system on a budget

[NE98LS1]

i'm looking to do a little stereo work this summer, and don't wanna spend too much. i have the crappy stock sound system (not monsoon). what would you guys do for a price conscious set up (i wanna do components and pry just like one 10" sub, i'm not too big on bass)

[rotwiler]

A 10 inch stealthbox should give you plenty off bass, a sub to match the specs of the box(might want to look at subthump.com for the box). HU depends on you, So many good ones out there now, for me it would be a Alpine, Pioneer, JVC or Kenwood. I'd buy it on ebay to save more, you can get them for 1/2 the price there. Components will cost more then coaxils, but is all about what you want. Depends if you want to run them off the HU power or not or run a seperate amp. If you run them off the HU you will need some efficient ones like Alpine, Infinity, etc ...Skip the far rear speakers they don't help enough to do anything with them. Cheapest way to go would be a high power HU and run all the speakers off that, then the cost for the sub box. amp and sub. Is all about what you can afford.

[White Rascal]

If you run your components off of the HU I would recommend using Bass Blockers or something similar to roll off the lows to the comps. That or go with a 4 channel amp with a built in crossover. You could use 2 channles to power the comps and bridge the other 2 channels together to power the sub.

As for the HU I would buy from an authorized dealer. Save money on the rest of the system by buying from online discount sellers. HU's today have motorized faceplates and other moving parts that are prone to fail eventually. Having a manufacturer's marranty to fall back on may be useful here.

As for rear speakers... forget about them. But, if you simply have to have them you can always add them later.

[NE98LS1]

so say i get a HU that put outs 56x4...what wattage of coaxials am i gonna wanna pick up?

[White Rascal]

First of all an HU that claims to be 56x4 is BS. This is a "MAX" output figure and not an "RMS" output figure. RMS wattage ratings are what you're looking for. MAX output numbers are useless.

As for speaker wattage don't sweat it. You don't have to match a 50 watt amp to 50 watt speakers. And 51 watts from the amp isn't going to blow the speakers or anything like that. If you high pass (block the bass) the signal to the speakers they will be able to handle more power than what they are rated for since they don't have to reproduce the deep bass. Thats what the sub is for.

[Zboner]

man, i heard that stealth box set up is about 400-500. seems like a lot to me for just one 10

[NE98LS1]

man, i heard that stealth box set up is about 400-500. seems like a lot to me for just one 10

idk where you saw that...the stealth box i saw was $99, plus a $50 sub, a $150 amp would be $300 for everything

[rotwiler]

$300 sounds about right for a stealthbox setup. white Rascal is right when saying it's good to buy a HU with a warranty, but my reasoning is....if I go on ebay, buy a HU for $220 shipped, where at the local stores it would be 399 + tax etc...I could buy 2 for the same price... I'm just willing to take the risk. I don't buy subs online though, I have had too many problems in past and will pay full price for a sub. For about $600-650 you could have a nice sounding system.
I did cheap setup in my other car...
Bought a MTX 2150x amp used on ebay for $60 shipped
HU Sony 7700 - new on ebay $140 shipped
4 Infinity Reference speakers new $90 shipped(ebay)
Sub - MTX 7000 (used) ebay again, was against my sub rule but was .99cents lol, plus 12.00 shipping.
Box 90.00
Plus wires/install kit etc about $75
So total was under $500 and it really sounds better than my stock Monsoon stereo.
I know people hate Sony HU and bought the Infinity speakers because they were cheap, and I knew the highs were good with them.

Right now I have a budget system in 02 Z28 and it sounds really good. I'm running the Infinity 62.7i's in the doors($90 shipped). A Kenwood MP922 HU, was a refurbished model, but over a years use and is great. Added some cheap $35 pioneers in the hatch and have the stock subs in the sailpanel. Then added a MTX 2150x, have them in both my cars(reliable, lots of power and cheap used), putting out 450 watts rms to 2 Memphis Audio PR 10's($190 new) in a Subthump Millhouse box. Sounds killer, and only thing left id the sail panel speakers. I added a swi-x for steering wheels controls to work and the typical install kit and wiring. I also bought some eDead for $1 a S.f and put it in a few areas of the car to help rattle etc..