AtlCl

First of all, I'm trying to figure out if I have the bose system in my car since I have leather in it, but the deck does not say anything besides Acura. This is what I have so far: Infinity Reference 5 1/4 in the front, a Pioneer 150 RMS Amp running a MTX 15.

1. I want to get rid of the 15: box is too big, bass to low and sloppy for my tastes. Thinking about a single 10 or single 12 in a seales or ported box. Any opinions about which 10 to get and will the 150 W RMS be enough for it.

2. Head unit: want to get an Alpine, but not sure if I should get the more $$$ with 30 RMS x 4 and use it to power all 4 speakers, OR get a cheaper Alpine (45 x 4 Peak) and run only the fronts with it and get a 2 channel amp for the rear speakers.

3. Also, what are some good 6 x 9 to get for a decent price?

dcsquirm88

For your front speakers put in 6 1/2. Just cause you have leather doesn't mean you have a bose system. Bose systems only came in the premium package. So I don't think you have one.
As far as your sub and 6x9 speaker I highly recommend infinity kappa perfect speakers. I have 2 infinity perfects 12's in my car and love them. A little pricey but they are awesome.

Woodsdaddy

For the sub I would go with the either the alpine type-r or type-s. Also I doubt you will need a top of the line alpine headunit, I would just get a fairly nice one and a 4 channel amp. For the headunit I would recomend getting one with 3 sets pre-outs.

chrw

These are just my suggestions, I'm assuming your going for a more beginner to intermediate system...

I agree to get rid of the 15" sub. If you're looking for good quality sound that can still be loud, I'd suggest a 10" in a sealed box. I think a 12 might still be a little too boomy according to what you wrote. There's lots of good 10" out there, go to a few stores and listen to several to find one you love. As for power, 150W will probably be ok for whatever sub you choose, but if you do change your amp 250-300W can't hurt. That way even when you're pounding you're still delivering clean power to your sub.

If you're happy with your Infinity's, keep 'em. If not, consider going to 6.5" speakers, they put out a bit more bass in the front, helps improve your sound all around. I'd skip the 6x9's, I've found whatever rear speakers are back there are usually quite sufficient as they are there just for rear fill. Things will sound very good with 2 good front speakers, a good sub, and some rear fill.

Head unit: peak power is 45x4 and RMS is 30W x 4? I'd be skeptical! In reality most decks are putting out 8-15 watts RMS, and I'd be betting it's closer to 8-10. If you think that's sufficient to power your speakers, then great, but that's pretty underpowered and the chances of distortion killing your speakers is pretty high when you crank it up.

Here's my suggestion: (not sure how much money you want to spend in the end)

Buy whichever Alpine deck you want. Take your Pioneer amp and power your front speakers only (75x2RMS). Power your existing rear speakers off the deck. The rear speakers are really only for rear fill, so they don't need a lot of power. That would be more of a proper soundstage. Get another amp that puts out around 250W to power a good 10" sub in a sealed box, under 1 cu. ft.

OR

Buy whichever Alpine deck you want. Buy a 4 channel amp which can put 50Wx2 (or higher) to your front speakers, and 250W+ to your sub. Wire your rear speakers so they're powered off the deck. Get a good 10" sub in a sealed box. In this one you wouldn't be using your current amp, but you can sell that and your install would be a lot cleaner.

These are just my suggestions, based on my experience over the years. Definately check out the products you're interested in, audition them, and make sure they're installed correctly. A good website to check out where you can ask a ton of questions is
Sounddomain

Hope this helps a bit!

hornyleprechaun

I have 4 10" subs in my trunk and they sound great...I love the bass they produce...but from what I have read all you really want is a solid bass but not to boomy sound from the sub...I like the Sony Xplod and how it hits...but I know for a fact its not the best sub out there..How much are you willing to spend on the sub and I'll give you a few choices that you could choose from...

CL'S

AtlCl

The Alpine I was talking about was the CDA-7875 which claims to have 60 x 4 peak, which of course if bs. But, I read a review of it where they measured output and actually got 27 x 4W at 1% THD, but, the unit gets really hot. I thought that 6.5 don't fit in the front, that is why I got the 5.25.

