[BHODGES3]

UNOFFICIAL STi Color Combo Sampler

I need to know what all I need. Here is what I do know... I know I want speakers for the front doors (don't know if that means I need a separate set of tweeters or what), I want the 2 speakers in the back, I assume I want a subwoofer, I own 300+ non-burned music cds and 160+ non-burned dvd's, I want a single-din lcd monitor/receiver and a single-din dvd. My idea is to use player to play dvd's on the monitor and use my 20gig ipod to hook directly to my monitor/receiver so I don't need to carry all of my cd's. I don't care anything about xm. I know jack squat about stereo stuff. Do I need amps, do I want speakers for the front dash, (my '96 civic ex had separate smaller speakers by the door mirrors and bigger speakers down at the bottom) what is up with that, what are crossovers, will I be able to plug the ipod into the front of my receiver or will I have to buy that thing that plays it over the fm waves, if I do... does anyone know how good a quality that comes out? Feel free to answer any or all...or none of my questions. Sorry about the length...but then again I warned you!

 

[91TB78]

Ok, here is what you are going to need:
(this is just a suggestion of what's out there and there are many possibilities)

HU: http://www.etronics.com/product.asp?stk_code=alpivad900

Front speakers: http://www.etronics.com/product.asp?stk_code=alpspxf17m

Rear Speakers: http://www.etronics.com/product.asp?stk_code=alpspr174a

Sub:
1 of these: http://www.etronics.com/product.asp?stk_code=alpswr1221d
OR
2 of these: http://www.etronics.com/product.asp?stk_code=alpswr1021d

Speaker Amp:
http://www.etronics.com/product.asp?stk_code=alpmrvf540

Sub Amp:
http://www.etronics.com/product.asp?stk_code=alpmrdm1000

or get a 5-channel and you don't need the separate speaker and sub amps:
http://www.etronics.com/product.asp?stk_code=alpmrvf450

Now, here is the disclaimer. I picked all of these products from one site (call me lazy) and they are all Alpine products. I do not think Alpine makes the best car audio, but their head units are good, but not the only good HUs out there. Also, since I used one website I didn't have the greatest selection so I threw some stuff together in terms of power ratings and speakers/sub setup.

This is a basic layout for what you need for this stereo setup. ITs going to cost you (with the DVD HU) more than $3000 installed..just to let you know.

Another option to look at is the 5.1 system for your car. You would need a car center channel and then use something like this amp:
http://www.etronics.com/product.asp?stk_code=soudartagnan

That way you would run a 5.1 channels for your own car theater...a bit much for a car like the STi though.

 

[91TB78]

Oh yeah as far as my (near exact setup) that I am going to run:

Alpine 7995 or Pioneer Pioneer DEH-P8500MP..

CDT HD62 6.5" components up front
CDT HD 63 6.5" two-way in the rear

And either two Soundstream Picasso 2600s, two Rubicon 500-2s, or 1 TR500

That's it..simple, no sub, just clean highs and good mid bass. The sub is a bit too much with weight and what not since I like custom boxes in my vehicle...

 

[BHODGES3]

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions! Is that HU you listed an actual dvd player built into the monitor/receiver? I can't get a close-up pic of it to tell. It says dvd/cd/cdrw receiver so I would assume that it is. Also, do you know if any of the av-slots are readily available (ie on the front face or something like that) so I can plug/un-plug my ipod with ease? Also, should I buy another battery or something?

 

[91TB78]

THANKS!!

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions! Is that HU you listed an actual dvd player built into the monitor/receiver? I can't get a close-up pic of it to tell. It says dvd/cd/cdrw receiver so I would assume that it is. Also, do you know if any of the av-slots are readily available (ie on the front face or something like that) so I can plug/un-plug my ipod with ease? Also, should I buy another battery or something?

The HU is an all-in-one..
The av slots can be made to be readily available out the front of your dash. It would be simple and would look decent as a custom install..say with the stock dash and a tiny hole fitted with the female end of the av patch cable viewable. Very easy to do.
You do not need another battery. You should have no problems..unless you go with a big moma amp like the 1000W I suggested for the sub (you won't need one that big). Down the road you can replace your battery with an Optima battery..it is an overall better battery and lighter I believe, but not until the OEM one dies out.

