Hi,

I have around $5,000 to spend on a full stereo system. Problem is, when it comes to car audio, I am completely clueless and I need a lot of help in picking out the parts. I would like for my system to be able to hit really hard when I want to but at the same time sound very clean. My car does not have the stock navigation so I have quite a lot of room to work with there. I would love to hear some suggestions from you guys. Thank you.

 

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_4218.html (Great cd/dvd flip face head unit)

http://mobile.jlaudio.com/products_s...hp?fit_id=1416 (Best choice of subs to get as far as looks and quality)

http://mobile.jlaudio.com/products_amps.php?amp_id=252 (best amp to power the above subs)

http://mobile.jlaudio.com/products_c...php?comp_id=65 (great component system if I clicked the right size)

http://mobile.jlaudio.com/products_amps.php?amp_id=251 (best amp to power component systems)

Get some 8 guage stinger wire and a red top stinger batter and you'll have a bad *** sytem. (Red top battery is best if you play your system with car on, if you do shows and play your system with car off get a yellow top stinger battery)

 

As I understand it, there are 2 basic ways that you can set up a system.

Setup 1: Head unit, front speakers, rear speakers, sub(s) + box, amp for the sub(s)

Setup 2: Same as 1, except you add an amp for the front and rear speakers. The amp allows you to listen to high volume levels on the front/rears without sound distortion.

A sub requires an enclosure (box). There are different types of boxes out there, with each type giving a different sound. In general, ported boxes have a loose, boomy sound, while sealed boxes have a tighter, punchier sound. The Z can only fit 10" subs behind/under the strut bar or in the stock location. If you want 12" subs, you're going to have to find somewhere else to put them. Many people mount them in the spare tire well.

Since you say you're completely clueless, I'm going to assume you're going to have someone else install this system. You can spend all kinds of money on things like custom sub enclosures (trunk floor mount, etc.), mounting for the amps, door pods for the front speakers and other things. Run some searches on the forums here for an idea of what other people are doing.

Everyone has their own idea of what brands to buy. This is a personal preference, so you should do your own research. Make a CD with music that you are familiar with. Include tracks that you can test bass and highs with, then go to local audio shops and listen to that CD. You may find that you like Rockford-Fosgate subs when everyone you know likes JL subs. Don't be afraid to consider off-brands.

FWIW, I went to the only JL dealer here and got a quote for about 3k installed. The system included an Alpine 9855 head unit, MB Quart Q-series component speakers for the fronts, MBQ rears , JL 300/4 amp for the speakers, and a JL Stealthbox with JL 500/1 amp. I'm going to assume that quote has the usual dealer overcharging.

I also went to another local shop and received a quote for around 2200. It was essentially the same system with a lower model head unit, Kenwood speakers, MTX Sledgehammer subs and MTX amps.

There are a number of other topics that I haven't touched on here. Like I said above, search the forums to get an idea of what people are doing with their systems.

 

$3,000 installed for that setup is not bad looking at abour $80-100 min on installation these days and your going from high quality $800 JL Sub/box kit and MB quarts setup to MTX setup. $2200 for anything MTX in your car is overcharging. From someone who does audio systems for a living thats one of the 3 brands you do not want in your car unless its temporary.

 

Thanks for the feedback guys, I appreciate it.

What is the difference in say having 2-3 10's versus a 12?

 

Most of the labor was around 100, but the dealer said he'd give me the Stealthbox for 500. I thought about getting a pair of JL 10w6s, but I didn't want to spring for a custom box + the 10w6 cost.

 

2-3 10s will hit harder than a single 12. Of course, you do have the space limitations in the Z to consider. I've seen a few setups on the forums with 3 10s that look ok, but you'll lose a lot of trunk space if you go that route.

 

whats the sound difference between the xr650 and the zr650
i know the price is huge =/

 

Difference between 2-3 10's vs a single 12 can be phenomenal. the smaller the sub the tighter the bass as well as sound quality. But it also depends on the subs you compare to, if they are in the same line the 2 10's will smoke the single 12 but if they aren't they conclusion will vary. Such as it would take 3 JL w6's to be able to put out what a single JL W7 puts out. As small as the Z is you really don't want more than 2 10's back there unless your prepared to drop down about another $1200 in sound deadening material+the cost of labor installing it.

As far as the ZR and XR's I actually thought I clicked the XR's, woops.There is noot a huge difference, in some cases XR's are better pending on the use. ZR's seem to be harder to come by lately and I only used those because they are proven to handle abuse and my last car was very abusive in sound competitions. I however won't be putting the Z into that much since there is no way I'll be able to fit 6 12 inch subs in the Z like i had in my hatchback. I will be running XR650's in my Z. For the best way for me to know what type of system to help you pick out 'Scan' I'd have to know what kind of music you listen to.

 

Abyss,

Thanks for clarifying that. It looks like I'm leaning more towards 2-3 10's instead of a 12. As far as trunk space goes, it's not too big of a deal to me. Obviously the more, the better. However I can definitely live with having limited trunk space. My budget is around $4,000-$5,000. I haven't gotten a chance to goto an audio store to compare different brands and what not. I mainly listen to hip-hop, rap and trance. Let me know what you can suggest. Thanks.

