simons81

I'm going to try to go back to the store that installed them since they did a far worse job than I had anticipated I myself would do. I ran 16/4 conductor wire the the doors so that the crossover could be kept in the car. Additionally, they pretty much screwed the speaker into the actual metal of the door, lost a bunch of screws and plastic clips, and managed to somehow keep the covers of both of my crossovers. Talk about a lame install. Hopefully they will refund my money, though I highly doubt it. I'll just reinstall the chit myself. When I called them over the phone though, they told me they had spacers and their techs go to school to perform seemless installed and will make sure it's covered from water. Instead, a hack job with no concern for water. Bleh, what a waste of dough, lol. I made a temporary duct tape shield that will allow the water to drip down away from the speaker until I find a better solution.

Hey, I'm looking for a bit of advice. I bought some 6.5" Focal component speakers for my 99 Civic LX which has 6.5" stock speakers. The problem is that the Focals appear to be a hair larger than they specified... The diameter of the speaker is a good 1-2mm wider than claimed, which means I'm forced to do some modification. I would probably just huck them on eBay, except a) I really like their sound, and b) I already drilled / installed the tweeters on my door panel. So I'm left with a tricky situation. I'm debating whether or not I should be cutting the metal ring around the speaker, or the plastic on my door. They both have pros and cons and while I'm slightly handy, I'm not very experienced with cutting plastic or metal. If I dremel the plastic opening on the door, while I only need an extra hair of clearance, it looks like I might damage the structure of the plastic housing. I only need an extra millimeter or two, but that's about all it'll take to make the speaker housing sorta weakened. On the flipside, I wouldn't have the slightest clue on filing down the metal ring of the speaker... not very experienced with shaving metal, especially on something fragile like a speaker. Anyone have any advice on which avenue I should proceed, and which tools I'd want to use? Would you do slight modifications to both? After spending my entire weekend on this, as well as lots of hard earned moola, I'm just a little freaked out, lol. Thanks

Gosh, filled with help here. I was going to post pictures last night but I took measurements and the speaker would not POSSIBLY fit. The metal on the door literally had to be cut to get the speakers in, so no amount of advice would have helped anyways. Believe me, I did not want to pay an arm and a leg to get a hack job done. So, now, hopefully that doesn't make me look like as much of a dumbass, as I haven't the tools to even cut the metal frame of my door anyways. What I'd really like to know is if the speaker claims to be marine-rated, how concerned do I need to be about water? Can anyone answer that? Not looking for 1337 forum users to tell me that I fudgeed up, just looking to protect my investment. Please and thanks.

Thanks, that helps a lot at this point. Anyone have any comments about whether I should leave it configured as it currently is?

Ok, so I'm feeling particularly stupid right now. I borrowed a dremel from my work and started sawing and shaving the driver side door panel and still couldn't get this thing in. I had a feeling I was going to break something and weighed out the cost of having to buy new door panels vs. just getting them installed. I called the local chain car stereo store and they told me it'd be $60 over the phone. I just wanted my damn door panels back on... between rattling and non-functionality, I was prepared to just pay to have it put in. They said they have spacers and all kinds of tricks so I said what the hell. I drove in with my door panels and my speakers. They told me instead it'd be $135 and that normally component installs are $180 but since I already installed the tweeters, they'd cut me a break. My break turned out to be more than they said over the phone, but whatever. I paid it. They said it'd be quick. I waltzed around the store for a little over 3 hours. I couldn't leave because it began dumping rain. Anyways, so I'm sitting here at lunch and I notice that the factory grill wasn't completely pushed in. I got a little curious and decided to take apart one door just to see how much rain has entered, and if the crossover and woofer were at risk. Besides, I figured the dremeling is all done, I could easily put it back together. Here's a pic or two: As you can see, they left the cover off the crossover, I believe to make this thing fit. I'm not sure if this is a stupid idea, as the cover may help keep water out? I'm unsure. As for the speaker woofer itself, definitely exposed to rain. I pulled the cone out and it was a little damp. That said, the woofer is marine rated aparently, though I have no clue if that means I should still do my best to protect it from the elements. At this point I'm feeling like a major jakcalope, having spent a good chunk of change for something that I originally thought I could do on my own, instead to get it installed by someone else in a way that just doesn't seem very... long-term. Can anyone give some advice? Should I worry about the woofer if it's marine-rated? The speakers are Focal 165A1 if that helps. Should I try to get that crossover cover on and protect it with duct tape or something? Sorry the pics are so crappy, cell phone pics.. Keep in mind, when the woofer is installed, it either directly contacts the metal rail for the window, or comes a molecule away...

