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Old 13-07-2008, 10:58 PM   #1
spyder2k4
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Budget system

I want some sort of sound system for my car. I have a head unit with one set of RCA outs. Unit came with the car. but it is aftermarket.

JB has a sale on at the moment
http://www.jbhifi.com.au/car-sound/amplifiers/
looking at the bottom one


I realise that its not the best setup in the world
but thoughts....................?
i'm not made of money(uni student) and if i could get them to swap the 6x9 for 6"s which are almost same price it could work.
If not already obvious i am new to car audio

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Old 21-07-2008, 09:19 AM   #2
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I wouldn't recommend getting a package like this.

I ran my mates 12" pioneer sub off my 4c before i got mine and it was absolutely pointless. (Bridged to 2c of course)

I've got a cranking system and only cost me $1500 (self installation though)
Work yourself out a budget then investigate what you plan to get. If you get something **** you will regret it.

Also, in regards to JB - haggle! I got my 12" alpine type r sub in a box for $280 ($499 rrp), mind you this was during a sale aswell.

For a cheapy i'd say get 6"s for the front, 6"x9"s for the rear, no more than $100 on each. Get a HD for $150, sub and monoblock for less than $350.
That's $700! If you want a second amp for your speakers then your looking at another $200 in the equation. But i'd say just run it off your HD.

If you want to go absolute tightarse then HD = $100, speakers $50 a pair, boxed sub for $150 and monoblock for $200. That's still $550.

Do not buy Sony, Boss Audio or other no name brands.
For you i'd recommend Pioneer, Kenwood, JVC.

Save up and get something better i'd say.
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Old 21-07-2008, 08:48 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RibZe View Post
I ran my mates 12" pioneer sub off my 4c before i got mine and it was absolutely pointless. (Bridged to 2c of course)
i disagree, mine is running off my bridge rear channels and its easily got enough punch enough for my needs. plus its a sony so

my recommendations:
- $150 HU, sony make nice HUs but dodgey speakers. their subs are all right though. kenwood are good, i dont like pioneer, they arent as slick as the others, JVC are ok

- $250 6" MTX splits, very nice speakers, i'm planning on getting a set, they have excellent clarity and great bass. if you want cheaper ones clarion make decent splits, so do JVC (i saw a set of 6" JVCs going for $140 at JB 2 weeks ago, i demoed them, they werent bad but the MTX's pretty much killed everything else i heard except some $800 bostons!)

- $100 6x9. your pick BUT:
> if you're gonna pay more and get a sub they aren't important, get something thats clear and wont affect your front sound stage but will fill the rear in nicely.
> if you're not getting a sub pay more for these, get bassy ones and tune them low to make up some of the lack of bass, i managed to get plenty of bass out of my kenwood 6x9 before i got the sub.

- $250 4ch amp. the amp you get will depend heavily on if you get a sub or not. if you get a sub go with a 4ch with an RMS rating that will power your front splits and can also power your sub with 2 channels bridged. if you dont get a sub and aren't gonna upgrade the speakers you only need one with slightly higher power output than the speakers needs.

- $150 sub. I got my sony 12" black sub with box for $93.. down from $300. go to a JB Hifi sale and ask for their best price, its often a lot less than the marked price.

so thats $900 with sub, $750 without. for that you'll have a good system. if you can't spend that much in one go (i know the feeling, i'm a uni student too) get the HU and front speakers. those 2 are probably 60% of the improvement. then get the amp, followed by the sub. 6x9's aren't really necessary if you get the sub, but they're nice (i hate having great fronts and bugger all from behind, it just sounds weird to me)
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Last edited by DavoAust; 21-07-2008 at 08:50 PM.
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Old 21-07-2008, 09:30 PM   #4
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one way to look at things is that you can get REALLY good amps from ebay. i got my powervox (what the ) for less than $70 with delivery. it is 5000W peak but in sh!t brands that is at least 500WRMS, but without a proper manufacturers rating my guess is around 600WRMS. thats based on blowing a 300WRMS sub with the amp with the gain dial up around half way. but that is plenty for 70$ it pumps out incredible bass and has surge protection. ONLY problem is that the shutof capacitors are of a poor quality and when the amp gets turned of it sends a loud pop. sometimes 2 LOL but yea. i dont really care i got a kicker CVR i got of ebay 2 for 100, without the box, cus of the size i dont get stuff that costs more to deliver than actual item lol. box i got for 50 from autobahn. one thing i suggest on spending a bit of money on is the wiring kit. now the Oxygen-free and goldplated wiring n sht like that doesnt make a difference, not for audio. for extreemply sensitive measuring equipment mayb. but look at it this way, avionics insturments are amongst soem of the most sensitive and they dont use gold wiring .
just make sure u get a solid amp power cable. and solder it to the ring terminals on both sides. just makes it a whole lot easier, dont have to worrie on them falling out. and if you are getting a sub, disconect your rear speakers, get good ones up front and bridge them from your HU (L+ front?rear together to one speaker etc) gives you double the power where it counts. rear speakers u wont hear when the sub is up
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Old 22-07-2008, 07:13 AM   #5
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EBAY amps that are a no brand are great...open one up and have a look at the difference on the inside
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Old 22-07-2008, 06:22 PM   #6
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with audio, you get what you pay for. (thats my opinion anyways).

