TragicMagic

Hey guys, been a while...
I sold my '02 Elantra, and bought a new Sonata GL. This is a bigger, classier, family oriented car. I have a 2 year old daughter who rides in the back seat of course. So I don't need a powerful system, but want clean and clear bass, and a full sound for when there's only adults in the car.

I'm looking to upgrade the audio system incrementally. Currently, the car has 6.5" speakers in each of the four doors, and tweeters up on the dash at the bottom of the A-pillars. There are no speakers on the rear deck lid.
I have my sights set on a Kenwood Excelon KDC-X696. It has bluetooth, and steering wheel control available. I like these features (which I've never had in a vehicle before) and would like to keep as much of them as possible.
Deck >>> KDC-X696

The deck is $200 at East Hamilton Radio. Add the Metra dashkit, and the steering wheel control interface, and it gets a little pricey. Hence the extra time between components.

The second upgrade will be a 4 channel amp, and an 8" subwoofer. I have a "cavity" behind the center arm-rest/console and the middle of the back seat that, preliminary measurements show, could house the woofer in a small sealed box.

I'm a fan of MB Quartz equipment. But I've been doing some research on Boston Acoustics, and Cadence. Is Cadence equipment decent? Or is that a brand that one should steer clear from?

I'm looking for an amp that does 75-100W x 2 into 4ohm, and 300-350W x 1 into 4ohm bridged. Most 8" subs aren't rated to handle much more than 300W for one that is half-decent.

Here's one of the Cadence amps that would work, numerically. Link >>> Cadence Chicago
Lastly, I'll find a set of components for the front doors and tweeters that can handle that 75-100W. I want a set of 6.5" that are solid woofers, without the tweeter mount, or cone protruding from the middle.

If you've read this far, all I'm after is some suggestions on decent amplifiers that will produce those numbers. And 8" subs to match the output of the amp.

Thanks for your time.

Sonic

iTrader: (1)

From reviews I have read, Cadence is good for the money and does rated, you can get that amp in the link you provided for less, that price seems kind of high.

for comps you can look into the Image Dynamics CTX-6.5cs

TragicMagic

Here's where I'm at as of today...
Last night I came across the Kenwood KAC-8501D Class D Mono amp on OnlineCarStereo for $109 USD, plus $29.95 to ship to Canada. So that's $138.95 US ($145.72 CDN). Not including any duties/taxes I'll have to pay upon delivery. Even if I get it for $160 all in, that saved me about $70 compared to retail. The 2nd item I purchased is the Cadence S1W8-D2 8" sub. $60 USD, plus $23.87 for shipping, equals $92.87 USD ($97.38 CDN)
The sub is rated 250W RMS (500W Max). The amp will do 300W at 4ohm. So the DVC 2ohm will be wired in series for a 4 ohm load.
I still have to get the deck, dash kit, steering wheel control module, and installation done. But that shouldn't be too far off.
I'll keep yous posted.

TragicMagic

Update: 07.23.2012
I'm happy to report that both the 8" Cadence S1W8-D2 subwoofer and the Kenwood KAC-8105D Mono amp arrived today.
Now they're going to sit for a few weeks, collecting dust, before the headunit is purchased, and I can have everything installed.
I did not have to pay any duty on the sub. So it was about $96 CDN. I had to pay $18.60 duty for the amp - so it came to $165 CDN (all in). So I'm in about $260 bucks for sub and amp. The wiring is likely going to come from KnuKonceptz - and I'm looking at about $80 there, for better-than-entry-level wiring. Then the enclosure build will cost me a few more dollars.
The headunit and required paraphernalia is still going to be another $400... ouch. But my wife loves me, so she'll let me do it.

Here are a few photos of the gear.

dbs

sounds like a nice sq setup

Sonic

iTrader: (1)

Looking good bro, everything is coming together nicely.

stochastic

I love the Hyundai look these days. Subscribing to see the results of this build. Have you thought about what your front soundstage is going to be built with?

TragicMagic

For now the fronts will remain unchanged. I still haven't found the time, or the funds, to get the Kenwood deck bought and installed. The extra hardware for the dash kit and steering wheel controls is doubling up what a "regular" deck install would cost.
The factory system isn't that bad in this base model Sonata. I'm curious to see how the increase in output from the Excelon deck makes the speakers sound. With the OEM radio, I have the Highs maxed at +10. I find that if I decrease the Highs output, the staging drastically moves towards the rear, as the tweeters (mounted in the lower section of the A-pillars) become less audible. I have also found that I get a little cleaner bass coming from the 6.5" in the rear doors, then I do from the front set. So I fade the sound a couple notches to the rear, then I can increase the output of the Lows, while getting a decent amount of volume from the system before I can hear any distortion.
So for now, the plan is simply to get that Excelon x696 installed, along with the amp and sub. I'm hoping to get that done by this coming weekend.
If I find that the 8" sub is too much for the rest of the system, I'll definitely replace the front speakers, and get a decent amp to power them.

TragicMagic

I am going to order the install wiring from Knukonceptz (as I did for my wife's install).

Here's the list right now:
18' Kolossus Fleks Kable 4 Gauge Red Power/Ground Wire
4' Kolossus Fleks Kable 4 Gauge Black Power/Ground Wire
In-Line Waterproof ANL Fuse Holder w/ Fuse (60A)
Karma SS 2 Channel 6 Meter RCA Cable
5' Karma SS 10 Gauge Speaker Wire
Gold Plated 4 Gauge Ring Terminal -Black
Gold Plated 4 Gauge Ring Terminal -Red

So the Red ring terminal would be on the battery, followed by a short length (18" or less) of the red power wire, then the 60AMP fuse, then the run to the amplifier that will be a bare-wire connection. The Black ring terminal will be on the end of the ground wire - with a bare-wire connection at the amp.
The RCAs of course. The speaker wire to the sub. Now that I'm picturing it, I think I've missed the Remote Turn-on Wire...

I'm also contemplating getting a 4 channel set of RCA's. I'll have them installed, even though they won't be used now, there's a real chance that the front speakers will be replaced at some point. It would be nice to have the RCA's already waiting...

Am I missing anything?

TragicMagic

Hey guys,
I'm happy to report that I have the Excelon unit, dashkit, and steering wheel control interface purchased. Unfortunately, not one of those items were in stock. So I haven't laid my hands on them yet. I ordered my wiring from KnuKonceptz, which came to $100 shipped. The wiring should arrive by next Wednesday, and the gear should be at the shop for Tuesday. Once I have everything, the install will be done next Saturday. Then I still have to build the box for the sub, and hook up that amp myself.
I got the deck for $200, the dashkit for $65, the SWCI for $100. The shop I'm dealing with has a "free basic install" promo on right now for decks $200 and up. So they're charging me half an hour for install - for the SWCI, and to run my power wire and RCA's to the trunk for me.
So, as it stands right now I've spent about $830 CDN on the system - and not a stitch of it has found its way into my car.