share prices and tricks for budget sound systems?

[esca_ByDesign]

hey i just wanted an idea from you guys about how much you spent on your sound system compared with how good it sounds,

had a mate who went all out with his sound system, 4x 12" subs, monoblock, 3 Farad cap, the whole shabang, spend 3G$ and sounded worse than my granma's TV! lol

ive got a 53$ 600W 4ch amp off ebay second hand, 4x 3way 6.5" cadence door speakers (150$), "PAC" RCA converter and 8ga wiring, all installed for around 500$, and sounds ****ing wicked.

my question for discussion is how much is too much? where is a good place to get cheap but good stuff and how to make it better with spending little or no money (after you have a custom system)

im interested to see what you guys have done.

cheers

[acarmody]

Four 12" subs, yeah I can imagine why it would sound shit, he has no idea what he is doing.

As for how much is too much, that's entirely up to you and how much money you are comfortable spending.

I have had very good luck with ex-demo or discontinued lines, still cost a bit but well worth it. As for making stuff sound better cheaply, spend some decent time tuning the system, can make stuff sounds heaps better.

[Philthy]

hey i just wanted an idea from you guys about how much you spent on your sound system compared with how good it sounds,

had a mate who went all out with his sound system, 4x 12" subs, monoblock, 3 Farad cap, the whole shabang, spend 3G$ and sounded worse than my granma's TV! lol

ive got a 53$ 600W 4ch amp off ebay second hand, 4x 3way 6.5" cadence door speakers (150$), "PAC" RCA converter and 8ga wiring, all installed for around 500$, and sounds ****ing wicked.

my question for discussion is how much is too much? where is a good place to get cheap but good stuff and how to make it better with spending little or no money (after you have a custom system)

im interested to see what you guys have done.

cheers

Yours probably sounds better coz your mate just went and bought the most "wanky" system he could, but it looks like you have actually tried to buy one that sounds good.
Although it can be a bit of a risk, buying second hand is a good way to save money. I've had a few losses, but a lot of wins by buying second hand. My $150 Type-x splits are still running strong after over 2 years of abuse from me, and are currently running off a $100 2nd hand amp (although that changes around a lot).

Cheap upgrades/tips...
Always spend a bit of time preparing your earth connections. It only takes 5 mins, but a dodgy earth can cause all sorts of issues.
Sound deadening is a good (and relatively cheap) way to get more out of your system without upgrading the components themselves. It'll clear up your midbass, give you more volume, and keep outside interference down.
Your gear will never sound 100% by just throwing heaps of bits together. 4" coaxials and a 15" sub will likely leave you with a huge gap in the midbass, no matter how much you spend on them.
Spend half a day fiddling with the fine-tuning. Experiment with different front/rear levels, sub levels, crossover settings, and make FINE adjustments to the eq. I am forever adjusting the sub levels/lpf depending on what sort of music I've been getting into/roads I've been driving on etc.
Experiment with positioning. Move the sub box around in the boot, move the tweeters around in the front. You would be surprised at what a different the positioning of your components can make. The door woofers are usually pretty well set in place, but definately fiddle around with what you can.

Thats just a few tips to get you thinking anyway

[sweefu]

You don't have to spend alot, but i think alot of people do it in the wrong order. Everyone seems to add sub/any sort of amp to power it - imo wrong. I would go with decent fronts and a decent amp for them and they will provide plenty of midbass for the meantime. Your system would have sounded better because your mate had 4 12" subs wtf? Not the right thing to do, you were on the right track with starting with speakers first imo.

Money? - Can't say. It all comes down to a personal preference/what you want out of your system. I would have spent thousands if i bought mine new, but i looked hard and took alot of time and over the last couple of years i've picked up alot of great gear second hand. Thtas the way to do it, get decent gear second hand/discontinued not walking to JB and buying all low end gear new.

Cheers.

[esca_ByDesign]

yeah i didnt think you could tune it that good? i know you can play it around a bit and make sure it doesnt rattle but i think ill try and get it perfect this time

in my old car i just replaced the door speakers with the cheapest ones, got an amp and sub any sounded alright but bass sounded half a beat out of sync with rest of system.

i have to admit i did just walk into jb and get the only set of cadence 3 ways but they look alright, the rest i investigated and looked into getting cheap.

im not a big fan of subs, they are great but you get sick of them pretty quick, who knows maybe ill miss it and want it with my new system soon haha.

also does the quality of the RCA converter on vy's etc matter? if you get a 50$ one or 120$ one? can you really tell? or is it just how long it lasts before it carks it?

yeah im thinking it comes down to a good amp and good tuning, the rest doesnt really matter.

do you really think a good earth helps that much? wow i just welded a piece of 14G wire to my chassis for my old car haha, hopefully can grab a good second hand amp soon to upgrade, just to see the difference a good quality one can make.

cheers

[Philthy]

yeah i didnt think you could tune it that good? i know you can play it around a bit and make sure it doesnt rattle but i think ill try and get it perfect this time

in my old car i just replaced the door speakers with the cheapest ones, got an amp and sub any sounded alright but bass sounded half a beat out of sync with rest of system.

i have to admit i did just walk into jb and get the only set of cadence 3 ways but they look alright, the rest i investigated and looked into getting cheap.

im not a big fan of subs, they are great but you get sick of them pretty quick, who knows maybe ill miss it and want it with my new system soon haha.

also does the quality of the RCA converter on vy's etc matter? if you get a 50$ one or 120$ one? can you really tell? or is it just how long it lasts before it carks it?

yeah im thinking it comes down to a good amp and good tuning, the rest doesnt really matter.

do you really think a good earth helps that much? wow i just welded a piece of 14G wire to my chassis for my old car haha, hopefully can grab a good second hand amp soon to upgrade, just to see the difference a good quality one can make.

cheers

Looks like you have a LOT to learn.
Why did you get the "3-ways"? I've said it a thousand times, but that doesn't make them any better than regular "2-way" coaxials. In fact, most times it will make them sound worse.

You say you are not a fan of subs, but in a well tuned system you will not be able to tell the difference between the sound from a sub and the sound from a speaker, apart from the fact that you will know it's there. The sound from each different component should "blend" smoothly into the other so the transition isn't noticable.
Your delay i the subs will have either been a result of shitty wiring or a dodgy amp.

You say amp and tuning are the only important parts? Your system will only ever be as good as your weakest component. Having said that, most people agree the front speakers are the most important part

14g earth isn't anywhere near enough. Earth should always be at least the same size as the power wire. And for that matter, I always say the power wire should be the biggest the amp terminals will allow.

[sweefu]

.... :/ ...

[ari666]

my impala sounds awesome. not too much spent, but a lot of time spent building. two ten inch subs in a box designed to be heard and not seen, two 6x9's two 6.5" splits, 4 channel amp for front and rear, 2 channel for subs, oh and 500 bucks worth of dynamat

turn it up and the bench seat suddenly becomes a couch and the windscreen becomes a TV that your just enjoy scenery go by

my only gripe is that the bass doesnt go down at a faster rate then the volume, so when the volume is low there is a teensie bit too much, but at mid and high volume its great. and cos the subs vent diectly into the cabin, there is no audible bass outside the car, so you dont look like a twat.