I have been searching around the forum for about a week now to help me decide on a path for a new stereo in my sedan. My goal is a nice sounding system all around, not a ton of bass, or over bearing trebble. I intend to keep the stock HU for now and possibly upgrade in the future. I am looking at the following, but will take any advice on better/more cost effective components:

- JL XD700/5 amp wired with Twisted Pair RCA's from the stock amp inputs
- Focal 6 1/2" Polyglass component set in the front doors
- Focal 6 1/2" speakers in the rear doors
- Sub: Not sure here, I really like the JL subs, but the amp only has a 300x1 channel for the sub. I was thinking maybe 1 10" or 12" would be sufficient.

Notes:
- I would like to keep the vehicle close to stock where possible
- I use my trunk frequently, golf clubs, strollers, etc. so I want to keep as much space there as I can
- I listen to all types of music from Hip Hop to Acoustic types of Jack Johnson to Country
- Budget I would like to keep below $2000 and from what I have read, the stock HU shouldn't hurt the sound quality much.

I will be doing any installation myself and can fabricate a sub enclosure if need be. I prefer sealed type enclosures.

Also does anyone know if this amp would fit in the stock amp location?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Craig

 

I'm no expert but I will be speaking on my experience from gutting the entire Bose system in my vehicle.

The Bose amp is not large at all; therefore, there would most likely not be enough room to mount your aftermarket amp under the rear deck where the Bose amp is located. You can just mount it high behind the rear seat.

If you have the opportunity/budget to replace the stock HU I would go for it because sooner or later (not saying it's inevitable) it may malfunction i.e. CD's won't play or HVAC controls stop working, which are soldered to the Bose Audio control board.

Just be sure whether the signal coming from the HU to the Bose amp are speaker level or line level. IF speaker level then get a line output converter. On the other hand, if it is line level then make sure it is the voltage required by your aftermarket amp (if it is not then you may need a line driver).

As far as speakers just read as many reviews as possible and check specs such as db levels and frequency responses. I personally went Infinity Kappas all around including dual Kappa 10" subs (I wanted SQ more than SPL) and Kappa amps--I am more than pleased. If you want to save the most trunk space then replace the stock Bose sub with an "infinite baffle" 8"-10" sub--won't be as good as sealed but you will have the space. Have a look at the Pioneer IB subs for good bang-for-buck =).

I apologize if you know all of this already, just wanted to make sure I turned over enough rocks to be of some assistance =).

 

JL's a good choice on amp when you're using it with the factory radio, since it can handle both balanced audio signals (like the factory bose headunit) and unbalanced audio signals (any aftermarket unit).

Twisted pair have no benefits unless you have a system that does the error correction like computer networking systems do. Use shielded RCA cables instead, that protection actually helps in a vehicle.

Focals are nice, but I wouldn't spend the money on them in the rear doors.

JL Subs are good, but not worth the money. Image dynamics or Sundown Audio are generally a better choice and cost less. A single 10" does quite well in the sedan.

Those speakers and the tweeters should mount in factory locations completely invisibly, so it'll still look completely stock. To maximize trunk space, a boxology behind-the-wheel sealed enclosure works well.

The stock headunit doesn't do much to sound quality at all, it's the factory bose amp that kills the audio quality. Just keep in mind that the factory headunits die often and easily, so just be ready to swap it out at any time.

The bose amp location is very small, but if you get creative with mounting options, there's actually quite a bit of room under the rear deck for an amp, just make sure that there's ventilation.

 

Thanks for the input guys, as far as the twisted pair, I was referring to the method of taking the stock Bose inputs and sending them to the JL RCA inputs.

 

Wrathernaut gave solid advice, pretty much took a lot of words out of my mouth.


I'm an audiophile and considered spending the extra money on the focals for the front stage but decided against it after some additional research.

I have the original Diamond Audio Hex's in my old ride and they were pretty good for the money. They redesigned them and reviewed them here: http://caraudiomag.com/articles/diam...speaker-review


Which is what I ordered for my front stage. I don't have them installed yet so I cannot comment personally. But from what the review says, they are better than the originals.

Good luck!

I'm running a JL 500/1 (subs) and a JL 300/4 (component set, bridged). Both are very solid amps and I highly recommend them. I also have 2 JL12W3V2.

 

Just to add some additional thoughts... I plan on removing the rear 6x9s completely and leaving the back panel speakers (probably door speakers for you in sedan) stock. I'll fade the music to the front stage probably 25-40%.

 

Since you want to save space, an 8 sealed is the answer.

I'd look into the alpine type r and sundown e8 v2

I'll be back in a few with speaker suggestions

 

Holy hell Eggy I see u everywhere. From azine and now here

 

I had a g sedan for a couple months. Now my brother has one, so i lurk and post here and there.

 

Nice im lookin at a 03 coupe prolly gonna pick it up

 

Well, after quite a bit more research, I am not quite set on the speakers.

The amp is rated for 75W RMS x 4 @ 4Ohms

The Focals I was looking at are only rated to 70W RMS which I don't think is much of a concern, but there seems to be a lot of negative reviews of the low/mid range Focals.

Other sets I have looked at:
- Diamond Audio Hex which seem to have an issue with blowing tweeters.
- DLS UP6i may not be bright enough
- Boston Pro60 SE seem to have good reviews, but will 75W be enough to power these sufficiently?

Also I'd like a set of coax speakers in the rear doors for passangers that will be a good match for the component set.

Thanks

 

Can you provide your source on the blown tweets for the Diamonds?

 

Bridge your amp

It does 150 x 2.

With that power, i would be looking at the image dynamics xs65

 

This just seemed to be mentioned by several people in various forums. If that wasn't an issue, they seemed like a great set.

Unfortunately I don't have many options locally where I can go sample the higher end sets.

 

Do you remember if that was V1 or V2?