Collin Lacy

Seconded. We can make long distance work.

My Recommendations for speakers at a bit cheaper price point. We can go lower too and still get good quality, but I would say the LEAST you wanna spend for any sort of decency is about 150-175 bucks for a pair of Component speakers.

Fronts:
Amp: http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...-ONX2.100.html

Amplifier kit:
Speaker wire:
If you want a bit cheaper speakers: (IF YOU GOT THESE YOU WOULD GET A DIFFERENT AMP THAN THE ABOVE)

or if hes into like, "big brands":

Smilie face

I can't kidnap his car since i don't know how to drive a stick

With a 1-1.5g budget, am I able to get front speakers, amp, wires and etc? And then ill spend maybe another 1g on subwoofer and the case after the speaker project?

Collin lacy! You are really helping me out with my wallet!~~ you are so awesome! I think I really want the JL speakers for him..i heard they are the dream speakers.. But then again, what do i know? the more expensive doesn't necessarily mean the better... Maybe I can get not the best quality but good quality and more for that budget?

Hahahs I don't have a sister sorry :0P

Collin Lacy

Theres the budget we've been looking for! Now the only other lingering question is does he have an aftermarket head unit?
You're right about not always having to pay more for the same. To get those 1000 dollar speakers to SOUND like 1000 dollar speakers, you would have to put another 1-2 grand worth of work into the car. As for helping, I sit at a desk 9 hours a day twiddling my thumbs, might as well use that time to help someone.

Making the car sound as good as possible isn't just about buying the most expensive speakers, so this little bit was put together to get you some bad *** gear (seriously, marry me?) as well as the equipment to get the most out of those speakers.

Front Speakers (Italian speakers, tre chic): http://www.woofersetc.com/p-9612-hsk...nt-system.aspx

Amp (This isn't really a budget amp, this is just a smokin deal on it. Boston Acoustics rocks): http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...s-GT-2125.html

Amp Kit: This kit includes everything you need to install the amp you get for this setup, as well as everything you need to add a second amp for the future sub project. Instead of buying either a second kit along with the accessories, and possibly having to do a bunch more wiring because it was too small gauge of wire the first time, this kit is the ****: http://www.woofersetc.com/p-4745-e32...iring-kit.aspx

Door pods: These MAKE the build. They're a bit on the pricey side since only one company makes them and they can charge whatever they want, but they aim the speakers at the listener instead of their foot, like 9001x improvement. I would buy the uncovered ones though, I'd bet any wholesale fabric store would cover these for 20 bucks plus 20 for the materials instead of an extra 100, but your call. http://wickedcas.com/product.php?pro...&cat=27&page=1 (NOTE THESE ARE YEAR SPECIFIC, GET THE RIGHT ONES)

Door dampener: You put this **** on the inside panels of the door and keep it from vibrating and turning the rest of the door into one big ****ed up speaker thing. http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...Kit-10435.html

Total is like, 925 ish not including any shipping, but I'm pretty sure shipping is free on most of this stuff.

Throw in 30 bucks of alcohol, the money to wrap the pods, and maybe some money if he needs stuff like modeling clay (deadens the door pods to make the midbass hit harder) or MDF for building stuff, and you're at 1000(ish). That 500 bucks bucks that you DIDN'T spend can go to a slammin sub system (it doesn't cost a grand to get decent bass, though if you want to spend that much we can make it happen).

Smilie face

I wish I can sit at a desk twiddling my fingers and watch youtubes all day! Lucky you!*

Im going to order the speakers, amp, amp kits and the door dampeners either today or tomorrow|~~ the door pods are a bit expensive for that two little things.. I'll see if I can get it cheaper somewhere else. 925.. Not bad at all Collin lacy

Hmmmm the head unit.. Is that the mp3/cd player in the front? I think he has an aftermarket one.. It's better than mine definitely!

Subwoofer vs rear speakers.. His friends said i should get him rear speakers too.. Hmm..what is a girl supposed to do?
So the subwoofer... Does that make the music better? I think it looks super cool and I can customized the color of the case but the function of it, I'm still a bit confused.

Ohhh I'm super excited!!!~~~~

beezee

iTrader: (19)

Hi Smilie, from everything you have said, one thing stands out clear. You are a bit confused about all these stuff and how they come together. If your goal is to give him something that he will love, just do what i said from the start. Give him the money.
You might end up having to return some of the stuff you buy either because they are the wrong ones or he does not like them. Going to a shop and getting him a nice pair of shoes is one thing, a good complete audio system is another.
I am sure you are looking to surprise him but you might end up being the one surpised that he did not like your choices. You just mentioned he has friends. Get them to help you too if you still want to go ahead with the surprise

Collin Lacy

Just tell them that they're wrong, to suck it, and to keep their stupid comments in their pockets.

