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olokul

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This has been a long while but back in the day I used to run 2x Orion XTR Pro's 12inch. w/ a HiFonics Brutus Amp. (cant remember the wattage but it was a class D amp).

I got the system loud enough to Spider the Hatchback Window on my old Saturn SW2.

Not sure if the Orions are still cheap, but they are an awesome subwoofer for the price.

 

I currently have two JL Audio 12w3's 2ohms. I cant remember the amp. I think it's a 2 or 300 dollar Kenwood. cant recall the wattage on that either.

It bumps good enough to vibrate my hair.

 

I would not spend too much money on a system. I love music too and I could not live with out a sub, but there is no way I would spend the kind of money I did back in my early 20's on a system anymore.

Unless you plan on doing competitions.

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With that kind of budget and subs taken care of.

I would say get yourself some sound deadening (dynamat, roadkill ect) and properly cover up your doors. Make some solid mounts for your aftermarket speakers and run fresh wire with a sound deadening mat to catch some of the backwave.

 

Then have your headunit (nothing wrong with pioneer I would even suggest it before finding out you have some of the add on components but $1.5k are you prioritising right?) I am guessing you didnt get any premo intergrated headunit and from what I saw from a quick search it appears subaru isn't going that way gets its a rather simple double din headunit swap. A little surprising but not in a bad way in.this day and age.

 

I have no idea what prices hertz or focal splits go for in the states without links to sites so cant recommend anything specific and without anything specific cant match an amp/amps.

 

I second what waco has said about rewiring the battery and alternator it is definitely worth the effort and money.

 

So sites please because crutchfield and sonicelectronix cant show me much of anything for an sq build I would be happy with in my own car.

 

Edit: forgot to mention no real point to a sound processor with a high end headunit that is already setting you back in excess of 1 grand. I seriously doubt your ears will be able to tell the difference although granted a processor like the bitone has lots of extra options for tuning and presets. It is really best used when intergarating an aftermarket system with an oem intergrated headunit/multimedia system.

 

 

here are some stores I dont look at the MSRP from these sites, case in point i found my headunit $500 cheaper online then what pioneer has it listed for.

 

http://www.hertzaudiovideo.com/default_en.htm

http://www.focal-america.com/

http://www.alpine-usa.com/

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Car

http://www.sonicelectronix.com they have the HU for $1000

 

I could have oppted for the stock nav unit in the subaru for $1000 but i was figuring on replacing it with an aftermarket anyway so i didnt get it. I will be replacing all wires with new ones and dynomate everything, this is extra and not part of the budget. battery will most likly be a optima yellow top

 

For the front I think im going to go with focal 165krx2 http://www.focal-america.com/category/speakers/

not sure what to do with the rears, should i put componets in or just stick coaxial in. also not sure what amp to use to push these. Ive only used old Rockford fosgate punch amps and alpine v-power amps

 

I just want to dorp the cash on it up front make it sound *ing amazing and be done with it and not have to change out something 2 months from now because i didnt like the sound of something.

Edited by olokul

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How comfortable are you with fiberglassing? As well as installing a mid-bass in the kick-panel?

 

If you are alright with it I would say fiberglass your tweeter into the a piller dump your mid in the door and put a 6-8" mid-bass in the kick-panel one on the passenger side and the other on the drivers.

 

This may be over the top but at least the installation of the tweeters in the pillars is definitely worth it.

 

Will look through the links in a little while.

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How comfortable are you with fiberglassing? As well as installing a mid-bass in the kick-panel?

 

If you are alright with it I would say fiberglass your tweeter into the a piller dump your mid in the door and put a 6-8" mid-bass in the kick-panel one on the passenger side and the other on the drivers.

 

This may be over the top but at least the installation of the tweeters in the pillars is definitely worth it.

 

Will look through the links in a little while.

 

 

I really dont want to cut up a brand new car if i dont have to, but will see once the car gets here. I'll give it a good looking over and see where i have room to fit stuff into it.

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Yeah - until you get the car and know what kind of room you're working with it's hard to suggest a front stage setup.

 

 

My last build had 1000+ watts just for the fronts which were active 4-way with 8" midbass, 4.5" midranges, and 1.5" and 3/4" tweeters, just so you know where I'm coming from. :lol: I like lots of room to work with.

