Bind.....torture...Kill......
My newest additions this week are some Komor Kommando (Combichrist band members) and some SAM....so we are on the same sheet there.

Ptroxx-what other speakers are you running and where? Your setup looks simple enough. Does it deliver a real punch? Im assuming I can substitute a generic box....what size sub is that and size amp?

 

Also when it comes to speaker boxes it looks like everyone was happy with the ones that Vett-ERN made a little while back. I sent him a PM not too long ago to see if he could make another...but I never heard back from him

Maybe if a bunch of us contact him we can do a group buy! They look really good tho. Very similar to the One on Ebay you are looking at...I am sure he could make one for a SUB...
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-p...-for-sale.html
DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE VETT-ERN IS!!!???

Also on a side note...in my previous 81 I had a powered 10inch sub that sounded pretty darn good.... here it is... http://www.infinitysystems.com/car/p...=US&Region=USA

 

Its a very simple set up..
jvc head unit with ipod hook up
Infinity kappa series 6.5 in the kicks
MB Quartz 10in sub
600w kenwood 4ch amp to run the front 6.5's and rear sub.

I think you would be more than happy with this set up...
Ill go out in a minute and take a video and load it up for ya..

 

I'm running a 10" sub and Infinity 6x9's in a box similar to what you posted, Scottd. I also used Infinity plates in the dash. I run the front and rear speakers from a Sony 4 channel amp, and the 10' Fosgate sub from an old Fosgate amp I had laying around. I need more power for the sub, and a better head unit, but overall I'm happy with the sound. We listen to different music, I'm more old school metal/heavy rock, but the bass is good, you can feel it, and that is with a smaller than optimal amp. I built my own box, did it for 30 bucks with stuff from Home Depot, lol.

Some things to consider: When choosing your sub, keep in mind that you have limited space. Choose a sub that will hit good using the smallest cu ft space possible, shallow mounts are great for this. The Fosgate 10" I used fits with a little space behind the magnet. Sealed enclosures require less cu ft than vented, so I went sealed. I can upload a pic of the box installed if you'd like, just let me know. Also, mounting amps can be an issue, space is at a premium as you know. I'm short, so mine went behind the seats. Others have used the storage compartment. I've also seen amps mounted upside down under the rear window, I'm not fond of that due to heat. Heat rises and will saturate the amp if mounted upside down because it rises away from the heat sink and stays in the amp longer, so if you can avoid mounting your amps upside down, avoid it.

 

Here is my first attempt at an amplifier install in my C3. No subs needed for my '70s/'80s rock music. mike...

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-g...o-upgrade.html

 

Xtreme bulk pack 9 sheets of Dynamat....$140

Infinity 6432cf will fit in the space behind the kick panels......$90

Infinity 9632cf 6x9's are shallow enough to fit like I did mine below the window under the plenum......$130

Rockford Fosgate P200-2 channel amp...$140

KHE-300 Retro Look radio with I-pod and USB ports...RCA jacks $269

140
90
130
140
270
------
$770

Lots of room for T-tops.....Quality components....and the KHE-300 looks about as stock as you can find without spending your budget just on the radio........





This is what you see of my install IF your on your knees outside the car looking up into the back......If your standing up or walking around the car you CAN"T see it at all........

 

I can appreciate it may seem daunting to build a box of your own, but it's not all that hard. You can do it with a cardboard mock up and some simple tools like a skill saw/jigsaw and drill for the MDF, and fasteners only need PVA glue and screws. You'll learn a new skill in the process. But I understand you might want to do it the safe way. I'll throw it out there, would you like one custom made for you? I know a guy in Jersey who could do one for you and hopefully shipping wouldn't be too much.

Because you have the 78-82 shape Vette, you'll actually get a "horn" effect from the way the rear is designed. That means it amplifies the sound by the way the waves form and move in the vehicle. 2 8's, a 10 or 12 will be ample to do what you want. I too would recommend a 5 channel as previously mentioned.

