After my camry's horrible, long painful death, I decided to get a new car, and with a new car, I want to do things right. I dont want any more used thigns from the pawn shop, I dont want to be cheap and get a little $112 CD player from walmart. I blew the subs from the pawn shop, snapped the lead wires on another set from the pawn, and I've already replaced the cheap decks a few times. But everybody also has a limited budget.
So I'm thinking of a dual-amp 4000 watt-ish total audio system with at least 3000 watts of it to a pair of 12's or 15's if I have the room, and another 1000 to power interiors as well as front components. I'm looking for a few answers though.
Sound -- Alright, so my first question is opinions. I want to go with a combination of SQ and SPL. SQ because turns out distortion actually does damage my ears, and SPL because there are alot of people around here who will crank their stereo up beside you as a sort of contest. So the opinion is of which company or pieces I should go with.
Power -- Secondly, I've seen that most 0 gauge kits say 3400 watts max, and since I'm going for 4000, I'm wondering what I'm supposed to do for that extra 600. And also should I go with a cap for those extra bursts of power? I'll be getting at least a 4 farad cap if I do.
Cosmetics -- I want to do this system right, as I've said. I dont want a box just sitting in the middle of my trunk with amps hanging everywhere like my first setup. I want a good sounding enclosure along with a functional trunk. So, on average, how much do custom fibreglass trunk enclosures cost? And how much does it cost on average for a sheet of plexiglass say 15" by 10", and is it accessible at most general hardware stores?
Ok before we can tell you anything we need to know your budget. FIberglass costs will very. Youll have to find someone to do it and get a quote from them. As far is Plexi 3/4 inch plexi is VERY expensive. That also depends on your region and supplier. So let us know what your budget it and what all you want.
Jeremy
I'm preferring something around $1000. I'm talking a complete system, 4 channel amp, mono amp, 2 sets of rear speakers and a set of components, a new deck, and two subs. I'm lookin for bang for the buck pretty much.
I'm going to take this opportunity right now to laugh, just because i can
My 2 sub amps alone were 1000 dollars, and that's 1800 watts rms each.
Umm... yeah.. save some more money. with a grand you can maybe go to best buy and get the sub box combo and maybe a decent low power amp. Since you dont want a box just thrown in the trunk thats outta the question. just the fiberglassing will cost you a fairly good amount too depending on who you go to. You can save a few bux and fiberglass urself. There is another post somewhere on here that tells you what materials you need and the steps. But a 4000 watt system is gonna cost more than a grand if you want to do it right. Trust me, I am saving for the very same thing and I am nowhere near the do it right stage that i want.. lol
Alright, well, dont laugh but I can build a 1500 watt Sony system (2 amps, deck and 4 speakers and a sub) for $500. Only problem is it wont look good and it wont have any wiring, which is okay because I got a crapload of wires sitting here at home (4AWG pwr and gnd, 8ga pwr and gnd, and tons of speaker wire)
I dont plan on buying locally seeing as how people jack up prices. But I dont want to buy used stuff (refurb is okay). Will it really cost that much just for the basic parts? (without the fibreglass and such)
suppose it would also help if I told you guys what car it's going into but unfortunately that I havent decided yet, so pretty much lookin for a system you guys would get, and trust me, I know sony isnt the greatest, I got a pair of 6x9's from walmart and they didnt perform to anything near what I expected... and they were amplified too
I think you can get all that within your budget,
you just have to be really careful, and also willing
and capable to do all the installation yourself.
In my experiences
EBAY is your friend, I got:
Pioneer DEH-P4600MP Deck
Pioneer TS-W306C/DVC 12" Subwoofer
Pioneer TS-G4640R 4"x6" Speakers
Pioneer TS-A6980R 6"x9" Speakers (2 Pair)
All brand new with a MSRP of CDN$924.95
for CDN$395.17 with shipping.
The deck and 6x9s aren't here yet but the sub
and 4x6s are installed and turned out great.
Just be careful and watch seller ratings etc.
is that an invitation to look for cars on ebay as well? or should I even bother?
