$800 budget for system. Need ideas!

[BigPun1982 0]

Ok guys here is the deal. I am putting together a system for a buddy with a budget of $800 for sub, amp and seperates.

Details:

2004 Hyundai Sonata

Source- Alpine INA-W910

4- Channel- Diamond D3 500.4

He WANTS rear 6x9's and 6.5" components for the front. I narrowed it down to:

Rockford T1693 & T1652-S

or

Alpine SPR69 & SPR60C

Now, for the sub. He is going to buy a Diamond HEX750.1 (1 ohm stable). My debate is going with either 2 12" DCONS ported or 1 12" GCON ported. Space is not an issue and I will be building a box to suit the needs of the sub. Any reccomendations on the sub choice or components???

[///M5 2,833]

Take the whole component budget and scrap the 6x9's. It'll sound WAY better.

[lithium 358]

+1

and dont skimp on the deadening

[BigPun1982 0]

Yeah I have went round and round with him about only running a nice set of components up front (Focal, Morel etc.) and he is not having it. I even showed him my car which has no real fill. But he insists on 6x9's... And I am a lead installer at Best Buy (insert joke here!) and have a ton of Dynamat extreme at my disposal.

Anyhow, I am really looking for sub suggestions if you guys have em! Or suggestions on components that may be a step in a better direction rather than the RF or Alpine.

[audio-neon 34]

What is your budget for subs?

And for a decent priced component set, I would look at the Hertz deici line.

[BigPun1982 0]

After the amp, components and rear coaxials, he is left with $250 for sub(s)

[///M5 2,833]

If he is dumb enough to require rear 6x9's then use the budget such that you spend like $25 on a used set for the rear. Really a serious waste of money otherwise. Being able to do that will also change your funding situation for the better for everywhere else which is good since everywhere else matters.

[bLiTzJoN 0]

I agree with spending less on the rears to spend more on the fronts. I have JBL GTO928s for my rears and am very pleased you can pick them up shipped for $70. I have the -3db switched on the highs to direct more power to the mids/lows to keep brightness to the front stage. I've had some friends disconnect the tweeter altogether or add resistors to direct more power to the woofer; however, if you have backseat peeps it's thoughtful to provide some range of a stage for them even if their backs are to the performers.

[lithium 358]

cant hear the frontstage from a few feet away?

[bLiTzJoN 0]

? ... I suppose if you remove the front seats (assuming we are talking about the rear deck for the 6x9s) your front stage wouldn't lose your highs and be muffled. Which reminds me, there was a car on the circuit I was on that did just that, Kirk Perry's Oz filled LeMans; was a fun car, heard it at SoSF in Warsaw, IN. I personally am more SQ with consideration for all passengers, not just the neighbors and my SPL potential. Hey, what do I know, perhaps sounds waves have changed since the late 90s.

[///M5 2,833]

I agree with spending less on the rears to spend more on the fronts. I have JBL GTO928s for my rears and am very pleased you can pick them up shipped for $70. I have the -3db switched on the highs to direct more power to the mids/lows to keep brightness to the front stage. I've had some friends disconnect the tweeter altogether or add resistors to direct more power to the woofer; however, if you have backseat peeps it's thoughtful to provide some range of a stage for them even if their backs are to the performers.

Back seat people listen to the same stage as the front seat, it doesn't help to add speakers in the rear.

[bLiTzJoN 0]

The guy wants a rear stage. I'm not to argue, just offering input regarding the rear stage. I like to run rears as fill (focus fade and range in the front obviously) - at lower volumes it gives the impression of a concert indoors whereas no rears would be more of outdoor arena or intimate unplugged stage. While this may always be a philosophical argument [with car audio especially], the fact of the matter is the artist wants the music reproduced in the manner by which the track was laid.

[///M5 2,833]

The guy wants a rear stage. I'm not to argue, just offering input regarding the rear stage. I like to run rears as fill (focus fade and range in the front obviously) - at lower volumes it gives the impression of a concert indoors whereas no rears would be more of outdoor arena or intimate unplugged stage. While this may always be a philosophical argument [with car audio especially], the fact of the matter is the artist wants the music reproduced in the manner by which the track was laid.

And the track was laid and mixed near field in stereo. ie, 2 chn up front and nothing else.