AtlCl

I figure that I can sell my 15 and box on ebay for like 80-100 bucks. I'd say about $150 for the sub, (+50 for box). I heard Kicker Comps, JL Audio's are good. Also, what would be a good 2 / maybe 4 channel amp at a decent price ($100-150) to power the speakers OR a good mono amp for the sub if use my pioneer for the fronts?

haiduc

the higher end alpines do 60x4 and about 30rms. ex: the CDA 7875, plus you get three sets of outs, and three way adjustable equalizer for freq's. i love the alpine.. you can get that one for about 400 in stores.. if you wanna spend that much.

depending on how much room you want left in your trunk i would say go for two 10'' in a ported box. the 10'' respond quicker than the 12''s, althought they do not go as low in freq's generally.

different subs have different power handling.. if you want the deeper bass out of the 10, you have to put more power into it than you do into the 12.. but still gonna get some of that quicker response.

if you wanna get another amp and dedicate that one just to the sub, it's not a bad idea, that way you could use the one you have to power the front's, and pair them with some nice 6.5's.

basically im agreeing with the rest of the people here

AtlCl

Does it make more sense to get that Alpine and have it run all 4 speakers or is that asking too much from that head unit?

VTEChump

JL Audio 12W6, sealed box, with lots of power....you won't be disappointed. Probably one of the cleanest sounding subs available.

JLai

The dual voice coil r hits hella hard. Thus why I put in an on/off switch for dates. If your cruisin alone though...its tight as hell. I got jocked on the bass level on several occasions by people next to me.

If your looking for a good daily sub...go with either Kicker or the single voice coil type r. Xplod makes some really tight amps...you might want to check those out.

I'm supposed to get my car back today too...So if you want to meet up sometime (since your in the same city) to listen to the sub and see what you think, drop me a line.

chrw

It all comes down to how loud you want your system. If you're gonna play it at a normal level most of the time, the deck power could be sufficient. If you're gonna run 4 speakers off your deck and 2 kick-ass subs in a box you might be a little overpowered in the back. It all depends on your budget, but an amp powering at least your front speakers will be better IMO.

AtlCl

I'm not looking for anything that crazy, some normal tight bass for mostly techno music. The 15 is great for some dirty dirty rap, but not practical or clean. Plus, I am tired of not having a trunk and the extra weight loss would be nice.

But, would a single 10 or 12 (possibly JL or Alpine) be enough? It seems like the consensus is to put the pioneer amp to work up front and let the rears run off the unit, get a bigger amp for the sub and get a single sealed 10. Should I get some better 6x9 too, since the stock ones are paper? Also, what amp?


Got Rice, let me know when u get your car back, we could meet up in midtown or emory. you can email me @ elitvin@sprintpcs.com

AtlCl

By the way, what exactly does having a dual voice coil do? Do you wire it twice, would you bridge an amp to one sub

ATLcl98

ok you bastards...at least include me on the invite

Lots of good posts so I won't reiterate. I have a dual voice coil 12", and I think the output rating is alot higher than a single voice coil, so it can handle the juice you want to give it. Like someone said, you'll probably be fine with a good single voice coil for what you want to do.

The 6x9s are for rear fill, so don't spend more than 100 bux on them...and make sure you can cutoff some of the highs to them if its a 3 or 4 way speaker (just so you don't have vocals hitting you and rear passengers in the back of the head...its annoying).

I have a buddy who owns his own stereo shop up in Gwinnett...if you want to get some ideas or something I'll give you his info if we all meet up. I don't feel like soliciting for him on the web, it just seems shady

Now I'm ph'ing, but supposedly the Legends are getting together on March 2 (4:30pm) at the Dave & Busters by Gwinnett place mall. GotRice, if you don't have a practice MCAT, your Azn arse should be there. If we can't meet up sometime this week, why don't we try to get the 1st gens to represent at the meet? The info is in the "club events" section of the forum

AtlCl

I'll be there on the 2nd. If you guys have time this weekend, hit me up @ elitvin@sprintpcs.com.

AtlCl98, I definitely want to take a look at some audio equipment this weekend possibly, maybe you can hit me up with his info.

JLai

Hopefully everything is ok when I pick up my car and they did it right so I'll be able to drive away and have my car this weekend.

If that is the case...I can probably meet you guys sometime on sunday since I'll be pretty thrashed after the MCAT diagnostic on saturday.

By the way...I'll give you a guys a call if I roll out this weekend to races. It will probably be me and some of my friends (CL-S, 2 Civic SIs, and a Supra TT).

-Azn Sensation

chrw

Yes. 2 10's or 12's would hit harder and get louder and a bit lower, but if you put a decent amount of power to a single sub in a good box that will still sound amazing. Plus a single sub takes up a lot less trunk space.

Check sounddomain for what amps people like, reading people's opinions and experiences helps. Check out what's around at the local stores, what kinda deals you can get, if they have a built-in crossover etc. Not sure if you just want to go with a single 4-channel amp, that's another decision to make. For the rear speakers, why not hold off putting anything new in, run your existing rear speakers off the deck, and see how that sounds with the rest of the install. Then if you do want to replace those rear speakers you could do that (and it would be pretty easy to swap out your old speakers). Unless you have the money just burning a hole in your pocket of course.