Want to build another system. Help me pick.

[97TomGT]

Well, Ive been on all sorts of forums looking for advice. I think I have decided to go with the Alpine 9813 deck which I hear is a very good deck and basically the same as the 9815 except for the display.

As someone mentioned before, CDT is looking hard to beat. A $300 set of components for $150. I havent listened to a set yet, still looking for a dealer in my area but I hear they have good midbass and the tweets are not harsh at all, something I didnt like about a set of Memphis speakers I heard.

I would like rear fill. You can tell it is there but not THAT important but this system is gonna be for daily commute and the occasional showing off. So I was thinking about the CDTs as mentioned above for that too. From what I gather, unless you are a complete audiophile, the CDTs are awesome for the price. Im thinking about powering those 4 speakers with a Pheonix Gold 500.4 amp to give everything enough power. I hear CDT really wakes up when they have the proper amount of juice but Ill have to turn the gain down for the rear speakers.

For subs, I got to listen to a Kicker 12". That sub gets loud! But I think I want something a little tighter and cleaner. I was advised not to go more than 10s for SQ. I had 2 10" JL 10W0s in mind for subs. Ive heard JL subs before and I was impressed compared to some Pioneer and Kenwood subs I used to have. At 125rms I would imagine they would be plenty for me and would really bump if I so desired, not to mention they are fairly inexpensive. Im not sure what I would use to drive those, maybe another Pheonix Gold amp? People seem to speak highly of them, and they look cool!

So let me know what you guys think of that system. Like I said on another forum, Im not looking to spend a lot of money for a system a little better than the Mach, I want to blow it out of the water without blowing my bank account!

Thanks for all the help.

Tom

 

[Stylin Cobra]

I have not personally heard CDT's in a car, so I can not comment on those speakers. However your choice in amps is great. Phoenix Gold makes good quality products so you will be happy with them. The JL subs are also a good choice. The Alpine deck will serve you well for many years. Now don't skimp out on good wiring or it will be all for nought!

 

[97TomGT]

The wiring is usually something I just pick up from Radio Shack. I was thinking about a professional installation. What kind of wires do you recommend?

Hopefully Ill be able to get out Saturday and listen to some different speakers and finalize that decision. I think everything else is a go. I just hope that when I get it all together it blows away the Mach460 and Im not dissapointed.

 

[BBrinks]

Sound like a good setup. The 9813 deck is great, and I'm sure you'll be happy with it. I installed one in my friend's ranger, and now I wish I got one with time correction. The amp's also a good choice and it should go great with your components. I can't think of any dealers that carry CDT's, so it might be hard for you to demo some, but they are very natural sounding speakers. As for a sub, I'd recommend going with a single 10 or 12 and give it about 250-300w RMS, rather than going with 2 10's and only giving them 125w. You could look at the ED 10k.14 http://www.edesignaudio.com/ep2/10k.htm
or the JL 10w3v2 http://www.jlaudio.com/subwoofers/10w3v2.html

 

[Dubious Doc]

Check out Diamond Audio(I am partial to them). Hands down the Diamond Subs blow away the JL on price, value, performance.

Their Entry level stuff, M3 are nice, M6 really good, Diamond Hex series AWESOME! All come with a 3 year warranty if installed by a Diamond Authorized dealer. Befoire settling on Diamond, I listened to the Jl Xr comps, Focal Uptopias(I did not think the gave nearly enough midbass), MbQuart Q's, and Boston Pro's(1000 bux for a pair of component speakers in a 'vert was just regoddamneddiculous) and the Diamond Hex came out on top for me. s600s up front and M361 comps in the rear. 2 Diamond TDX 10" subs that just pound top up or down.

I just didn't know enough about the Diamond Amps to go for a total Diamond system. JL makes some bullet proof amps. I have their 450/4 and 1000/1 amps and I have been unable to get them to go into protect mode, no matter how hot outside.

Whatever your budget, realize that you are probably underestimating the finally tally when you factor in install, sound deadening, cabling, etc.

I love my sound system and don't regret it for a minute, but it put a big ol' hole in my bank account.

Look at the Eclipse Head Units too, they have AWESOME sound.

 

[Stylin Cobra]

The wiring is usually something I just pick up from Radio Shack. I was thinking about a professional installation. What kind of wires do you recommend?

.

radio shack wiring =

Get some EFX, Monster Cable or Stinger. Yeah it costs more, but you won't achieve great sound if you have crap wiring.

 

[95riosnake]

I would have to agree with noe. The Alpine Type R DVC 12 is a really clean loud sub. Especially if you go for the 2 ohm instead of the 4 ohm. Of course there are 12W7's from JL if you have big money to drop on the sub, but I doubt you want to. As far as amps, Obviously a V12 amp would be a good choice, also the JL 500.1 and 1000.1 amps are unreal. I have a 1000.1 and I love it (bit expensive tho). As far as ur early question of three 8's, I would say stay away from 8's. 8 inch subs do not have the low end response of 10's or 12's, obviously the 12 is gonna be the lowest (with exceptions to 15's or larger) so if ur really wanting multiple subs, go with the two 10's or 12's. I haven't read all the replies, so sorry to anyone if I have repeated any of your opinions. -Dan