Need ICE advICE

[carguy327]

Just got my '93 turbo wagon a couple days ago. I now see why there are so many fans of these cars. I'm lovin' the turbo

OK now..I'm likin' but not lovin' my ICE setup I need more volume more bass..( don't we always)
too much distortion.
I have a Sony MDXc7900 MiniDisc head unit w/pod remote ( unit is rated at 40w X 4 )
and 4 speakers ( jbl or jvc..haven't really looked at them closely). That's what's in the car.

What do I need to upgrade this setup, I do like the MD as I already have a portable unit and plenty of discs. In my parts bin in the ol' garage I have 2 loose 8 or 10" Alpine subs

I'm open to replacing the the in car speakers..Let the suggestions fly

TIA

Gerald

[ciper]

The WRX sub can be had fairly cheap. Good amount of bass for everyday listening and its TOTALLY stealth.

[eastbaysubaru]

I really like my JL 12" sub. I built my own box to the specifications listed on the JL website and it sounds AWESOME. I don't think I'll ever be able to have a car in the future without a sub, especially in a wagon. The box I built is a ported box which means it's a little larger than the sealed box. The only problem is the amount of space it takes up in the rear. I've been thinking about building a new, sealed box, but we'll see. I can take pics if you like. I've also got two amps, one for the sub and one for the components in the front (Clarion mids and tweets). The Panasonic HU supplies power to the rear speakers only. Aside from the sub, the best addition I made was the Clarion components. The separation of the mid and the tweet makes a world of difference.

-Brian

[ciper]

Thats why a single or even dual Subaru Subwoofer is great, it takes zero usuable space inside the vehicle.

[Yukonart]

It really DOES depend on how much room you wish to keep. If it's not the primary concern. . . I'd opt for a single 10" or 12" sub. . . something with good power handling. (200-400+ watts rms) Then get a clean amp to power that sub. I'd recommend the following brands of amps: Pioneer, Kenwood Excelon, Alpine, Eclipse, even MTX and Rockford Fosgate. I'd steer clear of the Sony amps, though. . . overrated and the power's not that clean.

I usually stress clean power over the quantity of power. Also, overdriving the sub is better than overdriving the amp to power it.

Separates are a quantum leap over coaxial speaker up front. . . and rear fill speakers are far less consequential. . . but decent ones will more than suffice for most of us.

I'm a conneseur of clean sound. . . so I'm sure my standards are higher than the norm. . . but that doesn't mean you can't get clean sound at a reasonable price. As a ballpark, I would say the replacement of speakers, and the addtion of a sub and amp to power it would put you in the neighborhood of $1500 or so. A second amp to power the rest of your speakers would be ideal. . . but you may find that the deck power could be sufficient, granted your speaker upgrades are good ones.

If you have a cargo cover for the back, then I wouldn't worry too much about the stealth approach. . . but the underseat sub would save you much more space over a conventional subwoofer enclosure.

I know. . . it's all kinda vague, but I figured I'd throw some ideas out there for you to think about.

[carguy327]

Well, this is great info

Thanks Yukonart for the brand suggestions, this is the stuff I need.I'm not a fan of Sony either. ( damned PITA faceplate )
You, too ciper, I didn't know an under seat sub existed.

Now, looking at these older Alpine subs I have ( 8", BTW ) seems only 1 of them is usable as the other has a tear in the outer flexible ring.
I can't spend $1500 buck though, as I just spent $1400 on new tires and rims.

So at a bare minimum, I could make a box for my 8" and get an amp to power it.
But here's where my confusion starts. If my current speakers go all buzzy at near full volume, wouldn't an amp make it worse, or would it actually be louder and clearer at lower volumes?

The suggestion of separates is interesting, though, but I imagine those are pricey.

I do have a rear cover and heavily tinted windows, you really would have to focus up against the windows to see inside. As this is our "second" car, it'll be doing the occasional hauling of lumber, furniture etc ( don't worry , I'll be careful ) Since the seat in the wagon can be folded flat, would under seat subs get in the way? I'm thinking of a sub that i can remove at will and an amp that i can turn off manually when it's not connected..

Any thoughts..chuck the 8"?

Thanks again

Gerald

[Yukonart]

If what you're hearing out of your speakers is distortion, then a decent amplifier will alleviate the problem. The issue right now is that you're overdriving the tiny little "amp" in the head unit to power those speakers. I use the term "amp" loosely as they're good for little more than producing nearly tolerable sounds from most speakers.

