What kind of stereo is in your shark?
06-24-2003, 10:51 PM
#31
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Adam,
Thats just freakin' cool. A 007 stereo job!
I just want the basics and not a system that vibrates my car apart.
I agree with Marc and my needs are like his.
My criteria:
No outboard amps - I have enough gremlins
Not cool enough for someone to steal
Looks ok in the dash
Good sound
----------------------------------------
As long as I can play Miami Vice.
Thats just freakin' cool. A 007 stereo job!
I just want the basics and not a system that vibrates my car apart.
I agree with Marc and my needs are like his.
My criteria:
No outboard amps - I have enough gremlins
Not cool enough for someone to steal
Looks ok in the dash
Good sound
----------------------------------------
As long as I can play Miami Vice.
06-24-2003, 10:54 PM
#32
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I went with a moderately priced MP3 player made by Eclipse (flame away). It looks good even though it has a blue background color in the dark, the main thing I like about it is the rotary volume and tuning controls.
I replaced the factory speakers with MB Quart and have no complaints, I have no need to share the music with other cars so amps and subs were not a requirement.
I replaced the factory speakers with MB Quart and have no complaints, I have no need to share the music with other cars so amps and subs were not a requirement.
06-25-2003, 01:30 AM
#34
Burning Brakes
I'm a huge fan of the Eclipse for 2 reasons. 1, sound quality, and 2, the eclipse commander voice command unit. I have the 7002 flip out LCD display and 5803 8 disc changer mounted in the tray under the steering wheel. I have all Peerless drivers in the doors and an Adire Audio Brahma 10" woofer in the back. I work at Stereo Warehouse up in Shoreline Washington so I get the stuff cheap, but it was all purchased before my employment there. I've used Pioneer, Alpine, Sony, Blaupunkt, Becker, every stock deck, Clarion, Panasonic, JVC, and Eclipse. If you want sound quality, get the Eclipse, Alpine, or high end Clarion. Also the nicer Nakamichis are pretty sweet, like the 500. I could make a huge post saying what is good and what isn't but I'd really rather off list 
. If you're in the area, feel free to stop by and I'll use the "you're my friend" thing and get 15% off for any of you if you stop by. Not commissioned. Out of all the decks I've used, the Eclipse is my favorite. Best sound quality, extremely easy to use, and the video clarity is great. Some features were lacking in my model, but the new ones are much better. I would really stay away from Blaupunkt, because every one that I've had has broken way too early, but hey, "YMMV!!" Thats my $.02 <img border="0" alt="[burnout]" title="" src="graemlins/burnout.gif" />
. If you're in the area, feel free to stop by and I'll use the "you're my friend" thing and get 15% off for any of you if you stop by. Not commissioned. Out of all the decks I've used, the Eclipse is my favorite. Best sound quality, extremely easy to use, and the video clarity is great. Some features were lacking in my model, but the new ones are much better. I would really stay away from Blaupunkt, because every one that I've had has broken way too early, but hey, "YMMV!!" Thats my $.02 <img border="0" alt="[burnout]" title="" src="graemlins/burnout.gif" />
06-25-2003, 01:56 AM
#36
Nordschleife Master
Soney xplode.
All I use is the FM tuner. I own all of 4 CDs, and don't like to listen to the same somgs that much.
All the "features" are off. The light shows were cool, for about a week.
The screen doesn't light up enough in dirict sun light, so I can't see it when the sun is at the wrong angle.
The screen part vibrates agisnt the rest of the unit at high way speed, very annoying.
The PO's speaker instilation leaves something to be deisred.
I don't realy like it overall. Too many features, too much cost, not functional enough.
All I use is the FM tuner. I own all of 4 CDs, and don't like to listen to the same somgs that much.
All the "features" are off. The light shows were cool, for about a week.
The screen doesn't light up enough in dirict sun light, so I can't see it when the sun is at the wrong angle.
The screen part vibrates agisnt the rest of the unit at high way speed, very annoying.
The PO's speaker instilation leaves something to be deisred.
I don't realy like it overall. Too many features, too much cost, not functional enough.
