JBL audio system ?

[kting28]

Hi,

Just got my first new car: 03 Silver Protege ES

I have around 1.5k left in my budget to spend on aftermarket audio, as a start. What I have in mind is a JBL system + Sony head unit

Sony CDX-M3DI

Front
JBL P8652 (6"8")

Rear Deck
JBL P953 (6"9")

Amp
JBL PX300.4 600 WATT 4 CHANNEL POWER AMP

I'm planning to get all the equipments from ebay and find a shop to install them ( I spent hours reading this wonderful forum but still freaks out about installing them by myself )

So... I know JBLs are great for home audio, but what about car audio ?

Thanks for any feedbacks and helps !

Zoom zoom ...

 

[1sty]

JBLs reputation in caraudio is best on there amps as an inexpensive performer. Its not the same level or flexibilyt of other amps but it will do the job for most people and do it well.
There speakers have never been appriciated by my ear. Which brings me to, NEVER BUY SPEAKERS YOU DON'T LISTEN TO FIRST!!


I have found 1 commonality with sony headunits. find the worst sounding most hacked systems and in the center of it you will 9 times of 10 find a sony deck in the car.
They are about the worst quality (reliability) other then Awia you can buy. Crako will last longer!

Being how inexpensive JBL is from Authorized internet dealers, buy from then and get a warrenty. The $50 in savings isn't worth throwing that away.

JBL has been ify for home audio for a long time, not exactly a B&W or Martin Logan. Keep in mind, my speakers at home are JBL LX600's which I LOVE!!! Best speaker for under $2000 I could find at the time. JBL is Best Buys best speaker, not exactly a hard thing to be with all the garbage they sell.

Paying someone to install the rear speakers in a Protege sedan is INSANE! i can do the swap in 20 minutes blind folded. The head unit is an easy swap too so long as you get the scosche dash kit and Metra or scosche wire harness.
Front speakers aren't bad but the doors can be tricky for those unfamiliar with car audio.

Welcome to our happy little corner of the internet kting28.
Feel free to PM me with your audio concerns or any ideas on how I can better the audio section. Also keep in mind there are 2 VERY informative stickies in this area for Alarm/remote starter wire colors and one for audio gear replacement info.

 

[kting28]

Wow ... snappy reply,
I'm procrastinating here ... thinking about car audio in the lab ( ya.. working on sunday ...)

Thanks for the ideas ! Guess I need to drive to a store to try out the speakers. Any recommendations ? Like HU/AMP/Speaker combination that goes well ? I usually listen to rock/metal and occationally classical ...

The audio section rocks ! Best ever ... (headbang)

 

[1sty]

Wow ... snappy reply,

The audio section rocks ! Best ever ... (headbang)

Thanks man, I put in alot of time to make it the best audio section I can and it is my goal to have it be the best on the NET!!

New headunit are all about features. Make sure you get one with all the features you want. If it has a few you don't understand then find out about them before ruling it out. The most over looked feature for those not running all amps is a built in crossover, very handy. I am personaly a die hard Alpine head unit buyer, others are Pioneer and Kenwood. I dislike both of those companies but thats simply my opinion, no reason for it to be yours.

Speakers should only be selected buy listening.

Amps should be picked based on the speakers you will power.
Remember with amps you only want to go by RMS numbers. Keep in mind Kenwood, pionner and even alpines entry level amps are exagerating even there RMS numbers now. Jensen, Profile, US acoustics and more are totaly full of s***! Audiobahn and JBL tend to go into different catagories amp to amp.

If you go to a store and find all the info you want and the products then honestly tell the salesman you intend to buy them on the net unless they can give you a deal on the product and the install, you may just get a deal. Also keep in mind if you have a installer install gear you didn't buy from him then they can not just swap something out if there is an issue with it. You are on your own. This situation happens atleast twice a week in our bay. People buy something somewhere else and it is either incompadible or busted out of the box and they are Screwed becuase they paid to install a dead product. They must pay for us to put it back in later once they get a new one or get it fixed. If they had bought it from us I could just swap it right then and have them on their way.

 

[JAC]

STAY AWAY FROM SONY PRODUCTS! specially the HUs, you should look into Pioneer and Alpine, they have the best quality and best bang for the buck IMO, but there are others out there like clarion and eclipse that are worth checking out.

As for the install, the protege's interior is very easy to take appart and more importantly, it's just as easy to put back together, idiot proof for the most part. If you're a do it yourself kind of guy then you shouldn't have a problem with it, it was my second install(ever) and it went without a hitch.

If you decide to install it yourself remember to take your time and if you have any doubts, no matter how small, just come to this boards and ask, we will gladly help you out.

 

[kting28]

kick ass ~ thanks !

The only part about DIY install that I feel confused (and scared) is removing the door panels, any step by step procedures that I can follow ?

