I am looking for any info. from any TL owners that have upgraded their BOSE system. I would be looking to swap the head unit, all 4 door speakers and sub + add a 3/4 channel amp to drive the rear door speakers and sub. The head unit would power the front door speakers. I definitely want an Alpine head unit and Amp. I'm open to suggestions on the 4 door speakers and sub.
For the sub., does anyone make a unit that will fit the factory mounting location so that the grill, etc., does not have to be removed??
In regards to cost, I was looking to spend around $1500-$2000, so with that in mind please forward all your suggestions.

 

well for that price range and the specific equip you want i would say something like the alpine cda 7894 and maybe a cha s634 changer... for the amp i am not sure... door speakers i would probably go with some components upfront driven by the after market amp and coxials in the rear driven by the radio... you usually want the better speakers in the front since correct sound staging has the music coming from infront of you... as for the sub in the stock location... hummm you could go with the kicker rm8 but that is not a true sub it is more like a mid bass and really would not be to much bettery than the stock bose sub... the only other option that i have seen that might work but i have not seen anyone try it is the illusion audio sub... personally i would go with maybe 1 jl 12w6v2 or maybe even 1 12w6e in a sealed enclosure in the trunk...

 

I looked at the CDA-7894 and it looked O.K. What about mounting in the stock location? I am assuming that I would need a modified mounting plate, etc.
With the sealed enclosure sub in the trunk, what do you do with the existing sub? Do you leave it powered or just disconnect?

What I really would like to see are some photos of installs to help me make up my mind on which way to go.
The stock system is such garbage and I need to replace.
I appreciate any/all input.

 

I have the 7893 in mine. I tell you what, I just finished putting a pair of Image Dynamics in the front doors. I did not have time to run wires to the trunk for the amp so, I just hooked the speakers up to the head unit. The built in V-power amp of the 7893 does a heck of a job. I was shocked at how loud and how clear it would go. I am not sure my MTX 6304 does much better than that. I think a few people have used a 8" Kicker midbass for a sub replacement. If you want some real bass though, you need to go with something bigger. Something in a small sealed enclosure in the trunk like shawhite suggests would be great. I have a single 10" Kicker L7 and it is more than enough for me.

 

Thanks for the info.

Can you post some pics??

 

OK TIme to talk about ALpine my favorite subject. Ok Here is a system suggestion from me.
THe Cda 7894 is a good choice.
Front : Alpine Type R's comps. 6 1/2
Rear: type R coax. 6 1/2
For subwoofer. its hard to do it in factory location.
but I would suggest is a small box with a
Type R 10" or 12".
the amps I recomend would be
Mrv F-340 for the mids and highs it will give u 55 watts plus x 4. and for bass get a MRD300. Which will give u a little over 300 watts.

I love alpine and I wish mine was all alpine but I wanted Loud music that will make the guy next to u feel like he is at a concert. so this is what I have now
Alpine CDA 7897 HU
Type R comps in front coaxal in back
Extra pair of tweeters in the back
12"Kicker Solobaric L5 in a slot vented box for the low down bass that u can feel for blocks.

My amps are Rockford Fosgate power 550s and 550x.

According the the test sheet I get 600 watts to the bass and 75 watts to each speaker in the car. Its freaking loud but I might want it louder.

 

whalen....You can go here and see my pics of the Alpine. The aluminum ring is going to be powder coated to match the dash. I have a test piece being done now.


http://home.earthlink.net/~dconder/index.html

 

Thanks for the pics and info. I will continue to look and will probably have the stereo done in the spring(April).

 

Alpine 3DA-W882 In Dash Changer

http://www.carreview.com/CD,Receive...60_2861crx.aspx[/URL]

This unit was in my '01 Outback, also comes with a 12 CD changer in the trunk also Alpine, has a flip down face for tape (never used it). Fits into the double din spot in a WRX, even has the brushed aluminum face plate to match. Very, very nice unit. New it was $1150 and another $299 for the Changer. I will sell it all for $575.00. I have the original boxes and the paperwork. It was professionally installed and removed - both times. I now have a '03 Acura TL-S and it came with a very nice system.

Let me know
walter@washingtondiamond.com
703-536-3600 x290

 

lol... the tl came with a very nice system... now that is funny.... well dnd if you want louder you are gonna have to go with the w7's or idmax's.... me personally i want enough bass to turn heads but not too much that is why i am going with this setup....


alpine cda 7894 cd player
alpine cha s634 cd changer
alpine tme-m670 6.5 lcd screen
diamond audio m661 components in the front doors
diamond audio m361I coxials in the rear doors
jl 10w7
jl 500/1 to power the 10w7
jl 300/4 to power components and coxials...
myron and davis dvd player w/ tv tuner

man i cant wait for my equip to get here so i can start the install... oh and whalen and for the stock sub when you install the aftermarket headunit you will lose the stock sub you can choose to either leave it in that location or take it out and cover the whole with dynomat or some sort of sound dampening material... from what i have been told if you take out the stock sub and leave the whole open you will be basically creating a bandpass box and could get undesirable results...

 

THat I would say is a great setup. Now when I think of it I think I kinda went overboard with my bass. When I said I want it louder I was just gonna add a pair of alpine Type R in the kick panels in a fiberglass enclousure but it will just be to much $$$ in labor and would sacrifice more than I gain. Currently I have one of the loudest single 12 cars in town due to dynamat and the way I have it setup.

 

Also my stock sub is out, and it sounds great. The whole isnt even covered up.

 

shaw.....That is a very impressive list. I think that will work nicely. I have actually been kicking around getting rid of the 10" square and going a little bigger. I bet that 10W7 will be sweet. I wonder how they compare to the Kicker 10L7?

 

no compairison the 10w7 will kill the L7s... yeah i like my setup and i cant complain cuz i got an excellent price on it... i got all listed above for under $2000 ... all of the stuff is brand new in factory sealed boxes too... cant wait till i get it in.... and i will definately post some pictures of the install...

 

That is an incredible price. How much are you having to pay for the 10w7? I've got the MTX 6500d that would power it with about 700 watts.

 

$375 shipped to my door...

 

hey AcuraX2 if you are interested i can put you down with the cat that i deal with he carries almost every brand and has amazing prices.... also i have a brand new 12w7 that i am trying to sell if you are interested...

 

Shaw.....My problem right now is cash flow. Or lack there of. I have spent quite a bit lately and I still have to drop about $300 or so on sealing up the MDX sub location.

How much would you want for that 12w7? About the only thing I could do now is trade my Kicker 10L7 with enclosure and some cash.

 

Also woudnlt u need a new amp for a JL w7 sub. dont they run at 3 ohms. So u would need a JL amp or a powerful amp that ran at 2ohm but woudnt get all the power, correct. Just wish they made a dual 2 ohm JLw7 or a W6v2

 

I am not sure how much the JL's have to have. My MTX 6500d tests at over 700 watts into 2 ohms and over 350 at 4 ohms so, split the difference and somewhere around 500+ into 3 ohms.