DetroitCL-S

Hello...

I am planning on replacing the factory stereo system with all new speakers, amp, and sub.

I am an amateur, so these may sound like dumb questions...but I'd appreicate any input you may be able to offer:

1. If I replace everything but the head unit...will I be wasting my money? Or will I notice an improvement if I replace the std speakers with superior ones while keeping the bose cd/cassette deck?

2. Is 12" Sub overkill for such a small vehicle...Will a 10" sub produce a decent amount of bass? I prefer clarity in sound over loudness, but still enjoy a nice thump.

3. What is the differenece between a multi channel amp and a mono amp? What would I need a multi channel amp for?

4. Is MB Quart a good brand of equipment?

5. Is there a website that offers Acura CL car audio insight and information?

6. Can I significantly improve the music listening experience in my car for around $800-$1000. I would like a 10" sub, an amplifier, a new component set, and only a new head unit if necessary.

Thanks for any insight you may be able to offer to this amateur.
Peace
DetroitCL-S

evilstorm

wrong forum, but do a search in the audio section and you will learn all you need to know...

BEETROOT

No, you won't be wasting your money. The stock deck will work just fine with aftermarket amps and speakers.


I have one 12 in a sealed box. It is more than enough to get a serious thump. I would recommend buying the best sub possible with the amount of money you want to spend. Quality is more important than size...ie buy a 10 inch JL before you buy a 12 inch sony.


A multi channel amp runs the speakers. 4 speakers, 4 channels, 'multi channels'. A mono amp is for subwoofers only, and usually has a built in crossover which limits the range to lower frequenies only.


Yes



You are on it. For basic audio info, check out http://www.crutchfieldadvisor.com. A lot of good info on there from choosing the right equipment to how to install it.



Yes, if you buy smart. Check the black market (classified) here, check ebay, etc. For $1000 I would budget...

$200-300 = 5 channel amp ( 4 speakers + sub)
$200 = front component speakers
$100 = rear speakers
$300 = sub + box
$200 = wiring and miscellaneous, install (if you don't do it yourself)

DetroitCL-S

BEETROOT-Thanks for the advice...I feel a lot more comfortable talking to sleazy audio installers that see me as a moron with money to spend.

RaviNJCLs

iTrader: (4)

I've always been partial to using 2 amps instead of one 5 channel. It may cost a bit more, but if you plan on playing loud and for long periods of time, a single amp may overheat and shut off. Even the really good ones.
Stock HU is good.
MB's are one of the best you can get. If they are too pricy, you can maybe get Infinity's. I have them in one of my cars and they are pretty good.
A simple 4 channel amp, nothing too high power, maybe 40 or 50 by 4 would be good for the fronts and rears. You can get maybe a 150 by 1 mono amp for your sub.
I have one 10 in a sealed box in my car and it's pretty good. A 12 would be better. That's what I plan on doing. There are some good deals on the Black Market or on ebay.
Good luck.

Tunaboy

1. From experience if you do NOT replace the OEM Bose headunit, you will be wasting your money on the speakers. You will have to remove the amps or get crossovers and rewire it to the OEM headunit. The sound if you do not do this will sound like crap. Buy a new headunit and it sounds 10 times better than the shitty OEM speakers.

2. You get what you pay for. Go for good quality that's really all I can say. JL!, Phoenix, Memphis (underrated). Two tens IMO gives the cleanest sound/thump for a CL/TL. Dynomat the sucka and your set. With two subs, you'd need a two channel amp.

3. Prolly cost you about 600-700 to replace the headunit and speakers, if you go with good ones. To get a very good sound I'd say to replace it all to spend around $1000-1500.

Good Luck with it. Replacing the OEM sound setup is a freakin awesome modification. The first thing I did when I bought my TL.

BEETROOT

you do not need to replace the stock deck to replace the stock speakers. you can't run aftermarket speakers (properly) off the stock 2ohm amp, but detroitcls said he planned on buying a new amp. I did replace the stock deck, but it is not necessary. there are many people on this board with excellent systems running off the stock deck. I believe it has rca line outs in the back.

with a $1k budget for the whole project, these are probably out of the price range. all make great speakers, but they don't come cheap.

one high quality 12 will sound better than two lesser quality 10's.

and you don't need a two channel amp to run two subs... a mono amp run in parallel will do just fine.

on this, I agree. I stripped out my stock system within a week of buying my cl.

Zubzy887

Hey, i would suggest keeping the stock system and get a crossover to add a nice pair of JL audio 10's. I have them in mine and couldnt ask for more. The sound quality is awesome..not crazy thumping. I ve had tons of rattle problems tho..but im looking for a solution!
all in all i think you should focus on buying a high quality amp and subs.

blader

I can vouch for the fact that it doesnt matter how good your speakers are and what amps your running, if your running them off the factory head unit it will never sound good.

