I guess I am starting to question my assumption about not wanting a sub. I always associate subs with the guys rolling down the street all bass and everything vibrating. I want bass but not to be overpowering. I am also a little concerned based on what I am reading here that if I do not get a sub, will I need more powerful speakers in the door which could result in the doors vibrating?

 

kenwood has usb on back can run it to glovebox to keep it hidden which IMO looks better. if u deadend doors u really shouldnt have rattling. pdx5 is a super small amp and fits in the cubby meaning it can be a stealthy install. IMO a nice 10 or 12" sub shouldnt be rediculous and heavy thumping bass its not liek we are talking 1000watts. check out subthump.com for aosme sub enclosures. otherwise can always go with a small self powered unit as well

 

It is all in the tuning, and whether you are willing to give up some of your "trunk" space for an enclosure. Car audio is all about compromise.

As for the "boomin down the street" kind of vibe, in order to complete the audio spectrum, even with today's seriously compressed and often poorly mastered music, you need something playing the 100hz and down frequency range with some authority, especially when considering that most of the road/tire/exhaust noise is in the 200hz and down range.

At the end of the day however, what matters is YOUR ears, and your level of compromise between space, expense, and desire to have a nice sounding system.

Almost everyone that considers installing a sub, is happy with the decision and surprised by how much "better/cleaner/insert adjective here .. that it sounds vs stock. But again all that matters is your preference and ultimately your ears.

I personally have run just about the entire spectrum of audio in cars, from 6x9's on the back deck of a 67 mustang with a 2x20 watt amp, to a custom mounted 3 way front stage with sub at near competition level, and have regressed to more simple, generally more powerful setups. IMO in a vette, with such a tiny interior space, the only reason to have rear speakers is if you plan on "listening" to movies in surround sound, or if you have a convertible and need the short path lengths near your head to help give you some volume when the top is down.

Either way, do some research here on the forums, there is a ton of info in the C5 faq and the "what do you run" stickies at the top. After that, guys like Penta and Kale have done just about everything you can do to a vette audio wise, so listen to their advice.

G'luck
Fej

 

i wanna add what fej said i have installed quite a few systems for people in c5 and c6s that didnt want a sub and until i conned them into it or forced them to listen to someone elses car they didnt realize what they were missing

 

What he said.

Eights in your doors is not going to give you that much low end. They are not "Subs", they are 8" mid base drivers.

Go with a quality 6.5 component set, and one of those fancy 10" custom boxes, cross the sub at 55 Hertz . Buy a nice 4 channel amp, run the fronts passive (or active), and bridge the last 2 to run your sub. If the rear fill is required, you can run that off of your deck. Simple & effective!

Find a tuner, and your done.

I'll bet you can get that done for less than your budget of 1k.

I'd go with a set of Polk SR6500's or DLS UR6's (my favorite), a JL 4 channel (I don't care for JL amps but whatever works), and a nice 10" JL stealth box (or equal).

Buy some good signal cables, not that swap meet luis crap at the stereo shop, and some good speaker cable as well. No sense in spending a grand on quality components, and hooking up crap signal cable!

Peace!

 

awesome advice guys, I am looking more at the jl stealth boxes. What is good cable to use for all of this?

 

check out subthump.com

 

spying beast and I are on the same page. JL stealthboxes can get expensive especially if bought new. subthump has some good boxes as well as another guy on the forum. Do a search to find him. They can probably customize the box to place the amp on neatly as well. Get a 10" and make sure the internal size of the box matches what the sub requires. Many cable companies like stinger,etc make a kit the includes the rcas, power, ground, and all connectors to save you money just make sure it's installed properly.

 

Ok guys, I have been convinced to get the sub, subthump's C6 enclosure looks really, really good (going to get 1 on the driver's side). Below is what I am looking at now. Got a question for you guys though. I was always under the impression JL was one of the best. I was at columbus car audio today and the guy there was saying all JL's stuff is 10 year old technology and BA is a lot better. Is that BS?

