I had no intention of spending this much. I did not want to go over $2,000. I priced out my components at the cheapest prices I could find, except for the amp. I had no clue what to get. I can't install these parts cause I lack the knowledge. The audio place I went to pricematched everything just $10 over the lowest price I could find.

$170.00 - Front speaker install (2)
$90.00 - Rear Deck Install (2)
$350.00 - Fiberglass 10" Subwoofer install in tirewell
$475.00 - Audison SRX5.600 Amplifier
$85.00 - Amplifier Install to back of rear seat
$250.00 - Wiring (RCA Cables, power, ground, remote, etc.)
$150.00 - Headunit install with 1/2 din center channel speaker
$65.00 - 5.1 surround sound processor install
$255.00 - Dynamat Front doors and trunk
$125.00 - Infinity Kappa 63.5i (pair) 6.5"
$150.00 - Infinity Kappa 693.5i (pair) 6x9"
$185.00 - Infinity Kappa Perfect 10d VQ sub
$309.00 - Clarion DVH940 - 5.1 Processor
$285.00 - Clarion DXZ745MP HU

Prices on the parts, I don't mind so much, but the install prices are freaking me out. Same with the amp. I don't want the best amp, since I don't have the best speakers. Just need something on the same level as the other products I chose. Any comments?

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http://www.anythingbox.net

 

hey puff. They are charging you a lot for install. You shouldn't pay more than 100 for a set of components and 75 for a set of coaxials. You should be able to find a reputable shop that would do them for 75 and 45 easily.

To save yourself a few bucks, dump the 6x9's. That'll save you 240 right there. I really don't think there is any reason to have those with the VQ (great choice BTW).

It also looks like they are charging you a fair price for the wiring if you like retail. You can get all the stuff you would need online for 125-150 easily.

I've never heard of audison. For that kind of $, you might consider a better known make like an alpine, jl, etc.

 

I think al503 is right on the money on all counts. Dump the 6x9's (and pull the stock ones out of the rear deck) and those speaker install prices are way high (85 seems reasonable for the amp, although that should include the wiring, in my opinion). You'll get plenty of rear fill with the coax's, and they should work fine with the 5.1. I see you're in Jersey, I think there has been a few posts about installs from that area. You may want to do a search and possibly PM some people from your area. Best of luck.

03 Coupe DG/Graphite, 6MT, All options except Sat.

 

I would prefer not to pull the 6x9 in the rear deck. Instead I am just disconnecting the rear seat speakers (coupe). The reason for this is due to the 5.1 setup. This will benefit the rear passengers because they will have some sense of staging with the sound coming from behind them, instead of having all five channels firing at them from ahead of them. <-- i think that makes sense.

The place I went to in NJ came highly recommended form several 350z owners. But that price is too damn much. I will have to try some other places. I should avoid big chain places at all costs (circuit city, best buy)?

Thanks for the help so far guys.

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http://www.anythingbox.net

 

Hey Puff:

I agree with everyone else. You may want to seriously look at some other installers in your area you can go to. With all of the equipment you are buying from them you need to negotiate that price down. By getting a quote from another shop or at least saying you have!! you have some leverage to get that shop to drive their's down. BTW they other guys are right, that's WAYYY too much for the component and head unit installs.

 

puff-man,

that's waaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy too much for install given that the front speakers are just a swap out. they're probably going to use stock wire anyway. The $250 for all the wiring is way too much. You can get a kickass Phoenix Gold multiamp wiring kit from sounddomain.com for ~$100. Are they using good RCAs like Phoenix or StreetWires ZeroNoise 3's or just plain ones?

YOU CAN do the HU install yourself! JUST DO IT! Its not that hard. You can even do the 5.1 surround sound processor install, just put it behind the passenger kick plate near the right door trim. It will hold a 9x9x2 unit there. Most people place their avelectronic units there....

I would supply them with the amp wiring kit, GOOD RCAs and let them do all the speaker swaps, amp install. I paid $500 for install of fronts, backseat sides, rear shelf, 2 amps +wiring and BassLink.
And as you know, I ran my own RCAs and installed my own deck, doubledin conversion.

Check out more places and get better prices. Some places charge the G owners more since they often think we have seemingly more money since we bought the G and can afford more than say a KIA or a Yugo owner.

 

Afro... call Sound FX 2 in Spring Valley on rt 59. Ask for john, tell him you heard about that place through me (Joe Avino) they do AMAZING installs. I have been going to them for years and never had a problem. You can also speak to haden, he's always at that store.

