Replacing factory sound system...stereo guyz get in here

[go-stang5.0]

OK...I have a Alpine head unit (recent upgrade) dont remember model #off hand will get that later. But anyways...

My sterio still sounds like crap (mach 460) + I have some speaker ground issues...So I have decided to upgrade speakers.

After doing research I find out how crappy the MACH 460 stuff is and how its horribly designed in many respects (including upgrading and the fact that the rear speakers are not even stereo ).

Now I want to get some component speakers front and rear, wire them to my alpine head unit and dump the factory amps. Which from what I have found is the ideal way to do it. What do you guys think?

My car is a open tracker and weight is important to me and so I dont want subs etc. I just want good nice woofers and tweeters.

Not wanting subs and extra crap is it ok for me to use my Alpine head unit amp for the speaker setup and just dump the factory amps from the car or would that amp be to weak to produce relatively loud sound?

I was looking at Infinity Kappa component 6x8 speakers and tweeters, would this be a good choice? Any other better/nicer options?

Also how is everything wired? I really need some help with that. This will be my first sxperience with car stereo and it seems the mach 460 makes things really difficult and complicated for me. Any help with any of this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guyz.

 

[bmac50]

just upgraded the sound in my 95 and I knew the sound would be sound different in the car than any other place I heard the speakers so I informed the guy installing I wanted to hear at least a couple sounds systems in the car. The downside to this is you pay for the install but the upside is you get something you'll be happy with over the long run.

First thing he did was remove the speakers (front and rear) and replaced them with what I thought I wanted (Alpine), sounded like crap so he removed them and replaced with 4 JBLs Power Series P8652 in the stock locations. Mounted a Rockford Fosgate Power T400-2 on the floor under the rear seat on one side and a Rockford Fosgate P3SD410 10 sub on the other side. For a head unit a Kenwood KDC-MP635 was installed and all in all I'm very happy.

I was sort of worried about amp draw because of under pulleys but with the A/C and stereo running the lights don't dim. They may dim with a stock alternator but I had already installed a 130 amp G3.

In case you don't know most of todays electronics have little to do with the way it sounds and the speakers are everything when it comes to what you hear. What sounds good to me might sound like crap to you so try and listen to whatever you buy in your car before buying. Most retailers have a policy once it's opened and installed it's yours so rather than you settling on something your not really happy with try and find a smaller shop what will work with you.

 

[blksn955.o]

I have had exp. with kappa, and reference series infin. speakers as well as boston auc. stuff. I liked them alot.

For better sound go with a round speakers over an oval you will bet better sound out of a round as the surface is even and not fighting a corner to keep an even surface motion.

I didnt have a mach system stock but I want to say the mach speakers are round...were the regular sound system (non-mach) was oval (5x7). If it is an oval speaker make a plexi-glass adapter by matching the stock mounting points and then placing the new speakers inside that area and make the holes/mounting holes to now fit the speaker.

you prob. will have to ditch the little triangle speaker pod thing and get a non-mach cover, maybe mount the satalite component in the the new cover or try to use the mach triangle and gut it to hold the new satalite.

 

[go-stang5.0]

I see....I'll call some local shops and see if they can give me an estimate. I don't think I want an amp. If I do I will get one later. But chances are, if they want a whole bunch of money for stuff+ install I will end up doing it myself. My stock stuff just sounds old and ratty and theres some wiring issues to fix so I figured I'd get some new speakers. But now I want to dump the stock amps and save some weight that way.....so well see. I'll look into those JBL's also and some round speakers. Not so worried about the tweeter thingy up front (fabbing something there will be easy).

Now does anyone know if i can recycle any of the wire going to the rear of the car and also from the dash to the doors. If I could splice into existing wire that would be nice instead of having to run new wire to the door and to the back. Also how do I dump that amp thats in the dash?

 

[badstang123]

Oh come on...It barely adds any weight

If what your going for is something simple and a little better than stock your headed in the right direction. All I would do is buy some quality component speakers and run them off your factory headunit. It's not going to blow away your friends...but for regular listening it should be pretty good. And if your not happy you can always add an amp for the speakers, which won't add much weight and also make sound quality soar.

