theresadc

Went car shopping on Friday and walked away w/ a 2003 S2K. Went driving and walked away from the stereo!!! What a piece of @#$@

So Saturday I went stereo shopping: this is what the sales guy designed for me at Myer Emco.

-(HU) Alpine CDA 9811
-(Amp) JL Audio 450-4 (150X2, 300X1)
-(Sub) JL Audio 10W3 custom for S2K
-(Speakers) Boston Pro 6.5 ---> [I like 3 way speakers and I think these are 2 way without midrange??? Do you need midrange's? Will the three separate speakers (sub, mid & tweeter) not fit where the stock speakers were originally? Or is there a good 3 way component speaker out there that combines the mid/sub and keeps the tweeter separated)]
---> On paper the system looks like it will work. Any thoughts?



Any advice on front door speakers would be greatly appreciated or any other part of the system, for that matter. I really not sure how good Boston Acoustics is or is something like MB quartz better. Within price range.

Please advise because I am a novice who appreciates advice from experienced owners and audiophiles. And for those residing in NoVA... Can you advise if you know a really good place that you have used.

Thanks all for you forthcoming advice with the new system!!!!

InsaneInNC

My question for your sales guy: Where does he plan to put the amp and sub?

You will find many different options by searching this forum (I would point you to a few, but I'm a little tight on time this morning).

Questions you need to ask yourself:
- How important is the limited trunk space to you?
- Are you willing to give up your spare tire if needed? (I'm not.)
- How much power do you really want/need to go to the sub? (i.e., will the JL Audio 450-4 be enough for the sub, especially channels 3 & 4 - I don't know).
- Did you know that the 150W x 2/300W x 1 rating is for channels 1 & 2 only? Channels 3 & 4 are rated at 75W x 2/150W x 1

I'm almost thinking that the sales guy is thinking of the JL Audio Stealthbox ("custom for S2K") enclosure, which takes up pretty much the entire tool/tire well in the trunk. Personally, I am not willing to give up that much room. You might want to look at WLaurent's 8" sub enclosure; it is the one I will be getting.

Later this evening, I will post some pointers to other threads here to help you out.

BTW, I ended up getting the following:
- Alpine CDA-9813 HU
- MB Quart Reference Component Speakers, RCE-216 (HUGE crossover, which has become a challenge to install)
- Phoenix Gold Tantrum 600.4 Amp (true 150W x 2/300W x 1 on all channels, and is stable down to 2 ohms bridged)
- Modifry/LucidAutomotive Multi-Radio Dash Control Interface (DCI) so I would not have to give up the controls to the left of the steering wheel; I highly recommend this unit.

Will be getting:
- WLaurent's 8" Sub Enclosure
- Elemental Designs e8A.44 sub

Best of luck!

theresadc

Mike,

Thanks so much for the input and I will be looking forward to hearing what you have to say later as well.

Yes, the sales guy is talking about the custom JL Sub for the trunk. ($575). The amp will be bridged to push the sub and the other 2 channels will push the front component speakers. Good point about the wattage per channel. I am not looking for bass that rattles, but more so for crisp sound with the bass as a balance to the system.

Would I be better off with a two channel amp pushing the front components and maybe putting two rears speakers or mini sub woofers (if possible) behind the seat for the bass effect? With the rear speakers being pushed from the HU? Or maybe stick to a 4 channel and push the subs being the seat and the front speakers. Skipping the JL in the trunk?

This is the 1st time I have heard of the WLaurent sub, where can I research them at??? Do you like the Alpine 9813 HU?

SO MANY QUESTIONS, I have read everything on this board and am more lost because of the endless options. My budget is about $1,500, maybe that will help with the responses??

Thanks Mike and everyone that can steer me straight. (I hope)????

ruexp67

Yeah, options abound.

There is a link in my signature regarding my audio setup. There is another option there regarding the rear speakers.

The best advice I can offer is to not rush into anything. Take your time and research your options. Don't forget about figuring out how to retain your dash controls. Check out Lucid's options for the dash controls, but also search for DJ Qube's controller. It is EXTREMELY slick.

InsaneInNC

I can't overemphasized enough what Rue has said above, TAKE YOUR TIME, DO YOUR HOMEWORK! Listen to the speakers you may buy, don't rely completely what one person says. The way speakers sound to you, like so many other things in life, is completely subjective; what one person likes, another may hate, and vice-versa.

Now, as promised, are some starting points for your research; please do not rely on these a an "end all":

Amplifier mounting:
Many of us did not want to give up any more of our trunk than absolutely necessary. Therefore, I had asked people to share pictures of their vertically mounted amplifiers. This thread is shows what some people had done:
- Vertical Mounting of Amp In Trunk

Subwoofer and Enclosures
Again, due to space constraints of the S2000's trunk, I wanted to minimize the loss to a subwoofer, although I realize that the only way to "fill" in the deep base is with one. Therefore, I'm going to opt for WLAURENT's 8" sub enclosure along with the Elemental Designs e8A.44. Like you, I am not into "head banging" bass, I just want something to fill in and complement what I already have. The total cost of this sub and the enclosure a bit cheaper than the JL Audio setup($185 for the sub, $175 for the enclosure).

WLAURENT's web page can be found here. Scroll to the bottom of the page for the sub enclosures.

A good thread for reading about the e8A.44 can be found at:
- Elemental Designs e8A.44 update
Warning: This is a long thread, so be prepared to read a lot. You will also see towards the last few pages some of my questions regarding amplifier power requirements.

The Elemental Design e8A.44 web page can be found here.

Dash Control Interface
One of the things I love about the Honda S2000 audio system is the ability to control it without having to take my hands off the steering wheel and/or shift knob. To keep this ability requires you to install one of two custom S2000 options, or install a generic DCI. I opted for the Modifry/Lucid Automotive option. More information can be found at:
- Lucid Automotive Web Site
- Modifry's DCI Web Page.

Information about the other option, by DJ Qube, another member of S2KI, can be found at:
- For Sale - Qube's Audio Control!

Overall Systems:
A good starting point, which you should have already seen, is the thread:
- Stereo Install Pictures Here (56K Warning).

Again, do your homework. Get together with other S2000 owners in your area, and see/listen to what they have. Listen to the speakers you are interested in. It has taken me pretty much two months to figure out what I wanted for my new S2000 (bought in May), and am just now installing my setup (you will see it in the above threads next week - I will have the main system finished this coming weekend, with the sub going in probably next month).

Good luck!

Mike

InsaneInNC

[QUOTE]Originally posted by theresadc
[B]Mike,

Thanks so much for the input and I will be looking forward to hearing what you have to say later as well.