satoacs

im researching costs and everything for a 94' rx7 that im planning on building a little later on, i have most of what i need, but right now what i am wondering about is a nice sound system. i was refered here by a freind on automotiveforums, take a look to see what i need help with and what ive already gotten help with:

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...9&page=1&pp=15

thanx for your help

tRIcKI^

look for the good brands, and be prepared to spend quite a bit of dosh. basically buy the best of what your budget will allow.

dont worry about rear speakers, they are a waste of time.

im happy to make some more specific suggestions for you, but you need to tell me budget and what you want, do you want spl or sq?

Hens

satoacs

ok i think my budget will be 10K at most, it may chnge when im actually ready to buy the stuff and start making this car.
what is spl and sq?

spot_skater

alpine's F1 system and some Focal speakers and subs
with jl amps

enjoy it, and be ready to spend all the money in your budget

SpeedKing

iTrader: (4)

$10K, eh? You can more or less put in all high end gear (McIntosh, Dynaudio, et al.) in custom fiberglass enclosures with that kind of loot!

SPL = Sound Pressure Level (How loud?)
SQ = Sound Quality (How clean?)

WHIPSrx7

I'm installing MB Quart Premium 5" speakers in the front along with Kenwood Excelon 6x9's in the rear, all powered by a Sony Xplod 300w 4channel amp. Can't wait til I finish the install. Little bit of custom fabrication on the front doors...

MAZDASPEEDFD

iTrader: (1)

If you're gonna spend that much cash on a system, your amps should be nothing less than McIntosh! The ones with the backlit gauges are pretty crazy. My dream system would include a Clarion 935 (model # correct?) DVD, in-dash TV (touchscreen controls), MB Quart Q-Series components, Kove Armaggedon (or MMATS Juggernaut) subs, all powered by McIntosh or that HUGE Zapco block amp.
I'd push for more clarity on the highs over a hard hitting sub. Being able to clearly make out every word of song a block away is more impressive than cruising down a street with the bass thumping.
Thanks for letting me dream up this system. Let us know how it goes!

satoacs

wow, thanx this has helped a lot, so basically McIntosh is like the best audio brand out there? and then theres a few others that you guys like?
about that sound quality and sound pressure level, i want good quility like "being able to make out every word from a block away" that sounds really nice, the pressure level, im not sure, any recommendations?
thanx again its been a real help

SpeedKing

iTrader: (4)

There's no such thing as "best". What's "best" is what sounds best to you. McIntosh makes very expensive, handmade, well-built high performance amplifiers, but so do others (Zapco, Brax, etc.). BTW, you have your priorities backwards. If you want, "(to be) able to make out every word from a block away", *that's* SPL, and you're going to go deaf sitting in your car with the volume that loud.

If you really have $10K to spend, go to the best high end audio shop in your area and have them custom build you a system like these:

http://www.theautophile.com/products...Innova911.html

http://www.theautophile.com/products...vationsTT.html

http://www.theautophile.com/products/1937Ford.html

satoacs

wow, those are nice. ok well, im going to do my best to be able to spend 10K on a system because its really important
also i really want quality, but i also like that big boom with the music when i want it.

tRIcKI^

there are heaps of good brands out there, mcintosh are well respected becos they are hand built and are on high end home audio grade (almost).

but i wouldnt say they are the best, there are plenty of other options. in terms of amps, atm dls are pretty big, cleaning up all major events, tru tech hand build some awesome amps, there copper series, tube amps sound awesome, zapco are well regarded.

for subs i highly recommend the jl audio range, with image dynamics making some excellent subs, once again, dls make some nice subs.

speakerwise there are some really good brands, just make sure they are soft dome tweeters within the components as the harder dome speakers tend to be harsh sounding. from the brands ive heard, morel, dls and dyns rate highly with me though there are plenty of others that i havent yet heard which are meant to be "good." oh and dont bother with rear speakers.

as far as head units go, it depends what you want, for sound fidelity go a high end unit, these usually have no onboard amp 24-bit dacs and no mp3 support. most brands usually have a relatively high end option.

also dont skimp on cables and install, a good install will do wonders for a system, they are experts for a reason.

oh and sq (sound quality) - isnt just how clean the sound is, its to do with imaging and how well a song is represented

tRIcKI^

there are heaps of good brands out there, mcintosh are well respected becos they are hand built and are on high end home audio grade (almost).

