stirfry

Here is an estimate I have come up with to take to my local sound shop. If I presented this, would they kick me out, take my money as quick as they could, or try to haggle? (Is my estimate way too high, too low, or in the ballpark) By the way, the equipment costs were recieved from crutchfield.com, can I get it cheaper elsewhere?

Scion xB Stereo Upgrade

Equipment:
Scosche 04-05 Scion Enclosure Loaded w/10" EFX HDW1004 Sub: $179.99

Profile HA700M 200W x 1 Car Amp (mono amp for sub): $99.99

Dynamat 10435 Xtreme Door Kit, 12 Sq. Ft., 4 Sheets: $89.99 - $44.99 for 2 sheets

Blaupunkt TSC 540 5-1/4" Component System (replacement for rear speakers): $49.99

$374.96 for all necessary equipment

Installation:
Install & wire custom sub: $75

Install Rear component speakers: $100

Install Dynamat in both rear panels: $50

Install 2 amps (one from previous car): $75

Complete Install: $300

Total Sound price: $674.96


All info is greatly appriciated.
Thanks all!

hotbox05

install is probably more than that. if you buy that scosche sub setup ditch the sub and get something better , then upgrade that amp. blau components are only 50.00 ? I would much rather upgrade the fronts over the rears. but hell do both cant be too much more.

dgHotLava

moved...

ChrisLimEditionXB

u also need a wireing kit... but i personaly think the price ur thinking of is way too low.... bc i am puting 2 6"x9" speakers and amp with install it would be around $500
and subs would be arund that as well and u still got the extra compartment for the 10"... but that is my input

Lonely_Raven

Yeah, install cost is usually the most expensive part.

A local guy checked out a couple shops for an Amp, Cap,
and Sub install in his xB, he was Quoted $200.

I did it within two hours without a shop or all the support a
good shop has, and asked for $60 and a Slurpy (It was hot).

I always prefer a Pro install to a "friend install" unless you
know someone with skillz, but my point is to expect to pay
twice what you think for labor, unless you can work out a
solid deal upfront.

Also, as stated, I'd totally save up a little more and get some
nice component speakers up front and not worry about those
rear speakers, AT ALL. Treat your ears to some good sound,
not your hatch! LOL

KINGxOFxSKA

most circuit city stores install for free if you purchase the head unit and/or speakers from them. it'l save ya some money if you want.

TheIcon

I say do it yourself. Out of everything u listed the hardest part will be the dynamat. What is a pro going to do. He's going to run a few wires down 2 sides of your car under the kick panels. YOu can do that. Hell even do half the work yourself and maybe have them finish portions you can't.

ChrisLimEditionXB

i don't think places do it like that... clean up ur work...

TheIcon

I know a few places around here do. Just a suggestion if someone in his area does. Could cut the costs down a bit. Even for a novice along with help from people on this forum I think he coudl do the installation himself.

ChrisLimEditionXB

well i am just going to install my stero... but untill i get a custom fiberglass sub box i will just make my own for the time being bc that firbeglass is expensive

NoLimitzBuilt

Install isnt hard really. I have done it for many many years. Now I tell people how to do it over the phone. The biggest thing I tell people that have never done it is. Have someone do it for you and watch. Once you watch, you get the hang of what they are doing and you can pratice a little for yourself. Alot of the hardwork is taking the panels off and not breaking them. Knowing when and where to pull to get them off is key.

That is a really inexpensive set up you are wanting to have done. Maybe do that and down the road you can upgrade peices as you go. WATCH WATCH and WATCH again so when you go to do it, you remember what they took apart and what you need to take apart again.

stirfry

Thanks everyone for the advice. I really would like to do the install myself, but since it is a bday present and we live together, I simply cannot do it at home. Plus, the bday has already passed and time is of the essence. So I guess I'll just have to bite the bullet on this one and fork over the money.

Also, why is everyone telling me not to replace the rear speakers? Those things sound like utter crap! A boombox sounds 10x better! The front speakers sound nice and to save money, I have to wait and replace those. I just never imagined spending $1,000 to install a sub, 2 amps, and replace a set of speakers! I just hope this isn't going to be something I regret. What I really want to do is dynamat the whole car, but got an estimate of $1,500! But then again, it was a $14,000 car, so an extra $3,000 of stereo equipment can be justified

hotbox05

only way to get a good system in for cheap is to do the installs yourself. my entire stero system cost me about 600 and my friends with 13k stereos said mine sounds like a 2k+ system.

pioneer 7600 deck , pioneer 4 way 6.75 front door speakers , pioneer 2 way 4 inch dash speakers , pioneer 5.25 2 ways in the back , pioneer 760 watt 5100t amp , two pioneer impp 10inch subs in underseat boxes . scosche wiring with some stinger pieces. other than looking at the deck you wouldnt know i have a system. subs hidden , amp hidden. it;s nice i like it.

kstatexb

i will attempt to back everyone's opnion on installing speakers in the front instead of the rear. All of this is personal exp. and knowledge.

