well, the time has come for me to ask some questions instead of just making suggestions...

about an hour ago, i joined the ranks of owner instead of enthusiast. i'm exhausted from the long day of 'dealing', but feel confident on a good deal and excitement about the next time i get to VTech...


so, i'm here to ask some questions... i've been looking and shopping to get an idea of what gear i want, and i need some suggestions and some options...

i've already chosen a headunit (Alpine 7894), plan to use modifry's factory controls adapter, and i currently own the amps i want to use...

i need some solid suggestions for components, a sub option, and amp locations. my one requirement is that the car will be a daily driver for me, so i need to keep the functionality of the spare.

i see one very small boot by the passenger side (right next to battery) that i can snake wire in, but it is pretty high up on the firewall, how accessible will that be from inside? is there a better entry point?


what are my options where i can i fit two amps that roughly dimension at 15.5" long, 10" wide, and 3" tall? one's fan cooled from the top (Adcom GFA 4304), the other is not (Kicker ZR-240).

components? i'm an sound quality vs volume guy, and to give you an idea of my tastes - i like a smooth overall sound with a solid midrange. Focal K165's sound good to me, MB Quarts do not.

Sub - what are my options here and still keep the spare? i have seen Lucid's soon to be release 10" box w/ the 5" depth limitation... does that allow the retention of the spare? if so, how?

what about online vendors like ikesound, infinite car audio, and the like? how reputable are these guys and how 'grey' are their products? anyone specific to stay clear of? or any specific ones to trust?

finally - overall high volume isn't a huge concern... just so it will sound decent to good above wind noise on the highway. total for headunit, Modifry's adapter, sub, components... <$1000

thanks for any and all contributions...

 

congrats!
I find it interesting that the first thing you're grabbing for is a new stereo!

I can't help with the power runs (but there's a thread on that already).

for a sub, i think WLAURENTS 8" Box is really nice.

speakers:
I have the Focal 165Ks which are getting harder to find, the more expensive 165K2s are more common. The difference is the larger magnet and higher wattage figures. You might want to get the 165K since you're giving them only modest power. I got mine from onlinecarstereo.com, they are insanely grey market--the serial numbers were scratched off, but they came in the Focal boxes with documentation. They were $300 so it was a decent price--but not insane. Just so you know, there are no authorized Focal internet dealers (per Focal). But the one local store I could find that had them wanted to charge me list price (which is like $700 on the 165Ks!).

Oh, I love my Focals, except I think the tweeters are too sharp/high--so fair warning! I'd also be worried about underpowering them, I'm feeding my 50RMS now and I'm moving up to about 90RMS. I'll let you know if I hear a difference, I've read that they are power hungry speakers. Also consider the 165Vs, they are actually pretty nice, I think you could only tell the difference after extended listening between the two and they're about $229 online. I also like the Diamond Audio speakers, not much cache, but sound good to my ears.


some thoughts about online vendors etc.

I've found onlinecarstereo.com to have the lowest prices while still being reputable. I know there are some sites out there even cheaper, but their websites look they were made by a 12 year old and I'm willing to pay 10% more for (slightly) more peace of mind.

That said a few other places I like/have bought from

sounddomain.com (a little expensive, but they're willing to pricematch via a nifty webform, so no calling needed, and have a liberal return policy--shipping is expensive from them, based in WA so ship times are long) mostly authorized, they sell Focal and claim to be authorized for Focal, check with Focal to make sure.

onlinecarstereo.com (basic website, but tons of brands. based in CA so long ship time, but shipping is free for any order over $99. they are not authorized for much they sell so warranty service is very grey) I use these guys to pricematch a lot. My main gripe is that they don't explicitly state whether they are authorized dealers. It's sort of a wink-wink thing buying from them wrt to warranty. I just assume that it's no warranty.

thezeb.com (mostly closeouts so limited choices, cheap shipping (6.95), liberal return policy, based in NC(?) so shipping is fast) Great thing is they explicitly say what they are or are not authorized to sell, and many times they'll give you a one year warranty through them if they aren't authorized.

etronics.com (good selection, quasi-authorized dealer, i bought my Alpine 7894 from them and was able to register it. shipping a little high, but they're in NYC so you get it quick)
some other sites, which are hit and miss depending on what you're looking for--
www.millionbuy.com
www.ikesound.com
www.ampman.com
www.shop4sound.com

 

PJ,

I believe the boot you mention by the battery is actually one that leads into the compartment that holds the windshield wiper mechanics, not into the passenger compartment. If you remove the battery you'll see a good sized boot that leads where you want it to.

