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That's exactly what the stereo shop told me. Replace head unit only first. Listen to system. Most owners like the sound and don't change the speakers they said......If it doesn't sound good they will replace speakers which can run another $1,000 extra.
LSWON, I agree with your stereo shop. My complaint was running aftermarket amp and speakers with the factory amp and speakers still connected. If you only change the head unit and run the stock amp and speakers, you will get a nice bump in sound quality and you may decide that it is enough of an upgrade for you.
So completely disable stock Bose amp and 3 speakers in the dash and just use 4 speakers?
-Head unit
-6.5" components in the doors
-5.25 in the rears - should I even run rears?
-10" sub
-5 channel amp (four speakers and one sub)?
That sound about right for a good upgrade over stock? Now to figure out what equipment to get :/ That's where I get lost trying to match everything up.
Josh, this is the system that I run and is the set up that I recommend to most. There are some very knowledgable guys in car audio and in this forum that can come up with some creative builds that can sound great but are also more complicated to put together and tune correctly. For most guys I recommend keeping it simple, as many of us don't have the knowledge to replicate their systems accurately. Running a 5 channel amp to power front components, rear coaxial speakers, and a sub is an easy way to get a really good sounding system. 3 ways in the front are nice, but correct tweeter placement is important and becomes an issue in a C6, and also your options for how to run and power the 3 ways gets more complicated. At the end of the day, you want a nice clean install that sounds great, but you also don't want to bite off more than you can chew. If you feel confident in your abilities then go for it, but if you have any question marks, I would say the above system you described is a great attainable setup for most guys who don't do this kind of thing often. My only other suggestion is to get a good sub to go along with good speakers. I built a box to hold a JL 10W6v3. In my opinion it sounds great and much better than the shallow JL 10TW3 it replaced.
LSWON, I agree with your stereo shop. My complaint was running aftermarket amp and speakers with the factory amp and speakers still connected. If you only change the head unit and run the stock amp and speakers, you will get a nice bump in sound quality and you may decide that it is enough of an upgrade for you.
I hope this is correct so then I will have $$$ left for a 4K HD dash cam for front and rear.
I actually started my audio upgrade by doing a head unit first. It was a nice upgrade over the stock head unit in both overall features and sound.
As with the unit I am looking at you get the front and rear camera features for parking. (of course the cameras cost extra to the tune of $130+ each)
As for speakers those would add another $1000,000 to the tab.
That's exactly what the stereo shop told me. Replace head unit only first. Listen to system. Most owners like the sound and don't change the speakers they said......If it doesn't sound good they will replace speakers which can run another $1,000 extra.
I thought about going that route but I'm not currently happy with the bass...or lack thereof.
Originally Posted by TorchRedFred
Josh, this is the system that I run and is the set up that I recommend to most. There are some very knowledgable guys in car audio and in this forum that can come up with some creative builds that can sound great but are also more complicated to put together and tune correctly. For most guys I recommend keeping it simple, as many of us don't have the knowledge to replicate their systems accurately. Running a 5 channel amp to power front components, rear coaxial speakers, and a sub is an easy way to get a really good sounding system. 3 ways in the front are nice, but correct tweeter placement is important and becomes an issue in a C6, and also your options for how to run and power the 3 ways gets more complicated. At the end of the day, you want a nice clean install that sounds great, but you also don't want to bite off more than you can chew. If you feel confident in your abilities then go for it, but if you have any question marks, I would say the above system you described is a great attainable setup for most guys who don't do this kind of thing often. My only other suggestion is to get a good sub to go along with good speakers. I built a box to hold a JL 10W6v3. In my opinion it sounds great and much better than the shallow JL 10TW3 it replaced.
Perhaps run the tweeters from the 3way components in the factory tweeter location in the dash?
I talked with Pb82 Ronin in length today and kind of changed my mind on some gear.
What are thoughts on this setup instead?
-Kenwood DDX8706S
-Pac RP5-GM11
-Focal Performance 165AS3 (6.5 and 3.5 in door and tweeter in factory dash location)
-JL Audio XD1000/5v2 - changed to this amp to help support the 2 ohm subs at 300w each
-2x of JL 10W3V3-2 - bridge the component setup and eliminate rear speakers all together
-Subthump downfire box - dual 10"
-Vettenuts premium insulation/sound deadening kit
You still need the subs to be at 4 ohms each. Two 4 ohms in parallel will give you the load you are looking for to get the most out of that amp.
Two ohms in parallel gives you 1 ohm.. the amp will shut off. In series its 4 ohm and the amp is rated at 400W.
As for the components, the amp will see a 4ohm load and put out 200w x 2, the speakers can only handle 80w rms... they won't play that long and your warranty will be voided.
You still need the subs to be at 4 ohms each. Two 4 ohms in parallel will give you the load you are looking for to get the most out of that amp.
Two ohms in parallel gives you 1 ohm.. the amp will shut off. In series its 4 ohm and the amp is rated at 400W.
As for the components, the amp will see a 4ohm load and put out 200w x 2, the speakers can only handle 80w rms... they won't play that long and your warranty will be voided.
This is inaccurate with the amp he selected Vince. I know this from experience as how he described setting his up, is exactly how I run mine in my truck. I've even confirmed it with JL. Running each sub to it's own +/- will run them at 2 ohm. Now if you're only using one of the two available +/- terminals to drive both subs, then yes, what you're saying would be correct and he would want the 4 ohm version.
I've also seen channels bridged to drive speakers over their recommended power levels. I would be concerned if it was playing sine waves or constant frequencies at max gain and volume with a full 14.4V going...but playing music at around 13.2-13.5V and normal gain levels through a passive crossover shouldn't hurt a thing. In fact, I'll bet you a good pair of 6.5's on it.
