RyanPerrella

I couldnt tell you, i didnt listen to the old one back to back with the new one.

I did finally figure out how my 6.5" speakers are mounted and reinstalled the one i removed 5 months ago. I still have my drivers door 4" components not working because i cut the wiring over a year ago. Not to worry, thats job #1 for today.

Also I want to pre-wire the Sub RCA's for the Basslink which should come sometime next week. I have the RCA cable already to run to the rear hatch are but i am trying to think of the best route for it. I think along the drivers side door sill. Also I need to run an amp remote turn on lead back there and figure its just a single wire that should be run with the SUB amp RCA's. Thoughts on this?

JHowell37

When I installed my speakers and amp I went ahead and installed the extra set of RCA cables for a subwoofer to be added later. I ran my wiring down the middle of the car.

Can you adjust the bass and treble on your HU without buying the imprint software? Alpine is getting ridiculous with their a la carte menu. If you get the thing that bumps up the speaker power, just make sure the wiring is up to the task and that you have plenty of room behind the HU so the fan can remove some heat.

RyanPerrella

Good points

The HU does alloy for bass and treble and fader and so on

I have some old alarm or some type of wiring behind the HU that i am in the process of removing once its determined that its no longer necessary so once i sort out all that stuff I should have some more space.

Yes the Ala-carte menu with alpine is a bit much. I just checked the price on the bluetooth and its $250.

The power pack is supposed to run $120 retail so thats pretty reasonable considering it bumps the power by 150%

Also none of the speaker wiring is stock, it is a bit of a mish-mash though and i may rewire anyway even if i am not putting in a dedicated amp. I cant wait to add the basslink as the car sounds pretty good as is but really needs the bottom end stuff.

JHowell37

I wasn't concerned about the speaker wiring, I was thinking of the power wires that go to the HU.

Sailmed

Just wondering...
I'm buying a new stereo again, gotta learn not to show the cars with the good radio installed
I keep 250gb+ of music on my WD Passport. Has anyone tried using the USB for other than iPod? Did anyone check out the Pioneer DEH P6000UB?
I did find the accessories for 20% less - but they are still steep IMHO

RyanPerrella

I can use the USB from my alpine to read solid state drives.

With a typical hard drive even a compact one would you need a power supply or would it come from the USB itself? I think that type of drive may require more power then the USB in the Head unit could provide. I know the usb is designed for USB media sticks or Ipods, i guess you could try, but not sure about that.

Good idea though

Sailmed

Ryan,
Check out this one - I'm using the 250gb - improved over the 120gb in both speed and power draw.
It works fantastic with the gateway laptop and my meter shows minimal power consumption. I've never seen the .5 amp stated, even when writing. Read is a very low .08 draw.
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/sto...ort-250gb.html
I found a best buy that has the HU and will go plug in today, hopefully it will work.
"Like Dude - do you want me to buy it and have to bring it back?"

RyanPerrella

Cool let me know how it comes out.

Actually, i wouldnt want that, then i have to sift through 250GB of songs. DAMN

I use an iphone and this HU really is perfect for me. I get in the car, the phone goes into the centerconsole and gets plugged it. It then gets charged and is the ipod for the stereo. (8GB is plenty for me, my entire library is less then 15GB) I can buy the bluetooth option but its pretty pricey at $250, but i may get that so that when i am in the car, the phone stays in the car and i can answer calls through the stereo and not to hold the phone while driving.

I love my iphone and to this day there is still some things that you can plug ipods into that you cant use the iphone with. But this really is perfect

Also, The included USB cable is the best way to go for 5th Gen ipods and iphones. I also bought the kce-422i ipod high speed connector but it wont display the album art like the usb type connection does. So i sold the 422i. Right out of the box the HU is great. I am really looking forward to the imprint setup and the power pack. Should make for a great sounding system.

Sailmed

I tried the Alpine, the Kenwood, the Dual, and the Pioneer - all of them will power the Passport USB 250gb drive. None of them read it. I now have a store full of geeks trying to figure out why, or where I need to hide the files. I did like the way the Alpine takes CD's - even though I seldom use them. The Dual has a "flip up" touch screen that lets you control the iPod - It was awesome, and it already has HD radio, bluetooth, and iPod ready to go. So for the extra $200 it is actually a bargain considering you don't need to buy any extras.
The main reason I'm looking for something to use the Passport HD is I don't have time to sort out the iPod and change tunes every few weeks
BTW The bluetooth is $25 less at Best buy...
Still shopping - Now I need to get back on molding the panels for the door and rear quarter speakers

RyanPerrella

For those of you that have been following my stereo adventure, well the fun really begins!

