Need help picking out my audio system

[pydpypr]

What's up everybody my name is Craig(PYDPYPR). Iam a huge noob when it comes to audio, and i was hoping someone can steer me in the right directions.
This is what i have picked out so far:

Head Unit: Kenwood KDC-X990
Front doors: Polk audio mmc6500 6.5 comp.
Rear doors: Polk audio mmc6500 6.5 comp.
Rear deck: Infinity 693.7i 6x9
Subs: 2 Infinity 12.1 perfect
Speaker amp: Audiobahn a6601t 6-channel
Sub amp: ??????????????????

 

[got wake?]

ditch the rear doors and rear deck speakers and get the SR6500's for up front. that would save you about $100 and give you a better sound stage.

i'm guessing you have a budget of around $2.5k+, from adding up the cost of the equipment you listed. that's a reasonably healthy budget for a high end system, but you need some guidance. putting 2 sets of speakers behind you will detract from the front sound stage. that would be like going to a concert and facing away from the stage.

i'm not going to get into the HU, since that is something you need to pick out for yourself. my $.02 is that kenwood interfaces for controls are not my favorite and i refuse to own one. for $580 there are plenty of other HU's i would consider. i'd probably go with a lower priced HU and a sat radio interface.

as i already said, ditch the rear doors/deck idea and just get a sweet set of components up front. if you like polk, definitely check out the SR6500's. i think they sound amazing, especially for the price.

for subs, infinity are good when you are on a smaller budget, but you don't appear to be, so why buy a pair of subs that will take up your whole trunk? for $360 you can get a single amazing sub that can achieve the same output and use a smaller enclosure. if the brahma's wheren't backordered, i'd recomend them:
http://www.acoustic-visions.com/~acoustic/products/subwoofer_drivers/adire_brahma/

you might also want to check out the treo SSi 12.

if you go with just the one set of components and a single sub, that opens up a lot of room for amps. you could go with a single 4 channel amp or a 2 channel and a mono amp. the single 4 channel amp would be the simplest, and one like the rockford fosgate T8004 is plenty of power for components and a pretty beefy sub. it puts out around 150x4 @4 ohms. so your comps would get 150 watts rms, then bridge the rear channels to a dual 4 ohm sub for a 2 ohm load and around 800 watts rms sent to the sub.

 

[1sty]

What's up everybody my name is Craig(PYDPYPR). Iam a huge noob when it comes to audio, and i was hoping someone can steer me in the right directions.
This is what i have picked out so far:

Head Unit: Kenwood KDC-X990
Front doors: Polk audio mmc6500 6.5 comp.
Rear doors: Polk audio mmc6500 6.5 comp.
Rear deck: Infinity 693.7i 6x9
Subs: 2 Infinity 12.1 perfect
Speaker amp: Audiobahn a6601t 6-channel
Sub amp: ??????????????????

I am with Wake completely on this one.

We are running some nice discounts this weekend that you may want to get in on. I work for Tweeter on the weekends and we can actualy ship to your door step. This way you'll get great stuff with factory warrenty not online BS where you save 15% to have no warrenty coverage what so ever.

The deck is way off, simply put kenwood is a unreliable pecie of crap. Aviod it. I would get a Pioneer Premier DEHP680MP. It will destroy the kenwood in SQ and reliability. We currently have it at 10% off so its selling at $245 instead of $270.

GET THE SR6500's. I have them, I sell them, I LOVE THEM. I would HIGHLY advise them over a front and rear set of momo's. Momos are a great speaker though. THe SR6500s are $749 and the MMC6500's are 25% off at $225 per set. If you have to do rears, do 2 sets of the polks and DO NOT do the infinity speakers. Two sets of rear speakers will be bad enough and adding a set that is not a match to the others will sound F-ing horrible.
If you can, do a set of SR6500's in the front and then matching MMC6500's in the rear. The 6.5" speakers will fit in either location so you can play around with it.

Infinity subs if anything are OVER RATED. The realitity is that anyone that isn't really into car audio or knows almost nothing about it, goes for infinity. Once you take the time to learn and listen, Infinity rarely is in the ball game. For the $200 per sub I can get you 2 JL 12W3's or even a JL 12W6v2 which is a radicly better sub then the infinities for the same doe. THe 12W6v2 is on a 25% off sale so its yours for under $400, $375 actualy. If you have to have 2 subs and want to save a bit, the PolK momo subs are great although I prefer the JL. Pretty much every sub we sell is 25% off the next two week.

Amps: You are way off. Stay the hell away from audiobahn. It is a turd at best. The car audio equivalent of Daewoo. We have the Polk amps that will do a great job and are 20% off. So the 4 channel momo and mono amp are only $300.00.

JL amps are on a 10%-15% sale and Audison is ALL 25% (shocked) which is KICK ASS.

Like I said, these are real prices from Tweeter Electronics that I can have the warehouse ship directly to you with all intact warrenty. It is totaly legit and you will have one of the best companies in the buisness behind your gear. I can even up the warrenty on all product to 3 years for under $100.

