Need opinions-clueless about stereos!

dyp911e · 06-30-2003, 08:14 AM

I will hopefully be picking up my sti next month from van bortel, and plan to have a stereo installed in Rochester, NY since I have a 10 hour drive back home. Someone on this forum recommend The Stereo Shop in Rochester, and they have been very helpful so far. They have proposed, based on what I wanted, the following:

Alpine 9811 headunit, cd/mp3/xm ready
Alpine XM receiver
terk XM antenna (the flat one)
Focal 130 CA (5.25") for the front
Focal 100 CA (4") for rear
Focal 27A 11" sub
clarion CLA-APX2012 amp for the sub

they will have the sub mounted in the trunk so I can remove it when I need the space. Sounds pretty cool, and they estimate about $1500 installed with tax and all. Comparing the prices on the internet, sounds like a decent deal, but it's a major step up, since now I'm just running my xm through a stock cassette player in my current car. Any advice is appreciated, specifically about Focal-I'd never heard of them before. Thanks!

***MKIVSupra*** · 06-30-2003, 10:06 AM

Not sure about Focals, but most brands of 6.5" speakers will fit in the front doors. I would also consider an amp for the door speakers, it will sound a lot better.

choonzAWR · 06-30-2003, 10:30 AM

question.. if i was to just buy the headunit - an LCD screen for example - can i just take it to subaru dealer and have them install their own speakers ? or can i have them install the speakers and go to bestbuy and buy a headunit and have them wire everything ?

jcbx · 06-30-2003, 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by choonzAWR

question.. if i was to just buy the headunit - an LCD screen for example - can i just take it to subaru dealer and have them install their own speakers ? or can i have them install the speakers and go to bestbuy and buy a headunit and have them wire everything ?

Why would you want to use the Subaru factory speakers? You should just get aftermarket speakers at the same place you're getting your LCD/HU...It would cost you the same amount of money to get factory speakers from the Subaru dealer and aftermarket speakers...And I'm sure any aftermarket speakers are better than stock speakers...so why bother with the stocks?...

just my 2 cents...

choonzAWR · 06-30-2003, 02:14 PM

well i really dont know how to install speakers... let alone know how many/how big/and where to put them... so i'd rather that subaru do it... so in any event that they mess up... i got them to blame

ldivinag · 06-30-2003, 07:27 PM

goto circuit city or best buy.

buy a pair of good 6.5" speakers. coaxes of separates and have them install it.

they warranty the work.

choonzAWR · 07-01-2003, 08:02 AM

ah ok i suppose thats much easier to deal with =]]~ thx

chawklit · 07-07-2003, 12:55 PM

Hey man, go with 6.5's in the front and 5.25's in the rear. And, if you're going to go with focal speakers, I would recommend putting Focal PolyGlass or PolyKevlar 6.5's in the front and those 130 CA's in the rear.

dyp911e · 07-08-2003, 07:37 AM

Starting to do my homework, and now looking hard at the Poly-kevlars and utopias. Not sure which ones would fit, but both the poly-k's and utopias are very well-liked it seems.

Quigybo · 07-17-2003, 06:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chawklit

Hey man, go with 6.5's in the front and 5.25's in the rear. And, if you're going to go with focal speakers, I would recommend putting Focal PolyGlass or PolyKevlar 6.5's in the front and those 130 CA's in the rear.

That is exactly what I am having done TODAY! 6.5 polyglass in front and 5.25 access rear doors.

The car was Dynamatted yesterday. I also have an Alpine 9815, Alpine XM amp, JL 300/4 for speakers, JL 250/1 for a 12" JL W3 in a trunk box.
It should be fun.

chawklit · 07-18-2003, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dyp911e

Starting to do my homework, and now looking hard at the Poly-kevlars and utopias. Not sure which ones would fit, but both the poly-k's and utopias are very well-liked it seems.

Hey looks like you're really wanting to step up to the plate here. I'm going to be doing the utopias and I highly recommend them (assuming you are running an external amp to them!!!!!)

To decide between the Poly-K's and Utopias I would suggest going to Car Toys (if you have those) or some other big car audio store and usually you can do an A to B comparison test.

My initial impression of the Utiopias v. Poly-K's is that they're both outstanding speakers and you can't go wrong with either one, but the kevlars have a pretty harsh sounding tweeter (very bright and tinny--relatively) opposed to the more neutral sounding Utopias tweeter.