A dedicated amp will give those speakers cleaner power, and more of it. You won't have to turn up the volume as high to get the sound levels you want, which will keep distortion to an absolute minimum. Also, even at lower volumes, the sound should be richer, and have more depth.

As far as the sub goes, if you really want to save money, either build or buy a box that's about as big as the manufacturer calls for, and get a basic monoblock or 2-channel (bridgeable) amp to run it. Make sure the amp has a built-in CROSSOVER. With a crossover, the sub will be fed with only the frequencies it can reproduce, and not try to play full-range sound which. . . quite honestly . . . would make you cry.

Good luck, and keep us posted.

[eastbaysubaru]

You can get decent separates for around $150. That alone will make the biggest difference. I'll second Yukon's advice about the amps, as I've got a smallish Alpine powering my JL 12". The underseat subs just don't make that much difference as fas as I'm concerned. Dont' get me wrong, it'll add a little extra base, but not enough to really be worth the cost.

-Brian

[LaureltheQueen]

www.ikesound.com

[carguy327]

OK, tonight I had my longest ride to date in the new car.
About a 30 minute drive with the stereo* pumpin out at 75% volume.
The door panels etc rattle...Would DynaMatting the door panels or the door fix this problem? (*Hey, I'm 34, I'm old school, "stereo" may not the current term, hell, "ICE" is new to me!!)

I walked around a Future Shop tonight, bought nothing. ( They truly have useless service in those stores.)

I still fee like I'm walking around blindly, except that I atleast now recognize the Brand names. It kinda over-whelming.

What shape are the speaker in the front door panels? I may replace them all. Obviously, the rears are only 6" rounds ones. My rears are JBLs.

I didn't plan on going nuts on upgrading the ICE in the car. Wondering what kind of improvement I can get with around $500 worth of stuff.

All these are in question
1...4channel amp the main speakers
1...2 or 1 channel amp with crossover for the sub
1...pack of dynamat
1...Set of front separates
1...wiring set

Am I on the right track?

Infinity any good? I'm basically new to the Toronto area, back after 11 years in BC, Future Shop is obviously not the place to go. Any suggestions on where to go? Hopefully not HELL.

Cheers

Gerald

Thanks laurel..nice site suggestion.

[carguy327]

Hmm..I'm not sure what I bought..quality wise..

I hope it will do

I got a 600W 12" PYLE Sub in a ported enclosure
A 600W 2 channel Bridgeable Pyramid amp for the sub
A 300W 4 channel Pyramid amp for the existing speakers.

total $300 CDN.

Now I just got to find the dynamat and a crossover.

If quality were wine, I think I may have bought grape Kool-aid.


Gerald

[LaureltheQueen]

Hmmmm... never heard of ANY of those brands. in the stereo business, expensive usually equates to quality.

Good luck with the stuff, I'm sure it'll work for ya alright.


And watch out, art used to work for futurecrap.

[teaguespeed]

i think the front speakers are pretty decent. i know they are two way, and i think the surround is rubber.

more info on the wrx subs please.... do they go under the front seats? were they stock on all wrx's? what size are they?

[Yukonart]

Laurel is right. . . used to work at Future Crap years ago when they were TRYING to make it in the United States. The sales staff IS useless. . . and the stuff they carry IS crap.

Steer clear of Future Crap if you're looking for anything better than what Target or Kmart would carry.

Ikesound is an excellent site for mainstream car audio. I've ordered a handfull of stuff from them for my car, and for someone else's as well. I anticipate going back to them in the future as well. I would recommend them to anyone looking for name brand equipment that isn't too specialized, where you can get it to your door for a great price. . . their shipping just isn't the swiftest in the industry.

Pyle and Pyramid is pretty decent stuff. Just really depends on how good an ear you have for sound. Personally, I'm at a huge disadvantage myself. I've been spoiled by selling car audio in the past, and I have to spend more than the average person to get the sound quality I'm comfortable with.

Other brands to consider in the mid price range would be some of the ones I mentioned earlier. Find them up on Ikesound, or Onlinecarstereo.com and you're set.

[LaureltheQueen]

who's car?

[Yukonart]

who's car?

Where do you think the Pioneer DEH-P7400MP head unit came from?

[LaureltheQueen]

Doesnt count..... lol, it's not in there yet.