UPDATE!!!!! NOW 4 18" FI BL'S RESPONDS N

[tripleb45 1]

I HAD A POST UP TO RUN 4 FI 18" BTL'S FULLY LOADED. WITH A LOT OF DISCUSSION AND DEBATE I MOVED DOWN TO THE BL SERIES. I HAVE ONE COMING ON THURSDAY AND I WANT TO KNOW HOW MANY BATTERIES DO I NEED. HOW MUCH POWER. WHAT KIND(S) OF ALTERNATOR(S) DO I NEED. WHERE DO I FIND A DIGITAL VOLT METER THAT IS IN THE SHAPE OF A SQUARE THAT HAS BLUE NUMBERS? WHERE SHOULD I PUT THE PORT IN THE BOX FOR ALL 4 SUBS. SHOULD I HAVE ONE OR MORE PORTS. STRAPPED AMPS OR NOT? EPICENTER OR NOT? EQ OR NOT? HOW MANY 6X9'S SHOULD I GET. HOW MUCH DYNOMAT, DAMPLIFIER, OR SOUND DEADENER. I STILL HAVE THE 1994 CHEVY SUBURBAN 4WD.WHAT KIND OF AMP SHOULD I PUT MY 6X9'S TO. AND I WANT THAT BUTTON THAT MEADE HAS. NOT JOCKIN HIM BUT THAT IS COOL. AND ANYTHING THAT I SHOULD KNOW AND UNDERSTAND.

[Juslivin 1]

CAPS RULES

[sound=vibration 34]

umm is this your first setup?

We need to know what it is going in and what are your goals with this setup.. spl gound pounder ect. there is alot we cant just say oh here this is what you need go get it

[ABXX49 20]

Did you read the newbie posting guides?

[Kanaworm$ 292]

[tripleb45 1]

I AM LOOKING TO BE A GROUND POUNDER, COMPETITION WINNER, WINDOW SHAKER, ALARM STARTING, JUST PLAIN LOUD FOR NO REASON TYPE OF TRUCK. I WANT BASS, MIDS, AND HIGHS TO BE LOUD AND CLEAR. WITH MORE BASS THAN ANYTHING. BUT MOSTLY I WANT TO WIN COMPETITIONS AND USE MY TRUCK ON A DAILY BASIS. SPL AND DAILY. THIS IS NOT MY FIRST SETUP. I HAVE HAD A COUPLE OF SETUPS BUT THIS IS MY FIRST SERIOUS BIG SETUP. I AM A NEWBIE BUT I AM NOT STUPID I KNOW SOME THINGS BUT I WANT OTHER OPINIONS. PLEASE NO DUMPING ON MY POST IF YOU HAVE NEGATIVITY HELP UPLIFT NOT BRING DOWN. I AM OPEN TO CRITICISM.

Edited May 12, 2009 by tripleb45

[seanbw 1]

WOW, AWESOME IDEA! YOU SHOULD TRY BOLDING ALL YOUR CAPSLOCK MAYHEM AND IT WILL BE EVEN MORE SUPER!!!!

[shizzzon 461]

YOU ARE GOING TO NEED ABOUT $18000!

IF U HAVE THAT MUCH MONEY TO BLOW, THEN I'LL CONTINUE.

ONLY IF U TURN THE CAPS OFF.

U KEEP THE CAPS ON AND NO ONE WILL HELP YOU.

[tripleb45 1]

Dude I know that it costs money but even the big timers in the sub game started out small. Why does everyone always start out their advice with $15,000-$25,000. I know that it costs money but let me start over and say everything that I said before and add I KNOW THAT IT COSTS MONEY TO GET WHAT I WANT SO I DON'T NEED THAT KIND OF ADVICE. No offense but that's like telling someone that they need air to breathe. I don't look to go from crawling to running so I look to spend well under those price ranges.

[bassahaulic 155]

Dude I know that it costs money but even the big timers in the sub game started out small. Why does everyone always start out their advice with $15,000-$25,000. I know that it costs money but let me start over and say everything that I said before and add I KNOW THAT IT COSTS MONEY TO GET WHAT I WANT SO I DON'T NEED THAT KIND OF ADVICE. No offense but that's like telling someone that they need air to breathe. I don't look to go from crawling to running so I look to spend well under those price ranges.

No one STARTS with 4 18"s.....

