Time for a new system...

**whiney** · 08-14-2010

Alright, as some guys know I had my car stolen about a month ago.... Insurance decided to fix it and pay me out for my stereo that was stolen out of it, so it's time to put something new in it and i want to do it right this time.
As of right now I just ordered a q15 about an houur ago and i found a buddy with an audioque 2200d for $150 so I have the sub and amp covered. I'm pretty sure I will be getting an alpine 9887 for my deck, so all I really need now is some components and amp to power them, also guess I will need some 0awg wiring and a h.o. alternator too.

I have been looking at a set of hertz hsk 163's but I dont know if i like the idea of going 3-way yet... If I got components the would be bi-amped and actively crossed over.

Anyone want to offer me up some knowledge, cause I know there is a few guys on here that know their stuff...

**matt5112** · 08-14-2010

If you actually like to listen to music thats BALANCED or even slightly bass heavy (aka sub level turned up a little higher than it should be) then you pretty much need a 3 way system to be able to listen to it at a decent volume ( see 110-120 dB C weighted slow response.)

Have you ever modeled speakers in a box sim?

If not, get Unibox or WinISD.

Both work quite well, I just find Unibox to be laid out better (See user friendly)

**Iceroyal** · 08-14-2010

whats your budget for components? my buddy is running a set rainbows in the front with CDT mid range drivers in the back and his car sounds really good.. hertz and infinity kappas are the only other ones i have personally heard. I heard Beethoven played on the hertz system and i was blown away at how amazing it sounded. The kappas were also amazing.

**matt5112** · 08-14-2010

Oh wow....

**whiney** · 08-14-2010

Yeah, i've used winISD before, That's what i used when i built my box for my kickers. I'm just not too sure how i'm going to manage mounting a set of 3-ways...

**matt5112** · 08-15-2010

custom door skins.

Lay the switches flat then have the mid driver and tweeter above and the mid bass below.

**I800C0LLECT** · 08-15-2010

Modding doors is actually a lot easier than people think. The hard part is acquiring the many different skills that help with implementation

I think Hertz has a diagram that implies you want the speakers to be aligned equidistant from your ears in a top to bottom format. Which essentially means you're installing them based on a radius. Personally, that's fine if you don't use Time Aligement. If you use t/a then I would suggest using a similar vertical axis for all 3 speakers on a single side. The distance between them won't matter too much if you have flexibility in active cross overs. Otherwise, to mitigate crossover issues keep the mid-range close to the tweeter in the A pillar. Matt's personal install would be the best choice for that. Also, since the speakers are up high, keep them on-axis. But on-axis means your designed your system for a single seat. It won't sound as good to passengers. An alternative to a similar vertical axis would be to put the mid-bass speakers in your doors. If you keep them mono you may not notice any x-over issues as long as you stay around 200hz...maybe 300hz. This will mitigate any issues using t/a on only two channels for the front. However, if you run them stereo then you'll need 4 channels w/ time alignment. A set for the mid-bass in doors and another set for the tweets and mid-ranges to run from.

Sorry if it seems convoluted. Pick out anything from above if you want me to expound

I'm sure Matt and that Carpepoon can help too.

**matt5112** · 08-15-2010

if you go for on axis it will sound TERRIBLE to other passengers as my passengers will say.... until i let them sit in the drivers seat.

**1LoudGrandPrix** · 08-15-2010

Cadence CWM-6 KIT - Components - Power Max Electronics LLC

Knu for wire get the flexz the expensive stuff

**matt5112** · 08-15-2010

go active...............

**whiney** · 08-17-2010

Originally Posted by TurboTrav

Cadence CWM-6 KIT - Components - Power Max Electronics LLC

Knu for wire get the flexz the expensive stuff

I actually just picked up a set of alpine type-x components for $150 brand new from a buddy, so ill see how they are for now then i can mod everything up for when I go 3-way... Where did you get your alternator from?

