The Qxxx4 needs more BOOM-diggity BAAAAyyyyAAAM!

[benny8]

The Big Three upgrades are simply put upgrading the main three electrical charging wires in a vehicles electrical system. These wires are the power wire from the alternator to the battery positive the engine block to a ground and the battery negative to a ground.

Just thought id add that befor it came up sorry if youv all heard it befor.

[Empty V]

Personally I won't buy Alpine because of a bad experience years ago but I've heard that they've become much more reliable.

Story:

So back in 98 I bought this crazy top of the line $800 Alpine CD deck. A year later I'm driving to Arizona with a few buddies and the display overheated and burned out. So now I've got no display. 6 Months my CD player stopped reading disks. This deck also had a volume control knob not buttons, so to raise the volume you had to turn the knob(lost my remote somehow). About 6 months after the CD player gave out the volume knob gave out. When I'd go to change the volume it would jump up and down radically. So I can't play CD's, I'm stuck with the radio but I can't see which radio station I'm on and I can't change the volume without banging my head on my window.

That's my experience with Alpine. I also get Pioneer stuff for wholesale so that's another reason I'm a big Pioneer fan, plus their stuff rocks!

Billy

[Qxxx4]

i love pioneer. The first and only product i ever got from them was a dvd recorder that i got 4 years ago when they hit the market..i paid $200 at a liquidation store and crossed my fingers.....until the last few months it worked PERFECT now its starting to have troubles reading discs. ive watched a good 500 movies on it and recorded id say at least 300 hours of tv on it. Im going to open it up and clean it thats probably all it needs.

So yes, when i see pioneer thats my fav id say on the market, id LOVE the nav system they have but at $700+ over here...no thanks. EmptyV hook us up man! LOL

[Empty V]

So yes, when i see pioneer thats my fav id say on the market, id LOVE the nav system they have but at $700+ over here...no thanks. EmptyV hook us up man! LOL

This might be your lucky day, I've got my AVID-D3 with the bluetooth adapter, mic, GPS antenna and all cables(ipod cable has a pin that broke on the connector so it might not work) that's just sitting here. Right now new ones with the bluetooth unit are going for $600-$700. I'll sell mine for $500 plus shipping. The deck is in perfect condition with all the wire labels still in tact. Plus I've already done the bypass on it which allows you to operate the nav system and watch DVD's while driving.

BTW I just saw an ipod adapter cable for like $3 on ebay.

Billy

P.S. I just check my PO and this unit was bought on Feb 1st of this year so it's not even a year old. I actually like it better than my existing AVIC-Z3 deck which retails for $1800.

[fueler]

i love pioneer. The first and only product i ever got from them was a dvd recorder that i got 4 years ago when they hit the market..i paid $200 at a liquidation store and crossed my fingers.....until the last few months it worked PERFECT now its starting to have troubles reading discs. ive watched a good 500 movies on it and recorded id say at least 300 hours of tv on it. Im going to open it up and clean it thats probably all it needs.! LOL

i dont think you can compare different sectors of a company.... for example, sony makes some awesome TV's and some of the best small digital cameras in the world, but their car audio department is just terrible

i dont know how they can do that

i think they are just making mad $$off the xplod line

[Lars]

Jumping in late here but thought I'd throw in my .02 cents. Back in the day I used to love Soundstream stuff. I'm not sure what they are like these days or if they are still around. But I still have one of my orig amps from like '94 that was hand wired in good ole USA. The thing kicked a$$ then and still kicks a$$ today! Clean, super powerful and bridgable down to like .5 ohms. Also used to build sub boxes for myself and friends. No better feeling than boomin down the block with a box you built. I had a custom box in the extra cab of my Ranger that was color match painted to the truck. Had more than one person swear that it was made out of metal and no one could ever get wood that smooth and clean.

