Is there a head unit out now that I could hook my MP3 player directly in via some sort of "line in"?? From the headphone jack into the deck? I'd like to do this as my 300 dollar Creative mp3 player is worth a lot less than the countless thousands of dollars of cd's I'm toting aorund now : \. Does anyone have this kind of a set up? Thanks.

And a newbie question: How much wattage do you think I need. I'm just a casual listener pretty much. This is my daily driver I'd just like an overall clearer sound Q and hit a bit harder than stock. I want to feel the bass and hear the mid's and high's clearly with the bass. I do not want to be competition ready so I don't need it to go loud to the point my ear drums would bust. Also on subs I think it matter's what music you listen too? I don't listen to any rap unless you count RageAgainstTheMachine. Mostly metal, prog metal, blues and pretty much all rock. So would 500 watts be enough for subs? And what wattage with the front speakers should be paired with the sub watt? I'm talking amps here, just incase that was getting weird for anyone. Also how do you have your componets set up in your cav doors..... I'm also interested in other places to mount if a clearer sound is givven.

Overall I want good SQ, but be able to feel the bass. Thanks guys.

In terms of connecting the player to your unit, lots of head units have auxiliary RCA in's, and you can go buy a RCA-> headphones adapter from radioshack for a few bucks. Just find a nifty place to keep the player, and snake the wire out somewhere, and you're all set. As for the subs, you can make just about any non-bottom-of-the-line sub hit pretty hard if you have it in the right enclosure, position it right, and power it right. My friend's 200 watt MTX can make my rear view mirror dance if he turns it up when we're parked next to eachother.


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Hell hath no fury like a pissed off balloon animal.

"Sup, G?"
"Aren't you white?"
"Only on the outside, craka."

From my understanding (thanks to sndsgood) for daily drivers you want approximately 2.5 times more power to your subs than to your front speakers to accommodate for road noise. Example: sub at ~250 watts RMS and front speakers (I'd suggest components since you say you want to hear the mid's and high's clearly over the bass) run ~75 or so watts RMS to those.

At the moment I've got 250 wRMS and .. 19 or so wRMS to the components, sounds great but I know it'll sound a ton better once I get them amped.

For subs I'd suggest a 10, maybe a 12. with a proper amp to power it. Since you listen to mostly rock a good component set amped would be a great idea, since those genre's have a lot of midbass and treble.

I think most people will say the best place to mount components is some kick panels. Pre-made ones are available though they are expensive at $100 bucks or so. I've got mine mounted in my door. I made a bracket out of 3/4 in wood and put em in the stock speaker spot. There are instructions on how to make the bracket all over the .org just search for "6.5"

Thanks guys. I wonder if I can make a mold for my mp3 player, and put the connector in the mold. I'll start working on that.

So what are some subs more geared towards SQ? Thats my main concern, I've done my share of recording for bands and I hate muddy sounding music.

Are there any good sounding subs that I can get for around 200-250 for the pair. And what brands are suggested for SQ on subs AND components.

Also on amps, I'm a newb on car amps. But I deffinantly know my guitar amps. But in car audio do the amps have a real determining factor in your SQ or is it just loudness? I mean, because in guitar amps none sound alike, and they ARE the reason you sound how you do.

Should I only use speakers in the front, or what's your opinoin on rear fill?

And should I get two amps, one a/b for the front and a D for the subs. Or should I just stick with one 4 channel amp?

I'm sorry, I'll quite unknowlageable in this field. I want it to be loud... but not overbearingly so and most important is SQ.

I've noticed that infinity, Polk, and Alpine are good for sq.


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Hell hath no fury like a pissed off balloon animal.

"Sup, G?"
"Aren't you white?"
"Only on the outside, craka."

Thanks. Would 2 10's be ideal for my situation, or would 2 12's be more desierable? I'm probably only going to run 4-500 watts RMS.

As far as I know.. audio amps are NOT like guitar amps.. like you said in guitar amps, each one has a distinct sound. Audio amps just give more power, letting you go louder with less speaker distortion.

For SQ setups, Bloodspiller pretty much named the same list I would have, giving your approximate price range. If you wanted to really go all out, I'd suggest Focals, or MB Quarts. I've heard a set of Focal 6.5 components and they were the best speakers I've heard.. ever.
As long as you stay away from the bottom of the line of any respectable brand you should be fine.

For subs, 10's will get as loud, if not louder than 12's, but won't have the same low end response. Also any reason you want to do 2 subs? I've heard single sub setups that are definitely louder than some other 2 sub setups. If you go with 2 subs you may have to run 2 separate amps, since a 4 channel amp probably won't have the power to supply to 2 subs fully. But if you decide to go with a one sub setup, I'd suggest a 4 channel amp. Amp your components and bridge the 3 and 4 channels to your sub. If you want rear fill then run those off your headunit's power. It's also a matter of how much wiring you want to do. 2 amps is a little more wiring than 1 amp.

