new audio install

[mikegtr06]

ok so im looking at starting my audio install.... but i have a delima... i dont have a budget set up yet but i want to get good sound

what i want:

i want my stereo alot louder and more clear....

and i want good crisp bass.....

i already have the subwoofer that i want to use... its a jbl p1220d2. its a couple of years old but i love it... i am planning on having a custom fiberglass box built and it set in the rear right cornet of the trunk behind the passanger side..

i dont want to spend a whole lot of money on everything... and i have some old amps that i could use

for the speakersm i have an audiobahn 6004t and a Kicker 04KX250.2 and i had that bridged to mono to power the jbl in my last car... i would like to use those if i could.. but i dont have to...

ok here is the real kicker.. . my wife doesnt want me to change the head unit. we have the base stereo with no bose or nav..

what are my options as far as the install.... should i just get hi lo converters and put those in if i just put aftermarket speakers in and didnt amp them how would that sound ?

please help

[rjdmmfl1]

ok so im looking at starting my audio install.... but i have a delima... i dont have a budget set up yet but i want to get good sound

what i want:

i want my stereo alot louder and more clear....

and i want good crisp bass.....

i already have the subwoofer that i want to use... its a jbl p1220d2. its a couple of years old but i love it... i am planning on having a custom fiberglass box built and it set in the rear right cornet of the trunk behind the passanger side..

i dont want to spend a whole lot of money on everything... and i have some old amps that i could use

for the speakersm i have an audiobahn 6004t and a Kicker 04KX250.2 and i had that bridged to mono to power the jbl in my last car... i would like to use those if i could.. but i dont have to...

ok here is the real kicker.. . my wife doesnt want me to change the head unit. we have the base stereo with no bose or nav..

what are my options as far as the install.... should i just get hi lo converters and put those in if i just put aftermarket speakers in and didnt amp them how would that sound ?

please help

OK, 1st, keep your amplifiers! you can't get clean, louder music without amplifiers.. normal, non amplified speakers begin to distort at high volumes actually its the headunit that causes the distortion, or should I say the audio signal that is going to the speakers... amplifiers have the abilty to negate much of this, but so do.... sound processors!

Mike, I swear if you listen to me on this you will NOT be sorry you did!

My suggestion to you (if your wife is dead set on keeping the factory headunit) would be to

1. keep the factory headunit2. keep your 4 channel and sub amp you currently have3. get the subwoofer you want, but make sure its a good match for your current amplifier.. i.e. make sure the sub won't be overpowered or under-powered!

4. get some good 6.5" components (for this, there are plenty of choices, but my choice if i were you would be to go with the Diamond Audio Hex s600s 6.5" components... great power handling (170watts RMS) and great sound at an affordable price (~$210 shipped on ebay) I went with these after going to a top notch car audio shop, and listening to 15 sets of components in a sound proof booth setup like the cabin of a car... the quality of these speakers was greater than that of the Focal K2 F series, but just below that of the Focal K2P series... and both of these costs thousands of dollars, while the Diamonds were only ~200... a no brainer for me

5. get a good set of 6x9's for rear fill. for these, you want a nice full range speaker that produces nice bass and midrange sound... according to the sound off that Blood1 posted, the best rated 6x9 speakers were the soundstream SSt6.9 that are currently only fgoing for ~100 shipped on ebay. I am actually gonna try these 6x9's out next as well!

6. Lastly, since you won't be buying a new headunit or new amps, you should have money to get a good audio processor, which, IMO, is an ABSOLUTE MUST if you ever run anything off of the stock headunit! Two of the best on the market right now are the "audison bitone" and the audio control DQXS! The bitone edges out the audio control unit in a couple of areas, but for the average and above average audio enthusiast, either will exceed your expectations. Actually, I'm looking to sell my audio control unit in order to get the bitone.. I don't mind taking a loss, as long as I get something to apply towards the bitone! contact me if interested... oh yeah, for the record, the audison bitone goes for about $800, while the audio control DQXS + DDC controller go for about $700

If you do all of the above, and get a professional to tune your system.. I think you will be 100% satisfied.

**note** also, the reson I said its ok to keep the stock headunit and amps is because either of these audio processors will take your output from the factory deck (probably around 1.2 vols, if that) and take it up to a true 6 volts output. Thus your amp won't have to work nearly as hard! also, the audio processor will clean up the music going to your amps, so essentially, you'll be amplifying clean music, hence the nice clean sound at higher volumes... email me for my phone number if you want to discuss these options in detail! Good luck!
Modified by rjdmmfl1 at 11:04 AM 6/30/2009

[mikegtr06]

actually that sounds really good... and near the ammounts that i was looking at..

i am going to need a new amp that would be able to power the components and rear fill.... do you have any recomendations for the spealers that you suggested. ?

my only problem is that i am in germany and dont know of any high end audio shops that would be able to tune my system... and that goes about the same for the phone.... i dont have a us phone number but am interested in getting your old sound processor... as long as the price is good.. but without a place to tune it would it be ok with my improper tune or would your tune stay valid...?

[mikegtr06]

and how much of a difference is there between the hex s600s and the hex s600a ?

[rjdmmfl1]

Regarding the tune~... nope, you won't be able to use mine.. mine is based on the outputs from the Kenwood DNX unit... yours would need to be based on outputs from the factory deck-->hi lo converter(if using DQXS) to the Audio Control... however, the tune itself is not difficult to do at all, and I still have the original paperwork that shows you how to do that. (Its actually easier than you'd think)

Regarding the amps~ there's a number of them out there... and I'm a Rockford Fosgate subwwofer and amplifier nut, so I would recommend the one I'm using...The Rockford Powers Series T-6004.

my T-6004's are rated at 100 x 4 @ 4 ohms, 150 x 4 @ 2ohms, and 300 x 2 bridged @ 4 ohms. but actually put out 126, 195, and 395 watts espectively.

A similar amp to this would be either the JL Audio 450/4, or the Sundown Audio SAX-100.4D....

Regarding Diamond Audio~

The s600a component set uses alumnium tweeters, these are a bit brighter

The s600s component set uses silk dome tweeters, a bit softer and more musical that alumnium tweeters.

[AppleBonker]

Doc wins, and I second everything he said. If you like hearing more treble go with the 600a (some people find that too bright becomes harsh to listen to). The silk domes will be more natural, so it's definitely all a matter of personal preference.

[mikegtr06]

Doc did you get my email?

[mikegtr06]

is there any other sound processors worth looking at ?

[mikegtr06]

doc , apple ? is there any other sound processors worth looking at ?

[AppleBonker]

JL Audio Cleansweep is another. Though, the JL is certainly not at the level (nor price-point) of those mentioned by Doc.

[rjdmmfl1]

sorry Mike, been busy...

regarding the sound processors...

here are some that are out there

audison bit oneaudio control DQXSAlpine H701 (needs an alpine deck to work with this)JL audio clean sweepRockford fosgate 3sixty.1Rockford fosgate 3sixty.2

I can tell you off the bat that the Rocfkrod units have issues with engine noise, at least the 360.1 does..

the best unit is still the audison bit one.. sorry, but it'll be hard to get good information on them over the internet... you'll need to find a local audison dealer near you and have them go over the details...

but it is arguable one of the best audio processor for cars ever made! took all the good, and none of the bad from the other processors, and combined them

also, I won't be able to sell my processor and controller for much less than what you could buy them for on the internet.. about $600 total for both...

but I stand firm to the belief that if you're willing to go with the dqxs or bit one, you will not be dissatisfied