If you want to save some money, do some research and try and buy everything from the same store all at once. Most stores will do a deal if you buy everything from them, and do a good deal on installation. If you got a mate who works there, you can always get a little more knocked off the price

and uh, remember it costs to have it all wired up. No worries if you can do it all yourself but if your not... auto-electricians are expensive!

thats my two cents


p.s

the brand name things are more expensive... you may pay a little extra for the brand. But remember, theres a reason why they are so popular. And also the warranty is usually better with a popular brand and more easily replaceable if it does break
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Old 22-07-2008, 09:58 PM   #7
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thats a good point of view mickey. i dont agree with you but im not gonna start a argument here
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Old 22-07-2008, 10:04 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DavoAust View Post
i disagree, mine is running off my bridge rear channels and its easily got enough punch enough for my needs. plus its a sony so
How powerful is your amp though?

Mine is 600w, 150wrms bridged, 60wrms for 4c(which suits my speakers and splits).


Oh and i forgot about the wiring. I got a 4gauge kit from Strathfield Car Radio(don't know if you have it in Vic) for $79 ($149 rrp)


Quote:
Originally Posted by 70NYD View Post
thats a good point of view mickey. i dont agree with you but im not gonna start a argument here
It's true though.

Why do some splits cost upto $1000, same with subs, rockford for example.
Because they are better!

Last edited by RibZe; 22-07-2008 at 10:13 PM.
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Old 22-07-2008, 10:26 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RibZe View Post
How powerful is your amp though?

Mine is 600w, 150wrms bridged, 60wrms for 4c(which suits my speakers and splits).
350rms bridged, 110 to each channel i think.

you don't always get what you pay for and i would debate the advantages of $1000 speakers over $300 speakers in an astina, where you wouldn't hear the difference over road noise once you're moving (unless you've heavily sound deadened the car) and many people couldn't hear the difference anyway.
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Old 23-07-2008, 07:36 AM   #10
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difference between a good sub and a bad sub isnt the brand name or the price its the quality that the sub wil produce. each brand will comp level and entery level and everything in between for all audio. difference between a mid level and a comp level sub is noticed only in the very top limits of the range so unless you plan on driving with earmuffs there is absolutly no point having one. if anyone has a comp level sub its just for "i can beat ur sistem if i wanna" thing. thats y i got a kicker CVR. its only 400WRMS n it was relatively cheap, but for a car its rediculus. i LOVE bass but my amp is not even on a quarter gain and the sub is still rediculusly annoying. all comes down to preferential taste. i used to have a kenwood typhoon, in my 1st car in a custum built box n that thing was sealed and had really tight bass. it was better 4 a car than the one i have now. n it was $90 from stratfield so
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Old 23-07-2008, 11:31 AM   #11
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This is what I have:

JL Audio 120w 5x7" 2-way front speakers
Pioneer 160w 6" 2-way speakers
Pioneer DEH30MP 50wx4 cd/mp3 player (that lights up red at night )
Aux Jack for Ipod/phone Connection - Sounds Uber Tough
12" 125wrms Kicker Sub in ported box
Pioneer 4x75wrms 4ch Amp
Pinoeer H/U remote
4guage Sony 4ch amp kit


Speakers all up were $180, Head Unit $250, Sub $200, amp $200 & the amp kit $60, so All up $890. I got the Front speakers & Amp 2nd hand, and I got the sub, h/u & amp kit from JB when I said I would pay cash.

If I were to have bought all this at retail, i'd be looking at an easy $1700 system. The system is very punchy, precise & clear, just the way I like it. Out of all the systems I have had in my cars, this is by far the cheapest yet best I have brought together...
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Old 23-07-2008, 12:56 PM   #12
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ive found that you get what you pay for, be stingy now and youll pay later on.
all i can reccommend is doing cash, bargaining, and waiting for sales etc.

i got a $800 jvc monitor headunit for $550 with a wiring kit from JB coz i offered them a deal on both. never hurts to ask.
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Old 23-07-2008, 07:48 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DavoAust View Post
350rms bridged, 110 to each channel i think.

you don't always get what you pay for and i would debate the advantages of $1000 speakers over $300 speakers in an astina, where you wouldn't hear the difference over road noise once you're moving (unless you've heavily sound deadened the car) and many people couldn't hear the difference anyway.
Well that explains it lol.
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Old 23-07-2008, 08:55 PM   #14
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I'd also recommend considering secondhand stuff, too.

eBay can be a source of lots of cheap stuff - and if you choose carefully some things will still have warranty.

I only bought my monobloc amp new (and the sub was a gift!) - the rest was all secondhand or via mates.
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Old 24-07-2008, 07:42 AM   #15
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if you want quality but can't afford it, do it in stages. don't go out and buy it all at once.

Buy a quality headunit in my opinion. this is the platform of any system. you can have awesome speakers but if you have a povo headunit they'll still sound crap.

anyways, best bang for buck stuff is the response jaycar stuff. You can get these from the jaycar website or you can sometimes pick up a bargain on ebay.

My system consists of Pioneer deh-6950IB head unit, JVC front splits, pioneer rear 6x9 and 4x100rms response amp. More than enough.
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Old 24-07-2008, 01:10 PM   #16
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Quote:
Buy a quality headunit in my opinion. this is the platform of any system. you can have awesome speakers but if you have a povo headunit they'll still sound crap.
il vouch 4 that my head unit only has 35W per chanel n it sounds **** house, hence im getting a amp 4 speakers
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