I am here for you

M

MaddShadez

Registered
If anyone has any questions related to car audio, I am available to assist. I'd love to see soem action in this section, and to learn what others have.



dj
1993 Mark VIII
Slightly Modified
 
RE: I am here for you

same here. ill most likely lead people in the wrong direction though with my limited knowledge. your best bet would be to listen to dj.
 
RE: I am here for you

LOL I wouldn't sy that. All opinions are valued here. My knowledge is also very limited compared to the people who do this full time. I just try to get out there and learn and listen.

This is a forum I've been waiting for for a long time. I would love to hear what everyone has, or plan on having.

dj
For Help with the 1-2 Repair, how to make kickpods,
A Library of Mark VIII articles,
or some pics of my car, check out
www.markviii.org/~maddshadez
 
RE: I am here for you

This is perfect.

I have a '98 with a stone stock JBL system. I'm in interested in getting some more "sound".

Where do I start? Subs? Amp?

Should I expect to rip out the factory stuff or can I add to what's there?
 
RE: I am here for you

It all depends on your goal really. How much more sound are you wanting to add? What is your budget? How much do DIY projects worry you? Are you wanting great sound quality, a super loud car, or a good mixture of both?

Bypassing the factory stereo is by far the most preferred method, but it's all pretty easy to remove. If you can take off the door panels, the rest is easy as pie.


dj
For Help with the 1-2 Repair, how to make kickpods,
A Library of Mark VIII articles,
or some pics of my car, check out
www.markviii.org/~maddshadez
 
RE: I am here for you

I would say quality over quantity - somewhere in the $1000 range.

I should have someone else do the install however - not that I can't - I just want it perfect...
 
RE: I am here for you

Bah, who needs perfection? :) Actually whether you do it or you pay someone else to do it, 90% will be exactly the same, your just paying more.

Some more questions...

Do you care if you have rear speakers? True sound quality is all about creating a front "stage" so that while listening to your music, you feel that you are actually right there at a concert. And of course at a concert, all musicians are in front. Having rear speakers detract from the stage. However, many folks like the feeling of surround sound they get from having rear speakers. It's personal preferance.

I assume you are wanting subs? How many? How important is trunk space?

Do you want an MP3 player?

Do you have a problem with buying off ebay? (only trustable sellers of course)

Your up in Michigan, aren't you? If you'd like, I can come up there and help you install your equipment. Of course I only accept payment in Mountain Dew or food, :)

dj
For Help with the 1-2 Repair, how to make kickpods,
A Library of Mark VIII articles,
or some pics of my car, check out
www.markviii.org/~maddshadez
 
RE: I am here for you

as far as subs are concerned, do u want a ton of bass or do u want something thats going to blend in with the rest of the music well?
 
RE: I am here for you

Answers are:

-I don't care if there's rear speakers or not.

-I do want an MP3 compatible system

-I don't care if I can get a shoebox in the truck - there hasn't been anything in it in a year.

-I'm not a big fan of E-Bay - however if someone else knew what they were buying - that would be much better.

-I have no idea on sub count - how many are enough???
 
RE: I am here for you

How many subs are enough, that's easy enough to answer, you can never have enough, LOL.

I'll do some investaging tonight if my wife lets me, and i'll keep it under $1000, including wiring.

As for the ebay, I've used it several times with sucess, just be sure to buy from people with lots of positive feedback (The ones I buy from have a least 1000) And I only buy new.

The best speakers out there are pretty much 6.5 inch round speakers (except for dynaudio which uses 7 inch drivers), which would require some cutting into the doors. If you wish, I can stick to 5x7's. Or I could teach you how to make kickpods, :). Although a 6.5 inch kickpod would eat up some leg room...

Speaker wise right know I'm thinking Kicker Resolutions, ID Chameleons, Adire Audio Koda's, maybe a few others.

What kind of music do you usually listen to?



dj
For Help with the 1-2 Repair, how to make kickpods,
A Library of Mark VIII articles,
or some pics of my car, check out
www.markviii.org/~maddshadez
 
RE: I am here for you

MP3 Head Units
Pioneer DEH7400MP - $249
Alpine 9811 - $289
Alpine 7894 - $299

Speakers
Kicker Resolution RS6c - $179
Infinity Perfect 6.1 - $279
MB Quart QSD216 - $529

amps
JL 300/2 & 500/1 - $700
Kicker KX400.2 & KX1200.1 - $700
PPI PCX280 & PCX2200 - $700

Subwoofers
Image Dynamics IDMAX - $$$
Adire Brahma - $$$
JL 13W7 - $$$
Elemental Designs e12a - $$$

these prices are straight from www.cbrstereo.com. i didnt give the subwoofer prices since they fluctuate often and u can often find them very cheap if u look hard enough. i think if u went through ebay, youd be able to meet your $1000 spending budget.
 
RE: I am here for you

Well keeping in mind your budget, here's a decent system for you. Most prices are from Ebay powersellers, and don't include shipping. Wiring will also be needed, I buy all my wire from www.knukonceptz.com, the cheapest highest quality wire I've ever used.


Head Unit
Pioneer 7400 $215
Alpine 9807 $210

Speakers (componant)
Kicker Resolutions RS6 $165
Kicker Impulse 5x7's $109

Speakers (coaxial)
Infinity Kappa 572.5cf $73

Amp for the Highs
JBL 180.2 $134

Amp for Lows
JBL 600.1 $175
JBL 1200.1 $230

Subs
Kicker L7 10" $160
Kicker L7 12" $175


JBL's are usually considered low end, but they bench test at much more than they are rated for, and the prices can't be beat.

