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General => Car audio => Topic started by: Diesel_head on 11 March 2005, 16:53

Title: Spending Your Cash Wisely Will make for a good system.
Post by: Diesel_head on 11 March 2005, 16:53

I found out when i started driving that i could pick up equipment off EBay, but there is a lot of sh!t on there.. If it isn't by a name you know then search the Net to find more info, if there isn't any then don't get it!
 
         Next most people upgrade the system with a CD head unit, they are only about ?60 on Ebay for last years Sony ones with EQ7 and 2 sets of pre-outs.

         After a head unit you need speakers and probably a sub or 2 and amps and of course decent wires.
       
     first mistake i made was buying cheap wiring kits, 12gauge, not any good at all... so i wasted ?30 on 2 sets, eventually i bought a 4Guage kit. I advise that you actually either buy one of them as they come with decent speaker wire or get it all! separately,  I have now spent about ?130 on wiring but it sounds a lot lot better than that original ?30's worth.

      When you get your speakers go to Halfords or something to try them out and then find them at a good price on the Net. If you can only afford one set then you really should buy Separates, for the doors. rather than 6x9's on the parcel shelf as you will have far better listening quality, the mids and highs will go right in to your ears. Obviously if you can then upgrade the ones in the rear doors or get some in the parcel shelf as well.

       You now want a sub or two. I've not needed to upgrade my 2 10" subs at all, i made my own box but the sound was not as good as the original so i put them back in.. i reccommend one sub for quality and 2 for lots of bass don't bother with three as with a decent amp you can get a far higher output... I've herd systems with 2 12" subs that weren't as loud or as tight sounding as my 2 10's. so really save that money for a decent amp.

      You now want to get an Amp, if you can then get two. a 4 Channel one not really more than 100watts per Channel  as you might blow the speakers if there not up to it. make sure it is a good one so you don't have to upgrade it later, i need a better one as mine was ?50 second hand and a little knackered.
     For the subs you want a class D mono amp really but there not cheap compared to a 2channel one thats bridged, like i said it's well worth it, you get a bass controller and if you get a decent one you can power both subs off it, mine is 1000Watts RMS and i got the shop down to ?230, it's a legacy,i wanted a Vibe MB4 but they pursuaded me to get that...
     
        If you want your system to play for any decent period of time at a constant level then Get a power Cap! i got mine for ?60! and that was a sh!t make but it looks OK and is 1.5Farads so it almost is capable of as much as my system can kickout, therefor try and match up to the power of the system with the amount of Farads on the Cap.

       My system when i started driving cost about ?300. i was 17 and this was about a year ago.
                 Now it's cost a bit over ?1000.... lol... more than the car it used to be in.

         so as long as you get the right stuff in the 1st place then you will be happy with it... buy a system to upgrade later.. because you will want to.... like if you by an amp and one set of speakers make sure you can add another set to the amp later!.
                      thats my opinion on car stereos... If anyone has questions, wants pictures or wants to add to this then go for it.
                               Josh

Title: Re: Spending Your Cash Wisely Will make for a good system.
Post by: Dizzie on 12 March 2005, 23:45

get the biggest rated amp you can find for your front speakers and run it at 25% with the gain turned right down. that way you won't get any distortion. your tweeters are very important as the direction they point in makes or breaks your quality.

Title: Re: Spending Your Cash Wisely Will make for a good system.
Post by: Diesel_head on 13 March 2005, 13:30

yea completely... the tweeters are extremely important... and rememer that the 0, -3 and -6DB cut is there for a reason, as you are pointing them right in to your ears you need to cut them by a few DB's. Also a lot of head units, sony i know as a major one, have DSO.. dynamic stage organiser... i really don't recommend using it ever as it sound so tin-ie, same goes with the loud function and bass boost! they all a certain frequency in vast amounts and make the rest sound sh!t!

           this should be on the ICE Bible really..