06-25-2003, 12:11 PM
#38
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Tom, I know you said no outboard amps, but I have yet to run across a head unit that had sufficient CLEAN power output. Sure, they say they will do 50 w x4, but in reality that is a MAXIMUM (i.e. read DISTORTION) rating. Normally they are doing about 10 watts RMS, which isn't sufficient for anything but factory speakers of really low-low-end replacements. Also, the RMS rating for head units is usally a sum (ie all 4 channels make a TOTAL of 15 watts RMS, not 15 watts each). The amp inside a head unit is usually a single IC chip, whereas an external amp has discrete components and much better SQ, less distortion, better separation, are more efficient and are cooled better by either heatsinks or active fans (or both).
Your system requirements are very basic. For the head unit, I went with a <a href="http://www.nakamichiusa.com/auto/cdplayers/cd_35_specs.htm" target="_blank">Nakamichi 35z </a> It looks good, very stealthy, but I messed up and got the green dispaly instead of the amber. A minor annoyance.
Front the front stage, I grabbed a used pair of Image Dynamics CD-1E horns. I'm going to have to modify the trays underneath the dash to mount them, but once installed they will be very inconspicuous. See picture below of horns in a 928.
<img src="http://images.cardomain.com/member_img_a/28000-28999/28766_22_full.jpg" alt=" - " />
I will cover the horns with black grill cloth when they are mounted. since my car is all black, they will be practically invisible (and OH the sound!)
The nice thing about horns is they take the place of midrange and tweeters. I have a pair of Infinity 6" mids installed in the rear q-panels (PO). If I need more midbass, I will try to utilize those.
For subs, I've got 4 (yes, 4!) 8" CDT Audio MS-80 subs. Very high sound quality, and very VERY low space requirements. My box plans show a single enclosure running the width of the rear compartment behind the rear seats. It'll be just tall enough to fit under the lip on the seats when raised. Depth of the box is 6" at the bottom and 4" at the top (wedge shape), with the subs rear facing. Air space requirements for the subs are .25 cubic feet each. I built a test box for one and put it in my Cherokee in place of my Alpine DVC Type-S 10" and it sounded better getting only 50 watts verses the Alpine getting 100. 4 may be overkill, 2 may be sufficient, but at the price I got them I couldn't pass up getting 4.
My sub amp is a RockfordFosgate 50 w x 4 and I have yet to get am amp for the horns. I'm thinking a 75w x 2 will be sufficient.
Crossover duties handled by an AudioControl 4XS. I also have a Autotek FX-3B crossover which is very nice. Not as flexible as the 4XS, but about half the price.
Seriously consider getting an external amp. You can pick up a Blaupunkt Heidelburg on Ebay for $99, it has 2 sets of 4 volt pre-amp outputs and doesn't look too bad in the dash of a shark. The mounting depth of our front door speakers is VERY shallow, so you might consider mounting an oversized 6.5" midrange in the bottom of the door behind the carpet and just putting the tweeters up top in the door. Not the best arrangement for imaging, but it should do fine. A single 8" (or 10")sub in the rear would do fine. Get a 4-channels amp with built-in crossovers. Bridge 2 of the channels for the sub and use the other 2 for the front speakers. You can run the rear factory speakers off the head unit if you want rear fill.
Installing an external amp in the shark is real easy becuase you don't have to run power to the engine compartment, just tap off the battery in the back.
It's my opinion that unless you are building a competition sound quality systme, there is no need to spend big bucks on fancy wire. For power and ground wire, I have always used 4 guage welding cable. Comes in black, get it for $.75 a foot at a welding supply store. The insulation is thicker, it has a higher strnad count, and higher specification than audio power cable. For speaker wire, I used lamp cord bought at Home Depot. The kind that has a copper colored side and a silver side. I use that for mids and tweeters. For subs, I will buy a piece of thicker spekaer cable, but always the the cheapest available. Do use shielded interconnect cables.
Good luck, and post pics when you are done!
Your system requirements are very basic. For the head unit, I went with a <a href="http://www.nakamichiusa.com/auto/cdplayers/cd_35_specs.htm" target="_blank">Nakamichi 35z </a> It looks good, very stealthy, but I messed up and got the green dispaly instead of the amber. A minor annoyance.
Front the front stage, I grabbed a used pair of Image Dynamics CD-1E horns. I'm going to have to modify the trays underneath the dash to mount them, but once installed they will be very inconspicuous. See picture below of horns in a 928.
<img src="http://images.cardomain.com/member_img_a/28000-28999/28766_22_full.jpg" alt=" - " />
I will cover the horns with black grill cloth when they are mounted. since my car is all black, they will be practically invisible (and OH the sound!)