As far as components Infinity isn't bad. Boston acoustics that were mentioned earlier are great speakers. Especially as you head up to their higher lines. I'm a big fan of MB Quart, Rainbow, and Morel speakers. Those are a little less common though. No matter what brand you buy though just make sure they have a separate passive crossover from the speakers (Any real component setup will). That will also make installation extremely easy. Wire from the head unit to crossover and then off crossover to the tweeter and woofer. It doesn't get much easier than that.

I'm in agreement with Blksn955.0 to an extent. There is no doubt a round speaker will sound better than an oval or elongated speaker. To most peoples ear you won't hear that difference though. If SQ is important round is always the better choice. One thing to consider, however, is that with the lack of subs you lower frequencies and bass will be lacking as well. In this case, a speaker (Like the 6x8) will have far more cone area which will accentuate the lower bass more than a round 6" speaker. It's a bit of a trade off and you can opt for whichever option suits your needs and wants most.

And remember don't skimp on installation. Good sound deadening can help even out flat spots in frequency response and will also help your lower end bass a lot. It's something to consider when installing your speakers. The best speakers in the world will even sound bad in a poor installation.

And the factory Mach woofer holes are 5x7 too, not round. If you have any other questions don't hesitate to ask. I put together everything on my system from the box, wiring, sound dampning, etc.

P.S. - You can check out my install by going to the link in my sig

 

[badstang123]

..

 

[mustangsammym]

Here is my two cents I originally installed and aftermarket deck in my stang and used the adapter that probably everyone has used and the mach system was really boomy at low levels and when i cranked up the volume it would cut out.
I decided to install a few 10 inch subs and an amp. When i installed the subs and amp i couldn't crank the volume to get good sub output because the mach system was totally too loud and out of control. So what i did was make my own preamp out put harnesses to go from my jvc's rca outputs to the aftermarket adapters and then to the mach harness. It totally worked out great and now i can max out my stereo and it sounds really good.

go here to see my setup http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tbDUcBpHG8

 

[badstang123]

Here is my two cents I originally installed and aftermarket deck in my stang and used the adapter that probably everyone has used and the mach system was really boomy at low levels and when i cranked up the volume it would cut out.
I decided to install a few 10 inch subs and an amp. When i installed the subs and amp i couldn't crank the volume to get good sub output because the mach system was totally too loud and out of control. So what i did was make my own preamp out put harnesses to go from my jvc's rca outputs to the aftermarket adapters and then to the mach harness. It totally worked out great and now i can max out my stereo and it sounds really good.

go here to see my setup http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tbDUcBpHG8

He said he wasn't doing subs though and that he was going to switch the speakers out and wire them directly

But I do agree with your idea for someone who is going to put subs on the stock mach stereo. The Pre-amp output (Or on my car I used a Pre-Amp Equalizer) gives you a lot more control over frequencies and volumes. I had to do it on mine to get some strong sound out of my sub before I gutted the entire system.

 

[go-stang5.0]

Good info...but yea saw the video... I dont need that much bass. I think the stock system has enough bass for me.

Anyways, I think I'm gonna stay w/ 6x8's for their better bass responce as opposed to smaller round speakers since I'm not getting subs.

I was looking at Infinity Kappa component 6x8's I believe these are it...

http://www.cardomain.com/item/INFKAPPA6807CS
Again I dont wanna spend a fortune on speakers so MB QUART, etc. is out of the question.

Heres my head unit...
http://www.alpine-usa.com/US-en/products/product.php?model=CDE-9852

Apperently those speakers are 2-ohms...Is it ok to run those off my head unit?
Or should I get 4-ohm speakers?

Also, for the rear it'll be easy to mount crossovers...but where would ya'll suggest mounting them up for the front?

Also how do you guyz remove the amp in the dash? Do I have to take the whole dash apart or is it easy?

Also is there any way I can recycle the wires in the door, I dont feel like fishing new wires in there...and where are you guyz running the wires to the back from...under the carpet? door trim? Or is there a way I can reuse the wire going to the rear also? Just trying to find the easiest way of doing this.

Sorry for all the dumb questions I just started learning about car stereos yeaterday...

Oh one more thing how do I pop out this head unit to get at the back...I saw the guy installing it but that was a while ago and I dont remember.

