DCers - What kind of stereo equipment do you have in your vehicles?

[G35stilez]

Hey all,

So I have been thinking, moreso recently, that I want to get back into the car stereo scene. Nothing crazy at all, but I want to enjoy it for what I listen to, mainly house music/techno/trance as well as hip hop/rap/classic rock/etc. I listen to pretty much everything, but I want the bass to be there when I demand it most.

In my past 2 vehicles, I had stereos that I had entered into competitions and done pretty well. For the explorer, I had a Pioneer DEH-P7000 head unit mated with an Audiobahn Mono Amplifier (first year available) mated to 3 JL Audio 12W6`s in a single chambered box. To say the least, the system was LOUD! I knew not much about tuning other than what sounded right to me. In a competetition I was hitting 137 - 140 dB.

I then moved to my Caddy ETC where I got a little more serious. The Caddy had a Bose system that would be a HUGE PITA to take out. I kept the deck and speakers, but implemeneted 100hz bass blockers for the stock speakers. For the amplifier, I had the big Alpine V12, 1500x1, mated to, 2-Kicker Solobaric Circles (12") in a dual chambered fiberglass resonated box. Along with this I had a line driver to boost the voltage that the stock deck lacked for the amplifier. I also had a bass controller which added some serious kick to the system. All in all, this stereo was well into the 140 range...Estimated around 146-149 dB by a professional.

Anyways, I did these two systems on my own and have good knowledge installation wise in the area. My Acura is already wired in 1/0 Gauge trim. I ripped the wires out of both cars because I knew how valuable they were. So I have an inline fuse and complete wiring now as well as upgraded Pioneer speakers...Nothing crazy, but definatley a lot clearer than OEM. I want to do something simple but effective. I was thinking...

- (1) Kicker Comp VR - 10"
- (1) Pioneer Deck (simple, not crazy, Mp3 not needed)
- (1) ???? Amp for the sub
- (1) Sealed box, compact in size, but definatley with the volume needed for the Comp VR


I thought Comp VR and Pioneer Deck because I`ve had a lot of success with those items in my vehicles and friends. I truly believe the Comp VR is one of the best bangs for the buck.

I just want to know if anyone has any other suggestions for stereo components...Something you have had luck with. Thanks in advance.

[Blinded]

Can I answer if I`m not an Autopian?

[EBPcivicsi]

I too use to be into the car stereo scene. Noe I just like clean, full sound without a lot of low end.

I have replaced factory speakers with JBL components, 2 eight inch MEMPHIS AUDIO subs in ported boxes(quick connects on them so I can still use my trunk for detailing) powered by an infinity digital amp. My head unit is by SONY and cost me about $80. At the time it was the only one I could find with amber illumination to match my interior gauges. It serves my needs well.

I have the crossover set to minimze the "boom" factor and the gain is turned all the way down. At full volume there is only a hint of full bottem end sound.

[G35stilez]

SORRY! :) I meant to take Autopian out of the title...I wrote it first over at Autopia and just copied and pasted.

But yes, any input is good input!


Joe: Any pics of the setup? I`m not usually a fan of ported boxes, but the smaller subs perk my ears.

[EBPcivicsi]

SORRY! :) I meant to take Autopian out of the title...I wrote it first over at Autopia and just copied and pasted.

But yes, any input is good input!


Joe: Any pics of the setup? I`m not usually a fan of ported boxes, but the smaller subs perk my ears.

I don`t have any pics. I will try and take some later though.

[Focusedonsound]

GSR,

as an car audio fanatic I can give you a few recomendations!

Head units ... ALPINE is the only way to go after having several brands alpine has the best tuner sections and the best bang for the buck. you can get a great unit for about 199.00

Amps- you get what you pay for in this area... I would recomend Rockford fosgate, or Kicker amps (their older stuff was better but the newer amps aren`t that bad either)

Subs- Your in the right direction .... sealed enclosers are the best for punchy type music they also give the most accurate sound reproduction ported enclosures will typicly be louder (by 3-4db) and will give you more of a extended bass sound (good for rap music and thats about it)

FYI ... as recomended by EBcivicsi Memphis audio is deffinatly a good recomendation ... tend to be a bit more expensive though.

