eXceL

Hey guys I've been lurking in this forum for at least a year, its been so long since i posted that i forgot my username hence this new one lol, but straight to the point now, im looking to install a system in my 04 TL and I need some advice on what the best set up would be, I want to keep the stock head unit but i want to install new speakers all throughout the car

which ones would u recommend for the best sound?

I also want to install subs in the trunk, I like big bass, but clean as well, so i was thinking 2 12's or maybe 15's.

What are the best subs?

i know there isnt a "best" per-say but what is the most recommended and reputable brand?

please include amps in with ur suggestions.

I would also like to put it out there that ive searched and searched but just cant find what im looking for, which is why i made this thread, thanks alot for the help guys

jda123

You might consider posting a budget. Also, if you are open/willing to upgrade your stock electrical system. You will get better recommendations this way. No group of people could ever agree on a best/recommended or reputable brand, but on the good side, there are many of each.

Flipster23

iTrader: (15)

we need your budget?

what ur trying to accomplish?

15's are bleh

U need to go to ur local store and listen because everyone has there own opinion on stuff

eXceL

my budget is $2,000 and im willing to upgrade the stock electrical system

eXceL

and would you guys recommend going to best buy ?

jda123

No on best buy.

One last question, will you do the install yourself, or at a shop? It makes a big difference on how much you can spend on stuff vs. paying somebody for labor.

eXceL

i suck at this stuff so i will definitely be going to a shop

Flipster23

iTrader: (15)

dot go to best buy or any of those high end places u dont know any buddies that install stuff??

Go to a recommended/ honest audio shop in ur area

eXceL

I dont know anyone that does installation n that sort of thing, but i basically thought of best buy solely for their lifetime warranty, and i had an iSimple installed there and i was satisfied with it, but I have a question about leaving in the stock HU vs getting an aftermarket, if i get an aftermarket will it give more power to these new speakers or no ?

jda123

If you live in a bigger city, then there are likely high-end hobbyists or old installers that might install for cash. I would not be scared of this if you can see and hear some of their work.

Here is what I would do with 2K needing install money. You won't find a lot of this in one shop.

Image Dynamics CTX, Focal Polyglass or Boston Pro components or others (there are many) - ~in the 250-300 range.
JL Audio 300/2 amp - $300
FI BL to put in ported box - ~300
Fosgate T1500.1bdcp or Sundown 1500d amp - $450

Keep the stock rears and center channel.

This would leave about $750 for box, install, deadening, wires, etc.

This could keep your stock electrical system after upgrading the big 3 wires.

If you want more bass, then skimp elsewhere and grab a Stetsom 2k5 or other 2500W class D amp for that same sub - will require some electrical upgrade or some kind.

If you want more sound quality, then squeeze in the cost of a processor (JBL MS8, Fosgate 2sixty.3 or the like) and some higher end components.

You can make this go further if you buy some gently used stuff.

There are a million ways to skin this and none of them are wrong. Check out each suggestion, find the pros/cons and make your own decisions. You could easily waste $2k on something that you are not happy with.

Good luck.

eXceL

just another quick question,by upgrading stock electrical system what do you mean?

eggyhustles

You'll toast the coil on a bl in a second with anything over 1200w

eXceL

and what are the opinions on this

http://cgi.ebay.com/POWER-ACOUSTIK-B...69638272445448

eXceL

thanks

what steps should i take to upgrade the electrical system

eggyhustles

Biggest battery you can fit upfront
big 3 in 0 gauge
0 and 4 gauge run to the trunk

eXceL

thanks alot, if you dont mind could you give me some links as to what ur speakin bout, cuz im clueless lol

eXceL

ive decided to go with a 1000 watt amp because ive done the research and i dont wanna spend so much on the electrical upgrade, im gonna upgrade my battery however to this one http://www.amazon.com/Kinetik-HC1800.../dp/B000LUBQ52, do you guys think its safe to keep the stock electrical system with such a configuration:

ALPINE PDX-4.150 4 CHANNEL SPEAKER AMPLIFIER 150W AMP

JBL MS-8 DIGITAL SOUND PROCESSOR LOGIC 7 SURROUND DSPEQ


and a 1000 watt amp for the sub

eggyhustles

Dude, don't purchase anything yet till you get an ok from some of the reputable members on here.

eXceL

thats what im waiting for, dont wanna be too hasty and mess something up

eggyhustles

is space a concern?

eXceL

yea i do need trunk space, but i really wanted to get 2 12's, i think i'll have to settle for one 12 however

eggyhustles

Rockford 3sixty.2 $398
http://www.techronics.com/caraudio_4...html?aff=72182

Kenwood xr-4s $264
http://www.amazon.com/Kenwood-XR-4S-.../dp/B0026RG7CU

Image dynamics cxs64 $359
http://www.woofersetc.com/p-9255-saz...amplifier.aspx

3 Polk audio mm 8 shallow mounts $270
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...-MM840DVC.html

You could go for 3 in a diamond shaped false floor. They need .35 per so .33 with stuffing should suffice. 20mm of xmax & a fs of 20hz so it will get loud and play deep. 233w to each sub should be plenty with the cabin gain of the tl.


They need .35 each, so .33 with polyfull would suffice.

Sundown 1000.4 $279
http://www.woofersetc.com/p-9255-saz...amplifier.aspx

The kenwood and sundown amps are tiny, so both should be able to fit under the seats. If not, they'll def fit on the seat back

$1590 before install

jda123

My bad on the BL. Did they change 'em? I had one that would take every bit of a kx2500 with dual .7s. Damn, I give my Qs more than 1200.

The big 3 are 1). chassis to engine block 2). engine block to battery neg battery terminal 3). alternator pos to battery positive. The shop will know what to do.