One of the best things I did for the sound in my car was switch to an Alpine 9833 head unit. The difference between sound quality was like night and day.

I had a JL 500\1 amp with a JL 10w6v2 sub running off my stock head unit .. to be frank, I thought the sound quality sucked. I've owned JL's before and I thought maybe something was wrong with the sub.

Switched to the Alpine deck and wow. Bass was crisp and clear just like I knew the JL was .. made more sound with less power, and the amp even ran cooler because of the cleaner signal coming from the deck.

If you plan on having a really clean sounding system, replace that Bose cd player first and foremost. The more you get into it, the more demanding your ears get. I started small cause I thought I'd be happy with just a little something but I really wish I just did it right the first time.

My setup come spring will be a JL 1000\1 amplifier powering two JL 10w6v2's, and a JL 300\4 powering JL 6.5in components in the front mounted in custom molded fiberglass door pods .. with either 6x9's off the amp in the rear or another set of 6.5in woofers molded into the rear pillars. Crisp, clean, and clear. Oh and lots and lots of fatmat. probably strip out the whole car .. do trunk, rear seat area, floor, roof, doors, trunk lid ..

BEETROOT

blader....good info. I guess I was mistaken, I had heard that the stock deck with aftermarket equipment sounded good. I guess for audiophiles it doesn't cut it.... sorry for the misinformation tunaboy/detroitcls.

I've gone through 5 different decks in the year I've had my car... ended up with an Alpine cda 7998 and I love it. Much better than the eclipse and kenwood decks I had before (kenwood has nose dived in quality on their decks in the last 5 years IMO....they used to be great now they are circuit city junk).

I highly recommend an alpine deck if you do swap out the OEM.

bl^5

I didn't swap out my headunit because I am partial to the factory look. I really don't want anybody trying to break into my car. I just added an amp and a sub and the sound quality was fine. I did tap the signal between the headunit and the factory amp with no problem. I honestly would suggest to any beginner with 800 to 1000to start in one of two ways...

1. Replace internal speakers and add a multichannel amp and a headunit if the stock look isn't important. Come back later and add your sub and amp when you get another 800 to 1000.

2. Just add a mono amp and sub and put in #1 when you get more money.

Tell your installer at the time of install that you will be adding another amp later and to do your wiring accordingly (dist. block, bigger wire to the battery etc.).

This site has a wealth of knowledge. I can honestly say that I learned how to install car audio from this site. It is a very rewarding experience too!

DetroitCL-S

Thanks very much to all of you...My goal was to preserve the factory look because I'm not big on those distracting colors, graphics, and having an obviously different deck is a green light for sound system theives...but I also know what I like--clear, loud music...my problem is my ability to put it into words and into purchasing the right things...because I have zero experience...I guess if I stick with decent brands I can't go wrong...A friend of mine has a chevy blazer with a boston acoustics system in it...and it sounded stellar...He spent almost 3,000 though.

Does the CL have a ton of issues with rattling? I know I would hate that...I'd only be getting a 10" box in the back...so would it be necessary to put dynamat all over the vehicle? That's a scary thought to have to tear everything out.

blader

Believe it or not the interior of the CL comes apart fairly easily. I actually find it easier to take this car apart than I did the 1991 ford explorer I used to have. It is not necessary to put dynamat all over the vehicle but it depends how much work you want to do. Certainly the more the better .. plus it makes for a much quieter car. less tire noise, road noise, etc ..

I would have loved to preserve the factory look as well and I miss my 6 disc indash changer but it just had to be done. You will NEVER have good quality sound off the stock deck, and the more quality aftermarket speakers\amps you add the more you'll notice how bad the stock deck truly is.

BEETROOT

CL comes apart very easily.

and some people complain of rattles...I have none though.

DetroitCL-S

Indeed it does...I just discovered that about 2 months ago when I gave my car a thorough interior cleaning and gently removed all of the parts by the shifter...they came off, I wiped them...and with the exception of some surface scratches, the car was pristine again.

I'd like to attempt to do the job on my own...I'm pretty handy with tools and use of force, but I'd rather leave the job to professionals...It would probably take me 10 times longer to do the job myself. I know I could get the parts on my own for much less, but I need to find an installer that will allow that...if possible.

I have a friend that could do the job, but it wouldn't be very well done...I think.

But I'm definately considering changing the stock unit now after some others have offered their opinion...I'm the type of person that will regret it and over analyze it,so I might as well get the most tasteful looking head unit...My idea of tasteful, is limited colors, graphics, but I also want great performance...The Alpines listed on this thread seem to look tasteful enough.

