Doug Peters

Greetings all. I have been on this forum as a guest many times in the past couple weeks while I have been researching car audio, so I decided to become a member. Anyhow, I am attempting to enhance my audio experience while in my car on the tightest budget known to man, lol. Also, I know nothing about car audio at this point. Three biggest things for me to consider while building my system: Price (Super Low), Sound Quality (Better than stock I hope), Sound Volume (Don't need it too loud, I have a daughter). That being said, I will list off what I have accumulated for my project thus far. Note, I started only a week ago.

For the front 5.25 replacements I have chosen Metrik MSP-525 speakers. The RMS wattage was in the right area (80W), people who reviewed them said the mids and highs are nice and crisp, and you can’t beat the price of $10 on eBay.

For the rear 6x9 replacements, which is a controversial area as some people say don't put anything in, I have a set of Pioneer REV speakers. The RMS wattage is 80W (Where I got my goal front RMS from), everybody says they are nice speakers, and yet again you can't beat the price of FREE from a friend.

For the sub woofer I have chosen something small due to the fact that I am not looking to rattle anything with my bass, I just want my lows to be dedicated somewhere other than my speakers. I have a Rockford Fosgate P1 10". Yet again, it is small with 150W RMS, but I have a daughter and like I said when I'm driving alone, I'm still not interested in rattling my trunk. Plus it only cost me $40. I do need to invest in a .65 cubic foot sealed box though.

So that is it as far as speakers go. For the amps I am thinking about grabbing a Pioneer GM-6100F 600W for my 4 speakers. It puts out 4x60W RMS which I think is a good amount for my speakers. Also, it allows me to keep my stock head unit without buying any new harnesses. I can just plug it into the amp and it’s ready to go. It will also do crossovers for me, allowing me to focus the fronts more on highs and mids and the rears on mids and midbass. Perfect.

So I need some advice I suppose. Which amp is recommended to power that sub, keeping in mind I am going to have the speakers at 60W RMS so I need to know how high (up to 130W RMS) I should be powering my sub in order to have it blend well. Also, what is involved in building a box, or is it so much of a difference that I should just spend some money and buy one? What type of wiring will be needed for my install, and uh, lol, how do I install these things. LOL! What do you think it will sound like when it's all said and done, maybe even allow room for taking it in to a pro to fine tune it.

So, here's a recap.

Front: 2 x 5.25 Metrik MSP-525 225W 80W RMS
Rear: 2 x 6x9 Pioneer REV 350W 80W RMS
Sub: 1 x 10" Rockford Fosgate Punch P1 300W 150W RMS
Speaker Amp: Pioneer GM-6100F 600W 4Ch
Sub Amp: T.B.D.

Everything running at 4Ohms.

Money spent to date: $100

Whew, a lot was said there. Any comments appreciated.

hott-nix

iTrader: (7)

working on an extremely small budget is hard, but theres not much else i would personally suggest other than maybe different fronts. (especially if price is a major factor)
you can get far better 5.25's for cheap. i'm pretty sure you can get some pioneers that match your rears for cheap.

as a sub amp, it's ok to go with a little more power than your sub can handle. having that headroom is good in case you upgrade in the future.look for something thats 200-250w rms at 4 ohms. your cheapest bet is likely a 2 channel. (i'll assume your sub is svc 4 ohms)

also, be sure you plan/budget for a wiring kit to wire both amps as well as your new speakers. if you are planning on keeping your factory head, i would suggest getting a good quality line out converter rather than using the high level inputs on the amps.

Albert

Doug Peters

You are probably right about all 4 things. I have an opportunity to buy 2 5.25 pioneers from a friend for 20 bucks. I am waiting on the model number to make sure they will match up. I will look into getting a bigger amp for the sub either 2 channel or 1 mono. Good thinking about wiring kits also. The pioneer site says that the gm-6100f is meant to take oem connections, but I will look into what you said, price depending. After all is said and done, the hard stuff begins, lol. Take the interior apart piece by piece. Also, should I get another car battery and use it to power my amps? Thanks a lot.

hott-nix

iTrader: (7)

the doors and rear deck are easy to get at in your car. (my wife drives similar and it took me no time in hers) also, at the power level you are talking, your stock battery and alternator should be just fine, theres no need for another battery.

Doug Peters

Cool, I could probably get one for free if that makes a difference?

Doug Peters

So noone has any advice for a grand prix with revs in the back and stock head unit? The fronts were cheap, but I'm open to advice, same wth sub. Also, does anyone know where to get a 0.65 10" sealed box for dirt cheap? I'd take a used one if it is still air tight.