Hi there. I'm trying to figure out the safest, most cost-effective way to wire two amps, particularly, the remote-turn-on wires. I have seen a lot of stuff saying just wire both wires to the H-U remote turn on, while others say it can burn out the H-U. I'll be using 2 300w RMS amps if it makes any difference...

Cool, thanks guys. And just to make sure, I run the remote turn on wire on the same side as m power wire right?

Hi there, curious about connecting a mono amp / 2x10" subwoofer setup. My subwoofer setup is pretty cheap, I know, but I just wanna make sure I do it right. The subs are Pioneer TS-W251R 10" 4 Ohm: Output Power (4 Ohm, <=1% THD) 60 Watts x 2 Output Power (4 Ohm Bridged, <=1% THD) 150 Watts x 1 Output Power (2 Ohm, <=1% THD) 75 Watts x 2 The amp is Infinity Reference 1300a: 200 watts RMS x 1 at 4 ohms (300 watts RMS at 2 ohms) So obviously, I have two pairs of subwoofer terminals in the back of my enclosure, and I have two pairs of terminals on the amp itself. Should I just plug subwoofer 1 into speaker terminal 1 on the amp, and subwoofer 2 into terminal 2 on the amp, or would you guys do something fancy to get the most out of the sub? Another question, what gauge wire should I be using inside of the subwoofer box from the sub to the actual terminal on the box? Is 16 gauge fine for the amount of power I'm running?

If it makes no difference, maybe I'll just wire each sub to its own terminal. If I do this, can I blow the sub with the amplifier I mentioned? I'll be running the bass control up to the dash, but I wanna know what it's limits are so I don't blow the thing. Also, should I just be using 16 gauge wire from the sub to the amp? I've got a 4 gauge power kit that'll run to the battery, but I'm just curious what gauge I should use from the actual amp to the subwoofers...

Hi, I have cheaper stuff than most of you guys wipe your butt with. Anyways, I have a 2x10" sub with Pioneer speakers that say they handle 50-120w RMS (I know I know, don't laugh) and a 2-channel Pioneer GM-3300t amp that claims the following: Output Power (4 Ohm, <=1% THD) 60 Watts x 2 Output Power (4 Ohm Bridged, <=1% THD) 150 Watts x 1 Output Power (2 Ohm, <=1% THD) 75 Watts x 2 Now, since I am buying a pair of front component speakers, I wanted to hook them up to an amp. The question is whether or not I should use my current amp for the component speakers, or keep the cheapo amp with the sub and buy a new amp for the component speakers. BTW, the subwoofer enclosure is sealed as I listen to mostly rock / metal / hardcore stuff... Any pointers would be really swell...

Thanks M5. I have a feeling it'd be a decent match for my low/mid-end system. No point in dipping outside of my pricepoint I guess.

Can anyone tell me if this particular model would just be complete garbage to run my 2x10" sub with? http://www.crutchfield.com/p_108R1300A/Inf...00a.html?tp=115

Cool, very helpful, I appreciate it greatly! You think I'd need 1200w out of the Kenwood amp or is that just for an upgrade path? That seems like it'd majorly rock my alternator, lol. Another question, you have any advice on a wiring kit? Are most people doing 8 gauge?

eh, low budget, i'm already looking to buy component fronts and some 6x9s so i don't wanna spend more than i gotta. i would say the system i'm building is low/mid grade.... any recommendations?

if i do a new amp, what kinda amp? 1 channel or 2 channel? do most run 2 subs in stereo?

The subs are Pioneer TS-W251R 10" 4 Ohm... it says no dual voice coil, I'm not sure if that's what you're asking.... these are the specs: Size 10 -inch Impedance 4 ohms Cone Material IMPP Surround Material Urethane Sealed Box Volume (cubic feet) 0.7 - 1.3 Ported Box Volume (cubic feet) 0.9 - 1.55 Port diameter (inches) 3 Port length (inches) 6 Free-Air No Dual Voice Coil No Sensitivity 90 dB at 1 volt Frequency Response 20 - 4500 Hz RMS Power Range (Watts) 50-120 Peak Power Handling (Watts) 600

I'm new to this forum and it's probably obvious, as I may be posting this in the wrong section. Anyways, I'm looking to get some component speakers for my 99 Honda Civic LX. I'm sorta on a budget so I'm just replacing the stock front door speakers for now. I was thinking about getting a pair of Infinity Reference 6020cs as they have great reviews on Crutchfield. However, someone in another forum told me that I could get better for the same amount of money, and to perhaps direct my inquiry here. Does anyone have any advice? I plan to use this with a Clarion DXZ585USB CD receiver without any type of amp for the time being... Any advice would be great. I'm super poor and just want to get bang for my buck. If it matters, I have a cheap set of Pioneer 2x10" subs in a single sealed box in the trunk with a weak 150w amp powering them, and also plan on replacing the rear stock 6x9 speakers down the road... Thanks for any advice...

