So far I have purchased:
- Alpine CDA 9855 HU
- JL Audio 450/4 amp
- JL Audio 10w6 sub
- JL Audio XR650 components
- Mikes zenclosure
- American International install kit

What I will do:
bridge 1 and 2 channels in my amp and run the sub, and then channels 3 and 4 will go to my front door components.

My quetion is should I get some inexpensive rear speakers like JL Audio TR650-CXi. I will not have an amp for them so I will power them from my HU. Do you think I need rear speakers? Will it make any big difference with the current setup?

Thanks for info.

 

By the way what would be a good price to install this?

 

I wouldn't worry about the missing rear speakers and just not bother with them.

Where are you going to put the amplifier? You're looking at about six to eight hours worth of labor there depending on if you're going to have sound proofing put in, and where you're going to mount the amplifier. If you're going to have the installer manufacture custom door mounts for your components and run heavier speaker wire to the doors you're adding hours too.

I added 75 sq.ft. of fat mat which meant I had to take off every interior panel except the front of the dash and the head liner. I also added navigation with it's antenna, brain box, and an external 6-cd disc player and it took me a good 18-20 hours worth of time. I also did a iPod interface, added cold cathode and LED light circuit while I was inside running the wiring.

Do it right the first time.

 

I'm not sure why so much people on this site believe that their rear spkrs are not important when in fact they are AS important to have for a complete soundstage as the fronts. A 5.1 Surround Sound System would require a center channel, front left & right spkrs, and rear left & right spkr to work properly. Now it's true that you don't want a stonger rear fill then you fronts, but if your system is tuned right, your rear spkrs do make alot of difference. I don't know about everyone else, but i would not have it any other way.

 

If you're going to use your 4 ch. amp to run your mids, highs, & subs then you wouldn't have the ability to tune your rear spkrs so what ever you want to do is up to you. To much rear fill is not that usefull. If your fronts & rears are playing at the same level, your rear fill would be to strong.

 

With my Dolby prologic system in the house I do indeed have two rear speakers to counter the six in the front but then that's apples and oranges.

If I were to pull the Yamaha DSP-1 and simply wire the rear speakers to the front speakers, put the center, subwoofer, and front surounds I would not have a "sound stage" but in fact would have a rather rotten collection of four speakers. There is actually digtal signal processing going on inside that $1200 piece of equipment with complex accoustic models with phase, frequency, and amplitude shaping going on. Dolby 5.1 isn't two sets of stereo speakers. I have seen some $500-$600 decoders for use in the car but I don't think that this is the application for this installation.

Mounting two speakers behind the listener without the benefits of the DSP or the Dolby 5.1 decoder isn't going to work to create anything that approaches natural. It might sound different but it ain't pretty, it ain't what the music's producer had in mind and it ain't Ray Dolby's intent either!

If you have rear speakers installed at all they really ought to be a a much lower level than the fronts. The gains on mine are set really low and even then the balance is set far forward. I wouldn't have them at all if I could get the navigation lady to mix her voice guidance with the music rather than to mute the front speakers completely while speaking. At least she stays out of the rears.

My Garmin i3600 PDA is smart enough to play MP3's and mix the voice guidance ... why isn't the one in the car that smart?

 

Rear speakers definitely add ambience, but do not skimp. If you are going to skimp, then don't do anything. get a good set of rear coaxials, and power them with about half of what is going to the front. I would use your 450/4 for the fronts/rears, then add a 250/1 or 500/1 to power your sub.

 

In a car environment, I wouldn't even connect the rear speakers. A properly set front speaker setup will be plenty.

 

And now for something completely different.

I do offer my appolgies and have now come over to the front and rear speakers side

Listening this morning to my Z's stereo I took the front rear balance and took out the rear speakers ... not as pleasing. Some of it that I'm use to hearing the rear speakers just barely being there and now they're gone - a noticed abscence. But returning the speakers to the level that they were just barely noticable was better.