K

 

[JAC]

It's incredibly easy, there are only 4 screws(I think) on the front driver's side panel, the rest are fasteners that just pop off. The passenger side is the same but it has one extra screw, I asume that the rears are very similar (I didn't remove those). I can take mine appart and put it back together in 10 min.

Here are the instructions from the the protege shop manual: http://pages.prodigy.net/devdgaw/dorpanel.jpg

The only part that is a litle hard if you don't know how to do it, is getting the door handle (the one you use to open the door) through the hole in the door panel. After you remove all the screws and the fasteners you have to pull up on the door panel to disengage it from the door and then rotate it either clockwise or counter clockwise so that the door handle fits through the hole. It took me like 20 min to put the door back together the first time because I couldn't get the handle through the pannel .

 

[The_Flamming_7]

heres my 2 cents.......ans point system out of 10.
JBL makes "average" amps- 5
JBL makes "s***" speakers, lol- 2
Sony makes "s***"......EVERYTHING!- 1
Alpine makes "great" decks- 9
Alpine makes "good" amps- 8
Pioneer makes "awesome/great" decks- 10
Pioneer makes "Poor" amps- 4

I suggest you run the 4 mid speakers and tweeters from the deck and buy a cheap amp and sub, nothing to big and outrageous but something that will and the "bump" that is lost without a sub. Buying a good deck has its advantages like crossovers which can be very helpfull and might eliminate your need for a 4 channel amp.

Give yourself a good 2+ hours for speaker installation just in case you run into any problems.

 

[1sty]

I would take a Sony amp over a pioneer as you can't get pioneer amps any more, NATIONAL RECALL ON ALL OF THEM!!!!

Nothing can replace an external amp for power, even when it comes to door speakers.

 

[slug420]

In my old car (first car) I bought 2 RF 10"s with a RF amp off my friend and found myself a Sony Mobile ES head unit. The only problem I ever had with it was overheating after 5 hours of use (poor ventialtion on the unit) and I loved it. But keep in mind my stereo was just supposed to be a little loud, and although it sounded super to me, im sure it was total crap.

As for JBL!
I bought 2 10" GTIs for my MSP with a 1200.1 amp
and a pair of P650c components with a 180.2 amp for the front. How does it sound?

Havent installed any of it yet, but the subs for one look really cool

 

[Jeph]

I would take a Sony amp over a pioneer as you can't get pioneer amps any more, NATIONAL RECALL ON ALL OF THEM!!!!

Nothing can replace an external amp for power, even when it comes to door speakers.

Wait wait, there's a recall on ALL pioneer amps?!
:wtf:
Can i have more details, i haven't heard anything about this. And i have a pioneer 4 channel running my speakers!

 

[The_Flamming_7]

I would take a Sony amp over a pioneer as you can't get pioneer amps any more, NATIONAL RECALL ON ALL OF THEM!!!!

Nothing can replace an external amp for power, even when it comes to door speakers.

yeah dude I heard that they wanted to recall the Pioneer amps but i wasn't aware that it actually happened or not. What I meant by getting a good deck with crossovers MIGHT eliminate his need for a 4 channel amp because we all know that an external amp can unleash the beast in any system, but personally I think that 50 watts sounds just great......and NO distortion from my deck whatsoever, even at maximum volume and I only have cheap 2 way Pionner speakers too. The only way you really need a 4 channel amp is if you want to push some nice component speakers.

 

[1sty]

Damn guys welcome to last week

All pionner amps this year were recalled as bridgeing them typicaly nuke the bastards, ALL OF THEM!!! We pulled all of them out of our stores and even wharehouse over 2 months ago and only now is pioneer releasing info in hopes people won't be pissed they were not contacted to get them recalled. Pioneer wanted to stop more from being sold and not bother recalling those that were out there an working.

http://www.protegemp3.com/vbb225/showthread.php?s=&threadid=15577&highlight=recall

And the official www.carsound.com artical:
Pioneer Recalls Car Amplifiers
Wednesday, July 9, 2003 by Rob Granger

Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. has announced the recall of the following four car amplifiers: GM-X572, GM-X574, GM-X972 and GM-D500M which have been sold since November 2002. Pioneer has determined that the installation of these car amplifiers, in a manner other than as recommended by Pioneer, may result in a potential safety hazard under certain conditions. Pioneer is not currently aware of any injury or vehicle damage resulting from the improper installation of these car amplifiers.

Consumers who own any of these amplifiers should contact the dealer where they purchased the product for a free repair (if available) or for a different model amplifier or for a refund. These car amplifiers should be returned even if the owner believes it was properly installed or if the owner has previously obtained service for the amplifier or received a replacement amplifier.

"Pioneer strongly encourages consumers to return their car amplifier to their local retailer for free repair or replacement. By replacing their amplifier, consumers can continue to enjoy the highest quality sound and performance from Pioneer products without concern for problems related to improper installation," states Hiroaki Matsubara, president of the Mobile Entertainment Division of Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. "Pioneer sincerely apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause our customers."

