Killer sound systems

[Lynx]

hi guys, the purpose of this thread is for possibly helping

each other with the upgrade of the stereo systems in the

rados and any other chevy one might wish to improve. there

are those that aare happy with their system, but for those

wishing to improve on their system, hopefully we can share

our ideas here. thanks to those who participate, and here's

one of my tips that will help those who are interested in

achieving top performance out of a sound system should you

decide to get into it.

 

anyone that has installed an amp that will power the front

and rear speakers knows that quality speakers are a must.

the fronts for sure need upgrading, but rear fill will

definately add to the sound stage if the right speakers are

installed. to feed the speakers, a quality speaker wire is

a must, and anyone that knows about quality sound systems

will tell you that factory wire is like adding resistance

to power delivery, especially if you are trying to feed the

speaker 50 or more watts. the wire runs through a grommet,

for both front and rear door, and can be a bear to feed the

new wire through. the trick is to solder the new wire (i

use 12awg) to the factory wire, and then pull the new wire

through the grommet by using the factory wire as a guide.

takes all the hassle out of it, and with the new wire, you

can get the most out of your system.

[XSaNiTy]

ok ill be the first to go.  I installed (myself) a complete sound system in my truck for $1000 total.  i know that sounds like a lot but if you know quality sound systems that is pretty cheap.  anyway, i started by putting in the new headunit- JVC kd-sx770.  i drove with that for awhile and then did the rest all at once. i took out the back seat and mounted a 5 channel Jensen amp on the back wall.  i ripped out all the factory wiring also, and replaced it all with Monster speaker wire and Monster RCA's from the headunit to the amp.  I installed Blaupunkt Overdrive 6.5" components in the front doors and matching 4x6's in the rear.  all 4 doors are getting 50 watts RMS.  I then put in a MTX thunderform custom-fit box under the rear seat with a MTX 6000 10" sub getting 200 watts.  oh man i love this system.  although it took me a whole summer of working to afford it, it was worth every penny.  Id be happy to give advice to anyone here who wanted it.  

 

Lynx, tell us your setup!!!

[RyanbabZ71]

This spring I think ill probably replace all 4 speakers.  Mine are getting crackly.  

 

Lynx when you go up to michigan this summer care to stop in and give me a hand?  

 

I hate dealing with electronic stuff.  

 

Im looking at just replacing the 4 speakers and thats it.  

 

[chevy4x4trucks]

I'm looking to do the same thing ryan, hopefully I'll have some money next summer after I do the lift kit.

[RyanbabZ71]

only thing i am worried about is ripping apart the door panels

 

Maybe this will be a spring break project for me?  (march)

[chevy4x4trucks]

When I go there to meet you at the dunes we should both do it.  A few buddies of mine will probably go w/ me and one of them is the electronic guru so I was planning on having him help me w/ mine when the time comes.

[Smitty00Z71]

My advice is don't buy a amp to run the front and rear speakers. Insted, invest the money in a new head unit.Most new head units today are 50+x4 watts. This is more then enough power. I have a older 35x4 to run my front and rear spearkers, this have proved to be enough power. The factory Delco head unit is probably around 30-40 x 4.

 

I have the following.

 

: JL Stelathbox for Silverado w/W3 12" sub

: Kenwood baby EQ in center console slot

: Phoneix Gold 75x2 - running sub only

: Pioneer 6 1/2 and 4x6 to replace factroy speakers

: Pioneer Premeir 35x4 head unit w/ steering wheel remote

 

total - around $1,600.00

[LarryE]

I have about $5000 worth in my toyota, and $3000 in the silverado..

 

I could give a rats butt about sound quality,  I only compete in the db drags  so with me it's the most and deepest bass I can pull.

[Lynx]

XSaNiTy- the problem for me was trial and error, as i was

intent on keeping the Delco.....wrong. started out with a

sony 5 channel amp to power the front and rear and 1

sub...that's where the Delco falls apart. too much bass at

the low end, and not enough at the top.