There are so many things wrong with listening to music in a car - the early reflections from the speakers and having the driver's side speakers so much closer to the driver's ears than the passenger's side speakers. I think the rear speakers "cloud" the locations of the front speakers. At home listening carefully I can guess where the speakers are sort of ... in the car I can pick them out as individual drivers and point to them like a laser beam. The two rear speakers help just a bit in that area.

I still have never heard a "sound stage" in a car that comes anywhere close to what I hear at home with the proper dolby processor, speaker and listener locations, and the much bigger room.

I've been looking at the Pioneer Premier DSP sound processor but haven't looked forward to running all the wires it requires and tearing into my system again ... I'll take a second look at doing that now.

 

If you have a properly setup front soundstage in your car, you will not miss your rear speakers one bit. I spent a lot of time figuring out how to make my soundstage as close to perfect as possible. Although i know it could still be slightly improved, im willing to bet that if you heard my setup, you would not even think about rear speakers.

Spend some time, and possibly money, making your front speakers image as they should. Then you will not want rear speakers.

 

I don't mean to sound like a sales rep, but this is where the Sony WX7700MDX really shines. It has such an incredible array of sound processing capabilities, including "sound stage" management depending on listener location.

 

I am going to install my system in 50 minutes.... will post pictures later on

cant wait to play my euro mix

 

Without rear spkrs you would not be able to enjoy a full 5.1 surround sound experience. You would not be able to hear the arrows wizz by your ears during the first 15 mins into "GLADIATOR". You would not be able to hear the rain falling around you when Tom Cruise was fighting in the rain during "LAST SAMURAI". Playing "GOD OF WAR" without my rear spkrs...? that would really suck. I don't care how "Close to perfect as possible" you think your front stage only system is, you cannot supplement your rear fill with just your front spkrs. You get the message...?

 

Three words you should keep in mind for excellent sound from your system: tweak, tweak, tweak!

 

I wasn't aware that the original poster was going to be using a 5.1 system. He never said he was going to. Therefore, there is no need for rear speakers. If he was going for the surround sound setup, then yes. He would definitely need rear speakers for the full effect.

I'm not sure why you assumed that the purpose of a properly designed soundstage is to compensate for the lack of rear fill. That is not the case. Rear fill is almost never used in the competition scene. Reason being that it generally kills imaging. Perhaps you don't understand that some of us are competitors and therefore look for qualities that the general listener would not see as important. In any case, I get the message. Hopefully, now you do too...

By the way, I still stand by my statement that rear fill is not needed in a system without surround sound capabilities. Say what you will, but i know many here will agree with me on that issue. If the speakers are properly placed and tuned, then you will be more than happy with the outcome.

 

The installation will continue today... it takes more time that previously assumed. My installed will cover the zenclosure in vinyl + he will built some rack for the amp in front of it.

Originally I wanted to put my JL amp behind the drivers seat (stock bose sub) - but the amp looks nice so I guess I will just expose it.

I am not building any surround system - just something decent so I can listen my euro cd's

 

Hey, you know what, your right. Rear speakers suck and is not necessary. I'll go and hide in the little dark corner of my demented little mind where the COMPETITORS can't find me and make me feel small...blah,blah,blah.

 

Sorry about the assumption, i meant nothing by it. If multi media is not what your after and will not be an option for you future, then by all means do what you will. Tune and tweek, tweek, tweek.

 

Should I use the crossover in the Alpine settings or the one on the amp?

As of now I guess it could sound better... the music is a bit flat...

Can somebody advse me on how to set my amplifier? I dont know what should be the setting on frequency filter, high pass filter and frequency range, input voltage and input sensivity?

Also I guess one can turn off the amp in the Alpine unit so the sound is more clear. Should I do it.

Thanks for the info.

 

Yes!!!... I have the 9855 too... The "time correction" is great too... The manual should explain how it works... Hope that helps...