help me pick out a system for a ute

[old mate]

g'day,

as i am going to be doing my interior for my ute pretty soon, i figured that i might as well do the stereo while im at it, as i'll have the whole dash out etc to fit a/c. i have to admit that im not hugely knoledgable about car audio yet, but i do know what sounds good.

i read through a couple of stickies on the subject of the $x system etc, but as my install is into a vs ute, i thought that the acoustics of the small cabin size would have a different effect on the sound than a sedan. i will be installing the system myself, and will be fitting some sound deadener about the place to keep those rattles a little subdued.

stuff i listen to is mostly rock/metal, but with also some electro/trance style stuff too.

i have had a look at a couple of box designs for the tank compartment, and one with all the measurements seems to be 31 litres.. that size wont really leave many subs to choose from would it?

budget:

$1500 ish

requirements:

head unit must have ipod connectivity
good sound quality (crap quality drives me up the wall!)
sub


was thinking about an alpine head unit with ipod connectivity, they seem to go alright from what i've heard and some type-r splits, but i have no idea what else like amps etc..

was thinking about tweeter positions, not sure but on the little panel on the door near the side mirrors could be ok.

would just front splits be enough for a ute? or have something coming from the rear to give a fuller sound.

i know i could easily go out and waste my money on a crap system, so thats why i'm after some advice/opinions/ideas before i get the wallet out.

cheers

[Joe Bellissimo]

AD6 @ $375: http://forums.justcommodores.com.au/...-5-splits.html

STEG 45.4 @ $300 (stupidly good special at the moment): Shopping Secure - Car Audio Specialists - Steg QM 45.4x

SPL Dynamics XTR280 @ $350: Shopping Secure - Car Audio Specialists - SPL Dynamics XTR-250D2

Option Audio OAX801 @ $310: Shopping Secure - Car Audio Specialists - Option Audio OAX801

TOTAL: $1335 leaving you with money to go towards the head unit.

System would have great sound quality and nice punchy bass. Design a good box and preferably port it to give that low end extension.

Those are my picks

[old mate]

that system wouldn't be lacking in volume would it? are you suggesting to port the box as its a 10 inch to improve the lower end, or because space is at a premium in the utes.

i see it doesnt need a really big enclosure (sealed 15 litres), would you still have to go the same volume with a ported box? sorry about all the stupid questions, still trying to get my head around all this stuff.

[HCVP]

that system wouldn't be lacking in volume would it? are you suggesting to port the box as its a 10 inch to improve the lower end, or because space is at a premium in the utes.

i see it doesnt need a really big enclosure (sealed 15 litres), would you still have to go the same volume with a ported box? sorry about all the stupid questions, still trying to get my head around all this stuff.

I've actually have a set of those AD6 Splits that Joe just reccommended, you will have no volume lacking issues with those, especially in a ute!!!

As for ported, ported enclosure's are typically larger in volume than sealed enclosure's, but if you went the 10 inch sub, i'd keep it sealed, especially in a ute, you'll want the sound nice and tight.That's only my opinion though. You could port like like Joe said, and it will go lower, and will also be a bit louder, and more effecient, but having it sealed, will save you space, will be safer for the sub, and you'll be able to feed it more power. Those SPL Dynamic subs will handle a fair bit more than what their actually rated at, so that amp is pretty well suited to that sub, being 820 rms @1ohm, should see you getting the most out of that sub..

As for the head unit, one thing i've found with a few of the Alpine unit's, is that they don't offer any adjustibility of the midrange, not saying all models, just some of them. I've found this pretty dissapointing considering the money their worth.

Sound deadner does not stop rattles, it lowers the resonating frequency of a panel when applied.And that spot you mentioned for the tweeters, on the back off the mirror cover, is a good spot. I've experimented with a set of tweeters on some long wire and using blue tak, with just about every position i could find, and that sounded the best to me.

[old mate]

nice, i would hate to lack any sort of volume haha. on the subject of sub enclosures, i would rather a tight driving bass than something a little less defined, so that would be going towards the sealed enclosure. i would probably have to stick the sub in the fuel tank compartment so a sealed enclosure would be of benefit if i get some bad elements in there (i'll have to seal it up to the s**thouse though)

yeah i thought it would be a pretty good unobstructed spot for the tweeters.

no midrange adjustability doesn't sound very nice especially if paying a few dollars for the headunit too. have you got any ideas on a headunit with ipod compatibility in the $300 - $400 range?

[Joe Bellissimo]

As HoldenCommodoreVP said, you wont have a problem with volume on the AD6, they have plenty of volume on tap.

The reason I suggested a 10" with a ported box is because you need 30-35L to build a good ported box for it. To get the most out of a 12", even with a sealed box, you would need to go up to around 40L but I would prefer something along the lines of 70L for better output. You have adequate space to get either a sealed or ported 10" box within optimal box space. I'm a bit of a bass junky so I will tend to push the ported side of things but if you prefer a punchier bass then the sealed box is the way to go.

EDIT* Spoke too soon, looks like the punchier side of things is where your at. In that case make sure that you make the sealed box as large as possible. The SPL Dynamics XTR is no slug so don't restrict her

[old mate]

so your saying just try and make the biggest enclosure i can to fit this thing in, or is there a limit on what inside volume i should make it?

i'll have to take some measurements on the weekend to see how big i can go.

[Joe Bellissimo]

Find out what the biggest space available is and I'll let you know if its alright.

[2LOUD2OLD]

on that sort of budget i personally wouldnt bother with a mono for the sub and instead go for a 4 channel amp, 2 channels for speakers, 2 channels bridged for sub, aim for something with around 4x100WRMS

that leaves you with more money to spend on the speakers, plus if you decide later down the track to get a mono you can either bridge the amp for the splits or run active

therefore for that budget I would go something along the lines of

HU: Eclipse CD5030 $469
Splits: DLS R6A $449
Amp: Clarion APX4361 Ryda Car Audio - Clarion Car Audio APX4361 4 Channel Car Amplifier($379.95) $380
Sub: Vibe BlackAir 10 MK II+ $349

This adds up to $1647, you should be able to get cheaper as all of those prices but the amp are RRP (nobody pays RRP)

Should easilty get all that for $1500 and would be a very nice system

as for tweeter location, best I found for my tweeters was on the apillar pointing just below the rear vision mirror, however tweeter position is always a trial and error thing as what suits one set of speakers isnt necessarily going to work for another