Audio Upgrade - your $.02! Components/amps/subs

MJRBrooks

Original poster
Member
Mar 26, 2012
20
-- What's up forum crew --
I have been watching plenty of threads about audio upgrades, most of them a few years old. Outdated threads tend to go hand in hand with outdated technological info.

I am looking to beef up my system on a dime (big surprise). I already switched out the HU with a Sony (I know I know...) CDX unit with the flash drive capability, that I had from my last truck.

Current upgrade list to buy:
-Components up front
-Matching coaxials in the back (not necessity though)
-Something along the Q-logic/JL Stealthbox/subthump.com box to put on the side in the back. I DJ and use the back space in its entirety (seats folded down and all) - can't afford much room.
-Ideal sub for a sealed box
-Class AB 4 channel (or 5... whichever) amp

COMPONENTS:
I have been checking the forums fairly in depth and a decent amount tend to back the Polk Audio DB6501 components. Amazon puts the DB6501 at the top of their list, and from what I've seen here :Rumour:, they look like the majority's fav as well. Of course BestBuy only carries the PA-DXi line, which looks to be the "new version" of the DB6501. Unfortunately, they were playing some BS like Taylor Swift :suicide:, so I didn't have the chance to truly hear what they can do, and surprise surprise the staff didn't feel like helping me out. The other top pick listed the most - Alpine Type R components. Alpine has at least two different lines of Type R components: SPR-17S and the SPR-60C. Some mention Infinity Kappas, Boston, Memphis, JL, Orion, RF, MTX, Kicker, anything but Sony, I saw a Hertz mentioned once. Just looking for some updated input, what you have, what you've heard (in person), Dos vs Don'ts... :twocents:
P.S. - I plan on mounting the tweeters in the A pillars, and drop the highs a bit so they're not overbearing.

SUB & BOX:
Pretty much looking for your experience with any of it. The three well known being Qlogic ($300), the JL stealthbox ($230ish), and subthump.com's site ($80). Even if you DIYed it with fiberboard and speaker carpet, I'd like to hear your thoughts (I'll never do that s*** again; well worth it; sounds great/like crap). As far as the sub goes, I know you can't expect too much out of a .8 cubic foot box. Some subs handle better in sealed vs ported boxes. Plus, I can't technically "go out and give it a listen" since they're not readily available. So feedback here is my goto.:twocents:

AMP:
I'm aiming for the class AB 4 channel so I can bump the components up to their RMS, and bridge the the other 2 channels to run the sub. I have (somewhat) narrowed it down to the Kenwood Kac-8405 because of the consistent good reviews matched with the decent sticker price ($130 shipped - amazon). Amazon also has this Power Acoustik GT4-1200, which seems solid on paper. Solid specs (RMS - 100W X 4 @ 4ohm ; 125W X 4 @ 2ohm ; 250W X 2 @ 4ohm) with the right price ($120 shipped). However, not a single review anywhere on this thing. I know some have had luck with Power Acoustik, but I have also heard the exact opposite. The Kenwood doesn't push as hard, but for a difference of $10 more, is the -25w RMS worth the piece of mind? What's your take / recommendations for something else?:twocents:

In the industry of "you get what you pay for" - I'm trying to make the right choices, just not the arm/leg choices. Thanks for lookin out! :helpme::thankyou:
 

MrDJ

Member
Dec 4, 2011
180
Waxahachie, TX
IMO - for the subs, I would either go with a 5-channel amp so you will have a dedicated low end channel (but you won't get a lot of power out of it), or a 4-channel amp for the component speakers and a mono block amp for the subs. With 2 amps, you will have a lot more power and control, but will spend a little extra money.

I have heard more good reviews than bad on the stealthbox, and though I am more partial to the high-power systems and several subs in a bigger box, it would be good for a little low end. As long as you don't plan on setting off any car alarms, you should be fine with a 5-channel amp.

I am a DJ as well but I have a trailer for my equipment so I don't eat up my interior cargo space :raspberry:
 

STLtrailbSS

Member
Dec 4, 2011
1,617
Components
Simplified
ALPINE-CLEAN
JL- EXPENSIVE BUT HIGH SQ
RE AUDIO- JL KILLERS
KICKER-BANG FOR YOUR BUCK
KENWOOD- NO STICK TO THERE AMPS BEFORE SPEAKERS
BOSTONS- THE SS had Bostons $200+ version and they were powered by JLs and I was not impressed at ALL!
Forsgate- Another Great bang for your buck brand
Memphis- Its a sub company and that's where I would keep them
POLK- I cant lie I honestly know nothing about I guess they have never interested me.