 

[slvrphish]

The ZEB is another good place to check for HUs, amps and speakers. They have a wide verity of venders, and usually have links to the manufactures site for all of the details (and good pictures). For iPod stuff you might want to take a look at Xtrememac. Everythingipod also has some nifty stuff for taking your iPod on the road with you.

 

[BHODGES3]

Thanks to everyone for their help. This is what I am looking at for now (brand names aren't set in stone, just used as an example). Lrt me know if this sounds feasible.

2 Rockford Fosgate 6 1/2" components, one in each door.
2 Rockford Fosgate 6 1/2" (2-way?) regular speakers for the back.
1 12" Rockford Fosgate Sub for trunk.
1 4x1 Alpine amp to power the 4 speakers and the sub.
1 Dvd/Cd/Cdrw Alpine player, single din.
1 Sony LCD monitor/receiver.

Some of this stuff says it comes with amps out and stuff but I have no idea what all that is about. I think I just plug my dvd player into the monitor and have the outs from my monitor/receiver go to my amp, which then sends it to the speakers right?

 

[4MLA1FN]

Leasing

you plan on doing the installation yourself?

 

[BHODGES3]

:wink: Heh, of course. I figured I could just take some razors and cut *real* small cuts in the carpet to lay all the wires, and use those little twist-tie thingies to connect the wires. Plus... won't the dins just slide in and latch?! :wink:

J/K of course. My best friend has been installing car stereo's/alarms for the past 9 years. Unfortunately he isn't readily available right now for me to ask him actual advice on the purchase. But, him being the STI lover that he is, my buddy is going to be the first person I go see once I get mine. So he can drive it a little if he will install all my stuff.

 

[slvrphish]

Some of this stuff says it comes with amps out and stuff but I have no idea what all that is about. I think I just plug my dvd player into the monitor and have the outs from my monitor/receiver go to my amp, which then sends it to the speakers right?

Amp out is a set of RCA jacks that you can go directly into an amp with. For example the Clarion VRX925VD has 4-volt front/rear/subwoofer preamp outputs. BTW the VRX925VD is a really nice HU. You can read more about it from Crutchfield, but the ZEB has a better price on that unit. The 925 (or its new brother 935) are your one-stop shopping place -- plays DVD videos, CDs, CD-Rs & MP3 files on CD-R. (I haven't found anything that say whether it will play CD-RW, but my guess would be yes.)

On the drive in this morning I was thinking about where one could install your input for an iPod. Next to the e-brake there are a couple of switch blanks. One will have the DCCD switch but the other should be available (unless SOA offers the cold weather package on the STis). One might be able to mount a couple RCA or 1/4" stereo phone jack in one of those blanks and "jack" your iPod in. This should afford you a nice clean finish without doing permanent modification to your dash. If you are not a smoker you might also be able to do the same thing to the front of the ashtray.

Something to think about: As the iPod only has a headphone jack (and Firewire) you will be running a amplified signal out of your iPod into a line-voltage (RCA) AUX input. So depending on which HU you get this may cause some distortion. This should be correctable by adjusting the volume on your iPod. I found a post that talks about a hum/whine when using an iPod with auto adapters: A Hummer In The Car...? I also found article that talks about direct firwire into your car's HU: FireWire's next step: your car?

 

[BHODGES3]

Are there no receiver's/hu's that have rca jacks in the front? Ipod makes an adapter to go straight to the line-in rca jacks. If they are all in the back could I just have that cord stay under my dash plugged in and just leave other end mounted in glove box opening or something? That way I could just open my box, plug in ipod, set it to play, and close that joker up.

 

[slvrphish]

I haven't seen any HUs with front mounted RCAs of late. (Actually the last one I saw had a 1/4" stereo jack in the front.)

Sorry for not connecting the dots. You would take the set of AUX inputs and "extend" them to where ever you like, as you suggested. My thought was the free switch blank next to the e-brake. Then you could just "drop" your iPod into the cup holder. Or use something more fancy like a swivel mount to mount it to your dash -- which might be handy to change songs and such. The other thought was to use the front "plate" of the ashtray to mount your RCA or 1/4" jack. Then a "TransPod All-In-One" might be the cool thing to have.

