HU or speakers first??

[chuyler1]

That's our job here at the Protege Forum.

 

[Mr. 4500 RPM]

Well, if you can't afford to get all 4 speakers, why not focus on the front first. those are the speakers that you will hear the most, and those are the ones that you want to be at their best.

[hreadjack] hey where in CT are you from? [/threadjack]

im from greenwich, ct what about you? youl see me at he dyno day if you attend of the show on the 26th...itl be a nice way to celebrate m birthday!

 

[SilverBulletES]

$139.95 MTX Audio Thunder 342 (85 watts x 2 @ 14.4v) www.sounddomain.com
$112.95 Infinity Reference 6800cs (5x7" or 6.5") components (90 watts RMS) www.sounddomain.com
$19.99 KnuKonceptz Complete 8 Guage Amp Installation Kit www.knukonceptz.com
$19.95 DavidNavone NE-8V Line Out Converter (LOC) www.davidnavone.com


I'm 3/4 of the way there. Ordered the last three. $160 with shipping so far.
Now if I can just find a decent 2-channel amp for 125 or so I think I'll have the world's nicest sounding stock stereo for under $300 of mods.
Of course I did pay for the 6-disc when I bought the car and a little bit on a used tape deck.... ahhh screw it. (cheers)

 

[chuyler1]

If you're really looking to save money you could drop down to a Thunder 202 (50x2 for $109).
http://www.acaraudio.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_37&products_id=637

Anyone that ends up running that setup please post your thoughts after it is all installed.

 

[BluBoy]

Since I'm going with the 8200CS's in the front, would the 6000CS's be a good choice for the rear?? Anyone?? I really value all your opinions. I'm sure you all have heard more stuff than I have. (bow)

 

[chuyler1]

My opinion is not to buy rear speakers.

 

[BluBoy]

Hmmm....what's up with that? Are the rear speaks just totally worthless or what?? (huh)

 

[chuyler1]

For you the driver...yes.

Maybe if you had 5.1 surround sound and a DVD player they would be worth while but even still the location of the rear speakers in the P5 is horrible.

 

[ChopstickHero]

i say build your system around a good headunit. you're limited by your headunit, even if you have the best speakers in the world. also, i suggest getting an amp and running either a 2 channel or 4 channel setup. you can get a 2 channel amp and run components in the front and leave the rear speakers for the headunit to power. you want your staging in the front of the car anyways.

 

[SilverBulletES]

If you're really looking to save money you could drop down to a Thunder 202 (50x2 for $109).
http://www.acaraudio.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_37&products_id=637

Anyone that ends up running that setup please post your thoughts after it is all installed.

I've found the Alpine MRV-T320 (80x2) for about that price and am going with that.

I'll let you guys know how the "Chuyler setup" is once I have it installed. I've never installed anything but speakers before, but I figure if I follow the FAQs it shouldn't be too difficult a setup with just one amp and two speakers. I'm dreading having to pull the stock headunit out again (put in someone's tape deck they didn't work)... I remember it was a b**** and I put a couple tiny scratches in the dash. Tried the wire hanger trick. Didn't wire. Bought some "proper" pullers from AutoZone, but they weren't quite the right width. Bent them to fit. Didn't work because I mashed the clips somehow. Finally a guy at the dealership just pulled it for no charge.

Anyway, on the subject of rear speakers, I have a sedan, so the rear speaker locations don't seem to be _totally_ worthless. But I hardly hear them anyway. Since I'm going to Infinity components up front I'm just going to wait until some heavily discounted 2-way Infinity 6x9s show up on eBay. Not a priority-- but if I can find a pair for say $40 shipped I might just plug them into the stock wires. But then again-- better speakers are harder to push so maybe I'll just take Chuyler's advice and forget it all together. Faded back to just the rear speakers driving to work today though-- man did that sound like garbage.

After that, the last thing I _might_ do is hook up a Kenwood WooX. (Will this begin to slide under a seat?) I have no desire to ever have a woofer box taking up trunk space. Plus I'm way more of an old school country/punk/rocker than boom-boom bass guy anyway.

I'm only buying a headunit if the stock 6-disc bites it. Had an aftermarket before. Got my car broken into.

 

[Mr. 4500 RPM]

i heard some focals over at a tweeters store and they sounded amazing. granted they are extremely expensive but i think i shall be saving up to do this for the front speakers. now all i need would be an amp to run focal speakers. anyone have any ideas? also are focals good in the long run besides sounding amazing at the store? i also heard some mb quartz(sp?) which also sounded amazing so i might get those but i am pushing towards focals. i know i wanted to spend less but i think for mid summer i will just get some focals and amp them. then eventually down the road get a 10-8 in sub and put it in the trunk with an amp for that and get nice tunes out of a complete package, with the stock head unit! is this possible? any suggestions?

 

[chuyler1]

Yes that is all possible. Focal makes some nice sounding components but they don't come cheap. Which set did you listen to? They have several and I can't really recommend an amp without knowing which one. Also, if you're going to spend that kind of money on components, buying a cheap amp is not going to do them justice.

Its also good to hear them in a car. MB Quarts can sound great on the sound rack in a store but once you get them in your car many people find them too harsh.

