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SolaraGuy.com • View topic - audio makeover!!! HELP!
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audio makeover!!! HELP!

audio makeover!!! HELP!

Postby oaktonlax9 » Fri Apr 02, 2010 9:47 pm

hi solara owners!

so i'm a 16 year old kid... just got this 2001 solara from my dad since he got a new car. I love my hip-hop and rap music and would love a nice sub, one challenge is... I think i blew the "sub" out in my solara already. The back right speaker is weird and I have to put the bass on -5 so it doesn't make a rattling sound. I don't know if this is a common problem but yeah, thats what has happened.

As for the makeover...

I need assistance for basically everything. I have no clue what I'm doing but I guess you guys can HELP ME...

what i'm looking for...

1. In-Dash w/ ipod compatability

2. 12" Subwoofer (good-high quality)... looking to put it in my trunk.

3. Do I need to replace the speakers in the car?

4. Do I need to get an amplifier?

Sorry if these questions sound really dumb, but I just want some help so that I know what im getting is of good, reliable quality.

any help is great!

thanks in advance!
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Postby DaTwUnKrAziEpInOy » Fri Apr 02, 2010 10:39 pm

I think the main thing will be what kind of budget do you have?
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Postby oaktonlax9 » Sat Apr 03, 2010 8:09 am

id like to keep it semi-low... lets say between 1000 and 1500.

thanks for bringing that point up haha
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Postby stringbean » Sat Apr 03, 2010 11:49 am

for your wierd sounding rear speaker it may be that the foam surrounds have come off and started to disintegrate. so replacing them may be essential

1. Alpine cda-9887 is a great deck for 1 din
ism not sure if you need a double din deck but if you do i like my JVC a lot

2. Clarion PXW is a clean sounding sub, i went for sound quality over spl
MTX is also a good company, hits harder, may be good for you but sound quality isnt as good only by a faction though

3. YES! replace them! and dont cheep out on speakers either!

infinity is a $$ softer speaker
mtx is a $$ louder speaker
clarion is a $$-$$$ sound quality speaker
focal $$$$ but a great speaker
jvc is a $ ok speaker

just go listen, bring a cd of yours and listen to speakers at the store, anything 150 up would be good for fronts and also the rears

4. you definitely need an amp for the sub, you wanna match the rms watts to the sub to the rms output of the sub if possible

an amp for the fronts and rears would be nice, a 4 channel is good, if you can fit it into your price range

if not the deck power will be good enough until you can get an amp for the speakers.

hope this helps
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Postby QuickSEV6 » Sat Apr 03, 2010 2:44 pm

stringbean wrote:3. YES! replace them! and dont cheep out on speakers either!


I cannot possibly overstate how good Diamond Audio is. If you can get your hands on a set, I highly recommend you do it.

The HexPro series is the very best speaker system ever offered for the mobile environment. Period!

http://www.diamondaudio.com/
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Postby no_escape » Sat Apr 03, 2010 3:49 pm

I prefer Alpine decks(3, 4volt PreOuts), Boston Speakers, a good MDF box that isn't enclosed(since were not hatchbacks), and Kicker square subs. I'm alittle behind in amp tech so I'm not much help there.
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Postby MisterTedster » Sat Apr 03, 2010 11:23 pm

Alpine decks tend to be a bit "cold" sounding. The last clarion head unit that was actually good was made a few years ago. In a good head unit, look for something with at least 4V for the preouts, and a 24 bit dac.

With amps, don't worry about having to match wattage, it is actually more ideal to have more power than you need. That way you can turn your gains down and ensure that you have a clean signal to your speakers and subs. Overpowering does not blow speakers, clipping does.

Replace all those speakers. In all honesty, a true SQ car will not need rear speakers if tuned properly. I do not use my rear speakers at all, the proper sound stage comes from the front, and when tuned properly, will sound like its coming from all directions.

As for budget subwoofers, there's quite a few you can look at. If you're looking for pounding SPL-oriented subs, go with the Kicker L7's or L5's. If you want something more SQ-oriented, I would consider Memphis subs. They are great for the money. My personal preference lies in the Alpine Type-R's. I think they're a great trade-off in power handling, SQ and SPL. If you want to take it a step further, go for an Alpine Type-X.

Lastly, while there are us SG folks that know a thing or two about car audio, I'd highly suggest going to a car audio forum to really learn the ins and outs of car audio. There are simply wayyyyyy too many things for the few of us to go into to really get your system straight. It's not as simple as buying a head unit, amps and speakers. You have to consider the install, the tuning and how far you want to take your system in terms of SQ and/or SPL.

Forums I would recommend first and foremost is diymobilaudio.com and caraudioclassifieds.org. If you can buy your stuff off these places, that would be great too. You can most likely buy your stuff from other people at these forums for much cheaper than even ebay.

If you really know what you want out of your system, I have no qualms with personally designing a system for you, as long as you're ready to do the work necessary. Installation is 90% of the equation, and although easy to learn to do, it is very hard to master.

P.S. In case you didn't know, SQ is sound quality and SPL is Sound Pressure Level, meaning how loud it is.
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Postby oaktonlax9 » Sun Apr 04, 2010 9:10 am

keep it coming!!!

thanks to all you guys who've suggested stuff... after this thread has been commented on for a couple weeks or so, I'm going to research all the materials and equipment suggested and go from there.

My friend who is a car maniac is going to install everything for me. No sense in dropping it off at BestBuy when my good buddy can do it all.

He's also reading these posts and giving me his input, and he says that all your suggestions are good. so thanks!
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Postby Aotoyota » Sun Apr 04, 2010 11:29 am

MisterTedster wrote:Alpine decks tend to be a bit "cold" sounding. The last clarion head unit that was actually good was made a few years ag


cold sounding because they have a flat frequency response, which is what you want for an SQ vehicle. the majority of people will pick a pioneer over an alpine because overemphasized bass and highs are more pleasing to the human ear.

but ultimately, pick what you can afford and like.
Alpine + Dynaudio = Sonic bliss.
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Postby stringbean » Sun Apr 04, 2010 1:48 pm

speakers should be a focal point! the deck to you should be pleasurable and easy to use. The sub should compliment the sound and not over power everything unless your going for SPL. And the amp(s) should power the equipment sufficiently.

as for speakers
Diamond Audio is great stuff hard to get in canada hence why i dont talk about them, since i dont know them that much
Focal is expensive but Amazing! its like the Bowers & Wilkins of the mobile audio world
Clarion signature speakers have been discontinued but if you can find them they are in my opinion THE BEST bang for buck!
Hertz is division of Audison amps and are also amazing! but $$$
JL is nice stuff once in the high mids or high price range
Boston and Polks are good too once in the 300$ range wouldnt go lower

Amps
i love audison but there like 5k for an amp
clarion, alpine, us amps, kicker make nice amps for buck

subs
MTX squares kill kicker L5 and L7's but im a big fan of kicker, i wouldnt go mtx unless its the thunder 9500's but they wont fit your budget
High end RE subs (division of us amps) are killer subs!!! if you can pick up a XXX series or a MX series do it! they are $$$ but when powered nicely and gains down they turn from a SPL monster to a really nice SQ sub
clarion PXW is what i got and love them for the price i got them at 400 for 2 PXW1252 CDN
Alpine type R and X are nice, X is expensive for you R is sufficient probably, E and S suck in my opinion they are too entry level, and for the money its better spent else where

and the decks, just go look at some in the store, you love it when you see it, but 4V outs min is a pretty good minimum

As you can tell i like high end but it'll sound better, you'll love it more and will last you longer, thats the trade off for all $$$$$$ things!

Enjoy!
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