I just got a '06 350Z and want to upgrade the system. Hoping I could get some guidance from you all. I am just looking for good clean sound at moderate SPL and moderate price, not to rattle the windows of the house a block away. Starting with a base model (no nav, no bose)

Here's what I am looking at:

JVC-KD-R610 Head unit
Infinity Reference 6.5" (front doors)
Infinity Reference 8" Sub
Jensen Power400 Amplifier

Plus a custom built MDF box to fit where the stock sub would go (behind drivers seat), dynamat around enclosure and door speakers and all associated wiring, adapters, mounting hardware, etc.

Any thoughts / input on this setup? Main thing I am debating right now is going with a 10" sub versus 8". Limitation is that I want to fit the sub box in the space where the stock bose one would go.

TIA

 

There are some people that have went with 8"... but it's hard to say what will be "enough" for you. If you only want to go with a 4 channel amp to bridge for a sub, maybe 8" is all you need to go. If you try to power anything with decent wattage bridged on a low-power 4 channel amp, you're not going to be satisfied with the output.

Another thing is you may want to swap the coaxial speakers for component speakers since our cars are ready for them in the stock location. If you want to go Infinity, I chose the Perfect Kappa 6.1 components and am pleased with their performance for something that's not too high-end.

Also make sure the JVC has 4 volt outputs and that amp is pretty weak even for what you're thinking of... Honestly it may not be worth upgrading unless you go a little bit higher.

Here's a build with an 8" Kicker sub in a ported box:
https://my350z.com/forum/audio-build...ave-space.html

 

Title made me lol

Honestly, use a dedicated amp and try it. It's all in what you like and what you listen to.

 

Depends on what's left of your hearing and what kind of music you listen to.

Most people with the uber-sound systems have permanently destroyed their hearing.

Most music lacks energy below 35 hz. Even bass pedals don't go too much below that and below 25 there's virtually nothing without processing. Dance music does have lots of sound below 25 hz and even down to 18 hz. or so and it's put there in post production for the feel.

I really love a nice 8" speaker - they hit hard - high levels of transient response, that thump you feel when the drummer nails a tom-tom. In the tiny cabin of the Z it doesn't take much speaker to make a lot of noise.

Find someone with another Z with and have a listen to their system with your music.

 

A friend of mine had the older Reference 8" sub and he was not happy with it at all. You could almost get as much bass out of a good set of 6.5 set of components. Also an 8" sub wont be able to produce the lower frequencies of a 10" sub. There are good 8" in subs out there that can sound very good but the older Reference sub didn't seem to do the job well. The Reference 6.5 speakers are nice speakers if you like a lot of treble the tweeter on those are very bright sounding. Personally in my opinion the best solution for a sound system for the 350Z would be a good set of components for the front and either a 6.5 in sub or mid bass in the rear location and a nice 10" in sub in a sealed enclosure in the factory location, with amps running everything. Again just my opinion.

 

I agree with almost everything you said. The Infinitys are very bright (regardless of which model number). A great 8" sub is the DD 1508. It will produce as much deep bass at very high levels as just about any 10" can. Factory location is a horrible place to have the sub - go under the strut tower bar for better results.

 

I never had any personal experience with the DD 1508 but it does look like a well put together sub. You are right though about over all better sound from under the tower bar. I was just thinking about saving space and that you can fit a 10" sub in the factory location with no problem.

 

RE:> Is 8" enough That question is best answered by your gf.

Seriously though, an 8” SubW is plenty inside the Z’s stock compartment. If it fits where you want the sound, it’s good.

The under-strut spot provides the best sound, but it significantly robs cargo space.

--Spike

 

There are actually a few problems with that space:

1) Not all subs fit there. Depth is never an issue but width is. If the magnet or basket structure is too wide, it will not clear the floor inside the 'enclosure'.

2) Airspace is silly. The airspace inside that compartment is not really a calculable 'space' at all! Its more like an infinite baffle than anything and provides little to no tuning capabilities without some pretty severe modification. You need to seal it off in order to get the sub to perform well enough.

3) The location provides very little chance to hear or feel much bass. Bass waves need some good lenth to travel in order to be effective. Yes, you can still hear it but its not an efficient place for a subwoofer at all.

4) If the sub has a cast basket or a larger surround, you run into issues with the factory grille not clearing properly. You can get some buzzing, bulging and general unhappiness unless the frame is stamped steel and/or the surround is small. Good luck getting a beefy subwoofer in there!

Anyways, the purpose of this response is not to be argumentative but rather to be informative. Both Spike and I have had a lot of experience with sound systems and these cars and saving time, money and headaches are all I am trying to do. I do agree that the stock location is best when the only concern is space.

