[jalba]

Recommend some car audio equipment, and tell me why you recommend it. First, I'll describe what I'm wanting and what I have, I'm also open to suggestions on not just the exact equipment to get, but also to the overall setup.

1997 Lincoln Town Car Signature with Premium Audio package (JBL stuff with factory 10 disc changer, **** amp and **** sub). Ultimately I'm wanting a nice SQ setup but with the capability of huge bass at the flip of a switch. Like normal listening would be with the bass amp/sub putting out like 1/3 or 1/2 of its capable output, and it would sound like a high quality studio recording, but then be able to crank up the bass and just bomb the block. I realize this will probably require a sealed system, which is fine I guess.

Right now: Wanting to get a big 3 upgrade to 0/1, plus nice RCA's and good gauge speaker cable (not sure what is recommended here but I'm guessing 8ga?)
I need a head unit, was looking at a Clarion CZ500 for around $110. I also need 4 high RMS (100W RMS each speaker possible or higher?) A 6X8 in each front door and two 6X9's in the rear deck. I want a good 4 channel amp for those 4 speakers, and possibly a crossover if the amp doesn't have sufficient crossover capabilities. I've also considered a component set, but I really don't have the money to have people custom build me some A Pillar, door panel, or kick panel pods, so I think I'll stick with coax two or three ways.

I've already got a 12" old school Xplod that kills, a Power Acoustik LT980/2 that powers it quite well. But I had that single 12 in a single cab truck, so to get the bass I want out of a huge boat car with the subs all the way in the trunk, I have considered going with 2-12's or maybe a 15in. or two. So I am open to selling my current sub/amp and getting a properly matched sub/amp combo that could offer a lot more bass.

I probably need a wiring harness adapter, an antenna wire extension that is like 16ft. long (so I'm told), and I'm not going to do any sound dampening until I hear how it sounds without any first. I'm probably forgetting something, so I will update if I can think of anything else.

Later: I may at some point get custom pods made to improve staging and aiming, add a couple of 8"s for better midbass and power them with a separate amp, and may lay down some soundproofing as needed.

Thanks in advance for reading and offering your input.

 

[Cruzer]

dont know if u happen to know this, are 6x8 same thing as 5x7. 5x7 can fit the spot i guess so i will just throw some ideas out there for u by known brands

cheap 5x7s but should sound good
WoofersEtc.com - ECX 570 - 5x7" 2-Way Coaxial Speakers
WoofersEtc.com - CTX57 - Image Dynamics 5 x 7" 2 Way Speakers w/ Silk Tweeters

if u got some cash to spend, the XS line is a nice sounding line so ive read
WoofersEtc.com - XS-57 - Image Dynamics 5x7" 2 Way Component System

wont go into subs till u give a budget. wayyyy to many options

 

[jalba]

dont know if u happen to know this, are 6x8 same thing as 5x7. 5x7 can fit the spot i guess so i will just throw some ideas out there for u by known brands

cheap 5x7s but should sound good
WoofersEtc.com - ECX 570 - 5x7" 2-Way Coaxial Speakers
WoofersEtc.com - CTX57 - Image Dynamics 5 x 7" 2 Way Speakers w/ Silk Tweeters

if u got some cash to spend, the XS line is a nice sounding line so ive read
WoofersEtc.com - XS-57 - Image Dynamics 5x7" 2 Way Component System

wont go into subs till u give a budget. wayyyy to many options

Thanks, but...

1. I'd rather have true 6x8's, not a 5x7 with extended mounting rings.
2. Those can't handle the power I'm looking for (100+W RMS per coaxial speaker).
3. I don't have a budget, just looking for good gear at a good price. I'm not going to shell out $1000 for a sub that is about the same as a $300 sub.

 

[jalba]

Ok here's what I'm thinking of buying so far.

Head Unit: Clarion CZ500 In-Dash CD/MP3/WMA/AAC Receiver with USB and Bluetooth $106.99


4 channel amp to power front and rear speakers:
Sound Ordnance™ M-4100
4-channel car amp— 100 watts RMS x 4 $179.99

Front in-door speaker pair: Infinity 6829CF 300W (Peak) 6 x 8 / 5 x 7 -Inch 2-Way Speakers (Pair) 100W RMS Each @ 4 Ohms $66.99
Should I get a 3 way set? I couldn't find a 3 way set, but figured 2 way might be better anyway.



Rear Deck speaker pair: Infinity 6929I 330W (Peak) 6 x 9 -Inch Two-Way Speakers(Pair) 100W RMS Each @ 4 Ohms $87.80


Sub: Existing Old School 12" Xplod powered by Power Acoustik LT980/2 bridged mono ~500W RMS @ 4 Ohm I need a new box for the sub though, any suggestions for a 97 town car trunk box? Would be nice if it could fit on the top shelf-like area below the rear deck.

Also, where would you recommend mounting the amps? And if the amp only has 4ga power/ground inputs, would it be ok to run 0/1ga to a distribution block and just have a really short 4ga lead, or should I go for an amp with 0/1ga inputs?