 

[Mr. 4500 RPM]

Yes that is all possible. Focal makes some nice sounding components but they don't come cheap. Which set did you listen to? They have several and I can't really recommend an amp without knowing which one. Also, if you're going to spend that kind of money on components, buying a cheap amp is not going to do them justice.

Its also good to hear them in a car. MB Quarts can sound great on the sound rack in a store but once you get them in your car many people find them too harsh.

well what do you mean by sounding too harsh? and of coarse i dont want a cheap amp thats why i was thinking of getting a jl audio amp to go with the focals and a jl audio sub and amp for the trunk. but i am unsure about the sub though since i just put the stock sub to its max power in the trunk and it sounds great, i think upgrading the speakers will also help. but the focals i heard are the 165K2Pi beleive they are 6X9 components...i dont remember. i am unsure if they can fit the front doors or not but id like a set of focals for the door because they sounded so amazing. let me know what you think, and I am unsure about amps though but i wont cheap out on an amp when buying 500+ speakers!

 

[chuyler1]

The 165K2P is a 6.5" component set (I couldn't find any info about the 165K2Pi on their site if it exists at all). The 165K2P will fit by creating an MDF baffle. However A 6x9" speaker will not fit without cutting into door.

Some metal dome component sets sound great at first but have a tendency to wear out your ears faster than silk dome tweeters. After long periods of listening they sound harsh to the ear. If not mounted and angled correctly MB Quarts won't sound good at all.

JL Audio is a good brand to choose for your amps.

 

[Mr. 4500 RPM]

The 165K2P is a 6.5" component set (I couldn't find any info about the 165K2Pi on their site if it exists at all). The 165K2P will fit by creating an MDF baffle. However A 6x9" speaker will not fit without cutting into door.

Some metal dome component sets sound great at first but have a tendency to wear out your ears faster than silk dome tweeters. After long periods of listening they sound harsh to the ear. If not mounted and angled correctly MB Quarts won't sound good at all.

JL Audio is a good brand to choose for your amps.

my bad i could have added a i in by accident. but i did not remember if they were 6.5 or' or bigger. how does a mdf baffle go about being created? would these sound harsh to your ear as you say mb quarts do? i think i shall be getting the focals though cause they sounded amazing. but this project shall have to hit the back burner till late summer because i shall be doing a msp turbo setup in my protege5 as my first summer project! but this will happen as well. will the stock HU have any problems handeling the power of the focal 165K2P's with a good amp? What amp would you recomend for these speakers? I was thinking JL Audio because they are a reputable good company but if there is something better out there or just as good but a little less pricey I am willing to shop around. Any suggestions?

 

[chuyler1]

I haven't heard them so I can't comment on how they will sound. There are many mid to high end amplifiers that you could go with. Do some research on this forum, www.carsound.com, the internet, and pick up a few car audio magazines to see what the pros are using. We're getting a little off topic here.

 

[Mr. 4500 RPM]

I haven't heard them so I can't comment on how they will sound. There are many mid to high end amplifiers that you could go with. Do some research on this forum, www.carsound.com, the internet, and pick up a few car audio magazines to see what the pros are using. We're getting a little off topic here.

ok thank you and sorry for the tangent.

 

[Poseur]

k2p's=VERY good. like, umm, if you like them, just saveup and get them, don't acept any subsitutes unless you've heared them side by side and you prefer them... THose and Older Boston Pro's are still some of my favorites. (and, ofcourse the Kicker SS's which may or maynot be finding their wayinto a laserblue P5 around my driveway shortly)

Asfor the baffle, prettymuch, traceout a stock speaker, cut wood out to match, cut a circle hole, trim off the plastic ring that protrudes back form the door panel, and boom you're in. tweeter mounting is a different chicken, but i'd highly recommend 2-side taping it and moving it around for awhile atfirst. I really favored having my tweets on that flat right on the fornt side of the kickpanels when I was 2-way. I've got pics somewhere in here of the baffles, honestly they'r emuch easier to make than th talk about. jsut apint them to seal them or use plexi or something

 

[Alpinejwl]

Quick questions since there seems to be answer here. I have a p5 with stock HU and speakers. I recently just bought this amp "Phoenix Gold OCTANE R5.0:4 4-Channel Amplifier" and I just want a simple setup to make the volume louder. What gauge amp kit should I get and where is the best place to get them? I need someone to install these for me, so I want to get everything to them and they can just do the install (to save a copule bucks =) My amp is a 500 watt and 4-channel. is this a good amp? and what if I get the wiring myself, is it simple to install?

 

[chuyler1]

I would buy a 4ga wiring kit from www.knukonceptz.com. You will also need a LOC from www.davidnavone.com if you want to use the stock head unit.

The amp you have is 80x4 or 250x2. There are plenty of how-tos on this forum and the internet to guide you through installing an amplifier.

80 watts is a bit overkill for the stock speakers. They won't last very long with that kind of power. I would recommend upgrading the front speakers with a set of components ($115 and up) and getting a small subwoofer for the hatch (a JL Audio 10w3v2 dual 2ohm will work great but any 4ohm or dual 2ohm sub rated for 200-400 watts will work). There are also some nice 8" subs if you are looking to save space.

I do not recommend doing anything with the rear speakers. You don't need them to get a "loud" system and they only hurt the SQ of the system by pulling the sound stage to the rear of the car.