Pioneer's primary concerns are the consumers' safety and satisfaction with the quality and operation of their Pioneer products.

The improper installation of these amplifiers may result in the amplifier overheating during use, the exterior surface becoming hot to the touch, the appearance of smoke and, the amplifier becoming inoperable.

More information about this issue is available on
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com or by calling Pioneer's toll free customer service line in the U.S. at 800-421-1636.

 

[chuyler1]

but personally I think that 50 watts sounds just great......and NO distortion from my deck whatsoever, even at maximum volume

the 50 watts MAX POWER that your head is rated for and the 50 watts RMS power that you get from an external amp are two different things....

I'm sure you don't have problems with distortion at high levels, instead you get a eq curve that rolls off toward the bottom end of the frequency response of the speaker. If you find yourself turn on 'loudness' or upping the Bass eq a few notches...this is where an external amp will help. A solid power supply and a flat frequency response from an external amp will make even cheap speakers sound great.

 

[brokemp3]

slug where did you end up getting the gti's from was it justwoofers .com? gti's are insane im getting two 15 soon and two 1200.1 for them

 

[Micah]

hey, just so you know - JBL is a Jensen product. Personally, I wouldn't put anything of theirs in my car. If you want to cheap out on a system. Hit up any car audio store. For 1.5k you should be able to do a decent job. Go with a single 10" to keep your cost down.

Also keep in mind that Watt ratings are relative at best. Radioshack will sell you a 1000Watt amp for $100. Some amps are rated at RMS, some are rated at Peak.

If I was trying to keep it cheap, but still have nice stuff - I would look at something like this:

Circuit City

Alpine CDA-9811 $329.99
Infinity Reference 5x7 $99.99
Infinity Reference 6x9 $149.99
MTX 8000 Series 10" $199.99
Q Logic 10" Sealed box $69.99
MTX Thunder4202 109.99
OPTIONAL
Alpine MRVF340 Amplifier 299.99

1 Farad Cap - roughly $150
there ya go, you have a nice little system, all quality components, and you can grow with it later if you want. Hook up the 2 channel MTX amp to the sub ( bridged ). You can either run the Infinity's off the Alpine Head Decks internal v-drive 60Watt x 4 channel amplifier, or buy the 4 channel Alpine Amplifier. I would buy the 2nd Amp.

You might want to buy a Monster Cable 1000 Watt Amp Wiring Kit, since it includes the Distribution Block. A 30 Foot Spool of Speaker Wire should be plenty, I would use Monster Cable Standard XL. Not too pricey. Pick up 3 Sets of Sheilded RCA's, Monster Link XLN or similar. Run the RCA's back to the amps, then wire your speakers up. Remember to run signal down one side and power down the other. More than likely you'll run power down the drivers side since the hole in the firewall is just above the drivers side footwell.

 

[kting28]

hey, just so you know - JBL is a Jensen product. Personally, I wouldn't put anything of theirs in my car. If you want to cheap out on a system. Hit up any car audio store. For 1.5k you should be able to do a decent job. Go with a single 10" to keep your cost down.

Wow .. I HATE Jensen all the way.. how come ? Jensen just rebrand their product or is it a joint product from JBL and Jensen ?

Alpine CDA-9811 $329.99
Infinity Reference 5x7 $99.99
Infinity Reference 6x9 $149.99
MTX 8000 Series 10" $199.99
Q Logic 10" Sealed box $69.99
MTX Thunder4202 109.99
OPTIONAL
Alpine MRVF340 Amplifier 299.99

that's a sweet setup, thanks for the info and links, save me a whole lot of trouble.

Is there any big difference between using stock wires and the aftermarket ones you mentioned. ? How about installation ? Do I have to pull up the whole front panel to install the custom wiring ?

Btw, what color is your protege ? Silver ?

K

 

[1sty]

Jensen is not JBL. It was an opinionated comparision only.
Jensen is now audiovox .

 

[Micah]

Wow .. I HATE Jensen all the way.. how come ? Jensen just rebrand their product or is it a joint product from JBL and Jensen ?

. Not made by Jensen, I meant that it is the same type of product -i.e. - looks nice, sounds less than nice. Same as Sony.

I wouldn't recommend using the stock wires, but - I did. I just got lazy, so I ran the speaker wire from my Amp up to the front and patched it into the stock wires. Yeah, you'll be pulling out most of your plastic floorboard runners to run the wires. It's not so bad, just be careful and you won't have a problem.

Do it once, do it right - and hopefully you won't have to do it again.


Let me know if you decide to go with that setup - I'll be jealous.

 

[slug420]

thanks for the tips, ill stick with my JBL gear tho

from what I have heard about their amps and GTI subs it should slam, which is what im looking for

and as for the speakers, im pretty confident that the amplified jbl components will sound better than the kenwood i have stock - which by the way sounds fine to me - so its win win.......not to mention the orange lights on the amps will look phat in my install as will the kick ass baskets on the subs