Hey guys.

I will be buying a new car soon and have decided to go the SQ route with it.
The car will be a vt or vx commodore.

I have already bought a set of Focal 165KP's for the front stage, and will get them installed and at the same time get the front doors deadened with Dynamat.

Can anyone suggest some components for the rest of the car.

Head unit - looking to spend $400 - $450ish (was thinking one of the new alpines, any opinions?

Front stage amp - looking at a two channel, i was looking at the Audison SRx2, would this be suitable or should i go for a bit more power, looking to spend $300

Sub - looking to spend maybe $400, has to be single 12'

Sub Amp - Monoblock, $400?

now some other questions:

The car will be SQ based mainly for my own enjoyment but i may want to enter it in a SQ comp just to see how it does, would the above be ok for a comp (enough to not be lauged at anyway)

I have read a bit on here about SQ, imaging and staging, what i am wondering is do i need rear speakers? because i was not going to have any, but i see some people still buying speakers for rear fill, are these nescisarry for SQ?

If i was to enter a comp, what are the difference between classes, and what other things are judged apart from the actual sound and install, i have heard of fire extinguishers, alarms etc?

Also if the install isnt flashy (mine will be pretty stealth) will it still get points?

Any SQ comps in Canberra sometime this year?

The SRx2 will power the Focals quite well but if you want a little more dynamics and control something like an SRx2S would be much better.

Certainly more to spend but you want to do the Focal speakers justice..

Re head units - I am more of a Alpine fan than the Pioneer atm, I had a new pioneer and it just did not sound as good to my ears. Clarion also have some very nice head units out.

Both ES300 & ES300D (4+4 DVC) sub work in very small enclosures and handle 350 RMS with an amp like an SRx1 you would have to come in under your $800 budget.

Rear speakers most people tend to run the factory ones off the head unit they are only for passengers.

If your in Canberra you wont be able to get the Hertz or Audison locally, drop me an email phil@rmaudio.com.au and I can put you in touch with some dealers who can ship to you.

Cheers Phil,

Yeah i will have a look at the front stage amp, see if i want to spend a bit more. As for the sub and amp that package does look pretty good.

As for getting Audison and herts i have bought a thing or two off Marty at FHRX so i would probably just go through him again to get what i needed.

Anyone else have any more opinions? what about information on the SQ comps?

Cheers

In your budget I would also consider the Eclipse line of head units. Although personally I dont like their looks they do seem to have a good reputation on the SQ scene.

I'd go eclipse or Alpine H/U.

unfortunately good amps and subs are a bit dearer than you have allowed for. however, getting a slightly cheaper head unit will leave more for the other bits.

you need to allow $200 or 300 for wiring and such also.

Yeah money is not the main issue here, i dont want to spend much more then what i put on each component, but will if i have to. Wiring, installation etc is all taken care of so dont need to factor that in

Head unit i have been looking at Alpine and also eclpise now since my brother has one, my main gripe with eclipse HU's are that they do not have detachable faces. I know they have the security feature where it takes a certain cd to start them up again, but that dosnt help when the thief has already nicked it cos he didnt know about that.

So, what about the competition questions guys?

You're off to a good start with the Focal KP165's up front. I'd also recommend getting the whole car sound deadened, you can never have too much sound deadening and your stereo will like you better for it.

The Focal subs are also worth a listen to, a 33V2 is definitely worth a listen for your price range. Infinity Kappa Perfect 12" is another sub with good SQ and is accurate. The Treo TSX series are also worth a look among others.

Audison isn't a bad place to start looking for amps either!

All the new 2007 model headunits will start to be released from March onwards too, so it's a matter for yourself if you want to wait and see what's coming out this year.

Eclipse CD3000 @ $349 would be my pick - in a late model car, detach face isnt completely necessary i wouldnt think.

Maybe go two matching Audison Srx2s which you could get for ~ $500ea new or a big 4 channel (something better than response) (ask Fury on these forums if he is selling his PPI PC-4100 yet)

For a sub either an Alpine Type-R or wait for the new IDQ's to arrive.

dont bother about changing rear speakers

It will be a little over your budget, but should do very well SQ wise.

I may end up deadening the whole car but for the moment it will just be the front doors. I do like the look of the Focal subs, i may have to go have a listen to them at some stage.
I probably wont get all the components till march sometime so waiting for the newer head decks should not be a problem, what sort of features should i be looking at for SQ, i would guess advanced EQ settings and time adjustment? (i really should read up on this as i have no idea what time adjustment is.

Master-luke - you are probably right about not needing a detach face on a newer car, but my last two cars have both been broken into and had stereo gear stolen, so i am a little Cautious.

i dont see many head units offering good tuning capabilities and TA, 4V preouts x 3 (or ability to run active setup) coming in anywhere near your budget...id say most will be towards $1000 and up...
JVC offer some units with more features per dollar to most other brands but i had an EXAD model, old top of the range and IMO it wasnt that great(soundwise). for useability and features Alpine/Pioneer/Clarion are the ones i'd look at.
my bro had the eclipse 8454 or sumthin not too sure on the model but it was top of eclipse range....and feature wise was probly good...but it was the crappiest unit to use...controls absoloutely suck i dont know how people put up with it? Im currently usin a Clarion DXZ866MP HU, touchscreen model which is also a tad fiddly but sound IMO is better than my old JVC...My bro is currently runnin the pioneer P80RS which is the unit i will probably get if i can sell my clarion. so out of 5 high end HU's ~$800-$1000 (4 of them either me or my bro have owned so this is from my personal experience with them) id put them in this order :

Pioneer P80RS
Alpine 9855R (havent used this one but hear its good, and ive always liked alpine for its simplicity and sound)
Clarion DXZ866MP
JVC KDSHX705
Eclipse 8454?? (only because it was really crappy to use)

but new models will be out soon, ive just noticed eclipse have their new range on the website when i was looking for the model number of last years models. but these units will be sitting pretty close to your budget as a 2nd hand unit.. check the for sale section theres a few on there

Yeah i understand that most good SQ headunits are expensive, but my intention is not to go out and start winning SQ comps, i just want a system that sounds nice and that i can put in a comp just to see how it goes if i want.
I am probably better off looking for second hand head units, i will see what pops up when i am ready to buy.

