Ok guys I've been all around the forum for about a week now trying to come up with a plan for upgrading my audio system. As of right now every thing is stock with the exception of one 12" JL W3 powered by an alpine amp and my 6x9's are disconnected. So far from reading I know I want to bypass the factory amp, add a new one, and add a set of components up front. And while I have the door panels off I'd also like to add some type of dynamat. I haven't decided on what amp or speakers I'm going to go with yet but am interested in your opinions. But my main question is:
1- Where can I get all the stuff for my install? Is there a website that has the bypass harness, spacers, dynamat and the wires? I'd rather get everything at once if possible. Or do you guys think that if I went to a local shop that they might cut me a deal if I ordered it all from them and maybe my amp and speakers too?
2- How do you guys feel about "off-brand" stuff? A few shops are always talking greatly about products by manufacturers I've never heard of. Things like "this sub is just as good as a W6". They seem good but I'm kinda nervous about going that route. Thanks for any help you guys can provide.

 

if you havent checked out crutchfield.com , i suggest you do

they are very informative and helpful and might have everything you are looking for...if they dont have it, chances are no one will

i have delt with them many times and service is great

they will also give you specific adapters for your stock speakers wires that will connect directly to the aftermarket ones...just do some searching on there, im sure youll find everything

 

Mercman here on the board makes the custom amp bypass for our 1G tsx's.
Another route you could go for the bypass is by gettin an equalizer, though I prefer the amp bypass .

Thing about the bypass is, though, sure, you can get an amp to power your fronts, however, since you're bypassing the stock amp, there's gonna be nothing to power your rear speakers. So maybe get a 4ch, or a more dedicated 2ch for your fronts, and a smaller 2ch for your rears, if you were to go the amp bypass route.

Speakers... kind of depends on your budget? Read on reviews, it helps quite a bit, at least it did for m ydecision.
As for the spacers, every speaker has different specs for inner/outer diameters, so that the spacer can fit correctly. You should make your own, or if you have a friend who cuts wood, ask him to lend a hand. Maybe I can even help you, I've helped two members on the boards here make some a while back. (But rain seasons here and i'm lazy + rain outside)

As for off-brand, there are many many great non mainstream brands. I myself, is actually pretty anti-mainstream, since they tend to upprice their products, jsut because they can. I've got a pretty upscale setup, consisting of mainly italian brands, and small american companies with a reputation based off customer service and quality products.
You can probably get a better answer if you named some of these "off-brand" (Though i doubt many local audio stores will carry the higher end off brands), and people here can give you a better idea.

For your installation parts, knukonceptz.com is a good place to get them; wires, rcas, etc... if you can get the kicker hyperflex amp kit, those are very well worth the price (ebay usually has them cheapest) and is comparable to the kunkonceptz kollosus fleks wire.

What do I run?
Amps - Sundown SAX 100.4, Sundown SAZ-1500D
Mercman's amp bypass
Hertz HCX165, Hertz HSK165
2-10" Sound Solution Audio Icon Dual 1ohm


Ah, i should get back to studying..

 

Anyone know what's up with mercman? I've pmed him a few times in the past two months and he hasn't responded. He mentioned that he'd be making new amp bypass harnesses for October, but it's already November.

 

I'm with jumpman on crutchfield. They're great to work with and can provide some pretty good advise. However, they generally are a little expensive, and you can find the same stuff elsewhere for cheaper. Also, wong is right about Knukonceptz. I have their RCA's and they're absolutely awesome, plus shipping was like a day...

My set-up:
Alpine 9884
Rockford Fosgate 450.2 and 450.4
Polk/Momo MMC 5250 and MMC 6500
Rockford Fosgate T110d2

 

I've also pm'd him about a week ago because I'd like to pick up the amp bypass but haven't gotten a response yet.

Thank you all for your responses. I'm definitely going to go with a 4ch amp. I do not know the names of the off brand components but I do know that one shop here uses "American Bass". But hopefully I hear back from Mercman soon and can get started on my system asap.

 

 

also sonicelectronix is a good site to go to for any audio equipment, i've bought all my stuff there. But prolly use crutchfield for advice and info. keep us updated

 

Still no word from Mercman... Is there anywhere else I can get the amp bypass harness from???

 

ok I just got a PM and he doesn't have any right now. So how else can I bypass my amp and add a new one?

 

well without the amp bypass I just got a set of MB Quart components for now to replace the front doors and tweets. I'm also upgrading my 12W3 to a 12W7 in two days. After it's all complete I'll post a few pics.

 

^ what kinda amp are you running with that? cuz those w7's are power hungry, too much for my amp and i'm running 2 12w3v3's right now off of it.

 

I'm not sure the exact specs of the amp yet. The guy at the car audio shop said he'd have to order an amp just for the W7 cause none of the ones he had in stock would be enough power. So that's why I had to wait for my install so the amp could be shipped and get here. Will post info soon.

 

The amp is "American Bass SQ 2000"
So far it sounds very good. Not as deep as my 12W3 but A LOT HARDER HITTING. But i've only listened to it on a ten minute drive from the shop back home so it could have just been the songs i heard. pics coming later.

 

waiting for these pics...going to be doing a similar project with my girlfriend's TSX

 

port it if you want it hit deeper

 

Excuse the dirty trunk I may be removing the trunk tray all together but i'm not sure.






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