I guess it really depends on how you define SQ. To me, I figured something that sounded pleasing while driving 90mpg down the highway with the top off was good SQ! I'm guessing that that's what he's looking for as well.

Basically, any good quality speaker system that can reproduce the entire gamut of frequencies at a high volume will get a decent SQ system. Is he gonna win SQ awards with it, no probable not. But it'll still be a kickass system!

 

I already have :blueangel:

Sorry fellas! :) :) :)

Hey, I even figured out how to turn the caps off :lol:

 

The discussion was clipping along nicely with some good advice until we started the p!ssing contest.

So it looks like Focal Utopias are probably one of the better choices, correct? I'm not looking for someone to tell me: BUY THESE and ONLY THESE. Audio is VERY subjective. I've been doing two-channel home audio long enough to understand that people's preferences vary GREATLY. Some people can't stand Klipsch... Other love them. It's a personal preferance. What I want is a list of products that I should demo myself to weed out the total cr@p from my search. I'll then take your focused list and go auditioning for myself...

Please- let's keep our eyes on the ball and try to create a list of products that will accomplish my goals so I can come back here and thank all you folks for helping me obtain audio nirvana.

:cheers: :cheers:

 

Focal Utopia was the best choice for me.
Dynaudio would also have been a good choice, but my personal preference was the laser-precision Focals. Not to say the Dyn's weren't, they sounded more like /razor/ precision

and MB quarts sound like razor precision cut into your ear drum...

Best thing to do is find local audio shops and have a listen.,

 

Yes, that is the point I was trying to make, I think we all know who the troublemaker here is.

Now, barring anymore rude interruptions from a certain clueless, immature person, lets get back to the discussion at hand. The simple fact is that high-end SQ is not going to be a realistic goal in a convertible for under 2 grand. However, the options I listed in my previous post along with a few other variations on them will certainly help. Imaging is your nemesis in a vert. You will need to have your speaker placement as close to your ears as possible. This means your high and mid range frequencies. Bass on the other hand, will not be too much of a problem as long as you have a tight SQ sub, preferably a 12” since mid and bass slopes will probably be indistinguishable. I know from experience that at highway speeds with the top down you will have a hard time hearing anything, much less image separation. There have been some good options made in this thread, basically, just load your eye level area with sound, let the bass be tight so when it is felt it will match the music you hear and have plenty of power to pump the components with. Overcome the wind with brute force. As for what components to use? Let the suggestions fly, I have already made mine.
:cheers:

 

I agree, you definitely should give a listen to the Dynaudio and Focal. The Rainbow's have been mentioned and are most excellent but are extremely expensive so take that into consideration too.

 

Thanks guys...

To be honest, I don't plan on getting very good wuality with the top down at 70 MPH. However, stopped in traffic or (especially) with the top up, I want something with good quality.

I stopped by a local installer and they quoted me $2k for an Eclipse deck, Kicker amp, and Focal Polyglas separates installed. Ouch.

The Eclipse deck was nice- not real crowded or loaded with tiny buttons. I HATE tiny little buttons. Nothing more frustrating than trying to find the right button among a million identical, utterly unlegible buttons. Who decided this was cool, anyway?

The amp was... Well, it was under the floor inside a plexiglass enclose. Looked OK. The speakers were just so-so. Nothing fancy... Their other stuff didn't really impress me (JBL, Kicker, some other crap). He said the higher-end Focals would put me out of the $2k range. Argh.

He also said that a sub would add "easily" $1500 to the cost. He said the stealthbox is $800 alone. :(

So, it looks like I'm going to have to do some more reearch....

How much do EQ's cost? I'd like to be able to dial in a flat FR since changing speaker location (a trick for those HT and stereo guys) can't be done in a car....

 

get your focal Utopia or Polykevlar speakers for wholesale online
http://www.thezeb.com

dont get a kicker amp;....

 

Also, build your own sub enclosure (or have one built) it will be a fraction of what a Stealthbox cost and probably perform better. Try and do as much of the work yourself as you can. There are plenty of people here who will gladly talk you through what you don't understand. Also shop online, including Ebay. You will find some great deals. That will significantly reduce the overall price of your system. Unnecessary labor costs and paying full mark up prices to an audio shop for equipment will kill a budget.