That being said thne compoents will have the biggest effect on your sound quality, so they are an important its all about front staging to get that great sound mix and components are the heart. Kickers I have had I have 0 complaints, I have installed RE they are just insane, I have the TYPE Rs with the true cross up front now Love em! (SPR-60c). Tweeter mounting location also will give the system a distinct sound from two TBs imho dash mounts are the best.


SUB&BOX
I have a giant 3/4 mofo lol with 2 type Rs its very loud but I have no room so that's not gonna work for you sounds like lol. But still must say I had W7s which is supposedly the greek gods of subs, I didn't see it. Anyway back to my currents I had never used Type Rs before and I love them from $150- $120 on eBay they are great although I really want to make the big switch to sundown but that's not talking down to the Type Rs that's just my own insanity. Boxes the big difference is port vs seal I am sure you have read, I like the SPL and loudness of bass so I have gone port, with the sealed its just cleaner..all preference. Sub box depeds on what you want , sound and size if your not pushing a huge amount of RMS you can get a generic box off ebay for like $40 ad drop whatever your heat desires. I think in this category Alpine gets the bang for the buck, Kickers are pretty weak until you get into the Solo Barics, L7s all there square subs.

AMPS
I have one simple tip for this area understand the term CEA 2006 compliant. If you have not read if that is listed in your amps specs you are getting the power that is quoted on the box. BOSS,LANZAR,CRUNCH all those cheap amps you see will never push the quoted wattage its all a gimmick really. The other simple fact SHOP RMS not MAX WATTS. Other than that if you stick to a CEA amp you will get a good quality power producer.Kick,Alpine, Kenwood even JENSEN makes a cea amp now. Obviously you will pay more for more power but stay away from the cheapos
 

hitman

Member
Jan 25, 2012
119
Im running a very good sounding audio system and i dont have much in it.
jvc head unit about $130 the interface was about $130 and the dash kit was loke $20
Subs are 2 12"mtx jackhammers i got in the box for like $299 the amp im running is a Hifonixs zeus 1,700 watts mono think shipped to my door was about $190
and speakers are infinity reference 6.5" think about $90 a pair wiring is 4 gauge and was about 60 bucks
i would recommend Onlinecarstereo.com - Wholesale Car Audio/Stereo Deals At Bargain Prices i have been very happy with there products and service
Bit more i have done was just upgraded my battery to an optima yellow top and a stinger battery terminal.:wootwoot:
 

MAY03LT

Member
Nov 18, 2011
3,412
Delmarva
MJRBrooks said:
I have been checking the forums fairly in depth and a decent amount tend to back the Polk Audio DB6501 components..Just looking for some updated input, what you have, what you've heard (in person), Dos vs Don'ts..

The 6501s are a great choice. I have some older RF power comps and they're ok but the mids kind of lack. If I had to do it again I would get the 6501s.

Also, be 1000% sure that whatever mids you choose will fit in the doors. There are differences between the bose/non bose door pods. My mids didn't fit in my non-bose TB (magnets hit the windows) and shimming them away from the window made it so that the cone(s) would hit the door panel(s) at higher volumes. My dude Aukland put the same mids in his bose TB and they fit with no problem.

SUB & BOX:
Pretty much looking for your experience with any of it. The three well known being Qlogic ($300), the JL stealthbox ($230ish), and subthump.com's site ($80).

I heard another members sub thump box. He had a single 10 on 600 or so watts in his TB and that thing rocked. I was impressed. I have not heard either of the other ones in one of these trucks.

I already switched out the HU with a Sony (I know I know...)

I don't knock their decks. I've still got my mobile ES deck from back in the day....forget bluetooth and ipod compatibility, the display can be set to orange OR green!!!!:wootwoot:
 

MJRBrooks

Original poster
Member
Mar 26, 2012
20
Loving the feedback so far guys. I went ahead and did the whole "it's 4am, let's buy stuff" thing. I'm going to use this purchase as a guinea pig and will give solid feedback and pics.

This is what I landed at (for now):
Components - Polk Audio DB6501 (100w RMS) - amazon $115

Coaxials - Polk Audio DB651 (60w RMS) - amazon $59

Amp - Power Acoustik OVN4-1600 (150w RMS x 4ch x 4ohm) - sonicelectronix $119

Amp kit - Rockford Fosgate RFK4D 4AWG 4 channel kit w/ 2 distribution blocks and a spool of 16AWG speaker wire - ebay $83 (gonna swap out the 22awg stock speaker cables for the RF 16awg)

I'm giving the amp a chance since its reviews so far have been solid across the board. Worst case scenario: everything, besides the amp, is beast, I just swap the amp. I'll do some before/during/after pics once it all comes in -- this Easter weekend's plans are officially full. :wootwoot:

As for the sub and box -- I have a spare 550w amp sitting around with a pair of 10s and massive box from my last system. I may piece it in for just the price of a a new box. Then again.. I may have another 4am splurge.. you never know with these things. Keep ya posted!:thumbsup:
 

MJRBrooks

Original poster
Member
Mar 26, 2012
20
Where to start... where to start... hmmm.... :biggrin:
 

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STLtrailbSS

Member
Dec 4, 2011
1,617
Very Nice Man! When Is it going in!? I could not keep my stuff just sitting in my house like that
 

blazinlow89

Member
Jan 25, 2012
2,088
Looks freakin sweet. I think those are the same 2 ways I have in the front of mine. I got them free so until I start the speaker portion of upgrades they will stay. Then they go to the back.

The W7=Greek God of Subs :confused::confused: Not even close, If based on price maybe. It doesnt even deserve to be melted down and used as the magnet of some other subs. Those are what I refer to as brand Nazi's. Sorry off topic but I just seen the comment.
 

STLtrailbSS

Member
Dec 4, 2011
1,617
blazinlow89 said:
Looks freakin sweet. I think those are the same 2 ways I have in the front of mine. I got them free so until I start the speaker portion of upgrades they will stay. Then they go to the back.

The W7=Greek God of Subs :confused::confused: Not even close, If based on price maybe. It doesnt even deserve to be melted down and used as the magnet of some other subs. Sorry off topic but I just seen the comment.

Could not agree more! You should probably talk sense to some people around here they have no idea, They don't even know Sundown. Thats what I put up with
 

MJRBrooks

Original poster
Member
Mar 26, 2012
20
STLtrailbSS said:
Very Nice Man! When Is it going in!? I could not keep my stuff just sitting in my house like that

Thanks man! I KNOW I KNOW!!!! Even my girlfriend has been surprised I didn't tear the TB apart just yet. It was either do it all in parts as UPS and USPS came to the door, or wait for the last piece (the components) to land at my doorstep and tackle it all at once. Tomorrow I have off, so it's starting when I wake up in the am. I'll try and get plenty of detailed pics.

OH there is ONE more thing coming in -- Stinger Pro 4 Gauge Firewall Grommet - Darvex.com
-- got this idea from LMMJ from TV. But I'll hit the ground runnin in the mornin.
 

MJRBrooks

Original poster
Member
Mar 26, 2012
20
blazinlow89 said:
Looks freakin sweet. I think those are the same 2 ways I have in the front of mine. I got them free so until I start the speaker portion of upgrades they will stay. Then they go to the back.

The W7=Greek God of Subs :confused::confused: Not even close, If based on price maybe. It doesnt even deserve to be melted down and used as the magnet of some other subs. Those are what I refer to as brand Nazi's. Sorry off topic but I just seen the comment.

Thanks man! Do you like them up front so far? Did you amp them? I shot for an amp that (supposedly) has headroom above the RMS so I can pump the comps and the coaxials to their potential. If the amp doesn't cut it, I'll go with something guaranteed. This is merely a trial run for Power Acoustik.

Those Sundown subs look ridiculous! I have yet to hear them in person.
 

blazinlow89

Member
Jan 25, 2012
2,088
I have done nothing other than remove the stock tweeters and mount these. I also put a set of RE Audio 6.5" speakers in the rear, they are from a component set, but I lost the crossovers during moving.:frown: They are off stock power. When I do my system I am going conservative. Just a single 12" or 10" with low power around 250 watts and then comps and the 2 ways in the rear. Nothing exciting. I have done the monster stereos, while I love doing competition, I do not have the time or money for that anymore maybe when I get some gray up top I can build me a Mail truck SQL monster.

I like alot of the older XBL^2 technology subs, Adire Brahmas, Ascendant subs. I also like alot of the other lesser know brands, or even current brands before they go bought put China. Dont even get me started on amps, Precision Power, US Amps, even some of the Hifonics use to be freakin sweet, been going down Hill for while. I have a few dream setups in mind that would cost well over 8k for the just the amps.

I am thinking about going with an Fi Audio sub for my next setup though.
 

mike_k

Member
Dec 5, 2011
242
STLtrailbSS said:
Could not agree more! You should probably talk sense to some people around here they have no idea, They don't even know Sundown. Thats what I put up with

same thing you say audioque or sudown around here and people look at you like :confused:
 

MJRBrooks

Original poster
Member
Mar 26, 2012
20
UGH... so after the day's plans being thrown into the wind, I was able to tackle just a small part of the upgrade project. My apt complex doesn't allow "car work" on the grounds, so I literally took the TB outside the parking lot and brought my little AC/DC converter for the soldering. With about two hours of sunlight, I was able to take care of the rear door speaker replacement.