For amp placement, you can put it above the fuel filler tube, or mount it to a board on top of the spare tire.

 

mgiang7:

thanks! and yeah, i'm a fan of music and am just accustomed to always having nice tunes with me... so, a stereo is a high priority.. i'm going to save some more cash up over the next month or so, maybe more, and then buy and install in one big run.

8" WLaurents box looks great, but i've never run a sub that small before... typically i've used a single 10" or 12". so, while i'm not a bass head, i am used to a solid bass sound and feel. i realize the 8" won't be as strong in the lower frequencies as a larger driver, but can it function as a tangible 'feel' sub, or is it just fill? also, i'm suspecting a high excursion / high power handling 8" might be my ticket.

well, the Focal's were the one's i demoed here in town. i really liked them for the sound, but the price at $600 WAS my budget for speakers (ack!), so i've seen them around the net at about $300, but i'm hesitant to buy grey. i also did find the Focal tweeters to be slightly bright, but i'm thinking that i may want that to accomodate for open air and wind losses. i also demoed the Boston Rally components, and while they are definately in a different league, i liked their sound as well... they maybe a good non-grey option. also, i'm planning to power them via my Adcom bridged to 2 channels... and while the manual is a bit sketchy, it looks as if bridged under a 4 ohm load my 30 x 4 channel becomes a 110 x 2 channel. that seems a bit much to me, but... so, i'm not horribly worried about underpowering... (even at a conservative bridging figure of 60x2 - i should be fairly safe if i'm cautious when i set my gains).

thanks for the online vendor recommendations... i will be checking them out much more in detail.
someone here mentioned www.infinitecaraudio.com a while back. i saw that they have some good pricing and a nice selection. they also state that they warranty (via their store) everything for a year... while that may mean nothing, it could be better than other options out there... i phoned them for details and they stated that they have a mix of authorized and non-authorized products... i mentioned them specifically b/c they have a nice selection of Focal products.


MacGyver:

thanks - i was HOPING that the often referenced boot wasn't the one that i briefly saw last night. i'll trust you that the other boot exists and when the install starts, i'll know where to look.

i was planning for placing one amp (likely the non air cooled one) above the fuel filler... are you guys actually placing the amp on the piping/plastic gasketing (on the left) or focusing on the insulated area more to the right? i'm assuming that if you mount the amp on some mdf and slip it in there, that things are generally ok? there looks to be a huge air space in the far front left... is slipping it deep in there possible?
regarding the spare - i got a good look at it last night too - i was concerned about whether my amp (dimensions wise) would fit in the spare... since i sold my old car, i'm currently pulling those amps and the wiring - i'll probably test fit them today...


edit: BAH! it is as i feared. my fan cooled amp will fit in the filler area, but the fit is a bit tight, and will likely cover the fan. the other one is too 'thick' w/ it's fins to wedge in there (though i didn't try hard.) it might fit w/ some efforts and by removing the plastic boot thing on the filler piping. neither will fit inside the spare. so, i'll have to come up with other options or sell these (ugh - sigh), and go another route.

 

blaupunkt pa2200 is a 200 watt x2 channel at 4 ohm amp that can actually be installed under the seat. there was a thread a couple of months back about the installation. It would be another amp or two, but it leaves the spare alone and allows you to put the sub in the trunk well. some people also put the amp in to the trunk well (where the "tools" are at).

just a warning though. this car is a money pit if you are trying to get premium sound. and then you couldn't hear the enging rev

 

PJK3,

I understand the hesitation about the 8" subs. You can do a search, most everyone has been pretty satisified with one, and others have said 2 WLAURENT boxes is better then 1 10". Check out the EDESIGN Audio 8K (which is i think the most anticipated 8" woofer ever, it's not even out yet!)

