I've been reading through the forums here all day, and find an absolute wealth of information. Unfortunately, I didn't quite get the match I was looking for, so I'm hoping that someone with a little more experience can help me out.
I've just purchased a 2003 Corolla, I already have a Kenwood KDC-X969 HU, and need to install it. That part seems simple. Order the Scosche TA2048, slap it in. Of course, I want a bit more. Like new speakers. And if I'm putting in new speakers, I maybe should amplify them more than the 22Wx4 RMS the Kenwood can put out. And if I'm putting in new speakers, probably I should think about nice component speakers.
My budget will stretch past $1000 if I need it to, but I hope not to go that far. I'd also rather not mod my car much. (Though if I had time, I think I'd use some butyl mats/paint in the doors.)
Oh yes. I have no need for heavy bass in most of my daily listening, but occasionally just about any sort of music or audiobook could be coming out of my car audio system.
Any good recommendations?
Any good installers near Livonia or Lansing Michigan? (Until the end of the year, I'm commuting 80 miles each way, every day. I've GOT to get the stock system out soon.)
if you are spending that much time in your vehicle, you are going to want your audio to sound good.
If you are going to go with components, definately get an amp for them
are you going to put a sub in the car?
if you already have the head unit, there are a lot of options with the budget you have... im sure some other guys will have some opinions on what brand to buy...ill leave that to them
i will say, I would go with a good set of components in the front and just keep the back speakers stock (assuming they arnt blown)
this will save you some money and you dont really hear the rear speakers anyway ...just my 2 cents
I'd still run a sub even though you aren't looking for heavy bass. A single 10" sub can make the system sound so much better, and it will take away some of the stress from the door speakers because they won't have to play the low frequencies.
That being said, it sounds like you might be best off with a single 5 channel amp.
That Audison 5 Channel amp is excellent. This is Audisons entry level line, but I'd place them higher than JL Slash series and ALOT of other stuff. Their Middle and Top of the line amps rank with the top names in amps.
For speakers first check your mounting depth from the inner door skin to the window when rolled down. Then add 5/8" for the baffle that you're going to need.
I can't really rec. anything until we have that info. If you don't want to cut your own MDF speaker adapter baffles, I can put you in contact with someone who can make you some(and a sub enclosure if you need). Figure about 40 bucks for both adapters.
For deadener, I rec. www.raamaudio.com and www.secondskinaudio.com I'm going to be using Raammat deadener mat, Ensolite closed cell foam, and Second Skin Audio Spectrum Sludge.
For a sub that will work nicely off 180 watts, and is good for SQ, check out the 10" Image Dynamics IDQ. You can put this sub in a very small sealed box and have nice bass response without using up too much room. About 100-140 bucks. Check www.sounddomain.com
This kit will work fine with that amp.
Streetwires 4ga blue/silver power kit. (Single amp) # 46209 18ft blue 4g, 5ft silver, 4g AGU fuse holder, 80 amp fuse, remote wire spool, & zip ties. -$35
He also has RCA's pretty cheap, I'd think the 12FT RCA's would be about the right length, not sure.
Is there an easy way to look up what the standard depths are for the 2003 Corolla? Or am I going to have to open up the door a first time before ordering some speakers?
Is there an easy way to look up what the standard depths are for the 2003 Corolla? Or am I going to have to open up the door a first time before ordering some speakers?
I posted the ? up at vvti.com. The OE speaker baffles on those cars are Riveted on IIRC, so you'd have to take the door panel off, then drill out the rivets, then measure. So hopefully someone will know.
To make a new baffle, once you have the old baffle off you should be able to just trace it and cut out a new one out of MDF.
If you don't want to do this, you can send your baffle to Marv and he can make you a new one.
I don't really see the drawback of the 5 channel amp. Okay. As long as I don't lose a lot of trunk space to a sub, I'll be happy. (I switched from a Tahoe to the Corolla, so I'm very into room for my luggage when I need it.) Hmmm. I hadn't thought about amp hiding. I do recall the owner's manual mentioning air flow under the seats for heating and cooling, but I don't suppose an amp would make that much of a difference. I will see how much room there is under the passenger seat, and poke around for more spaces to stash an amp.