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I suggest having a look at the Hertz MLK 2 TW as well as consider going with say the Hertz MLK 3 PA or the Focal 165 VR3. The 3-way sets are useless unless you can fiberglass. I am also not sure what size the door pods are in what I assume is the 2012 wrx sti? it may well be the case that you will have an impossible time with 165mm (6 1/2") speakers.

 

In the rear don't compromise and grab some more components and i would say get the MLK 2 TW it goes for $1k in aus so should be cheaper for you and it's mid is much better imo that that of the focal. Although the highs reproduced by the focal spilts in the K2 power range would push me towards them for the front however for a fuller sound you may want to go with a 3-way set in the front.

 

Actually just found this :lol:

 

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103292

 

Apparently the rear door holes are larger I would say grab a set of Focal 165 VR3 the 4" will fit in the door perfectly and the tweeter can be mounted either dash or in a piller which I still sugest and then you would be required to get the 6 1/2" in the kick panel.

 

Here is a little thread from the same forums of someone installing some speakers in fiberglass pods as well as his amp rack.

 

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2298834

 

Edit: Focal VR3 3-way components http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_10613_Focal-165-VR3.html?SearchClickout%5Bquery_id%5D=8491768&SearchClickout%5BIgnore%5D=1 $899

Edit2: Makes me cry when I see these prices, Boston Accoustics 2 chan amp GT-2200 http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_18558_Boston-Acoustics-GT-2200.html $180

Edited by Stonerboy779

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Yeah - until you get the car and know what kind of room you're working with it's hard to suggest a front stage setup.

 

 

My last build had 1000+ watts just for the fronts which were active 4-way with 8" midbass, 4.5" midranges, and 1.5" and 3/4" tweeters, just so you know where I'm coming from. :lol: I like lots of room to work with.

What drivers did you put together and got any pics still?

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In the rear don't compromise and grab some more components and i would say get the MLK 2 TW it goes for $1k in aus so should be cheaper for you and it's mid is much better imo that that of the focal. Although the highs reproduced by the focal spilts in the K2 power range would push me towards them for the front however for a fuller sound you may want to go with a 3-way set in the front.

Personal choice, but I wouldn't install any rear speakers. Screw the people in the back seat...I'm the one driving the car and rear speakers make your soundstage go to crap really quickly. :lol: That's not even mentioning the phasing problems you get and odd frequency response too. :P

 

 

What drivers did you put together and got any pics still?

Off the top of my head -

 

Canton soft dome midrange/tweeters (3/4" and 1.5") a pair of Canton Karat 300s running 2 KHz up split at ~9 KHz using the stock crossover

Vifa/Scanspeak 4.5" midrange running from 250 Hz up to 2 KHz

Dayton RS225 8" midbasses running from 50 Hz up to 250 Hz

 

The mids/tweets up top had 300 watts RMS to them (150 per side). The midranges also had 150 RMS per side. The midbasses had 300 watts RMS each running to them. Power was not an issue. :lol: The sub stage was filled out with a pair of Elemental Designs 13Ov.2 drivers running sealed in the rear deck with 1200 watts RMS on tap. The whole setup would do nearly 140 dB full range without a hint of distortion...and you couldn't hear it outside the car except for the windshield wipers bouncing a bit. Soundproofing and sound deadening FTW!

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Personal choice, but I wouldn't install any rear speakers. Screw the people in the back seat...

That's how I feel in my own car because well its my car and passengers be damned :lol: I know that my rear doors in my next car will be emptied and I will be running a 4 to 5 way system up front. 2 tweeters in the pillars ribbon and dome combo most likely.

Custom door with a 3-4" mid/high 6-6 1/2" mid and a 8" mid bass in the kick panel and I already have some ideas on how it will be installed.