The box you linked is well priced, I'll give it that, but poorly designed in my opinion. Most 10" sealed should be in no less than 0.75cuft net airspace and that means before the 0.1cuft the sub will displace. And 0.5cuft for 6x9's is just stupid big. 6x9's don't need to be sealed, though it will improve the "warmth" of the sound, but that can be achieved by placing rubber cups or sound deadening behind them. Also, when running a sub, you don't need 6x9's because the sub will be covering what the 6x9's are designed to do for people that want to forgo a sub. On a good system you'd be fine with 5.25/6.5 components or coax's in the front and a sub in the back, all run by a 3ch amp.
I would recommend getting the 2 10" box at a pinch, or go for the 8" and 2 6x9 combo.

As for sub suggestions, the Sundown Audio SD series would suit you. The SD10" has a mounting depth right on the 4.75" of those boxes and doesn't suffer the drawbacks of a shallow mount sub, ie: poor power handling and small excursion. It also has no pole vent on the back, which is something you should watch for when choosing a sub for whatever you decided to buy. A pole vented sub needs 1" clearance behind it or the cooling of the coils will be affected.

Amplifiers are a buyers market. Low budget I'd recommend the Hifonics Zeus ZXi60.4 + 1K, got mine for $330. For one sub, you'll want to buy a Dual Voice Coil (DVC) 2 ohm, or for 2 subs you'll want DVC 4ohm to wire down to a 1ohm load. A 2ohm load will require a single DVC4ohm or 2 Single Voice Coil 4ohm. Two of the Sundown SD-2 DVC 4ohm 10's would make your passengers bail from the vehicle.
Higher priced units I'd suggest Image Dynamics i5800 - $375, MB Quart ONX4.80/500 - $380, Powerbass ASA1100.5x - $440, Arc Audio XDi 805 - $440, Boston Acoustics GT-5750 - $500 Polk Audio PA1100.5 - $590, Memphis 16-MC5.700 - $600. However, none of these come close to the Hifonics for output and dollar/watt value.
If you want to get a 3 channel, I could only recommend getting a Rockford Fosgate T1000-4AD and bridging the rear channel to 2ohm. But they are $700...

As for Headunits, Pioneer. Best sound quality for the money, you'll only find better when paying over $1000. Pioneer has far better equalizer adjustments than any other brand on the market. The Pioneer MVH-P7300 is worth all $220 and then some, but the DEH-P8400BH and DEH-P7400HD are also great choices.

As for speakers, that's personal opinion at it's best. Anything that will fit your budget and placement will make you happy. I'd recommend (in alphabetical order, from personal experience and recommended by others I'd trust) Arc Audio, Boston Acoustics, CDT, Diamond Audio, DLS, Focal, Image Dynamics, Infinity, Morel, Phoenix Gold, Rainbow, Soundstream SST series (my own and was surprised by how good they sound really loud), and finally Zapco.

Have fun trying to decide.

 

66WMD - great posts and very informative, thank-you very much. I am looking fwd to seeing your install. Putting a "decent" stereo in my vert without cutting things up is more of a challenge than installing in a coupe. With the roof down it blocks the rear speakers. Until I do the body off, I have a inexpensive setup with an Alpine head, dash speakers, amp and Polk Momo 6.5's in the rear corners. It works but need Dynomat and a better setup including the electricals that you mentioned in your first post in this thread.
I love reading and seeing what others have done with their installs.

 

You're welcome.

Something I forgot to mention to the OP was sound deadening. There's a US owned and made company by the name of Second Skin Automotive Insulation who have a great range of products and even custom packs for Corvettes, they've worked on 400+ so know what they need to block out the road noise, dampen the vibrations and only leave the engine to be heard.
One of their products is called "Sludge", which is a spray on underbody sealant and dampener, but can also be used on the inside. They just had an Armed Forces Day sale and I got 15% off on all the products I'll need when I get to it. Great guys, great service. Unashamed plug right there, gotta support the little guys and the US economy rather than the Chinese.

As for your issue Gdh, I'd suggest beefing up your front stage, dropping the rear stage and looking at venting the sub stage into the cabin. I saw a few vids of the top going down on a C3 but can't see if the trunk is completely blocked or not.

 

I got bored so I made up a list.
I'm limiting it to eBay so i don't infringe any rules hopefully.

