RedDragons

So the other day I came up on some MB Quart component speakers in great condition which lit a fire in me to revamp my system.

So far I have a Kenwood DNX6180, stock speakers and a alpine mrp850 on a 1 farad cap running a single type r 12 in a ported box.

Now the box is huge and having a baby and my car being the main family wagon the box just doesnt make sense. So my plan is to sell off my amp/sub/box combo and buying a Kicker 1000.5 through my work accommodations along with some small subs.

I plan on running from the 6180 to my RF 360.2 into the Kicker 1000.5 out to the MB quartz in the front (when those go out I plan on running some polk audio components), in the rear doors run 6.5" kicker subs which I will make a small sealed container and dampen the door. To finish the system off I plan on running 2 kicker 8" subs, one in a box under the passenger seat, the other in a fiberglass box in the right rear panel. If I feel I am lacking in mid-high range sound I will add some speakers in the rear cubby holes but I don't feel that I will.

Thoughts? Ideas? Recommendations?

I am a installer, have been for almost 7 years. I know there is probably equipment out there some of you might recommend but my goal is to go with equipment that is available through my work so when I demo my vehicle to customers I can get them what I have.

I haven't decided on which speakers exactly but will probably be going with 4 ohm speakers since the amp is 2ohm stable on all 5 channels.

Aside from materials for fabrication (which I should have most of already) I estimate this setup costing me under $400 since I get most of the stuff at cost. I feel that this setup should sound phenomenal once I am done and tuned. And I should add that my buddy at local shop has a RTA I can use for tuning my 360.2

And of course once I begin I will try to remember to take as many pictures as possible!

xseveredveganx

Sell baby, keep stereo.

Why do you want to run 6.5" Kicker 'subs' in the rear doors? Hell, why does anyone even want to run any speakers back there baffles me... baby doesn't need to jam out. I wouldn't put two subs in two different spaces, especially if they're going to be playing the same bandwidth. Also, why speakers in the rear cubbies? All that will do is focus more sound in the rear, which is utterly pointless (IMO). If you want more sound in the front, invest in some better components (Hybrid Imagines come to mind for budget conscious) and more power. If you adjust everything with an oscilloscope, you can run a bit of power to a set of decent components.
You can probably pay someone to design a decent 4th order bandpass for a single 8" subwoofer and not have to worry about anything physically damaging a driver (i.e. baby stroller).
The Kicker 1000.5 seems like a decent amplifier. However, I'd like to see more power on the sub side.

FYI, not trying to be demeaning or condescending or anything. I'm always curious as to what thought goes into other people's stereos.
Also, what are your goals with this particular setup? Should have asked that first.

RedDragons

Not at all buddy, I made the post for ideas. I know a lot but others input can always lead to a better plan.

Essentially my goal is to sound good without having to tweak my settings whenever I have the kid in the car. Right now my bass is rediculous, like roof flexing rediculous. Which don't get me wrong, I love. But its just not sensible now. I'm more into sounding good than just blowing out the kids that think their walmart setup is killer. It makes for a great demo too!

I intend on running the rear subs mid woofer on my rear channel. And I haven't sealed the deal on the plan yet. I really dislike the full range sound from behind me which was my goal of running a small woofer on the rear channels instead.

Maybe instead of running the seperate 8's I will instead get one 8" L7 as it would end up costing the same as the 2 8's and will use nearly the entire supply of available power available on the sub output on the amp. and I would be able to fit it under the passenger seat as its under 5" in depth. I'll see what I can do as far as designing it, if not I'll go talk to one of the other guys in town for the design hes got a design program and he is an expert in box building.

KaneoheKoa

Sounds good to me. I'm not sure how subs in the rear doors will do, as there is a lot of unsupported plastic door panel that will rattle. One option is to mount the subs under the front seat, if the Vb is not too much. As to why people put subs in the back is simple: it's got room there.

A word about babies and sound. I've ran sound production for my church for a (far too) long time. Part of the job was keeping up with the latest equipment, techniques and science. One thing that caught my eye was an article relating to sound and infant/toddlers, written by the American College of Pediatricians. It talked about how sounds (any sound) above 82dB during that age "wires" the brain into thinking that 82dB is the minimum volume the brain should pay attention to. Any sound under that (like voices) are generally ignored. Sound close to 82dB gets the brain's attention. What does it mean? Kids won't take notice of normal conversational sounds/voices. Your voice is "tuned out", making it harder for you, dad, to get them to listen to you, take instructions and learn in home or school. Result: early onset ADHD. So, when your son or daughter is in the car, keep the volume way down. You'll thank yourself later.

Stepping off soapbox....

xseveredveganx

Lot of good info here.

I know what you mean about roof flexing bass, believe me. I compete in dB Drag and BassRace 139.9 on a regular basis.
My best advice would be to purchase a headunit with adjustable dedicated non-fading subwoofer preouts. My Premier DEH-P980BT has this and I keep it at -10 for normal listening and -3 if I want to show off.
There's a lot of options for 8" drivers, don't limit yourself to only a few brands. I'd personally opt for the CVR 8's over the L7's, but that's me. I haven't been impressed by the L7's at all. Local guy is running a wall with 4 12" L7's and is only 1dB higher than my single 15" behind my rear seat...

RedDragons

Thanks for the advice, I rarely have music on when my daughter is in the car.

The sub in the rear door is going to be ran at more of a mid level and I plan on dampening the door and plastic paneling well.

What I'm leaning toward now is an 8 under the seat and that is it.

Is that a certified meter your hitting 140 with? I need to get my current setup metered, an installer buddy at another shop has an IASCA certified dB meter.

on another note finally got my MECP recertified yesterday, just the basic cause work is hassling me but i got nearly 98% across the board, next is advanced, then master and ASE.

kingofthecrate

iTrader: (1)

I want to run two sundown 8's in my rear floor but a couple of stereo shops said I cant mount them in the floor because of this or that blah.. I know it can be done. I have a baby on the way and I have ADHD and my dad was a musician who played everything above 90db.. I dont listen to anybody, not because I branded my hearing at 82db's and above but more or less because I am sour and misanthropic.. having said that.. someone tell me how to do it NOW!~~~!

RedDragons

ill just put it like this, if you are willing to pay for it you can do anything to your car. and a custom stereo shop that says they cant do it just seems odd to me.

KaneoheKoa

Car Audio magazine ran an article of a Pioneer rep putting in the low vB 8" under the front seats, using fiberglas. I put Rockford 8's under the front seats, making the box from Baltic Birch plywood. Boxes that small, if well made, don't need thick panels for strength. Amps went in the back, replacing the cargo carrier thing on the spare. Works well for me.