Anyways, if you ever even would reach the 4000 watts you are trying to reach that would be ummm 4000/13.8 At 100% efficiency it would need 289 amps. That would mean dual alternators and then some. Or a very large bank of batteries. I just don't see 4000 watts being hit in any cavalier. Vans and trucks maybe... compact cars, don't think so.
you will not get a true 4000watt rms system for 1000 bucks, you need that for just your elc. system. $350 for alternator, 3-4 battery's $100-150 each, wire etc.
what and how many midrange do you want to power with 1000 watt's?????
with 3000 watt's goin to your subs you only need 4-500 watt's for your mids (kicks and doors), to get that much power r.m.s. you need around $700-$1500 for sub amps alone and im not even goin to get into sub's, mids, crossovers, radios, or a box.
find out a price you want to spend on stuff and start from there, myself and a FEW people on this site can help you out on what to get, and it will blow your mind with around 1000 watts for your sub's
Skyler Prahl...
im about to get a Hifonics Colossus and they have been bench tested to put out a hair over 4100 watt's at one ohm with 2 12 volt battery's.
Hmm... Well my brother's Ford Explorer (I think it's a 95 or a 98) runs 4000 watts, and he has a pair of 10" cerwin vega (they look new, with a metallic cone) I'm not sure how much wattage is actually going to the subs because he's also got 2 amps... and Maybe the CV subs are underrated, but I doubt 2 10" subs would handle 4000 watts on their own. It's pretty loud though. I'm also wondering how people run dual alternators, is there some kind of car-specific bracket?
last quote i got on 3/4 plexi was 250 or 350 for full 4 x 8 sheet..
one of them i can't remember.
4x8 feet? or inches? if it's inchest then I may as well not even bother
what type of amps does he have i have a good feeling its no where clouse to 4000 watts
heres how i spent my tax return:
CURRENT:
HU - 150 - pioneer from wally
subs - $400 ea.- JL 10 W6
amps - $200 ea.
wiring kit - $110 - 4 gauge
box - $100 ( currently in trunk)
total: $1560.00
LATER:
amps - JL audio slash series x 2
box - custom fiber glass in place of the back seat
HU - check into one later
capacitors - so my lights don't fliqure
battery - optima
wiring - 0 or 2 gauge
mids - JL audio 6 1/2s x2
highs - JL
dynomat
well worth it..........
sweetnloud wrote:what type of amps does he have i have a good feeling its no where clouse to 4000 watts
To my knowledge its an all CV and Alpine system.
Hmm, as far as I can tell Alpine doesn't make sub amps over 1000wrms these days (correct me if I'm wrong).
If he's running CV, the ONLY subs they make that can handle 2000+rms are the Strokers, and none of them have metallic cones (I should know because I have one). This 4000watts sounds like a "peak" number to me. You'll never get a 4krms system for $1K (maybe just the subs or just the amps, but not everything you need).
The 50-50-90 rule: Anytime you have a 50-50 chance of getting something right, there's a 90% probability you'll get it wrong.
Unholysavage wrote: ou'll never get a 4krms system for $1K (maybe just the subs or just the amps, but not everything you need).
I wouldn't say NEVER. Dealer cost, and dealer accomodations come in handy sometimes.
Mike Roth
shouldnt say I'm lookin for 4000w rms... should've said 2000w RMS instead... sorry for the confusion. I know I'll never find a 4000w rms system for under $1000 seeing as I'm no dealer lol.
Cavi in KC wrote:Unholysavage wrote: ou'll never get a 4krms system for $1K (maybe just the subs or just the amps, but not everything you need).
I wouldn't say NEVER. Dealer cost, and dealer accomodations come in handy sometimes.
Maybe if you're an american - you've got a better chance of becoming god if you live north of the border. If you factor in all the necessary electrical upgrades with the audio gear, I seriously doubt that a 4krms (new) system can be obtained for $1k, unless you are completely and totally sponsored, or you're whole system is made by Boss Audio. With sponsorship, then I can see it. The only other ways would be Ebay or you better be a shop owner that also gives sexual favours to every single one of your suppliers
.
If you go with just one alternator to run the show, that alone is going to cost you $350-400 (probably even more for a 250-300 amp, RELIABLE unit), maybe $250 if the dealer gives it to you at cost. You'll likely need a minimum of 2 good batteries in the back (4 would be better, probably $100 each (cost)). Already you're at $500 without factoring in any stereo gear or installation/supplies. You'll be hard-pressed to get 4000wrms worth of amplifiers for less than $500, and you still need subs, HU, speakers, wire/harness, fuses/breakers, terminals, MDF, screws/glue, 36 beer etc.
I admit that it is certainly possible to get 4krms worth of amplifiers and subs that can take them for $1000 (cheapest would be a HF Collossus and 2 type-rs), but you're gonna have to everyone's best friend if you want a complete, reliable system for $1k. No, it's not impossible, but extremely unlikely.
The 50-50-90 rule: Anytime you have a 50-50 chance of getting something right, there's a 90% probability you'll get it wrong.
