Car Stereo System

[DaKing240]

Can anyone help me design a car stereo system, or point me in the direction of a good site that reviews everything?

I was looking for starters at getting this faceplate - DEHP9800BT

[Minty]

It all depends on what youre after from your system. Whether you want a loud system, or whether you want a quality sound, or a combination.

Depends on the car, the budget and how much you want to put in....

And dont forget youll need to upgrade the standard wiring from your alternator to battery, battery to earth etc etc, and a bigger battery will be needed. Not sure if you guys have the same brands as us, but UK you need an Optima Yellow top or a Kinight Odyssey Battery pretty much.

[Clipse 2]

It all depends on what youre after from your system. Whether you want a loud system, or whether you want a quality sound, or a combination.

Depends on the car, the budget and how much you want to put in....

And dont forget youll need to upgrade the standard wiring from your alternator to battery, battery to earth etc etc, and a bigger battery will be needed. Not sure if you guys have the same brands as us, but UK you need an Optima Yellow top or a Kinight Odyssey Battery pretty much.
The Optima batteries are also used here in the states, I actually run an Optima red top in my Eclipse because I've had two yellow tops acquire bad cells some how. Anyway King, I like the headunit; the bluetooth feature could come in pretty handy. What type of vehicle do you have? I used to be big into car audio, installing and selling it. Post it up that way we can figure how many speakers or component sets you need.

[Minty]

It also depends on your music tastes as well, forgot to add.

And on batteries, I preffered the Yellow to the Red, dont know why :p
But the Knight Odyssey one out performed them both.

[DaKing240]

Thanks guys,

Its a 2001 BMW 321CI, and I prefer rock and rap music. I was told that I needed 2 subs since its a convertible, and I won't be able to hear the music otherwise. Its very expensive to get the parts in stores it seems, so I am planning to try to order most parts online, and then pay someone to hook it up for me.

I am not 100 percent sure on the faceplate, but I do want it to look good and last about 3-4 years.

[Clipse 2]

Convertibles can be tough sometimes when it comes to system set ups. You don't necessarily need two subs you can get by with one, but in order to pull that off the enclosure has to be exact to the sub's specifications when it comes to volumes and whatnot. Another thing to remember when putting a system in is sound deadening material; this would be placed inside your door panels, trunk panels, and often times the flooring of the car. This is extremely important because nothing seems more stupid than a nice car driving down the road rattling.

Systems can get pricey, but here is what I'm thinking:

Headunit
Pioneer DEHP9800BT - $500.00

Speakers x 2 sets
JL Audio Component system TR650-CSi - $190 per set
or
Infinity Kappa 60.7CS - $300 per set

Subwoofers
JL Audio 10W6v2 10in DVC - $400
or
JL Audio 12W6v2 12in DVC - $500

Amps
JL Audio Slash Series 500/1 - $400 (for Sub)
JL Audio Slash Series 300/4 - $400 (for components)

As for Misc. items, you would need a sub enclosure which aren't too expensive, wiring from battery to amps then on to speakers and subs. The sound dampening material I mentioned earlier; this can get kind of expensive, Dynamat is great stuff but I also like Brown Bread. Dynamat runs about $200 for 36 sq ft (6 ft by 6 ft) and Brown Bread runs around $130 for 50 sq ft.

Also don't take me as a JL Audio fanboy, I like their stuff and have never had any issues with it. If you want better quality and sound I would recommend going with all Focal amps, speakers, subs; their stuff is just amazing. However there is one hell of a considerable price difference. At least this will give you an idea of what you need and what it might cost. Hope this helps King.

[DaKing240]

Wow, that helps a lot, however I think that this would get too pricey. I was trying to keep my total budget in the 1500.00 max range, and it seems that the parts you have picked out here would come out to 2000.00 before installation and wiring.

Now, even the faceplate I picked out isn't final by any means. My last car had an Alpine which I liked a lot - however, I really liked the Pioneer when I played around with it at the store yesterday.

[Curtis]

Have a look around on CarDomain (http://www.cardomain.com/shop). I wouldn't buy off there, but it's worth looking at prices and seeing how much you'll get for your money.

[Clipse 2]

Prices are going to vary from website to website or dealer to dealer. I recommend trying to get your speakers and subs by the same maker (Kicker, JL Audio, Focal, Alpine, etc.), amps can be from a different company and you might be able to find a 5 channel amp that has a dedicated subwoofer channel. That would allow you to only need one amp. As for headunits thats just a preference thing, Pioneer is good, Alpine is good, and I've always had Clarion but those can be pricey too. Check with some dealers on installation prices and or deals. Maybe you can get some discounts for having such a big install.

As I stated earlier though you can find less expensive components, anyway you go though I still highly recommend sound dampening material. It would kill me to see a nice BMW with a rattling sound system in it, its just dumb (kind of like those Honda owners who put the huge coffee can exhaust on their Civics).

[Minty]

Personally, im not a fan of JL stuff.

My choice of set-up for something like that would be (not model numbers cos I dont have the time lol):

Amps:
Rockford Fosgate- 1 for sub, either to run 1 sub at 4 Ohms or 2 subs at 2 Ohms- id be looking at 300 watts RMS ish. Another for running a set of components. 2x125 watts ish.

Subs:
I had 2 Audiobahn 10 inch subs in home made custom fibre-glass boxes and suited Rock with some Wigga music chucked in as well. Also coped well with DnB.
I also tried ne 12 inch, which I personally didnt like as much, the beat wasnt as good for metal.

Components
I was running Boston Accoustics which sounded quality. Then tried Focals, and they were AMAZING. If you have the budget, go for those.

Wiring:
Id only use Kicker wires for speakers. And only then if I couldnt get Voodoo Ice.

Electicals
Optima or Knight preferably. Upgrade the big 3 electrical wires and consider an uprated Alternator.

And like Clipse said, Sound deadening is vital. You'll need a lot, and tbh Brown Bread is better than Dynamat anyway.

DO NOT use 6x9s with subs or Power Caps, they are useless