Cheap - http://www.ebay.com/itm/VMAX-SLI-12V...sories&vxp=mtr $205
Best - http://www.ebay.com/itm/Odyssey-Batt...3a263f&vxp=mtr $290

You could do a couple separate amps to save a bit of money.
4ch -
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Precision-Po...64a203&vxp=mtr $135
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hifonics-GLX...f608dc&vxp=mtr $140


Mono -
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Precision-Po...58ebef&vxp=mtr $170
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hifonics-GLX...d22a6b&vxp=mtr $180
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-ZAPCO-DC...item19d133edd8 $295 (Solid amp, excellent quality. Matching 4ch, just not on eBay)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SD-2-10D2-SU...5b3ae9&vxp=mtr One of the few full subs that will fit the enclosure you're looking at. You will not beat it for price, excursion and power handling.

 

Here's the setup I did without sacrificing too much cargo space:



Its a compact 5 channel amp so I didn't have to run (2) amps.



The 10" sub I plan to mount in the storage compartment behind the passenger seat. For you sounds as if (1) 10" wouldn't be enough for you though.

 

Nice Kevin....bet she will run you out!

 

Okay, my music taste is varied, so I needed a system that would accommodate everything from symphonies to harder stuff. Currently I'm hitting My Bloody Valentine, Avenged Sevenfold and Alter Bridge pretty regularly (hey, for an old guy (I’m 52), that’s harder!! ). As such, I wanted my system to be flexible, and as a drummer, I have particular things I want to hear. Among them a strong punchy kick drum, but clean cymbals, and the bass line too.

The challenge with our C3's is space. You can fill the back area with sound gear, but then there's no room for anything else. So like most things, it's a compromise, and as I like to drive my vette to rehearsals and take road trips with it, I found I had to build my own sub box and 6X9 mounts. There isn't anything out there ready-made that would do what I wanted. The sub box HAS to be a particular size (based on what size sub you use) to be most effective, and to get the right size (air space) and to get a sub to clear and still be able to pull the curtain, I couldn't go larger than an 8".

I'm running a Kicker CVT 8" sub, a Kicker 300W amp (just for the sub) Pioneer Premier Head unit, Pioneer Premier 6X9 three way's in the rear and Premier 4X6 two ways in the front. I didn't go with kick panel speakers, because it didn't seem like there was anything to gain, given the size and shape of the passenger compartment, though that may change. I also upgraded my Alt to 140 amp. I'm very happy with the sound, can crank it as much as I want, and with the sound deadening, you really can't even hear it outside of the car. Gotta tell you, cars that go "BOOM" at a light are a nuisance to me...I don't give a F&#K what you're listening to, any more than I expect you to wanna hear what I'm listening to, so I wanted to keep it to myself....

 

Getting some good sound advice....pun intended... I think anything bigger than an 8" sub will just be extra cost without much gain in this small space. Are you going to use your old bezel and the stem controls or a single DIN radio?
This will limit or expand your choices........

We wanted some nice tunes....I am a musician (play guitar) but, the goal was to KEEP the car looking stock......no wires....no boxes...nothing showing.....and still have space for T-Tops and some weekend trip storage.......That is why I did my install like I did, with the components I choose. IF that hadn't been a priority I would have done things WAY different....

 

Guys, this is GREAT info! Keep it coming with build suggestions. Im getting so many ideas, but its like choosing a favorite donut! So many choices! (ok, my simile sucks but you get my point) I need more amp/box combos....

What do you guys think of the IPOD only docks for head units? (I have NO use for radio, I usually cut the antennas out of my project cars)

Is there a way to store this conversation in user history for quick access? I wont be home for several more months and I want to get at this post without lengthy and fruitless searches.....

 

Scott, the head unit I have has a USB input and you can control your iPod from the head unit, and it charges it too. I have the cable in the glove box, where I just leave the iPod connected, so no further modification was necessary. This unit also has a connection for XM radio (which I have in my Tahoe and the garage) that I'm not using at this time.

 

You can bookmark the thread in your browser favorites. mike...

 

Have you considered getting a quote from a cabinet maker for an enclosure? Should be fairly cheap if not cheaper than the eBay enclosure you were looking at. All you'd need to give him is the dimensions and maybe a cardboard template of the face. Then you could have it set up however you want.

 

Love this set up, love the Box. My question is about the amp. Does it not get extra hot there? It never overheats?

 

I think I want to do the same thing, well similar...have you checked out these Sony head units...they have a tray inside the head unit to put memory cards, ipods etc in, so no need to run wires!

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-DSXS100-D.../dp/B003V8ATMW