I went and checked out a few pairs at a store yesterday. The showroom probably doesn't sound like what the car will actually sound like, I'm sure. That said, I wasn't impressed at all with the Alpine Type S. I much preferred the Infinity 6050cs (I think that was the model) over them, and a pair of Focal 165A1 over the Infinitys, which was surprising since the Focals had an aluminum tweeter. Anywho, gonna go to Frys and check out some Polk Audio speakers and any other component I haven't heard yet. I also plan on buying the dynamat door kit and doing my doors up. Anyways, thanks for all the feedback folks. I'll post the results if anyone cares (I know, cheapo setup compared to what most of you guys have but whatever).

Ok, last question for real this time... Can anyone here tell me their thoughts on these speakers? http://www.crutchfield.com/p_107DB6501/Pol...&tab=review They are $100 on ebay and per reviews on Crutchfield, seem like a good starting point, yes?

I guess case in point, the Alpines for $130 on Crutchfield are only $80 with free shipping on eBay...

LOL, I'm liking this forum more and more. While I'm certainly confused as hell at this point, there's a lot of character here, haha. I always fear buying used speakers because of how fragile they are, where they've been, what kinda juice has been pumped through them, if they've been rained on. Shiznit.... I work for a custom A/V company that specializes in home theater and house audio and I know our speakers are often heavily marked up. I'm guessing it's the same thing at Crutchfield. I wonder if I should buy a pair on eBay so I have something to fall back on if the speakers are blown or something? Craigslist is just too damn easy to get screwed on...

Hey, thank you guys for the advice. Sometimes I forget that a lot of money to me isn't necessarily a lot of money, lol. I think I will do the speakers mentioned earlier and possibly some deadening material to get the best of it. I feel like these speakers are low/mid grade as is my HU and sub. I don't mind having a low/mid grade system... anything's better than stock I imagine. Thanks again.

So I see a ton of sound deadener items on Crutchfield. Are there any recommendations? And I don't really wanna buy junk or anything... $130 component speakers are considered junk? I just opened a can of worms, haha, maybe I'll save my money and get that damn root canal I've been putting off instead. I'm not a super audio enthusiast and I don't even drive tons but I don't wanna buy junk.

LOL, I have a job but I'm putting myself through college unfortunately. I just bought a 99 Honda with stock everything and figured I'd treat myself to a little upgrade in audio. I already have the 2x10" sub and amp from my last car, and Newegg had a special on the HU for $90 with free shipping, and while I'm not a Clarion fan, I was stoked about the front USB and iPod jack port for the price. I wanted to keep my spending at about $300 for now. So I dropped $90 on the HU already, leaving about $210. If I spend $130 on a pair of decent front component speakers, that leaves about $80 for a amp wiring kit and maybe a pair of baffles for the speakers to keep them dry (I live in Oregon... tons of rain). I dunno, I listen to mostly metal, sometimes a hair of rap and classical, but for the most part I don't need to bump, just lookin' for the full spectrum. And then maybe later down the line, buy a new amp to power the sub and a new pair of rear speakers as well. Bah, maybe I'm just expecting too much for too little. I guess another pair of questions: assuming the Clarion has great reviews on Newegg, is this a decent choice for a budget conscious buyer, despite the bad reputation Clarion has? And does this seem like a decent, upgradable path for me to spend the remaining money on? Sorry, these are all dumb questions and I'm surprised I haven't got flamed yet. For what it's worth, I've tried researching this stuff on my own but there's always so many options...

Awesome, I think I may just grab a pair of those instead. So here's another question. If I'm running a relatively weak 100w RMS Pioneer amplifier for my 2x10 sub, would it make sense down the line to use this amplifier for my front speakers and then power the subwoofer with a new 300w RMS amp instead? And while on the subject of amps for fronts, does this just make them louder without peeking?