Following MoJoe's How-to from TV (Chevy TrailBlazer, TrailBlazer SS and GMC Envoy Forum), I took the rear doors apart and worked on changing up the speaker wire situation. Trying to figure out how to make the 16AWG fit through the grommet and plastic housing for the clips, without destroying the manufactured hole in the pillar :undecided:, I came up with this:
View attachment 20162

I opened hollowed out the small hole on the bottom of the plastic clip inside the grommet, running from the door to the pillar, just big enough to fit the wire through. Threaded it from the pillar through the grommet, and down into the speaker housing (with enough room to spare for soldering). Put the grommet back on the clip, covered everything back up, and made it look professional.

....And that's as far as the sunlight would allow this Friday evening. They say to test the speaker(s) before you put the door panel(s) back on, but I have yet to run the amp wires through the firewall. For now, they will just sit tight.
 

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MJRBrooks

Original poster
Member
Mar 26, 2012
20
Now that two weeks have gone by, my transmission is finally rebuilt :hissyfit: and I'm back to the upgrade.

With the help of my buddy, we built a ported box (yesterday) to mount and protect the amp from the normal wear and tear of my gear in and out of the truck. :wootwoot: [my phone (camera) died midway through the build, don't judge harshly on the lack of documentation] :biggrin:

View attachment 20484

The rear doors are all done. The firewall grommet arrived. Components will be going in next.

View attachment 20483

More pics to come.
 

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jrSS

Member
Dec 4, 2011
3,950
That's what I wanna do next...I wanna upgrade my stereo. Never had a sweet sounding ride. I have bose but nothing close to being where I wanna be.
 

STLtrailbSS

Member
Dec 4, 2011
1,617
silvernclean said:
That's what I wanna do next...I wanna upgrade my stereo. Never had a sweet sounding ride. I have bose but nothing close to being where I wanna be.

Not bashing your bose, but honestly you can kill GM Bose for about $200. I added it to your mod suggestions you will love it man, but you you will never go back to stock lol all your cars will have to bump its a real addiction problem DOOOO ITTTTT!!!! :thumbsup:
 

MJRBrooks

Original poster
Member
Mar 26, 2012
20
Getting the cables prepped for the amp
View attachment 20574

Checked the levels first, then mounted the amp
View attachment 20575
(Don't worry -- those cables won't sit like that)

Put the cover up for clearance check
View attachment 20576

Final product
View attachment 20577

After all is said and done, this system KIIIIIIIIICKS. :wootwoot: I actually can hear the speakers in the rear doors now... which makes me think I have them up too loud. Then again, it's the first time I've heard them sound this rich so it could be my ears. The tweeters in the pillars are switched down to the -3dB setting, so it all sounds even. I'm very happy (and impressed) with the speakers, the wiring kit, and the amp. :thumbsup: Then again, the amp has ran for a combined total of 30 minutes. I'll comeback to this thread if it gives out in 6 months.


This is the first time I've ever amped the door speakers. I used to think "I'll just throw a couple 10s in the back, slap an amp on, and call it a day" was the way to go. I can't believe I haven't done this before. However, this is the first time when it comes to covering an amp. The box has a decent size opening to vent heat off the amp, plus the amp has thermal protection built in. We shall see if it holds out.

STLtrailbSS said:
Not bashing your bose, but honestly you can kill GM Bose for about $200. I added it to your mod suggestions you will love it man, but you you will never go back to stock lol all your cars will have to bump its a real addiction problem DOOOO ITTTTT!!!! :thumbsup:

Soooooo true. I've had the bug since I first put subs in my camry (my first car frosh year of college). The next two vehicles got the hook up as well. The bug will follow you for years...

For those that think this isn't "flashy" enough -- it's meant to be that way. Aside from being protected from the DJ gear filling the back, it's meant to look stock to deter outsiders wanting what's inside.:lock_it:
 

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MJRBrooks

Original poster
Member
Mar 26, 2012
20
So it's been 8 months with the system in. Several trips back and forth from Hampton Roads, VA and Cincinnati, OH. Amp kicking the entire time, never overheated, speakers thumping like crazy, crystal clear through and through. :cool:

One of my buddies rode with me a month ago and thought I had a sub in the back when I brought the levels up. "Nah man. Those are door speakers. That's it." He came back with, "Bull:lipsrsealed:!"

After two peak DJ seasons this year, my gear beating up against the amp box constantly, I haven't had any problems whatsoever. Box still sits tight against the side, carpet holding up without tears. I'm beyond impressed with this setup.:thumbsup:
 

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