Thanks to everyone for their help ... got a new system

[surgeandsettle]

a sincere thanks to everyone for their input and suggestions

I ended up going with a pair of alpine 6x9's in the door and a pair in the rear quarter-panels of my convertible ---- these speakers are powered up by a Profile 4-channel amp
to save space and keep it simple, I added a 200W 10" powered sub by Infinity --- it ROCKS

the system sounds light years better than what I had before ... the installer at Sound Advice (Clearwater, FL) did a great job of tuning it and I now have more audio power than I've EVER had ..... already getting looks from the neighbors, so I'll have to turn it way down within a few blocks of my house

[woa_its_j3ff]

pretty nice. Infinity's are good.
just make sure you don't get cited for noise pollution
enjoy!

[Aotoyota]

congrats! wait till the alpines break in, they will sound better and more open!

[surgeandsettle]

did not realize that they "break in" like a baseball glove ... LOL

when my radio is turned off I can hear a faint buzzing sound coming from the rear [the 200w powered sub, I am assuming]

Is this normal?
Should I take it back to the installer and have him fix it if it's not normal?
What will he need to do in order to fix it?

[dvdchris45]

congrats on the setup...did u have to make any modifications on the door to get the alpines to fit?

also, if u could post a link on where to find these speakers i'd appreciate it. i dont feel like making spacers for a new pair lol

[Garrryyunit]

nice setup.. i myself am getting a profile amp. They look cheap and is light on your wallet, but they work very well. :] My cousin is giving me his dual 300W subwoofer. He is also wiring it for me.

Later on, im planning to go with the polk audios that have momo design. :] they run at 250 a pair for the 6 1/2 and 180 for the 6x9 for my solara.

dvdchris, if you want, go to crutchfield.com. They have good service and one of thee lowest prices on the internet. :]

[surgeandsettle]

I bought the Alpine speakers from Crutchfield --- for a couple reasons

1) they are an authorized dealer ... so if anything happens, I didn't want to get "stuck" by buying them from a cheaper place such as onlinecarstereo.com [who has the best prices I've found]

2) their pre-sales customer support is the best --- worth spending a few extra dollars to know that you're getting it "right" ... especially for a guy like me who this was a learning experience for


I did buy the Profile 4-channel am on an eBay store --- guy has a "buy it now" deal for $81 + $19 for shipping

as for my Alpine 6x9's, I don't think that the installer had to cut anything ... but it did take him about 1 hr and 15 min on each door to remove and install them
here's where I bought them --- they're in the crutchfield outlet for a pretty good deal
http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/ ... 69C2&tp=91

and here's where I got the pair of 6.5" alpines:
http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/ ... 17C2&tp=95

bought the sub from a dealer in Miami who had it shipped out the same day and it arrived at my house the next day! [ground!!!]