin tho

all thats irrelevant dog

im pretty sure you could've answered my question easily

yet

you didnt

i appologize for my potty-mouth..i'll make sure to use my trusty inside voice next time



however

my question remains unanswered...thanks

Bearcat
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Ok, I think I caught someone in a bad mood. I'm by no means an audio expert but I think that you belive anyone adding components to their system are audio nuts with deep wallets. Not everyone is loaded rich, and MOST people do NOT put sound deadener in their cars it is a PITA and expensive. We may have different views on this because you may hang out with people that are insanely into car audio, but I hang out with average guys like myself. I was talking to the average joes (most people) that just want some extra bass not a top end multi-thousand dollar audio system. I totally respect your opinions but please don't rip on me for trying to talk to the average audio guys on this forum. I'm just telling them my experiences from adding subs to this car. I've already talked to apple bonker (on the "other" forum) and he does have an insanely nice setup and recommended some deadener to me before but I don't think I have the patience or experience to take my car apart and put the stuff in. My JL's take 1000 watts for both rms, im only pushing 800 so I don't know why you are worried about that? And when I said lower power lower end, I didn't mean go buy some thumps and off-brand amps, I just meant don't go crazy if your not crazy about car audio and want a ton of work working all the rattles out. Sorry doc, I think you are a very valuable and intellegent person on this forum... I've been reading a long time but haven't had much to post on yet. I gurantee you know more about audio than I do but I thought your response was a bit rude. Afterall I was asking for help on sound deadening but got attacked instead. Like I said not everyone can afford 2000watt high end systems and $300+ of sound deadener.

Oh, and I'm not an idiot like you assume, I tapped before the factory amp duh.
Modified by Bearcat at 7:17 PM 8/20/2008

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Rellz CT
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good

now that that's all said and done

how bout my question eyyy?

anyyyybody?

chumon leeeeee

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rjdmmfl1
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Rellz CT wrote:oh..

but im sayin tho

all thats irrelevant dog

im pretty sure you could've answered my question easily

yet

you didnt

i appologize for my potty-mouth..i'll make sure to use my trusty inside voice next time



however

my question remains unanswered...thanks
well, the OP was speaking about the fatory nav system... your post was ambiguous as to what turn by turn directions you are speaking of... if you're asking about the factory nav system... I have no idea as I don't have the factory nav system.. if you're talking about the Kenwood built in Garmin turn by turn directions, the volume can be increased or decreased to your preference, it can be set to come out of the front right, front left, or both front speakers.. it can be set to mute stereo volume when giving directions, or just mute the front speaker's stero volume while giving directions... or it can be turn off completely

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rjdmmfl1
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W
Bearcat wrote:Ok, I think I caught someone in a bad mood. I'm by no means an audio expert but I think that you belive anyone adding components to their system are audio nuts with deep wallets. Not everyone is loaded rich, and MOST people do NOT put sound deadener in their cars it is a PITA and expensive. We may have different views on this because you may hang out with people that are insanely into car audio, but I hang out with average guys like myself. I was talking to the average joes (most people) that just want some extra bass not a top end multi-thousand dollar audio system. I totally respect your opinions but please don't rip on me for trying to talk to the average audio guys on this forum. I'm just telling them my experiences from adding subs to this car. I've already talked to apple bonker (on the "other" forum) and he does have an insanely nice setup and recommended some deadener to me before but I don't think I have the patience or experience to take my car apart and put the stuff in. My JL's take 1000 watts for both rms, im only pushing 800 so I don't know why you are worried about that? And when I said lower power lower end, I didn't mean go buy some thumps and off-brand amps, I just meant don't go crazy if your not crazy about car audio and want a ton of work working all the rattles out. Sorry doc, I think you are a very valuable and intellegent person on this forum... I've been reading a long time but haven't had much to post on yet. I gurantee you know more about audio than I do but I thought your response was a bit rude. Afterall I was asking for help on sound deadening but got attacked instead. Like I said not everyone can afford 2000watt high end systems and $300+ of sound deadener.

