Online car audio/video/alarm/installation help for SD members

Hey,
Let me give you some advice on your system.

First of all, Polk makes great speakers, so that system you chose is not a bad choice.

The deck is more on the simpler lower end side, but since your still young and dont have too much money, that will work. You get ipod controls via usb, enough outputs for multiple amplifiers and a remote control. It might not be the prettiest deck out, but it will do the job.

The amp is very small. It has 65wx2 rms. That means together you will only get 130watts rms (real power). Thats not enough for even entry level subs, so you might want to look at something else with more power. Which brings me to my next point, I dont see a subwoofer and box in your system? Without one, forget havving good bass. Your component set is made to give you good, clear highs, not bass. The mid on your component is their to pick up the lows that bigger woofers cant, but it wont do the job of giving you solid bass. You absoluetly need a subwoofer to get what you want.

The amp wiring kit is extremely thin. Why go 10gauge? I would go at least 8 gauge that way if you ever do upgrade to a bigger amp, you dont have to rewire your car.


If you plan on doing the installation yourself, that might not be a bad price for all that stuff. The amp is sort of a cheap brand, but it'll work. If you plan on getting it professionally installed, you might want to check out your local stores. Sometimes they give huge discounts on installation if you buy the prodcut from them. Many times that comes out to be cheaper than buying it from one place and getting it installed at another. Also, walking into a local store, you might be able to negotiate. If you walked in and told them you have $500 to spend for example, im sure they can do something that way they dont lose the sale.

Let me know if you have any other questions

First of all, thanks so much for your help.

Right now I have a completely stock speaker system, which I'm almost positive has no amp. I know that amp is small, but I never even turn the system up to max volume as it is now. I guess my question about that is, with the amp/speaker's I chose, will it be as loud/louder then my current system?

About the bass. Right now, I'm not completely satisfied with the bass. However, in my parents car, a toyota prius with stock everything, I'm 100% happy with how it sounds. I'm under the assumption is doesn't have a sub, so will I be able to get equivalent bass (equivalent to the stock system of the prius or pretty much any new car) with the component speakers I chose? OR are the component speakers specifically designed for mids/highs and pretty much have to be used with a sub?

I guess you're right, I'll spend a little extra and get the 8 gauge. Is pretty much any brand wiring kit good enough?

I'll be sure to check out some local stores before I place the order, too.

How about this one for size

2004 H1 Hummer (Humvee). I would assume for the most part electricals are stock GM-ish stuff. Its a diesel, and i'm looking to install a viper remote start (for these hellish summers we've got in arizona).

Do you think its going to be a major pita to install?

hey bayareaa,
how you doing man. finally i got my system installed 2 15 kicker cvr's,zx750.1 and jl audio 4 gauge wiring.

my question is how much do you regularly charge for
1. amp installation
2.line output convertor
3. jl audio 4 gauge amp kit
4. 2 rca's

i just want to know if i got a good deal or not.

Hey,
Yes the new system will for sure be louder than your stock system, but might not give you exactly what you want.

With alot of the new cars, the manufacturer includes a factory sub in the vehicle. You might not see it because they enclose them somewhere in the car thats not visible withou removing panels.

Let me tell you how i would go about this. Run the components to the deck. Put the amp on bridged to a single subwoofer in a sealed enclosure. I would go with a Rockford Fosgate Punch P1 or an Alpine Type E 10". Those are good, reliable, name brand entry level subs with a good price tag. That should get you what you want.

So your saying skip the amp all together for the speakers the use that amp to power a sub instead? Are the speakers still going to be loud enough?

Edit: Also, what do you think about this amp instead of the old one?

New: http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Pr...92&tp=5684

Old: http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Pr...UB&tp=5684

It seems like it has a little more power for not that much more money, and pretty much the same amount of features as the old one.

Hey,
What you showed me were decks, not amplifiers.

Oh, I meant to put decks.

Hey,
That deck does have about 8 watts rms per channel more than the Pioneer. It wont make too much difference, but if 5 bucks doesnt matter to you i'd say go for it.

Ok so I think I'll go with the second deck. But are you saying just run the components straight to the deck and skip the amp all together? If so, how would I do that?

Hey,
Run the components straight to deck (which has a built in amplifier) and use the external amp you were going to buy to run a subwoofer in a enclosure.

Ok, now my question is how is all that going to be wired up? From what I can tell, the deck only has RCA outputs yet I need it to be speaker wire going into the component system. Is there an adapter or something I need to use? Sorry for all these questions, I've never done anything like this before.