With that kind of bass you HAVE to spend that kind of money to back it.

[sound=vibration 34]

[tripleb45 1]

not saying that i am going to spend 40 00 but i am going 4 18 bl's fully loaded for $414.00 ea. so $414.00x4=1656 roughly so $1656.00+roughly $250.00(4) each for batteries+roughly $300.00 roughly for an alternator+about $300.00 for 6x9's+sound deadner roughly $300.00+installs roughly $500-1000 these are rough estimates and I have 2 amps they are Kole 5500's and I am running it and if I need to change up I will. I saw these things in action and they go pretty hard. This estimate is more around $4600.00 and I will throw in $1000.00 just to add more items and tax. so $5600.00 way less than $15,000-$25,000

[bassahaulic 155]

not saying that i am going to spend 40 00 but i am going 4 18 bl's fully loaded for $414.00 ea. so $414.00x4=1656 roughly so $1656.00+roughly $250.00(4) each for batteries+roughly $300.00 roughly for an alternator+about $300.00 for 6x9's+sound deadner roughly $300.00+installs roughly $500-1000 these are rough estimates and I have 2 amps they are Kole 5500's and I am running it and if I need to change up I will. I saw these things in action and they go pretty hard. This estimate is more around $4600.00 and I will throw in $1000.00 just to add more items and tax. so $5600.00 way less than $15,000-$25,000

Your going to need more deadner then you will ever believe......... bigger amps... more alts.... more batteries....

You "rough" estimates are WAY off

[efxtruck 0]

lol... I like the year of truck u have I got a 1991 Chev Ext. Cab truck. looking foward to see what you are going to do with this.

[tripleb45 1]

Well that's why i am asking for ADVICE for a beginner.

[seanbw 1]

you're going to need a couple gallons of wood glue and spray bed liner, a wheelbarrow full of glass and resin, and a plague of nails/screws to build that enclosure properly, not to mention the fork lift rental to get it in the truck.

[scottxgtr 9]

answers not in caps lock

I WANT TO KNOW HOW MANY BATTERIES DO I NEED. the question really is how many can you fit after you put in the box. go for 1 per sub if plan to actually power them well

HOW MUCH POWER. check the rms rating of the sub. you will want around that number for daily use. double for spl use

WHAT KIND(S) OF ALTERNATOR(S) DO I NEED. high output ones. find the current draw of your amps so you know what kind of load they will present. then find some high output alternators for your truck. a pair of 200a should be a good start, and chances are there is a kit for your truck available

WHERE DO I FIND A DIGITAL VOLT METER THAT IS IN THE SHAPE OF A SQUARE THAT HAS BLUE NUMBERS? check either stinger or tsunami

WHERE SHOULD I PUT THE PORT IN THE BOX FOR ALL 4 SUBS. where ever it fits. it depends on the design

SHOULD I HAVE ONE OR MORE PORTS. depends on the design

STRAPPED AMPS OR NOT? depends on the amps

EPICENTER OR NOT? id say no

EQ OR NOT? depends on if your head unit has a sufficient one or not.

HOW MANY 6X9'S SHOULD I GET. depends on how many you think you need. might want to look into 6.5" component sets instead. they sound better

HOW MUCH DYNOMAT, DAMPLIFIER, OR SOUND DEADENER. start with 200 sq ft

WHAT KIND OF AMP SHOULD I PUT MY 6X9'S TO. depends on how many. refer to the rms ratings again. then pick a manufacturer and go from there

AND I WANT THAT BUTTON THAT MEADE HAS. NOT JOCKIN HIM BUT THAT IS COOL. okay. not familiar with his magic button, but you can probably find the answer on his forums

AND ANYTHING THAT I SHOULD KNOW AND UNDERSTAND. read read read. search search search. learn learn learn. and while you are at it, a little internet etiquette would garner you more positive answers

[tripleb45 1]

Scottxgtr Thank you man some actual advice that I can use and what do you mean by internet etiquette?