Total = $441.77

Thoughts? Recommendations?

 

[jalba]

Having had my Power Acoustik LT980/2 for 10 years with no problems and great sub power, I figured it might be worth it to look at PA brand 4 channel amps. Surprisingly they have 4 channel amps with 100W RMS X4 for around $120-$140. It's possible that they aren't made as well as they used to be, but would you guys recommend a Power Acoustik over the previous selected Sound Ordnance?

 

[Cruzer]

amps dont have to be mounted, but if going in the trunk, might try and make it so they dont fly around and bang the trunk. might hurt the amp or make it not last as long.

u could do 0/1 gauge to the distro block then 4 gauge to the amp, but ur not running enough power to need 0/1, i would just use 4 gauge for sub amp and 8 gauge for the 4 channel amp.

i think sonic electronix has some 3/4 mdf boxes that i have read are good

never really used PA or sound ordnance. a friend has a new 5 channel PA, but who knows if its doing the power its rated at. he hasnt had any problems though.

the sound ordnance from crutchfield will have a great warranty

 

[jalba]

amps dont have to be mounted, but if going in the trunk, might try and make it so they dont fly around and bang the trunk. might hurt the amp or make it not last as long.

u could do 0/1 gauge to the distro block then 4 gauge to the amp, but ur not running enough power to need 0/1, i would just use 4 gauge for sub amp and 8 gauge for the 4 channel amp.

i think sonic electronix has some 3/4 mdf boxes that i have read are good

never really used PA or sound ordnance. a friend has a new 5 channel PA, but who knows if its doing the power its rated at. he hasnt had any problems though.

the sound ordnance from crutchfield will have a great warranty

Well, considering the LT 980/2 is 1000W Max and a BAMF 1200/4 is 1200 watts max (900 RMS combined from both amps or 2200 Max + 200W HU), I'm looking at up to 2400 Watts max output. I'm just a noob, but I stand pretty firm on believing that I need a 250 Amp Alternator and 0/1 gauge wire.

Stock alt is 135A or so, cars use 40% so car needs 54A. 166.6 amps needed to power 2400W sound system, need 54 more Amps for the car, so I need a 220A alt, but a 250A is the closest option without going under 220A.
That's not even taking efficiency into account. A 250A alt will only put out around 160-180 amps at normal driving RPM's. And who's to say that if the amp's max output is 2400 watts, that it's not actually drawing 4800 watts operating at a phenomenal 50% efficiency rating?
But I'm just a noob, so what do I know?

 

[Cruzer]

im a noob as well, but few things i will say, hopefully someone not a noob can correct us.

dont go by peak power off amps. dont consider the head units power at all. autoteck and sony are some of the worst amps u can buy and 90% of people will say they dont do anywhere close to the power they claim to do. perhaps sony is decent now, not sure, its still sold at walmart and is still really cheap

perhaps all above is wrong, but ill tell u of my setup
AQ1200D, rated for [email protected]
sundown 50.4 rated for 50x4 so 200 watts
hu does its rated power of whatever
i have 4 gauge to distro, 4 gauge to aq, 8 gauge to sundown, 136amp alt stock. no big 3, no beefy battery, 1 single battery. big v8. no problems here

 

[jalba]

im a noob as well, but few things i will say, hopefully someone not a noob can correct us.

dont go by peak power off amps. dont consider the head units power at all. autoteck and sony are some of the worst amps u can buy and 90% of people will say they dont do anywhere close to the power they claim to do. perhaps sony is decent now, not sure, its still sold at walmart and is still really cheap

perhaps all above is wrong, but ill tell u of my setup
AQ1200D, rated for [email protected]
sundown 50.4 rated for 50x4 so 200 watts
hu does its rated power of whatever
i have 4 gauge to distro, 4 gauge to aq, 8 gauge to sundown, 136amp alt stock. no big 3, no beefy battery, 1 single battery. big v8. no problems here

Well I don't have and am not considering a Sony or Autoteck amp, not sure what you're talking about. An AQ1200D only puts out around 200W RMS @12V and 4 Ohm. They list their wattage of 1200 at 14.X volts and 1 Ohm, and it's peak, not rated RMS. So take that and convert it into actual 4 Ohm 12V RMS rated power with an acceptable THD, and you'll be getting around 200 Watts. Add 20X4 RMS estimated from your HU, and you've got a total of 280W RMS total. My LT980 is 500 RMS and 1000 Peak at 4 Ohm and 12V. Plus I'm adding a 400 RMS amp (1200 max). So to compare your head unit and overrated underpowered (no offense) amp to my planned 1000 RMS 2400 Peak system isn't going to be a fair estimate of power and wire gauge needed. I'm dealing with almost 4 times the power you're using.

Anyway, I do appreciate the input, and like you said, hopefully a nonnoob will find this thread and help clarify and offer some gear suggestions. Cheers

BTW: when you say your HU does it's rated power of 50X4, that's peak. Head units, even huge Double DIN's that cost $2000 don't put out 50W RMS. 22W RMS is about the best you'll find off the shelf. Clarion DXZ385USB CD receiver at Crutchfield.com Scrolling down a bit reveals 20W RMS.