[Qxxx4]

about that deck if im going to get a nav unit then im not getting a system. Im on the fence right now lmao moneys tight

I just went to a place in my town called car audio haven. the guy said if i want two tens id want to spend at a minimum $400 and thats for crap equipment. WTF? i really dont feel like spending too much i just want a little more bass! like i loove the bose system i got, but i hate how i turn the bass up and i hear the rattle thru the front speakers, competing with the highs and mids! i want SEPERATE speaker for bass so i can get a clearer sound. and not spend more than $300 for USED equipment. i dont want anything amazing just a slight upgrade. id rather spend money on that $400 eclipse nav unit right now seeing all the CRAP taht is being sold used. and the HIGH prices of new equipment.

so pissed lmao

[fueler]

about that deck if im going to get a nav unit then im not getting a system. Im on the fence right now lmao moneys tight

I just went to a place in my town called car audio haven. the guy said if i want two tens id want to spend at a minimum $400 and thats for crap equipment. WTF? i really dont feel like spending too much i just want a little more bass! like i loove the bose system i got, but i hate how i turn the bass up and i hear the rattle thru the front speakers, competing with the highs and mids! i want SEPERATE speaker for bass so i can get a clearer sound. and not spend more than $300 for USED equipment. i dont want anything amazing just a slight upgrade. id rather spend money on that $400 eclipse nav unit right now seeing all the CRAP taht is being sold used. and the HIGH prices of new equipment.

so pissed lmao

sounds like bull**** to me i spent $40 for both my 10" subs and $60 on the box - everything brand new - so the entire sub box complete cost me $100 and it bangs way harder than half the stuff you see in a car audio store

[02pathy]

all you need is one 12" mtx 4ohms sub and a 200-400rms watt 2 channel amp in a sealed box you will be happy with it trust me. if you want a cheap set up that will pound hard check out jensen amp and sub at wal-mart i used to have 2 12" or 10" they pound hard with a jensen amp, one advantage of the mtx is that it will pound hard for a long time

[Adnan]

i had a pioneer deh 6800 mp for my very first sound system few years agovery awesome deck...now im running an alpine cda 9811 which has lesssound tailoring features however surpasses the pioneer sq wisevery great deck for anyone and i see one for kijjiji going for $110

[fueler]

all you need is one 12" mtx 4ohms

he already has the box for 2 10's so thats not an option

but u should be able to find MTX 10's for cheap - when i was searching, i found 2 MTX thunder 10's brand new (i think it was thunder 3000), in a MTX sealed box for $120 total QXXX4, i dont know if youre wiling to drive to buffalo NY but thats where the nearest memphis dealer is to you.... the memphis power reference should be like $90 each from an authorized dealer and they bump pretty hard but here are more ideas for you since youre on a budget but still want to do it right http://www.caraudio.com/forum/...24100 nothing wrong with a cheap sub as long as it wangs. in fact, theres no better feeling than outbumping someone with a more expensive system.

[Qxxx4]

i found EXACTLY what i want. 2 10" clarion subs..with a NICE design and box is mint and carpet matches interior. and it COMES with an AMP!!!! ok so its a crappy boss amp. 5 channel. 1x 1500w and 4x 350w...i will use the 350w channels, duh. even if the amp is crap....the guy wanted $160 for the package i talked him down to $140. its worth it just for teh subs and box. its a much bigger box than the one i got so more airspace. and its sealed.

going to pick it up tommorow im so damn happy and excited! what you think guys! im confirming in the morning! my first system woohoo

heres pics



$140.....

[nnorton44]

i found EXACTLY what i want. 2 10" clarion subs..with a NICE design and box is mint and carpet matches interior. and it COMES with an AMP!!!! ok so its a crappy boss amp. 5 channel. 1x 1500w and 4x 350w...i will use the 350w channels, duh. even if the amp is crap....the guy wanted $160 for the package i talked him down to $140. its worth it just for teh subs and box. its a much bigger box than the one i got so more airspace. and its sealed.

going to pick it up tommorow im so damn happy and excited! what you think guys! im confirming in the morning! my first system woohoo

$140.....