 

[TO60IN6]

Aiwa has front mounted inputs. My gf has one and like it for her iPod and MP3 CDs. But there are FM transmitters for the iPod now - no wires needed.

Here's an Aiwa -
http://www.crutchfield.com/cgi-bin/S-jrAC83ZfTan/ProdView.asp?s=0&c=3&g=62700&I=570CDCMA01&o=m&a=1

And the FM transmitter -
http://www.everythingipod.com/sugge...ILdatarq=YES&max=1&eqtype1datarq=For Your Car

or

http://www.everythingipod.com/sugge...chSKU=w001-2002&max=1&eqAVAILdatarq=YES&max=1

 

[BHODGES3]

Nod, how good is that fm transmitter thing? I had one a long time ago for a cd player and the sound quality was not very good? Can you tell any difference whatsoever?

 

[TO60IN6]

They are much better than they used to be, but I'm sure that to an audiophile's ears they still don't compare to connecting it with a gold cable. But then again, to audio purist, MP3s are a quality step down from CD, and CDs are a step down from vinyl, and vinyl is a step down from live. Screw that! I barely hear a difference between my iPod and CDs and it's way cool to have 4000 songs at your disposal. :wink:

 

[tymez2]

I'm about to rip the OEM head unit out of my MY02' STi and install a Kenwood EQ, 2xKenwood 849 Amps, Kenwood Dual Mag Splits front & rear & 1x Soundstream SPL 15" Sub. (can't beat SPL speakers, if you can get your hands on them buy one, you'll be impressed, at least aim for a sub with dual voice coils)

I'm loosing all cd/tuner stuff and just going the iPod. I'll be hard wiring my iPod via a panel (which will sit where the cd player now sits) with a Firewire socket and audio in. Firewire will provide the power to keep the iPod charged (wired into a spare fuse) and audio in for the sound, obviously. The only wires you will see are the two coming out of the front panel. I might even get the apple logo etched onto the panel for looks. As Mac junkies do!!! There are some nice cradles available on the web for your ipod.

http://www.ipodlounge.com

I've tried an FM transmitter and they suck. As the last thread suggested, MP3 is a step down from CD so adding a FM transmitter takes it even a further step down and by the sounds of your setup, you may as well hook the ipod up through one of your rca ins on your amp.

BEWARE!! The MY01-03 Airbag sensor is located just under your parcel tray. Go too big in the boot and you'll run the risk of setting the bags off with really low frequencies. Thats the reason I'm only installing one sub. It's has been known to happen and I'd hate to be pushing 150km/h and the suckers go off.

Will post pictures as soon as the install is complete as well as a diagram of how it's wired.

Cheerz

P.[/img]

 

[2003STI]

tymez2 -

How are you wiring the firewire interface into you new sound system? A typical firewire card requires some sort of PC and software to work.

 

[CloNeGTS]

Yeah, I was just trying to find some info on that. That sounds very interesting.

 

[tymez2]

ha ha ha

you're right, firewire does need a pc/software to work - if your transferring data.

i'm only using the ipod as a playback device through the audio out (headphone jack).

firewire will power the ipod, just as a cigarette lighter for the ipod would work - making sure to wire it into a spare fuse (hiding cables)

surley there are two pins or even the outer casing of the jack devoted to + & -, it's just a matter of taking a ciggi lighter apart.

you don't even need firewire for the system to work, just the headphone jack to rca's then into the amp, but if you have a cradle you may as well power it, sort of like a mobile phone setup.

x2

 

[joemama]

Thats what I was thinking too...but yeah, you could easily hook up the cigarette adapter directly to the electrical, but my concern is the loss of sound quality through the standard headphone jack. It will be analog.

I want to see someone make a headunit that will have a firewire hoolup on the front face. Could yo uimageine?...it would power the iPod AND show you the titles and what not on the headunit, and would control the iPod as well!...you wouldnt' even have to have your iPod visible...
man, that would be sweet!!!

..and please, when you refer to firewire with a PC..you shoudl be saying Mac...they invented the technology and made it a standard.