Newb to audio systems
 

Hey everyone, I'm new to setting up audio systems in cars and wanted to ask a few questions. I have a 92 4dr accord ex, and just recently got a new HU for it, since the original factory HU never worked because as oon as I got the car, the battery died and the previous owner couldn't find the damn anti-theft security codes :p.

Anyway, since I got sick of not having any music, I got a new HU, an Eclipse, and now I've sparked my own interest in fully redoing the entire sound system. Problem is, I have no idea of what works and what's absolute crap! I definitely want to get at least one sub (I like the sound of dual 12's though :) ) and new speakers all around, even though the stock ones don't sound that bad. What I'm looking for out of it is something that will sound great without blowing the trunk apart, so if anyone could help me out and point me in the right direction that'd be great! One of my friends suggested Lanzar equipment, can anyone qualify this? Thanks!

RE: Newb to audio systems
 

Well first, welcome to the forum! We are glad to have you! Really...the only limiting factor audio wise is money. Perosnally I think my $20 roadmaster 3 way speakers in the rear are ok w/ stock door speakers. Check out my sub set-up in the gallery and leave a comment if you please! If you dont want the trunk blowing apart then 2 12's will most likely not be for you. Mine shakes my rearview mirror so bad thats its hard to see whats behind me. I would say to either get a single 10' or 12' inch with alot of RMS capability. An amp can also have the option of bass boost like mine which makes the system head rattling! haha Anyways, alot of people like Alpine, Pioneer, Infinity, and Kicker speaker wise. Good luck. Oh and does your new hu have pre outs for a sub?

RE: Newb to audio systems
 

oh yea dude!!!!! ECLIPSE IS THE WAY TO GO! CD3000 i take it? mannnn good choice. ok im done. I have Infinty's in all 4 doors in my Jeep, with the Eclipse CD3000 and man, let me say thats one sweet ass combo. I'd say do Infinity's all around, and then one 12, Kicker Comp VR or a JL maybe. Anyway, dude any questions on what to get, let me know, im here to help.

:D

RE: Newb to audio systems
 

Yo thanks for the feedback.....Yeah, the HU has outs for a sub....it's an Eclipse CD 3404, bout 2 years old that my house mate's letting me borrow until I get something else. What do you mean by lots of RMS, like what range are we looking at? Someone recommended one 15" as opposed to 2x10's or 12's, any comment on that or is that more of a personal preferance? What about an amp, how much wattage should I be looking at? Over 500, preferably over 1000?

RE: Newb to audio systems
 

well........ its really all opnion, 10's are quicker, but dont play very low notes, 12's alittle slower, but play deeper, 15's go the deepest, but are slower, so will probably miss some double bass notes if your into that. Its really all opnion. i mean you can get a single 12 that will do 500 watts RMS... Just depeneds on what you get and what you like, there is really no one RIGHT sub.

RE: Newb to audio systems
 

I listen to rap, so I had two 15s in my suburban. They hit the lows so hard your teeth would rattle, but the higher bass it wouldn't hit it that hard. Bass wise it is all what you want. I am going to put my 15s in my accord, then put some 10s some where in the interior.

RE: Newb to audio systems
 

When it comes to subs, it depends on what music you listen to, and what you want your bass to sound like. I listen to pretty much anything, so I have a 10" Kicker Comp VR with a 360 watt Rockford Fosgate amp. It hits hard, and sounds clean. I can turn up the bass with my head unit, and it rattles my whole car. You dont need a ton of watts to get good bass. What you really should do is only buy quality stuff. Kicker, Infinity, JL Audio, and Polk all make good subs. Alpine Type-R isnt too bad either. You just dont want to put money into stuff thats going to blow out or break. I've been running my current amp/sub setup for about four years now. I had a Sony Xplode sub in there before the Kicker, and it did as its name suggests. Amplifiers, Im personally a big fan of Rockford, Kicker, or Alpine. How much are you looking to spend on a system?

RE: Newb to audio systems
 

If you dont have a big budget I would suggest Volfenhag. They hit hard and are pretty cheap compared to other subs. I've got two of these http://www.americancaraudio.com/prod...&PID=ZX4712DVX
but you can find them even cheaper. They'll rattle your mirrors too.

RE: Newb to audio systems
 

Thanks everyone...poser, I don't want to spend a huge deal of money on a system, not now at least, so I guess I'm looking at up to the $600 mark. I too listen to everything, but I really like to turn it up when a good rap beat's going. I'll also listen to metal, which has alot of the double beats that were mentioned above, so if possible should I be looking into maybe a larger sub for the really deep stuff, paired up with a smaller sub to accomodate the higher and faster beats? toofatt how can you mount a sub inside of your car? 19Accord97, are those german manufactured subs? They look pretty pimp in your car, btw.