Check to see if your amp is bridgeable if so your best bet is wiring your two 4-Ohm subwoofers down to a single 2-Ohm load.

[fueler]

nice find! It should satisfy your needs.

If I were you, i'd consider the "1500" channel as long as the impedance (ohms) matches up

thats definitely a peak number anyways, the rms is probably close to what those subs want

[Qxxx4]

fewf i was worried the man....fueler....would tell me it was a ripoff! lol thanks man u gave me confidence to go get them! as for the 1500 channel...im scared of feeding too much power to the subs and blowing them....i want those subs its the amp that i hope breaks first lol. I kinda like it though....maybe ill crack it open and throw some led's inside to make it glow....and remove that boss logo and get an infiniti one....hmm....

i love the look of those subs man!! im puummpped i hope the guy goes through with sellin em...hes emailing me tommorow with a time and address

[Adnan]

thats a great find man...im sure it will sound great!

[nnorton44]

fewf i was worried the man....fueler....would tell me it was a ripoff! lol thanks man u gave me confidence to go get them! as for the 1500 channel...im scared of feeding too much power to the subs and blowing them....i want those subs its the amp that i hope breaks first lol. I kinda like it though....maybe ill crack it open and throw some led's inside to make it glow....and remove that boss logo and get an infiniti one....hmm....

i love the look of those subs man!! im puummpped i hope the guy goes through with sellin em...hes emailing me tommorow with a time and address

Keep the gain turned all the way down, if you want to turn it up do it slowly until you notice any distortion. What are you wiring the amplifier with? I would use at least 4 gauge, the better the wires the better it will sound. My first system I had a 4 gauge wire kit off Ebay ($20) but I upgraded to a Monster Cable 4 gauge ($80) and it sounded twice as loud. Also look into possibly getting a capacitor, they aren't too expensive. I remember seeing an ad in Fry's a few weeks ago for a 2.2 Farad capacitor for $20.

[Qxxx4]

ill def keep it low i dont want my car to rattle too much anyways. Im getting a 4 gauge wire kit for $50 at this store near my place, nothing special. Like i said its my first system and i just want a start. The subs will stay for sure but everything else can be changed later but i got a feeling ill be happy with what i got

the capacitor i will look into later on for sure the guys are telling me its only good for 2 12's though? ill see how this setup does for me and if theres room for improvement (always is) ill improve.

slickroger said his lights would dim with his 2 12's? is it because he was pumping his amp too hard? im worried itll ruin my HID's.....well...tehy consume less power its just turning them on i need power so i should be fine, just keep volume down at start

[nnorton44]

The reason your lights will dim is that the amplifier is trying to draw too much power at once. When the bass hits hardest it will put a strain on the battery/alternator and cause the lights to dim. With your setup, it is nothing that is going to really hurt your car because you arent pushing very many watts but I still recommend a capacitor. What a capacitor does is that is stores power when the bass is not at its highest. When your amplifier goes to draw a lot of power from high bass it will use stored power from your capacitor and draw the rest from the car, you will get better power and louder bass along with not putting on stress and causing the lights to dim.

I used to have two JL Audio W6 subwoofers running 1000W RMS and they would make my battery gauge go crazy and lights almost shut off, bought a capacitor and it was cleaner, louder, and did not effect the lights.

As far as what capacitor to get, rule of thumb is that 1 Farad = 1000W RMS. So a 2 farad is good for 2000W RMS.

[Qxxx4]

so the subs amp and box are officially in my q!!! they fit perfect and carpet matches perfect and it looks amazing. I bought a 4 gauge wire kit and so far ive just ran the rca cables down the passenger side to the front. My buddy told me i should run the rca down one side and the amp power cables down the other. Seeing how slickroger ran his through the driversside i assume i will to so i did the passenger side for RCA's.

my question now is....where the heck is a decent place to run the amp power wire through the firewall? like wtf! i cant find any open holes, dont tell me i have to drill through metal! friggg lol hopefully slickroger comes by tommorow to help me out and my buddy with the saturn has a sick setup....2 rockford fosgate P2 12's in ported box w/ a pioneer amp and a really nice clarion deck. we ended up just doing the power cable for the amp on it so far since it got dark. Hes coming by tommorow to help me with the rest of my setup and use my tools to finish his.