I found the 9833 for $350 brand new...at the installer down the street from me, however, it's $450, plus installation...I can see how this hobby can be affordable to people who know what they are doing and expensive to people that just know what they want.

I need to do some research...it just kills me to spend what will probably be and extra $300-$400 bucks on parts and install just because I'm a retard...

BEETROOT

out of anything you do, installing a new deck is by far the easiest. you said you noticed how easily the parts around the shifter came out... there are only a couple more screws you need to remove to get the stock deck out.

after that you just need to solder (or crimp) a few wires together, pop in the metra kit, and you've got a new deck. I did mine in less than a half hour.

amps and speakers are a bit more challenging, since you will need to run all new speaker wire (the stock wires to the bose are too thin). its not really all that difficult, but it is time consuming and kind of a bitch in general to do.

I would recommend doing the deck yourself and letting the pros do the amps/speakers.


I agree with bl^5's option number one. Buy a good deck, 4 channel amp, and speakers. Add on the subwoofer and mono amp somewhere down the line.

If you need any recommendations on equipment let me (us) know.

DetroitCL-S

What is a metra kit?

I think I'm going to go with Alpine for the reciever...Alpine has the ipod reader and the Alpine 9835 has the ability to mimic the iPod interface because of it's larger display than the 9833...I have an iPod and I hardly use it as much as I thought I would but with this set up I'd use it all the time. I would put it the iPod reader under the passenger seat and use the glove box or post it note for the iPod.

Does anyone have any experience with the iPod reader from Alpine--it seems pretty simple to set up after determining where to install it?

DetroitCL-S

After doing some more research it seems that in general most people are not happy with the scrolling capabilities of the iPod reader made by Alpine even when paired with the 9835.

Do manufacturers like Alpine release new equipment every year? If so I may wait to see if they've improved the use of the iPod.

blader

Metra is a company that makes dash kits to fit regular sized aftermarket head units in stock head unit locations. This is a pic of the Alpine 9833 in a Metra dash kit in my CL.



Normally they do release new equipment every year. Either way you can't go wrong going with the 9835. The only difference between my 9833 and the 9835 is the display .. same internals. Excellent and powerful internal amplifier .. or if your running external amps you can turn off the internal amp to reduce heat and improve sound quality. The MediaXpander makes MP3's and satellite radio, and even CD's sound very full and clear. I couldn't do without it .. the clarity of the alpine is just crystal clear.

I can't say much about the ipod cause I dont have one. but if people don't like the reader I'm sure they'll upgrade it eventually .. especially since the ipod integration being a promising new technology.

DetroitCL-S

After some consideration, I've decided to increase my budget for this project.

My first piece was the amp...I ordered a JL Audio 500/5...

Found a 12" Boston Pro Subwoofer for 219 on ebay...discontinued...but reviews say its great.

BEETROOT

this is my setup. alpine 7998 w/ the metra kit and a dell jukebox

DetroitCL-S

BEETROOT...is your dell jukebox controlled through the head unit? seeing both of yours and bladers pics...which are of my car, is making me giddy.

Question...

The mono channel on the amp I got puts out 250Watts...how will that affect a 12" Boston Pro Series which has a power range of 50-1200 watts?

Any recommendations on a 4 Gauge Amp Wiring Kit?

Any recommendations on a subwoofer enclosure...is custom the way to go? Is there a place or website that offers them?

BEETROOT

no the dell is not controlled through the deck...

your sub will sound great...

rockford fosgate makes good wiring kits

q logic makes the best boxes. custom is good too but a lot more expensive.

blader

Excellent choice going with the JL amp. I love my 500\1. It will be replace by a 1000\1 and a 300\4. The JL amp is absolutely rock solid.

As for the sub, I am pretty sure the RMS on that sub does not go to 1200 watts. RMS is probably somewhere around 300 or 400 .. with 250 watts it will never be really loud but it will certainly give you that low end. You can always make it appear a little louder by adding dynamat. It will keep the sound waves where they are supposed to be.

As for wiriing .. wiring is wiring pretty much. I used all Directed Audio wiring but thats just because thats what my local shop happened to have. The only important thing really is the RCA's. Good quality RCA's make a big difference. Don't go cheap on them ..

I also went to my local shop and bought a SubZone pre-fabbed enclosure. they had one in stock. It was only 55$ for a 10in box with very close to the dimensions that I needed. Well worth it .. since it would've cost about 25-30 plus my time and aggravation to build one.

Titand19

The source unit is the single most important piece of a system. You would be better off replacing just the headunit as opposed to just the speakers. The S to N of the stock unit blows.

FOr a sub, just geta prefabbed box, they are cheap and work fine. Wire is wire, just get decent rca's you will be fine.

