Upgrading in remote area, need advice...

[kartherma]

Hi all,
Sorry for the long break in MM.net activity. I have been on the move.
(long post but actual questions are in bold below)

I am in Guam now. That was a long trip! I managed to sell the 04SB just before I left. It went to a great guy and I am super glad he has it...he will take great care of it. (I finished the Procharger install on it, he had it cleaned up and tuned...it turned out to be a monster!)

That leaves me with the black 03. I shipped it to Guam. It looks like I am the second MM on the island. It gets stared at all the time.


I can do simple stereo stuff, I grew up with a bunch of mini-truck clubbers and did alot of their stuff. I can read wiring diagrams and can twist a screwdriver/wrench...but I am not familiar at all with all of the terms and lingo now in the stereo market.

I have spent the last three nights searching through MM.net. I have read every post in the John's Stereo forum (great forum John!). I have also gone and trolled around a few of the forums for car stereo's I found on the internet.

Here is where I am at...
It seems my sub has blown or has some other issue with it. At any rate, it drives me to want to finally do the system upgrade I was thinking about. I may do it all at once, or I might do it a few components at a time...undecided.

There are about three local stereo shops here on the island. I went to two of them (the third is billing itself as a performance shop and the drive by reminded me of those re-tread tire shops you find in low income areas...I will skip that "shop")

The one that seems to be the biggest and best is the only JL dealer here. I have always been impressed with JL Audio and wanted to go with those for subs.
In my mind I was thinking of infinity components up front, infinity rear deck for back fill, and JL 10W6's (times two) in the trunk. I knew I wanted a 4 channel amp for the four in the cab and 2 channel dedicated for the subs.

Here is where the shop landed at:
(2)JLW3 @ 198/ea
(2)infinity component 5x7's @ 199/set
(2)infinity 5x7 @ 129/set
(1)Rockford Fosgate 4 channel @ 379/ea
(1)Rockford Fosgate "T500.1?" at 499/ea
(1) cap @ 99/ea
(1)steering wheel control adapter @ 89/ea
(1) kenwood double din head unit (has enough bells/whistles for me) @ 895/ea

Factors:
There is no sales tax here.
It turns out I have alot of time on my hands on the weekends.
I have access to both a wood working shop and an auto garage.
I work on a submarine tender and have access to a full on machine shop (not to mention I am the division officer for the carpenter shop...)

I cannot tune a stereo for anything other than what "sounds good to me" however I am not convinced that any of the shops here do anything more than that anyways.

I figure these guys are expensive, but I just dont know. For what was listed above and the very loose description of a "custom" box and "dynomatting" the trunk the guy came in at (and I quote) "ball park 3367.00"

I get stuff all the time at "FPO/AP" in the mail. Upper limit on weight is 70lbs.

This system will play primarily the likes of megadeth/system of a down/slipknot/creed/etc. On rare events it will play old LLCoolJ and the like.

I would like the ability to do a ricer in with the stereo just like I do them every day here with the engine.

Ok, for the questions/advice

I remember adding crossovers in the systems we did on those mini-trucks. Sometimes a guy would splurge and get an eq.

(question #1)Do I need crossovers? If so, can you explain what I need them for and how they fit into the system? Do I need two? or would I be better served just running the cap for the subs? What ratings/numbers would i be looking for on the cap and/or crossovers? This is my WEAKEST area on the subject.

I have NO IDEA about head units. I see plenty here going the AVIC route. That is interesting to me...but what I really want is to have a unit that will rip the music from my cd when i put it in and store it, or able to upload mp3's from my thumb drive. It would be nice to be able to hook up an ipod to it but not necessary. (question #2) I am open to any suggestions on this.

Moving forward....
He says the 10W6's are 299/ea and I like those (however I do like the W7's but did not ask how much he wanted for them)
If I run two 10's (planning on sealed box on the shelf). (question #3) Is the 500w RF he wants to sell me good, or should I be looking for something else? Do you have suggestions?

(question #4) Same basic question regarding the amp for the cab speakers. with an add on question - what sorts of ratings should I be looking for regarding those speakers and amp?

Getting those questions solved in my head leads me to my final (question #5)
So, do I
1. pay this guy to do it all
2. buy his stuff and install it myself
3. buy this or comparable from a US vendor and have it shipped to me and install it myself

Thank you for your time folks!
be good!
Curt

[GreekGod]

I wish I could help more. Why not use JL amps & speakers with the JL subs? Try to get installation references from your local (JL) dealer?

I like the convenience of a removable sub-box (plug & play), but it seems you want a more permanent install. Did you consider 6x8 speakers rather than the 5x7's?
Component speakers don't seem like they are worth the hassle, to me. Also, I don't think you need a capacitor.

Other than the wiring of the head unit & steering wheel control adapter, it sounds like an easy install you could do by yourself (sub enclosure excepted). If there is/are a wiring harness adapter(s) that will allow a plug & play of them, just do the install yourself. They make handy wiring harness adapters that adapt the (factory) speaker wire plugs, and keep correct polarity.

[Peace2Peep]

What you need is a quick crash lesson from Kenny or of course John...but here's my two cents:

I've got the Kenwood DDX-8019 and I like it(mostly the 4v output) and the newer models have bluetooth and nav built in now...but the Pioneer units have a way easier interface if you ask me. If you have a moment test both interfaces and see what's easy and fun for you.

I use JL amps and have always enjoyed their performance. They can handle crazy loads and can be powered by just about any car without major electrical upgrades(alternators, caps) I have a 1000/1 and a 450/4. Kenny uses a 500/1 and a 300/4 and his car screams...honestly its as loud or louder than mine(installation is as much or more important that equipment).

I have JL 10w7 (two) and I now wish I had done three...the more the merrier...and I probably will go to Kenny and have him redesign mine for a better look and the additional sub. You cannot top JL's subs...any of them really. They are just great and will be perfect for whatever application that you throw at them.

I have Focal components up fron and 6x9's in the rear package shelf and I dare anyone to listen to components and say they sound even remotely similar to a 5x7 or 6x8. My Power series components are so accurate it's scary. From Rock and Roll to Hip Hop with Jazz and Gospel, they do it right. JL makes great component-coaxes with seperate crossovers if you must have integrated speaker housings. The external crossovers with quality parts make a difference.

BTW the 500 watt Rockford at $500 is way expensive...I got a 1000 watt JL for a little bit more than that. Rockford can be had for great prices on many sites(incl Ebay) for crazy prices...they also have a really cool eualizer that functions through bluetooth on the higher end amps called three.sixty it looks cool, but needs pro hands to make it really perform(ala tuning your car's acoustics).

Shop a little online and see...overall your original plan has few holes as long as the installer is credible...make sure the equipment is what YOU like to listen to!

Have fun!

[Pops]

Advice is good from all of you. You could do better on price but I think the shipping would eat up a lot of the savings. The crossovers are in the amps and if I guess right they are in the Kenwood. If you are willing to take the time you can install it yourself. Help is here on the board!

[kartherma]

Thanks for the votes of confidence folks!

I managed to drop in two JLW6's (10inch) and went with a 1000w rockford fosgate amp. I got a converter and used the rear deck signal. I used the discussion article found in "reviews" that talks about adding a "basslink".

It seemed to work.

But there is another post here that makes me feel pretty stupid....
Magindat and john have set me straight on the whole "where to pull my signal from" issue. (wish there was a comment on that review before I started my install :( but all is not lost)

At any rate, I have to say that what i do have at this point is heavy. I have alot of work to do in order to draw the vibrations down from the trunk area. two tens can rattle alot of stuff I didnt know was installed on the marauder!

be good!
Curt