I want to wire this up to my factory HU for now...is it as easy as splicing two cables with the rca? or am i better off getting a deck with sub out...which i really dont want to do right now.

[Adnan]

on top of the brake pedal,there should be a black rubber boot with a line running through simply remove it and using a thin metal preferably a metalhanger tape the tip with the power wire and push it thro....push it deep enough until you can pull it from the under the hood

something i noticed roger did with his power wire that looks really neat is that he strapped them all along the firewall with the zip ties to keep it away from heat and moving parts

[Qxxx4]

ill check that out tommorow...thanks man!

[slickroger]

holla at me in the morning i have a deck you can borrow if you want.

[Qxxx4]

everything is in! amp is all connected including the ground wire to a seat mount (sanded it down for best contact) and i got the power cable through the firewall and connected to the battery, same setup as roger, did it alll by myself the whole system! woohoo! i ran the RCA's opposite side and the remote power on as well.

Problem. Roger gave me a wiring harness that i had to solder matching colours to the nissan harness adapter. Plugged the jvc Head unit (borrowed from roger, thanks) in and it works fine, turns on and off with car, plays cd, but NO SOUND! i connected the remote power on to the blue wire that said it was for remote power on

i mean no sound out of any speakers. speakers work wih stock deck, no modified harness nor subs of course.

guessing i messed something up. I didnt connect one blue wire from the smaller connector, im confused where its suposed to go, doesnt the remote power on go only to subs? what the heck! lol help is appreciated cant wait to have music again.

[nnorton44]

I have a feeling you have to bypass the factory amplifier....

[Adnan]

yea...you will need those PAC adpters

i was browsing around the forums and i found a way to do it without bypassing you simply solder the input and output levelsof each amp...yes all 3

i'll post up a link

[Adnan]

zerothread/335534

this is for a S14 240sx but i'm assuming its the sample principle...

don't be too hard on yourself manmy first system i gave up removing the deck...i had to pay someoneto finish the job for me2nd setup i used the wrong wire for the remote...depressed for a week and now i got everything installed and ready to go except my ignition is destroyed and my alternator is semi gone

just a lil patience...its all worth

[Empty V]

You would be better off all together with a different head unit. You don't want to drop a ton of cash now I'd try to find a used pioneer DEH9800BT unit. BT for bluetooth, that is probably my favorite single dinn deck they've made. That is what I had before i upgraded to a nav deck. If you see something that you like on pioneer's website I could probably help you out.

This one looks pretty cool:

http://www.pioneerelectronics....700BT

And like a few of us have stated, you don't need a cap, if you were running 2x12" then probably, but not for a 2x10" enclosure. Unless they were CV Strokers but that's a whole different world.

Billy

[nnorton44]

Or save the cash and wire your amplifier to the stock head unit. Here in a few weeks I will be doing the same. This is all you need:

http://www.crutchfield.com/App...=2001 Scosche line output converter: $19.99

[Empty V]

When it comes to running wire you've got lots of options, some obviously work better than others and some are much more difficult.

You can run wires down either side of the car or go right through the center. I've got both of my amps in the back and to avoid any engine whine I ran 3 RCA pairs(2 for the door speaks and one for subs) down the center of the car. We tore out the center console and ran it down the back of the dash and under the carpet back to the amp in the driver's side rear quarter panel and in the trunk lower storage compartment.



BTW the wires shown in this pic were just temporary for testing purposes.

I ran all the power and relay wires down the driver's side of the car under the plastic covers at the bottom of the door jam.



This worked out really well but it was a lot of work especially ripping out the center console but it was worth it because it's clean and correct.

Billy