If this is something you are interested in, send me a PM and I will give you the mobile electronics managers contact info here and he will take care of you. At very least, look into these products...your ears will thank you!

 

[pydpypr]

I've been reading all the audio mods threads and i really love your guys feedback. I understand why you don't like filling the rear of the car full of speakers, and three sets is probably overkill. But my own personal taste is to be surrounded by the sound. I probably will cut down to two pairs. What do you think is the best spot in the rear, doors or deck?
I figured you might have something neg. to say about the infinity subs. I guess iam trying to balance quality and the best bang for my dollars. I do have a fair ampont of money to spend but i would like to save some of it if possable. Iam not trying to win any competitions by i definately want some hi fidelity and some good punch.
I would love to have those SR6500's, but i think iam going to stay with the MOMO's for now and then upgrade to one set of the SR6500's later.
So what do you guy's think of these changes?

Head unit: DEHP6800MP or DEHP7800MP
Front Speakears: Polk MMC6500
Rear Speakers: Polk MMC6500
Sub:1 JL-12W6v2
Amps: Still not sure yet, got more feedback??

 

[ForesterES]

What they said...

But here's my take as well.

I own a 12W6V2. It is the most kick a$$ sub I have ever heard. It's in a sealed box, with 400 watts going to it, and I love it. I would definitely buy it over 2 Perfect 12.1s.

I also own a Kenwood XXV-01D, which is last year's model of the KDC-X990. I love it. There are a lot of Kenwood haters on this forum because of the crappy HUs they put in the MP3 and MSP, but I'm a Kenwood fan, and have owned 4 in the last 10 years. I don't think you'll be dissatisfied with that HU.

Now, with that being said, if I was in the market for a HU right now, I might consider a Pioneer 6800MP, or 7800MP. They've got a few more bells and whistles for less money, and though I haven't heard them, I'm sure they sound great.

EDIT:

I had fronts and rears because like you, I wanted to be surrounded by sound in my car. But, my rear amp keeps blowing a fuse, and I haven't taken the time to figure out why. I summary, I don't miss the rears.

With a good front stage, you won't miss your rear fill. Believe me.

Plus, the SR6500s are supposed to be some of the best sounding speakers pretty much ever made.

For amps, I'd go with the Polks that 1sty was describing, it's a good price, and they're sure to be good amps.

 

[got wake?]

With a good front stage, you won't miss your rear fill. Believe me.

that is something that most don't believe until they experience it themselves(glare) once you experience it, it's odd to go back to having rear fill.


my suggestion on the matter is to buy the SR6500's and use the stock rears running them off the HU. fade the sound all the way to the front and listen to it that way. then fade to back a little and see how you like it. if you still aren't satisfied with the amount of rear fill, then get the MMC6500's, since it's cheaper to upgrade the rears to them, rather than spending the money on the MMC6500's for the front, then upgrading to the SR6500's later. your way would waste $225-$250 if you upgrade the fronts later on.


getting the polk amps at 20% off is a pretty decent deal. i'd get the C400.4, which you can use to bi-amp the SR6500's (and give you 4 channels in the event you want to upgrade the rears to the MMC6500's). the passive x-overs of the SR6500's are built for bi-amping, so there is no worries about not being experienced with it. the C500.1 would compliment the 4-channel nicely and offers plenty of power on tap for a good sub.

 

[1sty]

that is something that most don't believe until they experience it themselves(glare) once you experience it, it's odd to go back to having rear fill.


my suggestion on the matter is to buy the SR6500's and use the stock rears running them off the HU. fade the sound all the way to the front and listen to it that way. then fade to back a little and see how you like it. if you still aren't satisfied with the amount of rear fill, then get the MMC6500's, since it's cheaper to upgrade the rears to them, rather than spending the money on the MMC6500's for the front, then upgrading to the SR6500's later. your way would waste $225-$250 if you upgrade the fronts later on.


getting the polk amps at 20% off is a pretty decent deal. i'd get the C400.4, which you can use to bi-amp the SR6500's (and give you 4 channels in the event you want to upgrade the rears to the MMC6500's). the passive x-overs of the SR6500's are built for bi-amping, so there is no worries about not being experienced with it. the C500.1 would compliment the 4-channel nicely and offers plenty of power on tap for a good sub.

I agree 100%

The only thing to add is that if you are planning to upgarde in 2 parts, then get the MMC6500s for now (just sold a pair 10 minutes ago ) and put them in the front. Then when you get teh SR's move the MMC's to the back.


Both rear speaker locations have issues so read throuhg the rear speaker sticky in this section. it should answer your questions or atleast help you refine them.

 

[pydpypr]

Can someone give some more ideas for amps? what are some good ones. I know you said the audiobahns suck. I don't mind the polk audio but iam having a problem finding a 4-channel that would match 4x125@4 ohms. What about soundstream or pheonix gold?

