Hey all, I'm in the process of gathering parts to do the system in my '06 ZO6. Ive already ordered the JL stealthbox along with the front door speaker plates from Leea Customs. I plan to use the factory HU and the Pac24 module. I would like to know what you all reccomend for amps and speakers. I noticed alot of people running Focal 6.5 components in the front doors. Are these speakers really worth the price? They seem kinda expensive. And on the amplifier front, I cant decide whether I want one 5 channel amp to run everything(easier install, plus less space) or go with one 4 channel and a seperate amp for the sub. If I go the seperate route, how about the Alpine PDX line of amps? Anyone have experience with them? or what about the Alpine SPX line of component speakers?
Thanks in advance,
Evan Q.

 

I would highly recommend that you go for a listen to some different speaker set ups. People like different speakers. Its hard to tell what you would like. Are there speakers you have liked in the past? Focals are expensive but i hear they are nice. I run a $130 cdt 2way setup and am very happy. Others have liked it as well. cdt, elemental designs and there are a bunch of other 2ways that are real nice as well. What type of music do you listen to and do you like your highs to be harsh, or warm/soft?

oh also, the amp. That also depends on where you are going to put the amp/amps. The 5ch are usually very large. With the 2ways and subs i run a 4ch amp and just bridge the rears for the subs and that works just fine.

 

You are talking about a nice list of equipment. You should really consider replacing the stock HU. Even if you put in a sub $200 Alpine, Kenwood, or even Pioneer, you will be miles ahead on SQ than using the stocker with an interface. You can easily put it back to stock when you sell.

 

Hey Evan,

First of all, thanks for ordering the plates. Leea Customs = Pipedreams = Nakid Parts = Ed... and I make the plates he sells. Yours shipped out yesterday and assuming my shipper did his job you should have an e-mail with the tracking info.

Now, as to the rest of the questions... these threads are ALWAYS very difficult because as DPG says speakers are extremely subjective. Amps are a little easier to recommend because while they are certainly a big part of the sound compared to speakers they're a much smaller part of the equation. So definitely go hit some brick & mortar shops, even some of the high $$ shops that carry things like Focals so you can get your ears on them. Make sure you bring some CD's of stuff you listen to.

You may have seen my install thread (linked in my sig below) where I run Focals and the Alpine PDX. They are quality components and they sound good to me - even though I may be starting over and moving those components into my daily driver, but that's a function of me and not them. Installing the Alpine in the rear cubby works, but it's a big pain. If you really want stealth then it's probably about the only option.

There's a school of thought that's prevalent here that rears are unnecessary. I do not subscribe to this entirely but I do agree that they are a low priority in a system. Since you're going to stick with the factory head what you might want to consider doing is going with a 4 channel amp, using the front channels to drive the components you install and bridge the rear channels to drive the sub. Then just leave the stock speaker as-is. If you find that the rear fill is insufficient you can swap the speakers and drive them off the stock amp or add a separate sub amp later and move things around. But given the location of the rear speakers (very close to your head) you don't really need much back there.

 

i can't agree more with what has been posted. i dont subscribe to the rear speaker theory but i can respect those who like them.

as for an amp, you should check out this deal:
http://www.ikesound.com/product-product_id/3880

i've never dealt with that company, but for that amp at that price you cant go wrong. if you decided you don't want rears then you can bridget for chans down to two and have a lot of headroom (read: sound quality). and 500 wrms to a sub is nothing to joke about.

 

That is a good buy on that 5 channel scott linked. I am one of those "no rear fill" types as well. I prefer to listen to music in front of me rather than on my right shoulder

As for the equipment, let your ears be the guide when it comes to speakers, and generally speaking tweeters are the main deciding factor. For example if you get into the car and always add treble than Infinity Perfect 6.1's or MB Quart 216's would be a good choice. If you like a smoother sound (not quite so harsh as usually is found with a strong treble range) than something like Polk audio or the ED line of speakers may not be a bad choice. CDT's are liked here as well. Dynaudio would be a very laid back, very smooth sound, Focal (don't go below the polykevlar line IMO) is a little more upfront, a little stronger in the midrange and treble than Dyn's are. DLS fits somewhere in betweem those two, and are great with jazz especially and can be had for much less than the other two.

Personally after receiving them I highly recommend the Pioneer c720prs component set. It is from their premier line, is very well built and has a very solid, accurate sound. And for the $250 + shipping that it can be had for I do not think it can be beat for the money. It blows away all of the JL, Polk, Kicker, Alpine etc etc component sets in the same price range. I am a diy kind of guy, and usually piece together my components, but after hearing a set of these, and talking to some well respected friends I decided that I was not going to be able to put together a better set for the money for my daily driver.

As for the amps, I am going to run the Alpine PDX line as well, mainly for the size vs power output factor. They are not cheap but are well built and put out at least what they advertise, usually a little more. A 4.150 can be had for under $400 shipped and will easily power a sub (300 watts) and your front components. It can also be hidden pretty easily as well as they are small (7.75" x 10" x 2.5') and stackable if you get more than one amp.

Bring a CD that you know VERY well and listen to it. Make a decision first however on how many watts you plan on buying for your components in order to give it a fair trial. Most component sets will sound a lot different on 50 watts per side than they do on 100 watts per side. Make sure there isn't a sub on or that some outside processor is not on to give you a true source to compare.

G'luck
Fej

 

just ran across this from a link in the diymobileaudio.com fourm:
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/DYNAUDIO-FIDE...QQcmdZViewItem

 

your system is only as good as it's weakest link. In this case the first link in the system chain is the signal source. Even the best system will sound like snot if it doesn't get a clean clear signal. If you're considering amps and quality component speakers, you should strongly consider an aftermarket head unit. (you will be dissapointed in the SQ if you don't)

 

WOW, Guys, Thanks for all the replies. As for the type of music, It would be classic rock and thats about it. Favorite bands are Rush, Led Zep and Queensryche. I had chosen the alpine PDX line of amps mainly because of their small size. Since my vette is Z06, one cubby is taken up with the battery already, the other will house the lower portion of the JL stealtbox. This leaves me with fewer options on amp mounting. If they are slim, I might be able to fit them behind the seats, if not, the plan is to build a small housing as others have done and place them in the hatchback area right behind the seat heads or where some put the package tray. I agree with the notion that tweets are most important. I like the highs to be crisp, clean and loud without alot of distortion. I thought about eliminating the rears, but I guess I'm just too used to having them there. I have a nice system in my daily driver and I can hear the rears very well even thought they are behind the rear seat(tacoma doublecab) There is also the price issue to contend with. I really dont want to spend more than about $250 per pair of components. I guess I will shop around and listen as you all suggested.
Thanks for the help,
Evan Q.