but i wouldnt say they are the best, there are plenty of other options. in terms of amps, atm dls are pretty big, cleaning up all major events, tru tech hand build some awesome amps, there copper series, tube amps sound awesome, zapco are well regarded.

for subs i highly recommend the jl audio range, with image dynamics making some excellent subs, once again, dls make some nice subs.

speakerwise there are some really good brands, just make sure they are soft dome tweeters within the components as the harder dome speakers tend to be harsh sounding. from the brands ive heard, morel, dls and dyns rate highly with me though there are plenty of others that i havent yet heard which are meant to be "good." oh and dont bother with rear speakers.

as far as head units go, it depends what you want, for sound fidelity go a high end unit, these usually have no onboard amp 24-bit dacs and no mp3 support. most brands usually have a relatively high end option.

also dont skimp on cables and install, a good install will do wonders for a system, they are experts for a reason.

oh and sq (sound quality) - isnt just how clean the sound is, its to do with imaging and how well a song is represented

tRIcKI^

there are heaps of good brands out there, mcintosh are well respected becos they are hand built and are on

chairchild

......... At which point, I almost wet myself laughing!!

6x9s = master of nothing
Sony = useless on ICE for the past 5 years


If you can afford it, I highly reccomend getting a DLS amp - they may cost a lot, but they're worth every penny!

tRIcKI^

sorry triple post,

and i totally agree with chairchild

Spud_R1

I would go with Focal Component speakers for your front, with about 200 watts to each...dont worry about rear speakers. And for subs, I would look into Resonant Enginerring (www.respl.com) with Mcintosh if your really wanting to spend some money, or my personal favorite and less expensive...Cadence amps! Good luck on your system, to have an awesome system though, you dont need to spend $10K on it.

chairchild

i'm in the UK, so costs are a bit different, but I'm spending about £2k on my system

HU: http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/prod...oducts_id=2381

Amp: http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/prod...s_id=967&tab=2

Components: http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/prod..._id=2376&tab=2

Sub: http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/prod...oducts_id=3016


The sub's going in a sealed enclosure in the boot, and the components are going in kick-builds up-front

MAZDASPEEDFD

iTrader: (1)

If money wasn't an issue, I'd definitely go w/ McIntosh. But here in the real world (where most of us live), money is an issue. In reality, if I wanted to go all out on a system, I'd be extremely happy with Zapco (even the Reference series) amps. Unless you are going into sound competitions and such, I don't think you'll ever push your system into the realm where the McIntosh products will surpass the Zapco ones.

As far as components go, I agree w/ tRIcKI-metal domes can sound harsh at times. Diamond Audio's components come with a silk dome that is known to sound more "natural".

satoacs

ok thanx, those really are some nice products, i like those custom systems, the ones Speedking posted links to

SpeedKing

iTrader: (4)

Eh, metal or silk tweeters, it's all personal preference. I'll agree with metal tweeters being very sharp, but toning it down is just a matter of adjusting the treble setting, or attenuation with the crossovers. No biggie. I personally prefer metal tweeters; IMO, they're more "accurate" for what I listen to which has a lot of high frequencies. Silk tweeters have a "warmer" sound and if you listen to a lot of Smooth Jazz, Soul, R&B, Classical, or New Age, I'd consider those (and go with a tube amp).

satoacs

what about rap and all those with the big bass and stuff, but also able to play some of everything else, occasionally and probably not all that loud

chairchild

As long as you use an EQ, you can use whatever you like. But for things like rap, RnB, Dance (most stuff where they heavily use synthesisers) then the titanium dome ones should be pretty good.

But for punk, they'd be pretty much perfect!!

SpeedKing

iTrader: (4)

I just mentioned that, "it's all personal preference". Go to a local car audio store and audition as many component sets as you can. Buy what sounds the best to you.

satoacs

oh ok i understand now

satoacs

there is also this hood that i like and im trying to figure out who makes it and stuff, but no one can tell me
there is a picture on this guys website:
http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/568341
i see that it says what the hood is, but i couldn't find anything on the internet with that name, and i did email him and ask, but he never replied can anyone help? its the hood on the blue one, not the best looking, but i like the hood