The front speakers may sound better, but when you replace the back speakers with a companent set, it is going to overpower everything going on in the front. All of your sound will be coming from the back and sound all out of whack. Trust me I did this in a car of mine right when I turned 16. I got some pioneer 3 way 6x9's for the back of my Grand Am and they overpowered everything.

I recommend buy Blau fronts instead of rears because you will be happier in the long run. Remember you sit in the front of the vehicle, not the back. Get those for the front and buy some coaxials in the back. The back is for filler more than anything else. You can go a little cheaper in the back and still be well off. That is what I recommend to my customers that are looking at upgrading. Get a nicer set of fronts and then get some decent filler in the back.

My opinion, also get a decent sub over the schosche. You can get a better 10 sub and sealed enclosure that won't take up much room, that will sound way better.

Once again opinion.

stirfry

The reason I'm looking at the soche sub: 1)Cargo room is a must for this car. This car replaced our old pickup truck, so it carries some big loads from time to time. 2) This car is mainly used by my father who mainly listens to rock music, and doesnt need a big sub (e.g. dance music). However, he's also a musician and knows what sounds good, so I have to be careful. The last thing he wants is a loud, bass filled car (after 30 years of rock bands, he just wants good sound at a decent level). Is there another system that would work better for a similar price? The sub just simply needs to fill the missing sound.

Also, I plan to continually upgrade this stereo and put another set of Blau components in the front for Christmas. Should be a very simple install for me to do myself when I get more time, especially if the amp is already wired.

Once again, I really appreciate all the feedback so far! This forum rocks!

ChrisLimEditionXB

well i put my system in my other car b4 this one which was a pice of crap so it had no warrantee so it didn't matter but if i hadn't i would pay for install in my xB but since i know how to it would be nice to save some money for another mod

riccochetrabbit

Are you a professional car audio installer? Can you please tell me why you recommend co-ax over components? Especially in this case. Also, the rears overpowering the fronts is a common condition that is caused by the manufacturer. This is because they do not set-up their vehicles for a sound stage. Another reason for this is because most people do not take the time to search for a set of speakers that play well off of low power, and off axis, which is what the rear fill, especially in the hatch, has to be able to do.

Also, please, don't, for any reason, buy blaupunkt anything. Their speakers are garbage, especially at that price. Do yourself a favor, buy a set of JL VR coax's. They play well off axis, and they go lower than the majority of the component systems out there, especially at the budget minede, entry level, price point.

Also, the reason that people recommend adding the fronts first, and not doing the rears goes back to the imaging issue. It throws the image off. You don't want to be able to locate where the sound is coming from, ideally. This isn't going to happen, especially in the stock locations because fact is, auto manufacturers aren't going to spend the money to do that. They slap some stuff in there in a decent location. Find a component, coax or triax that plays well off axis.

And don't listen to the you get what you pay for crowd. That's a horrible statement.

NoLimitzBuilt

I do agree you want components up front. The rear is exactly that rear fill. The sound stage has to come from infront of you and not behind. If you buy a set of components then make sure that if you are going to use a amp that you match up the RMS power. The last thing that you want to do is buy a amp that will blow your speakers and put you in a spot that it all sounds like crap again.
I do this for a living. I installed for over 10 years and now tell everyone how to install and do system design over the phone. That is why I said before it is better to start with some decent stuff and build it up. Not worth buying alot of low end stuff and having to buy it all again later. If money is a issue, buy a set of components for the front and then a sub ans stuff later. I hate watching people waste there money and not end up with what they like or wanted in the first place.

kstatexb

I would never recommend that anyone by Blau. Im just saying that if that is what you have your heart set on getting then go ahead but at least make the smart choice and get fronts. Thats all I was saying and it's the truth.

As for the back. If you are not looking for a competition level stereo and you are not up on car audio (obvisouly since they are getting Blau) then its probably not going to matter if you have top of the line compnents in the back because more than likely the person would not even be able to tell the differance. Its filler, save some money on the rear speakers and get a damn good set of components up front. If you are trying to just help someone based on what they want, I dont see how you could fault me on this statement. Obviously they dont want to spend alot of money.

sraudio

Your looking at about 5 to 6 hrs for that stuff so just see what there labor rate is they may also hike up your time because of getting the stuff from somewhere else

We charge by the hour at my shop and we will go easier on the time if you are buying the equipment from us , but if you are bring it with you then we charge for every minute we are on your car. We cant keep the doors open on installs alone