SHhhhh

iTrader: (73)

I had a JL 250/1 under the passenger seat back when I was running a sub. The amp fit fine with plenty of clearance between the amp and the bottom of the seat. I believe the dimensions of the 250/1 and 300/2 are similar, with the 300/2 being slightly wider.

biggie5252

iTrader: (47)

I would also recommend a 300/2 if space isn't of concern. They sound awesome for the money. If I remember correctly I don't think it'll fit under the seat though (not enough for me anyways). It'll be close. According to JLs website it's about 3 1/2 inches longer than the 250/1 pictured.

Asmodeus6

iTrader: (7)

I'm actually going to go take a look at what the previous owner actually left in my front doors to see what I have to work with. I was thinking a VERY basic Alpine component set. And put what I think are a more basic Alpine set in the rear running off HU power.

And just hit the front set with the Pioneer 5300T I have sitting here BNIB.

I just cannot hear the radio over the engine / turbo / dump / exhaust / road noise / screaming passengers holding on for dear life any more.

Thoughts guys?

(Also an RS)

FJF

iTrader: (18)

Are you trying to put together a system that's louder than the car, or are you looking for sound quality, as well? Are you willing to cut into the car's panels, or would you prefer a stock-looking approach? Where are you planning to mount the amp? Which HU will you be using?

Asmodeus6

iTrader: (7)

If I told you what was in there now... (I think a second run JVC El Kameleon HU that is probably 8+ years old...) you'd already get an idea of how much $ gets delegated towards audio. I just don't normally do much stereo as it's typically the biggest draw for my windows getting broken and my car trashed, and stuff stolen. (not worth it to me)

So components would be probably the extent of my initial aspirations.

I'd cut cars panels if I had to. Do I have to?
Amp under seat?
Probably my crappy existing HU for the time being.

I yanked the door panel to see what I had and they were;
Alpine SPS-170A's. (now disco'd)
200w Peak
40w RMS @ 4 ohms

Not a lot to work with. I may bring out the smaller Dual amp I have and just hit them with that since it's only 70w RMS. See if it gives them enough oomph for the time being.

I think if i had to pick an optimum setup it wouldn't be much more than that. Probably these put in the back holes run by the HU. More powerful 6.5's w/ tweeters up front. The pioneer amp. And a really nice flip out touchscreen with integrated NAV/GPS.

My funding for the project got killed before it really got started though. My woman finally had enough of her horrible job today. So until things get straightened out. All I can really do is plan. This is not a motor, so it's not my area of expertise. So, sane input welcome.

FJF

iTrader: (18)

If I understood correctly, it sounds like you're interested in a fairly basic system. FWIW, when I had a RS, I installed a Nakamichi deck, a pair of Diamond Audio coaxial in the doors, and a small amp in the glovebox.

I asked about cutting the panels, because you're interested in components. The RS doesn't have factory grills in its A-pillar covers, so you'd either have to buy a new set if you wanted to mount your tweeters in the factory locations, or cut a piece of trim. As you're planning on using an amplifier - a very good idea - you should keep in mind that mounting it under the seats limits one to a ~8.5x12" form factor. There are also amps small enough to fit into the glovebox. Here is one that I used for a while:




If you can post where you'd feel comfortable mounting the amp, as well as your overall budget, I'd be happy to make some direct recommendations.

Asmodeus6

iTrader: (7)

Here's what I did so far.

Pulled most of the interior. (Drivers seat, door cards, center console.)

Ran speaker wire for the front speakers through the door grommets under the carpet (and center console for the right speaker) and to the holes in the interior carpet under the drivers seat. Ran power wire from the battery through the drivers side fender and brought it in through the side engine /fuse/ harness to the interior. Down the door sill and across the seat track to the opening in the carpet. I used the rear seat bolt as a ground. Power wire was 4 gauge w/80amp fuse left over from misc parts cars I shredded. (StreetWires) I used the Pioneer (GM-5300T) amp. And the existing 2 Alpine SPS-170A speakers.

I actually bought an Alpine component set w/tweeters. But I'll come back to that.

I had meh RCA's already from mentioned parts cars. Need a decent 3ft set, not the 3 20's I have. It was a nice jump in sound, both quality and volume. (Genuinely surprised) I enlisted a customer/friend to come out and make sure I didn't break anything once things were officially plugged in.

The deck is still the 2nd gen El Kameleon KD LX-10. Ancient... only 2 pre outs. First model to even have RCA's. Scary stuff I know. But it's not worth breaking my window for and it works. (for now)

Back to the new Alpine component set. The tweeters. No good place to put them. I initially figured I would put them in the mirror covers. And just shave the clip in piece to fit them. But while they do stick by tension fairly well into the triangular hole, there is really no way to really mount them. Maybe if I trim the cover piece to fit. But I wasn't up for it. So I just put my existing stuff back in and left the new set to think about. I bought it on a whim today, and I just should have thought it out more.

After finishing that stuff up, his suggestion was to grab a pair of my existing Alpine 6.5"s and (probably cheaply because they are a few years old and disco'd) and simply run them in the back off the same amp I'm already using. That way everything in the car gets pushed the same way. Even if it is slightly overpowering them. The pioneer puts out 125w RMS @ 12v. Those alpines are 40w RMS 200w Peak. And just keep the gain way way down.

While doing this today I had another customer stop by to pick up some stuff and he offered his Memphis 10" box and all for free. So that would round it all out pretty nicely I think. If I can get the amp out of him too, I'll probably just put a junction block under the center console and run that under the passenger seat. Really wasn't after the weight of a sub / 2 amps etc. But I'm already this far. And I can always turn up the boost a little more.