Just kidding. According to this survey about 60% of people dislike "rear fill" or speakers placed behind the driver. http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/...o-you-use.html

If you do want to get him some, some 80-100 dollar ones, powered by the headunit, would give him that "drowning in sound from all sides (ew)" feeling that Bruno likes while not overpowering the super rad music coming from the awesome fronts. You could even get him these for brand continuity: http://www.woofersetc.com/p-9629-dcx...-speakers.aspx

Ya the head unit is the thing with the volume ****. If it looks sort of like this one then its stock, if its way cooler then its aftermarket and you're all set:


I have no idea what you're talking about in terms of color customizing a subwoofer, but yes they do make the music better. Different sized speakers are good at doing different things. The tweeters are 1" and make the highs like female vocals (and some males...) along with high hat tones and high instrumentals. The midbass is the 6.5" speaker in the lower door, and it makes the mid tones like most guitar noise and male vocals, and they TRY to make the lows like drums and bass guitar. Subs are larger "high excursion" speakers that move the cone really far back and forth to make the deep tones with ease. When you see a car rattling itself down the street and annoying everybody usually the noise youre hearing is from the 3 12" subs they have in the back.

Luckily the Z is small, and it doesn't need huge subs to fill the cabin and balance out the music. Though also because its small its hard to fit a single 12" sub so you kind of gotta decide whats right for the type of music you listen to.

Bruno350z

iTrader: (1)

Smilie, I say you just give us a budget and we make a cart for you so all you have to do is click a link, pay the cart and ship it to your boyfriends house lol
Then again, everyone's taste is different lol
For example, I think only thing me and Collin have in common is the 12 inch sub in the back if your best bet.
Door pods are completely unnecessary IMO & music should be coming at all angles not just the front.
You also wont need two amps if you only have front speakers. A 2 channel amp is sufficient, 4 would be recommended. But if you decide to get speakers get a 5 channel amp, or a 4 channel and a mono amp. Once again depending on your budget.

You need to either find more information about what he likes or play a guessing game lol

Smilie face

Oh damn how did you know... He really does hate everything I have gotten him -_-" he's very particular about everything. Its not that he doesn't have money.. I want to put more thoughts into the gifts.
Well if he doesn't like his gift, he can exchange them if anything. I guess it's a risk I have to take :/

Bruno... U got me a bit confused with what amp I should get now. So if i only get front speakers, that amp link below is no good?

From what you guys have stated, the amp is a prime factor of how the music is going to sound.. Correct me if I'm wrong..I want to get a really good amp if that is the case.

You know funny thing, I was sitting in the car the other day and the music sounds completely fine. I hope the new speakers really do make a difference o.0 but I do think hmm there isn't much of a variation between the tones - like the mid and low tones.. So I should get speakers that can make more of a distinction?

@ collin - Ahh yes or no to rear speakers :/ i know you not for it. If i ordered everything you have listed, he's good to go and will be in his garage for days? Would u guys think it's weird if you get front speakers as a gift but not the back?

This is the list so far..
Front Speakers (Italian speakers, tre chic): http://www.woofersetc.com/p-9612-hsk...nt-system.aspx

Amp: http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...s-GT-2125.html

Amp Kit: http://www.woofersetc.com/p-4745-e32...iring-kit.aspx

?? Back speakers: http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/...o-you-use.html

What about speaker wires?

Bruno350z

iTrader: (1)

Here, this is a budget friendly list that you can't go wrong with
If you're getting him a sub buy these
http://www.zenclosures.com/Nissan-35...ox-p/z112u.htm
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_13612W3...-12W3v3-4.html

If you decide on Rear Speakers and a sub get these too
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_500PDXV...ne-PDX-V9.html
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_1086032...ce-6032si.html

If you decide against rear speakers and a sub, buy this
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_065GTA8....html?tp=35757

If you decide against rear speakers and you are buying the sub or you're getting rear speakers but not the sub buy this
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_065GTA7....html?tp=35782

If he DOES NOT have a head unit already, buy this
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_113DDX3...od-DDX319.html


This is what you will need regardless
Front speakers
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_500SPR6...e-SPR-60C.html
Wiring kit
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_142PA41...iring-Kit.html
Speaker wires
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_211UCT1...aker-Wire.html
Connectors (buy a few of these, if he's anything like me he will lose a bunch of them)
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_120FQS1...ck-Slides.html

Smilie face

didnt collin say he doesnt like alphine speakers?

"If she handed me some alpine Type E's or something I would probably thank her profusely and then put them in my sisters car while she wasn't looking."



bruno.. how many amps do i need?
if i decide on front but no rear: this is what i get... http://www.crutchfield.com/p_065GTA8...02.html?tp=115
if i decide on front, and rear. this is the amp i get http://www.crutchfield.com/p_065GTA7...04.html?tp=115

he has a head unit and he doesnt want a sub.

@Bruno and Collin: you guys are putting so much thoughts and research into your responses... im very thankful!