**1LoudGrandPrix** · 08-17-2010

DB Electrical - 220 Amp
gotta look the the model on your current one

**whiney** · 08-26-2010

Originally Posted by TurboTrav

DB Electrical - 220 Amp
gotta look the the model on your current one

Thanks! gonna need one of those for sure now. Decided to go pick up my new amp today, so all i need is the car back and the system will be close to where i'd like it.

I think she'll pound ok with that, anyone got any experience on how the aq 2200d's are?

**1LoudGrandPrix** · 08-30-2010

teammate has 2 of them did 3800w on low voltage on a 155 alt and 2 yellow tops

**whiney** · 09-01-2010

Well, got bored last night and decided it was time to build a box... It's 6.75 cu/ft. and tuned to 22hz.

Sorry about the crappy quality, I doubt the box is going to fit into the trunk... But thats nothing an angle grinder cant fix. Lol

**matt5112** · 09-01-2010

You dont build ported boxes when you're bored unless you're actually good at carpentry haha.

I very much like your choice in port frequency though.

If you cant get it in the trunk, try through the backseat.

**STE2400** · 09-02-2010

Originally Posted by whiney

I'm pretty sure I will be getting an alpine 9887 for my deck,

The 9887 requires the IMPRINT sound possessor device in order to get all the extra EQ options just so you know. In my opinion it was a waste of 150 bucks, plus my 9886 which cost me 300 dollars plus tax. Needless to say I was very disappointed. There making it so you have to buy an adapter for damn near EVERYTHING. On top of that if you wanted to go even further, they have the calibration kit that does it automatically for you, which of course you have to cough up even MORE money.

I bought a Pioneer Premier deck back in 08 that had practically all of the same options, plus more control over subwoofer setting and cost as much as my Alpine 9886 deck did without those extra options. Just thought I'd throw my two cents in on my experience.

**whiney** · 09-02-2010

Originally Posted by STE2400

The 9887 requires the IMPRINT sound possessor device in order to get all the extra EQ options just so you know. In my opinion it was a waste of 150 bucks, plus my 9886 which cost me 300 dollars plus tax. Needless to say I was very disappointed. There making it so you have to buy an adapter for damn near EVERYTHING. On top of that if you wanted to go even further, they have the calibration kit that does it automatically for you, which of course you have to cough up even MORE money.

I bought a Pioneer Premier deck back in 08 that had practically all of the same options, plus more control over subwoofer setting and cost as much as my Alpine 9886 deck did without those extra options. Just thought I'd throw my two cents in on my experience.

The deal on the 9887 fell through, I ended up getting their new cda-117. From what I can see it seems to be a decent deck. It has quite a bit of features built in, time correction and what not. The only thing I wish it had was the ability to go 3-way active crossover... That you need the imprint box for too.

**I800C0LLECT** · 09-02-2010

Originally Posted by whiney

The deal on the 9887 fell through, I ended up getting their new cda-117. From what I can see it seems to be a decent deck. It has quite a bit of features built in, time correction and what not. The only thing I wish it had was the ability to go 3-way active crossover... That you need the imprint box for too.

Not exactly.

The KTX-H100 will give the CDA-117 all the tuning capabilities that the CDA-9887 has built in. 3-way, 5 band PEQ or 7 band GEQ, MX processing (you might have that), and a couple other features that probably aren't so dramatic.

The PXA-H100 is the imprint kit. It must be used in conjunction with the KTX-H100 in order to use the "automatic tuning" function. At least that's how I understand it all. When I took apart one of my 9887's it had some home theatre chip inside that I noticed. Apparently, moving a lot of the processing to an outside box made it cheaper to reproduce the 9887 yet still cater to the "audiophile" market.

In the end, I think moving the processing power to an added box was a good move for the sake of product manufacturing. I have witnessed complaints that the CDA-117 has issues with their CD transports though. They randomly, yet consistently, skip.