I will be going to a local shop this week to build/price out a new audio system for my S. The shop comes highly recommended and I have seen their work in person.

I have a MTX8000 and a Kenwood Amp model KAC-6485 4/3/2 Channel 280 watts that I acquired through a previous purchase and would like to use

Amp and Sub enclosure pics:






Hear are the pieces I am looking at:

HU- Alpine 9855 or 9835
I need Ipod and XM Radio capability. Can't seem to decide on which HU. I have read many comments and some go back to the 9835. Wondering if this is still true today.

Door Speakers- Boston Acoustics SL60

Rear Speaker- Boston Acoustics NX57
Question on the rear speaker...I originally was going to use S-Pods but have decided I like the look of the open bar. Now considering mounting these behind the seat but am concerned about the effectiveness of this. I have my seat all the way back and passenger seat is a few inches up. Will the speakers even by worthwhile this way?

Lucid SWI-ALP radio control interface and radio harness

Anything past this becomes a blur for me. Here are some questions.

1. Will I need another amp to power the front and rear speakers? This is assuming I use the Alpine amp to power the sub. Or can the HU power the rear speakers and let the Alpine amp power the front and sub?

2. What type of wire specs should I ask are being used. Are there different qualities and should I expect a basic minimum to be used?

3. There will be times I need to remove the sub and enclosure. Should this be wired differently to address this or is it a simple unplug and remove?

Any feedback is welcome...please question if you feel I am not putting together a sensible system. This is simply an area I do not feel comfortable with and am turning to the guys in the know (ej's).

Thanks,
Bill

 

Hoping to go to shop around 4pm today.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

 

ok... trying to get you some feedback before you go...

first -- you can still get the 9835 at that shop?? interesting. imo, the choice of a 9835 is easy over a 9855. still, play w/ the glidetouch, and see if you like it. otherwise, they are fairly comparable units.

if the Boston speakers are appealing to you, i don't see these choices as being problematic at all. i made similiar selections for the Ody and so far i'm quite pleased with their sound.

in my humble opinion -- speakers behind the seats are very limited on how good they can sound. i've heard them before, and they do help some, but they pale in comparison to the S-pods. (see my comments in 1 on this issue)

i know very little about that subwoofer, so i'm not quite sure what to tell you about it. do you have a manual or stats on it? that may help the installer as they make choices regarding the sub.

seeing that Lucid is offering the SWI-ALP is surprising to me, as it shows he's actually updated his site. i guess that's a good thing. if you WANT to use it though, you have no choice, as the 9835 is NOT compatible w/ the hardwire solution of the SWI-ALP. you MUST use a 9855 or other current 2005 HU w/ the hardwire option.


1. i'm not finding much information on that amp. but let's go w/ what we know and what is typical for marketing... 280 Watts peak.
generally, that means you have 140 Watts RMS. now, that's for a 4 channel amp. given that they usually measure wattage for marketing labels when the amp is fully loaded, that means you've got roughly 70 W RMS x 2 channels @ 4 ohms when bridged. breaking that down further gives you 18 W RMS x 4 channels @ 4 ohms.
not exactly a powerhouse of an amp. i know you may not follow my numbers, but i'll quickly try to explain them. peak power is usually 2 times continuous power. (280 W/2 = 140 Wrms) now, this is a 4 channel amp that can bridge to 2 channels (which is it's peak output configuration. so 140 Wrms / 2 = 70 Wrms.) now when you bridge 2 channels, you quadruple the power. (so 70 Wrms / 4 = 17.5 Wrms which is about 18 Wrms.)

in summary -- you might want consider something making a bit more power to drive your front speakers, especially if you intend to drive the sub with the same amp. in fact, you might consider forgoing rear speakers for now and using those funds for a more powerful amplifier. something on the order of 75 Wrms to 100 Wrms would be suitable for the SL60's

2. for RCA's twisted and shielded is what you want. shielded at a minimum. for power, it will depend upon how much power you're running. for that amp, 10 gauge is sufficient. for larger amps that are under 400 Wrms total, 8 gauge should be fine.

3. it isn't a simple unplug and remove, however the amp and sub can be removed fairly easily if needed with typical screw down connections. the biggest problem at that point is the potential for a live hot connector in your trunk. if this is something you strongly desire, request that an inline power plug be installed near the amp. or plan for a easily removable fuse to allow you to de-power that circuit. explain to them what you'd like, and they should be able to accomodate it.