SRTRaceR04

iTrader: (24)

^Ouch, way to wreck people in a simple question thread.

Are you a professional installer or just someone who is really interested in the subject on the side?

I will say that I know Advanced and Master MECP installers and most probably cannot provide completely in depth answers like you do.

Hell my brother is MECP Advanced with many years of experience and does car audio for a living, but his passion is making cars go faster so outside of work he almost has ZERO interest in car audio. Out of the 4 cars he owns only 1 of them has anything more than an upgraded HU (and that's just a stupid Type R 10" with a Kenwood amp, low end Infinity Components pushed by another amp [i'm not sure which one] and no rear speakers.....all stuff he gets dirt heap at his work).


Which brands do you really like? Like for subs there are subs I've heard in the past (Image Dynamics ID Max, Adire Brahma, Digital Designs 9500, etc...I haven't really been into car audio in 5+ years) that really blew me away and didn't really get the recognition they deserved by so called "Audio Enthusiasts". I mean I know a lot people that loved them, but I would hear from 10x as many people how much the W7 would kill anything out there near that price.

Although someone who works with my brother got an 8W7 in a ported enclosure with a JL200/1 amp for $200 and it actually sounds really good. Not the greatest SQ ever and not the loudest thing I've ever heard, but for $200.....I was impressed. The price is what made it so good IMO.

Spac3clown

iTrader: (1)

Like others have said an amp makes a big difference but make sure you have some quality speakers if you plan to go that route.

I just put two sets of JL Audio's 6.5' components with a HD 600/4 amp in and it sounds great. You will pay for something like this but you will be very pleased. You dont even have to build a baffle for the speakers as they fit right in.

FJF

iTrader: (18)

I built my first pair of speakers before hitting my teens, mostly out of necessity, and got hooked on audio. Now, some 30+ years later, I'm still involved.

There's audio, and then there's car audio. I'm an audio guy.

As you mentioned, ID makes some excellent subs. I like Zapco, Audison, ARC, DLS, older Soundstream and Xtant amplifiers, but for the most part, car audio is garbage. The gear is some of the very worst available anywhere in terms of sound and build quality. It's really a shame.

[Edit:] Little did I know, when I wrote the comment above earlier today, that my 9887 was going to bite the dust. Its transport is dead. No sign of life. I think that I'm going to take a step back, take most of the gear out of the Evo and save 70lbs of dead weight, install the stock speakers up-front, keep the Zapco Ref200, and buy a low-level Alpine. Anyone interested in some car audio equipment? <grin>

$200 for a W8/250/1 is a steal.

SRTRaceR04

iTrader: (24)

My mistake, you're right that it was a 250/1 not 200/1. I haven't used enough JL equipment (I had 3 W6 12's in my trunk some 6-7 years ago) to keep up with everything they have.

And it's good to have a passion and interest outside of things you "need" to know.

The only brand I've stuck with is Alpine and that's for HU's only. Not saying other brands aren't good (Nakmichi's supposed to be real good and I've used Eclipse decks and they worked well, but were expensive), but I've had pretty much zero problems with any Alpine HU I've owned. They aren't really flashy and they all look a lot alike, but they have performed well. I have one that's like 11-12 years old that still works perfect.

I've heard and owned, IMO, some great component speakers. Had some CDT's that sounded nice, some Focal's, MB Quarts (although the tweeter was a bit harsh). I have a set of Infinity Kappa Perfects 6.5" components sitting in the garage waiting to go into my Evo. May not have been my first choice, but they were never used and given to me so I'm not going to say no. My brother was going to put them in his Supra, but he's decided to go with JL's.

So do you do home audio as well? I have a Klipsch 5 speaker system with the higher end Klipsch 12" floor sub and a Denon receiver. Probably nothing compared to some people, but I think it sounds pretty good. Couple that together with all the current video game systems and a 55" Samsung LED TV and I have a pretty entertaining living room setup.

FJF

iTrader: (18)

The older W6s were fantastic drivers.

Cars/driving and music/audio have been my two lifelong interests.

Consistently decent decks. I think that mine was an anomoly. Now that I've come down a bit, I'm actually thinking of buying another 9887. There's really nothing else, besides a 800/880, with the same processing capability and driver-friendly, functional aesthetics.

To stay on topic. Let me talk a bit about the amplifiers and the speakers in my system. As of right now, perhaps changing as early as tomorrow, there are 4 amplifiers in my Evo. 3 amps in the trunk - a Zapco Ref500 driving the sub and a bridged pair of Zapco AG350s for the mids - and a Zapco Ref200 under the passenger seat driving the tweeters. The system is active.

I've had all kinds of configs - stock HU/aftermarket HUs/amps/no amp/stock speakers/aftermarket speakers/no sub/lots of different subs. You get the idea. If I had to do it all over again, I'd buy a good HU, a small amp, and keep the stock speakers up front. Naturally, no rears. After this point, diminishing returns come almost instantly. With this in mind, I may simplify my system my ~50lbs tomorrow, since all I have now is a very fancy radio. Might me fun...

