SimonJM

Dear all,

I'm completely new to this ICE game and would like your valued opinions.

Waiting for my new STi8 to be delivered in about 4 weeks time. As soon as it touches British soil I want the crap standard stereo system out.

Now I know what I want head unit wise - Dension DH101 MP3 player (HDD)/ tuner unit. Single DIN unit & will fill the rest of the space with a PSI3 unit.

My problems start when I start thinking of speakers / amplifier upgrades

Speaker questions:

What sort of speakers are best - components or coaxial speakers?
Do you go for the same speakers front and rear?
Is there any point with components in the rear?
If using components in the rear where do the tweaters go?
What sort of power should the speakers be? (don't want my ears to bleed!!!!)

I don't want / not allowed (wife!!) / can't fit (baby pending!!!) any subs in the boot, so what would be the best alround speakers to go for with a good sound range?

Would I really need a subwoofer for any decent base range?

I really don't want the car to be thumping / pumping down the road, I just want a clear full sound.

Amp questions:

Would I be better of with a 2 or 4 channel amp?
Is there any point amplifying the rear speakers, if the front do all the work anyway?
Would I be better getting a 5 channel amp, just in case I can / need to persuade the wife that a sub is essential?

Any thoughts on Alpine amps:
MRV-F540 (4 x 150W)
MRV-F340 (4 x 100W)
MRP-F200 (4 x 75W)
MRP-F320 (4 X 75W + 1 X 180W)
MRV-F450 (4 X 90W + 1 X 370W)

Any other good amp recomendations

What sort of music do I listen to? Well just about anything and everything - from heavy rock to pop to classical music!!!

With regards to budget - I have £1000 to spend in total. Head unit is going to be just under £400, which leaves me with about £600 to spend on the amp / speakers / fitting.


All help will be greatfully received as I really don't know much about where to start?

Simon

gullys01

IF U WANT SOME ADVISE RING AUDIO IMAGES BRADFORD ,
01274733633. THESE GUYS KNOW WHAT THERE ON ABOUT.

GO FOR AMERICAN SUBS AND AMPS
JAP OR UK MIDS
AND A JAP HEAD UNIT.

GULLYS

TRUST ME MY 6000W SYSTEM NOW RUNS MINT..

GULLY.
GULLYS01@YAHOO.CO.UK

Shifty

My recommendation - in general terms - would be for a medium power amp (say 4x75 Watts) running some components in the front and free-air subs in the back. That should give a pretty rounded sound without sacrificing much boot space. I've no idea how much it costs to get stuff fitted, but splitting your £600 budget like this:
£100 components (Infinity are always recommended)
£150 subs (wild guess, I'm not sure who makes free-air subs nowadays !)
£250 amp (any of the big names should be fine)
£100 install

Might do the job.

Cheers,

Steve.

Si.t

You could do a lot worse than to have a look at my Phoenix Gold 4 channel amp for sale - the zx450. Its powerful, versatile, american and quality - you could run the fornts and rears off it, and if you then want a sub, bridge two of the channels (as i have done) and power the rears off the head unit. Either way, its easier to go with one versatile amp - as is the amp i'm replacing the Pg with.

One thing about new amps is that they loose their value quickly; i've never bought a brand new amp because of this fact and that the standard of a secondhand amp the same value as a new one will be far better.

This may be a blatant plug for my amp, but havea look at the replies from chiark and luke on the thread.

Cheers

Si

SimonJM

Thanks guys

Si.t - £350 is probably more than I can afford on the amp. Does look good though - good luck selling

Steve (Shifty) - Similar ideas to what I had, but not with the free-air subs. Only thing is - what are free-air subs? Would they be in place of the rear speakers?

Is it possible to have subs fitted into the rear shelf? If so which?


Any other ideas / thoughts please.

Cheers

Simon

MY03 SRT

Cheers guys

bttt

SlowBoy

iTrader: (1)

Free air subs use the boot as an enclosure and therefore don't require mounting in their own box. This will meet your requirements of saving boot space, as they'd be mounted under the rear shelf, as you suspect.

Personally, I don't see why you can't have a sub in the boot (you only need one). Get a small one, that doesn't need a big box, eg an 8" square Kicker. Reason I'd suggest a small sub in the boot is that i) it doesn't take up much space, ii) you can simply unplug it if ever you really need the space, iii) I like the sound.

Alternatively go with a pair of 6x9s on the rear shelf. Some of these can handle enough bass for some listeners.

As for the rest of the system, I wouldn't bother with rear speakers. Get a good set of components up front and some decent amplification. (If the budget will stretch to a four channel then do it. This will allow for upgrades in the future, an will give you the option of starting with the simplest set up and building on it as and when.)

Get yourself off to a meet, and have a listen to find out what YOU think sounds best.

Have fun.



[Edited by SlowBoy - 2/7/2003 10:19:38 PM]

brett555

One thing i do rec is some nice Focal Components ... mmm .. nice clean sound. Very good quality.

Like someone has said though , every component of an audio system sounds different , best going to a reputable audio shop in your area and having a listen to some different items.

edited for more..

As for the alpine amps , the v12 are great , providing they have a good supply of power to them. Put out a lot more power than on the box (some come supplied with certificates) ..

brett

[Edited by brett555 - 2/12/2003 4:27:15 PM]