Not everyone likes the L7's (hi paul, LOL!) esp. compared to the IDMAX or Brahma, but for the price, they are unbeatable. The cheapest IDMAX's are around $275, and brahma's run over $300. I happen to Love my L7 to death, and will be very hard pressed to part with it. I just heard about a guy who gave one 3000 watts for a burp and it held up just fine. Not bad for a sub that is supposedly rated for 750 watts.

These are of course just suggestions. You can upgrade in any area for a little extra money.

dj
 
RE: I am here for you

I’m very stupid when it comes to Car audio.

Having said that......... If I wanted to install a sub (which I already have and Amp) do I need to buy a special adapter cable so I can use my factory head unit instead of going with an after market radio?

If so, how much are they, and where can they be found?
thanx!
 
RE: I am here for you

I was looking at crutchfield after I talked to you offline, dj (thanks again, glad to see I wasn't too far off in left field) and they are sooooo expensive! Like double ebay!

Do you have any experience with the kicker 5x7 components? I was looking at them because they are cheap ($100) and I am too lazy to fab mounts or figure out how to do rounds in the doors.... I was thinking if they sucked too bad I could move them to the back later...

Scott
 
RE: I am here for you

I have two pairs of the 5x7 to 6.5 inch speaker adaptors in my closet. I bought them for my old kickers' but they don't work. The basket is too large.

Crutchfield has to charge retail, that's why they are an authorized dealer on so many products. It's too bad too, because I've always had great success with their products and customer service. Once I had a number wrong in my credit card, and they were nice enough to call me on a sunday to correct it, to make sure my order got here ASAP. THey will also give you return postage on the products if you don't like them.

I have not heard the 5x7 kicers, but I have heard the infinity's i mentioned. They are coax, but come with crossovers too, and can easily handle 100 watts. If you don't want to cut the doors, I would recomend those. Sleeper had a set as his rear fill and liked them a lot too.

I have heard the Kicker Resolutons and the JL Evolutions (in the 2 way form, not three way) and would give a slight edge to the kickers, esp. when you factor in the price. If you were to get the 3way evolutions, that may change, but again, the price on just about all JL pruducts kill the wallet.
 
RE: I am here for you

ok several oddball questions here,i bought my 93 about a year ago,and me being the carnut that i am,already had alot of what i needed for it as far as sounds and rims and such.so i frankensteined myself a system consisting of a kenwood flipdown cd/tuner,50w/4,factory jbl's(which sound pretty d@mn good)an older model fosgate 500a2 on two kicker compVR's.right off the bat i knew i was going to love the acoustics of this thing.it hit HARD,of course it was bridged,i heard no rattles whatsoever.then i looked at the roof of the car and watched it flex an inch or more when the bass hit.and the sunroof was flapping like a trashbag in the wind.all together the car seems airtight/cept for the sunroof.so question#1,i'm assuming that the assembly in the sunroof is obviously short a part or two,anyone else had this problem?if so how was it remedied?question#2 my rear driver side speaker sometimes sounds completely blown,then i'll hit a bump and everythings fine i've pulled both of the speakers out of the panel and checked all wires,no shorts,anyway,i'm tired of messing with it.can i get these speakers from the dealership?or would i have to get them from jbl?i know some parts are hard to find for cars that aren't made anymore so i was just wondering where to start my search at.3rd question,are the alternators on the mark 8's computer controlled,i ask this because if it is,a high output alternator would cost an arm and a leg(like the stock ones don't!)i went through this problem with my caddy 92 eldo,not cp controlled-390$,if it was a year newer and cp controlled--680$so i'm expecting the same with this.i have a 1 farad cap on it already but it really doesn't do much/plus the older rockford amps,mine being a 01,drain the hell out of my power.so much that you can tell at night(headlight dimming)and watching the tach.is there a cheaper alternative than a higher amped alternator?if anyones still awake after reading this,any help would be greatly appreciated.thanx,matt.
 
RE: I am here for you

Wow where to start. :) I don't have a sunroof so I can't help you there. Others who have sunroofs made a post recently about it, you may want to contact them.

As for the speaker, it could have a short anywhere long the wire, or it could be from the amp itself. I have my left over speakers sitting in the garage, and would be willing to sell, but you'd be better off upgrading. The JBL sounds nice, but once you hear a truly good system, you'll never go back. :)

I had a 210 amp alternator built for me for $320. However I had to go through hell and back to get it, and I would never recomend the guy to anyone. The only other reliable places are Ohio Generator and stinger, and as you mentioned they are around $600-700. The only fairly cheep bet is to buy a cobra alternator, which put out 10 more amps, at 130 total. They can be had for $250-300 from some online vendors.
 
RE: I am here for you

I think those of us with roofs experience some bounce to it, I know Joes new car pops up a little when you close the doors; I'll have to look tomorrow to see what mine does. Sounds like a wiring issue with the rear speaker; if the speaker was bad it wouldn't sound better after hitting a bump. I'm glad dj is around to help everyone with these problems, there aren't too many people around here who can juggle family life and share their expertise with everyone on the board. We should all be glad he's here for us.
 
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