The Imprint Audio Processor is now out and available on Ebay for $150! I will be ordering one shortly and replacing the rear channel speakers in the car before installing and running the new audio processor!

Ive read reviews that the sound clarity is incredible and it takes out all the guess work!

I will post an update when i have installed it and played with it!

The 45 RMS watt power pack should be available soon too by the looks of it. MSRP of $120 street price <$100 (estimate)

Also the tiny Alpine PDX-5 5 channel amp is also available for about $400 shipped on ebay. Check this out 75 RMS x 4 AND 300 RMS x 1 All in a single, nice looking and tiny 10-3/16"W x 2-1/2"H x 8-7/8"D package.

Kevin in Atlanta

Ryan, any updates?

RyanPerrella

Since you asked.....

The system as it currently stands is the 10 speaker MB-Quart Q-line speakers, that hasnt changed.

Head unit is the Alpine ida-x100 which i really like using and which also looks pretty good in the car. The best thing about the alpine however is the Imprint audio processor which i just ordered yesterday. Cant wait to install this thing. The unit itself is about the size of your computer mouse and will be fitted just below the HU in the center console area, someplace. In addition to processing capabilities (seriously, if you haven't read about this stuff you should, its a great reason in itself to consider alpine) the ability to tune to the specific cars interior and speaker placement, it also turns the RCA's from the HU to the amp from 2 volt to 4 volt for what ive been told is a much cleaner, highr output signal. I also bought this crazy monster cable 4 channel interconnect which was apparently a $270 cable at one point for my 4 channel signals to the amp, so there should be no issues with sound quality to the amp.

The amp is the previously mentioned Alpine PDX-5. Mine is rated at actual 99 x 4 RMS PLUS 371 subwoofer. I have one of the 08 Infinity kappa perfect 10" subwoofers with variable Q which allows me to use a box from .3 -1 cubic feet interior volume. What this does is allow me to use a smaller box to go in the rear wheel well then the typical .75 of most 10" subs. That extra space allows me to mount the 3 crossovers for my rear channel speakers and the small amp in the tire well and when its all said and done the rear hatch floor will look stock until you pull up the carpeting. So it will be completely hidden.

This thing has changed quite a bit from my initial postings. I added up the MSRP on everything out of curiosity and came to $5,400 all in. I'm in it for less than $2,000 and am currently working on a few box designs that allow me enough depth to mount the Infinity Sub and allow enough room for crossovers, the amp and which wont impede into the trunk floor too much. I still need to rewire the entire rear setup and install those speakers, i also need to rewire the fronts which were powered off the HU, to now go towards the rear of the car as they will soon be powered from the amp.

Again about the amp, this thing seems perfect for me! The max power the MB-quarts can handle in front is 100 watts, the rears can probably take more as a 6.5" woofer is added to the mix, but this would require separate amps. Also the single 10" sub requires 300-400 watts itself which this single amplifier provides as well. The street price is under $400 and its one of it not the smaller amp lines on the market. I would suggest it to anyone! The single PDX-5 is a much better solution for me then the previous idea of a 4 channel rockford fosgate in the passenger footwell and a mono amp in the trunk. Its also very easy to wire up for power, needing only 2 feet of power and ground cable and a fuse holder inline and its ready to go.

Kevin in Atlanta

Awesome. I am going to follow your example. I already have the MBQuarts in each hole. The amp I have is underpowered for the speakers. I'll be pulling the CDR-220 and replacing it with the Alpine headunit, too. I built a shelf that sits inside the spare tire well. I screwed the amp on top and four MBQuart crossovers are screwed to the bottom. Lifts out as unit complete with quick disconnects if I need to get to the battery box.

In the Rennlist Members only For Sale there a fellow selling a five channel amp and a subwoofer for a 993, I think. Not interested in the MP, But, I like the shape of the subwoofer enclosure.

Keep up the good work. You are my hero.
Please update this thread after you get the Imprint Audio processor.

RyanPerrella

yeah i am REALLY looking forward to hearing the mb quarts powered off the amp and running off the Imprint processor. Really cool stuff!

6mil928

What's the link? I'd like to see the box.