The nice thing about horns is they take the place of midrange and tweeters. I have a pair of Infinity 6" mids installed in the rear q-panels (PO). If I need more midbass, I will try to utilize those.
For subs, I've got 4 (yes, 4!) 8" CDT Audio MS-80 subs. Very high sound quality, and very VERY low space requirements. My box plans show a single enclosure running the width of the rear compartment behind the rear seats. It'll be just tall enough to fit under the lip on the seats when raised. Depth of the box is 6" at the bottom and 4" at the top (wedge shape), with the subs rear facing. Air space requirements for the subs are .25 cubic feet each. I built a test box for one and put it in my Cherokee in place of my Alpine DVC Type-S 10" and it sounded better getting only 50 watts verses the Alpine getting 100. 4 may be overkill, 2 may be sufficient, but at the price I got them I couldn't pass up getting 4.
My sub amp is a RockfordFosgate 50 w x 4 and I have yet to get am amp for the horns. I'm thinking a 75w x 2 will be sufficient.
Crossover duties handled by an AudioControl 4XS. I also have a Autotek FX-3B crossover which is very nice. Not as flexible as the 4XS, but about half the price.
Seriously consider getting an external amp. You can pick up a Blaupunkt Heidelburg on Ebay for $99, it has 2 sets of 4 volt pre-amp outputs and doesn't look too bad in the dash of a shark. The mounting depth of our front door speakers is VERY shallow, so you might consider mounting an oversized 6.5" midrange in the bottom of the door behind the carpet and just putting the tweeters up top in the door. Not the best arrangement for imaging, but it should do fine. A single 8" (or 10")sub in the rear would do fine. Get a 4-channels amp with built-in crossovers. Bridge 2 of the channels for the sub and use the other 2 for the front speakers. You can run the rear factory speakers off the head unit if you want rear fill.
Installing an external amp in the shark is real easy becuase you don't have to run power to the engine compartment, just tap off the battery in the back.
It's my opinion that unless you are building a competition sound quality systme, there is no need to spend big bucks on fancy wire. For power and ground wire, I have always used 4 guage welding cable. Comes in black, get it for $.75 a foot at a welding supply store. The insulation is thicker, it has a higher strnad count, and higher specification than audio power cable. For speaker wire, I used lamp cord bought at Home Depot. The kind that has a copper colored side and a silver side. I use that for mids and tweeters. For subs, I will buy a piece of thicker spekaer cable, but always the the cheapest available. Do use shielded interconnect cables.
Good luck, and post pics when you are done!
06-25-2003, 04:24 PM
#40
Nordschleife Master
Opps, stupid fingers.
It's a Sony. Course, I didn't buy it, it came with the car, so if it was a Soney, I'd have had no choice.
My left hand likes to hit the "e" key uncommanded by me, usualy I think I catch it, but didn't that time.
Opps.
It's a Sony. Course, I didn't buy it, it came with the car, so if it was a Soney, I'd have had no choice.
My left hand likes to hit the "e" key uncommanded by me, usualy I think I catch it, but didn't that time.
Opps.
06-25-2003, 05:58 PM
#41
Burning Brakes
As KBlair was saying, there are quite few decks that have decent output, although the Alpine units with their V-Drive amp has 60wx4, rated of course, and they actually put out some pretty good sound and volume in my opinion. I recently set up a car to just run the deck power with one of those pushing Infinity Kappas (barf) and it did sound nice and got plenty loud. Also I find the Pioneers with the Mosfet amps do the job too. My Eclipse's power is very minimal, but does get loud enough for the time being until I go with all Zapco amps, the best as far as I'm concerned. Good point though KBlair, this has become a good thread! But, ya just can't beat the V8 symphony under the hood though <img border="0" alt="[thumbsup]" title="" src="graemlins/bigok.gif" />
06-26-2003, 12:43 AM
#42
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Barry, I haven't dealt with any of the brand new head units, so I should say my comments may not necessarily apply to the new crop. I'm waiting for someone (Blau maybe) to make a head unit using the "digital"** amp technology, like the Blau T-class amps. Those make good power, run cool and have decent specs. A head unit that could do 25 true RMS x 4 channels would be a very viable option for most people.
** "Digital" is in quotes because there is no such thing as digital sound. Sound waves are analog by nature.
** "Digital" is in quotes because there is no such thing as digital sound. Sound waves are analog by nature.