I'll want an alarm system in the car, too, since I'm loading up with goodies in the car, now that I think about it. That's for another day, unless you can think of a good reason to jump on that at the same time.
Speaker depth - okay, from your thread at vvti, I went (back) to Crutchfield. And they only seem to think that 5-1/4" speakers fit the front. Best Buy (not that I'd buy from them on a bet) gives a 'fits your vehicle' for (for example) at 6-1/2", 1-5/8" depth. And other at BB gives a 'fits' for a woofer with 2-3/4" depth. Cardomain.com (aha, that's where I saw it!) shows some Kenwood (and other) 7" with a Top Mount Depth of 2.48". Argh!
I do remember seeing, from today's exploration of this site that the OE speakers are riveted, and I'm okay with drilling them out. Unless we can find someone who's already measured this car, it's looking like I might have to find time to pull the door panel and measure. Hopefully I can do that easily and soon.
I don't really see the drawback of the 5 channel amp. Okay. As long as I don't lose a lot of trunk space to a sub, I'll be happy. (I switched from a Tahoe to the Corolla, so I'm very into room for my luggage when I need it.) Hmmm. I hadn't thought about amp hiding. I do recall the owner's manual mentioning air flow under the seats for heating and cooling, but I don't suppose an amp would make that much of a difference. I will see how much room there is under the passenger seat, and poke around for more spaces to stash an amp.
Only drawback to using a 5 channel amp is the limited amount of power on the sub channel(in most cases) But for someone that just wants a little bit of bass, it's not a problem.
If you decide to mount the amp(s) under the front seats a 5 channel is probably out of the question due to the size of most 5 ch. amps.
Another option would be to make a amp rack out of MDF wood to fit on each side of the trunk, then use a 4 channel and a 2 channel amp. One on each side. Or just use one amp and mount it on one side of the trunk, and a single sub in a small sealed enclosure on the other side ofthe trunk. A fiberglass enclosure will save you a bunch of space too. But is kind of costly, and/or sort of difficult to do yourself.
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I'll want an alarm system in the car, too, since I'm loading up with goodies in the car, now that I think about it. That's for another day, unless you can think of a good reason to jump on that at the same time.
I can rec. the Viper 791XV, that's one of(if not THE) best alarm available.
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Speaker depth - okay, from your thread at vvti, I went (back) to Crutchfield. And they only seem to think that 5-1/4" speakers fit the front. Best Buy (not that I'd buy from them on a bet) gives a 'fits your vehicle' for (for example) at 6-1/2", 1-5/8" depth. And other at BB gives a 'fits' for a woofer with 2-3/4" depth. Cardomain.com (aha, that's where I saw it!) shows some Kenwood (and other) 7" with a Top Mount Depth of 2.48". Argh!
I do remember seeing, from today's exploration of this site that the OE speakers are riveted, and I'm okay with drilling them out. Unless we can find someone who's already measured this car, it's looking like I might have to find time to pull the door panel and measure. Hopefully I can do that easily and soon.
I think you might just have to do it yourself and check it out. If you are willing enough to take off the door panel and drill out the stock speakers I think you'd be fine with installing yoursel. You can save a bunch of money by doing everything yourself, and in most cases you'll do a better job than paying someone else to do it. Pride comes into factor here. I read alot of instances where people have to go back in there and fix what the installer did wrong, or just redo everything all together.
I'm sad that I missed buying that Audison amp - mostly because it looks real nice and shiny - it's hard to resist shiny. Assuming that cardomain and Scosche aren't completely screwy, there are 7" mounts in my door. (see: http://www.cardomain.com/item/SCOSAT6?vq_id=none) I had a busy weekend and didn't get to my car doors, so I'm hoping thats correct. Now I'm waiting until it's freezing outside to start the install...
I've been trying to talk myself out of the work of putting in the Raammat deadener(s), but I'm not doing very well - I'm thinking I need to do at least a minimum mat install to knock off some road noise. Will a single-layer without sludge or ensolite be very useful, do you think?
I'm also looking back at the thread here, and wondering if you have another recommendation for another 5-channel amp, or do you think tha the Audison line is still going to be around and high-enough quality to bother finding another one for sale?
