hey all,

so I'm about to install a kenwood DDX9907XR this weekend, but I'm the next several months, I'd like to put together a plan to replace the rest of the sound system. i don't really have all that much knowledge about even where to start, so I've been reading various threads over the past few weeks, and i thought id start a thread to kick off the discussion.
i can kind of spend what i want, but i don't want to get ridiculous. I've seen the dynaudio 362 component system mentioned a few times, as it comes as a kit and has 8"drivers for the doors. i have also seen that people aren't necessarily that happy with that kit, and that the mids are potentially too large to fit in the stock openings in the upper parts of the doors.

I've also seen that dayton reference drivers are great, along with jl, but where do i go for proper crossovers?

anyway, is the 362 kit worth it, is there another tried and tried solution out there, are the jl 10"subs really the way to go, and does anyone have a recommendation for someone to go to for the build in the sf Bay area?

thanks in advanc!

 

Amps:
JL Audio HD600/4 for front mids/tweeters and rear speakers
JL Audio HD600/4 for front woofers/midbass
JL Audio HD1200/1 for subs
Subs:
2 x JL Audio 13TW5v2 4 Ohm in a custom box
Front Doors Speakers:
Morel Elate 9" 3-way components
Rear Side Panel Speakers:
5 1/4 - Morel Elate 52A

You'll have to get some passive crossovers for the tweeters, but everything else can use the amp and radio crossovers.

 

I'm a big fan of dynaudio, but Morels are often described as sounding very similar. I'd give them a listen and see what you like.

Truth be told, once you're spending 250 bucks or more on a set of speakers, they're (mostly) all good. You're paying for personal preferences in how they sound.

I'm probably going to go with a Dayton Reference 10" in my C6 GS. The NVX stealth box I would use doesn't have a ton of airspace, and the Dayton work well with that.

 

$8950 in speakers and amps, plus $900 for the head unit he just purchased brings us to $9850 for equipment. Still need a custom sub box, wires and cables, and maybe some custom mounting pods for the tweeters, and install. Any guesses on labor and install charges?

To the OP, please tell us you have an unlimited budget for your build. It does make it so much more fun to advise you.

 

I mean... JL and Dynaudio level stuff isn't cheap.

 

True. But if it was me, and I was looking to go high end but on a smaller budget, I think I would be ok with the Morel Elate 3 ways in the front. And then a 5 channel amp to power the front speakers and 1 JL W6 10" or 12" sub in a custom box. In this configuration, the cost of the system would be greatly reduced while also reducing the overall complexity of the install and pieces. I would probably add a DSP or look for an amp with a DSP built in also. I'm just throwing another option out there for the OP.

 

Personally, I'd buy a set with passive xovers like the dynaudio, or buy a set of 3 way xovers that work with the speakers I liked. That's what I did with the dynaudio 3 way in my c4. Then I'd get a decent but not super powerfil 4ch Amp and bridge it onto them. If I decided to go afterwards, I'd just add a DSP and a beefy 2ch Amp to run the midbasses off.

The Sony and kenwood 6ch would be two of my top picks if I was starting with DSP. Or possibly soundstream reference.

 

My thoughts were no budget limits. BEST but not crazy. Yes many different options out there. This is one I would do if I started over again. If the OP has a newer model C6, the tweeters will fit in the factory location. Same setup will work in a C7, but will need an oem interface. A DSP can be added to take it way over the top.

 

well damn, that first recommended setup would definitely be incredible, but probably more than i need to do for my uses. as for budget, i COULD spend that much, but I'd rather not, tbh, especially after the performance of the stock market this week.

that component setup sounds awesome, which it better for almost 3k dollars. the dynaudio one is something i had seen mentioned here, and there are some for sale online for about 1500 bucks, or so, which makes that set seem like a great deal.

my car is a 2009, so the tweeters would have to be surface mounted, unless it's possible to buy a pillar trim that has housings integrated.

i thought i had read that there's no real reason to keep the center speaker up front (definitely) or the rear pair, as they are just fill and aren't set up as a stereo channel (which, of course, could be changed with a full replacement like I'm wanting to do).

so i kind of like the idea of doing the three components for the front doors, and a single or pair of jl subs behind the seats. is it definitely worth it to go with a pair of subs vs something like the stealthbox? would a pair of the 10tw3-d4 subs be sufficient? would i hasn't to have a fully custom box made, or does anyone make one that can be purchased?

how much modification to the doors will be needed to install that morell or dynaudio setup?

i was hoping to spend about 5k for the whole thing, but it seems like that might not be enough of a budget, but i dunno. hell, i don't even know how much it costs to install something like this.

anyway, thanks for the recommendations so far, it's really helpful. anyone else have any thoughts?

 

Install won't be cheap... I'd budget a grand for labor, maybe more if you're not buying your gear from the installer.

I'd be wary of buying stuff that steepnofna discount online. Lots of counterfeit high end audio out there now.

I plan to run my tweeters in the dash on my c6. Midbass and midrange in the doors in factory locations, tweeters in the stock dash location.

 

I thought you were really serious.

surface mount will be easier, but not with morel tweeters. Will list another option for you.


No reason if sticking with stock HU and amp because it is a mono signal. Better if you go with aftermarket headunit and amps as it now turns into a stereo signal which gives you a better sound, but then it is user preference. Rear fill when tuned properly sounds better than no fill to me.

More is better in this case as you have the airspace and I think you are willing to spend on what is needed. You can always turn down the bass. If you don't have enough with the stealthbox, well, you can't turn it into more.

No modifications other than sound deadining and a mount for the woofer. No cutting on the car.