$1500 for a sub install? :rolleyes: :nono: :lol:

 

Nakamichi makes great amps. Their subs are above average but were developed years ago and newer subs that work better are available for less. I'd look at JL or RF or even image dynamics for subs. Nak was really only weak in their speakers. In fact, I love their amps and crossovers as well as their decks. The decks still have bad FM sections but their CD is one of the clearest available. Hope this helps.

 

I'd skip the kicker amp. I'd also do the sub install yourself. The steath box is a drop in unit. You only need to wire the amp. If you have an amp and deck installed by a shop, have them install a 5 channel amp with the sub output of the radio wired up. You only need to plop in the sub and run a wire to it from the amp and you're set. What's your budget to nirvana and what requirements do you have for your head unit? MP3? XM? DVD? etc. If you don't need anything crazy, I'd just start with a high quality pair of speakers in the front like the utopias or A/D/S 3 series, a good amp, and a basic good quality deck like a lower level pioneer or Alpine, maybe $300 for the deck, $600 on the amp(The JL should work), and $600 for the speakers. Get the amp so you can add rear speakers later if you want but skip them at first. You barely hear them with the top down anyway. Then install the sub and it should give you a really good system. Also, many shops will install a system if you buy a part of it from them but you can provide some equipment yourself. So if you buy the amp and speakers online, you could buy the deck from them and they would install it all. Check around with your local shops to see if they will install some stuff you already own.


[Modified by 92TripleBlack, 9:44 PM 9/21/2002]

 

I spoke with several installers and they all said basically the same thing. I was asking about the Focal Utopia's and other high end speakers. One guy gave me the break dn (tech) then made a few true statments. Basically your car is the stage for your sound. Dyno matting is very important, building the proper encloser's for your speakers instead of just throwing them into the doors, along with proper placement of a decent componet system. All this said and done, as soon as you take your top off or drop the top dn, your dealing with a whole new stage an enviroment that you can't control, you just altered everything you did! He mentioned that some people just feel better knowing that they have the "best money can buy" that he could build a system for half the cost that would sound equally as well or better. He then had me get in his car that was basically kicker amps, Alpine head with all the trimmings and decent speakers (sorry don't remember which one's) not the high end stuff and his system was amazing! Clear as a bell with a nice punch for half the cost. I got into another guys car that he won all kinds of awards for and I was not impressed and he spent big $ in his Vert. He had the high dollar speakers.........the whole nine. Since the majority of the ears out there cannot pickup the difference between the high end and very good quality mid range speaker, your just throwing money away. That was the professionals opinon not my so reserve the flames. Hear as much as you can before you decide on what will make you happy. What sounds great to one person may not to another. Also remember that what your hearing on display will be different in your car. Have fun!

 

What you said does hold alot of truth. The difference with a vert is that you actually have two sound stages. One with the top on and the other with the top off at speed. You can't tune it to work perfectly for both scenarios so you need to decide what you want and plan accordingly. I made mine to work best with the top down by choosing components and placing speakers to work effectively in this environment. As to high end stuff, I have heard lots of "high end" stuff that was junk. Because it costs alot doesn't make it good and inexpensive stuff often ain't that bad. You need to look at each component independently. Every maker makes good and bad pieces. Sometimes, you will have one size speaker in the same model line sound much better or worse than other sizes for example.
Last, you need to listen to your speakers. Noone else can tell you how they sound to you. I would shop for a shop that allows exchanges for free with free labor within the first month. This is because a speaker may sound great in a sound room but in your car sound like crap. This was the policy of my old shop. BTW, I was an installer for 3 years and won the awards doing $15k systems in the late 80s. (To bad they weren't mine)

 

:nono: The JL Audio Stealth box retails for $599.00. :eek: but you can find it (new) for approx. $450.00.

 

Another newbie here, chiming in if I may. Are we talking about diminished returns?? I'd like to think the only thing good out of the Bose system was the cheezy plastic pods and the tuned port 6 3/4 mid-bass driver. Bose did so R & D on the logistical acoustic properties of the C4 cabin so it can't all be that bad right? Indeed the 90 vette audio replacement project I've been working on is also flowmaster challenged. Output seems to be the key element. Quality vs Quantity I think I can bring to the coupe. All you convert owners, I feel your pain.

Since I'm DIY'r, it's all experimentation. Don't pay someone to do what they think might work. If you havn't looked already, partsexpress.com can be very helpful when taking a slightly more audiophile approach. Otherwise I guess can turn your vette into an IMAX theatre if you have the cash.