Here are my components and price, along with where I am looking at purchasing them from. I'm not sure what cables/adapters to get in addition to this though. Also really unsure on the 10" sub...will this one fit in the subthump enclosure and is it very good? The reviews on sonicelectronix indicate it is.

Subthump.com Enclosure $139 Subthump.com
Kenwood DDX512 Refurb $295 salectronics.com
5 Channel Amp Alpine PDX-5 $359 Sonic Electronix
3.5 JL Audio TR350-CXi $55 Sonic Electronix
Rockford Fosgate Punch P1S410 $64.99 Sonic Electronix
JL Audio VR525-CSi $179.99 Sonic Electronix
JL Audio VR650-CSi $159.99 Sonic Electronix
Total: $1252

 

I would dump the front and rear speakers and get some Focals instead. No need for rear fill in a Corvette.
Everything else looks good.

 

Do you mean just go with 6.5 focals in the doors? I am hesitant to just have 2 speakers and a sub...

 

Well, you would have two speakers up front, the mid and the tweeter, and the sub behind you. That's all my car has, and it is plenty loud. If you put speakers behind you, it messes up the sound stage. Remember, it's just a Corvette, a two seater, very small inside compared to an SUV or a big sedan.
Have read the "What do you run" thread at the top of the section? Take a look at that, you will see that no one runs speakers in the rear.

 

the rockford fosgate you listed will not fit properly in the subthump box, you need the rockford fosgate ps shallow mount sub they absolutely pound in the subthump box. it is nice to have an option with c6 boxes. jl charging 600 dollars is absolutely shameful but that's what you get when your the only one.....until now

 

Ok, I will switch out the sub for the Rockford Fosgate Punch P3SD410.

Randy, so you are saying you would take the 6.5 components and put the mids in the lower door panel and the tweeters in the 3.5 area higher up on the door? And that would be it except for the 10" sub in the back?

Sorry for the questions as you can see I'm a total n00b.

 

Yes you should have enough power to run the front component set off of the front 4 channels of your amp (1/2 on tweets, 3/4 on mids I think for crossover purposes) with your 5th channel on the sub. You will have roughly 75w on each of the front 4 channels which will give you plenty of power, and there is lots of information on the forums here with regards to getting the setup tuned.

I agree that you can save yourself some cash and lose the rear channels, and the rest of the setup looks solid.

G'luck
Fej

 

Awesome. What do you think are great 6.5 components to run? I was thinking of changing to the JL Audio XR650-CSi. But this guy at the audio shop was saying JL is not good anymore because their tech. is 10 years old and boston accoustics are way better?

I would like to stay $250 or less on the 6.5s.

 

Depends on what your ear likes, Focal tends to be on the "bright" side of the spectrum, with JL a little less so. Bostons tend to be more laid back and smooth same with Polks.

I personally think that for $250 you really can't beat the Pioneer PRS 720 set of components. Solid crossover, great midrange and very respectable tweeter right out of the box. I ran these myself in my last truck install and got a lot of compliments at various audio meets. I have always been a fan of Focal as well however, but IMO stay away from the TN-45 tweet in that series, and the TN-52 would be the best option that is not serious $$$.

I have never been much of a fan of JL myself, I come from the era that JL was nothing but a marketing office space, and did not even manufacture anything themselves (long ago).

Go listen to sets that are in your price range, make sure that you are listening to around 75w per channel through them, and make sure they have the subs off. And bring some material that you know VERY well.

G'luck
Fej

 

i put in kicker yes kicker 6.5 components and they sound awesome, i also put kicker 5.25 behind the seats and they also sound awesome. i bought a 5 channel kicker amp off of ebay brand new for 260 dollars.

 

OK I'm ready to go I think with the PDX5, sub, enclosure, DDX512, and the Pioneer PRS 720s.

But how much sound deadening do I need, where does is need to go, and where can I buy it? And what sorts of cables/adapters will the installer need?

 

Good choice on the Pioneer's. Make sure to deaden the doors at least. Go to http://www.knukonceptz.com/ for all of your hardware, they sell complete packages.