[scottxgtr 9]

caps lock is a no no. its considered shouting on the internet and pisses people off. that and it is much harder to read than standard text.

also learn to search the forums. a lot of topics get covered often. so instead of starting a new topic to get an answer, search and find one. chances are youll find a lot of other questions answered in a previous thread. and this leads to learning a little more about everything.

and as stupid as this video is, its worth a watch

http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/posting

[mjmarovi 8]

the best alternator out there to actually push the amperage it says it will is Ohio generator, plan $500 dollars for that. BL's are probably a good move, BTL's are quite extreme and you would be looking at a lot more money then. I don't think you are dreadfully off in your estimates. I do SQ builds as well, so to me I plan for 6-800 dollars for deadening, but it really all depends on the vehicle and how much you are trying to get rid of. I mean when I do a db race run my car is silent on the outside (funny to watch in the lanes doing 147's at 35hz and no rattles on the outside) but most don't deaden as much as I do. I would say plan on 300 for deadener, that's two rolls from raamaudio which is some of the best stuff out there. That will cover most of what you need. so basically here's the rundown....I want to help you as much as possible, and hopefully someday here this system always a thrill to have someone get interested into big systems I don't want you to get discouraged, then car audio competitions would never grow!!

alternator- ~ 500

deadener- ~ 300

speakers- up to you, could get away with $400 dollars for enough speakers to get loud and clear, just depends on how much quality you want, but for 400 bucks you could bet a decent set of component speakers and then 2-3 sets of coax to back them up.

amps for mids/highs- ~400 dollars, again, the quality you want plays a factor in price, for 400 you can get some decent amps that will make the speakers scream, but don't plan on entering the SQ lanes. crunch amps are great for cost efficiency deliver the power they say (within 10% factory standards) and inexpensive.

sub amps- you are covered, I mean above posters are trying to downgrade the amps, because yes, they aren't sundown,fosgate, team cactus, or IA, or something like that, but hey you have them so try them out you can decide on your own whether or not to upgrade, hell upgrades are part of the fun down the road.

batts- personally I only buy kinetiks, I along with many others agree they are hands down the best batt out there they deliver the quickest, largest amount of power with the smallest amount of resistance to your electrical system. You would need about 6000 batt amps to back that system, so that's three hc2000, at 290 a piece, that's $870 for batts, and on top of that I would recommend throwing another kinetik w/e you can fit up under the hood. so most likely another 290 which would be well worth it, could just throw a hc1400 up there though for 190.

plan on about $500 for all the runs of 0 gauge and 0 gauge terminals to connect everything.

another $150 for fuse blocks

install materials, well bare essentials, (screws, mdf, glue) looking at $200 but I'm sure you don't want some big brown plain jane box in the back so plan on closer to $500 for materials for your box and amp-rack, etc.

not sure what you have for a head unit, but ~200 dollar range could get you something pretty nice with ipod and all that jazz to run your system, ~400 could get you a decent dvd deck, although I would recommend a larger investment for a nice eclipse or alpine if you do it.

basing most prices from onlinecarstereo.com since they seem to be most competitive, and I've spend like 10k with them myself so I know they are reliable.

dont' think I missed anything, total cost I got you at, not counting the woofers because NO chit WE ALL KNOW WHAT BL 18'S COST CAUSE WE ALL KNOW WHERE FICARAUDIO.COM IS?!?!

so after woofers...

$4010. I don't think that's too bad at all, I'm sure there will be some misc., as every install is unique and an EQ wouldn't be a bad idea to help your amps get a stronger signal, like an audiocontrol or something that can get 6-8v signal to them. it really does help. but that's where you misc. 1k comes from to make your install unique.

Hope this helps you, also would be glad to help with more detail and in depth discussion of the system feel free to PM or use this thread.

Matt (mjmarovi)

Team Sundown

[mjmarovi 8]

oh yeh, steve meade's button is nothing but a bass control knob, most amps come with them or have the option for one. if you go to comps you will see a few people cranking on them!!

[BigCProductions99 21]

Is It Me, Or Does This Guy/Kid Seem Like Another Amazed Meade Nuthugger?

No Offense.

[KU40 173]

Don't go around setting people's car alarms off. You'll get a brick through the window, or worse. Not to mention it makes you look like a jackass.

Do you know how to build a wall?

[shizzzon 461]

Well that's why i am asking for ADVICE for a beginner.

You gonna say that after i told u how much money to expect to spend?

Man, don't dog me like i came on u doggin.

I'm lettin u know how it is! Why? because there are others that post the same thing u did with very vague info "as if" they didnt know it wouldnt cost that much so when i give them a wakeup call, they get scared of reality and wise up and understand why it cost so much so lets start from the beginning.