Thanks - Joey Avino

 

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr>

YOU CAN do the HU install yourself! JUST DO IT! Its not that hard. You can even do the 5.1 surround sound processor install, just put it behind the passenger kick plate near the right door trim. It will hold a 9x9x2 unit there. Most people place their avelectronic units there....

<hr></blockquote>

Yeah, I am pretty sure I can do that myself following your instructions, but it would be pointless for me since the headunit wouldn't be connected to any of the speakers or the amp?

Anyone have recommendations on an amp? I only want to buy one amp that can be mounted on the back of the back seat. The center channel has a built in amp, so I think I only need a four channel amp with a built in circuit for the sub.

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http://www.anythingbox.net

 

puff,

just run the RCAs yourself from the back of the deck, under the panel located under the steering wheel, under the carpet down the driver side, in the groove next to the back seat and into the trunk to the amp. You have to run the 12V 12G amp lead wire (blu/white stripe) wire down the passenger side to the remote power terminal on your amp (same path as the RCA except on the passenger side)

I'm pretty electrically naive (they didnt teach us this is medical school) and I did it myself...successfully.

The installl guys can do the amp power/ground wiring and the speaker wiring. You can save money by doing your own deck install and running your own RCAs and lead amp wire.

 

first of all, do you really want to use 5.1 srround sound? unless you are gonna watching movies, you might want to consider drop the DVH940 and center speakers.

yeah, they price matched alright and trun around try to screw you with the install! they seem to double charge you for the install, they charge you 85 for installing the amp and than charge you for the wiring? i can put the seat down and take four screws and screw down the amp and save me 85 bucks! they charge you for each item as if it is the only thing they gonna install, not like they will tear everything apart for front speakers and put everything back, and then tear everything down again to run the RCAs and power wiring to the amp...ect.

second thing, what kind of fiberglassing box will they made? is whole trunk(unlikely) top half or bottom half? painted or matted?

as far for the amps? there are not too many 5 channels amps out there for 400~500ish, here are few---alpine's mrv-f450, audiobahn's A2601Q it is 6 channels but i think you might able to bridge the 5th and 6th channels, cadence's Z6000 again it is 6 channels but the 6th channel is mono out, crossfire's vr705d, directed's 450d5, hifonics's nemesis nx440 or zeus zx8000, kicker's kx700.5, memphis's 16-mc600, phoenix gold's octane R9 and of coures the JL audio's500/5 which it is lot higher than 400.

03 coupe 5AT DG/G premium,performance

 

First off, Audioson is a VERY good amplifier. Their amplifiers have compared very favorably with zapco and tru technology, which i feel are two of the best amplifier manufacturers today.

As far as install prices go, lets just say your install is approaching the cost of mine...and mine is FAR more extensive in terms of custom work. Im referring just to installation costs, not the price of the total system. You are definitely paying too much. Get a second..or even third opinion if necessary. Im thinking about $800-$1000 for installation + parts sounds more reasonable. Avoid best buy, circuit city, and other mainstream stores for this install. They tend to cut corners and have less regard, in most cases, for your car's interior. The last thing you want is a cracked panel or a scratched dash.

As far as your equipment is concerned, you might want to get the Clarion DXZ835mp head unit instead of the newer model clarion you are looking at. The Clarion DXZ835mp can be had for $220 shipped with full warranty from www.thezeb.com. I just picked one up for my girlfriend and its a great headunit. Does everything the 745mp does, but seems to be of better build quality. The retail on it is $499 so for $220 shipped with a warranty, you cant beat it.

You should ditch the 6x9's as everyone has been suggesting. There is absolutely no need for them. Your 5.1 setup would sound better with just the front comps and the rear 6.5's in the rear side panels instead. The infinity speakers are great speakers, so good choice on those. The sub is excellent as well. Great sound quality.

I would forget about the 5.1 processor until you actually have a video source capable of putting it to use. Its a waste of money with the setup you are currently planning. I would save some money now, and do the 5.1 setup in the future when you decide to install a video source.

Dynamat is expensive and is no better than several other alternatives on the market. Accumat, brownbread and raamat (this one is a personal favorite) come to mind. I am using accumat because i find it to be the best i have used thus far, but i have also used raamat in another vehicle and have found it to be the best performance/cost ratio among sound deadener. check it out here. 60 mills thick (a great thickness) is about $79 for 62.5 sqft. Should be enough for what you are trying to do. It really is great stuff. Many enthusiasts swear by it and after using it, i know why. Dynamat is simply not worth its price of addmission just for a popular name.

