Alright here goes, I have a pretty long laundry list with some high expectations - without breaking my wallet. I bet you've never heard that before. So I have a few questions, answer the best you can or direct me to where I might find the answer. I am driving a '97 Honda Accord SE.
1) I would like to "recycle" audio parts that I already have if at all possible. Right now I was planning on using my old OLD Pioneer IMPP TS-W302F, I think its from at least 1994. I used a wal-mart amplifier that has Road Gear Mosfet 250w on it. Now I know the deals to be had on eBay, is it worth it to use this sub? Its a free air sub with 150w RMS and a 450w peak RMS. I just started getting paid at my job, so any kind of corner that can be cut should be cut, but if I'm sacrificing too much by putting loads of work on a box and wiring for this sub only to be very dissappointed, let me know what you think. I had this setup in my '86 Cadillac in a 3' wide 1 7/10' high box, powered by the 250w amp, and was generally pleased. I can't afford to have such a big box in the Honda, soo what do you think?
2) I'm planning on replacing the factory sterio completely, so I'll need a head unit, 6 1/2" speakers in the front doors, and 6X9's in the rear deck. So any suggestions on affordable units and speakers would be welcome, I've been looking at Alpine gear on eBay and its getting my favor at the present time. Whats a good configuration for all these? General opinions? If I get a decent head unit, will they power a full set of speakers like that? I look in Crutchfield all the time and I see something like "2-50w RMS" but with a 300w peak for even 6 1/2" speakers! I want them to be loud, but once again I'm on a budget and I would like to avoid becoming hearing impaired (within reason ). So am I going to end up needing a 4 channel amplifier for those 4 cabin speakers? Or will the head unit take care of them along with my one sub/amp setup in the trunk? As far as the cabin speakers, I want super SQ. Do I need all the crossovers? Will 6 1/2" speakers in the front doors be a good pair with 6X9's in the rear deck, or should I look into something a little smaller and higher-tuned instead? And where can I get speaker brackets/mounts for my specific car if I don't get them from Crutchfield?
I also heard that switching the Honda factory head unit will mess with the factory alarm, dome light, AC controls ETC, has anyone else heard about this? I really don't want to mess up the other aspects of my car, so if anyones heard of having extreme difficulty/problems working with a '97 Honda please let me know. It might just be a hype I heard, because I find it hard to believe with all the tuners in Accords anymore. THANKS
Do you plan on using that free air subwoofer in this system with the walmart amp? Because I would highly discourage it if you're looking for "super SQ" as you say. What did you mean by "150w RMS and a 450w peak RMS?" Is that a range of RMS power recommended by the manufacturer or is that 450 watts the peak rating. However, if you do choose to use this, you'll need to use the aftermarket head unit, regardless of the side effects to your car, however great they may be. Also, realistically, most decent head units you will buy will supply no more than 20 to 22 watts RMS so since you're looking to cut corners, buy a set of speakers with as great a sensitivity, yet lower power handling as possible. Finally, Alpine makes decent products, but you will be paying for the name and since you want to save money, this is probably not a good choice for you. In reference to "do i need all the crossovers?" the answer is probably no if you want to save money. To do it right, buy a set of component speakers that come with crossovers. I realize this doesn't begin to answer all your questions, but I hope I've pointed you in the right direction.
Yeah I am planning on using that old sub, basically because I am short on cash. I think I'll be ok with the quality, bass is bass. The sub has an RMS of 150w, with a peak of 450w, sorry for the jumble in there. I will remind you that I am a student with as limited a budget as possible, but what I forgot to say is that I want to build a system with a decent foundation. If I'll by paying for the Alpine name, which off brand would you reccomend for quality? Thanks for the beginning!
Dave, Whats important is that you're comfortable with YOUR system. If you'd be happy with the walmart amp and ancient sub, more power to you, it'll allow you to save some cash for other parts of the system, or textbooks. I in no way consider myself a brand expert, and as I said, whats important is that you enjoy listening to it. I'd recommend that you go to any and all stores in your area and hear every set of speakers you can running on around 20 watts RMS. Maybe someone else on this forum can direct you to speakers that can work well at this power level, but let your ears be the judge.
First, I would go with a cheap component set like the Infinity reference set with a matching amp. Just don't run any speakers in the rear. The components should get plenty loud for you. Super SQ at the pricings you're looking at really isn't going to happen. You could look at the Image Dynamics stuff for an SQ sub, plus an amp. They don't run immense amounts of power so that shouldn't be too bad either. Also potentially look at Ascendant Audio or maybe the lower end RE subs.