ckatili

Hi,

First of all, I would like to say that I learn a lot from this forum. I am planning to upgrade my Touring sound system by local audio shop.

My budget is pretty tight so here is what I am planning to purchase and install:
1. Headunit, either Alpine CDA-9835 or CLARION DXZ945MP.
2. Front speaker, JL Audio XR650-CSi
3. Stock Rear speaker - powered by the headunit?
4. Subwoofer, I am going to replace it with JL Audio 10" W0 (from my previous car).
5. Amp to power the front speaker, Alpine MRV-F340 - Bridged setting (90Wx2 - also from my previous car).
7. Mono Amp for the subwoofer -- undecided.
6. FatMat - 100ft


I have a few questions before I do the upgrade,
1. For the subwoofer, do I need to get a bracket or is it plug and play? Also, any recommendation on an amp to power the W0? I am thinking to get JL Audio E1200.
2. Does the glove box offer enough air circulation for two amps?
3. I understand that I need a lot of wires, etc. Any recommendation on a kit?
4. My car has a DVD navigation option. Does the installer need to do any wiring from the DVD navigation to the headunit?
5. Is Alpine MRV-F340(90W x 2 RMS) going to be enough to power JL Audio XR650-CSi?
6. What is the reasonable installation fee(price range) for my setting and can anybody recommend a good audio shop in Houston?




Your opinions and thoughts are highly appreciated, thanks
CK

gundam02

iTrader: (2)

I can try to answer a few of these for you.

1. Be careful using a JL W0 in that stock bracket. It will not be a sealed enclosure and open air subs don't sound nearly as good as boxed ones. And for a W0 the e1200 is enough power so long as you wire it at 2 ohms. But it definitly needs a box.

2. Depends on the amps. I have seen 1 large alpine amp in there, but I have never seen 2. You might not have enough room to store them both. But you can always put the amps in the trunk area, there is alot of room under the cover in the back corners. Or use the stock sub location to store the amps (I did this).

3. Don't go kit, buy the wires after you measure the lengths. I used this guy for all my stuff
http://stores.ebay.com/Sales-Net-Ele...enameZl2QQtZkm
he was prompt with shipment and was great to work with. He's got great prices too. And he does even carry the kits at good prices too.

4. No idea

5. With amps you can never really have too much, but this should be enough to power 2 JL's. It won't "hit" but it should be a clean sound.

6. Depends on the quality of service. And I live in Dallas but I do all my own stuff, so don't know prices.

Good luck with this.

Firehawk

If you are really on a budget, install it yourself (I enjoy installations) and buy high quality used equipment. I am on ebay from time to time just to jump on good deals.

Zster

Can I put a JL 10W6V2 where the stock bracket is at???

ckatili

Thanks for the replies.

I already considered an installation fee as part of my budget for many reasons.
I figure around $50/hour for 6-8 hrs would cost me $300-$400. Is this a reasonable estimate to get a good and clean installation?


Also, I am still undecided on which amp that I should buy. Whether use the Alpine to power the front and purchase JL Audio e1200 or purchase a more powerful amp(JL Audio 300/4) to power the front and use the Alpine to power the sub (BTW, is it possible to use 4 channel amp to power a sub?). Any thoughts on this?

pargion

get the jl audio 300/4 and use the front 2 channels for the front speakers and bridge the rear channels for 150 watts to the sub. that is what's been recommended to me by several audio stores. oh and there's no need to get teh alpine 1935 head unit if you're running the amp, unless you just like the looks and features. the increased power of the 9833 and 9835 is only useful if you're going to power your speakers with the head unit without an amp. i'm getting the 9831 and probably will end up with teh jl 300/4 amp, xr650 fronts, and 10w3 sub in the stock location because i don't want to lose trunk space good luck