Hi guys, my 18th is coming up very soon and as such I've decided I want a new audio system in my TJ Magna Sports

Currently, it has a single DIN Pioneer headunit (few years old, 2 atleast but definitely more I'd say), an an (exceptionally ugly) 4-way (I think) amplifier that branches out to a bunch of stock speakers :-/ (I didn't install this system, it came like that from its previous owner)

I've been looking into a new system, but car audio isn't really my area of expertise, so I'm hoping I can get help with speaker sizes and how everything will connect etc.

I have a bunch of parts in mind, so comments or corrections would be great. (I am an avid Sony fan BTW, all the parts I have chosen are Sony Xplod, I'd prefer to keep within this brand)

Sony BT-2850 head unit (I really want the BlueTooth), I'm not too sure how the pre-out system works, but if it can only switch between rear/sub, isn't that a bad thing :-/

http://www.ryda.com.au/Sony-MEX-BT2850-Bluetooth-MP3-CD-Tuner-p/mexbt2850.htm

Sony XSGTX6491 6x9" speakers. I believe these are the correct size for the back?

http://www.ryda.com.au/Sony-XSGTX6941-6x9-Car-Speakers-p/xsgtx6941.htm

Sony XS-GTX1621S 6.5" component speakers. Are these the correct size for the front? What is the black/silver block and where does it go?

http://www.ryda.com.au/Sony-XS-GTX1621S-6-Split-Speakers-p/xsgtx1621s.htm

I'd also really like a sub, but if I were to get a sub, would I be correct in assuming I would need to get another amplifer for it? Also, how simple is it to remove a sub from a car if I needed full use of the boot?

If you made it through all of that thanks, I really have no idea about this stuff. Thnaks for any help that can be given

Hi mate,

Congrats on the milestone... to be 18 again would be great ha ha.

I see you are a Sony fan, that is fine but have you heard equivalent speakers etc from other brands?

Yes you are correct, any decent sub will need an external amp to run properly.

Subs can be easily removed several ways. I used to have a custom sub box which just fit under the support frame and was stuck down with velcro. Didn't move even with a 15kg sub in it. Removing it was as simple as disconnecting 2 wires and lifting it out...

Don't get sony!
They're crap at car audio, unless they have high end range...
I gotta sony deck , its built cheap, and now doesnt even work.
also gotta pair of sony speakers which dont sound too good either.

Don't get sony!
They're crap at car audio, unless they have high end range...
I gotta sony deck , its built cheap, and now doesnt even work.
also gotta pair of sony speakers which dont sound too good either.

Each to their own taste... The Series Before the Xplod were unreal..Great sound and good quality..

Now that Sony have ditched the whole Eye pokingly revolting Red Stuff, there new stuff is not too bad... Not Brilliant... but not bad...
There new head units don't have enough sound control for my liking..

On that model, Yes, its only switchable.. so you can Either have Sub or Rear channel...

Where abouts are you located Aleks and We can see if one of us can help you get the gear in ???

Thanks for the help so far

I live in Campbelltown, I don't have any experience with installations so I was going to have another company install it. If I could get help outside of that, that would be awesome.

When it comes to Pre-outs, whats the point of having a 2 pre-out head unit as compared to a front + rear/sub pre-out head unit. As far as I see it, won't it basically end up with the same results?

Also, if it is set up as Front + Sub Pre-outs, what does that mean for the rear speakers? They won't be amplified? I'm completely inexperienced with this, so double checking everything.

Close enough to a few members !(I am about 45mins away)

You answered your own Question... the rears wont be amplified.

What most people do in this situation is run the Fronts and Subs off an amplifier and run the rear speakers off the Rear channel from the speaker wires off the deck.

The point of having a 3-Preout deck it will allows you to amplify all speakers and be able to control them..
A head unit with 3-preouts allows for future expansion..

As a Suggestion Check out JB Hifi Macathur Square and have a listen to Kicker and Cadence for front and rear speakers.. I have found they offer superior sound to the Sony units..

Whats the bet your current 'ugly ass' 4 channel turns out be be a PPI Art or something :P

Hey if you want to hear a reasonable system you should come up to liverpool and see me. I can introduce you to some of the more exotic and premium european brands ;)

Hi guys

Woob The Amplifier brand is some Power Americana Series or something like that, I'll have to double check it later

Joe Bellissimo, I'm not in a huge amount of money to be spending on this setup, hence why brands such as Sony are preferred. Thanks for the suggestion though

magnat yeah I've been there a few times, had a bit of a play with the headunits and stuff.

So looking into it a bit more, something like a BT3850 would be more suitable as it would contain 2x pre-outs and a sub-out as opposed to a front and rear/sub switchable pre-out? Therefore I can have everything amplified properly?

http://www.sony.com.au/product/mex-bt3850u

Who said anything about huge amounts of money mate? I've always got budget ranges or possibly ex-demo stock lying around. You never know unless you listen ;) hehehe!

