hi,
1st of all does it make alot of difference if i have different brand of speakers, subs, amps, head unit.

I am soon installing 2 12" 400rms kenwood subs, sony 6x9's and jl 6"s, i am getting a kenwood 80rms x 4 to run the four speakers on saturday. and looking for either 1 or 2 amps to run subs. Also eventually will be getting more subs. For now i am going to mount the two subs on either side behind the taillights, with basically a flat vinyl covered mdf wall fitting nice and good.
Any help and advice would be much appreciated

hi,
1st of all does it make alot of difference if i have different brand of speakers, subs, amps, head unit.

Absolutely not. In fact, most of the time it's a good idea - just because a company makes a good speaker doesn't mean they necessarily know jack about amplifiers.

Sounds like you're aiming at pretty low-end gear though. I'll leave it to others with more of a clue to recommend alternate (better) brands in your price range.

It doesnt matter a single bit if you mix and match brands of speakers/amps/subs and as cthulhu said its probably neccassary as some compnaies are better than others in different areas i.e. Sony make some good HU's, but pretty crap speakers.

Personally id suggest only one sub as anymore is overkill in my opinion, and one better quality 12" is better than 2 lesser quality ones. Also if its cheaper i wouldnt worry to much about powering the 6x9's with an amp, just run em off the HU, and buy a smaller 2ch to run the front splits, and a monoblock for the sub.

THe best thing to do with audio gear is go have a listen, no one else can tell you what is gonna sound good to you.

Also if you give us your budget, will be easier for ppl to suggest certain products that you should go have a listen too.

For now i am going to mount the two subs on either side behind the taillights, with basically a flat vinyl covered mdf wall fitting nice and good.

from what im understanding you are going to have your subs firing into eachother. if this is the case, pm maddog and hell explain to you the idea of soundwaves and such, we discussed this with him last night as i was thinking of a similar idea.

It doesnt matter a single bit if you mix and match brands of speakers/amps/subs and as cthulhu said its probably neccassary as some compnaies are better than others in different areas i.e. Sony make some good HU's, but pretty crap speakers.
Personally id suggest only one sub as anymore is overkill in my opinion, and one better quality 12" is better than 2 lesser quality ones. Also if its cheaper i wouldnt worry to much about powering the 6x9's with an amp, just run em off the HU, and buy a smaller 2ch to run the front splits, and a monoblock for the sub.

THe best thing to do with audio gear is go have a listen, no one else can tell you what is gonna sound good to you.

Also if you give us your budget, will be easier for ppl to suggest certain products that you should go have a listen too.

Other way around champ:P
Crap HU's
Decent speakers for the price

hi,
1st of all does it make alot of difference if i have different brand of speakers, subs, amps, head unit.

I am soon installing 2 12" 400rms kenwood subs, sony 6x9's and jl 6"s, i am getting a kenwood 80rms x 4 to run the four speakers on saturday. and looking for either 1 or 2 amps to run subs. Also eventually will be getting more subs. For now i am going to mount the two subs on either side behind the taillights, with basically a flat vinyl covered mdf wall fitting nice and good.
Any help and advice would be much appreciated

Firstly, as has been said you are aiming at entry level gear. I would forget the idea of 2 Kenwood subs, and spend the money on one decent JL sub (for example) which will sound much better for the same price. You can even get some better brand name subs for about the same price as well, Focal, Hertz, Boston.

Don't get Sony speakers, no matter what size :P They do good home hifi, but their car audio is below average. For your rear speakers you could try some pioneer, JL, or even some low end stuff from some of the better brands like Hertz, Morel, Alpine etc. Leave these running off your headunit for rear fill.

The JL 6", are they splits or coaxial? Either way they should sound good, but get splits if you can.

Then get one smaller 2 Channel amp, say 80Wrms for your fronts. You could get a 4 Channel to run front and rears, but if it means you have less money to spend on better speakers, I would just amp the fronts. And one monoblock for your sub.

Should be a better quality system, and will sound much clearer :)

Keep us updated!