If he "must" waste his money on rear fill go ahead, but realize it is truly just throwing $ out the window.

Here is an exercise for you. Go to any high end audio store. Pick your favorite speakers in 3 catergories. $500,$1000, $2000. Then compare the categories. And realize if you pick the ones that are half the price to get 2 pairs it is just like what he is doing in his car. Stupid.

[bLiTzJoN 0]

...if you pick the ones that are half the price to get 2 pairs it is just like what he is doing in his car. Stupid.

I totally agree.

While I prefer to have a rear fill (rear stage was a bad choice of words on my part, I mean fill), it will certainly not be anywhere close to the front stage, as we agree, it's laid down with stage in front (I'm referring back seat passengers specifically in my posts). While the peeps in the back will get some of the fronts, the experience will not be as pleasant so to compensate our ears can borrow from the rear fill to "fill" in the gaps. My Lincoln Aviator has fronts and a sub in the back (all stock) - it sucks to be a passenger in the 2nd and even worse in the 3rd row. If I have a rear "stage" then I'd make door pods for the 2nd row passengers. Compared to the Sonata (and even my Cavalier), I'm sure the rear passengers can share the front stage like you are saying; that is hardly the case with my Aviator. I think Ford figured the passengers would be wearing headphones to watch a movie.

To get back to the topic - I'm sorry this skewed away from the original question. Back to the topic, with a small budget I would spend it on the fronts and ditch the rears; if he has to have rears, I'm pretty happy with the JBL GTO 6x9s, they are cheap 2-ways with a tweeter switch you can drop -3db so you can use them more as fill and not take away from the stage.

[///M5 2,833]

What you describe is not rear fill, but an attempt at rear stage. And IF your system was setup at all properly it wouldn't be necessary. The gaps are due to poor tuning or a lack of enough balls in your front stage. Spending the same dough to improve it would help every row of the vehicle

[Notorious97200 339]

You'd better bridge that amp to a good set of components up front, and run some cheap 6x9's on head unit power, until your friend realize he wasted some money on those 6x9's !

2 12's Dcon ported for the cone advantage. But I'd love to hear the new Gcon, personnnally.

good luck

[altoncustomtech 773]

Back seat people listen to the same stage as the front seat, it doesn't help to add speakers in the rear.

The guy wants a rear stage. I'm not to argue, just offering input regarding the rear stage. I like to run rears as fill (focus fade and range in the front obviously) - at lower volumes it gives the impression of a concert indoors whereas no rears would be more of outdoor arena or intimate unplugged stage. While this may always be a philosophical argument [with car audio especially], the fact of the matter is the artist wants the music reproduced in the manner by which the track was laid.

Sean is quite right, and the seats really do not muffle the sound that much at all. Even in my Venture the rear row seat passengers can hear the music just fine. Even in my Jimmy which has only the front components installed in it with the HU right now I can get a sense of space around me (i.e. hearing room effects behind me) when listening in it and that includes back seat passengers as well. I've been asked several times if I had speakers in the cargo area. Getting the proper sound for staging and imaging is still on my list of things to learn but I've learned enough to know that rear speakers aren't needed in any case.

If I were you I would do as suggested earlier and get the cheapest set of 6x9's possible to make the guy happy and focus the rest of the budget where it really matters. He wants new rear speakers, he'll have them, but will be much more impressed with the results in the long run when the money is spent where it counts.

[BigPun1982 0]

Well guys he is just too bought into his 6x9's... I tried, even pounded it into his head. Oh well, I will be setting it up with a focus on the front stage and possibly not even amping the rear, just run off of the supplied power of the Alpine.

We chose RF T1652-S components (fabric dome tweets) and T1 6x9's (for $90). We opted for the Diamond Hex750.1 and a 12" GCON which was ordered Thurs night. I will be building a box this next weekend and awaiting the subs arrival.

Does anyone have a GCON and have any input on internal volume and tuning frequency that works for your particular setup? I am thinking 2.75cf @30-31hz. He is replacing an older Diamond d3 10" on a Diamond 400.1 and his goal was more output while retaining listenability.

I will be sure to post pics of everything when completed.

[dbsupra 69]

SSA recommends 2.5-3.0 cubes tuned 28-33hz as optimal ported.