110RMS to the Focal 165K2 (or even the hi-dollar 165W) would be about right. You'd rarely go that high and i think those speakers are rated at 100RMS. Aren't you the one that told me that just a little too much power is just enough

infinitecaraudio seems to have pretty decent prices. inline with other online focal vendors. the focals only come with a 1 year warranty, if mine were to go south within a year, i could still buy another pair and save money. but they're quality, it's not much of a gamble to give up the warranty.

so you know the 165K2s are slightly deeper then the 165Ks (about 10mm).

have you thought about mounting the amps against the rear of the trunk? the blaupunkt class T amps fit under the seats, but since you love your adcom, i doubt you'd be happy with that amp. if you do the WLAURENT subs, then you could use the extra space in the spare tire area for the amps.

 

mgiang7,
well, i've did some more wiggling and looking - it appears that i can get my Adcom (fan cooled) amp into the fuel filler area fairly well, and if i place it upside down (ack!), the fan pulls from the open area below vs being smothered by the insulation above. i'm not sure how i feel about that, but it is a potential mounting for that amp... when i am closer and have more time, i'll try some other mounting methods that might keep it right side up.
also, i did a little more looking and yeah, that amp will run 110x2 in mono mode, which is more than enough for just about any highs, but i could also potentially run it in a 3 channel mode - 2x30 and 1 x 220? (@2ohm)... i'm going to experiment w/ that once i get the mono wiring kit in. and see what output i get at 2ohms. it'd be lower power, but would require noticably less room, and may be just enough to drive an 8" or a 10". and yeah, i know - you are right - running it w/ slightly more is good, but i highly suspect it is underrated (30x2 bridges to 110x1?), and if i am very careful in my setup - i know how to get away w/ running lower power... tricky, but not impossible. i'd prefer not to do it that way...

another option is if i did mount the Adcom/highs upside down in the fuel area, i could then fabricate a board to mount the ZR-240 at the back of the trunk like you mentioned, leaving me enough room for tire and a sub. i just need to decide if i want to run the Adcom upside down... i know heat rises, but it is fan cooled across the primary heatsink.... hrm!? i might call the manuf. about that one...

i really like the WLAURENT box design, but $330 for a pair pretty much blows my entire sub allotment and i haven't even purchased speakers... so, if i do the WLAURENT BOX, my budget requires i only do one... and i've seen the E-designs K8... it looks very nice... but i'd like to get some non-manuf. input about it first. if it outputs cleanly w/ a good volume, i could do that and the WLAURENT box... but, i remembered Lucid mentioning that his 10" box would also allow for the use of the spare... (IF HE IS AROUND... (hint hint)), i'd love to have more details, as that could be a great solution...

yeah, i'm thinking the gambles are probably worth the risk for the savings on the Focals... thanks for the info about the depth... i'm still putting that kind of info together. since Ikesound seems to have a good rep, i was planning on doing my headunit there ... are they fairly good? or is there someone else who is less grey that would be slightly more? i'm guessing etronics.com?

ghengiskwong,
i'd seen a few people around using the Blakpunkt amps... but i really already own some nice amps - if i sell them, i'd definately take a loss... i'm going to try and reuse them as much as possible... also, i always question super small amps w/ super high output ratings... usually something is lost to get that... either the ratings are exaggerated, the sound quality suffers, or there are frequency reproduction inaccuracies and such... but, as you mention - they are a very serious potential solution to my situation... they are a very practical solution... i'm just hoping to find another solution that doesn't require me selling my amps.

and i've had to just accept that i'm not going to get the studio quality sound i used to get in my old car... being it is a convertible - i lose a lot to just general outside noise... so, i want good sound that will rise over wind noise at highway speeds, but i don't need to rattle anyone's windows as i drive by... but i can see what you mean -- i could easily spend a lot of cash getting it 'just right.'
btw - i'm currently planning to do whatever i can in order to make it Thursday to the meet.

 

I have a stock 02 with rear speakers, no amp. If you make thursday you can get an idea of what a little will do.,

 

cool. i'm planning to be there.