 

You make a very good argument!! I have not yet made my enclosure yet for this car. i purchased a Alpine type R 10" and was planning on making an enclosure for the factory location. I guess i will have to look more into that location for the sub. I was planning on making an amp rack between the tower and the seats. I have an xtant 604x, 1001x, alumapro 15 farad cap and a rockford 3SIXTY.2 and i still haven't decided if i am going to use my kinetic battery for a second battery or replace my factory one with it or just not use it at all, so I am kinda pressed for space as it is that is why I thought the factory location would be the best. thank you for your insight. I will take that into consideration when building my system. Any info you can help mw out woud be appreciated.

 

Hey no worries! I tried my hardest not to sound like a d!ck.

Are you keeping your spare tire? If not you can fit two amps AND a sub enclosure in the floor once you remove all the crap in there. The Type R is a little deep but I think by doing a complete false floor it can all go in there without robbing precious cargo space.

Another option is to stick the other battery in the stock sub enclosure, mount the amps in the big empty space in front of the strut bar and jam the sub under the strut bar or in a fibreglass enclosure in the corner at the back of the trunk. That way you have everything in there and still have your glove compartment.

 

From everything you have said i think I am going to build my sub enclosure under tower and put the amps behind it with the processor,15 farad cap, and second battery in the factory sub location. I am trying to keep the spare although I will see because this will be the first car out of my last three that i kept the spare. With all the hatch backs I have worked with in the pass subs have always sounded very good in the rear hatch area. Thank you for the input. Also do you have any suggestions for 6.5 in subs or mid bass in the rear. i am still having problems deciding between the mid bass 6.5 or 6.5 sub. Reason being is that some of the mid bass sub list the frequency starting at 135hz which seem a little high because i was planning on setting the 10in sub at 80hz lp and then setting the rear 6.5 bandpass at 80hz to 600hz then setting the front 6.5 components at 120hz and up.

 

Nooo!!!

I am seriously against rear speakers in these cars period. I am currently running my front midbass at 50 hertz and up. Yes, thats ridiculously low but they do it and do it loud! Mind you I do have the luxury of sealed door pods which is pretty sweet. With enough sound deadener and proper install however, you should be able to set your high pass to 80 hertz with no problems. With enough power and control, dropping that to even 70 hertz should be just fine even if you are running the midbass in stock locations.

I am running my front components full active and my midbass is bandpassed at 50-1500 hertz while my tweeters are crossed at about 1000 hertz and up. Yes, they can play that low and sound spectacular! My sub is lowpassed at 80 hertz and my subsonic is set at 20. I have a lot of overlapping frequencies without any rainbow effect. I am hoping I can dial that in even more with the new processor.

 

Hey Revho - Way to hijack my thread :-P

Thanks for all the responses. I am willing to compromise sound to go with the stealth setup. I am trying to figure out if I can build a ported box into the stock location like the kicker setup using some combo of MDF and the plastic compartment cover. I am also going to go with a 4-Channel Alpine amp instead of the cheapo Jensen so I can power the coaxials in the door. I like the idea of components but cringe at cutting up door panels. So the recommendation on the rears is just to shut them off? I figure if I have the four channel amp I can cross over to the door speakers around 70-80hz.

 

Sorry about that i guess I got carried away

 

^^ You did not jack this thread. In fact your comments attracted additional messages from other members, and those comments are specific to the OP's question. Your participation on this thread results in more and better information for the OP.

--Spike

 

^^^^ I'm just playing. Thanks all for the input.

 

YES it is, well depending on your set up. I've listened to every type of music and people are amazed. Dubstep, RAP, Metal, all types of techno, alternative rock, it does it all. I run 2x JL 8W7's on a JL HD750/1 here is a pic of my box it's an idea for you. Run the Sub ported if you can, it's an 8 it'll reset quick enough for fast hitting songs, and sound deep when needed.


Now I know you looking at running only one sub, it'll hit nicely just make sure you build a box to the specs of the sub to get the full effect out of it.

 

+1 bro. I ran them for about 6 months without a sub at all on a cheap amp, and they sounded great. I can't wait to hear them after I'm done with my _real_ install.

 

First, Rubidium, nice clean setup. That is making me consider putting the sub in the hatch, figure my box could be about half that size and I would get better sound than in the stock woofer spot without sacrificing much cargo space.

Second I pulled the trigger on the infinity 8" sub. They recommend a .35 CF sealed box or ~1CF ported which gives me a lot of flexibility in placement.

I chose the head unit and infinity coaxial in the OP, but I went with a much nicer amp (Alpine 4-Channel, 50W RMS @ 4Ohm, 150W RMS Bridged). I will power the door speakers off two channels and bridge the other two to drive the sub. Will cross them over around 80hz

Parts should be in next week and I will post some pix of the install. Hopefully I'll be able to answer the question from the thread title shortly :-P