Plan my I.C.E

[paddyyyyy]

Im new to all of this, but want to upgrade my car's audio. I own an 02 clio.

I dont really want to spend over £500 - £600 and would like to include a sub and possibly new door speakers.

Also planning on getting this head unit (included in the budget).

http://www.dynamicsounds.co.uk/alpi...built-bluetooth-hispeed-ipod-port-p-8516.html

Im no good at understanding matching power ratings or anything so any help/planning would be appreciated.

Kind regards

 

[matt|H]

Just a few tips.. For power you'll want to check the RMS ratings as this is the "real" power. Obviously the higher the better. You can run a sub and front components from one amp and then the rears from the headunit to keep it simple.

That headunit has 2 pre-outs which allows you to run 2 channels.. In your case that's front speakers and a sub. You could probably get a decent setup for under your budget.

caraudiodirect.com and caraudiosecurity.com are the better ones.

So, you'll want a set of components for the front, coaxials for the rear, 3/4 channel amplifier (2 channels for front left/front right and 1/2 for the sub) and (passive) subwoofer.

If you need more help you'll need to have a look at the sites and get some ideas on what you want to buy.. plenty of people that will tell you if it's compatible or not.

 

[ben24]

dont really look at the power of the headunit as the amp will be doing the work for you, alpines have always been good for power anyway , just look at things like : sub outs , pre out voltage , things like that really, u want a sub controller within the headunit as well so u can adjust the sub on its own with effecting the other speakers.

 

[paddyyyyy]

Starting with that head unit and a sub and then in the future upgrade the door speakers, I assume an active sub could be easily be run off that head unit aswell as the current speakers.

 

[matt|H]

Starting with that head unit and a sub and then in the future upgrade the door speakers, I assume an active sub could be easily be run off that head unit aswell as the current speakers.

The speakers will run off that headunit but putting any extra power into standard speakers will more than likely distort them. An active sub only requires a feed from the headunit and a power line too.

 

[paddyyyyy]

The speakers will run off that headunit but putting any extra power into standard speakers will more than likely distort them. An active sub only requires a feed from the headunit and a power line too.

So running an active Sub with that head unit i could upgrade the speakers, I assume that the headunit wont do much for a speaker upgrade though, so that would require an amp?

 

[Mitchell]

I am running uprated Alpine speakers off an Alpine headunit, and it sound much better than standard, so you will get better sound quality.
Most people would recommend amping the front speakers, which wouldn't be possible unless you get a separate amplifier

 

[paddyyyyy]

Hmm sounds good , Loving all the advice guys. Helping me get my head around all of this. Plus any suggested setups would be awesome

 

[Mitchell]

Well I am running Alpine ida-x100 headunit, Alpine component speakers up front, Apine coaxial speakers in the rear, theloudest.com amplifier powering Alpine type-R 12" subwoofer. I think all of that together cost me about £550. It still makes me smile when I turn it up

 

[paddyyyyy]

Did you fit all of that yourself?

 

[Struggler]

the speakers in the clio standard are from blaupunt, so theyre not bad,

also i would avoid 'theloudest.com' like the plague.

what are you looking for out of your system??

hard bass??
really really loud music??
amazing sound quality??
budget??

what kind of music are you into??

all these come into account when decieding your sound system.

 

[paddyyyyy]

Im looking for good bass and volume my budget is around £500 - £600
Mostly listening to bassy music D&B etc

 

[Struggler]

well id look at 0awg wiring, (because no matter how much u spend on bass, its never enough)

the jbl gto amps are really good value for money, 1201.1 is a great amp however jbl dont make the amp anymore, may be able to pick up a bargain on ebay.

how much boot space are you after??
because a twin 15 box will fit in the boot,
but obviously twin 12 or single of either will do.

from my experience alpine are good for quality, but not for accually loudness,

orion and RE sound abit out of your price range,

kicker make some very loud subs (L7) but you need to get a box to match theyre square subs.

alpine make very good headunits, so think your sound on that front, as long as it has sub sounds, LPF and HPF, and extra preouts for when you need to amp the speakers to keep up with your bass!

as for speakers, i wouldnt go for anything too pricey, i went thru tons of sets of components when i was into my bass. again i got jbl components, and im happy with them.

id defs go for components up front, with the clio speaker positioning,

 

[paddyyyyy]

Alright that sounds great i will def have a look into all of that many thanks

 

[MT AUDIO]

if your into your drum and bass id look at a 10 but if you listen to a lot of r & b then id suggest sticking with a 12"

other than that follow the info clio142 has given
if you need pricing on anything drop me a pm

 

[Struggler]

also, if you want to REALLY get the most of a sub,

each sub will have a specification that its built with in regards to box size,

build your own box to the correct size, instead of the prefab 'off the shelf' boxes.

 

[Mitchell]

There's nothing wrong with my amp! And yeah I fitted all of it myself, I've also fitted a False floor in the boot now and bolted everything down

 

[paddyyyyy]

Any recommend Subs? I would preffer a package as im not up for too much hassle of fabricating a box.

 

[paddyyyyy]

A vibe CBR10?

 

[wallop]

Interesting scenario....

£600 to spend & starting from scratch....

A few points to consider, (as yet not mentioned)....

1, No point fitting uprated audio unless your power supply is up to the job....

Most stock charge circuits will support approx 1kw rms without any issues, (thats normal use, not full tilt with stop start driving), but, approaching winter I would tend to treat 700w rms as a nice compromise....

2, No point fitting after market upgraded kit if no preparation is carried out beforehand....

You should deaden & seal the front door cavities to gain the most from your new uprated speakers....Deaden the boot area to curb rattles & give enhanced volume within the car....

3, No point even contemplating any of the above before you have actually gone out & listened to a few different cars....

I would recommend you try to visit a few local car audio outlets & simply hang about asking customers about their individual cars....I would guess most will gladly chat & give demonstrations of their set ups....This will greatly improve your general understanding of what you actually want from your car audio....

Have a read of THIS THREAD for some basic info which may help you....

It still stands true that the JBL range offer the best value for money....

 

[paddyyyyy]

That thread is of great help, thanks alot