 

Off the top of my head -

 

Canton soft dome midrange/tweeters (3/4" and 1.5") a pair of Canton Karat 300s running 2 KHz up split at ~9 KHz using the stock crossover

Vifa/Scanspeak 4.5" midrange running from 250 Hz up to 2 KHz

Dayton RS225 8" midbasses running from 50 Hz up to 250 Hz

 

The mids/tweets up top had 300 watts RMS to them (150 per side). The midranges also had 150 RMS per side. The midbasses had 300 watts RMS each running to them. Power was not an issue. :lol: The sub stage was filled out with a pair of Elemental Designs 13Ov.2 drivers running sealed in the rear deck with 1200 watts RMS on tap. The whole setup would do nearly 140 dB full range without a hint of distortion...and you couldn't hear it outside the car except for the windshield wipers bouncing a bit. Soundproofing and sound deadening FTW!

Would have been nice to hear very nice indeed. Cannot say I have ever listened to dayton speakers and canton only ever in a home theater environment I had no idea they made anything for car audio or did you mix in home theater/loudspeaker components?

I assume you didn't use carpet underlay in that setup :P and also assume a decent bit of fiberglassing was employed so any pics? You must have some...

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Would have been nice to hear very nice indeed. Cannot say I have ever listened to dayton speakers and canton only ever in a home theater environment I had no idea they made anything for car audio or did you mix in home theater/loudspeaker components?

I assume you didn't use carpet underlay in that setup :P and also assume a decent bit of fiberglassing was employed so any pics? You must have some...

The Daytons were awesome midbass drivers. The Canton speakers were from a set of bookshelf speakers (if you can call an 8" three way a bookshelf :lol:) that I blew out the woofers on.

 

As for sound deadening/proofing - it was a crazy mix of carpet underlayment, dynamat equivalent, spray rubber (for hard to shape/reach areas), and neoprene soundproofing.

 

 

It wasn't a pretty setup - I did everything with MDF and Frankensteined most of it. :lol: It was purely functional and my car was extremely ghetto looking. :teehee: Mechanically it was perfect, but visually? :lol:

 

DSCF0387%20%5b800x600%5d.JPG

 

I actually don't have any decent pics of the midbass pods in the doors - but here's a close up:

DSCF0392%20%5b800x600%5d.JPG

 

The midrange/upper mid/tweeter setup:

DSCF0393%20%5b800x600%5d.JPG

 

The wiring MESS (the other amps are under the false floor):

DSCF0400%20%5b800x600%5d.JPG

 

The subs fired directly at the rear window:

DSCF0390%20%5b800x600%5d.JPG

 

You can see my retardedly upgraded grounds here:

intake.JPG

 

 

A while before I had chopped the car up quite so much I built these pods for triple 4.5" midbasses:

driver%20(Medium).jpg

 

 

 

I bet you weren't expecting something so nasty looking huh? :lol: The main point is that is sounded absolutely fantastic and didn't make much of a peep outside the car at full blast.

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actually some parts of it look pretty decent for being so ghetto and i have fallen in love with the grill on the mid bass.

The cantons make more sense now and yeah that is my kinda bookshelf :lol: (I assume 8' not 8")

 

Some of your wiring scares me a little haha and the one thing I aint a fan of is the parcel shelf subs. It is just really not my kinda thing and didn't you compromise the structural integrity of the car cutting into the parcel shelf so much? In aus at least it is also illegal to make such a modification to a parcel shelf yet people still ask installers to cut their parcel shelves mainly to install 6x9s without using a pod.

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Some of your wiring scares me a little haha and the one thing I aint a fan of is the parcel shelf subs. It is just really not my kinda thing and didn't you compromise the structural integrity of the car cutting into the parcel shelf so much? In aus at least it is also illegal to make such a modification to a parcel shelf yet people still ask installers to cut their parcel shelves mainly to install 6x9s without using a pod.

The wiring looks scary but it's safe, believe it or not. All fused up, relayed up, etc. Keeping it straight when wiring it was the biggest challenge. :lol:

 

As for the rear deck being cut out - I bent that damn thing hitting my head on it once. It didn't add any structural integrity to the car at all. The car actually drove a lot better after I built that box in there since it was braced substantially internally and it was also bolted to the strut towers on each side as well.

 

 

I miss that stupid car. I'd buy another Lumina just like it in a heartbeat but none of them are in that good of condition mechanically (it only had 7000 miles on it when I got it in 2000)...and it just wouldn't be the same car. :dunno:

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