Hopefully this helps you out a little more. Here is a link to the install in my coupe so you have a better idea of why you are being overcharged. I cant disclose the total amount for the install, but lets just say the price you were quoted COULD get you something close to what i have...

http://www.sounddomain.com/id/g35audioman

If you have any questions about my install, feel free to ask. Thanks.

 

Regarding 5.1: I already have the DVD system. I'm a computer guy so I am pretty competent when it comes to that. I have the optical out from the sound card and a 7" widescreen. I have some pretty obscure tastes. The main reason I want a 5.1 setup isn't for movies, but for regular 2 channel music. I listen to a lot of live music and electronic stuff. At home I listen to music on my 5.1 system using Pro Logic II. I think it does a pretty damn good job of separating a 2 channel recording. I love hearing the different music layers coming from different speakers. Especially when the rears are firing off the blips and bleeps to the point where its noticeable and creates a unique listening experience.

The center speaker has a built in amp, so I don't think I need a dedicated channel for that on the amp.

As for the sub, I wanted to go with a simple sealed box that I could shove into the corner and easily disconnect if need be, but then I saw blksnake's custom sub install. That is just too damn clean to not fall in love with.

I definitely need that Clarion HU since it is the cheaper one of the two that can control the Pro Logic II processor. Clarion.com only lists two HUs that work with the processor.

I'll have to check out thezeb.com to see if I can get an older HU that might work. If my install was just for the front passengers, I would ditch the 6x9 in the rear in favor of the rear seat 6.5s. But I am often carrying people in the back and want them to have a pseudo surround sound experience. That way I can change the surround sound "sweet spot" on the fly depending on who is in the car.

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http://www.anythingbox.net

 

Here is a link to the clarion hu i was talking about:

http://216.239.57.104/search?q=cache:KHFfThrfmNYJ:http://www.thezeb.com/detail.aspx%3F...hl=en&ie=UTF-8

It says it can control the DVH920. Assuming they have similar features, im assuming it will control the new model as well.

As long as you have a use for the 5.1, then its a great thing to have. I have used the eclipse 5.1 setup in my previous car and it was excellent with DVD playback.

One thing you should take into consideration is that our trunk is fairly "sealed off" from the passanger compartment. If you decide to use the 6x9 speakers, there will be little room for the subwoofer to transmit sound into the cabin. Im not saying that the bass will sound bad or insignificant. Just saying that without the 6x9's in place, the subwoofer will sound less localized and more "in car" than in the trunk. This is one reason why i suggested the 6.5's instead, By all means though, if you are set on the 6x9's then go for it. Just know that the performance from your subwoofer can be improved by leaving the 6x9's out, allowing sound to better travel into the cabin.

People may disagree, but in our coupes, facing the subs upward result in the poorest performance from them. I tried facing them back, sideways (firing at the other side), as well as upward. The best position was to face them forward, followed by facing them back. The other options yielded a very localized response and took away from the staging and overall effect of the sound system. Of course i realize it may not be practical to use one of the better performing methods, but just thought i would let you know my experiences.

Just make sure you get a better quote on the install and your set to go! Hopefully i was of assistance to you with this process. Thanks.

 

I found that facing the sub backwards (away from the cabin) was by far the best way to get the best sound. I tried them all including up, forwards, backwards, side, etc. Sound quality is all a matter of taste and I am by no means claiming that I have the best taste anything close to it for that matter. However, by facing the sub towards the rear of the car, I was able to get the fullest, richest sound out of the sub. This tends to be the case with most cars.

The best way is to experiment for yourself and see what you like the most.

 

Facing the subs back does result in the loudest, fullest sound. However, facing them forward gives better in car response and presence. Measuring the frequency response of both setups with an RTA (aka spectrum analyzer) would verify the results as well.

Of course, box size has a lot to do with it as well.

For movies, i would face the subs back for the fuller theatrical sound. For music, facing them forward would sound much better for in car response and sound quality. Decide what you are going to listen to more, movies or music, and place the subs accordingly. If you have the time, try out several different methods. With forward placement, a little more time should be spent on mounting and positioning it properly, but its well worth it in the end.

Just want to clarify that this information pertains soley to the G35 coupe. The same results may not be true for other vehicles.