 

[got wake?]

stay away from both SS and PG, unless it is their older equipment. finalize your plans for speakers/subs, then start looking at amps. plan everything out before you buy anything.

also, you can't go by just the power rating. audiobahn is known for inflating their ratings, while some of rockford fosgate's power amps put out 3 times their rms rating.

 

[OBJunior]

we've tested seceral RF amps at school and they usually come no where close to their power ratings. The older RF's do a little more than rated though. You mentioned audiobahn being crap: is this just their amps or did you mean their subs too? I have 2 Natural Sound subs and I've been very happy with that. I'm also trying to change my stereo up and will be looking for amps here shortly as well. Does anyone know if Memphis is a good brand

 

[1sty]

we've tested seceral RF amps at school and they usually come no where close to their power ratings. The older RF's do a little more than rated though. You mentioned audiobahn being crap: is this just their amps or did you mean their subs too? I have 2 Natural Sound subs and I've been very happy with that. I'm also trying to change my stereo up and will be looking for amps here shortly as well. Does anyone know if Memphis is a good brand

Everything audiobahn is rather terrible but their price reflects that.

 

[1sty]

Can someone give some more ideas for amps? what are some good ones. I know you said the audiobahns suck. I don't mind the polk audio but iam having a problem finding a 4-channel that would match 4x125@4 ohms. What about soundstream or pheonix gold?

If you are using polk momo speakers then you can't go wrong with the polk momo amp that was designed SPECIFICLY for those speakers. That amp is only 75x4 so why do you need a 125x4 amp which realisticly will be a peice of crap or very expensive if it is decent. Typicly 4 channel amps are not that powerful.

What is wrong with the amps we have already reccomended?
If you are looking for flash then just say it. Although I would rather spend money for a quality amp then for a unique chassis. Remeber the only people who are impressed by the way a peice of audio gear looks...are those that absolutely no clue about audio.

Other then those there are a ton of amps. Just pick the store you want to deal with and then let us know what amps they offer. We will put you in the right direction.

 

[got wake?]

we've tested seceral RF amps at school and they usually come no where close to their power ratings. The older RF's do a little more than rated though. You mentioned audiobahn being crap: is this just their amps or did you mean their subs too? I have 2 Natural Sound subs and I've been very happy with that. I'm also trying to change my stereo up and will be looking for amps here shortly as well. Does anyone know if Memphis is a good brand

sorry, but :bs: i've tested plenty of RF amps, and even the ones prior to the newest models exceed their rated power. the punch line doesn't exceed it by much, but the power line generally blows away their ratings. pick up a T3002 to test. if it doesn't put out at least twice its rms rating at 4 ohm, i'd be very suprised since most tested are 2-3 times the rated power.

memphis is a great brand. their mojo equipment is sick.

audiobahn subs are overrated, same as their amps, so they are a perfect match.

 

[OBJunior]

Wake, just curious, do you study electronics? I saw your posts about capacitors and was wondering. Very helpful though!

 

[got wake?]

Wake, just curious, do you study electronics? I saw your posts about capacitors and was wondering. Very helpful though!

well, i started college dual majoring in mechanical and electrical engineering, but that didn't last long(drunk) after dropping out, i kind of used car audio's technical side to keep my mind fresh. now i keep very busy at work in a much more lucrative business than car audio.

 

[OBJunior]

Cool man. I'm doing electrical engineering right now

 

[got wake?]

Cool man. I'm doing electrical engineering right now

EE is a good major. i think my biggest issue with early college courses was all the theory and lack of hands on real world learning.

 

[FoxPro5]

I am with Wake completely on this one.

We are running some nice discounts this weekend that you may want to get in on. I work for Tweeter on the weekends and we can actualy ship to your door step. This way you'll get great stuff with factory warrenty not online BS where you save 15% to have no warrenty coverage what so ever.

JL amps are on a 10%-15% sale and Audison is ALL 25% (shocked) which is KICK ASS.

Like I said, these are real prices from Tweeter Electronics that I can have the warehouse ship directly to you with all intact warrenty. It is totaly legit and you will have one of the best companies in the buisness behind your gear. I can even up the warrenty on all product to 3 years for under $100.

If this is something you are interested in, send me a PM and I will give you the mobile electronics managers contact info here and he will take care of you. At very least, look into these products...your ears will thank you!

So let me get this straight. If I want an Audison amp or anything at Tweeter for that matter, I can PM you, get the sale price on it and have Tweeter ship it directly to my door with full warranty??? (omg)

 

[chuyler1]

Tweeter sells Audison now? Man, I have to get out more.

 

[D-rock240]

Everything audiobahn is rather terrible but their price reflects that.

Haha my ex-roommate was bragging to everyone a couple of years ago that he got his audiobahn subs "special from Germany" for his BMW. I think he blew them a few months later.

I had a front component and sub setup on my 240, but I ended up adding rear speakers because I too am a surroundsoundaholic (silly)