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Stereo gurus assemble!!

5K views 43 replies 10 participants last post by  99limited 
#1 ·
ok folks im tryin to get some info around and get some prices and stuff so i can slowly start my stereo set up, i bought kicker KS series door speakers.

I want it to be competition bass. Thinking 2 15s. i want something thats gonna knock your face off. I will take care of the wiring, that im not worried about, i need your guys help finding an amazing sub/amp package and helping me decide on what type of box to get.

where are you matt? haha

help me out guys
 
#3 ·
will attemot to do that..why is he no longer around? he was on all the time when i left for basic then i get back and hes MIA
 
#4 · (Edited)
WOW that is a very vague statement. There are thousands of combinations of amps, subs, and enclosures you could use. First if you really want to compete you need to figure out what class you want to compete in then get a copy of the rule book and follow it to the letter. Now if you just want the loudest bass you can get for regular ground pounding, it's all about finding out how much space you are willing to give up for subs. how many subs you want, and how much wattage you want to push to them. Not to mention how much you want to spend. Also do you want your setup to be at all musical or just plain loud, which by the way sounds terrible for daily listing. Ask yourself these questions and you can start narrowing down your options
 
#5 ·
Yeah I have a sealed single kicker 12" CVX and 2ch kicker 750w amp. It bumps but I turn it down a lot. It's nice how the base stays inside unless I open the window or door. You may want more base but just cause it's a 15" sub doesn't mean it's the loudest or best. I've seen 10" bump bro. I think you'll like 12's in a vented box.
 
#6 ·
i want a good mix of ground pounding bass but also be able to hear lyrics. i had a couple kenwoods in the jeep for awhile that hit HARD but they were my brothers..i think i can find a sub but i dont know much about amps
 
#7 ·
Yeah matt has the formula for all that stuff I told him what I wanted. He told me what to buy and I love it. LOL I'll throw up the bat signal to him.
 
#8 ·
how much do you want to spend? that is the main question...I had a 10" and went to a 15"...the 10" was way more versatile, but the 15" hits a lot harder (thump in your chest, not necessarily "louder" dB's)...all depends on what you want. Like Nate says, my 100ow 10" thumped, and took up 1/2 the space my 15" does...BUT I do not think I will be going back to the 10" soon ;)
 
#9 · (Edited)
Depends what kind of music you normally listen to as well. I like bumping with rap music, but also want to listen to some rock every now and then. I used to have two 10's but they just were not loud enough for me. I switched to two 12's and love it.

As far as box design goes, the ported box is going to give you more bass sound and take up a lot more space, whereas a sealed box is going give you more pounding bass with less space.

Regarding speaking and amp brands, depends what your price point is. If $$$ is not a problem I would go with JL Audio as they make some great subs and amps but you could be spending upwards of $2k for two subs and a nice amp. I have Kick Comp VR subs and a Kicker 750.1 amp. Total costs was about $500-600. Also, IMPORTANT, if your amp can go down to 2 ohm's make sure you get subs to match that. I have two 4-ohm subs so when wired together it drops down to 2-ohms and doubles the output from my amp, otherwise I would be pushing 375x1 (to two subs), instead of 750x1.

If you plan on running a your subs and another amp make sure to get some heavy power wire for it as well. Can't go wrong with 0 gauge, but a kit online is going to run you about $150 or so just for the power and ground wire, and should include an inline fuse and distribution block. If your running just the amp for you subs go with 4 gauge. As far as RCA's, I've had cheap ones from Radio Shack, and I've had $100 pair ones, never really noticed much of difference between them so I would go with some middle of the road pair.

Finally, I noticed you got some speakers for your doors. Did you get 3.5" for your dash? If not, I would get the best speakers money can buy for the dash. The reason being is that at most your going to pay $100 for them, but your going to hear the majority of your music from these speakers. With your legs next to the door, you don't hear them as much as the dash speakers, so spend the extra $50 and go for the top of line speakers here.

GL man, let us know if you have any other questions.
 
#10 ·
I personally own a 15" Alpine type R.....and well, my two 10" Blaupunkt subs were much better.

However, my 15" shakes the shit out of my truck, 2 15"s is way to much man.

I'll be honest, 6 months ago, you could hardly afford a Jeep LOL....... 2 15" subs, with a custom enclosure, amps, wiring, upgraded factory equipment will cost you WAY more then you think. You can be looking at anywhere from 1000 bucks to 5000...its so expensive man.

Go with 2 12"s
 
#11 ·
i got 2 12" Alpines in a box like this and 1000watt kenwood mono block amp!!! It sounds good to me. i also have a capacitor.
 
#12 ·
My price range is nothing over $1200..I want that bass that makes you think your heart is gonna explode, and makes your hat feel like its lifting off your head.