Thoughts at this stage in the game?

--The amp in the glove box is killer. But both that (pass) side grommet and my glove box is currently occupied by Maft-Pro/meth line/wiring. Thing is just too damn ugly to put anywhere in plain sight. But good lord do I like speed density. So... it's a must for now.

So far I've spent like $30 / not including the component set I'll probably return. (Which was $13X) Since I had the amp, speakers, wire, fuse holder, RCA's, and only needed to spring for some 16g speaker wire and crimp terminals.

I've never really looked at the tweeter mounting point on an evo with a factory stereo. Where are they exactly?

FJF

iTrader: (18)

FYI, this is a good place for wire, interconnect, and install accessories. Excellent quality and very reasonable prices:

http://knukonceptz.com/

If you decide to upgrade the deck, this isn't a bad choice. The red buttons/white display (almost) match the dash lighting:

http://www.woofersetc.com/p7564/CDE1...Controller.htm

You have a couple of options. Pipe strap can be used to fab a bracket that's mounted over the woofer in the door with the tweeter attached. From my POV, might as well run a coax, but this would allow you to use the components. The other option is to drill into the A-pillar covers. You can see examples in my install thread on this page.

Using rear speakers adds to the quantity of sound at the expense of its quality. As you're not planning on an audiophile setup, the plan above sound fine.

I'd suggest staying away from the bass boost. What does the sub and the enclosure weigh? There's a 33lb 12" sub/enclosure that's +/-3dB down to 25Hz inside an Evo - measured it myself - that's ridiculously sensitive allowing the user to run a small amp, and whose sound quality is at least on par with an IDQ12V2. The cost? About $120 total. If you're interested, I can link the driver and the box.

Sounds good so far.

They're mounted low in the A-pillar, almost the same location as in the pic:

Asmodeus6

iTrader: (7)

I do like that HU. But if I buy anything I want a screen / NAV. So I'd probably just save for a while and get something more along those lines.

I see the location of the tweeters now, and it makes more sense. I've been in and out of a ton of evo's and just never really paid any attention. Which shows how little thought I put into this stuff 99% of the time.

No real details on the sub / box etc yet. It was verbally offered so I'll see if that nets any real world options or not.

Boost as in "psi". Not on the amp. As in to offset the weight increase with another pound or so of boost. It is a daily driven car. So I may try out a small sub and easily removable enclosure. If it's not worth it I'll just take it back out. If it is, I'll make it easily removeable for the track. No big deal I think at this point.

Did some searches last night for a matching set of SPS-170A's. No luck. May have to run their current SPS-600C's (which I already have in the form of a component set.) What I didn't really like about them is the crossover was built into the existing speaker wiring. Like a tandem harness. That is NOT going to be even remotely possible to run through the door grommets with any real ease.

So again, I'm not real excited about them. Also, they run 80w RMS 240 peak. And the existing stuff is 40w RMS and 200 peak. Not a big deal, as when the Pioneer drops to 2 ohm running four speakers they are all going to see 195w each.

So they should all be in their useable range. Just very close to the melting point of the original's right? Bad / ok / good ?

Thanks for the help so far.

Asmodeus6

iTrader: (7)

Since I had everything set up I swapped the SPS600C's in place of the older Alpines. I didn't expect so much of a difference... like a slightly larger turbo... these guys really start to shine when the other ones started to distort. (fall off) Even with the tweeters just sitting on the dash.

I made the change permanent, and put the tweeters in the A pillars in the stock location.

I'm probably not going to put the old Alpine's in the rear for fear of blowing them up. I can push the new one's considerably farther than I can push the old ones... which will most likely result in their destruction. I'll probably just run 2 until I can get a better matched pair for the rear.

FJF

iTrader: (18)

Sounds like you're well on your way. If you go with a sub, leaving out the rear speakers with help to vent it into the cabin. I'd suggest using an amp with a configurable subsonic/infrasonic filter, and rolling off its output at ~40Hz. The bass will gain clarity, the amp won't have to work as hard, and the sub won't be fighting the output of the car, itself, for low-frequency dominance.

Asmodeus6

iTrader: (7)

I still haven't put my center console back in. I have to pull my seat again and properly tuck the RCA's. And possibly rotate the amp 180* if the 3ft RCA's will reach. I left slack so the amp could be taken out from under the seat through the back (I wish... the velcro holds that stuff so good it's impossible to take out without divine intervention anyway.) for adjustment or whatever. And there are unsightly bright red and blue wires visible from the door side of my seat. I may just loom them in black. But... I may see how it all works turned around. That would hide it all without having to mess with anything more. I taped off the amp terminals to prevent the odd drop of say keys, or a lighter, or change bridging the terminals and causing a fire under my A-hole. So it should be good if it's turned around too. I'm hesitant to put it back without installing a 1/2 farad cap under it. There's room for a small one, and the power / ground wires are perfectly long enough to reach still. My mini-battery is almost 4 years old and holding. So I can imagine the strain on my alternator is growing every day... something I'm not truly happy about.

In the end, even if I put all the weight savings back from the normal battery to the mini and stereo with a cap... I've still spread it around and centered it, and even lowered it. SO... I guess it's not so bad in the end. And if I was really THAT concerned about weight I could simply take out my 50lb bag of tools I keep in my back seat. Right?

Not sure what my next move is really. Still kicking around the idea of trying the rear speakers. I may run the wire for them and leave it while most of the car is apart now. Just have to get the motivation to do something for nothing right now.