Rear fill is personal opinion. In my car I, when I did have rear speakers, I couldn't hear them anyway, and now that they're gone I don't even miss them. Since you want to run a sub, you prolly won't be able to hear the rear fill over the bass anyway. Plus if you just happen to listen something really bass-y, you might blow the rear speakers due to pressure. When I put my 15 in the trunk, it destroyed my 6x9's lol.

Once you decide what you want to do, best thing is to get out to the audio shops (a real audio shop, Best Buy, Circuit City will rip you off) and audition some components and subs.

Actually, "real" audio shops have a tendency to rip people off just as much or more because they are reputed to know more than retail stores. Not to say that retails are better, but lots of small shops aren't all they're made up to be, and not all retail people are clueless or opportunists. He is right, though, go to a shop, be it small or large, and just listen to the speakers. Have the sales guy put on some music like you listen to, and find what you like.
Another thing, I reccommend going with a mono sub amp. It's actually sometimes cheaper to get a mono for subs, and a 2ch for components, but is your choice.
He was also right about the number of subs. I have a single 10" reference Infinity, and I can hit just as hard as a guy with dual 12" Audiobahns. Granted, he is a hair underpowered, and Audiobahns are notorious for not performing well even a little underpowered. The key to good bass is a good enclosure, built to spec, and sealed well, and having a good amp to power your sub. Go with a well known brand on the amp. You'll be happy you did.


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Hell hath no fury like a pissed off balloon animal.

"Sup, G?"
"Aren't you white?"
"Only on the outside, craka."

Sorry should have noted that "in my experience" the audio shops really do know a lot more than the boys at Best Buy. The people at my local Best Buy literally don't know jack, and when I ask a moderate question about something in the audio section, they just kind of look at me and walk off. Your best bet is to probably visit all/most of the local shops and see what they can do for you. I've only found two shops that actually know what they're doing, but then again I live in a pretty small town.

Bloodspiller's last post made me think of something else. You'll probably want to go with a sealed enclosure. Sealed will help provide that tight bass that is heard in rock music. Also, build your own box, pre-fabbed usually aren't built to the spec's your sub requires. The sub should come with some instructions etc on how to build an enclosure for that particular sub. Nothing sucks worse than dropping all the cash on a nice setup, only to have it suck because you built the box too big or small, or didn't seal it up correctly. Oh and don't forget about some quality wiring

That's the thing about small shops, they are all different. I did come down a little more on that post than I meant to, so my apologies. Its just that here in Arlington TX, the small shops will bullsh*t you to no end. Our best buy is like asking chimps about the theory of relativity, but at CC, the sales guys actually do know a lot about what they're talking about. We do have the good shops, like Mobile Sound, and we have the bad shops, like DF Car Toyz. I almost sh*t in a bucket just so I could throw it at them once I saw some of thier "quality work."


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Hell hath no fury like a pissed off balloon animal.

"Sup, G?"
"Aren't you white?"
"Only on the outside, craka."

Actually no I'm not totally set on 2 subs. One sounds fine, 12 inch most likely. and Is MDF good for a speaker enclouser? My guitar cabnit I built with 13 ply birch....and that was pretty expensive. But that was mostly because MDF would prettymuch desinegrate in any amount of water, and my amp and cabs go through rain about every week unloading from the truck.

Or would fiberglass sound better? How are the cost comparisons? I'm going to experiment over the weekend with making a fiberglass mold for holding my MP3 player in my car : ). And if I fiberglass my dash I'm going to have a friend of mine do some pretty neat custom artwork on it.

Sanyo makes a head unit with an AUX in right on the face plate, no wires to run to the back of the Head Unit, you might wanna check it out

As far as I know, MDF has slightly better acoustics, but obviously fiberglas can be fit into more unique spots.


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Hell hath no fury like a pissed off balloon animal.

"Sup, G?"
"Aren't you white?"
"Only on the outside, craka."

From what I understand, 3/4 inch MDF is best. Fiberglass can do some pretty cool waves and angles that would be near impossible to do with wood. I think I read somewhere that 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch thick fiberglass is about as strong as 3/4 in MDF.

If you go with mdf, it shouldn't be getting wet anyway in your trunk, so your safe there. Around here, MDF is about 23 bucks a sheet, a 4 foot by 8 foot sheet. One or two of those should be enough along with some silicone and wood screws. For fiberglass I read an estimate of about 50 bucks for enough material, so it really depends on how much work you wanna do..

Aiwa also makes receiver's with a front input I think.. I don't like Sanyo..

lots of decks come with faceplate inputs. Just look around.


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Hell hath no fury like a pissed off balloon animal.

"Sup, G?"
"Aren't you white?"
"Only on the outside, craka."