Need advice on upgrading sound system

[James909]

Let me start by saying that I am a novice when it comes to car stereos. Please be patient as I have a lot of questions. I have been researching and have learned enough that I understand all of the basics. Anyone's advice on the following would be appreciated.

Right now everything is factory. I recently picked up two Kenwood KFC-W3011 subs, an enclosure, and an Alpine MRP-M500 amp. I plan on upgrading the big 3. I hope this is a good start.

I am not looking for competition level audio as I am on a fairly strict budget but I am trying to avoid cutting as many corners as possible. As far as head units go right now I am considering the Alpine CDA-105, Alpine IDA-X305, or possibly the Clarion FZ409. Any thoughts or experiences on these head units or maybe ones you consider better in the same price range would be appreciated.

Speakers are the area that I need the most help in. In the front I thought I would use a 4" speaker or maybe a 4x6 plate speaker. In the back I plan using one of the speaker pods if the member here is still selling them. I thought I would use 6.5" speakers in the rear. Although not ideal I plan on running all 4 speakers off of the head unit power and not use an external amp due to budget and space constraints. I don't want to lose much of the cargo area functionality, I hope to mount the sub amp behind the kick panel in the cargo area so it's easy to remove the subs if I need to. Although there is a possibility of adding an amp for the speakers in the future. So I'm looking for efficient speakers in order to make the most of the available power. I don't want to spend more than $250 on speakers. So could you guys maybe recommend some speakers that you think would work best for me. Would I be better off buying lower end models from high end brands like Boston Acoustics or higher end models from cheaper brands like Pioneer? Right now the speakers I am looking at are JL Audio VR650-CSI or CXI for the rear and Boston Acoustics 746 for the front. Is it OK to mix and match speaker brands like this? Any recommendations?

I really apologize for having so many questions and such a long post but I want to make sure I do this right. Any input is appreciated. Thanks.

 

[viximaging]

My friend made a dual 6.5" in each door. I forgot how he used alpine type s I think. I am going to text him and see exactly what he used and he ran a small cheap amp from walmart. He also used some kind of tweeters from the flea market with some crossovers.. Man that thing screamed. It was so clear and I was actually surprised.. I will try and get details.

He also had a small box under the rear seat with 2 12"s and it hit hard.. made me sneeze from the vibrations in my nose haha. He did it for under 500 bux and it was freaking loud. He does all kinds of crap. He makes fiberglass enclosures and everything..

 

[James909]

If you get any more details about that system if you could let me know that would be great.

Well today I went to a car audio store and spoke with one of the salesmen there and listened to the speakers on display. He recommended not mixing speaker brands and since JL doesn't make a 4x6 speaker I am leaning towards Boston Acoustics. They sounded very good in the store. He did advise against the Boston Acoustics 746 though unless I was running an amp, which I'm not, at least not right away. My question is would you guys recommend using round or oval speakers? I was thinking round, so would it be better to run 4" speakers in the front vs 4x6" ones? And in the back should I use 6 1/2" speakers or 6x9"? The speakers I am considering right now are the BA S45 or S75 in the front. And in the back the BA SL65 or SC65 or maybe the SL95. Please let me know which ones you think are best.

As for the head units I have ruled out the Clarion. I am still deciding between the Alpine CDA-105 and the IDA-X305 but am leaning strongly towards the IDA-X305. Thanks in advance for any input.

 

[James909]

Ok, I think I may have figured out what I am going to do. I am going with the Alpine IDA-X305 for the head unit. And a slight change of plans with the speakers. I am going with the BA S75 for the front and the BA SC95 for the rear. I decided I am going to mount the rear speakers without the speaker pod, at least for now. If I decide that the sound is not projecting well enough then I can always add the speaker pods later. Do you guys think this is a decent set up? Also a few simple questions. Do I need to use bass blockers on any of the speakers? And should I use speaker baffles when I mount the speakers? As I said I am still kind of new to all of this.

 

[Saodrin]

why in the world are you putting 4s upfront its a 6.5hole and 4x10s in the rear

 

[James909]

why in the world are you putting 4s upfront its a 6.5hole and 4x10s in the rear

The truck's a 94, when they had 4x6s in the dash rather than the 6.5s in the door.

 

[Saodrin]

ohh i see sorry about that hmm get some good 4s then polk makes some nice ones im uisng them in place of 6.5s cause they were just laying around

 

[drowndindreams]

well, if youre short on budget, blaukpunt (or something named like that) sells pairs by the $50s, polk audio is about the same quality, but more expensive.

first off you just start buy your head unit, i see you already have your subs and amp. when you plan on installing your head unit, buy a amplifier wiring kit so you can have your subs ready too. if you need any help on wiring just let me know. from then on it's a snap upgrading your speakers, because it doesnt really require tearing things apart

 

[blizz]

I just put in a pair of these:

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_108602...?search=infinity+reference+6022si&ssi=0&tp=95

and this head unit:

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_020CZ2...NDORID020&ssi=0&searchdisplay=Clarion&tp=5684

I'm impressed and love the sound I'm getting now, all for under $200.

 

[James909]

Thanks for all of the input guys. I'll be ordering the head unit soon. I would have had it already but I got a tint ticket so that temporarily cut into the budget. I'll get the amp wiring kit at the same time as the head unit. Going with 4 gauge. I'm installing the subs in a store bought rectangular enclosure that's a little bigger than what Kenwood recommends. Should I use polyfill?

I also have a question about upgrading the Big 3. I'll be using 1/0 gauge Monster cable. Overkill maybe but this way I won't have to redo it as I add to the system. Anyway the negative cable from the battery right now is grounded to the intake manifold. When I add the new wire would it be better to ground the negative battery cable right to the frame which is where the amp will be grounded to? And the other ground I have to upgrade is the one from the frame to the engine, correct?