RE: Newb to audio systems
 

For cheap price and quality, I recommend kicker thats what I have. I have been pushing my 15" CVRs hard at the max RMS thats recommended for about a year and a half now. They have a thick ribbed rubber surround, which is glued and stitched to the cone, the cone looks like aluminum but I thinks its some plastic composite. I wouldn't go for a 15" in an accord, I am worried mine are going to hit too hard. I only got 15"s b/c I used to have a suburban. As for adding 10"s to the interior, I am thinking of installing one quality 10" with a good amount of RMS capability, in the rear in between the two rear speakers. I want to get some feedback form these guys, if it would even make a difference, with two 15"s going, before I do it.

EDIT: BTW I got my kickers for $100 each on sale from Ike Sound, so they may have something good on sale there.

RE: Newb to audio systems
 

well..... i wouldent go 15's or even 1 15 for that matter, stick to 10's or 12's. i mean the deep notes isnt going to be that knoticeable of a difference, so id almost say 2 10" cuz right when you said double bass, man if you wanna make that **** sound good 10's. its really up to you at this point.

600 bucks for headunit, door speakers, and sub/amp/box? or what do u want to get for 600 bucks, i can put togher some systems.

RE: Newb to audio systems
 

My Kicker 10" is pretty versatile. I just change the EQ settings on my head unit depending on what kind of music I listen to. I turn up the bass for the rap, and I turn it down a little so it stays tight on the metal and rock. The sub handles all my music very well. I dont know about going with two subs of different sizes in the same car, I have never heard it, so I couldnt tell you if it works well or not. I would recommend this, though: since you have a budget to stick to, do your system gradually. Its better to do it piece by piece than buy crap off of eBay that is going to blow out in three months or just sound plain bad. I did my head unit, amp, and sub about a week after I got my car, four years ago, and I didnt put new 6x9s in it till about a year and a half ago. I still have another amp I want to put in, but Im waiting until I get the extra $$ for some new front speakers to do at the same time.

RE: Newb to audio systems
 

Now that is not true at all, my 15s hit the lows very very hard. So hard your teeth rattle in a suburban 12 feet away from the subs. I have heard a lot of my friends 12s in trucks and cars, they all hit the high to mid bass, which are more common in most songs, but they don't hit the lows AT ALL like my 15s. The only 12s I have heard that hit as well as mine were two 12" kicker L7s. All that said, no I don't recommend 15s, unless you want the deep head pounding bass. 15s are slower then 12s so they don't hit higher bass as hard. Bass in metal and rock, which is what most of you seem to listen to, have mostly high bass. Also in an accord, I think the 15s are going to rattle the **** out of it. So I think you should go no larger then 12s, unless you want that super bass.

RE: Newb to audio systems
 

true, very true t00fatt. The reason i said that is because in my experiences 90% percent of my friends cant tell the difference between the 3, nor can they tell a difference in sound quality between 10 dollar walmart subs and 300 dollar subs. thats why i said that because you and i are somewhat audiophiles, we can tell the difference.

The L5's and L7's are fricken loud, and do hit the lows because of the square design a 12" hits like a 15 due to the surface area.

RE: Newb to audio systems
 

Sounds good....As far as budget goes, I'd like to spend no more than 600 on everything, at this point at least. However, I just heard from a friend that one of his friends has two amps and two 12's already in a box that he needs to get rid of for a really good price, so I might end up checking that out and going that route.

I'm not a huge audiophile, but I know when something sounds like $10 and when I'm hearing really top-notch quality product. I was actually looking at these, and if the deal above doesn't work out, since everyone has either straight out recommended or insinuated torwards kickers, I might get those. By the way, has anyone ever dealt with this company before? I'd prefer to get stuff new, because I like warrenties, so if ocs isn't a reputable retailer, point me in the right direction! Thanks again for all the help everyone

RE: Newb to audio systems
 

Those subs are great, and exactly what I have in 15". $300 is a bit much though, I got both my subs for $200, then built a box for $20. Whats good about dual coil 4omhs subs, you can wire the coils in parallel and have each subs running at 2ohms. As opposed to the more expensive 2ohm subs, you can wire them in parallel and get 1ohm(which most cheaper amps can't handle), or 4 ohms in series. Don't get scared by what I am saying, its very simple and in the manual for the subs.

RE: Newb to audio systems
 

those are awsome subs, and you will not be disspointed.

RE: Newb to audio systems
 

Maybe you should just put the amp and subs in now, leave the speakers stock til you can afford to upgrade them. Just a suggestion.

When I first put my system in, it was about $250 for the deck, $125 for the sub, and $75 for installation. I already had an amp that I had bought about a year earlier off of eBay for $225, and a sub box that my brother made me in his high school shop class lol. Since you are on a budget, you should really check eBay for some good deals.

RE: Newb to audio systems
 

i just picked up a 12" Kicker CVR for my Jeep with a box from a buddy, and thats how a subwoofer should sound!!!

