Looking into upgrading audio; have no idea what i am doing.

B

brown_fv

Premium Member
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Toronto, On
whats up guys. along with a few mods i am planning, i think the next thing i need to do is upgrade is the sound system. what i want to do is:

1) throw away the useless stock sub thats in my trunk
2) add 2x10" subs with an encloser (probably just a simple box for now)
3) change the front door speakers (can i do just the front or do i have to do the front and back door speakers?)
4) dynamat
5) change the front tweeters (not now, but later on)

for the subs and speakers i was thinking Infinity speakers...how are they? my next question is what kind of AMP am i supposed to get? do i need 1 or 2...i have no idea what to look for in an AMP. what about wiring...what kinds of wires do i need?

after that, for the dynamat, would i have to use it in the trunk? i was thinking to use the dynamat door kit for the front doors then use the dynamat door speaker sound deadening kit for the back speakers...is it so far so good?
 
Hey B, everyone has different taste and a different take on what is good. in response to a few of your question. Upgrading your speakers is always a plus. you'll most definitely have to change out your stock amp to improve your overall sound of your mids/highs and your sub. infinity Ref series speaker tend to be very bright sometimes good, just depends on the music playing and the listener.

MB Quarts, Infinity, Boston, polk are a few of the speaker that you find that will drop right into place of the stock location w/lil mods to existing locations. all have their own characteristics in tone. Speaker sizes frontdeck / rear pillars 3/3.5 will fit, look at shallow speaker depth, Doors mount 6.5, sub what ever you pick.

Amps JL, rockford, crossfire, Audiobahn, PG (older series my perference), M, Kenwood, Sony etc and the list goes on.

The car is pretty sound and already has some sound deading material in it. you can always do a sound test and listen for any strange vibrations, then dynamat, or simply add before hand to all your flat areas.

Here is something to think about. think about do you want to stay with Factor head unit or aftermarket. Budget, Do want Nav included or would you like to just play music (CD's, IPOD, MP3's, Tapes, 8track lol... etc...).Sub(s) think about location, above or below rear cargo floor. custom or simple box set up. if you can't do it your self find a dealer/installer that has a good rep. if you have an idea of how to run basic wiring then I'm sure we here at the scene can help you with some step by step. there are some very knowledgable folks here that can help you out. I'm sure I can help some, along with others here. John is a great source as well. I hope I've helped some thus far

DC
 
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I just bought 36 sq ft of Dynamat, gonna pull up carpet and cover everything. Might also get sound-deadening spray on the underside.

Infinity makes nice speakers. For replacing door speakers, you need ZEnclosures 1" spacers. You can find them on eBay.
 
Deecarp said:
Hey B, everyone has different taste and a different take on what is good. in response to a few of your question. Upgrading your speakers is always a plus. you'll most definitely have to change out your stock amp to improve your overall sound of your mids/highs and your sub. infinity Ref series speaker tend to be very bright sometimes good, just depends on the music playing and the listener.

MB Quarts, Infinity, Boston, polk are a few of the speaker that you find that will drop right into place of the stock location w/lil mods to existing locations. all have their own characteristics in tone. Speaker sizes frontdeck / rear pillars 3/3.5 will fit, look at shallow speaker depth, Doors mount 6.5, sub what ever you pick.

Amps JL, rockford, crossfire, Audiobahn, PG (older series my perference), M, Kenwood, Sony etc and the list goes on.

The car is pretty sound and already has some sound deading material in it. you can always do a sound test and listen for any strange vibrations, then dynamat, or simply add before hand to all your flat areas.

Here is something to think about. think about do you want to stay with Factor head unit or aftermarket. Budget, Do want Nav included or would you like to just play music (CD's, IPOD, MP3's, Tapes, 8track lol... etc...).Sub(s) think about location, above or below rear cargo floor. custom or simple box set up. if you can't do it your self find a dealer/installer that has a good rep. if you have an idea of how to run basic wiring then I'm sure we here at the scene can help you with some step by step. there are some very knowledgable folks here that can help you out. I'm sure I can help some, along with others here. John is a great source as well. I hope I've helped some thus far

DC
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Thanks for your replies.

the music i will be listening to will be rap & hiphop mostly always from a CD...what kind of speakers will probably do me best? As for the amp i was looking around and have seen nothing but good things about JL so i guess i might go with JL amps. another thing about the amps they got these numbers in the front i got no idea what im dealing with like 500/1 , 450/4...whats all that about? which ones would i need?

