i've been installing audio systems for a long time (its my job) and i've come to the conclusion that alpine, jl, mb quart, and boston acoustic are overrated. people thing that buying the most expensive stuff will get you the best results and most of the time that is not the case. while the products from these companies are good, there is stuff out there that is just as good if not better and with better prices. most of the time its not the equipment that yields a good sound, but the installation and the tuning that does. if you want to learn more about "the other" audio companies (not the ones listed above. lol) go to the sounddomain.com forums or other audio forums where the competitors go and ask them what a good systems consists of and learn about why and how they select there stuff.

 

cool.....being a car audio specialist...whta do u think of the following equipment?

eclipse cd8443 HU, eclipse 10" aluminum sub, zapco amp, focal components?

and for overall sound quality and spl when needed, do u reccomend 1 or 2 subs and waht size?

 

eclipse makes good products. the headunit is good (i just dont like the look of the screen, but thats a personal thing). the aluminum subs are ok but if you have the cash get a titanium (i was looking into on personally but they don't have one that is compatable with what i wanted) sub. zapco amps are really good and focal components are the best i've ever heard but they are really pricey. if you are looking for good sound quality and spl when needed i'd recommend a high quality 12 inch sub. one ten will give you ok base but it doesn't have the extension to go deep like a twelve will which is what you want with the spl on demand so i'd be looking at twelves. as for one or two that pretty much comes down to whether you want to wake the neigbors or not. unless you like to listen to tons of rap and want everyone to know, there really is no need for two. i'd run one and power it correctly (try to match the rms of the sub to the rms output of an amp) and you'll get plenty out of it. plus one sub is lighter than two. you don't want to tax your car with 80+ pound box for speakers do you?

 

If going with an Eclipse head unit, go with soft tweeter . Eclipse head units are very bright, adding a metal tweeter will be no good. I would reccoment going with two 10 in woofers, medium power. Zapco amps used to be cream of crop. These days, the circuitry of the cheaper amps is as good of the legendary Zapco amps. I run Phoenix, known for their s/n ratios, underrated power. . Blah Blah Blah. Get efficient amps and good midrange. Everything else falls in the middle.

 

I think im going to go with one 12" titanium

but what amp would you then reccommend mrdecibel that would sound as good if not better than zapco but for a lower price?....the reason I picked zapco is because of the rave reviews it gets from people AND, more importantly, I went to my local car audio store and listened to the focal components I chose that were hooked up into an Xtant Amp.....the were phenomenal and Ive been told zapco would be even better.....but what amp that is cheaper would you reccommend because saving money is always good lol....any money i do save is going towards a good install and dynamat

and what tweeter would you reccommend then if the focals arent gonna sound good with the eclipse hu?