['05CrystalGray]

Help me set up my stereo system

Guys,

I am going to be installing RaamMat throughout my car, removing the entire interior, and installing it in doors, trunk and floor. I figured while everything is out it would be a good time to install a nice stereo too. I am new to stereo and am not completely confident in what I will need. I do plan on replacing everything, including front components, rear speakers, head-unit, amp and adding a 10’’ sub in a fiberglass enclosure.

So far the parts I know I want are:
- Avic D3
- JL 10W3v3
- Audio Integrations 10’’ sub enclosure with there hidden amp rack. http://www.audiointegrations.citymax.com/Home.html

So here is where my questions come in.

1. How many channel amp should I use sense I am planning on replacing all the speakers? Suggestions are welcome!
2. Can someone explain to me how the wire connections will run? (I.e. power to amp, amp to head unit, to speakers etc)
3. I know many companies sell a harness to connect the head-unit to the factory wiring, how will things work with me changing all the speakers?
4. How much aftermarket wire will I need, and what gage?

Sorry for all the questions, I just want to be confident when doing a project like this. IF you have any reading links to help me understand they would be appreciated!

Thanks,
Joe

[white04sti]

eclipse make a great 5 channel amp that will run the whole sytem

[Panebianco]

your going to want a seperate battery mounted in your trunk to run all this stuff or else your car will run like sht.

['05CrystalGray]

Originally Posted by Panebianco

your going to want a seperate battery mounted in your trunk to run all this stuff or else your car will run like sht.

Why would I need a second battery to run a basic stereo?

[howboutthemapplz]

why not a capacitor?

[Panebianco]

Do what you want man. I do stereo installs for a living. If you power a head unit like that and two amps your alternator will go bad in a year tops and your car will run like crap.

[Panebianco]

But it's your car, so do what you want.

[plac]

Originally Posted by '05CrystalGray

Why would I need a second battery to run a basic stereo?

You won't dude. Thats the silliest thing I've ever heard. You can see my audio integrations amp rack install here:

Changes to the system - Page 2 - Car Audio, Video & Security - NASIOC

[Panebianco]

Originally Posted by plac

You won't dude. Thats the silliest thing I've ever heard. You can see my audio integrations amp rack install here:

Changes to the system - Page 2 - Car Audio, Video & Security - NASIOC

That's a weak sutup. You don't need a battery with that little install.

['05CrystalGray]

Originally Posted by howboutthemapplz

why not a capacitor?

Thats why I asked for advice, like I said I am new to stereo and dont really have an idea of what I need. I dont really want to take it to a shop, so thats why i am asking.

Originally Posted by plac

You won't dude. Thats the silliest thing I've ever heard. You can see my audio integrations amp rack install here:

Changes to the system - Page 2 - Car Audio, Video & Security - NASIOC

Thanks man! That rack looks really nice.

Panebianco,

Would you answer the question I originally asked? If you know as much as you say you do I would really like your input.

[Greg]

Ah Joe, welcome to the car stereo rat hole! Glad you found the Rammat. I like the stuff quite a bit. Be sure to get some Ensolite as well. The really helps cut down on the higher frequency noise. Before you get too far a long it might be good to determine your SQ (sound quality) and SPL (sound pressure levels) goals. In a nut shell, how good do you need it to sound and how loud do you need it. From there you can start properly sizing amps and drivers. Once the amps and drivers are selected then you'll have a better idea of the amount of current you'll be drawing. Its then and only then that you can start to make decisions about wiring the power (gauge, distribution blocks, etc).

Its also at this time that you'll have a better feel for current load on the alternator and battery. For me audio quality is important. But not more important than the performance of the car. If my selected audio choices indicated a second battery was required, I'd re-think the entire design.

For amps, I really like the Alpine PDX models. They are very small and one of the most efficient amps on the market. Something to consider if you are thinking your power system is going to stretched. The PDX amps are available in 2, 4 and mono channel at various wattages. The wattages would need to match the drivers selected. So the drivers need to be selected before picking your amp. I have a PDX 600.1 for the sub. I'd probably have one thier 4 channel amps if I didn't already have an Adcom 4 channel sitting in the garage doing nothing. Now its under my seat driving the midbass and tweeters. Old school, yes, but still quite nice.

For drivers, I opted to go with only speakers in the front. Not only will they image better, but it you can focus your budget on two more expensive speakers as apposed to splitting the budget between 4 speakers. I also elected to go with active crossovers which uses a four channel amp, one channel per driver. The cross over is the head unit. Its far more tunable setup and its slightly more efficient since there no power lost in a passive crossover. Plus if heaven forbin I I ever push my amp into clipping the tweeters will never blow because they are on their own channel that runs at lower db and will likely never clip. And the speakers were less expensive because I bought raw drivers without a crossover. I realise that most people will shy away from this design and I understand that.

The wiring is a pain. There are some kits you can get. But I found no single kit had all the parts that I needed. So went with the closest one and then suplimented with orders for the other required parts. A minimum you'll need some either 4 or 0 gauge wire, a fuse, a positve and negative distribute block, and 3 long RCA cables, a remote power wire, a bunch of connectors, a hand full of lugs, some tie wraps and maybe a couple dozen feet of quality speaker wire. Again, the power wire is determined by the size of the amps. Figure out how much current you need to draw, then size accordingly.

Connections from the headunits are pretty easy these days. You can get a harness connector for the STI that plugs into the factory wiring. Most come with wiring diagram and are color coded to match the wires from the head unit. The nav systems are a bit more complex because you also need to hook up stuff like the speed sensor, and the hand brake.

I'll also add that full install of mat is a big job it can take a long time. Adding a stereo install at the same time will extend the time quite a bit. It varies by individual, but its certainly not just a single weekend. Unless you can have the car apart for a while I'd stage the install and do it in phases. I'd start with one part of the car, just so you can see what you are in-for. One of the doors would be a good place to start.

Lastly, see the vendors link at the top of this forum for places to pick wiring and various other parts. I see you already found AudioIntrations, which I think is an excellent choice. I have one of thier 12" enclosures and am very impressed with the build quality. Feel free to pm me with questions.

[halfelite]

Originally Posted by Panebianco

your going to want a seperate battery mounted in your trunk to run all this stuff or else your car will run like sht.

The system he is planning is going to barley exceed the amps of the alternator and since i doubt he is planning to run at 1ohm. It shoud last a long time. only time you would need to do another battery is if you are going over 100amps or running at 1ohm stable. Because then you are constantly drawing the maxium amps for the amplifier.

Nice post above. I would always recomend 0 gauge power. With a say a 150 amp fuse then put a distrubution block in the trunk that has seperate fuses for each hookup. makes for a clean install. And i would say start with the sub install first. Our doors are a pita with the clearance of the window.