Ok, that's enough rambling for me!

***Yukonart*** · 07-23-2003, 11:32 PM

Let's not forget one of the other finer speaker and amplifier brands available on the market. . . Diamond Audio. I have the M6 separates, coaxials, and subs in my car. . .and they sound amazing! Mounting depth of the 6.5" components is nice and shallow. . . no mounting depth problems in even my narrow-doored Civic.

The amps are underrated. . . perfect. 600.4 for all the cabin speakers, and I've got a 1200.1 (1200W RMS) for the two 12s. OMG, pounds like mad and the sound quality and accuracy of all the drivers is amazing.

If you can't find DA anywhere around you, I would certainly recommend the Focals. . . the finest DAs (HEX Series) will directly compete with the Focal Utopias. . . about the same price too, I think. Either way, you can't go wrong, though.

Nice thing for me is, I've already got all this in my Civic. When I get the STi, you bet I'm getting everything moved over to the Subbie. Except I may sell the M6 subs and get a single 12" TDX and get it custom-mounted in a lightweight fiberglass enclosure. What's the point of having a fast car, only to slow it down with a bunch of dead weight?

Now I'M done rambling. . . . lol

mx_9 · 07-24-2003, 06:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quigybo

Quote:

Originally Posted by chawklit

Hey man, go with 6.5's in the front and 5.25's in the rear. And, if you're going to go with focal speakers, I would recommend putting Focal PolyGlass or PolyKevlar 6.5's in the front and those 130 CA's in the rear.

That is exactly what I am having done TODAY! 6.5 polyglass in front and 5.25 access rear doors.

The car was Dynamatted yesterday. I also have an Alpine 9815, Alpine XM amp, JL 300/4 for speakers, JL 250/1 for a 12" JL W3 in a trunk box.
It should be fun.

Did you do the Dynamat yourself? If not, can you let me know how much you paid for the install? I'm just looking for a point of reference...thanks.

dyp911e · 07-29-2003, 07:10 AM

Yes, I've done a lot of research in my wainting time for my STi to come from VB Subaru. I've narrowed it down a bit to:

Alpine 7897 HU
Alpine XM tuner
JL 10" sub & enclosure
JL 125 W amp for sub
XM antenna

fronts: still deciding between: diamond audio hex S600, focal 165K, Boston Z6, MB Quart QSD 6.5"

rears: some cheapies, maybe eclipse 4"

the HU puts out 50Wx4, depending on what fronts I choose, may need an amp for the fronts. I like this HU because I will never take the face off, & it hides itself away nicely.

chawklit · 07-31-2003, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dyp911e

the HU puts out 50Wx4, depending on what fronts I choose, may need an amp for the fronts. I like this HU because I will never take the face off, & it hides itself away nicely.

With the speakers you've narrowed it down to, you will absolutely need an amp. You should be putting around 150 watts rms to those front speakers.

06-30-2003, 08:14 AM	#1
dyp911e Amateur STI Driver Posts: 27 IWSTI Addict since: Jun 2003 Trader Rating: (0)	I will hopefully be picking up my sti next month from van bortel, and plan to have a stereo installed in Rochester, NY since I have a 10 hour drive back home. Someone on this forum recommend The Stereo Shop in Rochester, and they have been very helpful so far. They have proposed, based on what I wanted, the following: Alpine 9811 headunit, cd/mp3/xm ready Alpine XM receiver terk XM antenna (the flat one) Focal 130 CA (5.25") for the front Focal 100 CA (4") for rear Focal 27A 11" sub clarion CLA-APX2012 amp for the sub they will have the sub mounted in the trunk so I can remove it when I need the space. Sounds pretty cool, and they estimate about $1500 installed with tax and all. Comparing the prices on the internet, sounds like a decent deal, but it's a major step up, since now I'm just running my xm through a stock cassette player in my current car. Any advice is appreciated, specifically about Focal-I'd never heard of them before. Thanks! This ad is not endorsed by this member. Please register or login to hide this ad.

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06-30-2003, 10:06 AM	#2
*MKIVSupra* Moderator Elite Car: 04 Subaru WRX STi, W Fav Mod: KartBoy SS & Bushings Location: Illinois Posts: 8,746 IWSTI Addict since: Jan 2001 Trader Rating: (0)	Not sure about Focals, but most brands of 6.5" speakers will fit in the front doors. I would also consider an amp for the door speakers, it will sound a lot better.