Anyone got any info on the comps at all?

Might wanna wait for the new eclipse cd3100 to come out, has a bit more tuning ability than the previous cd3000.(parametric EQ)

However the cd3000, is a very good unit itself.

For front amp- srx2 would be nice, might want a bit more power, for later on.

Subwoofer- Also wait for the new IDQ's to come out.

So jsut wait, i say for the 2007 products to come out, and it should lower the 2006 products prices down, and you could snap up some bargins. Or just treat yourself to the new 2007 range.

Just to add to your search for a Sound Quality source unit.. i would have to recomend either the Clarion HX-D2 or some of the Alpine F1 Status gear.

Agree...very nice but I think you may have blown his budget a bit dood...

Try to read first, then type

Go the second hand route when you can!

For example, there was an Alpine 9855R that went for under $500 last week! and a 7998R going for just over $500 at the moment!

Your price range for newer head units (as pointed out) doesn't allow you to buy a headunit that has very good SQ features like TA and so on, only a basic head unit with 2 volt pre outs and MP3 functionality hehe

another good option would be the Clarion DXZ-935MP basically a step down from the HX and at the moment they are going for some awesome prices over here in WA not sure about ACT...

If you like your Audison have a look at the SRx3, its basically a two channel and mono in the one chassis. 65wrms x 2 plus 340wrms @ 2ohms. This would easily fit with your budget and are a nice sounding amp for the money.

Plus it would allow you to spend a little bit more on your Sub or Deck

thanks for the input guys, i will be looking at second hand HU/s when i wish to purchase one, so long as i can get one in good condition should all be good.

Cheers for the suggestion of theSRx3 Dual mono, i will deffinetly look into it. still only has 65rwms to the fronts, just gonna have to work out if its enough

this style is timeless, i actually like having the smaller dials now and have become very efficient at using it.
Post up a pic of your dreamboat hu then eclipse dislikers........cors
Click to view attachment

Since I far from an Eclipse head unit fan, I have had 2 of them now, and I have never truly been happy. I have always found Alpine a better unit.

But here are my favourite units

Firstly the Alpine 7909, a truly epic head unit, many IASCA winning cars use them


Then the next most sexual unit Clarion HX-D2

F-1 may just be a tat outside his price point.

yes im an eclipse hater
here's what i'll might get next, and whats in my DIN slot atm
clarion touchscreen is a bit fiddly as well, but no where near as bad as an eclipse HU

Ok, I have got this system almost sorted, specs are as follows:

Head Unit: (still to be decided)
Front splts: Focal 165KP's (already bought) and sound deadened doors
Amp: Audison SRx3 (looking at purchaing soon for front stage + sub)
Sub: Possibly new IDQ, or any other good recommended sub (has to be 12 inch and dual 4ohm VC to make best use of the Audison)
Box: Fibergalss corner install.

So its just the sub and HU to work out now, but i will probably be looking at second hand stuff as well closer to the purchase time to see if i can get a bargain.

in a newer commodore if i put the 6.5 speakers in the factory positions at the bottom of the front doors, where would be good places to look at putting the tweets?

And would this system be ok in the novice class of an SQ comp?

Cheers for all the input guys.

anymore input?

Does the sub have to be 12". Something like a Focal 33V2 ( 13" ) would also be worth a look. I have run them off the Audison SRx3 before and it worked very nicely.

Your Focal 165K2P's can handle heaps of grunt but with your budget the SRx3 will suit nicely. Later on if looking to upgrade use the 2 channels of the SRx3 to run rear fill and add a SRx2S to run the fronts.

This is the setup im looking to put in my brothers car because he's not looking to spend tons of money but still wants SQ. He has the 165KF's but is trying to con me into buying him the 165K2P's and putting the KF's in the back

I have had a look at the 33V2s, from what i remember they were fairly expensive and a fair bit more then i wanted to spend, how cheap can they be found for?

Yeah i have been thinking that the 65wrms for the focals may not be enough, but i guess without spending a heap more it is probably my best option for the moment.

Cheers

Look here for last years scorecards:
http://www.caraudioaustralia.com/content.php?contentID=44

And as for the tweeters, basically spend a while playing with some blu tac and try them in as many positions as you can.
For starters, try them at the bottom of the A-pillar, facing the opposite headrest and go from there.

Cheers for that KGB, gives me an idea of what to work towards.

Hey guys, would something like this be well suited to my applications?

clarion hu

The Clarions are a pretty good deck especially in the higher range as they feature 24bit DAC's and 4 volt preouts. The DXZ956MC has all your HP/LP crossovers built in as well as the option to run active 2 way splits in the front and a sub. Plus running it this way would allow you to time correct your tweeters and mids seperately.

The only downside of running active fronts would be the need for another amp, at least it gives you the option later on.

i said disliker ...........cors