 

[Cruzer]

BTW: when you say your HU does it's rated power of 50X4, that's peak. Head units, even huge Double DIN's that cost $2000 don't put out 50W RMS. 22W RMS is about the best you'll find off the shelf.

i just said my hu does its rated power. i didnt say any #s.

ur vehicle does 14.4 volts to the amps so long as ur not drawing too much amperage.

the aq1200d is rated for 1200 watts rms @ 1 ohm @ 14.4 volts. not peak...
peak is 1470X1 @ 1 [email protected] volts

 

[jalba]

i just said my hu does its rated power. i didnt say any #s.

ur vehicle does 14.4 volts to the amps so long as ur not drawing too much amperage.

the aq1200d is rated for 1200 watts rms @ 1 ohm @ 14.4 volts. not peak...
peak is 1470X1 @ 1 [email protected] volts

"Rated" power refers to RMS power measured according to CEA standards, and CEA standards do not in any way measure peak power. So to say "rated" when referring to anything other than certified RMS, it is a misnomer.

And I read your post wrong, the Sundown 50X4 for some reason I was seeing as your HU, sorry for the confusion. So yeah, you've got around 500 RMS total now that I see that that is a 4 channel amp, not a HU.

I checked NUMEROUS sites for info on the AQ1200d and they all list peak popwer, never any CEA rated RMS at 12V 4 Ohm, which is the standard way to rate power, including the manufacturer's own site. The fact that they only list outputs at 14.4V, 1 Ohm, and Peak, is a HUGE red flag for me. I wouldn't even consider a manufacturer that is so shady with their specs. But if you have something to prove me wrong, by all means link it because I am considering getting another amp to have 2 subs instead of 1.

 

[Danometal]

"Rated" power refers to RMS power measured according to CEA standards, and CEA standards do not in any way measure peak power. So to say "rated" when referring to anything other than certified RMS, it is a misnomer.

And I read your post wrong, the Sundown 50X4 for some reason I was seeing as your HU, sorry for the confusion. So yeah, you've got around 500 RMS total now that I see that that is a 4 channel amp, not a HU.

I checked NUMEROUS sites for info on the AQ1200d and they all list peak popwer, never any CEA rated RMS at 12V 4 Ohm, which is the standard way to rate power, including the manufacturer's own site. The fact that they only list outputs at 14.4V, 1 Ohm, and Peak, is a HUGE red flag for me. I wouldn't even consider a manufacturer that is so shady with their specs. But if you have something to prove me wrong, by all means link it because I am considering getting another amp to have 2 subs instead of 1.

AQ1200D Amplifier

While I cannot verify the true meaning of "Output Power 14.4V @ 1% THD," I will say that anyone who is planning to buy that amp is not likely to be interested in running it @ 4ohm, @ 12V, car off... but maybe 2 ohms, and probably 1 ohm, thus they want to know it's power output at lower impedances (even if obfuscated and/or exaggerated by AQ's specs...)

 

[Cruzer]

only brands that get CEA certified are main stream brands, such as rockford fosgate, pioneer, kenwood, etc. etc.

look at sundown, AQ, zapco, they are brands that do rated power, and are not CEA certified. if u dont want to buy a non CEA certified amp, thats your choice. u still have decent options, but just because its not CEA certified does not mean its not proven, or does not do rated power.

you have much to learn

 

[jalba]

AQ1200D Amplifier

While I cannot verify the true meaning of "Output Power 14.4V @ 1% THD," I will say that anyone who is planning to buy that amp is not likely to be interested in running it @ 4ohm, @ 12V, car off... but maybe 2 ohms, and probably 1 ohm, thus they want to know it's power output at lower impedances (even if obfuscated and/or exaggerated by AQ's specs...)

I realize that, but I was trying to compare apples to apples, since that guy posted oranges.

 

[jalba]

only brands that get CEA certified are main stream brands, such as rockford fosgate, pioneer, kenwood, etc. etc.

look at sundown, AQ, zapco, they are brands that do rated power, and are not CEA certified. if u dont want to buy a non CEA certified amp, thats your choice. u still have decent options, but just because its not CEA certified does not mean its not proven, or does not do rated power.

you have much to learn

So then would you buy a Boss or Pyle amp that said 5000 Watts @ 20V .05 Ohms if it was only $100? Didn't think so. The only reason why a company would NOT post rated RMS output is because their specs suck. Notice that even at the manufacturer's website of your amp, they don't even attempt to put "RMS" anywhere, so it's assumed that it's peak power.

And you say that I'm the one who has much to learn. That's rich.

 

[Cruzer]

the aq1200 isnt a $100 amp silly.

its assumed RMS power because they arent noobs and know peak power is useless.

im not going to argue with you. im not trying to get you to buy some piece of crap amp. just do a search on the forum. look at all the brands that u have never heard of. 90% of them wont be CEA certified. yet 90% of the forum run those brands. does that mean none of us know what were doing, and we all have much to learn, and you know more?