ok. so here`s the deal. i have a 1994 3000gt. i really want to put a nice audio system in that will really stun all my friends but not something completely out ragious. i don`t want anything cheap but not ridicously expensive either. i haven`t decided on a head unit yet but i figured i can choose that later after i pick the rest of my system. i've been reading other post and it seem that the best sub choice would be a pair of 12s. i've been looking at a pair of 1000w 12s from a company called Volfenhag ( german made audio equipment - www.volfenhagaudio.com ) they are the ZX-4712 model or a pair of 1000w 10s model ZX-4810. I don't really understand the difference between the two other then size so if anyone can clear that up thankz. as for speakers i have been looking at either thier 6" x 9" 4-way coaxial speakers which are 800w model ZX-869R and/or thier 6 1/2" 2 way coaxial speakers that are 450w model ZX-862R. other than all that i really don't have a clue. i know how to install the stuff from helping friends but i just am completely clueless as to how to figure it all out now that i'm doing this to my own car. any help would be greatly helpful. and please if the things i tryed to pick out are completely off TELL ME. i don't care. if im wrong im wrong you know but i want the right stuff. again any help or ideas would be much appriciated. (sorry for the longggg post)

 

Volfenhag makes a pretty bad sub, you'll pay for it but they sound good. I definetly wouldn't skimp on the head unit, especially if you're putting this much money into the rest of the system. There are two major factors when choosing between a 12" and a 10" sub. 1.) Space. You've got plenty of that, so you can go either way. 2.) What you listen to. This is possibly the biggest factor. If you listen to a lot of rap, techno, r&b, etc then a 12 is better. If you like rock, blues, anything with a lot of fast bass hits, the 10 is a better choice. What it all comes down to is that for a fast bass frequency to be duplicated (say a lot of double-kick on the bass drum in a hard rock song), the cone of the speaker has to move extremely fast. A smaller surface area will allow that sound to be reproduced without sounding muddy, simply because there's less surface area that must be moved to make the sound.

Here's what you'll need for starters:

Amps- You'll need something to power those German monsters, I havn't looked at the specs, but whatever the RMS power rating is for each sub, you want to have an amp that produces an RMS power in the upper third of that number. To get the best sound, you'll want to amp your door and deck speakers too. A 4 channel amp with, again with a RMS rating in the upper third of your weakest speaker. You'll be amazed at the difference even 50 watts can add to a stereo system.

Wiring- If you're running anything over 1000 watts, which I'm guessing you will be, go with a 2awg amp wiring kit. Keep in mind that you'll be wiring 2 amps, so you'll need 2 distribution blocks, one for the pausitive and one for the negative. If you decide to go with a little less power, 4awg will suffice.

Capacitor- You'll definetly want to pick up one of these, I recomend 1 Farad per 1000watts. Essentially works like a small battery, it stores power, and when your system's power requirement are more than the alternator's output, it draws from the capacitor instead of the battery. This will help to reduce headlight dimming when you've got the system bumpin.

Chasis Ground- Easy upgrade here, just get a piece of 4awg wire and replace your factory ground (wire that goes from negative battery terminal to the chasis of the vehicle).

Alternator- This is something you may want to look into if you decide you really want to get crazy. You can purchase new alternators that are designed specifically for high-amperage systems, or you can take your car to a specialty shop and have them re-wind it to allow for it to produce more current. This is only an upgrade for the extreme moblie audio system though, with what you've said I doubt you'll need to upgrade.

The head unit- The brains of the operation. Get something with at least 3 sets of RCA preamp outs, high pass filter and at least a 7 band eq. Clarion and Eclipse make some really nice units. Some of Alpine and Pioneer's higher end stuff is ok. Stay away from Sony, Dual, Blaupunkt, (or however you spell it), and some Kenwoods. Just do your research and make sure it's something you really like before you put it in your car.

 

ha, that even cleared out some stuff up for me, thnx for the heads up evo

 

wow thankz evo. that`s alot of great info and i`m sure it will help. since you sound like you really know what your talking about would you recomend the Volfenhag stuff or no? what would you put in it? and what did you mean by they make some bad subs?

thankz again sean

 

I worded that poorly, bad=bad azz! I'm actually a MECP certified installer, so it's kinda in my job description to stay in the know on this sort of thing. A coworker had 2 10" Volfenhag subs in his '04 quad cab ram, and they were great. I'm a little partial to Rockford Fosgate when it comes to amps, they've done some awesome stuff with their latest generation of amplifiers too. I don't have all the literature with me, but from what I remember, they've added more surface area to the heat sinks, eliminated the need for a cooling fan, and effectivley shrunk the overall size of the amp. Basically it's more power out of a smaller, sexier chasis. I can turn a wrench pretty well, but mobile audio/video is my specialty and probably my favorite part of building a car. I'm still working on mine, kind of a budget system, but when it's done it'll be 2 12" Rockford P3's, Alpine R's (components with built in crossovers and external tweeters up front) and Infinity references in the back, 1000 watt Fosgate mono block amp, 4 channel Fosgate amp, and modding the dash to accept a Pioneer AVIC D3 or Eclipse AVN5500 (double din DVD/CD/Navi). It'll be nice....just gotta get the rest of the car as nice as the audio though....that's where the big money comes it cuz the car's in pretty sorry shape.

 

ok well i kinda got one more question. is it better to mix and match or stay with the same brand all the way through?

 

Either one works. If you're wanting to take it to shows and what not, going all one brand is nice. I'm mixing and matching because I get a pretty good discount on parts that we carry in store, and this is the best set up for my car. I'd love to go all Infinity minus the head unit (probably will go Eclipse on that) if I can find the right deal. A pair of 12" Infinity Kappa Perfects, couple higher end Infinity amps (class D mono block and a 4ch) with Infinity Kappa series components in the doors and deck would make me a very very happy guy. Unfortunatley, they also cost a lot more than what I'd spend on the other stuff. As in all things in life, you want the best, you've got to pay for it.