 

If you want to do 3, I'm not sure what the brand is I found a box a few weeks ago that fits under teh strut and holds 3 10's. I'm sure someone on these boards uses that box or knows what it its (I think it was Magic Boxes?). That box also leaves you some decent trunk space. Boston Acoustics G510's would be an awesome choice to put in a box like that, these run around $340 a sub. If you want to keep everything in the car the same brand I'd recomend the SL60 component system for speakers. You'll want an 800-1000watt amp to push the 3 subs and be able to power them nicely, make sure you get 0guage wiring with a 1000watt amp and a capacitor would help prefent drainign your battery and keep your lights from diming when you get into some extreme bass. A 150-200 watt amp will power your speakers nicely. That setup there will make rap/hip-hop pound yet at the same time be able to handle the treble to hear the words clearly through the bass.

 

How do the Boston Acoustics G510's match up vs JL 10's?

 

depends whcih JL Line you want to compare to. the G510's are about equal to the 10W6 JL's and $120 cheaper. There aren't many subs that compare to the 10W7 JL's but they are around $800-1000 each. The G5 and GTR Boston Accoustics are designed to get incredible sound from small spaced enclosures which is perfect if your wanting 3 under your strut bar.

 

[QUOTE=abyss]If you want to do 3, I'm not sure what the brand is I found a box a few weeks ago that fits under teh strut and holds 3 10's. I'm sure someone on these boards uses that box or knows what it its (I think it was Magic Boxes?). That box also leaves you some decent trunk space. QUOTE]

Yes Sir, I am right here.

We manufacture that sub enclosure, We also make th edoor pods that is highly needed in the doors of the Z...

Please feel free to browse or website and Look at th epicture gallery, You will see many installs of 350Z. These are only a few we have done. PICTURE GALLERY

I can also help you with any advice you need simply PM me or Call me,
Nazar

 

^^^I'm glad you chimed in because I decided to do custom system in this car too, after you go from a car with 6000 watts and6 12's suttle just work. Looks like my car and my clients car will be sporting your boxes this spring.

 

Hey guys, I just bought a base model 350Z, with the standard audio system. I'm looking to get a new system too, but I need all the trunk space because I play college golf. Does anyone have any suggestions for setups behind the driver seat, or in the trunk?

 

Bigdig53,

If you need your trunk space get a JL stealth kit ( http://mobile.jlaudio.com/products_s...hp?fit_id=1416 ) It fits under the strut bar and is sunk in to give you all of your trunk space with a nice amount of bump, and you can mount your amp in the factory sub location easily (the space behind the drivers seat).

 

I have been lurking about on this site for about 2 months and have been reading a lot of posts and I have a few questions.

I have a 2003 w/o Bose no navigation system. I want to put in some good speakers but it seems that everyone pretty much says "buy whatever sounds good to you" the problem is every time I've ever replaced the speakers in my other cars it never sounds the same as it did in the store, sometimes better sometimes worse. Also some people say you don't really need the rear speakers just the front 2 some tweeters, and a sub.

I have no intention of entering any kind of competition I just want good clean sound, and for it to go a lot louder than it does. I also want to keep as much space in the trunk as possible. I am looking at buying the Eclipse AVN5495 so I can get Navigation and DVD all in 1 package, or the Kenwood DDX8017 with a DVD navigation unit.

I not buying right away and can’t run out and listen to a bunch of speakers, as I’m currently in Kyrgyzstan, so any help would be nice.

Here are my questions:
I like the Double Din look are there any other DD units that are similar?
Do I need rear speakers?
What brands are the best for this (warranty, cost, and quality)?
Subs, should I just suck it up and buy a box for the trunk or put one where the Bose sub would normally go?
Again what brands are the best (same criteria as above)?
What kind of amp(s) would I need (# of channels, wattage)?

Thanks!
Josh

 

Well, I like your choice of head units except Eclipse you picked does not give you any option for satellite radio. So I would say go with the Kenwood 8017 with Nav optional.

You Want the raers to be changed factory rears are horrible, It is nice to have th erears compliment the fronts, But You don't want them to be at the same level of loudness. You want to use the rears as rear fill.

If you pick Let's say JL Audio for fronts I would also go with the JL Rears, This way tweeters are matched and they are not destroying your sound quality.

Sub, Well you want a lot of bass or just a little bass. I know some people here are happy with stock location with a free ar sub. I myself would not do it there. It seems to be a sloppy responce in stock location. If you are after Sound quality I would stick with a sub in an enclosure.

I like using JL audio on most of our install they are Quality, Dependible and make themselves home in a Z. They are a very reputable company and well recognized if you were to ever sell them one day. Havong JL in the car is kind of like havnin Jewelery you will always be able to sell it to someone else if you get red of the car.

Best setip I have found in the Z that is somewhat manageable price wise, Without sacrificing Sound Quality.

JL Audio XR650Csi Front
JL Audio TR650-CXi Rear
JL Audio 500/5 250W sub 100Wx2 front and 25WX2 rear
Maybe one of our enclosures
At least a 10" JL 10w1V2
And the DDX-8017 As you have wisely picked before. PM me for any pricing.

 

I second that. That would be a perfect sound for the Z. with the small area of the hatch it doesn't take much to build preasure and get that sweet sound.