DetroitCL-S

This is very helpful information, I really appreciate the assistance.

Regarding the subwoofer, I had an interesting idea...JL Audio has a power ratings chart on their site, with "safe=green, optimum=yellow, and damaging=red" wattage levels for all of their subs.

My amp puts out 250w to the sub...Would I be better served by a subwoofer that is has a peak performance range of 250w? For example...The 10w7 which is JL's nicest sub has an optimum power of rating of well over 500w, whichwould be in the safe/green zone for my amp...The 10w3 which costs a fraction of the 10w7 has an optimum power rating of 250 w and is in the optimum/yellow zone for my amp. Does that make sense?

Additionally, JL makes an 8" W7 sub, which has an optimal zone of around 250w...Do you think that one 8" W7 would be as loud as some cheaper 10 and 12 inch subs? Or is the 12" Boston Pro 12.5 for 219 the best deal?

For Head units...i'm leaning towards the alpine-9835, and forgetting about the iPod thing for now.
Does anyone recommend anything else besides alpine? I've looked at pioneer, and kenwood, but the Alpine looks the best to me on paper.

blader

I agree with what Titand says. Although just adding a head unit with the stock speakers doesnt work that well because our stock speakers are two ohm and all aftermarket speakers are 4 ohm, so naturally thats what the head units are designed to push. Adding just a head unit with stock speakers makes them sound twice as loud as they should be. For example when I had my volume on 10, it sounded like it does now on 20 because there was half the resistance.

babyloc86

JL 10w7= 340-360$
JL 500/1= 400$
box for ur w7= 100$
front component speaker = 200$
rear speaker= $120
4 channel amp. buy hifonic 4 channel. they are not expensive and they perform very good. = 200$
wires that u need = $30
installation = i should say not more then 150$

babyloc86

i would advice u to get juss one 12 w7 with jl 1000/1. im pretty damn sure it will sound better then 2 10 w6v2.

Hobo

the system will only be as good as the worst part, im not saying go buy 200$ per yard wire, but there is no reason to cheap out on the wire, more of your power will get to the amp, and more of the power will get to the speakers. i dont understand why people will buy thousands of dollars of car audio stuff and then try to get away with a 40 dollar amp kit off of ebay

Hobo

well the 6v2's are more efficient and there is more cone area with 2 tens vs. 1 twelve

50pi (in^2) vs. 36pi (in^2)

the 10's will also be a little tighter and should respond faster. there are also other issues like box type and the space requirements of this guys personal setup, you cannot say that one driver is simply better than another.

blader

True about the cone area, however the Xmax (excursion of the cone or "throw") also must be considered. The 10w6v2 has a .6in throw. the 12w7 has a 1.15in throw. So in one hit the 12w7 can excursion out almost double that of a 10w6v2.

Being smaller and lighter you are probably right about them being more efficient though.

Well said and in addition to space requirements and box type, music taste plays the most important role in deciding. If I listed to club or hip hop most often which had low, deep bass which needed the long throw and deep notes of the 12w7, that would most likely be my choice. But lately my musical taste has shifted a little towards the rock side, with quick drum hits and natural drum sounds. The quick punch of two 10's are much better suited for this type of music.

babyloc86

ic...also hobo, im thinking to get a new sub for my JL 500/1 amp. i was thinking to get jl 10 w7 or should i go with 12 w6v2? if i do go with JL 10w7, i am giong to get that huge JL H.O box.

DetroitCL-S

okay...i'm down to 2 head units...both can be had for roughly 350

clarion dxz945mp vs. alpine cda-9835...

given those two units...which one would you pick?

I like the looks of the clarion and I like sirius because of howard stern/eminem

Is the Alpine absolutely superior in sound quality to the clarion or would I be good with either unit?

babyloc86

i would say alpine.

BEETROOT

blader

I love my alpine. My 9833 has the same internals the 9835 has except for the display. Excellent signal to the amps and excellent clarity. And alpine just came out with a sirius tuner. You can get sirius or XM on an alpine deck. I would go for the 9833 or 9835.

DetroitCL-S

That settles it...I just placed the order for the 9835 to go with the jl 500/5 amp.

Now for the hard part--the subwoofer.

I've been having the toughest time picking a sub...I'm leaning towards the Eclipse 10" 7124 (4 ohm)...

It sounded very nice in the store, they're brand new... and sound way better than the ones at best buy did, not terribly pricey either...

Any recommendations on subwoofers...my amp puts out 250watts to the sub channel.

BEETROOT

whats your budget on the sub?

blader

Subs are what JL does best .. I'm very biased, I am a JL freak. my mids, highs, lows, and amps are all JL but there's certainly a reason for it

what is your musical taste and budget?