As for an aftermarket head unit, it would be really ill to have one, plus i could get the navi with it but the only thing is that i dont know if one will fit where others have put theirs (rookie & dr.2k) because of the way the newer interior is i dont know if the flip screen would come up or not, but ill have to double check on that. an aftermarket HU with no screen would probably fit but if i get one id want something with navi

For the subs id just like to get a box ontop of the cargo floor. nothing complex just a regular box will do fine for me now. as for the wiring i wouldnt want to do it myself. seems a lot more complex than just hooking up a custom home theater system :laugh:

as for the dynamat, is it recommended to put some in the trunk? ive never heard a rattle from the trunk but i guess with new subs it might happen. my main concerns are to sound deaden the two front doors.
 
brown_fv said:
Thanks for your replies.

the music i will be listening to will be rap & hiphop mostly always from a CD...what kind of speakers will probably do me best? As for the amp i was looking around and have seen nothing but good things about JL so i guess i might go with JL amps. another thing about the amps they got these numbers in the front i got no idea what im dealing with like 500/1 , 450/4...whats all that about? which ones would i need?

As for an aftermarket head unit, it would be really ill to have one, plus i could get the navi with it but the only thing is that i dont know if one will fit where others have put theirs (rookie & dr.2k) because of the way the newer interior is i dont know if the flip screen would come up or not, but ill have to double check on that. an aftermarket HU with no screen would probably fit but if i get one id want something with navi

For the subs id just like to get a box ontop of the cargo floor. nothing complex just a regular box will do fine for me now. as for the wiring i wouldnt want to do it myself. seems a lot more complex than just hooking up a custom home theater system :laugh:

as for the dynamat, is it recommended to put some in the trunk? ive never heard a rattle from the trunk but i guess with new subs it might happen. my main concerns are to sound deaden the two front doors.
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Rookie & Doc both have nice set ups with Navi. both or there units are single din with the flip up screen. on the amp when you are looking at numbers 500/1 is a high powered single channel amp normally used for sub(s), and the 400 or 450/4 is a multi channel amp will run your mids and highs (doors and dash/pillars) in the FX run in series F/R and L/R to give you stereo staging at the center location in a car. JL has produce some pretty nice equip. and right now there really associated with great sub(s) in their audio line. look at a thread I posted a few week ago. What does your Audio system look like? post your Audio set-ups here...!! - InfinitiScene.com You'll find some different set-ups and hopefully it can give you some ideas as to what direction would be best for you. that is what I did and it worked out well for me, as did Doc's and rookies system worked for them.

Now as for sound deadening material in your trunk area, there is SDM from the factory
which works well. but if you'd like to re-enforce the area just place some Dynamat or browning material on all flat surfaces within the trunk, and around your speaker mount to kill the massive vibrations caused by moving cones and woofers.
 
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Thanks for the info. damn i fall for peer pressure so easily i want a headunit with navi now :laugh:
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Hey, isn't that what we are here for?:wink::tongue:



Dee is the man for this B and he has given some good advice. As for me, I'm not very audio savvy so I just tell my audio guy what and how I wand and they do their magic. My next audio upgrade will be new amps and speakers.

Whatever you do B I'm sure it will come out great. Post pics when your finished!
 
yeah peer pressure is a mother, thx for the compliment Doc. I love the double screens Doc has too. Both Doc and Rookie have sweet Navi installs. check out Rookies new install as well it's done really clean. Oh and look at Jeff carputor, just to add more peer pressure to you. Bottomline, check out a few HU's to see what feature they have and what fits your needs or wants. The HU will be the brain, your amp will be the heart beat. saying that, there are a few good 5/6 channel amps that will make life very simple for you, and they run the entire gambit of what you want, speaker and sub upgrade.
 
Deecarp said:
yeah peer pressure is a mother, thx for the compliment Doc. I love the double screens Doc has too. Both Doc and Rookie have sweet Navi installs. check out Rookies new install as well it's done really clean. Oh and look at Jeff carputor, just to add more peer pressure to you. Bottomline, check out a few HU's to see what feature they have and what fits your needs or wants. The HU will be the brain, your amp will be the heart beat. saying that, there are a few good 5/6 channel amps that will make life very simple for you, and they run the entire gambit of what you want, speaker and sub upgrade.
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oh man the carputer...im gonna have to take out a loan to mod the fx now! hahaha
if i go with an aftermarket head unit like dr.2k and rookie and it becomes the "brain" what happens to the stock headunit that is there...is it still useable just with no audio features?
 
brown_fv said:
oh man the carputer...im gonna have to take out a loan to mod the fx now! hahaha
if i go with an aftermarket head unit like dr.2k and rookie and it becomes the "brain" what happens to the stock headunit that is there...is it still useable just with no audio features?
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You are correct, it will be useable but with out audio. CD storage, lol... or tie it into your factory. Doc has his tied in with his factory system. altimidly that would change if you upgrade amps. a wholenother process, easier to just use one unit.
 