Here's another attempt with your budget in mind, labor not included,
Subs: JL-Audio-CS113TG-TW5v2 two of these will fit perfect laying down in the hatch.
Amps: JL-Audio-HD-Series-HD900-5 Two of these,, 4 channels on front and rear mids/tweets, 2 channels Bridged on door subs, mono channels on each subwoofer.
Door Subs: Rockford-Fosgate-R2SD2-10
Door Mids: Infinity-Kappa-Perfect-300m I have not heard a better sounding mid at any price.
Tweeters: JL-Audio-C5075-CT You will need passive crossovers
Rear Speakers: JL-Audio-C5-525x

You can start with one amp and one sub, and then upgrade to the 2nd amp and sub.

 

My list

Subwoofer Box: NVX Boost (remove sub, place in trash) $300
Subwoofer: Dayton RSS10 HO $150
Front speakers - Morel Elate 903 - $2000
Rear speakers - Skip or whatever you find
Amp - Soundstream Reserve RS5. 4500D - $320

Thats roughly 3 grand, leaving plenty of budget for install and wiring and stuff. Hell, throw some rear speakers in if you want to as well, but don't put them on amplified power. Just off the radio would be fine.

 

OP has a Z06. My only suggestion for the sub box would be, I would stay away from the stealth style boxes. No need to worry about top storage, and the stealth boxes are limited as far as what sub you can use and also placement in the car. Get a custom made box to hold the subwoofer you decide to go with. I built this one for my JL W6 and have been extremely happy with the W6 and the box. Storage cubbies came in handy too. This is in my GS.

 

well damn, i thought i was, too! i wasn't expecting a 12k recommendation, though. i just didn't realize just how much all the supporting hardware would be for this setup. sorry about that.


is it just not possible to mount the morels in the surface, or do they just not sound good that way?



that makes complete sense to me. i figured some rear fill would be nothing but helpful if set up properly.

ok, i plugged all that in and, well, you really nailed the 5k budget on the nose. for the 10" door subs, do i really want proper subs there, or just large woofers for mid-bass to help the 3.5" infinity speakers? are these speakers the compromise for budget, where i could get something much better if i spent a few hundred more, or do they stand on their own merits?

your statement on the infinity kappa mids is pretty definitive, so thank you. crutchfield does say that they don't fit in the car. do they say that for anything that doesn't directly fit?

damn, 13.5"subs... and two of them! hehe.

what about getting one of these boxes: http://subthump.com/Chevrolet-GMC-Cu...x-clone-1.html and putting a couple jl w5s in it? I'm a little concerned with how a couple truck boxes will look, and since i do have a dog who rides in the back, on occasion, that partition box looks like it might be out of his way.

thanks again for all the great info!

and the 5k thing isn't a hard limit. i can float it 5-7k. I'll just accumulate components over a longer period of time so it FEELS like I'm spending less.

 

I like that suggestion. The Elate 903's come with passive crossovers, and for me, that would be the way I would go for an easy install. And like you mentioned earlier, bridge a 4 channel amp to power them or go with a 5 channel to go with 1 amp and power the sub also.

 

if you're dropping it off at a shop, don't worry about being easy orr hard to install. If you're going to spend around 2K on the doors, may as well go with the Morel elate pro that I suggested... A passive xover for the tweeter can be used along with amp and radio xovers. The single 5 channel and your choice of subs will be just fine. You can always upgrade when your ears get accustomed to that.

 

True. I always take ease of install into consideration because I always end up doing my own. Also, many guys fall over when they hear the price for the install, so I always like to not make it too complicated. That way, if they changed their minds, it's still something they could possibly tackle it on their own.

 

I love carbon fiber, but I have a hard. Time saying the carbon elatea are 900 bucks better than regular ones. That's a 50% price increase nearly, and I doubt they sound 50% better. Hell, I doubt they're 5% better.

That said, at 2 grand we are already WELL past the point of diminishing returns, lol.

 

not only that, but i can use that 900 bucks for something else, such as a second amp to properly do the rear channels if i want, or for a second sub in the box.

​​​​​so i dunno, that 1800 price point is pretty nice, and i bet those things sound really nice, plus they have crossovers included that are designed for those components.

i didn't see anyone respond to that link of the premade subwoofer enclosure at subthump... are they just crap? how much does a typical enclosure run?

i kind of figure that the installation is going to be fairly expensive. for one, I'm in san Francisco, so everything is more expensive here, and I'm guessing that it really does take a long time to properly modify the doors to install this stuff, as well as to run all the wiring cleanly, etc
does anyone have an idea of a good shop, here? I'm sure there are plenty. also, is this something that will take the shop a few days to complete? is it generally considered bad form to source all of my own components and bring them to the shop, or is that a fairly common occurrence?

thanks again, everyone. this has been really helpful!

 

The best thing you can do is go to a couple of local shops, tell them you want an 8" 3 way front stage setup, listen to what they have to offer, and get quotes from them. Try to find shops that sell Morel or dynaudio and go from there.

Poor form... Eh, it's more like handicapping yourself IMO. You come in with a bunch of gear you didn't buy from me, you're gonna end up with a much higher install price because I gotta make my money to stay open still. I'm also not gonna care as much if it doesn't sound great because I had no say in the design. It's a little sad, but IMO you're best off going with what your installer recommends and buying from them if you're not gonna diy it.

Regarding the sub box, really all depends on how you use the car. If you often put groceries or whatever in the back, your needs are different than if you never will put anything back there and can do a huge amount of subs. It's a compromise between bass and space, for me, I lean heavily to the space side. Others will take up a lot of space with no concern. All my stereos in my personal vehicles are always stealth. I hide everything I can, I want it to look as stock as possible both so I have less risk of smash and grab, but also to not lose space.