Oh, and I'm not an idiot like you assume, I tapped before the factory amp duh.

Modified by Bearcat at 7:38 PM 8/17/2008
whether putting in a $200 dollar system, or a $10,000 system, sound deadener is a must. Even if you go with the cheapest brand, it is better than no sound deadener... the rattles you hear are there because you didn't use any sound deadener.. some cars (like your previous car) have better, more sturdy interiors that can resist a normal subwoofer setup, but even when you can get away with not using sound deadener and not hear rattles, you are still losing a lot of sound to the outside of your car

When I was younger,I used to think my non sound deadened car setting off car alarms in parking lots was hot... I thought that meant I had a booming system. It wasn't until later that I learned of the absolue necessity of sound deadener when installing a subwoofer. A perfect car could take 5000 watts of banging subwoofers inside, and when you close the trunk, you don't hear a thing. I don;t have the time to get into acoustic loss factor and the ALF benefits of sound deadener, but again, it is an absolute must for any car subwoofer setup. You really are shooting your self in the foot by not adding any sound deadener!

Also, regarding the W3's, if its the W3v3's, optimally, those are 300 watt RMS woofers... JL uses a range to judge its speakers, and I can tell you that W3's are in their danger zone when operating @ 500 watts RMS... if you go through 10 random listings on ebay for 10W3v3's, you will see that 8/10 say 300 watts RMS, and another couple will say 500 watts RMS... this is not their fault... JL is not as decisive on their newer V3's as they were with the v2's and v1's... their website lists the W3v3's as operating @ 500 watts, but on the same page, it clearly shows that 500 watts is in the danger zone of operation of these woofers... this is not your or the average consumer's fault, its JL's fault

suffice to say, the 10W3v3's operate most efficiently @ 300 watts RMS, approcahing 450-500 watts at high volumes consistently WILL INDEED place the woofers in a dangererously high operating temperature, if you don't have w3v3's, then 400+ wats RMS will definately fry those, but if you bought them recently, they are most likely v3's

**note** for those following this thread for educational purposes, JL's products carry version numbers that let you know how close to the current lineup they are... for their woofers, they are currently on version 3, hence 10W3v3

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Rellz CT
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yea sound deadener is important

my man got 2 12s and 2 15s in his 83 caprice

the set up in the trunk was amazing...i was soooo gassed

but

he then closed the trunk

sounded soooooooooooooo terrible...completely changed what i thought about it

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rjdmmfl1
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Rellz CT wrote:yea sound deadener is important

my man got 2 12s and 2 15s in his 83 caprice

the set up in the trunk was amazing...i was soooo gassed

but

he then closed the trunk

sounded soooooooooooooo terrible...completely changed what i thought about it
yeah, the good ole chevy trash cans in the trunk sound.... heard waaayy to many of those in my day... funny things is, they SWEAR their ride is booming...

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AppleBonker
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rjdmmfl1 wrote:whether putting in a $200 dollar system, or a $10,000 system, sound deadener is a must.
Not to beat a dead horse, but I'm of the mindset that sound deadening is a great idea even if you're NOT installing a system. It makes the car that much more quiet and enjoyable to drive. The only time I wouldn't recommend deadener is when weight is important (if you're planning on racing). Anyone putting in a stereo doesn't seem like they'd be that concerned about weight, so deadener is always a good idea there. Just my $0.02.

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rjdmmfl1 wrote:
yeah, the good ole chevy trash cans in the trunk sound.... heard waaayy to many of those in my day... funny things is, they SWEAR their ride is booming...
I love hearing that. It always makes me laugh. I actually had a guy try to convince me that his Alpine Type-E 12s and RF punch amp were top of the line (not that they're poor quality, but I don't think I'd consider them top tier). Needless to say, I didn't bother showing him my system, he probably wouldn't be able to appreciate it. To each their own though.


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