Hey guys, new guy here from Mid MO. I have always enjoyed car audio, and look forward to learning more.
I have a 03 Lexus GS300, I am about halfway through a budget build. I use my car for long trips for work and having good overall sound and being able to go loud and with not terrible quality is my goal. I am not a SQ guy but I do appreciate quality and balance, but don't mind a good bass thump too time to time. I am on a hard budget and i will let you know what i have set aside for which part of the upgrade, for the next series of upgrades. My current setup is as follows.
Kenwood Excelon DDX775BH H/U
Front doors: NVX VSP65KIT (Component w/crossovers, tweeters in the the front door pillar where factory tweeters were)
Rear Speakers: Nothing, factory mini boxes are there not used, will be removed and replaced with adaptors for 6.5s. (Looking for recomendations on 6.5's)
Trunk: 1 JL 12W03-4 in a sealed box. I have another one of these subs to make a pair in a new box when upgrade happens, wired at 2ohm when time comes.
AMP: Pioneer GM-D8604 4 channel It currently is wired as follows. 100w@4ohm to each door component, and 300w@4ohm (bridged) to the JL sub.
So I am looking to add:
6.5 Speakers for rear doors, I have looked at things like midbass/midrange. Mounting depth is a concern I don't want MASSIVE speakers in the doors as I have to add adapter rings. So a depth of say 2.5" give or take is best. Also they'll get 100w@4 ohm. I do listen to everything from rap to metal, and something that may give more crunch to guitars and hi-hats isn't a terrible idea. Budget here is no more than 100$ for the pair. I was looking to some JBL's or even maybe a SKAR coaxial set. I would like to stay away from components sets as I don't want to find another place to hide the tweeter, and the tweeters up front have been tuned down some to make the overall sound warmer (yeah i realize coaxial sets have them, that's fine, I just don't want to find a spot for more tweeters).
Amp: NVX BDA7501 (750W RMS @ 2Ohm) or Precision Power PPI i650.1 (650 RMS @ 2ohm) I am trying to stay under 175$ for the amp, it is for the 2 JL 12W03-4's (which are 300W RMS) I am still debating personally at going with a custom box to fit the area between strut towers or what I want to do there. Not sure if i want to go ported or sealed on that box. (That's a personal preference for me I guess and will make my mind up soon). Any input is good here, I do lean towards the NVX amp, as I think having some headroom is always a good idea, but the footprint of the PPI amp is amazing, super small and would make it easy to hide.
So, onto amp wiring. I am looking about 1150W RMS total (please correct me if im wrong). Would I be able to get away with a 4gauge setup or should I just go to say 1/0? I do want to go OFC if possible. I was looking at ebay and saw a Sky High Car Audio 1/0 OFC Dual amp kit for like 115$ which seems like a screaming deal and would allow me to easily upgrade down the road.
Is a 1/0 Setup for this overkill? I get mixed answers depending on where I look.
Is welding wire an option, if so, what is good source of it (i have google boxed and found 1/0 for about 2.37/ft) Thats cheaper but not by much and when you add distribution blocks, lugs, etc it really doesn't seem like i'd be saving much.
Do I need to do the big 3 upgrade for this if I do go 1/0 Gauge?
Also, finally, lol. Looking for recommendations for sound deadening, I do want to avoid crazy smells if possible, but would like to start that process when I get time. What do you budget minded guys use?