If you looking to replace your interior speakers I would recomend looking at Focal or MBquart ...I personaly have Focals and love them I can shut my sub off in my car and still get excelent bass reproduction.

Hope this helps...

just as a side note ... Before I bought my mustang I had a 2000 Focus which I used to compete with. Sony head unit, Mb quart interiors, 2 12in Kicker 2ohm XPLs 3 RF amps My all time best at DB Drags was 153.3 :) that was loud

[John Styrnol]

See my sig.

[G35stilez]

Thanks Joe. BTW: The BF Duece is going out today via Priority.

focused: I was hoping you`d post here. That is quite impressive on the Focus!

I will definately look into the Alpine headunits. I was also thinking Kicker for amps as well. Little pricey IMO, but definatley worth it.

John: How do you like the JL W3`s? Have you had any other subs to compare to?

[Focusedonsound]

My only recomendation is that you stay away from Best buy , or Circut city... They typicly only sell retail type units and its not the same as what your local stereo shop would cary its worth spending an extra 10-20 bucks!

[rockford33]

GSR,
I haven`t done any serious car stereo in about 10 years, but I agree with what has been previously said. I love Alpine head units, but Clarion Pro Audio was pretty good also. Sealed box will give good, flat response, but not as much extension or volume as a ported. Plus, it will need more amp power for the same loudness compared to a ported box. I have had ported boxed for my last 2 or 3 sets of subs. I am not up on my amps, but I have heard that Rockford Fosgate is not as good as it used to be. I think Audio Bahn and Xtant are some of the good ones still. I would consider adding a capacitor (0.5 to 1 farad) to help with the system. My current system in my weekend car consists of:

Alpine head unit
Rockford Fosgate line driver
Rockford Fosgate 1 farad capacitor
Rockford Fosgate Punch 50 amp
Rockford Fosgate Power 50x2 amp
2 12" Soundstream SPL 12`s
Infinity Components up front
Infinity coaxials in the rear
StreetWires cables (I think, been a while)

All of the Rockford stuff is old school (8-10 years old). Still runs like a champ. The 50x2 runs my subs bridged into 1 ohm (produces about 600 watts). This system booms some, but I have turned down the gains to smooth things out in recent years (I still have about 15 bass cd`s stored somewhere, go Bass Boy!!). Nothing in the new car yet as it is only 4 months old. Good luck!!

[John Styrnol]

Sean,

For the price I got mine I`m very happy with it. This is the only sub I`ve ever had, so nothing to compare to at least in a vehicle. If you have a Crossfire dealer in your area, check those amps out. There very underrated and Crossfire has won a few shows with their amps and subs I believe.

[zesty-man]

rite now my car has a pretty good bose system in it, but im looking to but an amp inside, and maybe a sub. i think the previous owner purchased the higher end stereo system from BMW

[shotime]

I don`t know the models numbers, but I`ve got-
Kenwood CD Player, color changing face
Eclipse 5 channel amp
Diamond M3 10in sub
Eclipse 5x7 co-ax in rear doors
Crossfire 5in components in front doors/dash
200sq ft. of sound deadening

Sound quality is excellent, which is what I want. I could care less how much bass I have or how loud it is outside the car.

[RUBigDog05]

in my `98 F-150 I have an Alpine headunit, stock speakers(for now), MTX 4-channel amp and 2 12" MTX subs under the back seat with Monster cable hooking everything up. Sounds decent enough for me

[mtodde]

My days of spending $1000`s on car stereo equipment are probably over...unless the telecom industry experiences a miraculous rebirth or I win the lottery.


The JBL system in my Solara is very nice although I`d like to improve the low end a bit. My 99 Solara had a slighly better JBL system than the 2004 IMHO. I mainly listen to old jazz and the upright bass does strain the lower limits of most speakers. I bought some Infinity Kappas but never got around to installing them...Crutchfield & Cardomain still haven`t measured the car even though it is in its second year of production and I don`t want to start taking things apart without any instructions so if we get a really killer bonus I may go down to Hi-Fi Buys or another specialty shop to see about upgrading the speakers.