Assuming also, that the specs for 7" door speakers with a 2.5" (cardomain speakers so far show up to 3.0" Top Mount Depth speakers as fitting - the Image Dynamics CXS6 4ohms) depth clearance are correct, what speakers would you recommend for the car? I assume I'll need to replace the stock 6x9s in the rear deck with a custom adapter for some 6.5" replacements, too.
Oh yes, back to the custom 10" sub enclosure that you mentioned - I'd be quite pleased if you knew someone that could make a custom fiberglass enclosure that would fit neatly in one side of my Corolla's trunk.
Last question I can think of - dropping back to the low-end of things - is there any advantage to Metra vs. Scosche kits and cables?
I'm sad that I missed buying that Audison amp - mostly because it looks real nice and shiny - it's hard to resist shiny. Assuming that cardomain and Scosche aren't completely screwy, there are 7" mounts in my door. (see: http://www.cardomain.com/item/SCOSAT6?vq_id=none) I had a busy weekend and didn't get to my car doors, so I'm hoping thats correct. Now I'm waiting until it's freezing outside to start the install...
That adapter will defintely work. If you were real nitpicky, an MDF baffle will be less prone to resonance, but for the most part that adapter should work ok.
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I've been trying to talk myself out of the work of putting in the Raammat deadener(s), but I'm not doing very well - I'm thinking I need to do at least a minimum mat install to knock off some road noise. Will a single-layer without sludge or ensolite be very useful, do you think?
The raammat itself is not really for blocking road noise as much as it is for giving your door speaker a more solid enclosure without any resonance. When the mid hit's strong midbass frequencies the door panels can somewhat flex, thus absorbing some of the output from the speaker. By deadening the inner and other door skins you are gettign a much more solid "enclosure" for the mids.
To cut down on road noise more effectively the ensolite foam helps. It also helps when it is placed behind the speaker to break up standing waves and helps "clean" up the sound. Hard to explain but it helps.
Sludge is just another form of a deadener, except in liquid format.
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I'm also looking back at the thread here, and wondering if you have another recommendation for another 5-channel amp, or do you think tha the Audison line is still going to be around and high-enough quality to bother finding another one for sale?
I can't find another one. What i would reccomend, and sometimes this is the best way to get a good deal, is join www.elitecaraudio.com and post up a WTB ad in the for sale forum. That forum is pretty much nothing but high end stuff and good people. For example, I posted this WTB ad and got alot of great replies. I found a nice set of mids that suit my application well. http://www.elitecaraudio.com/forums/...hreadid=119287
Post up a WTB: 5 Ch. Amp, 6.5" Components, and 10" sub and just wait it out a bit. You'll get some nice offers. Also search through the ECA for sale forum, most of the stuff is highend quality stuff for cheap.
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Assuming also, that the specs for 7" door speakers with a 2.5" (cardomain speakers so far show up to 3.0" Top Mount Depth speakers as fitting - the Image Dynamics CXS6 4ohms) depth clearance are correct, what speakers would you recommend for the car? I assume I'll need to replace the stock 6x9s in the rear deck with a custom adapter for some 6.5" replacements, too.
JL XR components are about 200 shipped off ebay and are pretty nice for the money, also check out the Alpine SPX-177R components(same price) and I also remember seeing a set of SPX177A(previous years model) on ebay for 125 plus shipping.
If you want something nicer(more $) . You can look into a set of Arc Audio ACS265 components that sell in the mid 300's. Those are great.
Oz Audio matric Elite components (email csuflyboy of ECA for price) DLS UR6 components are nice and have a shallow mounting depth(email Scott Buwalda of www.buwaldahybrids.com for price)
Do some searching on ECA and see what other people are running.
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Oh yes, back to the custom 10" sub enclosure that you mentioned - I'd be quite pleased if you knew someone that could make a custom fiberglass enclosure that would fit neatly in one side of my Corolla's trunk.
Last question I can think of - dropping back to the low-end of things - is there any advantage to Metra vs. Scosche kits and cables?
I don't know anyone that does fiberglass enclosures, but marv makes great wood enclosures. You'd probably have to go to a local high end shop to get FG work done.
Metra/Scosche, both good quality, pic which one looks best to you.
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Last edited by cam2Xrunner; 10-10-2005 at 03:03 PM.
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