 

[mustangsammym]

For the rear mach box just use some pioneer 6X8's they will get the job done

 

[badstang123]

Heres my head unit...
http://www.alpine-usa.com/US-en/products/product.php?model=CDE-9852

Apperently those speakers are 2-ohms...Is it ok to run those off my head unit?
Or should I get 4-ohm speakers?

There are some 2ohm stable head units, but unless your headunit specifically says it can handle that resistance DON'T. And in my opinion I would never run 2ohm speakers on just a head unit.

I know you had a lot more questions...I don't have time now but I might be able to answer those tomorrow night.

 

[go-stang5.0]

Kool thaks for the replies....

4 ohm it is then...
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-e75NSTwC4of/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=52200&I=1086810CS
How bout these? I found them for less than $100 shipped on ebay so they would fit into my budget nicely

I'll be looking forward to the other answers. Thanks guyz.:SNSign:

 

[badstang123]

Good info...but yea saw the video... I dont need that much bass. I think the stock system has enough bass for me.

Anyways, I think I'm gonna stay w/ 6x8's for their better bass responce as opposed to smaller round speakers since I'm not getting subs.

I was looking at Infinity Kappa component 6x8's I believe these are it...

http://www.cardomain.com/item/INFKAPPA6807CS
Again I dont wanna spend a fortune on speakers so MB QUART, etc. is out of the question.

Heres my head unit...
http://www.alpine-usa.com/US-en/products/product.php?model=CDE-9852

Apperently those speakers are 2-ohms...Is it ok to run those off my head unit?
Or should I get 4-ohm speakers?

Also, for the rear it'll be easy to mount crossovers...but where would ya'll suggest mounting them up for the front?

Also how do you guyz remove the amp in the dash? Do I have to take the whole dash apart or is it easy?

Also is there any way I can recycle the wires in the door, I dont feel like fishing new wires in there...and where are you guyz running the wires to the back from...under the carpet? door trim? Or is there a way I can reuse the wire going to the rear also? Just trying to find the easiest way of doing this.

Sorry for all the dumb questions I just started learning about car stereos yeaterday...

Oh one more thing how do I pop out this head unit to get at the back...I saw the guy installing it but that was a while ago and I dont remember.

Okay...as I said above, stay away from 2ohm speakers. They are not the best option for your application and could cause quick premature failure of your headunit. You would also probably experience a loss in sound quality from a increased percentage in harmonic distortion.

My front crossover on the driving side is stuffed way up to the left under the dash. It's really only held in by the brake line to the pedal (I think??). For the passenger side crossover I put it behind the glove compartment. Just squeeze the tabs and it will come out and you can leave it right behind there.

The amp under that dash was pretty hard for me to get to. I got frustrated because the bolts were so tight and I couldn't get to the bolts at a good angle. I was having a hard time getting it out without taking everything apart so I decided to leave it in.

As far as wiring I think you will find it easiest to just run new wires. The factory wiring is kind of weird because of how it runs to the amps. The wires for the tweeters run to the amp behind the dash and for the woofers the wires go to the rear amps. I would recommend running new wires, but I'm sure you could work it out where you use the wires that ran to the tweets and connect to the new radio then go to the crossovers. I still think new wires would be the easiest route though. And I just ran wires under the carpet and out the boots that go to the doors and down the door sill under the carpet and down the side of the car for the rear speakers.

To get the radio out you might needs keys or there may be tabs you can push toward the center and it will pop out. I believe on that unit you will need keys though. Hopefully they're in the box the headunit came with.

Good luck
- Justin

 

[go-stang5.0]

Sweet..thanks for all the help. That should be everything then. I'll try the dash amp but I wouldn't wanna take the whole thing apart to get it so I guess Ill just leave it in if its that bad. One day I will be determined and it may come out in pieces...but it will come out.

Thanks for all the help...I think I can get all this done for under $250...bad a$$.

:SNSign: Rules!!!!

 

[badstang123]

Sweet..thanks for all the help. That should be everything then. I'll try the dash amp but I wouldn't wanna take the whole thing apart to get it so I guess Ill just leave it in if its that bad. One day I will be determined and it may come out in pieces...but it will come out.

Thanks for all the help...I think I can get all this done for under $250...bad a$$.

:SNSign: Rules!!!!

Your welcome bud!