Alright just a little update. i got the names of a few places im going to check out to help me out with this little project.

ive decided ill go with some sort of custom encloser, no longer a simple box. im leaning towards an encloser like what shadyjc has or rookie. as for the amp im still undecided and hopefully the shop can help me. for the subs ive decided to go with 2 JL audio subs 10W6v2. im undecided about the door speakers, but once again i can get some input from the people at the store.

ill try to get some of the products myself (headunit, speakers) cuz im sure you can probably get them cheaper from other places, but does anybody have a rough idea how much installation would cost. lets say the price to build a encloser and install the subs, front door speakers, amps, dynamat and wiring?

thanks.
 
brown_fv said:
Alright just a little update. i got the names of a few places im going to check out to help me out with this little project.

ive decided ill go with some sort of custom encloser, no longer a simple box. im leaning towards an encloser like what shadyjc has or rookie. as for the amp im still undecided and hopefully the shop can help me. for the subs ive decided to go with 2 JL audio subs 10W6v2. im undecided about the door speakers, but once again i can get some input from the people at the store.

ill try to get some of the products myself (headunit, speakers) cuz im sure you can probably get them cheaper from other places, but does anybody have a rough idea how much installation would cost. lets say the price to build a encloser and install the subs, front door speakers, amps, dynamat and wiring?

thanks.
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you are better off purchasing things yourself else where b/c it is going to be cheaper. your enclosure cost is going to vary depending on how elabrate it will be. meaning how much time your installer will put in. the material to make enclosure is not your issue it is the time they will put in. expense can range on average from 200-900. a lil over est. time, prep, and paint is what cost. normally to put in speaker should be much but can or may run 40-90 average cost, run wire the same. HU install 60-100. now remember these are average cost incurred, or basic install. something that is straight fwd will be less than custom work. I say that b/c attention to detail come into play, and the look is suppose make things look trick or aprt of the car. just be careful with some audio shops telling you one thing and hitting you up later with something else. I wish I was there to help. get a detail picture of what they are going to do, and if the cost is high see where you can cut back and possibly do something yourself to relieve cost.

here is an example where installer can get you. buy 4G wire, say 13' in length. say cost is 29 dollars. now if they install the wire they will charge you for that plus any additional materials needed. ie ring connectors, wafer fuses. The fuse block to hold the fuse. so make sure you have a lil idea of the thing that may also come into play. but then again that is why we are here. once again Installs themselves are to hard its the time put in that cost. custom work will look good but you pay for what you get. just make sure the guys that do what they do are good and aren't ripping you off, and are neat. look at the shop if the install bays look bad then you know what to expect.
are you on appt or on walk in bases. the more professional the better you results. hopefully not your cost. sorry for the ramble. just want you have and idea of what you are getting into.

DC
 
Deecarp said:
you are better off purchasing things yourself else where b/c it is going to be cheaper. your enclosure cost is going to vary depending on how elabrate it will be. meaning how much time your installer will put in. the material to make enclosure is not your issue it is the time they will put in. expense can range on average from 200-900. a lil over est. time, prep, and paint is what cost. normally to put in speaker should be much but can or may run 40-90 average cost, run wire the same. HU install 60-100. now remember these are average cost incurred, or basic install. something that is straight fwd will be less than custom work. I say that b/c attention to detail come into play, and the look is suppose make things look trick or aprt of the car. just be careful with some audio shops telling you one thing and hitting you up later with something else. I wish I was there to help. get a detail picture of what they are going to do, and if the cost is high see where you can cut back and possibly do something yourself to relieve cost.

here is an example where installer can get you. buy 4G wire, say 13' in length. say cost is 29 dollars. now if they install the wire they will charge you for that plus any additional materials needed. ie ring connectors, wafer fuses. The fuse block to hold the fuse. so make sure you have a lil idea of the thing that may also come into play. but then again that is why we are here. once again Installs themselves are to hard its the time put in that cost. custom work will look good but you pay for what you get. just make sure the guys that do what they do are good and aren't ripping you off, and are neat. look at the shop if the install bays look bad then you know what to expect.
are you on appt or on walk in bases. the more professional the better you results. hopefully not your cost. sorry for the ramble. just want you have and idea of what you are getting into.

DC
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Thanks for the heads up man! as of now i wont be doing appointments. im going to go to a couple places and in the end when i decide where i want to go id want to have a sit down and put everything out there.

is it possible to do the audio system in two stages? reason i am asking is i just had to pay for my university fees a few days ago so my bank account got cut by a bit over 4K lol. i am wondering if i could do just the subs, box, dynamat, and one amp now and then later do the headunit, speakers, another amp & more dynamat. would it honestly be easier to do everything at once or would it be ok to do it in 2 steps?
 
You can do 2 stages. Note: doing it in 2 stages could cause you to pay for doing the job twice. once you install the HU your system will be rewired to have the HU operate the sounds instead of factory unit. There are a few other here that have just done what your asking. You can add a new amp and sub. You'll need a PAC AUX AAI-NIS-II module to utilize factory sub conections to attach your vehicle harnest to an aftermarket amp.
http://www.infinitifx.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=10614 here on our sister sight John did an install on tommy guns FX sort of thing you're wanting to do. it's an excellent illistration and step by step pic to give you an idea what was done. I hope I'm anwsering your questions. Good luck, and Keep the questions coming.

DC
 
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