Collin Lacy

I didn't actually look at anything Bruno posted, but I know its probably overpriced since its from Crutchfield they make it easy, but they charge you for it (check amazon for the same gear, sometimes better pricing). He also listed subwoofer stuff, which you mentioned would come a bit later/not at all.

Yes if you ordered everything I listed you would be good to go. However, you need to make the choice if you want to get him some rear speakers or not.

If you do want rear speakers, you don't need expensive ones. I already posted a link to a set, but here it is again: http://www.woofersetc.com/p-9629-dcx...-speakers.aspx

Bruno also talked about you needing a different amp. Well yes, unfortunately if you got rear speakers and you wanted to make the absolute most out of them then you would want to amp them. However, in my opinion, the amp isn't necessary. The headunit is already sending power back there, I would say just hook these up to the head unit and let it ride instead of trying to find a four channel amp that works for both sets, unless you want to step down to a cheaper front set.

Since that's probably weird to hear I will explain. There are essentially four channels in the car. The front right, front left, rear right, rear left. You add a fifth with a subwoofer but that's later. Now, with your front speakers that I had selected earlier (the 450ish ones) they are very nice, and can handle being sent lots of power that the two channel amp I selected provides. This is good, because even if you have/want rear speakers, you want the fronts to do most of the noisemaking. If you wanted to add rear speakers AND amplify them (instead of running them off head unit power), you would need a 4 channel amp (or two twos, but that's annoying) however you would have to have equal quality front and rears speakers, because a 4 channel amp sends the same amount of power to all channels.

I think I got everything, but I'm not sure. If it still doesn't make sense let me know. Just trying to help you make informed decisions.

Yes you need speaker wire, but you can get that at Walmart just as easily (or you can order the one I linked a couple posts ago. Doesn't matter.)

Edit: NO I love alpine, they're great quality, but they have different series. Type E is the cheapie series, then type S which is midlevel, type r is upper mid, and type X is high.

Collin Lacy

Just a warning, before you order anything make sure to have every piece selected so we can verify they will work together for you. You don't want to mix and match from our builds and end up blowing out your speakers the first time you turn them up.

Bruno350z

iTrader: (1)

If he has a head unit all he would need is speakers and an amp
Only decision you have to make now is if you want rear speakers or only front lol
And yes you are correct on the amp choosings

ericjackson

iTrader: (2)

doublepost

ericjackson

iTrader: (2)

Smilie face

front
http://www.woofersetc.com/p-9612-hsk...nt-system.aspx
OR
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_500SPR6...0C.html?tp=106

rear
http://www.woofersetc.com/p-9629-dcx...-speakers.aspx
amp
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_065GTA7...04.html?tp=115
amp kit
http://www.woofersetc.com/p-4745-e32...iring-kit.aspx
speaker wires
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_211UCT1...e.html?tp=2917
connectors
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_120FQS1...s.html?tp=2610

am i good? all i need?
i feel ultra smart about car audio after all this. =D

floppymoppy1234

i think you are crazy! even if you dont have a budget you have to think about how he would feel if he found out you are spending this much money on a sound system set up for him. Im sure he would appreciate all the thought and effort you are putting into getting him a system but you should really work within a budget thats NOT too much. Also if you say hes very picky and particular about his stuff, i think you should let him pick out what he wants instead of buying everything first and having him return it.

Smilie face

@ floppymoppy1234! Maybe he should stop being so picky about what his girlfriend gets him! Instead of being so particular on the little things, he should look at the bigger picture like heyyyy i got some pretty cool stuff here~~~ and do a celebration gangnam style dance lololols i kid I kid. I think if he found out, he would be "surprised"... But he already knows what I'm up to so surprise ruined :"/ so much for being so slick coming to a 350z forum...

I wanna get him what he wants of course...if I can get an idea, that would be great. Suggestions are welcome my friend. But yes I do think he deserves the best so whatever makes him happy

Collin Lacy

Yes thats all you need, but I would consider changing a bit up to make everything play a bit nicer. I still think you're compromising just to have rear speakers that are hooked up to an amplifier, but it will certainly sound a whole lot nicer than stock.

Fronts (the same speakers Bruno suggested for the "budget" one, for 160 bucks):
Rears (the matched set for the above, that way they have similar power ratings):
Amp (the boston acoustics one is slightly underpowered for the speakers):
Speaker wire you have linked is fine (actually very quality speaker wire, just sort of expensive), Connectors are not really necessary but super handy.

For the amp kit, I saw you post something earlier about him not wanting to get a subwoofer? If he doesn't plan on getting one, theres no need to get that amp kit.

No future subwoofer: http://www.woofersetc.com/p-9995-wk-...nnel-amps.aspx

Future subwoofer: get him the scosche one that you already have linked

soleil

iTrader: (43)

i have a bnib pioneer 3300 bt double din if ur interested. i'm selling it for 300. i can send u pics if u like. i also have a memphis 4x480 amp for sell for 200.