I've had 3 Nak decks. Good sound, great cosmetics, crap reliability. I was actually just eying a Nak at Woofers, debating if I wanted to take the chance.

Sounds like you've had some great systems.

Yes, that's really my main interest.

I bet that rig is a lot of fun.

SRTRaceR04

iTrader: (24)

Yeah they actually sounded really good. In the same year I had a pair of Kicker XPL 12's running off an older series Rockford Power series 800a2 amp and that sounded really good considering the XPL's weren't super special. One of my favorite subs that I've owned was a first generation Eclipse Aluminum. It was around the time when Eclipse came out with their Titanium series. I wasn't going to drop the coin on a Titanium so I picked up 2 Aluminum 12's and build a proper sealed enclosure for them. I powered them with a JBL bp1200.1 (yeah some of these things are old since I haven't really been into car audio in some 5-6 years) and it sounded pretty good IMO.

Worst sub I ever owned was an Audiobahn. It got loud but sounded like hell.




Yeah my setup in my Evo now is the stock Infinity system with an Alpine deck. I'm sure you're well aware that aftermarket decks don't integrate well so I'm figuring out now what I want to do. My plans are more than likely to put the Kappa Perfects in the doors and put 6" woofers in the rear panels. Haven't decided on the amp yet, but I may go with the Alpine 4 channel just because of the size. I don't need anything crazy and I don't want a ton of weight in my car.


See I thought their cosmetics were somewhat dull. Maybe that's the appeal though. I've never personally owned one I just know of people who liked them a lot.


I try to listen to what people tell me. Just like with my car I don't assume I know everything. I may have an idea of what I like, but I get opinions from others before I jump right into a purchase of anything. Sometimes taking a chance or going with gut instinct can be costly and leave you unfullfilled.


It works very well for me. I've looked into home audio before and was completely flabbergasted by what some people spend on their home audio setups. Like I think there is "interested" and then there is "insane". My subwoofer was like $800 or something like that, but my brother works at BB so I got it for....lets just say MUCH less. Same with the speakers and the Denon receiver. This is my first Denon receiver. I used Onkyo in the past and really enjoyed them. The Denon is effing ridiculous to set up. I've never had to deal with such a complicated receiver before. I'm still trying to get it all dialed in.

jackfrog

iTrader: (9)

infinity kappa FTW

FJF

iTrader: (18)

In what sense? They sound overly bright, they're not easy to tune, and they're not altogether easy to drive. So, what makes them so suitable for this application?

jackfrog

iTrader: (9)

i have kappa four and kappa components system on my 4runner (does not have JBL Upgrade), pioneer DVD head unit, the sound just unbelievable. before i got those kappas, the sound was improved a little bit, but after kappas installed, the sound just cant be better... but that just my IMO, because i can get infinity at wholesale price.
never put them on the evo tho, but would do sooner or later.

FJF

iTrader: (18)

This doesn't really answer my question, but no matter. You see, advice is great, if it is followed by some sort of an explanation and a pointer toward its relevance. By including the comments above, folks are now able to gauge your recommendation and its application relative to their own needs.

Evo8ux2

iTrader: (7)

go with alpine or rockford fosgate if your still choosing on amps

FJF

iTrader: (18)

Why Alpine or RF, and exactly which amps?

heel2toe

iTrader: (41)

I dont mean to hijack the thread however I feel my situation is semi related. Currently my car has an Alpine 9885 HU and the factory sub in the truck has been replaced by an Infinity Basslink that I stole out of my Wrangler.

Now I am happy with my current setup however I wouldnt mind improving it. Should my next step be replacing the front door speakers or upgrading the amp? Any other sugguestions are welcome

FJF- I have gone through countless threads and read many valuable and insightful posts coming from you, so I would love to hear what you have to say.

Thanks in advance

Nikuraba29

What about the use of sound deadening materials?

https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/ev...ject-pics.html

29

FJF

iTrader: (18)

I appreciate the kind words. In your situation, I'd take a two-pronged approach. As a first step, I'd suggest deadening and sealing the doors. A relatively small quantity of deadening - ~1'x1' square - is put in the center of the panel, and the panel's (outside) skin is sealed with deadening material, as well. This does 2 things: it prevents the metal from vibrating as much, and it creates an infinite baffle alignment for the speakers. This will make the biggest change in perceived sound quality. If you run a quick search on sealing doors on Caraudio.com, you'll find a lot of pics exemplifying the process.

The second step is an amp. Even though HUs are rated at a peak of ~22wpc, it's wishful thinking. Most HUs put out very little usable power. As such, an amplifier isn't a bad idea at all. This is where you have a lot of options, some of which hinge on the install. Do you have an idea as to where you'd like to locate an amp and a working budget?