Hi guys

I've come back to ask a few more questions here and there

Can you use a monoblock amplifier to power 2 subwoofers?

I'm going to send in a request for a quote very soon, and I have looked into an answer for the above question but as I am a car audio noob I am finding it fairly difficult to understand the answers.

Find out the Stats on the Monoblock your after.. if it is 1 Ohm Stable then it is possible

I think it's only 2 Ohm stable, the subs will be 4 Ohm though, don't know if that makes a difference

Apparently people do run 2 subs off this specific amp though

Any amp can run 2 Subs.

Will it all run safely? That is where you need to do your research.

If you do some searching on ohms and resistance you will be able to match up amp and sub combo's with ease.

For example:
2 channel amp bridged to 4ohm will be able to run 2x 2ohm SVC woofers or 2x 4ohm DVC woofers.
Monoblock amp that is 2ohm stable will run 2x 4ohm SVC woofers or 2x 2ohm DVC woofers.
Monoblock amp that is 1ohm stable will run all of the above in various series and parallel wiring configurations.

SVC = Single Voice Coil
DVC = Dual Voice Coil

Plenty of info on the net if you want to look into it.

Thanks for the help


Monoblock amp that is 2ohm stable will run 2x 4ohm SVC woofers

This would be the scenario I'm looking at.

Another question, and this might seem particularly stupid

But I asked earlier whether it would be possible to remove the subs in case of needing full use of the boot and I was told that this is fairly easy. What if the amplifier has been installed onto the back of the subwoofer box?

Now obviously there is power going to this amplifier, so do I need something to cover the end of the wire to ensure the car doesn't become live or is this a non-issue

when ever you run the power cable from battery to amp there is always an inline fuse within 8 inches of the battery simply take out the fuse and you're good to go, however if you amp your speakers and the amps are mounted on the sub box when you remove it you wont have no sound, maybe think about mounting your amps somewhere else or get one sub and mount it in the spare wheel

Find out the Stats on the Monoblock your after.. if it is 1 Ohm Stable then it is possible

... wtf?

daniels vrx

The Amplifier for the speakers are under the Passenger Seat, so that won't be an issue

I'm trying to decide where the Sub Amp should go, and putting them on the back of the Subwoofer box sounds like an obvious place to me. Otherwise they'd have to be under the Driver's seat, or bolted onto the back seat or something

maybe for ease of removal put it under the drivers seat that way you just need to disconnect the speaker wire from a connector in the boot, otherwise you'll need to disconnect powercable, earth, remote wire and speaker wire

Depending on the size of your amp, Vibe make the "Fast Plug" which allows you to connect Power, Earth and Remote wire into a quick release plug.

This would mean easy removal if you did mount the amp on the sub box, as you would only need to disconnect the plug, unplug the RCA's and the box amp amp are ready to be taken out.

This is why the Vibe Active CBR12 loaded with BlackAir II 12inch is so popular. Has the amp built in to the box, includes wiring kit and fast plug and is tunable ( can be run sealed, SQ ported, SPL ported ).

daniels vrx

Just looked up the dimensions of the Amplifier and I think that is probably the way to go, I thought it was way bigger then it actually was which is why I wanted it to be on the back of the sub box :-/

Mr ©harisma

Sounds like an interesting product, but yeah I think it would be better to put it under the Driver's seat as stated above

Hmm, how much would I be looking at if I had another company do the installation of the audio?

Parts would be a head unit, front 6" component speakers, rear 6x9 speakers, amp for sub under the driver seat, 2 subs and the subwoofer box in the boot.

Best bet would to be call a few. If you buy the equipment from them, they may do a deal.
I have heard of $60 to $90 for a head unit, so maybe that much again for amp/sub, and again for front splits - so $200 - $300 is my guess. Rear 6x9s should be a cinch, so they'd throw that in.

Personally I won't pay someone else to butcher my car - I can break it better than them. hehe.
But I do have high school electronics knowledge, can use a soldering iron and don't mind taking 5 hours to run a power cable from the battery to the boot. (hey, it has been 6 years since my last stereo install) :)

I'd recommend FHRX studios if you wan't quality, but even if you want cheap, I'd never recommend a strathfield. :)

hope it helps some.

Yeah thanks it does help

I'd absolutely love to do that kind of thing myself, but I don't have a soldering iron and am terrified of breaking something. I haven't done any work on a car before. $300 is a fair amount of money but it would prob be the better option

A mate tells me that you can use clips instead of a soldering iron but as there is already a Pioneer head unit installed there will prob be a fair amount of work in figuring out bits and pieces that have happened there.

Finally got a quote back, they are charging $450 for installation though so I might have to look around and see if anyone else can offer something better

Does anyone know if a subwoofer box with dimensions of 365mm(H) x 865mm(W) x 630mm (D) will fit in the Magna's boot?

I have gotten the tape measure out, and it would appear that it would just fit in width and height, but I want to double check in case someone has attempted something similar and failed

Getting it in will be interesting though :-/