New System Before My Birthday In February

[mrsteve]

I have decided that my system as it is now just isn't quite what I am looking for. Originally I said I would only spend $1500 as some of you know; that's all changed. I plan on selling my amp and subs and going to a much more powerful system. First I am going to get a new headunit (Pioneer 7200 or Kenwood excelon KDC-X715, both with 6 disc changers)

I am keeping my components but I may move them to the rear and get a better set up front. I am definately getting a better set speakers to replace my rears. I want something that can handle more power. I still have to decide what I am gonna do there.

I am going to get an amp that will power my 4 speakers (probably about 50 watts RMS to each)

As for subs I know I want the MTX Thunder 6000's. I am going to get the 3 10's in the MTX sealed box. I also want a Thunderform with a 10" Thunder 6000. Here's why. I could take out the large box with 3 10's for cargo space and still have the separate 10" with out taking up space.

I plan on getting 2 amps (at least for now) The first amp will power the 3 10"s with 600 watts x 1 RMS. The second amp will power my 4 speakers with 50 watts each. I would hook the 600 watt amp up to a switch so that I could control the amount of bass I wanted. From mild to extreme.

Dynamat will be applied to the car from the rear seats back and in the front doors. I am going to build an amp rack that will be 3 inches high and cover the entire rear cargo area. The rack will have 4 fans. 2 blowing cool air in, 2 sucking hot air out. The top of the rack may have some plexi window but will be mostly carpeted for a stealth look. Crossovers for my components would also be mounted in the amp rack.

I would upgrade to an optima yellow-top and 200 amp alternator to provide power. 1 or 2 capacitors would also be mounted in the amp rack.

I thought about this all weekend and decided what I wanted to keep and what I wanted to replace. I also decided which parts of the system would be replaced first. An amp for my 4 speakers is first and the new head unit is last. Once I get started (hopefully in a few weeks, I still have to shop around) I'll post pics of every step.

Feel free to comment on my plans or make suggestions. Thanks. I hope to stay within a budget of $1500-$2000.

 

[JTang]

Hey Steve,

Sigh. I know that feeling all too well. You start out thinking you want just a nice little system. Then after you learn a little more, your eyes open up, and you need to start a second time. Well, since you know a lot already, you'll be able to really make some really definite decisions on what you want to do. It was like at first you don't mind one thing, but then you start wanting more and more. Just do it right the first time.

I just went through that whole mess again, not with amps and stuff, but now my wires. It's like after I bought what "cut it", I was still dissatisfied. I ended up spending even more money again, just because I wanted matching wiring and RCA cables, etc. If you're spoiling your system, you'll want the nicer touches too, and they'll add up. Start looking around for prices and stuff especially at what kind of distributed fuse block you want. You don't want to end up buying one with not enough inputs or outputs in it for now or future setup stuff. That includes, if you're getting 2 caps, you might want to think bar that connects the two, etc. Then, if you're running that much power, you'll need 4 gauge wire at least, and then if it's that thick, you start wondering if it would be cool to get new battery terminals. So on and so forth. It just keeps snowballing! Don't do the stupid thing I did and buy piece by piece, choosing along the way. It ends up with me then rebuying stuff and wasting money. DRAW OUT YOUR PLANS first! Note the fuse ratings on the amps you plan to buy, etc. because it'll help you determine what kind of fuse block to get, etc (Most likely MAXI fuse blocks since they offer 80 amp fuses for your 600 watt amp), as well as the main fuse too.

On another note, I never thought about that, that's a pretty cool idea. By getting the trio of subs from MTX that match the Thunderform, you're lessening the chance of differences. Good idea...

Also, you might want to start looking into crossovers if you want variable bass control. I know there are quite a few out there. A really nice one that's quite old, but works quite well is the Coustic XM-3e. It's also pretty inexpensive. It has won a few awards, and I have had a few friends who own it, and they liked it out of the few they've used. I even was at a Car Audio shop, and the installer (not the salesman) told me he'd been through about 20, and he liked it the best - and they didn't even sell it at his shop. There are a few with bass knobs (which this one has), but this x-over is really tiny and will help a lot when you need space. I made the poor decision of getting a x-over that's a lot larger and am now having trouble finding a place to put it.

Jon

[Edited by JTang on 10-31-2000 at 12:40 AM]