Kyle, i ran into some money, im getting my signing bonus from the military soon.
 
#13 ·
Get a good brand name amp that is going to push a lot of power, decent subs, and a great box design and you'll be set.
 
#14 ·
#15 ·
#16 ·
Well then you defiantly want to go with a ported box. either buy one or build one, but that’s later on. now for subs there are many good choices. I personally use WMD's they are handmade by the Pierce brothers in Washington state. do yourself a favor and check them out. http://pierceaudioproducts.com/ they even have their own forum where you can ask any questions you have like box building questions, woofer specs, wattage questions, ect.. and they will answer you with some great info. not to many companies willing to do that anymore.
But whatever you go with, choose your subs first. then you can choose a amplifier next so you know how many watts you will need. once again there are many choices, and there are some great deals on many of them. so let us know what subs you decide on then we can help you pick a amp to match. and as for the $1200 mark with a few smart choices you can stay way under that, with spine crushing bass.
 
#17 ·
Dang you posted to fast:D that kicker-hifonics combo will work just fine. its all about geting what makes you happy.
 
#18 ·
#20 ·
#21 · (Edited)
well you can save yourself some cash by not worrying about a extra battery. with that setup you won't need it. I had a class d 2500 watt in my jeep and didn't even strain my electrical system so you won't have a problem. that money can be better used elsewhere.
 
#22 ·
yeah that was kinda my thought too, but i figured i would throw it in just incase but if i dont keed it im not gonna get it.
 
#23 · (Edited)
That's a pretty cheap find on the subs and amp, but take a closer look at it. The amp says it's rated at 1700x1 @ 1 ohm, and 14.4V. First, your power is going to be around 12-13V unless you have a cap to add a little more power. Second, this is PEAK power. Those subs require 1500 watts RMS and 3000 watts peak. Will it still work, of course, but are you getting the most pound of the subs, not even close.

Also, look at the brand of amp. Why is it that a Hi-Fionics 1700 watt amp costs say $300 and a Kicker 1000 watt amp costs $500? It's because the Kicker is going to produce a true 1000 watts, where as the Hi-Fionics is not. I had a cheap amp in the past and when I hooked up a Rockford Fostgate amp with a little less power, I got 10x more bass out of it. So I would try and stick with a Kicker, RF, JL Audio, something along those lines. To get that spin busting bass your going to need some serious power going to the subs, so I would not skimp on the amp, JMO.

I agree with draft6969 that you won't need a new battery. I have two amps running off of my stock battery. If you notice your headlights dimming you can pick up a 1 farad cap for $75-100, or get one used on ebay which will eliminate the problem. But you should be okay without one.

Regarding the box, if you can make one your self, go for it. It will be better tuned to your specific subs, and you can make it so it fits how you want in the back of your jeep, etc. Plus you can get some color matching carpet from one the online stereo sites so it will look a lot nicer. I picked up gray carpet for like $10 and when people look in the back of my Jeep they can't even tell I have a false floor, they think it's stock.
 
#27 ·
I agree with draft6969 that you won't need a new battery. I have two amps running off of my stock battery. If you notice your headlights dimming you can pick up a 1 farad cap for $75-100, or get one used on ebay which will eliminate the problem. But you should be okay without one.
Caps are just a band-aid and are really a huge waste of money. If you're having dimming issues, the right solution is an after-market alternator. I had a Kicker ZX1000.1 in my Jeep (pushing 1300 legitimate watts) and I had no dimming issues.
 
#24 · (Edited)
Go with RE Audio they are simply amazing subs at great price. If you look up the reviews on Sonic electronix there is not 1 bad review. They are the cleanest sounding and loudest subs I have ever heard{in their price range}. Also you can pair them up with the RE Audio amp which is basically made by US amps. I have listed the perfect combo below as well as the review of the subs. Dont be afraid that RE Audio is a small unknown company they make amazing stuff.

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_28083_Combo-2-RE-Audio-SEX12D4-and-1-RE-Audio-VLX-2DE.html


http://www.sonicelectronix.com/reviews.php?product_id=27312
 
#25 · (Edited)
Well believe it or not, Hifonics amps are actually pretty close on there rms ratings. i have used them before and they worked great. here is a pic of a test a german car audio magazine did on one. as you can see its real close to what to they say. Not to mention that they are CEA-2006 compliant which means it has to put out what it says.

 
#26 ·
I have a 15" Fi Audio SSD with a couple added options that I'd be willing to part with for a good price. Would come with a specially built ported box (made the box to best fit the subwoofer's specifications). If you haven't heard of Fi Audio, do a little search and you will see that they are substantially better than anything you can buy from Best Buy. I'm sure there's someone else on here that could back that statement as well. PM me if you have any interest.
 
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