Thanks a lot guys -- I appreciate it!

For 2/3 complete pics, please refer to this thread: https://www.s2ki.com/forums/showthread.php?...6327#post736327

I'll be back at my installer's on June 1 to finish everything -- which will include a custom yellow-neon setup to wash the PPI amp and reflect off it's surface. Why did I choose yellow??? Well, let's just say the answer is in the hood, and can be found in the link above!

 

I have been running 2 8w3's in the trunk for about 4 months. I have them setup in a dual bandpass box with 4 ports shooting right into the back of the seat. I have been designing a clam shell box to sit in the recess but have been having trouble with WinISD and getting the respones that I want.

As for your deck it makes no sense to have all that moeny up front and nothing powering the speakers. I have a set of RSD216's in the door with the tweets hidden inside. Running them on a RF 160a2. Its twin is powering the subs. The amps are cheap and the sound boost that you get will more then compesate for the cost.

I will be installing a CDA-7995 in the next month or so when I have some spare time and cash to spend on the XM box.

I will post pictures soon. Also on the sub box side I have been talking to my fabricator about building a seaded box to hide in the recess bwhind the seet where the spare tire resides. One so I can have my trunk back and two for a even more hidden systme. Everything I have is completly hidden from view and I like it that way,

 

Shamu, my stereo upgrade path went like this:
First: Kenwood eXcelon xr600 speakers for the front speaker replacements.
Second: Alpine CDA-7876 deck (same as yours in all significant features). Deck wired to battery directly. PAC SWI-3 unit.
Third: Lucid rear speakers using Polk 403ex or something like that.
Fourth: JL Audio Stealthbox and JL Audio 250/1 amp for Stealthbox.

Each step added something significant for me. The upgrades occured over a year. I also upgraded the door wires at one point but it didn't make any difference. Today was my first time really playing with the Stealthbox which I just got this week. It definitely fills in bass that the 6 1/2 inch speakers and 4 1/2 inch speakers can't handle. For me, the Alpine CDA-7876 with 27 watts rms/channel has enough power to handle the two 6 1/2 inch speakers and the two 4 1/2 inch speakers.

I've not listened with the top up or the hardtop on the car in a very long time.