definitely pick up the 500/1 for 200 shipped if you can. Thats a great deal. They usually go for around 300 or 350 even.

 

Class A..B..D?

And I missed out on the JL amp already... *crap*

 

Class D will use less power and give more wattage (more efficiant) but at the sacrafice of sound quality.

Class A or B or AB all use more power (less efficiant) but will give you much tighter bass. They do a better job of returning the voice coil to its original position.

A Class D amp can produce a lot of power without requiring as much current from the battery, or generating as much heat, as the AB type. A weakness of the Class D's design is that it's hard to make one that can play the full audio spectrum. It's easier to design and build an amp that just plays low frequencies... like for bass.

I'm sure there are people here that can give you a better idea of which class amp you want accordingly to your budget. There are 2 members called 350zSPL & StreetOC192 that helped me with tons of questions when I was building my audio in my Z.

As for missing out on the JL 500/1, that sucks. You'll find another one since most will be power hungry and want to upgrade to something else. Don't get me wrong, JL 500/1 isn't an entry level amp. Most people would be happy with it.

 

But hold on, if that is a sub amp, I'm not interested right now.

I'm not doing a sub yet. I'm getting the head unit and components (I'm looking at the JL VR-650's but they are a bit pricey, I picked them since the tweeters apparently fit with no modification), and the only other thing I need to know is whether or not I have to get an amp to power the speakers, or if I can go with the headunit only. At least until I get a sub.

After these two questions, I should be able to go ahead with the order....

 

hey im new to this forum and this is my firt post so hopefully i can help you out man. first off what is your final budget for speakers and a headunit? (i double checked and im not sure if your stuck with the 500 range, am i correct?). also do you want to be running the speakers of the headunits power or would you like a four channel amp to run the speakers off of? i have been doing car audio for a while and my dad has since he was about 14. most of the post on here are correct and i would follow their advice as well. dont go out on the cheap stuff man. jl, hertz, mb quarts, etc. may be a little bit more pricey but you get what you pay for. let me know your budget and final intension of what you are looking to purchase and i will let you know how much i can get it all for and hopefully help you out. i have a real good connection where i live . any other questions feel free to ask or pm me. i would be glad to help. (btw i just found out kenwood stuff aint too bad) never owned kenwood and i was bored one day so i decided to do a full kenwood setup in my s13 and its BLOWS ppls minds away.

-Kenny

 

you will want to amplify components to enjoy them. and go with atleast the xr series from jl.

$218
JL Audio XR650-CSi 6-/2" 2-Way Components
http://cgi.ebay.com/JL-Audio-XR650-C...|39:1|240:1318

or even

$165
Morel TEMPO 6 2Way 6.5" Israely Component Speakers
http://cgi.ebay.com/Morel-TEMPO-6-2W...|39:1|240:1318


or better yet ill sell you a brand new set of pioneer d series components or some alpine type x's for the cheap

 

So the components I mentioned are overkill?

And ugh.. is the headunit powering my speakers going to make a HUGE difference? I'll get an amp and sub setup eventually but keep in mind I am going from completely stock non-bose system so any change in sound will be amazing..

 

What componets did you mention?


To most ppl i have done work for, they would say that the headunit powering the speakers is a pretty big difference but then again when you put speakers in your vehicle its gonna have to be powered by your headunit. where else would it be powered by? unless you already have a multi channel amp for them or are planning to by one.

 

JL VR-650 components (here).. and what do you mean?
I'm either getting components and the iDA-X100 HU, or I'm buying a 2-channel amp for the components as well. If it's that big of a difference I'll consider it, but I would much rather (both for budget and install difficulty) just go with HU and components..

 

no, the xr series is better than the vr. vr's are entry level.

an amplifier makes a night and day difference in the performance of any audio equipment. when speakers are made to preform at 150 watts and your giving them a massive 12 watts from a headunit they tend to sound like @$$



but like i said, ill sell you a brand new set of pioneer d series components or some alpine type x's for the cheap. both are good sets

 

Damn. Then that's that. I'm getting an amplifier...
Could someone recommend an amp in the $100-$200 range for me? I'm not using rear speakers.. and I'm not doing a sub.

(And jesus, I didn't realize what the firewall was... so to install an amp, I have to run wires through a drilled hole from the cabin to the engine??? Do I really want to do this considering I have almost no experience with car installs? I've done a shift **** and my intake.. )

 

no man i totally agree with you. an amp will make a hell of a difference in sound compared to a HU. however, i didnt know if he was set on buying the amp as you may see on the previous reply i left. in the quote it just asked if a HU would make a difference in sound.

 

no drilling required, there is a nice fat grommet near the battery that you run the wire through. its like a giant rubber stopper and that $hits easy


http://www.edesignaudio.com/index.php?cPath=1_22 good cheap quality amps.... check ebay for some of this stuff

 

Damn thats expensive componets the OP want. Yes, I know it's entry level, but on a $500 budget, not sure if it will be under that budget. I currenly have stockers and pushed it with an amp and it's still much better than the stock HU.

$260 iDA-x100
$190 JL VR-650

That already total $450 without amp, wires, and installation. Those are Crutchfield prices. Probably can be cheaper elsewhere. I am not sure how some of you feel about stock speakers, but I think that they do the job just fine. Not the greatest, but also not bad to have them replace immediately.

 

then you should listen to a car with a decent set of comps

 

Okay, that's good news.. I'm reading Crutchfield's amplifier installation pages, and while it seems doable, there also seems to be a lot to screw up: how to ground the amp to the negative terminal on the battery (or am I supposed to just ground to the nearest bolt?)... using a fuse holder on the power wire?? Having to cross wires at 90 degree angles??

Not sure what a lot of this even means....
I admit, it would be awesome to do it myself successfully though..

 

why does crutchfield list the VR650 CSi speakers as 299 while every other site has them for ~190??

 

Q: how to ground the amp to the negative terminal on the battery
A: ground to the nearest bolt

Q:using a fuse holder on the power wire??
A: it comes in an amp kit

Q:Having to cross wires at 90 degree angles??
A: dont need it


Q: why is crutchfield expensive?
A: they are a authorized dealer and have to list at retail

 

Ok, here is a quick rundown of the install process:

-Power wire- as mentioned, pass it through the grommet behind the battery. Use a coat hanger to help pass through (coat hanger is your BEST FRIEND). If you order an amp install kit, the fuse will sometimes already be placed inline, but if not, make sure it is within 18" of the positive battery terminal.

-Ground- run the 18" ground wire into the hatch area. Use the child seat restraint latch bolt as the ground point; don't forget to sand the paint off underneath.

-You only have to cross the power wire and RCA's at 90 degrees; that is, if they even come in contact. Wire the power down the passenger side, and the RCA's through the center console, along with the remote turn on.

-If running aftermarket speakers, get an amp. Don't skimp on this, otherwise you risk hurting your components (it's more harmful to underpower than to overpower).

Amp kit: http://knukonceptz.com/productDetail.cfm?prodID=KOL-AK4. Knukonceptz is a great store, with excellent quality products, and superb customer service. Don't get duped into buying expensive wires.

Everything else: http://www.woofersetc.com/index.cfm Crutchfield is grossly overpriced. Woofersetc is another great store. Ask to speak with Julien, he is actually a 350Z owner

Read this to get you started: http://www.bcae1.com/installationprimer.htm.

 

To clarify: Run the ground wire from the child restraint latch bolt to the amp, correct? I only ask because I read on a site that it is far better to run the ground from the negative terminal on the battery to the amp.