Who can put me an audio package together?

CMCx2012 · Jul 26, 2015

Oh boy... I'm gonna be stuck with this half-assed OEM stereo for the rest of my life.

TyCorr · Jul 27, 2015

No, you wont. You are focusing on the pissing match, not the excellent advice you are getting.

Lay your budget out there. You might be upgrading one aspect for now. Id rather buy an smp and sub and enjoy my music than repkace it all and hate it.

CMCx2012 · Jul 27, 2015

Amen to that!

Blown262 · Jul 27, 2015

CMCx2012 said:
Thank you so much! Advice taken, and I will surely PM you once the order is in for last minute talk.

I am actively scouting reputable installers in the Long Island area that are both reliable and experienced to deal with said install.

It's been stated on this thread before, but install is more important than anything. This is an install of one 12w3v3 in a Buick and sound quality was key. You have to make sure the cabin doesn't flex. Flex is what gives you that muddy sound. The only thing I rarely deaden is the roof, and I adjust the crossovers with a slight gap between 90-110hz. The cabin resonance and slight roof flex will act as a passive radiator and make up that 20hz hole with minimal distortion. The next order of business for a proper sounding setup is a properly designed, built and tuned box. You can have a million dollar sub in a best buy off the shelf box, and it will sound like ass. You need to find a reputable box builder that can build a box to the proper dimensions for the sub based on the measured TS parameters of the sub. This will make or break the sound quality and can also bump up your total output from the sub without causing any unloading or clipping. Since you like rock music, you'll need a tighter response with a lower helmholtz tuning, which is usually a higher ratio of port volume to compression changer volume, or a sealed box (which I personally don't prefer, but that is just a preference). Car audio is a lot of fun, but is such a nightmare to do properly and usually costs a ton of money. Audiophiles are the hardest people to satisfy.

02bigstrokin · Jul 28, 2015

To the op, I wasn't trying to start a pissing match. Sorry. I evidently have nothing but idiots that live around my area that couldn't ever tell me things like unbroken knows or blown262. Ive been trying to get my stereo done for months and just chasing my ass from shop to shop. I would listen to these guys they obviously know heir chit.

CMCx2012 · Jul 28, 2015

Thank you for the continued posts and advice, guys.

I chose SuperCrewSound to build the sub box based around the plans to install a shallow 10" subwoofer. The box has been on standby with the owner of the company because I was not sure what subwoofer that I was choosing. Some of the concepts for this build are obviously a sealed box, and poly fill or whatever the little stuffing material is called, and these are recommendations on behalf of the builder.

I need to pull the trigger on all of the components, asap, but as of now the front door speakers are looking like Focal FLAX units, but then again those ARC's look like they fit the bill as well.

BLOWN is certainly right- this is hard when you are choosing a total stereo upgrade based on review boards and online reviews

Jomax · Jul 28, 2015

Is rockford fosgate any good?

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Jomax · Jul 28, 2015

CMCx2012 said:
Thank you for the continued posts and advice, guys.

I chose SuperCrewSound to build the sub box based around the plans to install a shallow 10" subwoofer. The box has been on standby with the owner of the company because I was not sure what subwoofer that I was choosing. Some of the concepts for this build are obviously a sealed box, and poly fill or whatever the little stuffing material is called, and these are recommendations on behalf of the builder.

I need to pull the trigger on all of the components, asap, but as of now the front door speakers are looking like Focal FLAX units, but then again those ARC's look like they fit the bill as well.

BLOWN is certainly right- this is hard when you are choosing a total stereo upgrade based on review boards and online reviews

I would PM Unbroken, ask him what he would do using the 2k you have, buy that system he recommends, and enjoy the best sound system you can get for 2k. My 2cents

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Blown262 · Jul 28, 2015

The benefit of a sealed box and polyfill, is the polyfill effectively increases the internal volume of the box the subwoofer "sees" thus allowing the sub to produce more low-end punch, without increases the dimensions of the box. Sealed boxes also allow for a slight bump in power handling, as you don't have to worry about unloading of the cone when stressed, but you do run the risk of overheating the voicecoil if you start clipping with excessive power.

CMCx2012 · Jul 28, 2015

UNBROKEN said:
Gonna run through this real quick so if I miss something just ask.

I'm not saying go buy the Arc Black kit....I'm saying Arc rebrands SB Acoustics drivers in their kits. Arc sells the kit for ~$800 bucks. The individual drivers from Madisound are about $75 each. It's a no brainer IF you were doing an active system which I assume you're not.
The Focal Flax is hands down better than the Hertz kit at virtually the same price....that would be my pick.
The Illusion Carbon C10 will beat the JL TW3 in every aspect....but at 3 times the cost. The JL will do...just don't expect to be blown away by it. This is a case of you get what you pay for.