Just use a meeter or look at speaker wiring guides. -- I'm assuming these are 2ohm SVC, if they are DVC, then this changes things.
driving a speaker 2x over its rated power handling capacity for long periods of time will burn up the voice coils and void their warranty. I would not recommend more than 120% of rated power.
Power ratings for the amp are right from their website.
Now if the 6.5s are on their own two channels, and the mid/tweet on the other two channels with the passive crossover, they may have a chance of surviving.
Just use a meeter or look at speaker wiring guides. -- I'm assuming these are 2ohm SVC, if they are DVC, then this changes things.
driving a speaker 2x over its rated power handling capacity for long periods of time will burn up the voice coils and void their warranty. I would not recommend more than 120% of rated power.
Power ratings for the amp are right from their website.
Now if the 6.5s are on their own two channels, and the mid/tweet on the other two channels with the passive crossover, they may have a chance of surviving.
Yeah, they're single VC's. I'll tell you what bro, I'll go stick a multimeter on the terminals and the amp outputs. I'd bet dollars to donuts that it's 1.8-2.4 ohms on each channel.
On the sub channel? They would be around that if each sub is 4ohm wired in parallel. You will also have to detach the connector from the amp to measure the impedance. No betting necessary
Not trying to argue with ohm's law, because everything being said thus far is accurate. I may just have a freak on my hands with my truck setup...or maybe a rare mis-boxing of products. I'll find out for sure. Josh, just to be safe, it's not incorrect to buy the 4 ohm versions.
Josh, not to make you spend more money, but if you are intent on going with 3 way speakers in the front, take a look at the Focal PS 165F3's also. Currently on sale at Crutchfield but they still are pricey at $700.
Also, shop around for prices on your gear. I can find the amp you are looking at for $650 or so from other sellers and the Focal 165AS3's you mentioned are on Amazon from a 3rd party seller for $370.
I agree, get the better speakers. Save a little with a different amp? Xd700/5 or even this focal? I have no experience with jl audio digital amps or any focal amps. You can ask me anything about the JL slash amps though...
Josh, not to make you spend more money, but if you are intent on going with 3 way speakers in the front, take a look at the Focal PS 165F3's also. Currently on sale at Crutchfield but they still are pricey at $700.
Also, shop around for prices on your gear. I can find the amp you are looking at for $650 or so from other sellers and the Focal 165AS3's you mentioned are on Amazon from a 3rd party seller for $370.
I'm hesitant to buy gear from non-authorized retailers because if I ever need to submit a warranty claim, the manufacturer likely won't cover it. I do have a decent hook-up for Focal and JL. I was quoted $370 for the 165AS3 and $680 for the XD1000/5v2 from an authorized retailer. What would the 165F3's do over the AS3?
Originally Posted by VinceC5
I agree, get the better speakers. Save a little with a different amp? Xd700/5 or even this focal? I have no experience with jl audio digital amps or any focal amps. You can ask me anything about the JL slash amps though...
So I was told the 10W3V3 subs best operate at 300w. I chose that amp to make sure they each received that. Would the XD700/5 still be ok with those subs or would it be too under-powered?
I'm hesitant to buy gear from non-authorized retailers because if I ever need to submit a warranty claim, the manufacturer likely won't cover it. I do have a decent hook-up for Focal and JL. I was quoted $370 for the 165AS3 and $680 for the XD1000/5v2 from an authorized retailer. What would the 165F3's do over the AS3?
That was going to be my next suggestion, to speak to an authorized retailer and mention that you found them online for less. Usually they will price match or give you a better price than they can advertise. As far as the PS 165F3's vs AS3's, I haven't heard either one. Specs are a little better with the F3's and probably the materials too. The F3's are part of what Focal calls its "expert series". Hard to tell how much better they would sound without hearing them side by side. I would probably be tempted to splurge on them but that's just me.
I'm hesitant to buy gear from non-authorized retailers because if I ever need to submit a warranty claim, the manufacturer likely won't cover it. I do have a decent hook-up for Focal and JL. I was quoted $370 for the 165AS3 and $680 for the XD1000/5v2 from an authorized retailer. What would the 165F3's do over the AS3?
So I was told the 10W3V3 subs best operate at 300w. I chose that amp to make sure they each received that. Would the XD700/5 still be ok with those subs or would it be too under-powered?
The cone material on the performance focal is different/better. It does sound better to me ( I have done A/B comparison at my local shop). The subs will play just fine at anywhere between 100W - 300W, they don't 'need the full 300W to sound good. I have 500W to my pair of 300W 12TW1's...
I doubt that you would be able to tell the difference between 500W and 600W on the subs. With a meter? maybe... In a large vehicle? maybe. In the small cabin of a corvette, not really.
That was going to be my next suggestion, to speak to an authorized retailer and mention that you found them online for less. Usually they will price match or give you a better price than they can advertise. As far as the PS 165F3's vs AS3's, I haven't heard either one. Specs are a little better with the F3's and probably the materials too. The F3's are part of what Focal calls its "expert series". Hard to tell how much better they would sound without hearing them side by side. I would probably be tempted to splurge on them but that's just me.
Me too for $150 dollars more, for $450 more, probably not.
Perhaps run the tweeters from the 3way components in the factory tweeter location in the dash?
that is what I did. very easy also, they pop up from the top, sharp knife to cut out the old tweeter, set your new tweeter in with epoxy, drop new wire down through the opening. The epoxy takes longer to cure than to mount and drop the new wire.