[IMG]local://upfiles/6114/AE7536CCCA704F63BCF2143EF599622D.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/6114/E6795B6113D241A9BE0FB55DB2217A6A.jpg[/IMG]

RE: Newb to audio systems
 

You arent running the Kicker like that, are you? One sub in a two sub box?

RE: Newb to audio systems
 

LOL I doubt it, first it would barely produce any bass, second the sub would break with no back pressure. Kickers are great though, may not be the best or loudest, but they are loud and will last you a very long time.

RE: Newb to audio systems
 

Well thats kinda what I was thinking, even if you blocked off the empty hole, it still wouldnt be right, the box is way too big for just one sub.

RE: Newb to audio systems
 

It may be ok if the box is sealed, but not optimal. If its ported you going to have to separate it in the middle. It may already be separated though, I didn't really look at the pic, I'll check it out again.

EDIT: it doesn't appear to be separated, as it looks like the wires cross both sides. Either get another sub, or take the box apart a put a piece of plywood and sealent to separate one side from another. Then later on you can throw another sub in there. But if you just cover the hole the box may be to big, and you won't get any high bass. Go to kicker.com and get the online PDF manual and check the maximum box size, and see if your box is too big. Although the max box size is going to give u a looser sub letting you hit the lows a little better, but you lose the highs. If you want the lows go for ported, not a big sealed though.

RE: Newb to audio systems
 

If you sealed it up, it would work, Im not doubting that, Im just saying it wouldnt sound right.

RE: Newb to audio systems
 

haha, you guys are crazy, crazy im tellin ya! it is sealed off, the 2 holes are 2 different compartments, so its like 2 single boxes in one. It is sealed. so no the air is not coming out the 2nd hole or anything, its simply a dual sealed box, with 1 kicker in it. im not sure if im going to get another one, or save up for 2 JL's.... who knows.

RE: Newb to audio systems
 

t00fat i wasnt a sealed guy myself either, untill i had an L5 in a vented box... it only sounded good at high volumes and then it really pounded, i wanted something to not necessarly be the loudest, but more warming, and add a nice low end to my music. and 1 12 is doing just that, but if i crank up the volume it gets pretty loud and sounds damn fine doing it. IMO thats how bass is suppost to sound.

RE: Newb to audio systems
 

Thats a relief lol. I thought you were running a good sub at less than optimal conditions. That would be nearly a crime.

RE: Newb to audio systems
 

LOL ok. My friend had a JL, W6 I think it was called. Hit the highs really hard, and lows good. But If I get new subs, I am defiantly getting L7s in a sealed box. My 15s are ported, and I am thinking of putting them in a sealed to try and gain some highs from it. Heres a pic of my 15s in my suburban.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y76...9/DCFN0003.jpg

RE: Newb to audio systems
 

That takes up a lot of room in a Suburban, I think it would take pretty much the whole trunk of an Accord lol.

RE: Newb to audio systems
 

YEP[sm=icon_rock.gif] And thats the minimum size for ported. It does seem to fit in my accord, haven't tried it lol

RE: Newb to audio systems
 

I only have one 10" in a smaller size sealed box, and it takes up quite a bit of my trunk room. I can only imagine two 15s lol. You could maybe fit a carton of eggs in there with them, but then, of course, they would all break from the bass lol.

RE: Newb to audio systems
 

Oh yeah when I put them in there will be no storage in my trunk. There will be some space behind the box, the wheel wells wont let me push the box to the back. But a truck is more for bass then storage for me, that what the back seat is for;)

RE: Newb to audio systems
 

My friends dont understand how I wont let them put anything in my trunk lol. "Look dude, if you shove all that stuff in there, the sub will hit it, the sub will get messed up, I will kill you." You cant cramp the subwoofer, people!!!

RE: Newb to audio systems
 

hahhha pilot yea man im running into that trouble too, i need a grill for mine.

RE: Newb to audio systems
 

Why a grill? I just keep a yard stick to whack people with when they try and put something in my trunk.

BTW I put my 15s in my accord, I think it sounds better in the accord then my suburban. Hits the highs better, but nothing like a 12". Now I need to upgrade my speakers and hook an amp up to them so I can hear the music and not just the bass lol. Now I have to get used to NO truck space. Atleast with my suburban I could move the amp and fit a keg between the box and the side. Well atleast I won't have people drinking out of the back of my car and spilling beer ALL over the rugs![sm=bangbang.gif]

RE: Newb to audio systems
 

Yeah, I really need to get my amp hooked up too. But Im waiting until I replace the front speakers. The bass kind of overwhelms my speakers lol. Ah, well. Who needs music when you have the bass?

RE: Newb to audio systems
 

Replacing the speakers will get you more clarity, but I don't know about loudness. Unless your HU has 250 or more watts. I am going to be hooking up a 800watt system, when I sell this extra car we got laying around.

EDIT: Oh I think you were saying hooking up the amp for the front speakers. If thats the case that would defiantly be a good idea unless you want to blow the stock speakers first. lol