06-30-2003, 10:30 AM	#3
choonzAWR Professional STI Driver Car: Aspen White 04 STi Location: Bristow, VA Posts: 421 IWSTI Addict since: May 2003 Trader Rating: (0)	question.. if i was to just buy the headunit - an LCD screen for example - can i just take it to subaru dealer and have them install their own speakers ? or can i have them install the speakers and go to bestbuy and buy a headunit and have them wire everything ?

06-30-2003, 02:14 PM	#5
choonzAWR Professional STI Driver Car: Aspen White 04 STi Location: Bristow, VA Posts: 421 IWSTI Addict since: May 2003 Trader Rating: (0)	well i really dont know how to install speakers... let alone know how many/how big/and where to put them... so i'd rather that subaru do it... so in any event that they mess up... i got them to blame

06-30-2003, 07:27 PM	#6
ldivinag The Next Petter Solberg Location: N 37 33* W 122 3* Posts: 853 IWSTI Addict since: Jan 2003 Trader Rating: (0)	goto circuit city or best buy. buy a pair of good 6.5" speakers. coaxes of separates and have them install it. they warranty the work.

07-01-2003, 08:02 AM	#7
choonzAWR Professional STI Driver Car: Aspen White 04 STi Location: Bristow, VA Posts: 421 IWSTI Addict since: May 2003 Trader Rating: (0)	ah ok i suppose thats much easier to deal with =]]~ thx

07-07-2003, 12:55 PM	#8
chawklit Runs a straight pipe Car: sti Location: texas Posts: 879 IWSTI Addict since: Nov 2001 Trader Rating: (0)	Hey man, go with 6.5's in the front and 5.25's in the rear. And, if you're going to go with focal speakers, I would recommend putting Focal PolyGlass or PolyKevlar 6.5's in the front and those 130 CA's in the rear.

07-08-2003, 07:37 AM	#9
dyp911e Amateur STI Driver Posts: 27 IWSTI Addict since: Jun 2003 Trader Rating: (0)	Starting to do my homework, and now looking hard at the Poly-kevlars and utopias. Not sure which ones would fit, but both the poly-k's and utopias are very well-liked it seems.

07-23-2003, 11:32 PM	#12
*Yukonart* So Gangster It Hurts Car: 1994 & 2005 Legacy G Location: Bothell, WA Posts: 4,079 IWSTI Addict since: Jul 2003 Trader Rating: (0)	Let's not forget one of the other finer speaker and amplifier brands available on the market. . . Diamond Audio. I have the M6 separates, coaxials, and subs in my car. . .and they sound amazing! Mounting depth of the 6.5" components is nice and shallow. . . no mounting depth problems in even my narrow-doored Civic. The amps are underrated. . . perfect. 600.4 for all the cabin speakers, and I've got a 1200.1 (1200W RMS) for the two 12s. OMG, pounds like mad and the sound quality and accuracy of all the drivers is amazing. If you can't find DA anywhere around you, I would certainly recommend the Focals. . . the finest DAs (HEX Series) will directly compete with the Focal Utopias. . . about the same price too, I think. Either way, you can't go wrong, though. Nice thing for me is, I've already got all this in my Civic. When I get the STi, you bet I'm getting everything moved over to the Subbie. Except I may sell the M6 subs and get a single 12" TDX and get it custom-mounted in a lightweight fiberglass enclosure. What's the point of having a fast car, only to slow it down with a bunch of dead weight? Now I'M done rambling. . . . lol

07-29-2003, 07:10 AM	#14
dyp911e Amateur STI Driver Posts: 27 IWSTI Addict since: Jun 2003 Trader Rating: (0)	Yes, I've done a lot of research in my wainting time for my STi to come from VB Subaru. I've narrowed it down a bit to: Alpine 7897 HU Alpine XM tuner JL 10" sub & enclosure JL 125 W amp for sub XM antenna fronts: still deciding between: diamond audio hex S600, focal 165K, Boston Z6, MB Quart QSD 6.5" rears: some cheapies, maybe eclipse 4" the HU puts out 50Wx4, depending on what fronts I choose, may need an amp for the fronts. I like this HU because I will never take the face off, & it hides itself away nicely.