It doesnt matter a single bit if you mix and match brands of speakers/amps/subs and as cthulhu said its probably neccassary as some compnaies are better than others in different areas i.e. Sony make some good HU's, but pretty crap speakers.
Personally id suggest only one sub as anymore is overkill in my opinion, and one better quality 12" is better than 2 lesser quality ones. Also if its cheaper i wouldnt worry to much about powering the 6x9's with an amp, just run em off the HU, and buy a smaller 2ch to run the front splits, and a monoblock for the sub.

THe best thing to do with audio gear is go have a listen, no one else can tell you what is gonna sound good to you.

Also if you give us your budget, will be easier for ppl to suggest certain products that you should go have a listen too.

Other way around champ:P
Crap HU's
Decent speakers for the price

TUFFTR that must be the laggiest double post ever!!

From my experience with sony, the top end HU's are pretty good (in terms of offering good equalization and features) and the speakers are absolute crud, especially the old ones .

I recommend a JL 12W1v2, this is the sub im lookin to get when time comes to build my system, absolutely fantastic sub for the price IMO.

Thanks for all the quick replies, i currently have 2 12" kenwood 400 rms each subs. and a 70 x 4 rms 4 channel amp. now when buying rear and front speakers should i just look for 70rms or can i get 80 rms or what. also what would be the best amp to power subs (1 or 2) does it have to be 4 ohms or can it be 2ohms. Sorry i don't know much bout this stuff.

As budget goes i'm looking to spend bout 600 for the rest. but am planning to get at least one more sub maybe 18"

Why do you want a 18" sub? There's nothing wrong with a quality 12" sub.

Your speakers don't have to be rated the same wattage as your amplifier. I guess the similiar/higher the better, but it's not the end of the world. Keep in mind that your average headunit is probably 10-20watts RMS per channel, and most speakers are 50-100 watts RMS.

I'm not sure if I'm reading it right, but you say you have $600 to spend on an amplifier for your subs, as well as front and rear speakers?

Assuming that both your subs are 4ohm single voice coil models, you could wire them up for a 2ohm load. Amplifier wise, I'd consider the Jaycar 800watt monoblock (http://tinyurl.com/2c2j8h). It delivers 700watts @ 2ohm, which would do the trick nicely.

I'd then spend ~$300 on a reasonable set of front splits. Not going to make a recommendation because I'm not really up to spec with what's good and what's not. That's over your budget, but if you had to, you could always buy them later instead of the sub. If you really want new rear speakers.... grab a cheap pair that take your fancy. Remember that the front speakers are what YOU as the driver actually hear.

2 400wrms subs are more than plenty in most peoples eyes. you are not going to get much difference with the 18" and i think its more of an overkill than actually doing the system any good.

like previous post suggested the jaycar mono will be more than sufficient to run the two subs and they will go pretty hard, any jaycar amp owner will tell you this.

as its been said, look for some decent splits for the front and you want to spend about $250-$300 on these unless you can get a good special. i got mine on the last pair of JVC at jb hifi and they were reduced to $120 from $260 and even though the treble is a little high my amp and h/u settings allow me to play around with this. a lot of people will also say that it doesnt matter what you get for your rear speakers, but it really does. you want to buy something thats half decent maybe around the $120-$150 mark unless you want to go higher. although dont look at all the crap stuff that will tell you that its 5way and puts out 500watt. you are better off with something quality thats 180watt-200watt max and 80WRMS-90WRMS 3way speakers if you are looking for 6x9s (brands may include pioneer, response from jaycar, kicker, jl if you can find some in that price range, etc). stay away from brands such as boss, audioline, anything from cheap ebay stores such as rockwood etc, maybe even sony.

the reason that i say get a half decent rear fill is cause even if you can hardly hear them and they sound crap, you WILL hear it and it WILL annoy the hell out of you

JB is also popular for discounting end of stock or display items. i always check these out if im at JB. ive previously spotted audiobahn 120WRMS splits for $140. would have gotten them if i have spare $140 laying around. shop around and see what you like best. take your time, as you WILL regret spending hastily.

good luck with the system

Alex

Why do you want a 18" sub? There's nothing wrong with a quality 12" sub.




