system for an 04 sentra

[lithium 358]

i started a thread awhile back for my bro but plans have changed and his financial situation has improved so im back again. budget is 1000 bucks for equipment and materials.

these are some of the things he's looking for;

crisp clean sound upfront

solid bass without taking up much room

quality equipment (he wont buy anything secondhand)

car is an 04 nissan sentra, (base model )

left over equipment from his previous build are just subwoofer amp, but no sub (his l7 got fucked...) and some wiring. unfortunately they didn't get the set of pg rsd's out either

i've considered two basic systems, the first with a passive front stage and the second with a active front stage.

this is a list of equipment i've picked so far

headunit

kenwood kdc-mp745u - 150 - notable features include 3 2.5v outputs, 24 bit dac with ipod control through usb, sexy looks and 4 line display, 6 channel TA (in feet),

or

kenwood excelon - 150 - same as above but with 4v outputs (online seller seems less legit)

4 channel amplifier for front stage

-not to sure about this idea, i've seen these used in a number of builds recently. iirc, here on ssa sefugi used them in his son's build

soundstream dtr4.500, 130 bucks shipped

subwoofer

- i have on tap approximately 1000rms at 2ohms depending on electrical. and given my bro's listening habits, at the top of the list would be a SSA icon 10, ported. ~250 bucks iirc

also considering fi q, or bl (probably more towards the bl), or maybe 2 sa-8s.. previously he had an 15 L7 so i dont want to step down too far from there. although he liked the L7 sealed more then ported.

- im trying to picture how this build should go together, i was thinking about walling off the ski pass but sealing the rear deck is very difficult and the results might be underwhelming. on the other hand rear firing the sub would result in alot of rattles.. input here would help...

-id like to keep the spare tire assessable. not sure if ill do another false floor like i've done in my own car. i think another option would be to mount the amps to either side of rear tire wells with the sub box in the middle. also use a sheet of mdf to replace the floor of the trunk, with a hinged section to access the spare. which would allow you to fasten the sub box to the floor.

deadening

SDS, enough said.. i haven't contacted don yet, im thinking there will be somewhere between 80 to 120 dollars in the budget for deadening. that would be enough to at least, do a full treatment for the front doors.

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ok here is where i'll break it down into the 2 options of active front stage or passive.

from above, we've "spent" 150 on hu, 250 on subs, 130 on an amp, 120 on deadening, for a total of 650 bucks. id like to leave 100 bucks for wood, wiring, distro blocks, volt meter, etc.

so with the remaining 250 bucks we could either buy a simple passive set, possible saving some money with something like the pg rsd's for about 90-100 bucks now days or spend all 250 on a nicer set.

or attempt to squeeze together an active set up.

here is my idea for the active setup:

-miniDSP w/ advanced 2way plugin (pdf) - for those not too familiar this would allow for 6 bands PEQ per input, 2 way xover per input (bandpass filters), 6 bands of PEQ per output (4), TA, and individual gain. for 135 shipped. which leaves 115 bucks for 4 speakers!!

speakers btw, could be up to 7 inch's (w/o cutting) and lets assume depth is no issue for now. not sure when he'll be home next for me to go out and measure. i know his doors are not very deep but that doesn't mean i wont cut them the fuck up.

[///M5 2,833]

Why not 86 the minidsp and upgrade the h/u to run active.

Nothing used? Really? Not even drivers?

[lithium 358]

Why not 86 the minidsp and upgrade the h/u to run active.

which h/u do you have in mind?

Nothing used? Really? Not even drivers?

if it was my money i wouldn't be buying anything new but he's very concerned about getting a damaged product.. ill be the one ordering so i could probably order a few thing used/refurb off ebay but i doubt he'll let me, for example, buy a sub from another forum member. it really sucks since im seeing alot of nice equipment in the f/s section..

[lithium 358]

im trying to find some model numbers for older model h/u that can do 2way+ sub.

here are some alpines i've seen listed but i haven't check to see if they can do whats needed yet.

9813,9815,9833,9835

[lithium 358]

im trying to come up with a list of pro's and con's for going with a single h/u solution vs the h/u miniDSP combo

single hu

pro's

-everything at your finger tips (my bro wont know what anything does so this really wont matter too much)

-less shit in the signal chain

-easier install

-potentially cheaper if bought used

con's

-my bro doesn't understand shit about car audio so the features wont mean much to him

-probably would have to bought used

-older units might not have ipod control**

minidsp and hu

pro's

-uber processing power

-new products with warranty (probably wont be very useful if they are required to be professionally installed)

-software seems very easy to use according to reviews

con's

-i would need my pc present to do tuning (but since i would be the only one able to tune the system this isn't an issue)

-possibly more costly

-more shit to install

[lithium 358]

X'Over: The Kenwood eXcelon headunit provides independent high-pass crossovers for the unit's front and rear speaker/preamp outputs, as well as a subwoofer low-pass crossover.

Front High Pass Filter: Frequency (40, 60, 70, 80,100, 120, 150, 180, or 220 Hz); Slope (-12, -18, or -24 dB per octave); or you can also select full-range

Rear High Pass Filter: Frequency (40, 60, 70, 80, 100, 120, 150, 180, or 220 Hz); Slope (-12, -18, or -24 dB per octave); you can also select full-range

Subwoofer Low Pass Filter: Frequency (40, 60, 70, 80, 100, 120, 150, 180, or 220 Hz); Slope (-12, -18, or -24 dB per octave); Phase (Normal/Reverse); or you can also select full-range

3-Band EQ: The User mode allows you to adjust the following 3-Band EQ

Bass: Frequency (60/100/160/250/400 Hz); Q-Factor (0.25/0.5/1.0/2.0); Level (-9 to +9 dB)

Mid: Frequency (0.63/1.0/1.6/2.5 kHz); Q-Factor (0.25/0.5/1.0/2.0); Level (- 9 to +9 dB)

Treble: Frequency (4/6.3/10/16 kHz); Level (-9 to +9 dB)

using the kenwood deck we could do a 2way + sub using a 3" full range and midbass. we would also have a TA and a limited 3 band PEQ

Fountek FR88EX 3" Full Range and peerless sls 6.5"?