I run a bit more wattage than that with the stock alternator and I have done the big 3 in zero. I will get some voltage drop near the top end past where you would want to listen for long.

eggyhustles

Long term, i don't see the bl taking more than 1200-1300w

Any more power with a newb on the volume dial = POOF

jda123

I am sure that you are right on the BL. I probably just hit tones with it for 20 minutes or so, and drove around for a few months.

Here is a shot of a 12 and amp in my wife's car, along with all of her stuff - it is surprisingly not too full today. I am a max trunk space guy with kids and a few small businesses. I have the same box, sub and amp in my 2004, but I also have a 450/4 in there too. Likely soon a T400.4 also.

I bent some 1/8" steel and welded some angle iron and bolted (3 bolts) the amp through the stock panel to the fabricated bracket that I bolted to the lower rear deck in front of the trunk springs - ugly, but functional. I hate the grill, but I hate it more that she thinks that new subs grow on trees when canned goods slam into them.

Anyway, I just posted to show the space that it took up:

eggyhustles

That's the q right? i hope lol

Besides the q and the ssd, all the other fi subs are ported or ib only

jda123

Oh yeah... with whatever their option is to somewhat overcome the QTS issue with the sealed boxes, and cooling. It is quite impressive for a sealed sub, I think. Out of the box, you can tell that it does better than most in sealed. This one has been broken in for a while... I need to get a reading on it.

eggyhustles

Glad you like it.

eXceL

hey guys ive decided what setup i want to go with, please give me ur opinions on my choices and give advice:

JBL MS-8 DIGITAL SOUND PROCESSOR LOGIC 7 SURROUND DSPEQ

http://cgi.ebay.com/JBL-MS-8-DIGITAL...item1c18dadf81

ALPINE PDX-4.150 4 CHANNEL SPEAKER AMPLIFIER 150W AMP

http://cgi.ebay.com/ALPINE-PDX-4-150...item2560f2d7e6

CTX65CS IMAGE DYNAMICS NEW 6.5" PRO COMPONENT SPEAKERS

http://cgi.ebay.com/CTX65CS-IMAGE-DY...item1c14aa6b3d

SAZ-1000D - Sundown Audio 1000W 1-Channel Monoblock Amplifier

http://www.woofersetc.com/p-9255-saz...amplifier.aspx

FI BL 12" sub

https://ssl.perfora.net/www.ficaraud...iew.shopscript

i cant decide on the rear speakers so please give opinions:

P1653 - Rockford Fosgate 6.5" 3-Way Full Range Punch Series Car

https://www.woofersetc.com/p-8309-p1...-speakers.aspx

or

GTO638 - JBL 6-1/2" / 6-3/4" Grand Touring Series 3-way Speakers

http://www.woofersetc.com/p-7979-gto...-speakers.aspx

Kinetik HC1800 - 1800 Watt 12 Volt Power Cell Battery

http://www.amazon.com/Kinetik-HC1800.../dp/B000LUBQ52

please give some opinions and suggestions, thanks

eggyhustles

box for the BL is gonna eat your trunk space

eXceL

so what do you suggest rather than the BL, can you suggest a box as well ?

jda123

You could do a 10" BL ported in a box half of the size of a 12"... or high powered sealed 12". The BL won't work in sealed if you go that route.

How much trunk space do you need? If you need max room, then something sealed, or 8/10" ported is usually a good place to start. If you just need some room, then a 12" ported will do OK if the box is somewhat made-to-fit.

I would spend the cost of the power cell and buy a higher-powered more efficient amp and run it closer to 4 ohms - you might not need the power cell with a more efficient amp.

eXceL

which amp would you suggest ? and could you show me what a 12" BL box looks like in the trunk of a TL ?

eggyhustles

Almost

fi's are heavy duty subs, so by time you account for port and sub displacement, the box will be big if it's ported.

Here's another setup.

Rockford 3sixty.2 $398
http://www.techronics.com/caraudio_4...html?aff=72182

Image dynamics xs65 $479
http://www.woofersetc.com/p-5712-xs-...nt-system.aspx


Sa-10 185
http://www.woofersetc.com/p-9262-sa-...subwoofer.aspx

Kenwood xr-4s $264
http://www.amazon.com/Kenwood-XR-4S-.../dp/B0026RG7CU

Kenwood xr-1s $259
http://www.amazon.com/Kenwood-XR-1S-...=2L23SO31EFLK8

jda123

I don't have any pictures of a ported sub in a TL. If space is an issue, then get a FI Q, Sundown SA-12 or the like and seal it.

I selected the Rockford Fosgate T1500.1bdcp for my setups to match the subs. They were like $430 shipped on ebay. I can post the birth sheet number as well as the number working in my car if you want.

Trunk Monkey

iTrader: (1)

I can post my 3 cu.ft ported box for my 2-10's later. The box is pretty darn big and basically leaves very little room in the trunk. After you see that you can see/decide on what kinda trunk space you'd like.

Kinda starting to think I should have went with a high powered 12 that doesn't require much airspace. I'd prolly get the same, or likely more spl and punch (completely dependent on materials used).

eggyhustles

Your average 12 needs around 2.5, so you wouldn't be saving much

eXceL

you guys are right about the trunk space being eaten by the BL, i want a 12" though so what sub do you recommend, I want something just as good as the BL tho, i was sold on it, it looked great and i read good things bout it

eggyhustles

http://www.woofersetc.com/p-2900-idm...subwoofer.aspx

jda123

I am assuming that you are looking for a sealed setup then?

If you really liked the BL, then why not consider the Q? The Q and the ID 12 that eggy linked will both get stellar reviews if you read around. There are many good choices.

If you want to picture it, you can run a lot of these sealed in a box about 14x14x16 on the outside, give or take, so you can put a cardboard box about that size in your trunk and check it out.