I've got a 2002 TL-S and I've been wanting to upgrade my speaker system for a while now, actually ever since I installed my Pionner AVIC Z1.

I decided to replace all the door speakers, get a new sub and amp. I don't want anything extreme that will make my windows rattle or anything like that.

So I found these speakers, and want to put them in all four doors:

http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/produ....do?oid=130630

As for the sub and amp, I have no idea what to get, but I dont want anything too heavy thats gonna weigh the car down. I dont want the sub along with the box to weigh more than 50 pounds. Also, I still plan on using my trunk to put stuff in it, like shopping bags, and other things, so I dont want it to take up much space.

When I asked a Circuit City rep about getting a sub for my car, he recommended that I get something with more than 600 watts since the trunk has very good insulation, and anything below 600 watts wont sound good at all. Does this sound right?

I think I should get something with like 600 - 800 watts, but definitly no more than that.

So can somebody please recommend something for me, cause I wanna get this done by the end of January, thanks

 

Are you looking for sound clarity or raw volume? What kind of music do you listen to? Do you want the amps and such all stealty and hidden or you want to show them off?

Let me know. I'd love to help.

PS... Ignore that Circuit City dude. You don't need to overcome insulation in your trunk. You can easily remove your factory BOSE subwoofer on the back deck. This will make a great opening for your bass to fill the whole car.

 

I want it to sound real good no matter if its loud or not, with a good amount of bass.

I mostly listen to Rap & Hip-Hop, but I like to listen to some Pop and quite alot of Techno and Dance music. So basically, I listen to everything but rock.

I'm not really looking forward to showing off my setup to anybody, so I would like everything installed "stealth" as you like to say it.

 

Sweet. Good sound quality comes from a few different things. As long as you have good speakers and a great amp you're set. Spend about $100 to $200 bucks per pair of speakers. My favs are MB Quart and Focal. Then find a good 4 channel amp to run them. Since you don't listen to rock I would recommend 12" subs in a sealed enclosure. Even a single 12" sub would rail. My amps are mounted under the trunk floor where the spare tire was. When you have the amps and such installed I would stay away from "big box" stores. They rarely have the knowledge and experience to complete this install without problems.

 

Or.... If you got some duckets to spend.....fiberglass?

 

wow, i really like the setup in the blue TL, as a matter of fact, i got the same exact one in blue, what a coinsidence...

how much would that setup cost?

and also, I'm planning on taking out my spare tire, so I could put the amp in there.

Also, is there any rattling going on with the way those subs are setup? And how is the sound clarity, since the subs are located all the way in the back of the car?

Sorry for the stupid questions, but I'm really a newb at this kind of stuff.

Aside from the four speakers that I'm gonna get, how much do you think it would cost to get a couple of decent subs, and a amp, and get it installed like in the picture above?

 

well.....anybody got any input?

 

I've got pictures for all you issues!!


My audio setup is built for sound clarity. SOUND CLARITY. It's a lot of sound too. No rattles. I love to tell people how much this beautiful furnature costs. The CL and the TL in the pictures above are both my cars. The CL setup cost me about $1500. The TL setup I'm currently running cost me around $2800. I'm a professional and this is what I do for a living. I get cars from around the U.S. to do this type of work.

 

hey, please dont go circiutcity or bestbuy way, thats just terrible. if you want some SQ and output, you should look into component sets preferable by mb quart, infinity, higher end alpine, elemental designs. and w/ the amps from jl audio, old school us amps, elemental designs, and the other major brands are not too bad except like sony, pioneer and a couple other cheap ones.

 

I really wanna keep this whole thing under $1,000

and the kicker's that I'm plannin on getting are gonna run me about $200 already, so I've got $800 left to get 2 subs, an amp, and get all that installed.

I really like JL Audio subs, maybe if I'm REALLY impressed I'll get a pair of those and spend a few extra $$$ and have them installed just like in that pic of the blue TL above

 

The JL Audio 10" subwoofer in the fiberglass box above will soak up that $800 smackers you've got. But then you still need an amp, wiring and a knowlegable installer. You could keep this under a grand if you just did the front and rear speakers installed.

 

I agree with everything uncald4 has mentioned... great advise and pretty much on the money with the costs..

My music preferences is about the same as yours.. and I had this set-up in my previous car [ '99 WS6 ] .. and it pounded enough to make your ears bleed.. but that wasn't the idea behind this system.. it was all about good SQ!

Some of it had to do with the fact that my WS6 was a hatchback..

Alpine IVA-D310 in-dash DVD with 7" TouchScreen [ LOVE this unit!! ]
JL XR 650 CS - Fronts
JL TR 650 CXi - Mids
JL 500.1
JL 300.4
Two 10" JLW3v2s in a custom box

I would recommend building your set-up in stages.. as opposed to just throwing everything in at once.. That's what I did too.. You already have a great HU!

For now, I'd do just the 4 speakers.. I like Focals [had'em before] except that their highs are a bit too shrill, for lack of a better word lol.. the JL XR 650s are awesome!! .. Or,

Do the front speakers + an Amp.. If you go with a good set of speakers, you'll need a good amp to push'em.. otherwise the speakers will be under-powered..

Or,

Do the two front speakers + a sub + sub amp.. so you'll get the bass.. Eventually you will have to amp the speakers too..

Bottomline, don't go cheap on speakers.. atleast not the fronts!

Just my .02 ..

 

maybe a dumb question but...

can u get component speakers and not have an amp to power them? could i just use my cd player?

i need new speakers but dont wanna pitch out for the amp just yet....should i just get coaxials or 2-way? thanks for any input.

 

^^, yea, you dont need a amp to power them. The only reason you would use a amp to power coaxil or component is that, you will get the exact power you need to push the speakers to the max. However, if you dont have money to buy a amp you can directly hook it to the headunit. The crossover that you will get will have three inputs ( Woofer, Tweeter, and I think input ). Take the stock two wires connected to the stock speakers, and connect them to "input" within the crossover.

 

will it sound better than stocks even tho i dont have an amp to power them? how big is the difference w/ and w/o the amp? would i be better off getting some coaxials/2-ways and then waiting done the line to get components+amp? thanks.

 

I highly recomend not running a good set of component speakers on just the head units built in amp unless you plan to buy an external amp in the future. You just WONT get the real sound and clarity they can produce on a wimpy 15-20rms amp. A real nice subwoofer that is on par with JL but half the price is the new company Fi Car audio. I would suggest the Q line in a small sealed box, it will sound great. The SQ is on par with the w6. I definitely agree though, you don't need to get everything all at once. Start from the front and work your way back.
-Head unit-most important
-Nice set of speakers, component speakers recommended. (a lot of people buy a great set of speakers for the front and not as good ones for the rear for a nice sound stage)
-Amplifier for those speakers
-Electrical upgrades if needed
-Sub/amp/box