4 18" BLs off of 2 Kole 5500s-

I'm gonna keep this straight forward so u can get some BIG help here.

2 Kole audio 5500ds- ~$ 620 shipped.

Terrible amp choice. It only has 150A worth of fusing AND does not accept 1/0 wire. That is unsafe practices and not wise for trying to keep voltage up during heavy current draw.

You can run a BL off of each one of these amps so expect about 800w going to each BL off of one of these amps.

The good side to this amp is since it doesn't output a lot of power, it will save on battery requirement.

4 18" BLs - Well, since you will be underpowering these subs, you need NO options so the total for all 4 is $1468 shipped.

So now we are at $2088(subs + amp)

Now lets look at the box. With 4 18s, u gonna need around 24cubes NET which is gonna be about 36cubes external.

So, estimate about 8 sheets of MDF because you are definitely gonna have to at least double up everywhere and triple or quad baffle the front.

8 sheets ~ $200

I would highly suggest in all-thread bracing, resin coating, steel supports inside, etc.. -~$350

So, now, your box is lookin to cost around $550 which isn't too bad.

Total so far- $2638

Now, let's look at your head unit. OF course this varies but if u are like me, gotta have the nice head unit to go with the nice setup.

Head unit\DVDplayer, etc- $1,200

Total so far - $3838.

Now, lets look at factory speaker replacements-

Before we begin, you must STOP. Why? Because, you want so much bass, there will not be any speaker set around that can keep up with it. So, you must have all new doors fiberglassed to hold multiple sets.

Fiberglass job for both doors- ~$3,000

Total so far - $6838

Now, lets say each door can hold 4 sets of components now, Yea!! now we have some good front stage to work with.

You spend approx $300 PER component set for an average set, nothing high end, that's ~$1,200 for your front stage.

total so far- 8038

Now, they need to be amped-

I would ONLY recommend Sundown 100.4s because they are a damn good amp with LOTS of x-over settings for speakers.

4 of these refurbed from DB-r would be ~$900

Total so far - 8938

Speaker wire, power\ground, rcas, multi fuse holders, battery terminals- ~$650 Why so much? because u gotta run a lot of cable for 6 amps and lots and lots of fusing.

Total so far- 9538

Sound deadening - Because your vehicle is a lot bigger than mine, i drive a Scion tC, you are gonna have to spend WAY more than i did to keep your vehicle deadened properly. I spent almost $700 so you are most definitely gonna have to invest close to around $900.

Total so far - 10,438

Alternator - You are gonna need either a single 250-300 or a dual 220 approx.

Cost is gonna range between $450-$1,200 depending on single or dual and custom brackets + install.

So, now your total is gonna vary-

Total so far- 10,898-11,638

Now we need batts. You are gonna need around 150aH of batt if u go with dual alt or around 300aH if u go with single alternator.

So, if u go with dual alt, 150aH (lets say 2 XS D2400s= 174aH) - that's $650. IF u go with single alt, you would need 3 D3100s. That's gonna be $1,200

total so far- 12,098- 12,288

So lets recap- we got the head unit, front stage doors and speakers, box, all your subs, all your amps and batts and alternator(s). What's left?

The weight of the vehicle!

this is gonna be WAY too heavy for safe operation.

You need Air Ride-

Average cost of bagging all 4 wheels + installation = $3,500

Electronic leveling control with remote adjustability = $2,000

Plus, you will need a VERY nice security system if you are wise. My security system on my car cost $1,600.

So, lets put mine on your ride,

total so far + basic air ride and security system- 18,198-19,378.

Now you are basically done. the only thing left, contact your insurance provider and have everything you want insured. Your insurance will definitely spike.

So, what's my total that i came up for you?

$18,198 - $19,378.

And not all of this is new, some is refurbed pricing.

Dont skimp out on savin money on the whole front stage gig or no air ride because all u gonna end up havin is a crappy all bass and no music install and a vehicle that is about to slam down from extreme weight fatigue.

I'd go by what i've seen bigjon said plenty of times on here. Gotta pay the cost to be the boss.

I spent over $7,000 on just 2 12s, batts, alt, head unit, deadening, security, amps, etc....

Now, since u made me spill the beans, that is why i told you how much it would cost.

Was i lying? YES, cuz i said 18,000, it's actually gonna be more,

[SpeakerBoy 64]

Lotsa cash