Hey guys I dont really post to often but Im looking to buy a system for my car. Right now Im running a Xcelon X589 deck and polk 6.5s in the doors.

But Im looking to get the following and just wanted some opinions on if this is right for me. I want about as much sound quality as I can buy for under 1000 bucks

Well Im gonna keep my head unit so
Kappa Perfect 12 VQ $229
I plan on making my own fiberglass enclosure behind the wheelwell...

Alpine MRV-F545 $334

Oz Audio 180CS Components $300

So thats what Im looking at for now...
Im specifically looking for recommendations on if this sub suits my system if Im looking for SQ. Also any opinions on the OZ components would be nice... I want some nice components but dont want to spend over 300 really.

All opinions are nice

 

Oz Audio speakers were absolutely awesome back in the day (mid 90s or so), but I don't know how they are now. I would recommend them though, because I was so satisfied with the old set I used to have.

 

Diamond Audio is by far the best brand of speakers/components/subs/amps there is. Believe me when i say i have invested almost $3k in that companys products. www.diamondaudio.com

 

Not to knock either who have posted, but oz audio as fas as components have gone down the toilet. There subs still sound amazing but there components are just not worth the money anymore. I personally have heard them in numerous cars and im not impressed. Also in my opinion I believe that Focals sound ten times better then any Diamond Audio speaker I have ever heard. That being said you will also end up paying a lot for them. So if you are looking for a reasonable speaker for a reasonable price I recommend going with Diamond Audio. If you have the $1,400 or so to spend on Focals I would say go with them. Remember these are only my personal opinions, not trying to step on anyones toes.

 

Also for a little bit more money I would go with the JL 300/4 amp for your components. In my opinion its a better quality product, as well it also seems to be a lot more efficient as far as power. http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/CarAu...roductID=11726

One more thing and then im done here. I have this sub in my car right now and it sounds amazing very crisp clear bass. It goes for $299 on that site. May not have as high a power rating as the infinity but it will not need that much power to operate to its potential. http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/CarAu...roductID=12513

 

wow, oz audio, didnt know they were around anymore......

when is someone gonna mention audio art

 

Evodreamer- Yeah, like I said, I knew the Oz's used to be good back in the day, but I don't know anyone with the newer models. But I believe it. Kinda like Fosgate then and now. Also I think the Diamond subs are pretty damn good too, but I never liked the components. As far as amps go, you just can't beat a McIntosh, IMO.

BlueES- I think you could probably find a better amp than the Alpine. They do make good amps, but I don't like the specs. My Infinity 7541A amp puts out more RMS and it was $30 less.

 

yea.. i think im around $3500 in the hole w/ them too.. but it makes me smile when the radio turns on so its worth it in the end

 

wow I come home to a full page of responses... well thanks for the heads up on OZ going down the toilet as of late.

I was really up in the air between a W6 and the Kappa. I was just thinking that the kappa might be alittle more forgiving as far as box wise since Im going to build a fiberglass one in the back corner of the trunk.

Also Id really like some other recommendations in my price range as far as components. Right now Im kinda down between JLs and Diamonds but really Id like to stay in the 300ish range and focals and MBs are just $$$.

Lastly some other Amp recommendations would be nice... I plan on running just components in the front and a sub in the rear preferably off a single amp since Im trying to stay under a 1000. So if anyone gets bored and they wanna build their dream system under a grand Ill check it out and see what I can listen to around town if I even get the time.

 

Diamond HEX components.... I know someone has them so lets hear opinions. I listened to them in a Civic and they were OK but he was blasting some rap so I couldnt really listen listen to them you know. I also listened to some Focals, not even the Utopias and they were INSANE. But that was in a built box in a store sooooo.

 

Im telling ya if you have a tweeter around you go listen to the focals at their store. I have them in my car and I must tell you they are amazing. Some of the best sound I have ever heard, and oh yeah my vote is for getting the JL w6v2 subwoofer.

 

Diamond was great stuff when it was the Eton speakers from Germany, it's just a me to product now. The amps are the same crap 100 different companies sell. My favorite amps to use are Zapco. Designed and built by real audiphiles that give the performance they should. Great value with all things considered. The Infiniy subs are pretty nice, the variable tuning feature really works and I have used them in the exact application you are in a few cars. For front components, go to some shops and demo them in cars. Pick the $300 speaker you like best. The DLS UR line is pretty good and close to your price point and the ESB speakers imported by Zapco are very nice for the price. Both of these sets have wider frequency response than most 1" tweeters, optimized passive xovers and very fast midrange drivers. These "lower" line mids were faster than MB's, Focal Utopia, Dynaudio, (Old) Diamond Hex and a few others I measured.

Old Oz stuff was good too, but it was a long time ago that JTI bought them out and went off shore.

 

Ok Ive temporarily decided to go with CDT ES-620 (375 shipped) and most likely an Image Dynamics IDQ 10-12. Unless someone can talk me out of it thats what Im feeling like I will purchase here in the upcoming weeks.

and BillAce... where can I read some stuff/buy ESB speakers. Or would the CDT prove better? Also, is the ZAPCO reference series worth the money or is it go big with the competition series or go home so to speak (other companies).

 

Might be over your budget, but I would deffinatly spring for the Zapco amps, the ref series is the real deal. Check out their website (forum section is helpfull, don't be afraid to ask questions). I have not heard the speakers yet but they are supposed to be good, even the entry level ones.

For a sound quality sub an easy choice is Alumapro, mabye not the loudest, but the sound is neutral and tight.

 

The Reference series are a great value. They work as advertised and have a few benefits over other amps. They come with balanced line drivers that run a balanced 18V signal from your head unit to the amp. You can basically quadruple the output voltage of most headunits with these amps. I would use 5V Eclipse decks with Zapco amps and run 18V of input. It saved the customer a few hundred $$$ over buying an 8V deck with no loss of quality. The digital reference series incorporates a DSP thatincludes a full frequency digital xover, 5 parametric eq bands per channel, level control, time delay and variable filter slopes. They are great for adding some processing power to tune a system and save $$ and need no extra wiring or mounting of components.

The speakers will only be carried by shops that really are into sound quality. Most shopps would rather sell a brand with a reputation that consumers ask for instead of looking for better stuff themselves. I prefer the SQ blue cone reference mids, they have flatter response and extended midbass. The reference tweeter is a silk dome that I measured at only 3db down at 20KHz. This is very unusual for silk and they also were within 3db at 1.6K. They have a great passive and work very well together. I would probably run their Comp speakers if I didn't have the drivers I have now. They are a great bunch of guys at Zapco, call Bob or John with any product questions and tell them Bill Ace says hi.