Looking for input. 2006 coupe, replace current Bose system with:
Eclipse hu (no nav), Eclipse or Orion amps, JL 10" sub w/enclosure, Diamond Audio 6 speakers (2 pair), Peripheral. Which Eclipse hu? Where do you put 2 amps? Decent system for $3,500 installed? Will a Dynamat (spelling) help reduce road noise? Want clean, not necessarily loud, music. Thanks for any input.

 

I would consider installing a double DIN head even if you don't care about watching DVD's or NAV just for the sake of appearance. To my eye the single DIN looks out of place is the opening. But absolutely a matter of personal taste and as always, YMMV.

Eclipse makes great sounding heads so that's a good choice in brand. I'll allow those with more experience with recent products to comment on speakers and amps.

As far as amp locations go you really only have 2 choices with most amps, the back wall behind the seats or in the storage area, usually just behind the seats as well. Due to the location of the gas tanks you need to glue an MDF board in either of those locations under the carpeting in order to attach the amps without putting a hole in something you'd really regret!

Sound deadening is always a good idea. Dynamat charges a premium for their stuff and there are some good alternatives out there. eDead from Elemental Designs is popular here.

 

i think the most important part of your install is going to be the sound deadener. i agree with komoman. I have the ed stuff but i think i'm going to go over it with some RAAMATT and ensolite.

a great head unit; other then eclipses which are also good, is the drz-9255 from clarion. it may be a bit over the top if you don't have the speakers to back it up

the $3,500 budget... does that have to be with product purchased from the person who's doing the install? or can you bring him the equipment?

 

The seller/installer indicated a cost of $3,000 to $4,000 given the choice of the hu, quality of speakers and like. Again, thanks for your assistance.

 

for that kind of cash, the dealer should throw in a dynamat install. Car toys quoted me a $2/sq-ft install rate on dynamat. but i wanted to do it myself.

 

will he only install his own product?

when you say 2 pair of speakers, i assume that means a pair of coaxials for the back. if so then save your money and delete the rear speakers and the amp that is going to power them. In a corvette there is no need for rear speakers unless you are really into rear fill. I'd assume 90% of us on the forum don't have rear speakers. It improves the soundstage and also saves you some money on amplification and speaker components.

 

Yes, he will only install his own products. It is sounding like you folks think this is fairly pricey. Likely not worthy of the cost versus sound difference from the current Bose system. Disconcerning to hear but valuable as heck. Just want a very nice, well balanced system with more umph than the current Bose system.

 

i dont know if i think it's too expensive. installation is worth a lot if the job is done correctly. Installation can make inexpensive equipment sound great, but bad installation can make great equipment sound like trash. The thing that gets ya is the markup on the product and not being able to have the wide variety of options that are available.

i'm no expert on any of the components you mentioned so i can't comment from first hand experience on any of them. I have owned JL subs and Eclipse head units and amps (i've heard some really great eclipse subs as well) in the past. They are both quality products and you're goign to get a product that will hold up over the long run. Are there better options out there for the same price? I believe so.

$3,500 can totally be worth it and you're going to blow the bose out of the water. Most of us on here are diy'ers so its hard (for me at least) to keep focused that that budget includes the installed system. if that makes sense.

keep posting here though. We'll try to help you out as much as possible and help refine your choice. As for the head unit, the eclipse head units have 8v outputs and that is a great feature, 4 volts are the industry norm (8 years back 2 volts were the norm and 4v were rare). So pretty much any eclipse h/u you get is going to sound pretty good. Some of the features of the more expensive unit's you won't be taking advantage of, so you can save some money by going with a middle of the road h/u.

amps... I have a particular aligience to two brands of amps (based on my experience in my own cars) so I'm not the best person to ask. If you get an amp that can give each front door component set at least 100wrms you'll have some great headroom and get the most out of any amp you choose.

Speakers... diamond audio; don't know a lot about them but the most important thing with speakers is finding out what style speaker you like. If the diamonds sounded good to you, then by all means go with those. I like Dynaudios (after auditioning them in someones car) because of thier laid back sound. A lot of people on the forums prefer Focal's because they are crisp and more detailed. Is one better then the other? No, it's just your preference.

as far as the two amps, most of the c5 and c6 people put amps on the back shelf right behind our seats.

lastly...dynamat or sound deadening... definately worth it at least in the doors if not the majority of the car. the deadening will stop your door from sounding like it's falling apart when the bass hits while; at the same time, reinforcing the midrange of the whole system.

does that help at all?

 

Super information. Thanks folks, I've got some research to do. I'll be back in a week or so.