proably for the same reasons why people want 20" rims when the factory 16-17" are far better

proably for the same reasons why people want 20" rims when the factory 16-17" are far better

...That's a joke right? Show me proof the 16-17" stock rims are far better and not just the "cheaper" option of the manufacturer

...That's a joke right? Show me proof the 16-17" stock rims are far better and not just the "cheaper" option of the manufacturer

I think he means some people prefer bling rather then a good performer

sweet, so ill b shopping from some decent speakers on special and prob a jaycar amp unless someone can recommend a better amp for around 300, hopefully less.
For the moment i'll just install the subs and see how they go, should be loud:D
The 18" is more for looks than anything, i'm not going for a top of the line system, just one that sounds decent and looks awesome

sweet, so ill b shopping from some decent speakers on special and prob a jaycar amp unless someone can recommend a better amp for around 300, hopefully less.

They should do the job fine. Great value for money amp.


The 18" is more for looks than anything, i'm not going for a top of the line system, just one that sounds decent and looks awesome

Then I will suggest stick with your 2 current amps and spend the money on a professional boot install.
You can have a 50" sub in your boot but it wont make it look awesome if the layout and install is crap.
Use the money you were going to spend on your mammoth 18" sub and put it towards getting your boot done, believe me, it will cost you $600 for something neat and tidy, but around $1000+ for something that's look showy. But it will be MUCH more impressive than a 18" sub in a average install.

Then I will suggest stick with your 2 current amps and spend the money on a professional boot install.
You can have a 50" sub in your boot but it wont make it look awesome if the layout and install is crap.
Use the money you were going to spend on your mammoth 18" sub and put it towards getting your boot done, believe me, it will cost you $600 for something neat and tidy, but around $1000+ for something that's look showy. But it will be MUCH more impressive than a 18" sub in a average install.

Amen to that. I think people dont pay enough attention to doing a clean install, instead just chucking the gear in and hoping for the best. Also if you dont know what your doing, getting a shop to tune up the system is a good idea.

well i wanted to get full Kenwood sound system then changed my mind to Pioneer cos there alot better but now the manager at auto barn has convinced me to ditch pioneer and go with clarion, there one of the best brands for car audio although the prices are high its well worth it in the end.

i got a Pioneer H/U.. kenwood 6".. pioneer 6X9's... twin 12" pioneer subs... clarion 800rms amp..

soon i will replace the 6" and the 6X9's with clarion....... not the subs cos i just bought them like two weeks ago lol

so i would say go ether pioneer, clarion or JBL

clarion arent that good IMO and they are WAAAAAAAY overpriced

your better of getting better brands at lower prices such as hertz, focal, mb

look at fhrx studios for some good prices on quality stuff

most car audio sales guys dont know sh*t, especially Autobahn! why would u take their word as gospel? they dont even sell brands like eclipse, focal, hertz, boston, soundstream, etc etc. Much better looking around urself, reading forums etc as car audio places, unless theyre well known with high quality brands, will sell u watever they want. if u walk into jb's or something, saying 'i dont know wat i want but i have $xxx to spend', they'll have the biggest smile on their faces coz they know u'll b an easy sale, havent done ur homework and have price checked

whereas u try going in there saying 'i know the difference between these 2 headunits are ...., but why should i pay for the more expensive one' or something like that, it tests them. then if u question their price, quoting a place down the road as cheaper, then they have to fight for ur money.

if ur aiming on low-mid stereo gear, do alot of research and u'll get the system that suits u, for the best price, not just something the salesman wanted to sell u who thought it would look bling in ur car.

eclipse make some great decks that are priced similar to pioneer/alpine, yet have far greater SQ and features, and a 3yr warranty if installed by a reputable installer. do ppl look at these to buy? nope because low-end audio shops dont know the brand, and they dont do their research.

i think i made my point clear, research and price check will get u the best for ur money :)

the manager at auto barn has convinced me to ditch pioneer and go with clarion, there one of the best brands for car audio.


lol hmmmm Yeah they are alright but nothing special. I would class them as mid range gear.

Previous post was spot on. Do your research, and go to dedicated car audio shops, see what they have to offer first.