The single most important part will be your install. No matter how much you spend on front speakers if you don't address the deficiencies in the front doors you'll be wasting your money. You absolutely have to dampen the doors but I'm sure you know that already. The next thing you absolutely have to do is fabricate some covers for the big holes in the doors. I use .050 aluminum sheet cut to size, deadened then screwed on. Your door speakers are in a quasi-infinite baffle configuration. If you leave big holes in the door you have a free-air configuration....and a big waste of money. In other words....seal the doors. LOL
Oh yea...while you're deadening the doors, slap some CLD inside the door panels too.
I know many will say use CCF and MLV also and there's pro's and con's to that. The fact is you're never gonna completely deaden one of these trucks. I've tried. I've spent thousands of dollars on dampening and noise suppression and it still sounded like a truck at highway speeds. Yes it was quieter but not dead quiet. You just can't fight that vertical windshield for wind noise. At most I'd add some 1/8" CCF to the inner door frame and call it done. Any more questions fire away...

So, in respect to all that contributed to this thread I am going to most likely get the Focal Flax 6.5's since I am not running any type of active system. I will rely on the supplied crossovers and I read very good things about the Flax line from Focal, even though the Hertz XL HSK and ML lines were rated high enough for my needs. I am sorry to have dragged this on for as long as I have, but when you spend money on your first REAL stereo upgrade I guess you just want to consider everything, lol. I certainly trust Unbroken and the members who posted here, for the record.

As far as the other components, I will most likely will just get the Illusion C10 if it is available as shallow. I like what I read about that piece and I do want to be blown away, but I would rather be completely blown away BY THE ENTIRE SYSTEM. I chose the box by SuperCrewSounds and I now have to finalize the order from them. I will no doubt pay for the sound proof as recommended. In a nutshell, I really love listening to music (obviously) and I would love to have the whole truck sounding just as good as it looks and runs!

Final quandary= I still don't know what amp to select (JL 900/5; HERTZ HDP; etc.) but I will narrow that down soon enough...

Blown262 · Jul 28, 2015

Jomax said:
Is rockford fosgate any good?

Rockford has a very diverse product line, and my answer is educated, but still subjective; the Prime line (R-line) are your entry level components, which is then broken up into sub-categories (R1, R2, R3). R1 is the Natty Light of the audio world; they are cheap, and do the job, but not well and don't last very long. The upside is, you can usually get a set of speakers for ~$50 and can afford to buy replacements every few months. The R2s are a step up, and the R2 line of subwoofers isn't too bad for what they are. My buses all have 4-12" R2s run at 250WRMS each in tuned ported enclosures and actually do a good job of shaking the air, but they are SEVERELY limited in their effective frequency response, and peak at around 60-70hz. The R3s are decent, but the cost factor for what you're getting doesn't add up at all.
The Punch series components are the ones you see everywhere. P1, P2, P3. P1s straight up suck, period. They cost about the same as the R2s, but don't last unless you undercut the power by about 30%. P2s are great and well rounded woofers and components that can handle a good amount of power, have a much flatter response curve and don't cost a ton of money. P3s are powerhouses that sacrifice the cost effectiveness and sound quality for overall output.
The Power Series (T1-T5) are just that. They are the best all around, with T5 components being some of the best sounding, readily available speakers I've heard in a long time. They are pricey though.

UNBROKEN · Jul 28, 2015

CMCx2012 said:
Final quandary= I still don't know what amp to select (JL 900/5; HERTZ HDP; etc.) but I will narrow that down soon enough...

I guess I missed it but my assumption is you're only running a front component set and a single sub?
If that's the case I'd be looking for a solid 4 channel amp. Run each front side off 2 channels and bridge the other 2 for some solid power for the sub.
I don't see a need for a 5 channel amp in your case unless you're adding something in the rear.

CMCx2012 · Jul 28, 2015

UNBROKEN said:
I guess I missed it but my assumption is you're only running a front component set and a single sub?
If that's the case I'd be looking for a solid 4 channel amp. Run each front side off 2 channels and bridge the other 2 for some solid power for the sub.
I don't see a need for a 5 channel amp in your case unless you're adding something in the rear.

I figured the crew door speakers out back didn't really matter much between the upgraded fronts and sub, but correct me if I am in fact wrong...

Blown262 · Jul 28, 2015

CMCx2012 said:
I figured the crew door speakers out back didn't really matter much between the upgraded fronts and sub, but correct me if I am in fact wrong...

Did you plan on running the factory rear speakers of the HU and the fronts off the amp? I would personally never do that. You will have a hard time mixing them properly and you'll have to adjust your pre-outs and amp gains and will throw quality out the window. Factory speakers are also oval, which is also not recommended for SQ. Always remember, sound is round. If you're going to take the effort to clean up the sound and do all this work, please replace the back speakers. You will regret it.

CMCx2012 · Jul 28, 2015

So, if I went with an upgrade in the crew doors, and a line-out conv because I DO plan to run the factory HU and controls, you are saying that I would then need the 5 channel also?

Blown262 · Jul 28, 2015

If you plan on retaining the factory HU, your best bet would be to run everything through a multiband EQ and keep the HU settings flat. Do you have the THX system? If so you already have amps and the HU is only for controlling the system.

CMCx2012 · Jul 28, 2015

I don't know if I have that system, but it is a fully loaded Lariat Ultimate with every option.

What EQ/LO would you recommend for all of that, and what brand amplifier for all?