Christmas is coming early... JL Setup, have some questions
 

Well ive been doing a ton of research and have finally come up with what (i think) is going to be the setup, all items are JL unless otherwise stated.

On a 2006 G35c:

-JDM Bezel (of course)
-Kenwood Excelon DDX814 or DNX-9140, MUST have 13 band EQ (alternatives)
-Either 900/5 OR 450/4v2 and 500/1v2 amps(opinions on the tradeoffs?)
-ZR650Csi front components (will these fit in the doors
-C2-650x or TR650-Cxi coax rears (will i need these for fill, will the TR's do the job or should i step up to the C2's? assuming no need for coax)
-Single 12W7 in custom box
-Tons of matting
-Cables, wiring (0, 2, or 4 gauge?),etc

Should bump, feel free to post up alternative speakers and amps that have the same quality i should be looking at, i LOVE JL, and have had a few of their products before. I know the name is a bit pricey, but i will only have something that lasts and is one of the best.

IF YOU HAVE ANY OF THESE FOR SALE, PLEASE PM ME. I'M READY TO BUY NOW! I have done research everywhere from craigslist to JL themselves, and have dollar offers I'm willing to offer based on condition, nothing less than 9/10 will be accepted. If you're motivated to sell, im motivated to buy!

Budget calls for about $3000 on this, installing myself, making custom box and trunk (already have wood and basic layout), tuning at Sante Fe Auto Sound in Kansas City, MO.

Oh and any secrets from the installers, please let me know if im going to run into any headaches!

I have jl products also but there are so many speakers that blow them away especially the w7 series. I bet you a person with half your budget could blow yours away and of course install will play a major role. PLEASE spend some time on caraudio.com before you spend your $ or you will def hate yourself later on. Install 0 awg just in case you upgrade later on you wont have to rewire plus I would upgrade your primary batt to a high reserve unit like optima,deka or kinetic. ALso do the big 3 you wont have any dimming after that

Thanks for your input. I also want classy. But i could always go with a lower budget system if it sounds the same!

IMHO, I would look at other brands of gear, don't pigeon-hole yourself into thinking that just because JL is pricey it =classy. JL isn't bad gear, but you can get better for less money, and most of those other brands also look great. Unless you get some insane discounts on JL gear of course.......

Also, lose the rears. You could always add them later if you REALLY miss them. But with nice gear, a proper install, and the professional tune you are going to get you shouldn't miss anything at all.

For wire, you could get away with 4awg for the power you look like you'll be running (if you eliminate the rears), but I would run 0awg just to future proof your install for upgrades in amps in the future.

I'm logging off for the night, but if you want some other suggestions on gear, let me know and I'll be happy to help out tomorrow, as I'm sure others here will as well.

IF you could give me a list of the top 5 comparable companies (such as focal, DLS, etc) that would be great!

Would you stick with the JL amps? I hear they are some of the cleanest around.

just a question but would a 12w6 not be a better match power handling wise for the amps you are looking at?

http://mobile.jlaudio.com/pdfs/RecPowerChart_09.pdf

My professional audio place said the 900/5 would be perfect with it cause we wouldnt want the sub to overpower the speakers.

Oh and the amps from JL are WAYYY underrated.

I like the JL Audio HD 900/5 amps. Me personally would ditch those rears, upgrade the fronts to the max..and go with an active setup.

Reference for this claim?

OP, are you going for SQ? I'm guessing you are, but could be wrong.

I would lose the rears. I would suggest an active front stage (since you are getting a pro tune anyway). With an active front stage, you do not need to look at just component sets, in fact I would recommend looking at separates. You will spend less money and get better quality than if you bought a component set.

If you don't want to go active, some good component set brands are Rainbow, DLS, AVI, Alpine F1, Hertz, and others. Look towards the top end of the product line for all of these manufacturers.

For amps, you could go Zed, Audison, Zapco, Rainbow, Tru, DLS, and more.

For subs, look at the Fi Q, ID Q, Audio Pulse Epic or Revo, and others.

Like I said before, JL is good and it looks nice, but I think you can achieve better quality for the same or less money looking at other brands.

Thanks for the input guys, looks like i have a ton of research to do!

Reference for all claims are Sante Fe Auto Sound.

So no one thinks rear fill is needed and ive had two people here locally call me an idiot for claiming i wont need them... :confused:

Who are these local people calling you an idiot? Some people like them..but if you're into SQ/Staging you'll know that it's a waste. Seems more like a preference almost.

JL makes some good amps and subs, but I wouldn't spend my money on anything else from them. I bought 2x 8w7's (were 25% off for the factory authorized sale) I have a HD 600x4 JL amp because I bought it when I didn't no much better, but still have it and will use it on this build.

Boston acoustics makes some killer subs and components but they come at a price too. I've heard some pioneers and alpine makes some good components too.

As for cables, I just bought and installed this weekend a 1/0 guage dual amp kit from knuconeptz. It's an odd name but the JL similar kit is $400 and this is $109.00. I talked to one of my friends who's been doing car audio for 5 years himself and he's tried everything from cheap kits to expensive kits and told me there really hasn't been much of a difference in quality.

New list

MB Quart PAB 4100 $300 - Nice look and appropriate watts for setup
http://www.woofersetc.com/p5652/PAB-...-Amplifier.htm

MB Quart PAB 1200.1D $300 - Matches 4100 and looks good, quality seems there as well. Not sure 600 will be enough for the IDmax though (600 RMS @ 4ohms, sub rated at 1000, or can i run it at 1ohm and get the 1200RMS, turned down of course?)
http://www.woofersetc.com/p5654/PAB-...-Amplifier.htm

UP6i - DLS Ultimate 6.5" 2-Way Component System - Wattage seems reasonable and price is great, rated some of the best out there in MULTIPLE places (ex: http://www.bestcovery.com/dls-up6i-2...mponent-system)
http://www.woofersetc.com/p7162/UP6i...ent-System.htm

IDMAX12-D2 - Image Dynamics 12" 1800 Watt Subwoofer $450 - Will this thing still pound when I turn it up??? I am siding toward an SQL sub to show off at shows and meets.
http://www.woofersetc.com/p2031/IDMA...-Subwoofer.htm

0/1 Wiring kit, DDX814, and JDM bezel have been ordered along with steering wheel control adapter, sound deadening (got 30 ft^2 for starters), and 0 to 4 gauge X 2 plate.

From what I know, which isn't much.
MB Quart maybe heard that name mentioned once long ago sometime....
ID Maxx 12 sub....1800watts and you ask if it will pound? I had a 600 watt 10" that pounded, couldn't imagine 1800 watts not pounding. Then again never heard of this company.

UP6i - My friend that recommends all my car audio stuff has these and they sound AMAZING! He may not have the same speakers as you but which ever he did have they were amazing!

What about Polk Audio DB speakers and Alpine amps?

Do yourself a favor and check out Hertz!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A GREAT place to "shop" for products cheaper AND better than JL, is www.caraudioclassifieds.org.

Like many guys have said, JL products are very good, it's just that there are MANY others that are as good if not better, for cheaper.

Just a thought.