 

what i ended up with was,

 

Kenwood eXcelon KDC-X915 hu (no internal amp)

Kenwood eXcelon X-85 disc changer

Alpine MRD-752 5 channel amp (T class)

Polk 6.5 Momo's  (components w/silk tweets)

Polk 4x6 rear  (great rear fill for sound stage)

JL W3's  subs (the howitzer of subs)

Monster Cable RCA's

Monster 1f cap

4awg power

12awg stinger (speaker wire)

Dynamatt Extreme (3 layers floor, doors, back wall, and

firewall)

 

did the wife leave me?......no but she reminds me of the

project from time to time....LOL

i only wanted to spend 800-900 bones but you know how it is

when you go into a stereo shop.

i also did a lot of talking to people in person and on the

net. one thing i learned about HU's is that you get what

you pay for. although there is no difference in sound to

the human ear between the kenwood X815 and the X915, the

815 has an internal amp. but being anal like i am, i just

had to have the 915. another misconception that people run

into alot is that when they see 50x4, they think they are

getting 50 watts through each channel. wrong.....you are

seeing what the HU puts out at PEAK. which means each

channel is actually 12.5 watts (peak). more than likely the

HU only puts out 5-7 watts per channel. thats not enough to

make a difference from using the stock speakers. if going

to some quality components is your thing, then most likely

you'll want an amp to really hear the difference that you

are paying for. there is an article that explains the real

power for a hu that's rated 50x4, or more commonly 35x4.

 

while i believe i blew way too much for a stereo, i do

thoroughly enjoy this system. the amp peaks at around 1,100

or so watts, and even though i never have needed to max it,

it delivers sounds that i never heard before on most of my

discs.

[XSaNiTy]

Wow man im jelous.  i love that set up.  I know the Momo's are amazing components.  you made a great point about the amp ratings.  many people believe that their headunit is pushing 50 watts per channel, heck mine is rated at 45x4, but it really only pushed 17 RMS per channel.

 

I hear ya on trial and error.  when i started out i was intent on just dropping some subs back there like all the people at my school and leaving everything else stock.  obviously that plan never panned out. anyway, i love your system and just wish i had that money to dump into mine.  something id love to do is soundproof my truck with some nice dynamat.  how were your results from that? how much did it run total?  i didnt have the money to spend on dynamat back when i put my system in.  id like to be able to not take out the front seats and still do it, but i doubt thats gonna work well.

[Lynx]

trust me, i burned some midnight oil to get the system i

wanted.

the Dynamatt made the biggest difference, not only for the

imaging, but made the truck so friggin quiet, you'd think

you were in a beemer...LOL

the first layer change the sound stage a lot, then i got

serious and did two more layers, and that's where the whole

system came alive. the bass has way more kick than without

it. funny thing is how people could hear my music before

the sound matt, and after you could swear the volume was

cut in half when standing outside the truck.

i think i spent around 500 on the Dynamatt, but my friend

in Hawaii did his and saved a bunch by buying it on ebay.

if you want some info from him, let me know and i'll email

you his address...

[RyanbabZ71]

Hey Lynx how come our Hawaiian Buddy hasnt signed up here?

[Lynx]

i think he's busy towing tndras to the wrecking yards with

that new tow company he bought. either that, or he's busy

beatin up on the kids playing Quake3.

have you told Dean about this site?

all the members here are cool eh?

[RyanbabZ71]

yea i have posted it on edmunds

 

Ill have to shoot him an email today

 

Now all we gotta do is get tim over here.  Maybe if i register him?

 

haha

[ltemtmike]

OK, So far in my Avalanche 2500:

Head Unit: JVC KD-SH99 MP3

Sub: Image Dynamics IDQ 10" in custom box in center console

Front comps: Not Decided yet

    choices: Dynaudio

                Focal

                CDT Audio

                Rainbow

not necessarily in that order...

 

Amp for comps:...still deciding that too...

 

btw, SoundGate makes an interface for OnStar very easy to hook up and works well...cost $99